Gary Charles and His Mission to Advance Blacks in Sports
When Gary Charles learned of George Floyd's murder on a Minneapolis street over a year ago, his reaction reflected what many of us felt. "I was disgusted," said Charles. He said that Floyd's case reminded him of the 1991 incident where four police officers beat Rodney King, an infamous event captured on videotape that sparked the Los Angeles riots. "It broke me to a certain degree, and I said, 'Wow. When are we going to stand up? How long do we allow this to continue?'" Floyd's death compelled him to
Growing Black-Owned Whiskey Brand Makes Splash Into Market
By Andre Ash, Michigan Chronicle A Black-owned whiskey business is taking shape and growth across the country. Duke & Dame is the name of the newly minted company where its vision early-on was to change the way people consumed their experience of drinking whiskey. It aimed to succeed in its goal by creating a premium flavored whiskey that would “stimulate the senses at each stage of the drinking process, with incredible aroma, remarkable taste, and an extremely smooth finish.” In an interview with Michigan Chronicle, one of Duke &
AUNT JACKIE’S curls & coils SURPRISES FIRST HBCU GYMNASTICS TEAM WITH $25,000
Recently, while on the Jennifer Hudson Show, the newly formed FISK University women's gymnastics team was surprised with a $25,000 check from Aunt Jackie's Curls & Coils. The donation will cover the sixteen-member team's travel expenses enabling these talented student athletes to attend national competitions. This team is the first intercollegiate gymnastics team in HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) history and will compete against colleges across the country. The women, prior to going on the show, were also treated to a full Aunt Jackie's glam makeover and the studio audience all went
IN MEMORIAM: Jazz Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, 81
Jazz saxophonist Farrell ‘Pharoah’ Sanders, a pioneer of ‘spiritual’ jazz who lived in Oakland for a time before gaining renown in New York with John Coane’s band in the 1960s, passed away in Los Angeles on Sept. 24, 2022. He was 81. “We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” family representatives tweeted Saturday morning. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.” Tributes like this
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Again Highlights The Racial & Gender Wage Gap
Courtesy of Black Information Network Wednesday (September 21) marks this year's Black Women's Equal Pay Day, which has once again highlighted the racial and gender wage gap. From the beginning of last year, it took Black women until Wednesday to earn as much as a non-Hispanic white man did in 2021 alone. Black Women's Equal Pay Day is calculated based on the size of the wage gap between the two demographics. The National Women's Law Center (NWLC) reports that Black women made 64 cents for every dollar non-Hispanic white men earned. Emily Martin, the vice president
Gov. Newsom Signs Legislation Funding Nation’s First Black Women’s Think Tank
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget trailer bill approving $5 million in funding to the California State University at Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) to house the California Black Women’s Think Tank. The California Black Women’s Collective (CBWC) Empowerment Institute will be a founding partner in the development of the policy research institution. The legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 179, authored by Assemblymember Phillip Ting (D-San Francisco), paves the way for establishing a policy institute that will focus on improving structures and practices that
First-Of-Its Kind Streaming Service Created By & For Black Women Launches
A first-of-its-kind streaming service created by, funded by, and dedicated to Black women will soon hit households across the nation. According to People, entrepreneur Riqua Hailes Turner has announced the launch of theBW, shorthand for the Black Women Network, which aims to uplift Black women filmmakers and create space for diverse storytelling. The groundbreaking network will be available to download on all major streaming app platforms on Sunday (September 18) and will feature six original programs along with licensed films and series through Allrites, a distribution company. "My goal with theBW is to create a high fidelity streaming
NBA Icon Isiah Thomas Has Quickly Become an Entrepreneurial Legend
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Isiah Thomas played basketball with the tenacity not often seen in today’s game. Whenever a team outscored his Detroit Pistons, it only meant a negative mark in the loss column, but never total defeat for Thomas. An NCAA champion at Indiana, and a two-time NBA champ with the Pistons, much like basketball, Thomas has followed up his on-court success with an almost peerless triumph in the business world. He told the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s live morning show, “Let It Be Known,”
Black Married Couple Empowering Today’s Black Tech Leaders
Candice Matthews Brackeen and Brian Brackeen are General Partners at Lightship Capital, a firm investing in innovators, E-commerce, Artificial Intelligence, Healthtech, and more. They are the leaders behind Black Tech Week which aims to bring together some of the greatest innovators in technological industries. “As Black people we’ve been inventing things for a long time, we been entrepreneurs for a long time,” said Mrs. Matthews Brackeen. “We just want to make sure they all convene in the same space; they build community, they build network, and they do
All-Black Female Crew Observes 100th Anniversary of Bessie Coleman’s First Flight
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia American Airlines celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license – Bessie Coleman accomplished that feat in 1922. With an all-Black female crew, the airlines hosted the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars tour, recognizing how Coleman bravely broke down barriers within the world of aviation and paved the path for many to follow. To help honor Coleman’s legacy, American Airlines hosted Gigi Coleman, Bessie’s great-niece, on a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Phoenix. An all-Black female crew