AT&T launches its new next-generation wireless network, but breadth of 5G coverage in the US still lags South Korea and China.
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Friday, December 13, 2019
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Thursday, December 12, 2019
Supporting students in Puerto Rico after a hurricane’s devastation
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, Héctor De Jesús-Cortés was vacationing on the island with his wife, Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez. “Worst vacation ever, but it actually turned out to be the most important in my life,” says De Jesús-Cortés. In the days immediately after the hurricane, both focused on helping their families get their bearings; after that first week, however, they were itching to do more. That itch would take them to San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, where they asked the then-secretary of education a simple question: “How can we help?”
With De Jesús-Cortés’ PhD in neuroscience and Guzmán-Vélez’s PhD in clinical psychology, they soon became involved in an effort led by the Department of Education to help students and school staff, as well as the community at large, troubled by the hurricane. “Everyone was traumatized, so if you bring kids to teachers who are also traumatized, that’s a bad recipe,” explains De Jesús-Cortés.
De Jesús-Cortés and Guzmán-Vélez connected with their friend Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina who studies traumatic stress and Hispanic populations. Working together with the Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they developed a program to address trauma in schools. The Esperanza, or “promise,” program is ongoing and has already trained hundreds of school staff members on how to manage trauma and anxiety, and to identify these manifestations in students.
Back in Boston, De Jesús-Cortés has continued his efforts for Puerto Rico, raising funds for micro-entrepreneurs and teaching neuroscience in online classes for undergraduates on the island. Each effort is guided by that same simple question — How can we help? His latest effort along with Guzmán-Vélez is a precollege summer program at MIT that will give Puerto Rican students a taste for scientific research.
A sense of possibility
For De Jesús-Cortés, teaching is more than just a transfer of knowledge. “I see teaching as mentorship,” he says. “I want students to be exposed to opportunities, because growing up in Puerto Rico, I know how difficult it can be for some students to get those opportunities.”
While De Jesús-Cortés was an undergraduate at the University of Puerto Rico, he participated in Minority Access for Research Careers (MARC), a National Institutes of Health-funded program that supports underrepresented minority undergraduates as they move toward careers in biomedical sciences. “We had workshops every month about applications; they would bring recruiters, and they would also pay for summer internships,” explains De Jesús-Cortés.
MARC allowed De Jesús-Cortés to see a career in science as a possibility, and he envisions that the summer school, whose inaugural class will be in summer 2020, will do something similar. “The idea is to have kids first spend two weeks in Puerto Rico and expose them to research at the undergraduate level,” explains De Jesús-Cortés. The students will be at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico; the university has partnered with De Jesús-Cortés on the project. “Then they travel to Boston and see what research is happening here.” The 15-20 students will spend two weeks in Massachusetts, living in the MIT dorms, visiting labs, and learning how to apply to colleges in the United States.
The MARC program also gave De Jesús-Cortés a community. “To this day, I talk to my MARC fellows,” he says, and that’s something he hopes to replicate with the summer students. “Each student will have a mentor, and I want them to keep talking after the program,” De Jesús-Cortés says.
The summer school will not just give students a taste of scientific research, it will also show that universities like MIT are within their reach. “I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and my schools didn't have the best resources in STEM,” De Jesús-Cortés says. He hopes that, by seeing researchers in Greater Boston that have the same background, the summer students will see MIT and a career in science as a possibility. “Students need to be exposed to mentors and role models that prove that it can be done,” he says.
Fixing vision
De Jesús-Cortés works on the summer school, and his other efforts for Puerto Rico and the Latino community, in addition to his neuroscience research. As a postdoc in the lab of Mark Bear, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience, he’s trying to use electrophysiology to figure out when neurons in the brain need a little help to communicate.
Neurons communicate with one another using both chemical and electrical activity. An action potential, which is electrical, travels down the arms of the neuron, but when it reaches the end of that arm, the synapse, the communication becomes chemical. The electrical signal stimulates the release of neurotransmitters, which reach across the gap between two neurons, stimulating the neighboring neuron to make its own action potential.
Not every neuron is equally capable of producing action potentials. “In a neurodegenerative disorder, before the neuron dies, it’s sick,” says De Jesús-Cortés. “And if it’s sick, it’s not going to communicate electrically very well.” De Jesús-Cortés wants to use this diminished electrical activity as a biomarker for disorders in the brain. “If I can detect that diminished activity with an electrode, then I can intervene with a pharmacological agent that will prevent the death of neurons,” he explains.
To test this, De Jesús-Cortés is focusing on amblyopia, a condition more commonly known as lazy eye. Lazy eye happens when the communication between the visual cortex — a region in the back of the brain where visual information is received and processed — and one of the eyes is impaired, resulting in blurred vision. Electrical activity in the visual cortex that corresponds to the lazy eye is also down, and De Jesús-Cortés can detect that decreased activity using electrodes.
When amblyopia is caught early on, a combination of surgery and an eye patch can strengthen the once-lazy eye, getting rid of the blurriness. “But, if you catch that condition after 8 years old, the patching doesn’t work as well,” says De Jesús-Cortés. Another postdoc in the Bear Lab, Ming-fai Fong, figured out that tetrodotoxin, which is found in puffer fish, is able to reboot the lazy eye, bringing up electrical activity in the visual cortex and giving mice with amblyopia perfect vision mere hours after receiving a drop of the toxin.
But we don’t actually know how tetrodotoxin is doing this on a molecular level. “Now, putting tetrodotoxin in humans will be a little bit difficult,” says De Jesús-Cortés. Add too much toxin and you could cause a number of new problems. He is investigating what exactly the toxin is doing to sick neurons. Using that information, he then wants to design alternative treatments that have the same or even better effect: “Find neurons that are quiet because they are sick, and reboot them with a pharmacological agent,” he says.
In the future, De Jesús-Cortés wants to look beyond the visual cortex, at other regions of the brain and other conditions like Parkinson, Alzheimer’s, and autism, finding the hurting neurons and giving them a boost.
In both his neuroscience research and his work for Puerto Rico, De Jesús-Cortés is passionate about finding ways to help. But he has also learned that for all these efforts to succeed, he needs to accept help as well. “When you are working on so many projects at the same time, you need a lot of different people that believe in your vision,” he says. “And if you’re helping them, you believe in their vision.” For De Jesús-Cortés, this reciprocity is one of the most important aspects of his work, and it’s a guiding principle in his research and life. “I believe in collaboration like nothing else."
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Teenagers take photo with Black boy and title it, ‘A Ghetto Christmas Carol’
A Black Louisiana mom is questioning why two white high school students took a picture holding her five-year-old child and uploaded it to Instagram under the caption “A Ghetto Christmas Carol.”
KTBS reports the recent incident happened at Byrd High School. Sharon Martin, of Shreveport, said her family was attending a recent Christmas event at the school and was later shocked when she saw the offensive photo caption.
READ MORE: Black Christmas: Kelly Rowland, Ray J, Lala Anthony and more star in holiday films
“Really? Ghetto?” Martin said in an interview with the station. “Why? Because he’s black?”
“I don’t know if they were trying to be funny or what,” Martin added in the KTBS interview. “I don’t get it. Like why would they just write that? They could have left the ghetto part out and I would have been probably okay with it.”
The young boy’s cousin, Danny Martin, also questioned the rationale behind the caption.
“He’s five years old. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He doesn’t know what’s being said,” Danny Martin told the station. “He doesn’t know about all the comments, posts on social media. He doesn’t know that. So it’s my job as his cousin to protect him from seeing that and also to protect any other child that’s affected by this that’s been happening anywhere in Shreveport.”
Sharon Martin said she never gave the school consent to take pictures of her son and had actually instructed them not to – a double whammy in her book.
“I don’t want my kids on any of that,” Martin said, referring to social media. “They’re not old enough to speak for themselves so, no.”
The photo has since been removed from IG, however, the mother of the teenager who posted the caption told KTBS, in a statement, that she is sorry for her son’s actions. The station did not reveal the identity of the mom or her son.
“Our son was referring to the title of a song that is popular among teens,” the mother reportedly says in the statement. “He had no intention of being malicious or hurtful to anyone, especially the child photographed, whom he has already written a letter to apologizing for the whole incident. Although he did not intend to be hurtful toward anyone, his father and I feel that some counseling regarding cultural sensitivity is warranted.”
READ MORE: Lynched Black Barbie found at Chicago high school sparks probe, soul searching
The Caddo Parish School Board also released a statement on the incident.
“The administration of Byrd was made aware of the post and immediately took action, contacting the parents of the student and the student,” the statement read. “The post has been taken down. Caddo Schools does not condone and strongly opposes the comments made by the student. While we cannot speak to individual student disciplinary actions, administration has addressed the situation.”
The post Teenagers take photo with Black boy and title it, ‘A Ghetto Christmas Carol’ appeared first on theGrio.
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Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney’s remains show the toddler was drugged
Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney, the three-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Birmingham, Alabama, was also drugged. An autopsy has found the girl had methamphetamine and Trazodone in the girl’s remains.
A preliminary hearing in the case was held Tuesday in a Jefferson County courtroom for Patrick Devone Stallworth, 39, one of two suspects charged in the capital murder case. The other suspect charged is Stallworth’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Derick Irisha Brown. Brown’s preliminary hearing will take place on Friday, according to AL.com.
READ MORE: Officials release 3-year-old Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney/s cause of death
Stallworth’s defense attorneys, Derrick Collins and Roderick Walls, said Brown was solely responsible for Kamille’s abduction and murder and said Stallworth initially lied to detectives because he was trying to protect her, reported AL.com.
On the day she was abducted, Kamille attended a birthday party and was last seen by a 10-year-old boy who told detectives that the young girl got into a vehicle with Stallworth and Brown. “She was crying,” Homicide Detective Jonathan Ross testified the boy told him, according to AL.com.
Ross testified that Brown led police to Kamille’s body inside of a dumpster at Parkway Villas. The dumpster was examined by FBI agents and Kamille’s remains were discovered on Oct. 22. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office performed the autopsy, which found Kamille died from asphyxiation by suffocation. The autopsy also found toxic levels of methamphetamine and Trazodone inside the young girl’s body, AL.com reported.
Ross detailed the chain of events leading to McKinney’s murder to Circuit Judge Clyde Jones, including information that Stallworth had purchased nearly $20 in candy from a Shell station before he was reportedly seen talking to some children in a housing development.
Ross said that Stallworth’s phone records show he was at Tom Brown Village at the time of Kamille’s abduction, and that he also had a prescription for Trazodone. Ross said Stallworth also stopped by a convenience store close to his house on the same night to buy a pill for erectile dysfunction and an energy drink.
While at the housing development, Stallworth and Brown reportedly started chatting with two preteen girls who had just left cheerleading practice. The couple was sitting in a blue SUV, Ross told the court during Stallworth’s preliminary hearing. One of those girls told police that Stallworth said that he was “looking for a girl that looks like you,” before offering to give them candy. The 11-year-old said the woman in the SUV was “dark-skinned” and “chunky.”
The girls sensed something wasn’t right and left. Security video captures the incident, however, it wasn’t close enough to get a picture of the suspects.
Other kids also told police a man driving a blue SUV was handing out candy in the community.
READ MORE: Body of missing Alabama girl, Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney, found; 2 being charged
Judge Jones determined there was enough probable cause against Stallworth to proceed in sending the capital murder case to a grand jury for possible indictment. If Stallworth and Brown are ultimately convicted of capital murder, they face the death penalty.
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Ford Partners with HBCUs to Bring the Ford F-150 Truck To Campuses
When it comes to contributing to the education of students attending historically black colleges and universities, some companies just make a donation, which is cool, but, for the likes of Ford Motor, they are actually involved in doing more than just giving money.
I had the opportunity to actually see and experience what goes on when a corporate company commits to an HBCU. The tour made stops at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee, for the Southern Heritage Classic, the annual rivalry between Jackson State University and Tennessee State University; Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, Prairie View, Texas, for the Prairie View A&M University Homecoming, where the Panthers took on the Dragons of Virginia University of Lynchburg; and the final stop at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham, North Carolina, for the North Carolina Central University Homecoming, where the Eagles went up against the Spartans of Norfolk State University.
I attended the homecoming for North Carolina Central University, where southern hospitality was definitely in full effect. I witnessed and even participated in ‘car karaoke’ but done in a Ford F-150 and there were numerous interactive games people enjoyed and giveaways including Ford ultimate tailgate prize package where someone received a Ford-branded package complete with two padded lounge chairs, two tumblers, and a 45-quart cooler.
For nearly 15 years, Ford has donated more than $2 million to support the Tom Joyner Foundation and continues to do so. “Through its support of the Tom Joyner Foundation, the Ford Motor Company has changed the lives of countless families,” says Tom Joyner. “The scholarship dollars provided by Ford have helped students graduate from HBCUs, relieving them and their families of financial burden and allowing them to pursue careers, especially in the STEAM fields.” For every ride & drive at the homecoming game, Ford donated $20 to the Tom Joyner Foundation.
Related: 5-Year-Old Drummer Receives Full Band Scholarship To HBCU
We attended a brunch where NCCU’s Tymia Atkinson (a junior Social Work major who plans on attending law school to specialize in sexual and domestic violence law after graduating) received Ford’s 2019 Community Service Leader Award and we viewed an “Ode to the Builders” commercial spot, filmed at the Ford River Rouge plant, that was narrated by Angela Bassett. The brunch was hosted by 97.5 radio personality SHOWTIME.
I got the opportunity to speak to Dibrie Guerrero, who is the multicultural marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.
Why is investing in HBCUs an important initiative for Ford Motor Co.?
“Ford Motor Co. touches the lives of people everywhere; globally we are known for making and selling the most technologically advanced, reliable and fun-to-drive vehicles in the world, but we are also dedicated to driving human progress not only through the freedom of movement but within our communities. Education is the foundation for success. It is key to making lives better, creating social change and building strong communities and HBCU’s provide an environment that prepares future generations toward contributing to their communities, builds confidence and gives them the skills they need to cultivate a career. At Ford, we are all about working toward the future together.”
Is there anything you’d like to add about the partnership between the HBCUs and Ford?
“Driven by the F-150 HBCU Truck Tour, our partnership with HBCUs is deep and longstanding. Providing our platform to further educate the world on the importance of HBCUs and the importance of building a strong foundation for a strong future is what continues to drive that passion within us. We believe in leadership and pride and we couldn’t be any prouder than always supporting HBCUs, it’s what makes us Built Ford Proud.”
“Homecoming and ‘classic season’ is the best time to celebrate the history and traditions of our historically black colleges and universities,” Guerrero also states. “Ford is proud to support historically black colleges and universities through this fall’s F-150 Truck Tour.”
Read more about the great work being done at HBCUs.
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Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow talk 2014 investigation on their family
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services opened up an investigation into Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s family in 2014 after a photograph surfaced online of then 14-year-old Willow Smith lying on a bed with 20-year-old actor Moisés Arias.
The revelation came during a Dec. 10 episode of Red Table Talk where Pinkett Smith, her mom, Adrienne Banfield Norris, and Willow allowed viewers to call in with their burning questions and declared “no topic is off-limits.” When one caller asked if Willow ever felt like she needed to protect her parents from false rumors in the press, both she and Banfield Norris said “yeah” and later Willow went into what set the DCFS investigation into motion.
READ MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith says Willow has had to check Will Smith for misinformed comments
“I think it started with that whole Moises thing,” said Willow, who is now 19. “We took a picture and Moises had his shirt off.”
Jada elaborated. “The boys (Moisés and his brother Mateo) basically lived with us, so they’re like her brothers. These boys are always in this house with their shirts off.”
Although Willow says “there was no sexual intonation in that picture whatsoever,” agents wanted to delve deeper. Willow blames the backlash that the photo caused on her being a young Black girl.
“I find that other celebrities, females who aren’t black, who are younger and who do post things that are way more sexual than that, they don’t get any backlash,” she explained. “That said a lot.”
Jada agreed. She said the incident made her “furious” not just because it involved her children, but that “it was just one of those blatant moments when you realize the difference” in how people perceive black skin versus white.
Jada said Willow treated the DCFS investigation “like, ‘Whatever.’ That’s how they treated it. Her and Jaden both, and there was nothing Will and I could do. We were just like, please chill out. And they were like, ‘No. This is stupid and it’s ridiculous.’”
Willow said when the agent dropped in she gave her the stare-down.
“I was looking at the lady, and the whole time I was thinking, you could be helping so many kids right now and you’re wasting your time with a child who has everything that they need,” Willow said on Red Table Talk.
One of the rumors investigators heard was that Jada and Will were starving Willow, so Willow decided to walk into the DCFS interview at 2 p.m. that day with a bowl of cereal and pretend like it was all she had eaten so far that day.
READ MORE: Jada and Will Smith had marital challenges similar to T.I. and Tiny Harris
The family laughs now at the memory of that crazy time, but Jada said they all took away some important lessons.
“That was the moment that I feel like we really locked up together as a family,” Jada said. “The kids got to see for the first time why Will and I had been so protective, be careful who you talk to, be careful who you hang with, watch yourself because people try to hurt you.” And Will and Jada got to see the “soldiers” in their kids.
The post Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow talk 2014 investigation on their family appeared first on theGrio.
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Kehinde Wiley’s Statue of African American Man Unveiled in Response to Confederate Monuments in Richmond
On Tuesday, Dec.10, Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumors of War” statue was permanently installed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) and unveiled to the public in Richmond, Virginia. Thousands of people were gathered on the grounds of VMFA and in the streets for an unveiling that has the potential to transform the identity of Richmond.
The event kicked off with a performance by Richmond’s All-City High School Marching Band and included remarks by a group of dignitaries including Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Mayor Levar Stoney in addition to leaders from the VMFA.
“This is a historic moment for all of us,” says Alex Nyerges, director of the VMFA, during his opening remarks. “It’s a positive moment as we think about the inspiration art brings to the world.
Related: Why Investing in Black Women’s Art is a Power Move
Standing more than 27 feet high, the statue represents a young, African American male with dreadlocks and Nike shoes sitting astride a horse. Wiley was inspired to create the statue in direct response to the Confederate statues that are seen along Monument Avenue in Richmond. The statue is modeled after the 15-foot tall equestrian bronze statue of Cavalry Commander Gen. J.E.B. Stuart who is seen striking a heroic pose on a horse that has its right foot raised. It’s one of the most animated statues on Monument Drive. Wiley was determined to create an image of an African American male that defied traditional stereotypes of worthlessness.
“A black man on a horse in all of its regal splendor has never been seen before on this scale,” says Dr. Monroe Hall, VMFA’s president of the Board of Trustees, as he addressed the crowd. “It says that no matter what your background…you are important.”
New-York based artist Kehinde Wiley is best known for painting the portrait of former President Barack Obama that hangs in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. His work explores the politics of race, representation, gender, and power. Minutes before the unveiling, Wiley shared what this moment means for the future of society.
“I want this picture to be not about an individual but rather about black men and their place in society in a much broader way,” says Wiley as the crowd clapped and cheered him on. “It’s about a society that can include all of us.”
Wiley continues, “I don’t want this to be a boy story. I want all of our young women to feel just as engendered to the power this sculpture represents as well. I think that what this represents is not just a story about race or gender but about openness. It’s a story about America 2.0.
2019 marks a turning point in the narrative for the state that was the former capital of the Confederacy. Richmond commemorates the 400th year anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to Virginia and embraces a shift in the winds going forward.
“This monument firmly establishes that our city is not living in the past,” says Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond, VA. “Today Richmond is embracing a future that is happening right before our eyes.”
Everyone who visits Richmond will have the opportunity to get a glimpse of the evolution of the city through this statue as well as enjoy the resources that BLK RVA has put together to celebrate black culture.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
First Basketball Africa League Combine Was Held in Brooklyn, New York
According to the NBA, there is a new professional league The Basketball Africa League (BAL), which will feature 12 teams from across Africa and scheduled to begin playing in March 2020. This past week they held the first BAL Combine in Brooklyn, New York.
The two-day scouting event featured 50 aspiring players from across Africa, the United States, and other parts of the world. The BAL Combine took place last week at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) Training Center, the Brooklyn Nets official practice facility, in Brooklyn, New York.
Each of the 12 teams that are playing in the upcoming inaugural season of the BAL will have up to 16 players (12 active and four inactive), at minimum, eight of the players will be citizens of their teams’ home country and up to four can be from other countries, with no more than two players per team from outside of Africa.
“Our goal is to establish the Basketball Africa League as a destination for top players with U.S. college, G League and international experience,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “Our first BAL Combine will provide teams with the opportunity to evaluate a deeper pool of talent as they fortify their rosters ahead of our first season, which tips off in four months.”
Related: Patrick Rishe Thinks The NBA Should Cut Schedule to 68 Games
The first BAL regular season is scheduled to take place in Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and Monastir (Tunisia). The first BAL Finals will be held in Kigali (Rwanda). NIKE and Jordan Brand will be the exclusive on-court outfitter of the new professional league.
The NBA and FIBA have plans to provide financial support and resources toward the development of Africa’s basketball ecosystem, including training for players, coaches and referees, and an investment toward the infrastructure.
The announcement about the NBA and FIBA’s launch of the BAL, which marks the NBA’s first collaboration with a league outside of North America, was initially made at the NBA All-Star 2019 Africa Luncheon in Charlotte on Saturday, Feb. 16.
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Lauren London Collaborates with Puma to Create the ‘Forever Stronger’ Collection
According to USA Today, actress Lauren London has collaborated with Puma to release her own collection, PUMA x Lauren London “Forever Stronger.”
The collaboration with the sportswear company honors the love and legacy of Ermias Joseph Asghedom aka Nipsey Hussle, who was murdered in front of his Marathon Clothing store, located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on March 31, 2019.
London began her career by appearing in music videos and later starting acting in movies and television. Her first movie role was in ATL, where she played the character of Erin “New New” Garnett in 2006 and was nominated at the Black Movie Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. She also appeared in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family in 2011. From 2013- 2015, she was a series regular for the comedy-drama, The Game playing the character of Kiera Whitaker.
In a YouTube video released by London, the caption reads, “Lauren London is proud to join forces with PUMA to support her on this next chapter of her journey. This piece was a creative vision Lauren wanted to bring to life to signify the continuation of her marathon alongside PUMA. Forever Stronger.”
The death of popular rapper Nipsey Hussle shocked the world; family and fans still mourn his death. On Sept. 5, Puma released the collection the slain rapper was working with the clothing company on at the time of his death. In a greater show of support for the rapper’s work, The Marathon Continues Collection sold out in a day on Puma’s website.
In November, it was announced that the late legend is up for multiple Grammys for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Rap Song for his tracks “Racks In The Middle” and “Higher” with DJ Khaled and John Legend.
There has been no announced release date for the PUMA x Lauren London “Forever Stronger” collection.
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Black Queen Magic: Miss Universe & Miss USA are now roommates
Last week, Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned 2019’s Miss Universe, making it the first time in history that Miss USA, Miss America, Miss Teen USA and now Miss Universe have all been Black women. Now it appears two of the queens from this list have now become roommates!
According to Because of Them We Can, newly crowned Tunzi, and Miss USA 2019, Cheslie Kryst, took to social media to celebrate their new living situation and fans couldn’t get enough of their supportive excitement.
READ MORE: WATCH – Miss USA 2019 has words for strangers who keep touching her hair
“Congrats to our new Miss Universe, @zozitunzi!!!! You represented us with class and grace and humility and I’m thrilled that I can call you a sister and, now, ROOMMATE!! Swipe for a little #BGM because, you guessed it, Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America are all women of color!!!!!!!” wrote Kryst.
Although South Africa has won this title twice before, Tunzi is the first Black South African in history to be honored with the crown. The excited duo even noted their similar outfits, exclaiming, “Ya’ll we’ve already started matching, this is only day one!”
READ MORE: Mathew Knowles says Beyonce and Kelly Rowland were ‘harassed’ as teens by Jagged Edge members
“Tonight a door was opened and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it. May every little girl who witnessed this moment forever believe in the power of her dreams and may they see their faces reflected in mine,” Tunzi wrote on Instagram.
“This moment is historic for our organizations, and we congratulate the Miss Universe Organization on their newest team member,” Mallory Hagan, a Miss America Organization communications representative told Insider, echoing her sentiments. “We believe that representation matters and that seeing smart, diverse, community-driven women of color serving as brand spokespeople for national organizations will broaden the dreams and possibilities of young women, no matter their race, around the world.”
READ MORE: Issa Rae partners to open massive new Inglewood coffee space
View this post on InstagramDuo de choc @zozitunzi @chesliekryst ✨ ~ #missusa #missuniverse #misssouthafrica
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Lauren London creates moving video with Puma to honor Nipsey Hussle
Lauren London has partnered with Puma to release a moving video dedicated to her longtime love, Nipsey Hussle.
“There is nothing to hide here,” London’s voice reads in the narration of her new “Forever Strong” video, quoting from a poem written by Nip’s sister, Samantha Smith. “No way to pretend. We relate, we disagree, we disengage. We are running into each other. We are the song that writes itself. The melody replays in the key of elevated living. We forget the words, we never forget the feeling. Glory and divinity conduct our symphony.”
READ MORE: Judge denies motion to drop suspect’s charges in Nipsey Hussle murder
London’s Puma campaign, which was unveiled on Tuesday, pays tribute to Hussle and his legacy. Hussle, 33, was murdered in front of his Marathon Clothing store on March 31.
Nipsey was an ambassador for Puma before he died. As part of that partnership, Puma dropped the PUMA x TMC Collection in September, which Nipsey designed with Puma. Profits from the collection went to the rapper’s Neighborhood “Nip” Foundation, according to USA Today.
London, 35, is continuing the marathon with the company. She was captured in the beautiful video walking around Crenshaw and Slauson, where Nipsey was from, reciting the poem from Smith. “Pain is the light, pain is insight. The body hurts but the spirit grows. The flesh is starving while wisdom overflows. I got a question only Lord knows: Does life birth us twice?”
Puma called the video a “creative vision” that London brought to the sporting apparel company that continues Hussle’s legacy.
READ MORE: Nipsey Hussle’s family granted guardianship of daughter, Lauren London of son
“Lauren London is proud to join forces with PUMA to support her on this next chapter of her journey,” Puma said in words that accompanied the video. “This piece was a creative vision Lauren wanted to bring to life to signify the continuation of her marathon alongside PUMA. Forever Stronger.”
In the video, which was directed by Danny Williams, Lauren proudly displays the ink of Nipsey she had tatted on her right forearm.
The post Lauren London creates moving video with Puma to honor Nipsey Hussle appeared first on theGrio.
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Polling site reopened in rural, Black community thanks to grassroots effort
It took two years but the unified, grassroots efforts of one predominantly Black community in a rural Georgia county caused an elections board to reopen a polling site that officials shut down in 2017.
Black residents of Hazlehurst, Georgia realized that under a Trump presidency, they couldn’t count on the federal government to intervene when the polling site was closed in 2017, so they mobilized and circulated petitions to the Jeff Davis County elections board while advocacy groups threatened lawsuits and packed election board meetings. In the end, the effort paid off, according to NBC News.
READ MORE: Voter suppression: Officials in Georgia county try to shut down Black voting sites
Eventually, the Jeff Davis County elections board reconsidered and reopened the site that is used by most of the Black residents in Hazlehurst, a town located roughly an hour and a half’s drive from Savannah. Many of these residents say they have voted at the polling site for years and couldn’t understand when it closed two years ago and they were reassigned to another polling site that wasn’t as close by during the heat of the hotly contested Georgia gubernatorial contest.
“We couldn’t understand or see why the poll was closed,” Helen Allen told NBC News.
Allen, who is 67, told the station that she had voted at the station for nearly 40 years and that elderly residents, like herself, were concerned that they would no longer be able to get to the new polling site.
Allen said residents talked “about the hardship and how they didn’t want to go all the way across town,” she told NBC.
What happened in Hazlehurst is what has happened, and is happening, at hundreds of polling sites in Black communities across the country. What is unique is the mobilization of advocacy groups and residents that all but forced the elections board’s hand.
In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia and other states didn’t have to abide by the Voting Rights Act of 1965’s condition that before they shutter a polling site, they had to demonstrate to the federal government that the change wasn’t discriminatory in nature.
READ MORE: Files expose how North Carolina Republican systematically stopped Black people from voting
Julie Houk, managing counsel for election protection for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said when election boards shutter polling sites in disadvantaged communities, it essentially creates a barrier to voting.
“We’ve seen that happen in Georgia time and time again where it’s the minority voter community who are more disadvantaged by these poll closures than anyone else, and that raises serious concerns,” Houk told NBC.
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Venture Capital Firms Abandoning $4.4 Trillion Opportunity to Invest With Black and Women Entrepreneurs
Venture capital firms across America are neglecting a $4.4 trillion opportunity to increase their returns by not investing with companies owned by multicultural and women entrepreneurs, a new survey by investment banking giant Morgan Stanley suggests.
The survey, Beyond the VC Funding Gap, found that almost 200 U.S.-based venture capital (VC) firms and diverse entrepreneurs that have raised venture capital triumphantly are not utilizing known ways to boost their exposure or increasing the probability that they will invest in more diverse founders.
A staggering 83% of VCs surveyed reported they are confident they can prioritize investments in companies led by women and multicultural entrepreneurs and maximize returns. Some 60% of VCs stated their portfolios hold too few of these companies. However, just three out of five VCs reported making investments in women and multicultural entrepreneurs is not a firm-wide priority.
Multicultural and women founders cited “not the right fit for me” and “market-related issues” among the top reasons given by VC firms for not investing in their companies.
What is perhaps most startling is the potential amount of money VCs are leaving behind by not investing in the firms. Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 Survey of Business Owners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley reported revenues for women and minority businesses were $2.4 trillion. The firm said had the number of women and minority-owned businesses and a portion of revenues matched their percentage in the labor force—56%—then 2012 gross receipts would have risen to $6.8 trillion, suggesting a missed opportunity of up to $4.4 trillion.
Taking the right approach
“Our research indicates that with a few subtle shifts in their approach, VCs can better position themselves to take advantage of these entrepreneurs and generate superior returns. I hope that this report will help to inspire more firms to re-evaluate their investment strategies so they can capitalize on these opportunities that have historically passed them by,” stated Carla Harris, Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management and Multicultural Client Strategy Group Head.
The NVCA did not specifically address some of the issues pertaining to multicultural and women-owned firms raised in the Morgan Stanley report. But the Washington, DC-based trade group for the nation’s venture capital industry said it is taking several steps to ensure its membership works with and engages with those firms.
The group provided BLACK ENTERPRISE this statement from Maryam Hague, NVCA’s senior vice president of industry advancement: “Through our VentureForward initiative, NVCA is committed to expanding opportunities for people of all backgrounds to thrive in the venture ecosystem and ensuring everyone who works in this ecosystem has a welcoming professional culture and safe work environment. Some of our activities to date include: NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey – this survey is intended to be an educational resource for venture capital firms to understand how to expand the diversity of their teams and portfolio companies; LP Office Hours in Palo Alto, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. LP Office Hours is an in-person, half-day educational program across the country for professionals of diverse backgrounds to receive advice from and connect with LPs and other GPs, with the goal of learning from LPs about the fundraising process; NVCA hosts workshops and leadership dinners in San Francisco, Boston, and cities around the U.S. interacting with VC leaders in emerging ecosystems; and we have released model HR policies and best practices for attracting and retaining diverse talent. NVCA also offers several educational opportunities to democratize access to education on VC and to support the next generation of VC leaders, e.g. VC University and the Venture Capital Symposium.”
The Morgan Stanley report revealed VC firms not acting on the data on diverse entrepreneurs could be causing them to miss out on returns. That perhaps is potentially being fueled by a lack of awareness of multicultural and women firms in-house. Some 45% of VCs surveyed didn’t know how the returns from companies founded by women compared with their overall portfolio returns. And 53% of VCs were unsure about the returns of firms with multicultural founders.
A closer look at the marketplace
Still, Morgan Stanley stated a closer look at the broader marketplace reveals that companies serving diverse customers represent a huge opportunity to capitalize on consumer segments with plenty of room for more growth. For example, the firm reported that women drive 83% of all U.S. consumption, through both buying power and influence. Plus, African Americans spend $1.2 trillion annually in the U.S. And, (Latin) consumers’ buying power is expected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2020.
Concurrently, the Morgan Stanley report revealed VCs have a reputation for taking calculated “expansion risks” to invest in new and emerging markets — frequently with little precedent or data beyond their own due diligence. Of the VCs surveyed, they reported about 20% of the companies in their portfolios that embody expansion risks. Yet, when they bump into companies run by ethnic and women, entrepreneurs, VCs are less likely to educate themselves or take the risk, particularly if they are not familiar with the market or product.
Yet 88% of the VCs surveyed view the experiences of underrepresented entrepreneurs as a competitive advantage when it comes to identifying different problems that need to be solved. Companies typically created by diverse and women entrepreneurs target a market inefficiency or need they’ve identified based on their personal experiences, making them ideal candidates for the specific types of calculated expansion risks VCs should be looking at.
Concurrently, companies started by women and multicultural entrepreneurs have been and continue to be a moneymaking investment opportunity. Morgan Stanley maintains it has been investing directly in startups led by diverse founders for the past three years.
In its survey, Morgan Stanley named some firms that have provided investors hefty returns. Take Sundial Brands, one of the largest black-owned personal care products led by co-founder Richelieu Dennis. It was acquired in 2017 by consumer products giant Unilever. Sundial Brands, a former BLACK ENTERPRISE BE 100s company, had revenues estimated at $240 million when it was purchased. After the deal, Morgan Stanley valued Sundial Brands at a whopping $1 billion.
In another eye-popping deal, Nigerian native and entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo sold his HopStop.com pedestrian navigation service to tech powerhouse Apple for an estimated $1 billion in 2013. The transaction was stunning as HopStop had estimated revenues of just $5 million in 2012.
Morgan Stanley’s Harris defines multicultural companies as those with an African American, Hispanic, Asian or American Indian founder.
She says VCs may have held back historically from investing in such firms because up until now there really wasn’t much evidence they were missing something. However, she says, both the evidence and the number on the size of the opportunity exists currently for them to consider doing so.
“The time is now for people to embrace the conversation if not the debate,” Harris says. “The really big surprise is that even though the multicultural and women firms can provide traditional VCs stellar or equal returns (as their peers) that they’re not investing with them for some reason,” she says.
Related: How Twitter Helped Investor Arlan Hamilton Grow Her Business
Representation Matters
Another factor that perhaps is contributing to the funding gap is a lack of diversity at VC firms.
The lack of diversity among VC firms perhaps is adding to the funding gap. The survey showed among VCs who have hired more diverse fund managers, LPs, partners or board members, 71% say it is a “very effective” way to increase the diversity of companies and founders they invest in. Some two-thirds of multicultural founders reported that they have had more success with diverse VC firms. But, only 11% of entrepreneurs have teamed up with VC firms that are diverse when it comes to gender and race.
“The fact that they (VC firms) don’t have more diversity at the table certainly limits their understanding of some of these industries,” Harris says. “Diversity would make it a lot easier to do so.”
Harris says the encouraging news is that if you look at the private equity industry some of the nation’s largest institutional investors such as CalPERS or the New York State Common Fund are now asking their investment partners about their diversity practices. She says the questions include what does diversity in your firm look like, how many businesses of color did you look at and how many multicultural firms do you have in your pipeline for partnership? Harris is confident the actions may drive VC firms to make the shift of investing with diverse and women firms along with existing partners. “Once you see some of the outside companies start to have some success, I think it’s going to feed on itself,” she says.
Morgan Stanley offered some tips on how VC firms can tap into what the firm calls a multitrillion-dollar market by working with diverse firms. Here is a condensed version of those tips:
Redefine How You Think About “Fit” and Expansion Risk for Your Portfolio
Adjust your definition of “expansion risk” to include companies founded and led by women and multicultural entrepreneurs. This can help expand your networking efforts among diverse entrepreneurs and help you better understand the opportunities they present.
Consider diverse entrepreneurs are more seasoned players with lower risk. When diverse entrepreneurs get to pitch VCs, they’ve already often demonstrated a stronger proof of concept, management expertise, and success metrics when compared with their white, male counterparts.
Women and multicultural entrepreneurs represent an emerging market in America, much like the internet was 20 years ago or cloud-computing a decade ago. Along with pursuing new markets and products, consider investing in the new perspectives that diverse entrepreneurs offer and the markets they serve.
Diversify
Having more women and multicultural professionals at your fund is one of the most effective strategies for increasing investments in diverse founders.
By looking inward at your hiring and retention practices and prioritizing diversity, you can improve the delivery of results for your limited partners. The traditional sources for entry-level VC talent—top business schools—have large enough pools of women and multicultural graduates to fill the need.
In addition to helping VC firms source more diverse entrepreneurs and see market opportunity more clearly, firm diversity also decreases overall risk: The more diverse perspectives VCs have, the more likely they are to recognize opportunities and identify potential pitfalls.
Hold Your Firm Accountable and Be a First Mover—Institutional Investors Can Help
Develop a comprehensive strategy and make it public. Share data about your internal and portfolio diversity. Establishing goals for investing in more women and multicultural entrepreneurs can be an effective strategy for VCs to show their investors their commitment to effecting change; according to our survey, 86% of VCs agree that such goals would benefit themselves and their LPs.
Interested in raising money from a Venture Capitalist? Take a look at this.
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Officer uses ASL to help deaf woman communicate with DMV employees
A California highway patrol officer is being commended for responding to a disturbance call and turning it into a way to help a disabled woman.
Workers at a DMV office in Los Angeles, located on Hope Street, called police to report a disturbance but when Officer Rodriguez arrived, he realized this was no disturbance at all – the woman was simply frustrated because no one at the location could understand her attempts to use sign language, according to The Sacramento Bee.
READ MORE: N.C. police kill unarmed deaf man who was trying to communicate with sign language after car chase
Rodriguez sprang into action, using American Sign Language to help the woman communicate with employees, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Central Los Angeles office, which shared a video of the encounter on their Twitter page on Tuesday.
CHP Central LA received a disturbance call at the Hope St. DMV. Officer Rodriguez realized the call was simply due to a language barrier.Using ASL, he helped the party apply for a CA ID. He also covered the cost when she came up short for the fee. @ABC7 @KTLA @NBCLA @KCBSKCALDesk pic.twitter.com/1UtKiB5vQR
— CHP Central LA (@CHPCentralLA) December 10, 2019
“CHP Central LA received a disturbance call at the Hope St. DMV. Officer Rodriguez realized the call was simply due to a language barrier. Using ASL, he helped the party apply for a CA ID. He also covered the cost when she came up short for the fee,” the caption of the video read.
Nearly 2,500 people have liked the video and it has been retweeted almost 600 times.
“How can I like this 100x more? This is the type of policing we know happens every single day and yet not enough ppl give props when it’s due. Good job Ofc Rodriguez!” Elvi Flores (@CodeElvi) said on Twitter.
How can I like this 100x more? This is the type of policing we know happens every single day and yet not enough ppl give props when it’s due. Good job Ofc Rodriguez!
— Elvi Flores (@CodeElvi) December 10, 2019
“Thats beautiful to watch! Great job Officer Rodriguez! Humanity at its best!” added @simonrjara.
Thats beautiful to watch! Great job Officer Rodriguez! Humanity at its best! #placachingon
— simon Jara (@simonrjara) December 10, 2019
CHP Officer Robert Gomez called Rodriguez’s handling of the situation “excellent” and “above and beyond,” reported KTLA 5.
However, many other people were appalled that the DMV would call the police and report a language barrier as a disturbance.
“DMV calling cops on people because of language barrier is racism!!!!” tweeted Francisco Lozano (@FrancisLozano7)
Thats beautiful to watch! Great job Officer Rodriguez! Humanity at its best! #placachingon
— simon Jara (@simonrjara) December 10, 2019
READ MORE: ‘Queer Eye’ co-host Karamo Brown advocates for deaf and hard of hearing viewers
“So you’re telling me the @CA_DMV didn’t have a pen and paper so they could communicate with this person, and thought the best way to handle it was to call LE. Come on @CA_DMV” wrote a user who goes by the Twitter name Captain Caveman.
So you’re telling me the @CA_DMV didn’t have a pen and paper so they could communicate with this person, and thought the best way to handle it was to call LE. Come on @CA_DMV
— Captain Caveman (@74DavidL) December 10, 2019
Glad to see this one had a happy ending.
The post Officer uses ASL to help deaf woman communicate with DMV employees appeared first on theGrio.
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These Teen Entrepreneurs Run A Family Business and Take College Courses
Brothers Shane and Nigel Mushambi are only 12- and 13-years-old and they are already taking college courses. And that’s not all, get this, they are also the founders of their very own bakery in Texas called Two Bros in the Kitchen. In addition to that, they also enjoy giving back to their community.
According to Blackbusiness.com, the Mushambi brothers’ idea to turn their passion for baking into a successful business came after their third yearly win at a local baking competition. When someone offered to purchase their baked goods, it gave them the idea to sell it. Not only do they make money through their business but they donate a percentage of their profit to charities, mainly those that serve the homeless.
Related: 12-Year-Old Gabrielle Goodwin Lands A Mega-Retail Deal with Target
As Shane told Black Business, “we like giving back to the community because the community has given a lot to us. We give to Fort Bend Cares and the JB Dondolo Foundation, which is trying to rebuild a hospital in Africa.”
The Mushambi brothers also have a passion for math and science and are taking college-level courses at Houston Community College. They even incorporate the math and science dichotomy when baking.
“I like to bake because it’s a mix of art and a mix of science. You need to know how acids react to bases,” Shane added.
Related: Nicholas Buamah 8-Year-Old Author Expands Children’s Vocabulary With New App
Another subject that the brothers enjoy is writing. They even published a book, Beyond the Kitchen: How to Cook Up Success with Life’s Mistakes. The goal of the book is to encourage young people like themselves to reach seemingly impossible dreams. The book also showcases their failures and how they learned from them.
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MIT Skoltech collaboration enters its third phase
MIT has renewed its relationship with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech). The collaboration, among MIT, Skoltech, and the Skolkovo Foundation, began in 2011 with the goal of launching and developing Skoltech as a leading graduate research university in Moscow, with opportunities for scientific and educational exchange between faculty and students at the two universities.
The third phase of the collaboration, governed by a five-year agreement, will build on the most successful aspects of its second phase, supporting joint activities between MIT and Skoltech in research, graduate education, and innovation. The focus will continue to be on strengthening research collaborations between individual faculty members at the two institutions.
“Skoltech has developed rapidly and has recruited excellent faculty and outstanding students,” says MIT Professor Bruce Tidor, faculty lead of the MIT Skoltech Program. “The support, commitment, and engagement of more than 75 MIT faculty has led to the success of the MIT Skoltech collaboration. Faculty and students at both schools will benefit from continuing to work together.”
An ecosystem built for innovation
During the second phase of the MIT Skoltech collaboration, almost 60 research projects were initiated at MIT on a wide range of topics, either as faculty-to-faculty research projects together with Skoltech, or through MIT Skoltech Seed Grants.
One of the collaborative research projects, headed by Yet-Ming Chiang, the Kyocera Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, led to a new approach to eliminate carbon emissions from cement production, a major global source of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
“The most valuable aspect of our collaboration with Skoltech is that it gave my students and me the freedom to take on a risky topic in which we had no prior track record: low-GHG cement,” Chiang says. “That eventually opened up an entirely new research area that we plan to develop with our colleagues in Russia.”
As another example, a collaborative project led by Kamal Youcef-Toumi, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, laid the foundation for RecyBot, a low-cost robot under development to dismantle mobile phones and to remove and separate their component parts, which in turn could be used to create new phones or be otherwise processed.
Another valuable aspect of the collaboration is the support of the MISTI-Russia program, which has brought dozens of MIT students to Russia to study, conduct research, and immerse themselves in Russian culture.
“The MIT Skoltech collaboration has made the very existence of the MISTI-Russia program possible,” says Elizabeth A. Wood, professor of history at MIT and co-director of the MISTI-Russia program. “It has supported the program since the beginning and sponsored the revival of Russian language teaching at MIT after a 16-year hiatus. Since its inception, it has sent many MIT students to Skoltech and other Russian institutions to work in a wide range of fields, from nuclear physics to cancer modeling, and from robotics to aerospace engineering and architecture.”
Joint research projects will continue to be the focus of the collaboration’s third phase. Other important features include new entrepreneurship and innovation programs, the continued collaboration with MISTI to connect MIT and Skoltech students, and a joint annual conference.
Guided by MIT’s mission, values, and priorities
The decision to continue the MIT Skoltech Program drew on the input of several MIT sources, including the MIT Skoltech Faculty Coordinating Committee, the faculty-led International Advisory Committee, and the Senior Risk Group, a group of senior MIT administrators charged with evaluating proposed MIT engagements with entities in several countries, including Russia.
“We share many intellectual and practical interests with our Skoltech colleagues, yet collaborations like this also exist in the context of complicated and dynamic international relations. The broader U.S.-Russia relationship was necessarily a factor in our review and planning of the MIT Skoltech collaboration,” says Richard Lester, associate provost for international activities at MIT. “In the rapidly changing global environment, MIT’s international collaborations must remain aligned with our core mission and values. Learning about the world, helping to solve the world’s greatest problems, and working with colleagues around the world who share our curiosity and commitment to rigorous scientific inquiry and to free and open exchange are core values for MIT.”
As the next chapter of the MIT Skoltech collaboration begins, faculty members who have been involved over time are pleased to see the collaboration continue. As Institute Professor Phillip A. Sharp observes, “The MIT Skoltech relationship serves many positive societal purposes even though we may not agree with the policies of the Russian government. The scientific exchange helps citizens of the two countries to become better acquainted, making it more difficult for people to demonize one another. This includes exchange of students, collaboration between Russia and U.S./MIT scientists, and participation in meetings in both countries. Note that even during the darkest days of the Cold War, there was scientific exchange.”
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019
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