This Is What Made Beyoncé A Cultural Force

 

One name says so much: Beyoncé. Throughout her 20-plus-year career, the 28-time GRAMMY-winning artist has inspired awe with a divine voice, top-notch performances and thorough bodies of work, demonstrating a complete mastery of her craft.

California University To Begin Segregated Housing

The move comes nine months after receiving a set of demands put forward by the school's Black Student Union, in an effort to combat against "racist attacks," "racially insensitive remarks," and other "micro-aggressions" against the Black student body.

Gansta Marcus Talks Violent Protestors

Let every city in the world take a look at whats happening in Ferguson. Everything about this whole situation is wrong from the beginning. It started off a shame the way the black community destroyed their own neighborhood that they reside in which also helped to make it easier for prosecutors not to have officer Darren Wilson locked up.

Someone need to give the people supervision, or let them hear something that they need to hear instead of turning on the news everyday and seeing another unarmed teenager shot to death. They need to get a better understanding that attacking police officers gets no support by the people they need support from.

We got a dose of the first protest with Trayvon Martin. Civil rights leaders and parents of teenager attend protests over acquittal of George Zimmerman in Florida trial. Although Zimmerman was cleared on charges, the community in over 100 cities still used peaceful protests to get their statement out. Trayvon Martin's mother choked back tears as a crowd of 2000 New Yorkers chanted We love you.

The actions that are being taken in Ferguson is starting to make the black community look bad as a whole. We now have college student not wanting minorities at their schools, songs and chants are being created that uses the nigger word in it, etc. Do anyone see where this is headed? Their is too much hate from both the race sides that still lives within our communities today.

Now the chief of police has resigned in Ferguson, and behind his resignation, two police officers are shot hours later in a protest that was dying down. I don't know what the motive was behind the shooting or what caused it, but i'm sure this is going to escalade into worst actions than before.

Isabel Eugene, 16, who also attended the rally in Miami, said: “Before Trayvon Martin, we took precautions, but now it's worse. Not just with the police killing minorities, but also with minorities and protestors handling it the wrong way. In some cases, its not good for us to take the upper hand. At some point and time, I hope this all comes to a cease.

Beyoncé Now Helping Black-Owned Businesses

The star has teamed up with the NAACP to found the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund.

Beyoncé has launched a new fund to give Black-owned businesses grants through her BeyGOOD foundation.

The fund has been started in collaboration with the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP).

The Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund will provide grants of $10,000 (£7,923) for business owners “in select cities to help sustain business during this time”.

Corporation Invests $122 Million to Support Black Businesses

 

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has invested $122 million to support the growth of Black-owned banks and businesses.

LISC announced the investment that was closed through LISC’s Black Economic Development Fund (BEDF). The massive funding came from major companies, including Netflix, Paypal, Square, HubSpot, Aflac, Costco, Dicks Sporting Goods, ThermoFisher Scientific, Wayfair, McKinsey & Co., and Dupont.

Rihanna and Jay-Z Invest in Vegan Cookie Company

After the push from BLM in 2020, many expect 2021 to be the year of immense growth in communities that are predominantly black and brown. The reasoning is that many businesses and corporations started to look within to see if they were being as diverse with their hiring and lending as they should be. The events of 2020 have also influenced many prestigious people to contribute to black-owned businesses.

Also See: Everything You Need to Know About Vegan Fashion

Partake foods, a vegan and allergy-friendly food company, saw a generous investment from Jay-Z last year. Now, it appears that Partake was able to amass a decent amount of funding from a long list of reputable stars, including Rihanna. It is her first investment outside of her own lines, such as Savage x Fenty. Rihanna continues to expand her business ventures while making fans wait for new music. However, it's hard to argue with Rihanna's business mindset; she's been killing it.

Partake completed a $4.8 million Series A funding round in late December, led by investors including Rihanna, Kevin Johnson's Black Capital, Seattle Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner, Black Star Fund, Once Upon a Farm CEO John Foraker, CircleUp Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners.

Whitewash Hip-Hop

Rapper Iggy Azalea performs at Irving Plaza on May 5, 2014, in New York. When asked about Forbes’ claim that hip-hop is run by a white, blond, Australian rapper named Iggy Azalea, incumbent queen bee Nicki Minaj laughed hysterically. The financial magazine may be qualified to calculate the $250 million valuation of Nicki’s Myx Fusions Moscato wine coolers, Nicki reasoned, but only the hip-hop community can bequeath the throne to Iggy.

What The Ban on Cigarettes Mean

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with plans to ban menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars—policies that agency officials say could help prevent some of the roughly 500,000 U.S. deaths linked to tobacco each year.

“The actions we are proposing can help significantly reduce youth initiation and increase the chances that current smokers quit,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. “It is clear that these efforts will help save lives.”

Cops Kill Another Black Man

A white police officer who was feeling threatened used lethal force on an unarmed black man. The incident left the officer unharmed and Brisbon, 34, dead with two bullet wounds in his torso at a north Phoenix apartment complex.

Phoenix police quickly released a detailed account of the killing for the media on Wednesday morning in what officials said was an effort to promote transparency, especially in light of the unrest that has played out in Ferguson and New York City following the deaths of unarmed Black men at the hands of White officers. But portions of that account have already been challenged by some witnesses and community activists who say that the officer’s use of force was excessive and that Brisbon’s death was unwarranted.

Shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were in the area of Interstate 17 and Greenway Road for a burglary investigation when a resident of an apartment complex told them that men inside a black Cadillac SUV were engaged in a drug deal. Police checked the license plate that the tipster provided and found it was registered to a resident in the 15,400 block of North 25th Avenue, where there was also a pending report of a “loud music disturbance.”

The officer said the driver, later identified as Brisbon, got out and appeared to be removing something from the rear of the SUV. The officer told Brisbon to show his hands, but Brisbon stuffed his hands into his waistband. Brisbon refused to comply with the officer’s commands to get on the ground, and the two struggled once the officer caught up with him.

During the struggle, Brisbon put his left hand in his pocket and the officer grabbed onto the suspect’s hand, while repeatedly telling the suspect to keep his hand in his pocket,” he said. “The officer believed he felt the handle of a gun while holding the suspect’s hand in his pocket.

A woman inside an apartment opened a door at that moment, and the officer and Brisbon tumbled inside, Crump said. Two children, ages 9 and 2, were in a back bedroom, he said.The officer could no longer keep a grip on Brisbon’s hand and, because he feared that the suspect had a gun in his pocket, fired two shots, Crump said.The item in Brisbon’s pocket turned out to be a bottle of oxycodone pills, he said.Crump said the officers are aware of the delicate nature of the case and are asking the community to allow investigators to gather all the facts.

Master P Gets Into The Food Industry

Entrepreneur Percy Miller better known as 'MASTER P' has been educating the culture on the importance of ownership, building minority-owned brands, producing products and giving back to the community for over 25 years.

He grew up in poverty, built a music empire, sold over 100 million records independently. And now he is doing the same thing in the food market with his Uncle P’s Rice, Uncle P’s Grits, Uncle P’s Oatmeal, Uncle P’s Pancake Mix & Uncle P’s Syrup.

2Pac's Godfather Speaks

Writer/educator and former Black Panther Party organizer Jamal Joseph sat down with AllHipHop.com to discuss the legacy of Tupac Shakur, in an interview released on the 20th anniversary of his death on [September 13]. Having been one of Shakur's mother Afeni's comrades, and an elder whom Pac referred to as "uncle," Joseph, 63, had been in regular communication with the late icon prior to his death.

See What Barack Obama Thinks About African-Americans

Last week, as a part of a series of conversations, President Barack Obama spoke to author Ta-Nehisi Coates about a variety of topics, with one of them being reparations for African-Americans. Many African-Americans have voiced their opinion about the idea of reparations being given to their people, especially considering the lasting impact of the Jim Crow era and slavery on the community. During the interview, Barack Obama mentioned that he felt African-Americans deserved reparations, but that he did not think it would be politically achievable. Obama said that wrongs done to the black community should be acknowledged, and that "society has a moral obligation to make a large, aggressive investment, even if it’s not in the form of individual reparations checks, but in the form of a Marshall Plan, in order to close those gaps [of wealth and education]."

Obama kept it real about getting support from Congress for reparations, saying, "I’m not so optimistic as to think that you would ever be able to garner a majority of an American Congress that would make those kinds of investments above and beyond the kinds of investments that could be made in a progressive program for lifting up all people." He then went on to put his entire idea into a clear perspective, saying, "I have much more confidence in my ability, or any president or any leader’s ability, to mobilize the American people around a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment to help every child in poverty in this country than I am in being able to mobilize the country around providing a benefit specific to African Americans as a consequence of slavery and Jim Crow."

Jay Z's House VS Kanye West's House

 

As one of the most influential artists of our time, Jay Z has amassed wealth unimaginable for most people. His house is an incredible 30 000 square foot, 8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms estate and sits on just over 1.5 acres of pricey real estate. It’s surrounded by celebrity neighbors and stocked full of premium amenities, including 4 pools, a 15-car garage, a recording studio and bulletproof windows.  The estate is a smart home that includes all of the latest technological features to ensure safety and convenience. 

Lights Out Mississippi

Many people shall miss the great but small Marcus. Cleveland, Ms shall never again see one that is wide spread hated by many. There is not many that like him because of his moral values, but in the black community, he is feared because he represent progress.

On May 1st of 2013, the rap artist Gansta Marcus made the decision to depart Mississippi no matter what the consequences. Although he knows he maybe facing up to three years in prison, The Ohio rap artist is agreed that he is ready to make his appearance.

After being gone for five years, Gansta Marcus has developed many skills from "Building and apartment maintenance" to being a "Online Admin" for multiple websites. He is also a producer and artist who has yet to perform.

Gansta Marcus Speaks On Ferguson, Florida And Ohio Police Brutality

Lima, Ohio producer and website owner of The Wrap-Up Magazine decides to release several new tracks earlier this week. On included a track to speaks of dead teenager Trayvon Martin and Edward Wade. Its about time that a rapper talk more that just prejudice. Listen to the words in the song and check out this writen interview of what Nieman Marcus feels on whats going on in the world.

Federal charges unlikely for Darren Wilson in Ferguson case, officials say. Its sad that this man could not be charged at all in any case. I understand that he is a cop and its a high risk to lock him up, but a charge with at least parole with a guilty conviction is a option that could have taken place.

"The black community members that caused and supported these riots that took place helped to cause this conviction to go free." Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area.

Not only is this is just happening in Ferguson, but also in many various states across the United States. Ohio is no better joining in on the cause of police power. Florida really started the statement that is invloving into a movement with Trayvon Martin.

Two police officers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries recently in Ohio. While just before that releasing the 911 calls and the full surveillance video of the confrontation and fatal shooting of a 12-year-old Ohio boy, The biggest problem that I see in Ohio is not only the prison system, but also local county jail sytems. They don't care if the jail are full and have minor convictions, inmates can sleep on concrete floors exposed to any condition that is at hand.

There is just too much going on in the world. Both sides of color need to put down all protest, police set down all weapons, and raise their hands for a change. Lets all march for a better world standing together no matter how much it hurts.

February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American high school student. Thousands then filled college field houses to hear Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed as he walked to a family member's home from a convenience store.

Malcolm Warner Speaks On Bill Cosby

Warner commented on the slew of allegations plaguing his former TV father Bill Cosby. “He’s one of my mentors, and he’s been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor,” Warner tells Billboard. “Just as it’s painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it’s just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this.

“I can’t really speak on any of the allegations because obviously, I was not there. The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people. What he’s done for comedy and television has been legendary and history-making. What he’s done for the black community and education has been invaluable. That’s the Bill Cosby I know. I can’t speak on the other stuff.”

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Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Pardoned By Trump

As one of his final acts as president of the United States, Donald Trump issued more than 140 pardons and commutations on Tuesday night (Jan. 19). Among those granted clemency were Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, early Death Row Records backer Michael "Harry-O" Harris and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, according to the White House.

Perez was granted a full pardon for being involved in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics, the White House said, a conviction that is more than 25 years old. "Since her conviction, Ms. Perez has taken full accountability for her actions and has turned her life around," the White House said in a statement. "She has been gainfully employed and has been an advocate for criminal justice reform in her community."

"I'm grateful to have received a pardon and to have formally closed that chapter of my life in the eyes of the law," Perez said in a statement provided to Billboard. "I have taken full accountability for my mistakes from 25 years ago, but I also take tremendous pride in my personal growth, perseverance and accomplishments since then. This pardon reinforces my lifelong commitment to advocate for criminal justice reform and social justice initiatives."

Ohio Lawmakers Propose State Holiday Honoring Donald Trump

 

Although 3,154,834 Ohio voters nominated Trump as President, many voices in the Black community remained quiet.

As the world adjusts to life under the Biden administration, a pair of Ohio state lawmakers hope to honor Biden's predecessor with a state holiday.

No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio, and since the advent of the duopoly two-party system, Democrats have won the presidency without winning Ohio only five times.

Byron Allen Buys Black News Channel for $11 Million

 

According to reports, billionaire Byron Allen's Allen Media Group is buying the bankrupt Black News Channel for $11 million. 

The Hollywood Reporter notes Allen Media Group has acquired “substantially all” of the Black News Channel assets with the purchase to revive the recently defunct media outlet. 

Two Women Sue Sperm Bank

An Ohio woman and her partner have sued a Chicago-area sperm bank after she became pregnant with sperm donated by a black man instead of a white man as she’d intended. Jennifer Cramblett was five months pregnant and happy with her life in April 2012. She and her partner had married months earlier in New York, and within days of their nuptials she had become pregnant with donor sperm at a fertility clinic in Canton.

Cramblett, 36, and her partner, Amanda Zinkon, 29, were so elated that they called Midwest Sperm Bank LLC outside Chicago to reserve sperm from the same donor in the hope that Zinkon would someday also have a child. But that’s when Cramblett received some disturbing news, says a lawsuit filed Monday against Midwest Sperm Bank in Cook County, Illinois. She learned from an employee at the sperm bank that she had been inseminated with sperm from No. 330, a black donor, and not No. 380, a white donor she and Zinkon, who are white, had chosen.

Cramblett said she and Zinkon love their 2-year-old daughter, Payton, very much and wouldn’t change anything about her. But they are concerned about raising her in the predominantly white community where they live. The lawsuit said they had moved from Akron to Uniontown for better schools and to be closer to Cramblett’s family. She said that as a lesbian she has felt the sting of prejudice but doesn’t know what it’s like to be mistreated because of her skin color.

The lawsuit says Cramblett also is worried about how Payton will be treated in her “all-white, and often unconsciously insensitive family.” Therapists have recommended that Cramblett, Zinkon and Payton move to a more a racially diverse community with good schools, the lawsuit said. Cramblett said she decided to sue to prevent the sperm bank from making the same mistake again. The lawsuit says the sperm bank has no electronic record-keeping and no quality controls that would have prevented it from sending the wrong sperm to fertility clinics.