Gabriel Mahia

In 2012, Billy Duncan retired from Dow Chemicals after a decades-long career. Going from his corporate career to retirement felt like going from 75 mph to 0 mph—and he hated it. After six months, he knew it was time to embark on something new for his own well-being, but part of his motivation was to create generational wealth for his three adult daughters; all of whom were working in their chosen professions. BLACK ENTERPRISE sat down with Duncan and his youngest daughter, Tayla, to learn more about their Real Property Management franchise in Zachary, Louisiana, how they’ve become so successful in six years, and why working with family makes their bond stronger. Black Enterprise: How did you decide that property management was the right business to go with? Billy Duncan: When I first started exploring options, I was pretty open to a number of sectors. I knew I wanted to go with a franchise because the thought of starting from scratch with no existing systems in place was too ...

After nine terms in Congress, Iowa Republican Steve King is finally out of a job. The controversial representative has a long history of racist remarks, including many last year, that resulted in his removal from all of his committee assignments. READ MORE: Republican candidate denies saying Blacks are ‘political slaves’ to Dems In a New York Times interview last January, King asked how “white nationalist, white supremacist, and Western civilization,” became offensive language. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?” Ultimately, King tried to walk back the remarks saying that he “rejects” the labels of white nationalism and white supremacy, but his actions proved otherwise. U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) listens during a press conference on abortion legislation on August 23, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) Iowans have chosen state senator, Randy Feenstra to be the Republican candidate for tha...

George Floyd ’s daughter, Gianna, sitting atop the shoulders of her “uncle” retired NBA star, Stephen Jackson , said, “Daddy changed the world.” The endearing moment was captured on video and shared widely across social media including the Twitter of Bernice A. King , the youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. READ MORE: Jay-Z takes out full-page ads across the country in dedication to George Floyd In response to King posting the video, a commenter said, “Nobody knows her burden and pride like you.” “Daddy changed the world.” ~6 year-old Gianna Floyd about her father, #GeorgeFloyd . 🖤 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/IjaJVgOqo1 — Be A King (@BerniceKing) June 3, 2020 In a statement, King, the CEO of The King Center, said she thinks about Gianna. “I was five years old when my father was killed by law enforcement. I know that pain, I know that void, I know the journey of anger. I know what people are feeling. I feel it.” Yesterday, Gianna’s mother Roxie Washingto...

Pure Oasis , the first black-owned marijuana store to open in Massachusetts, was looted early Monday morning in what its owners are calling a “targeted attack.” Co-owner Kobie Evans told the Boston Globe  at least a dozen people entered Pure Oasis after someone broke through the window and opened the front door from the inside around 1:43 a.m. Evans added that after reviewing security camera footage, they determined the looters ran off with about 2,000 pre-rolled joints and 2,000 pre-packaged containers of marijuana flower worth well over $100,000 at retail prices. “They were deliberate. They purposefully came just to our shop,” Evans told the Globe . “They were able to get into a secure back room. They knew exactly where they were going.” The incident did not faze the owners as they reopened Tuesday, although the store did have a boarded-up window. The owners appreciated the support of the local community as it continued to sell marijuana. “We had a big outpouring of support...

Pre-built gaming computers are more affordable and more powerful than ever. Before you shell out for one, here's some advice. from Wired https://ift.tt/2U9IkVI via

COVID-19 , or the novel coronavirus , pandemic, has now killed over 100,000 Americans since the start of the spread with many cities around the country becoming overwhelmed by the growing number of patients with the virus. Despite the growing number of cases and the high risk of infection, many state governments were beginning to open back up to resume the economy. Recently, thousands took to the streets in protest over the recent viral video of a police officer suffocating an unarmed black man named George Floyd in Minneapolis. Now a new report is showing that the protests may be the cause of a second wave of the viral outbreak. According to data collected by John Hopkins University, the U.S. has now accumulated more than 21,000 new COVID-19 cases as of Monday. While the number is slightly lower than the national average, experts are still concerned by the number of protesters out in the streets, many of them not wearing any face masks for protection. Now many mayors and loc...

NFL reporter and insider Josina Anderson will no longer be working at ESPN once her contract ends, according to The New York Post . New York Post Sports writer Andrew Marchand reported the news on his Twitter account . NEWS: Josina Anderson is out at ESPN, The Post has learned. https://t.co/evJZzNTP1w — Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 1, 2020 Marchand previously wrote about the expected news back in February 2020. After the Super Bowl, I wrote about how ESPN and Josina Anderson might part ways. Now, they are doing so. https://t.co/evJZzNTP1w — Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 1, 2020 Anderson has been working at the sports network for 9 years. She was named ESPN ’s first female NFL insider in 2015. Anderson became engulfed in controversy back in November for her report on the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph incident. Marchand states, “She ran into trouble at times with ESPN executives. After the Myles Garrett incident in which the Browns defensive lineman h...

Why is he abetting Trump while civil rights leaders and his own employees rebuke him? It's about dominance. from Wired https://ift.tt/2yZ62fX via

Here's our guide to taking photos safely at a protest, what not to do, what gear to bring, and how to remove location data and blur faces before uploading to social media. from Wired https://ift.tt/2Msc4sB via

Rules around funerals, informal workers and exercise were judged as unconnected to stopping the virus. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/3gLTaux via

Bank of America has announced that it is committing $1 billion to fight racial and economic inequality, pointing to recent civil unrest over racism in the country as its impetus for the major move. “The events of the past week have created a sense of true urgency that has arisen across our nation, particularly in view of the racial injustices we have seen in the communities where we work and live,” said Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan . “We all need to do more.” READ MORE: Jay-Z takes out full-page ads across the country in dedication to George Floyd Brian Moynihan speaks onstage at Women’s Forum Of New York Breakfast Of Corporate Champions on November 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Women’s Forum of New York) In addition to the recent events regarding racial violence in America, Moynihan emphasized the economic and social disparities for communities of color that were only magnified by the coronavirus pandemic. The $1 billion will c...

When veteran and longtime retired corrections officer Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. triggered his medical alert pendant accidentally in 2011, police showed up as they were supposed to do. But that was the last thing that went right that night. READ MORE:  Details for George Floyd’s funeral, memorial services released Instead of helping him, White Plains, N.Y. police officers killed Chamberlain in his own home. Although he told the medical alert operator he didn’t need help, after a 90-minute standoff, Chamberlain’s door was broken down. Chamberlain, 68, was bipolar, reported The New York Times .  After officers— who it was proven on audio called him a racial slur— tased him and used beanbag rounds on him, it is alleged that Chamberlain lunged at one with a knife and was shot and killed. DNA evidence contradicts that explanation, showing he was unarmed, according to The New York Daily News.  (Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., U.S. Marine Corps)   Despite Chamberlain ...

Drake donated $100,000 to National Bail Out, a collective tasked with helping to bail out Black mothers and caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic. The generous gesture was prompted by Mustafa the Poet who donated $400 to the cause and tagged his fellow Torontonians, Drake and The Weeknd , to do the same. “Swipe up & match my donation, but add 3 zeros! Let’s help reunite Black families.” INDIO, CA – APRIL 12: Rapper Drake performs onstage during day 3 of the 2015 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Weekend 1) at the Empire Polo Club (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella) Mustafa the Poet later tweeted a receipt for the donation showing $100,000 charged to an American Express. In the DM exchange posted on Twitter , Drake said that the large donation was flagged by his credit card as fraud, but he was able to verify the charge. READ MORE: Black community torn over #BlackOutTuesday campaign 🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝 @NationalBailOut pic.twitter.com/ZhqlufOtpu — Mu...

After months in self-imposed quarantine, former Vice President Joe Biden spoke out about the racial tensions taking over American cities and called out President Donald Trump for spitting out rhetoric that he believes is meant to divide this nation even further. Biden delivered a speech from Philadelphia City Hall on Tuesday in which he highlighted how the president’s words and actions during an ongoing pandemic and protests sparked by the death of George Floyd , only made a precarious situation much worse than it needed to be. Former Vice President Joe Biden, sided by Dr. Jill Biden delivers remarks at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA on March 10, 2020. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images) READ MORE: Biden meets with Black leaders at local church amid unrest “Look where we are now and think anew: Is this who we are? Is this who we want to be? Is this who we want to pass on to our children and our grandchildren? Fear. Anger. Finger-pointin...

Normally, the immune system is able to differentiate between healthy and abnormal cells. Peptides, fragments created by the synthesis and breakdown of proteins inside each cell, are presented on the surface as antigens and act as signals to immune cells whether the cell should be left alone or flagged for destruction and removal. Because cancer cells display a small number of tumor-associated antigens and antigens that result from genetic mutations, they can be targeted by the immune system. However, cancer cells can develop strategies for evading detection by the immune system. Cancer immunotherapies counteract those strategies, but only for some cancers and only in some patients. Those that do work produce powerful results. Researchers and clinicians are exploring how to improve the success rate of immunotherapies for more cancer types and patients. In this effort, they are combining immunotherapies with targeted therapies, small molecules designed to inhibit selected protein targe...

Elected officials around the nation are working to reopen cities safely amid COVID-19 . While the process has been delayed by the continuous spread of the virus, leaders are sharing their plans to get their cities back up and running. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is working around the clock to keep people healthy, help business owners open their doors, and serve the community. Since being elected in 2018, Mayor Cantrell has launched a number of initiatives to restore and uplift the city. One of those initiatives is Forward Together New Orleans (FTNO), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Since the founding of the organization, the nonprofit has served as a bridge between the public and private sectors to address New Orleans’ most pressing challenges. More recently, she and FTNO partnered with Cash Money Records to pay June rents for low-income residents living in subsidized housing. In an email interview, BLACK ENTERPRISE touched base with Mayor Cantrell about her efforts and...

Former President Barack Obama shared his thought on the killing of George Floyd and the protests that are taking place across the country. According to BET , the former Commander-in-Chief discussed the frustrations of people he spoke to are feeling and noted that the incidents must be looked at with an open mind and an open heart. “I want to share parts of the conversations I’ve had with friends over the past couple days about the footage of George Floyd dying face down on the street under the knee of a police officer in Minnesota,” Obama wrote on Twitter. Obama, who gave a national commencement address two weeks ago ,  went on to share an email he received from a middle-aged African American businessman. “Dude I gotta tell you the George Floyd incident in Minnesota hurt. I cried when I saw that video. It broke me down. The ‘knee on the neck’ is a metaphor for how the system so cavalierly holds Black folks down, ignoring the cries for help. People don’t care. Truly tragic,” t...

Here's how to open all your files—so you can switch between your phone and laptop seamlessly. from Wired https://ift.tt/2XWHxZn via

Too many Covid-19 buzzwords? Here’s what they all mean. from Wired https://ift.tt/2MkLcKO via

The simplest hygiene tasks are the toughest to maintain—take it from the health care experts who have advice about how to make the habit stick. from Wired https://ift.tt/3gJYwGP via

Monalisa started boxing after her mother died as a result of domestic violence. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2zLWh5g via

With record numbers of Americans jobless, some are turning to nontraditional programs that offer rewards for completing short courses on specific skills. from Wired https://ift.tt/2XR5TUj via

The artist popular for hits in the 1980s and 1990s died in his sleep in New York, his manager said. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2U3V7Jf via

Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee for president has been pushed by his supporters to nominate a Black, female candidate to join him on the ticket. As names like Sen. Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Florida Rep. Val Demings have been mentioned in that role, so has Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar. READ MORE:  Stacey Abrams is nobody’s Sarah Palin. Put some respect on her name Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar/Getty Images But in the wake of widescale protests since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, all of the women whose backgrounds include law enforcement in some area, except for Abrams, are now viewed as potential liabilities to the campaign. Politico  reports that Klobuchar’s record, in particular, has come under scrutiny. She was the Minneapolis-area prosecutor from 1996-2006 who had a reputation for being tough on crime. READ MORE: Minneapolis police used neck restraints that rendered 44 suspects unconscious since 2015  In 2006, while she was...