Tarana Burke, me too international, me too global network
by Stacy Jackson

September 19, 2024

‘Me too.’ International Expands Its Reach With A Global Network To Fight Sexual Violence

Led by survivors, the Global Network aims to activate solutions and resources in a united fight against sexual and gender-based violence.

The leading organization for survivors of sexual violence, ‘me too.’ International has announced the launch of a Global Network that will unite several organizations and partners to address sexual and gender-based violence.

Globally, about one in three women have been subjected to sexual violence in their lifetimes, according to estimates published by the World Health Organization. The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors reported that for Black women, 45.1% have been subjected to physical violence from a partner, sexual violence, and/or stalking from an intimate partner in their lifetimes.

‘me too.’ International‘s Founder Tarana Burke stated that the Global Network is the next step for the ‘me too.’ Movement as it aims to activate solutions, resources, demands, and strategies through healing and collective action.

“This network was born out of the desire to explore the question ‘what can we do together that we could not do separately?’” Burke said in a press release.

“The scourge of sexual and gender-based violence is as prevalent in the U.S. as it is in countries that many would think we don’t have a lot in common with, many places in the Global South especially.”

With a $1 million seed-funding grant from the Ford Foundation, the Global Network will support international visibility of sexual and gender-based violence and provide financial assistance for organizations with a similar mission. Ford Foundation President Darren Walker said the foundation is dedicated to investing in ideas, institutions, and individuals as they fight for liberation, equality, and justice.

“We funders are lacking the imagination to suspend our preconceived ideas of the potential of black and brown women to lead, to show us — the experts — the way to actually find the solutions to the problems we profess we want to solve.”

The Global Network will unite 134 organizations, advocates, and communities worldwide to fight against sexual and gender-based violence. Burke said the issue is one that “needs constant disruption from all corners of the globe.”

‘me too.’ International is seeking additional global funding for the Global Network.

RELATED CONTENT: Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter LaTosha Brown Receives Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award

Diddy, No DIddy, HBCU, pastor
by Jameelah Mullen

September 19, 2024

Former Podcaster On Revolt Network Weighs In On Diddy Indictment ‘It Feels Like Vindication’

Sean Combs is being held without bond at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

On Sept. 16, 2023, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking. One of his former employees is speaking out amid the disgraced mogul’s fall from grace.

Dawn Montgomery is the former host of Revolt Network’s Monuments To Me podcast. The journalist left the network after Cassie Ventura, Comb’s ex-girlfriend, filed a lawsuit accusing her former beau of physical abuse and sexual assault last year. 

Less than a week later, Montgomery announced that she was leaving the network on X. 

“FYI: I won’t be signing on to do the 3rd season of @revolttv’s “Monuments To Me” podcast. I am a SA survivor & I cannot be a part of a show that’s supposed to uplift black women while @Diddy leads the company.”


Montgomery spoke with WSBTV about Comb’s arrest. 

“It feels like vindication,” she told the network.

She continued, “You realize someone’s power and influence and how they can abuse that at any moment, given the opportunity.  

Combs temporarily stepped down as chairman of Revolt in November of last year. He eventually sold his majority stake in the company, making it an employee-owned entity.

According to a federal indictment, the disgraced mogul is accused of spearheading a criminal enterprise that involved sex trafficking and forced labor.

Diddy allegedly “manipulated women to participate in orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers,” the indictment said. 

Federal authorities raided Comb’s homes in March, where they claimed to have sized evidence, which included weapons and videos of forced sexual acts. 

Combs pleaded not guilty but was denied bail. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied the request Tuesday, saying that she could not “reasonably assure his return to court or the safety of the community, or a lack of witness tampering.” NBC News reported. His legal team appealed the ruling, but U.S. District Judge Aaron Carter upheld Tarnofsky’s decision.

RELATED CONTENT: Federal Judge Denies Diddy’s Bail Request A Second Time

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kamala Harris
by Sharelle B. McNair

September 19, 2024

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Takes A Cheap Shot At Kamala Harris For Not Having Children 

Kamala Harris has so much support....with children or not.

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is catching heat for claiming Vice President Kamala Harris has nothing “keeping her humble” about her being “childless” and not having biological children, ABC News reports. 

During a rally for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in Flint, Michigan, on Sept. 17, Huckabee Sanders told the crowd a story about her daughter and mentioned her children “keep me humble.” She then took that moment to take a cheap shot at the Democratic presidential nominee, claiming she may not know what that feels like. “As my eyes fill with tears, my sweet daughter reaches up, pats my shoulder and says, ‘It’s OK, Mommy, One day you can be pretty too,’” she said. 

“So my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”

As her comments went viral on social media, several politicians and media personalities have defended Harris as they compared Huckabee Sanders’s words to those of GOP vice presidential candidate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. In 2021, two interviews surfaced showing the then-senate candidate arguing that voters without children should have a higher tax rate. He also targeted Harris, claiming she was a member of a group of “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.” 

Vance carried his thoughts to Fox News, where he said those “childless ladies” want “to make the rest of the country miserable too.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, the hosts of “The View,” Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sunny Hostin, and Whoopi Goldberg, called Huckabee Sanders out for her words and said they offended both men and women. Griffin, a former staffer of Donald Trump, said she has friends who are struggling with infertility. At the same time, Hostin highlighted the different ways that a woman can be a mother figure without giving physical birth. 

Goldberg reminisced about how she and her co-hosts defended the Republican politician when critics said mean things about her. “Who are you?!” Goldberg shouted. 

Harris holds the title of stepmother to two adult children, Cole and Ella Emhoff, from her husband’s first marriage, second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Emhoff caught wind of Huckabee Sanders’ words and shared his thoughts. “You know the latest hit on Kamala? Did you see what they said? This one is unbelievable. They said that, somehow, because Cole and Ella aren’t Kamala’s quote-unquote ‘biological children’, that she doesn’t have anything in her life to keep her humble. As if keeping women humble, whether you have children or not, is something we should strive for. It is not,” he said. 

“There is nothing more important to me, Kamala, and K[e]rst[i]n than our kids. Our big, beautiful, blended family. And we know that all parents, no matter how you become one, make the same sacrifices and revel in the same joys of raising children as any parent anywhere.”

Harris also garnered support from Cole and Ella’s mother, Kerstin Emhoff. “Cole and Ella keep us inspired to make the world a better place,” Emhoff said in response to Huckabee Sanders.

“Kamala Harris has spent her entire career working for the people, ALL families. That keeps you pretty humble.”

Black Voters, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden
by Sharelle B. McNair

September 19, 2024

Black Swing-State Voters Are Supporting Kamala Harris Over Trump

The race is heating up....

NBC News reported that poll results from the Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion reveal that a majority of Black voters in swing states will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November. 

The data was pulled from 963 likely Black voters in the swing or battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where 82% of those voters say they are pulling for Harris, over 12% for former President Donald Trump. Only 5% identify as undecided, while 1% plan to pick another candidate.

The results are similar to those from a 2020 exit poll in the same states, which found that 89% of Black voters supported Biden over Trump’s 9% support.

However, analysts are looking at the poll results as an opportunity to dissect the important differences throughout the Black vote. “It’s important for the range of Black voices to be heard and to be known,” co-director of the Initiative on Public Opinion and dean of the Graduate School at Howard University, Dana Williams, said. 

“I think part of the responsibility of the mainstream media is to reflect the population, and as one of the largest-growing populations of voters, we need to spend a lot more time thinking about what’s on their minds so that legislative agendas, presidential agendas, messaging on all of those fronts don’t ignore a significant voting population.”

Black men and women in the swing states — 81% — supported Harris over Trump. More seasoned voters also identify as strong Harris voters, but younger voters seem to be divided. Poll results found that 75% of voters, ages 18 to 49, would vote for Harris, while 16% supported Trump. 

Black voters with college degrees shower Harris with support by 73 points over the former President, while those without degrees support Harris by 68 points ahead of Trump. Younger and less-educated voters are more likely to support Trump, according to poll results. A little over 25% of men under 50 without a college education announced they would vote for Trump, compared to 67% who said they’ll vote for Harris. According to Fox News, the poll took place between Sept. 4 and Sept. 11, just one day after the presidential debate, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Participants were surveyed via phone — both landline and cell phone — and text-to-web. The Black voters claimed they were motivated to support Harris because of her values, position on certain issues, and temperament over Trump’s rhetoric driving Black voters away.

Diddy, college days, howard
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 19, 2024

Federal Judge Denies Diddy’s Bail Request A Second Time

In ruling against the music executive, Judge Andrew Carter said, 'My bigger concern deals with the danger of obstruction of justice and the danger of witness tampering.'

After Sean “Diddy” Combs was taken in and arrested on Sept. 16, at a hearing the next day, the judge denied him bail and ordered the mogul to remain in jail. His attorneys immediately appealed the decision and went before the court on Sept. 18. After presenting their case to another federal judge, he was denied again. He will stay in jail until the trial takes place.

According to CNN, attorneys for Diddy appeared before Judge Andrew Carter in hopes of getting their client out of jail in preparation for his defense in the charges levied against him. But Carter denied the request, partly because he felt that, based on what prosecutors presented, his “bigger concern deals with the danger of obstruction of justice and the danger of witness tampering,” said Carter.

The Mount Vernon-raised businessman is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors stated that Diddy could obstruct the case with the possibility of witness tampering, as they provided proof that he had already done so. They likened his attempt by saying, “The risk of danger is acute.”

They also mentioned that he was allegedly in possession of a cache of weapons that were discovered in the closet of his bedroom, which were found during home raids conducted on his properties earlier this year. He also has access to millions of dollars, as well as private planes that would make him a flight risk.

Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, attempted to offer a bail package that they hoped would sway the judge to allow him out on bail.

This included a $50 million bond co-signed by the entertainment mogul, his mother, and several family members. They also offered that he would surrender his passport, submit himself to home confinement, weekly drug testing, and a visitor log that authorities can check.

However, this didn’t move the judge, as she stated her concerns about “obstruction of justice and the danger of witness tampering.”

Yet, his attorney threw in some more conditions in hopes Judge Carter would relent. This included a proposal to place “strenuous and maybe unusual conditions” to address her concerns, stating that Diddy would have no access to a cell phone or internet and would have an intelligence firm staffed with former state and federal officials to monitor the home around the clock.

“Any witness intimidation would be completely nullified,” Agnifilo said.

Carter once again rejected the effort and stated that the government met its burden of proof.

The 54-year-old multi-hyphenate faces a life sentence based on the severity of the charges and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 9. Agnifilo told CNN he will appeal the ruling once more.

The Stylistics, New York, Carnegie Hall
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 19, 2024

The Stylistics To Return To Carnegie Hall After 50 Years For ‘Falling In Love With My Girl’ Tour

Founding members Airrion Love and Herb Murrell, joined by Jason Sharp, continue to tour and bring their legendary sound to stages worldwide.

Iconic soul group The Stylistics will grace the stage of Carnegie Hall once again this fall, marking their first performance at the world-renowned venue in nearly 50 years. The legendary R&B group, known for timeless hits like “You Are Everything” and “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” will perform on Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. in the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage as part of their Falling in Love with My Girl tour.

The Stylistics initially took the Carnegie Hall stage on June 20, 1974, during the height of their chart-topping success. Their signature blend of smooth harmonies and heartfelt lyrics helped define the sound of 1970s R&B and continues to captivate audiences today. Their return to Carnegie Hall promises to be a memorable night filled with love ballads and soulful anthems that span generations.

The group’s most beloved hits, including “Break Up to Make Up,” “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “People Make the World Go Round,” and “I’m Stone in Love with You,” will be part of the night’s performance. Founding members Airrion Love and Herb Murrell, joined by Jason Sharp, continue to tour and bring their legendary sound to stages worldwide.

“We are truly honored to still be performing after more than five decades,” said Love. “When we started this journey as schoolmates, we never imagined it would take us to stages like Carnegie Hall or that we’d still be sharing our music with fans around the world.”

Opening for The Stylistics will be Tom’s Elton Tribute, a homage to the iconic British singer Elton John, led by Tom Cridland.

The Stylistics’ Legacy:

Formed in Philadelphia in 1966, The Stylistics emerged from two high school singing groups, The Percussions and The Monarchs. Over the years, they created an impressive catalog of hits under the guidance of producer Thom Bell and songwriters Burt Bacharach and Linda Creed. Their music helped shape the sound of Philadelphia soul, earning them two GRAMMY Awards and induction into the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s Walk of Fame.

For tickets starting at $26.50, visit www.carnegiehall.com or call Carnegie Charge at 212-247-7800.

WNBA, 2024 Season, Basketball, DICK BARNETT, BIG3
by Daniel Johnson

September 19, 2024

The WNBA Announces New Expansion Team In Portland

Awarding Portland with a franchise continues the league’s heady bet on cities with a strong love for basketball, particularly women's basketball.

The WNBA has announced its intention to return a franchise to the Pacific Northwest. Portland will join the Seattle Storm as WNBA representatives from the region as an expansion team in 2026. 

According to The Athletic, the team’s expansion status was made public on Sept. 18. It will be headed by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who own the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns. The pair also have NBA connections, as their father is Raj Bhathal, the principal co-owner of the Sacramento Kings franchise.

In a move that signifies the expectations for the franchise, and it can be argued women’s sports in general, but the WNBA in particular, the team will share the Moda Center, the home of the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers. 

According to Lisa Bhathal Merage, the two Portland basketball franchises are expected to operate in unity.

“We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home,” Bhathal Merage said in a statement.

“We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team. Our goal is to grow this organization in partnership with the Portland community, and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world when they take the floor at the Moda Center in 2026.”

Back in the early 2000s, Portland had a WNBA franchise, then known as the Fire. The late Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, owned that incarnation of Portland’s women’s basketball franchise. Despite a loyal fan base, the team had heavy financial losses and folded after only three seasons. Portland was close to getting another shot at hosting a franchise before those spots went to franchises in Toronto and Golden State. Awarding Portland with a franchise continues the league’s heady bet on cities with a strong love for basketball, particularly women’s basketball. 

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden pushed for the city to be given another franchise and, in a 2023 interview with The Athletic, expressed his belief that the city would support a WNBA franchise like they had many other women’s sports franchises, including collegiate basketball programs like those at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University.

“What the commissioner saw when she accepted my invitation to come to Oregon is, I think, unprecedented in the country,” Wyden said. “We mobilized, not just the Ducks and the Beavers and the Thorns and the Trail Blazers and the like. We showed that enthusiasm for a team in our community is unprecedented. I think that’s why when the final scoreboard gets posted, we’re gonna win.”

In a statement announcing the new team, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert said she believes that Portland and its fanbase will be good for the league.

“Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans,” Engelbert said. “Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”

RELATED CONTENT: WNBA Golden State Team Names Ohemaa Nyanin As General Manager

Houston, Trill on wheels, hip hop
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 19, 2024

Trill On Wheels Expands With Brunch Tour To Celebrate Houston Hip-Hop And Black-Owned Businesses

Are you ready for the EADO Hip-Hop Brunch Tour?

A popular Houston interactive attraction that continues to reel in tourists and amplifying the city’s rich history and Black business scene has expanded its offerings.

Trill On Wheels is the nation’s premier hip-hop pedal bike experience that celebrates Houston culture and hip-hop contributions. Launched in 2021, the party bike offers a two-hour cruise through Houston with stops at various Black-owned businesses, while guests enjoy cocktails and hookah.

Designed to celebrate the Houston way of life, each bike is designed to highlight the city’s car culture through a “Candy Paint” mural of hip-hop hometown heroes and the neighborhoods they represent. The bikes also have Swanga rims wrapped in vogue tires and Houston’s signature bass blasting out the speakers.

The lively experience has made Trill On Wheels a go-to tourist attraction that visitors place at the top of their lists. Now the new EADO Hip-Hop Brunch Tour offers guests a fun-filled way of trying out staple brunch stops in Houston.

Trill On Wheels is currently based in Houston’s historic Third Ward neighborhood, EADO, and has plans to expand to Fourth Ward. The tour experience combines the talent of Houston-born entertainers with a touch of light fitness. Those celebrated include Beatking, Slim Thug, and Lil Keke.

What started as just one single bike in a shipping container to a facility “is a testament to our team’s dedication, meeting high expectations, and providing a world-class experience for our riders,” the company said on its website.

“Team Trill” is led by a husband and wife team with two young children.

“As true fans of Hip-Hop culture, hosting epic game nights and being “outside,” we wanted to create an experience that we’d enjoy ourselves and pass on to our baby boy one day,” the couple said. “After a year of prayer, research, and pure, unfiltered hustle, Trill On Wheels was formed, and we couldn’t be more proud!”

Trill On Wheels has served over 30,000 tourists who have contributed over $700,000 to local Black-owned businesses, helping to revitalize Houston’s economy. Be sure to check out Trill On Wheels during your next visit to Houston and don’t forget to BYOB!

RELATED CONTENT: Houston’s Kindred Stories Bookstore Now Hot Spot For Black Authors And Readers

WORKPLACE, Bullying, return to office, RTO
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 19, 2024

Study: Workplace Well-Being On Steady Decline As Employees Forced Back To Office

Employee morale is dropping as staffers are forced to return to the office.

As more employees get forced back into the office and out of remote work, studies show workplace well-being is on a steady decline. The numbers are even lower when looking at Black workers.

A new report from Human Capital Development Lab at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in partnership with Great Place to Work revealed that workplace well-being peaked in 2020. But the annual survey of over 1.5 million people across more than 2,500 firms measured the “climate of well-being” and found that it’s been steadily declining since 2020, Fortune reports.

The decline varied when looking at industries and certain demographics. Companies in the health care and retail/hospitality field saw the lowest number while Black, female, and younger workers scored lower well-being numbers than white, male, and older employees. Southern staffers rated higher in well-being than their counterparts.

“The COVID pandemic heightened employers’ awareness of the importance of well-being, and many of the best organizations worked to create a positive work climate,” Michelle Barton, Ph.D., an associate professor of practice at Carey and coauthor of the report, said. “The challenge now will be to integrate those practices into everyday work life, rather than simply as a crisis response.”

Researchers used five criteria to measure each company’s “climate of well-being”: financial health, meaningful connections, mental and emotional support, personal support, and Sense of purpose. Employers who invest in their employees’ well-being, both financially and emotionally, received higher scores.

Male employees consistently reported higher workplace well-being scores than female employees, a reflection of the gender pay gap which widened in 2023 for the first time since 2020. Meanwhile, Black workers were reported to have the worst well-being from 2021 through 2023 compared to white workers who held the top spot, and Asian employees who were the only group whose well-being matched or surpassed that of white workers over the five-year period.

Black women had by far the worst well-being compared to Asian men who had the highest well-being score and the largest gap compared to their female counterparts.

“These significant differences highlight the ongoing need for organizations to address equity, inclusion, and belonging for all employees,” the report said.

The report found a clear positive correlation between flexible work arrangements and improved employee well-being. Companies where 75% or more of employees could work remotely part-time had the highest well-being score, while those where fewer than 25% of employees had remote work options recorded the lowest scores.

“For workers, flexibility provides the means to effectively manage work-life balance, addressing personal and family needs such as child care and elder care,” the report said. “For employers, it may cultivate higher levels of engagement and productivity among employees while fostering a climate of well-being.”

RELATED CONTENT: How To Have A Difficult Conversation With A Supervisor Who Supports A Toxic Work Culture In 4 Easy Steps

Frankie Beverly, Farewell Tour, Atlanta, Georgia, maze, Tony Lindsay, farewell, State Farm arena, retire, retirement,
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 19, 2024

Frankie Beverly Reportedly Had 6-Figure Net Worth When He Died

Frankie Beverly was 77 when he died on Sept. 10.

There were varying reports into music legend Frankie Beverly’s net worth after he died, with some outlets listing his earnings at around $4 million. But as per Celebrity Net Worth’s most recent update into Beverly’s financial portfolio, the “Before I Let Go” singer had a net worth of around $500,000.

Beverly, 77, died Sept. 10 after a lengthy, successful music career. He was best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the soul and funk band Maze. His music is credited with leaving a lasting impact on R&B and soul music. He entered the music scene in the 1960s with his band The Butlers.

By the 1970s, Beverly moved from his hometown of Philadelphia to California where he renamed his band Raw Soul. The band caught the attention of Marvin Gaye’s sister-in-law and became his opening act. While on tour with Gaye, he gave the idea to change its name to Maze.

Gaye also organized a deal for Beverly and Maze at Capitol Records in 1977. Maze released its debut album one year later and eight more albums under the label including live recordings like Silky Soul in 1989 and Back to Basics in 1993.

Maze never achieved widespread mainstream success but did build a loyal fan base and continued touring and performing well into the 2000s. Some of its most popular songs include “Joy and Pain,” “Golden Time of Day,” “We Are One,” and “Before I Let Go.”

The group was most known for its energetic but intimate live performances. Beverly’s signature style of custom-designed all-white casual attire—slacks, a long-sleeved shirt, and a baseball cap—became iconic over the years. Fans embraced the tradition by wearing all-white to Maze concerts.

In 2019, Beyoncé covered Maze’s hit single “Before I Let Go,” as a bonus track on her fifth live album, Homecoming: The Live Album. Beverly deemed the cover as a “high point” in his life.

“It’s a blessing. It’s amazing how she works, she’s very smart,” he told Billboard at the time of the song’s release. “I’m caught off guard, but in a beautiful way. She’s such a sweet person, too. She’s a very sweet, religious kind of person. Then the way she just released it, it’s off the chain. She’s done so much, this is one of the high points of my life.”

RELATED CONTENT: Louisville DJ Plans ‘National Whiteout’ For Frankie Beverly

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