The U.S. Supreme Court seems to be headed toward backing a Trump administration move to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, even if doing so risks undercounting Latinos and other groups with heavy immigrant populations.
Guess we could have seen this one coming: The 69-year-old leader of an armed militia group accused of rounding up migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and holding them at gunpoint before turning them over to U.S. Border Patrol told the FBI his group was training to kill Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and prominent…
In towns and cities across the U.S., one may hear a cheer go up among drivers long plagued by the scourge of parking tickets after a federal appeals court ruled that parking enforcement’s use of chalk to mark tires (and time) to issue parking tickets is a violation of Fourth Amendment bans on unreasonable searches.
I’m wondering how to clean my makeup brushes. I use the Bare Minerals brushes which I think are synthetic, but I have some others that I’m not sure about. The hairs seem to get caked with powder and face grease. I’ve tried cleaning them before with hand soap but the brush texture changed and I immediately broke out!
As the saga surrounding Empire star Jussie Smollett continues to show no signs of coming to a close anytime soon, his boss, Lee Daniels, is standing by his side.
We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.
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The Shawn Carter Foundation is gearing up for its annual college bus tour, which gives a select group of high-performing high school students the opportunity to visit 11 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from Atlanta, Georgia, to Washington, D.C. Presented by Toyota, the 7-day tour also gives students a chance to meet with college admissions counselors, former Shawn Carter Foundation scholars, and other student brand ambassadors at top learning institutions. An exclusive preview event of the upcoming tour will be held April 25 at Howard University and feature appearances by Gloria Carter, the president of the Shawn Carter Foundation, and Carmin Wong, an HBCU Bus Tour alumna and recent Howard graduate.
The foundation will also facilitate college preparation workshops leading up to the bus tour for students in more than 125 high schools in New York and New Jersey. Beginning in September, students selected by their respective high school’s administrators will be able to attend a series of weekend sessions that focus on ACT/SAT prep, college essay and academic resume building, interview skills, and how to dress for success.
The foundation has equipped hundreds of high school students with the tools to be successful in higher education since it was founded by hip hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and his mother, Gloria, in 2003. All past high school seniors selected for the tour have been provisionally accepted to at least one college or university they visited.
Last year, Carter and his megastar wife, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, dished out over $1 million in scholarship funds for students around the country during the U.S. leg of their worldwide On The Run II tour. A $100,000 scholarship was awarded to one exceptional high school senior during each of the tour’s stops in U.S. cities last year.
The post Jay-Z’s Foundation to Preview its 2019 HBCU Bus Tour at Howard University appeared first on Black Enterprise.
Prudential Financial just announced a $180 million investment in what it calls ‘opportunity youth.” These are young people ages 15–29 who lack access to valuable resources including education and job training.
“Businesses like ours have a role to play in ensuring that global economic progress benefits all members of tomorrow’s workforce,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO Charles Lowrey via a press release. “Our goal is to improve young people’s lives by creating pathways for them to achieve financial wellness, strengthen their communities and ultimately help drive the global economy.”
‘Opportunity Youth’ is a global demographic of some 350 million young people who are either under or unemployed and who lack education. In the U.S., black and Native American young people comprise large segments of this population.
Prudential’s investment will extend into 2025. The financial services company is in partnership with several organizations dedicated to assisting at-risk youth including My Brother’s Keeper, YouthBuild—which teaches young people skills in the construction trades; Year Up, Andela, and its real estate investment arm, PGIM Real Estate.
Behind the numbers of the investment are real stories of people such an effort has helped. One person is Jay Hammonds, who was born to a drug-addicted mother; abandoned by his parents; and then dropped out of college.
Through Year Up, Hammonds scored an internship at Facebook. Currently, he provides IT services to Facebook executives including Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg.
“I’ve always been interested in technology, but I never thought that I could have a career in it. During the program, I was more motivated than ever. A lot of my family and friends didn’t understand what I was doing. They thought it was “too good to be true” and would say, “Where’s the scam?” They couldn’t fathom something that good, but when I got the internship at Facebook I was proof that the program was real,” says Hammonds in a statement on Year Up’s site.
Hear Jay Hammonds’ story:
Said to be the largest private sector investment to date, Prudential’s senior vice president of Diversity, Inclusion and Impact, Lata Reddy, says that the company has seen “firsthand” how its work with its partners such as Year Up, has a “positive ripple effect.”
“Integrating this population into the workforce will drive revenue growth for businesses and the global economy. With the right skills and training, opportunity youth can be both an engine of growth and a catalyst for positive social change,” said Reddy.
Prudential was named on Black Enterprise‘s most recent “50 Best Companies for Diversity” list.
The post Prudential Financial Invests $180 Million for ‘Opportunity Youth’ appeared first on Black Enterprise.
If you’re in the market for a no-frills wireless charger, Anker’s 10W Qi-Certified Wireless Charging Pad will cost you just $11 if you use the code KJANKER1149.
On Tuesday, Chanel Lewis was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of 30-year-old Karina Vetrano, who was raped and strangled in August 2016.
Twenty years ago, Texas couple Mohamed Toure and Denise Cros-Toure found a young girl from their native Guinea to care for their youngest son. In January of 2000, happy with her work, they flew her to their family residence in Southlake, Texas, to continue her work. She did not speak English, and the couple did not…
A Florida man discovered that a rabbit’s foot is not always lucky after he attacked a black woman and ended up catching an old, rugged right cross from the Easter Bunny.
Wearing makeup is all fun and games until it’s time to take it off. Stop scrubbing your skin raw with a washcloth or using endless, expensive, wasteful cotton pads and pre-soaked wipes, and get yourself a MakeUp Eraser from HauteLook. The Mini Plus version in pink and a full-size MakeUp Eraser in unicorn print are…
In the case with more twists than a YouTube tutorial, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, the two personal trainers implicated in the case of Empire star Jussie Smollett, have filed suit against Smollett’s representation for defamation, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Nigel Shelby was a 15-year-old high school freshman in Alabama who, according to reports on Facebook, committed suicide because of homophobic bullying.
Former congressman and presidential candidate John Delaney told The Root in an interview that he believes a moderate Democrat will defeat Donald Trump in 2020. Unlike many of the more progressive candidates in the field, Delaney is proposing more middle-of-the ground policies that address healthcare access, border…
If there was one thing about white people I have ever envied, it is their faith.
Does the point where you look at your closet and think to yourself, “I have too many good outfits,” even exist? No, in fact, it does not. And it’s because of sales like the one Anthropologie is currently running that we are (I am) like this. Right now, take 20% off all the whimsical, boho cool clothes from Anthro that…
Now that Russell “Future Baby Daddy” Wilson is the highest paid quarterback in the entire NFL, he decided to give the men on his offensive line with a little gift — $12,000 in Amazon stock.
The dragging death of James Byrd Jr. was one of the most gruesome hate crimes in recent memory; rightfully referred to as a “modern-day lynching.” Picked up by the side of the road by three white men in the early morning hours of June 7, 1998, the 49-year-old black man was beaten and his face spray-painted; a logging…
A United Airlines employee has been charged with disorderly conduct after verbally abusing actress and philanthropist Cacilie Hughes.
In the aftermath of 15-year-old Nigel Shelby, who identified as gay, taking his own life, a Madison County deputy has been placed on administrative leave in response to homophobic comments he made on social media.
“I’m going to Dyngus Day,” said Kareemah Fowler, city clerk for South Bend, Ind., when I called her for an interview. “What’s a Dyngus?” I asked, desperately trying not to giggle like a 7th grader. Fowler explained that Dyngus Day is a big festival for South Bend’s Polish community, a chance for state and local…
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The whole point of the “feeling cute” challenge was to have a little fun while on the job—or at least, while in your work clothes. But corrections officers who partook in the challenge earlier this month are now resigning or being fired from said jobs after their posts went viral for all the wrong reasons.
It’s not cold outside anymore, but anxiety is always in season. In addition to keeping you warm, a weighted blanket can work wonders for your anxiety, and several different models are on sale today, including a beefy 20 pounder for just $68 (with code X7GE5WHZ), the best price we’ve ever seen for a blanket that heavy.…
Last Tuesday night, a friend sent me a video of a commercial framed as a short film titled “Inseparable.” It was set in America during chattel slavery and featured Abigail, an enslaved black woman, and her love interest, a white man who was seeking to entice her to run away with him to presumably engage in a legal…
Editor’s note: For National Poetry Month, we’re featuring 37 up-and-coming black poets who we expect to do amazing work over the next decade. We grouped them by categories, though their works often blur boundaries and defy definitions. Monday’s theme was Black Regionalism, poets who look at black life and society…
Hidden in the new tax code passed by a Republican-led Congress and signed by the Trump administration is a new program that critics say will reward gentrification by giving billions in tax breaks to wealthy venture capitalists, individuals and corporations who invest in low-income communities.
LG’s SK9Y sound bar was one of our readers’ favorites, and it’s easy to see why. With just one bar and a wireless subwoofer, you can enjoy get 5.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos audio, thanks to three front-firing speakers, two on the side (to bounce off the walls), and two on top (to bounce off the ceiling for the Atmos…
A fifth-grade teacher in Missouri, already being held on charges he molested a child in his care three years ago, faces new charges that he hired a hitman to kill the child.
Teresa Bunn was eight months pregnant when her body was found inside a burning trash can in Chicago 12 years ago. Bunn’s death came within a day of that of another woman, Hazel Marion Lewis. Lewis’ body also was found inside a burning trash can in Chicago.
Ask any native New Yorkers, especially black and brown New Yorkers, and “word on the street” has long been the notion that with gentrification would come the demolition of public housing, long the place many poorer black and brown New Yorkers have called home.
I used to spend 20 minutes of every grocery run standing slack-jawed in the coffee aisle trying to find a good brand that sold pre-ground coffee in the right quantities for my needs, or browsing pages and pages of Amazon listings looking for coffee after I realized that the last one one I ordered was now only…
Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Philadelphia radio journalist convicted and imprisoned almost 40 years for the 1981 murder of a police officer, has the chance to appeal anew for a new trial now that the city district attorney has dropped his objections to it.
From the minute Black Panther officially assumed its place on the MCU release slate, it was destined to usher Marvel into somewhat uncharted territory. Sitting at the helm of the studio’s first film with a majority black cast, director Ryan Coogler already faced an immeasurable pressure to present something totally…
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter broke the internet once again with the release of her new Netflix film Homecoming last week. The documentary, which was written, directed, and executive produced by Queen Bey herself, captures behind-the-scenes footage of her iconic Coachella performance in 2018. As with everything Beyoncé creates, there was much to take in. While Mrs. Carter schools viewers about the importance and splendor of black culture, there is something else that also shines too bright to ignore—her ability to absolutely crush whatever she sets out to do. It appears that everything she touches turns into gold. Scratch that, it turns into platinum bedazzled with diamonds.
Here are five key takeaways from Homecoming that could be applied to our daily lives to help us all slay our individual goals.
Beyoncé’s work ethic is unmatched. In Homecoming, she teaches us that in order to make big moves, sacrifices must be made. She worked tirelessly for months leading up to her Coachella performances, showing us that she temporarily sacrificed many things along the way, including the one thing that mattered most to her: family time.
“In the beginning, it was so many muscle spasms and just internally my body was not connected. My mind was not there. My mind wanted to be with my children. What people don’t see is the sacrifice. I was dancing [and would] go off to the trailer and breastfeed the babies. And the days I could I would bring the children.”
The sacrifice of our time, energy, and money all come into play when on a mission to chase and achieve our big goals.
Having recently given birth to her twins, Beyoncé’s body was not the same. She had to train hard to get herself fit enough to perform at the level she was used to. She shared:
“It’s my first time back home on the stage after giving birth. I’m creating my own homecoming—and it’s hard. There were days that I thought, you know, I’d never be the same. I’d never be the same physically. My strength and endurance would never be the same…and that’s hard when you don’t feel like yourself.” Beyoncé had to rebuild her body, which, along with intensive training and endless dance rehearsals, also included eliminating many foods from her diet.
“In order for me to meet my goal, I’m limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol…”
Outside of the physical discomfort Beyoncé had to deal with, she also touched on the emotional discomfort. “You gotta be humble. You gotta be willing to look awkward.”
In Homecoming, Beyoncé’s priorities were clear—yes, she wanted to bring Coachella a performance like no other while highlighting her culture and leaving a mark for many years to come. She also, however, made it clear that she wanted to do all of that with her husband and children by her side as often as possible.
It’s important that on our journey to achieve big things we remember what truly matters in our world. The “why” behind all that we do. It’s also equally important to remember the lessons learned along the way, to make our next go-round a little smoother.
Beyoncé reflected, “I definitely pushed myself further than I knew I could and I learned a very valuable lesson. I will never push myself that hard again.”
Beyoncé’s meticulous eye for detail is one of the important things that separate her from the pack.
“I respect things that take work. I respect things. I build from the ground up. I’m super specific about every detail. I personally selected each dancer. Every light. The material on the steps. The height of the pyramid. The shape of the pyramid. Every patch was hand sewn. Every tiny detail had an intention.”
Beyoncé shows us that being able to clearly see the micro and macro views of our goals positions us to slay.
Homecoming showed us what going all-in looks like. It showed us that in order to see massive success, we must put our all into every single piece of the puzzle. It showed us that above all else, achievement takes heart—and Beyoncé has plenty of that.
The post Beyoncé’s ‘Homecoming’ Doc Teaches Us 5 Key Lessons to Slay Our Goals appeared first on Black Enterprise.
In an exclusive interview with The Root, U.S. Congressman Seth Moultin (D-MA) said that he supports a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and that white people need to “look themselves in the mirror” when confronting the impact that racism has on American society.
We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.
Christopher Columbus was a plundering, sex-trafficking, kidnapping ass genocidal despot who was given an annual holiday for his role in destroying whole ass civilizations. And while states such as Alaska, California and Louisiana came to their senses and no longer recognize the October holiday that commemorates his…
The GiR Get It Right spatula recently won our Best Spatula Co-Op, and now you can grab the mini flipper model for $11, in a few different colors. For some colors like teal and red, that’s the best price ever, but it’s generally within a dollar of an all-time low, so this is a deal worth flipping out over.
Gospel music wasn’t the only Christian tradition Kanye West tapped into during his Sunday Coachella performance—the good Pastor ‘Ye also indulged in a good old fashioned holy hustle, selling basic “church clothes” for $70 to $225 a pop.
Protesters say they won’t stop demonstrating until two officers involved in the shooting of two unarmed black people near Yale University’s campus are fired.
Herman Cain is officially out of consideration for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board after it was clear Republicans in the Senate would not support his candidacy, according to The Washington Post.
Plastic straws are pretty dumb. Paper straws are less dumb. Now, stainless steel straws are pretty terrific.
When Cory Booker announced he was running for president, a lot of fodder was made about his status. His marital status. As in, he is single and America hasn’t had a bachelor president since Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president, who married while in office. Booker, to his credit, has tried to appeal to…
Illmatic, my all-time favorite debut album and one of my top-five favorite hip-hop albums of all time, celebrated its 25th anniversary April 19. Whether or not Nas ever released another classic album has been the subject of an interminable debate among hip-hop nerds; what isn’t up for debate is that Nas had a largely…
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While in his early 20s and a student at Lincoln University, Langston Hughes published his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, and penned his landmark essay, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.” In it, he implored young black writers to express their “individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame.”
The three historically black churches that were burned down earlier this month in Louisiana are finally getting the help they desperately need.
The Seventh District Baptist Association, a 149-year-old nonprofit religious organization, partnered with the Governor of Louisiana, local leaders, elected officials, the impacted churches, other faith organizations, and the community to raise funds to support the sanctuaries. The organization, which is led by President Freddie Jack and consists of approximately 60 Baptist churches from seven parishes in Southwest Louisiana, launched a GoFundMe campaign on April 10. However, nothing was really happening until New York magazine and HuffPost writer Yahsar Ali challenged his social media followers to donate $1,000 to the campaign, sparking a worldwide outpouring of support. More than 37,000 people from across the country and over 40 countries and territories around the world donated to the campaign in just seven days. Ali announced that the campaign raised $2 million in a tweet on April 18. More than $2.1 million had been raised by April 22.
55. GUESS WHAT?
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) April 18, 2019
We just hit $2,000,000 on @gofundme!!!!
And that's not including all the offline pledges!!!
https://t.co/gj1BcNsGpu
The donations received are earmarked specifically for the Seventh District’s impacted member churches: St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.
According to an update on the GoFundMe page, charges have been filed against the man accused of burning the three African American churches. Holden Matthews, the 21-year-old white man and son of a St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s deputy, was arrested and charged with two counts of simple arson, one count of aggravated arson, and three counts hate crimes. His attorney entered a not guilty plea.
The St. Landry Parish District Attorney is prosecuting the case. The DA filed a motion asking that the suspect’s bail be denied, stating that Matthews is “an imminent danger” and should be kept behind bars until his trial.
The post Over $2 Million Raised for Black Churches Burned Down in Louisiana appeared first on Black Enterprise.
In addition to recently partnering up with Bumble to assist in their venture fund targeting female-founded venture-backable companies, tennis star Serena Williams has publicly launched her own fund, Serena Ventures, focusing on investing in diverse founders.
“In 2014, I launched Serena Ventures with the mission of giving opportunities to founders across an array of industries. Serena Ventures invests in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity, and opportunity,” Williams stated on her site. Even though she has been quietly investing in dozens of companies over the last five years, it has not been officially publicized as a fund until now.
Serena Ventures focuses on early-stage companies helping to mentor young founders and take companies to the next level. Through her fund, founders get access to relationships and she encourages collaboration among portfolio companies to expand partnership opportunities.
Williams has currently invested in 30+ companies including, female only co-working space The Wing and black-owned hair company, Mayvenn. “We are proud to be a part of Serena Ventures portfolio,” stated Mayvenn on a recent Instagram post. “As a Black-owned, Oakland, California based company we’ve had humble beginnings; we are committed to uplifting our community as we rise. Serena Williams is a change maker with a passion for diversity and empowerment and we are grateful for her support! Thank you, Serena.”
Portfolio Companies (Image: Serena Ventures)
Serena hired Alison J. Rapaport, CFA, as the vice president of the fund to oversee portfolio management and sourcing new investments. Rapaport’s background consists of working at J.P. Morgan in asset management, specifically Multi-Asset Solutions and she led the development of the firm’s Alternative Beta offering.
Her education includes graduating magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Operations & Information Management and a minor in Psychology. Additionally, she is a CFA charter holder and earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
The firm will continue to invest in companies that include businesses that touch e-commerce, food & beverage, fashion, health & wellness, social good, with an emphasis on minority and female founders. Currently, their portfolio consists of 60% of diverse founder investments.
The post Serena Williams Launched a Venture Firm to Invest in Diverse Founders appeared first on Black Enterprise.
The anti-vaccination movement is having a devastating impact on New Yorkers, with 359 confirmed cases of measles since Friday, according to the New York Daily News. To deal with parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, New York State senators from the Democratic side of the aisle are launching a campaign they…
