Anthony Roberson: Detective Builds Ties Between Law Enforcement And The Community

BE Modern Man: Anthony Roberson, Ph.D.

Law enforcement officer, community leader; 42; Detective, Providence (R.I.) Police Department

I started my Shop With A Cop program six years ago. I get businesses large and small to donate dinners, items, and the like, that are raffled off to raise money to buy $150 gift cards. That, in addition to some grant money, allows me to gather 25-30 students and partner them up with police officers who proceed to take them on a shopping spree. The shopping spree is nice but the relationships forged are priceless.

Then there’s the twice-a-year Handshake Initiative, eight years strong now, in Providence, Cumberland, and East Providence. I bring successful male adults from all walks of life, dressed up, to welcome the students to school in the morning, with encouragement, handshakes, and high-fives. The role models, mostly males of color, seek to impress upon the students that they too can achieve success as represented by the gentlemen welcoming them to school. Nearly 200 role models participate.

Then there’s my Bicycle Safety Initiative I started with Walmart, along with some grant money, with volunteer police officers providing 30 or so kids a year with a bicycle and a helmet.

Lastly, I sit on the board of directors at the Sojourner House, an organization that combats domestic violence. It’s my hope that forging and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the community they serve will positively impact the quality of life for city residents.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN LIFE?

I’m most proud of the strength and perseverance I observed throughout my life, as embodied by my mother. She had to overcome obstacles in life that many would have surrendered to, through no fault of their own. It’s due in large part to her that I was able to confront the many challenges in life that resulted in not only my volunteering in the community or becoming a detective but earning a doctorate degree as well.

HOW HAVE YOU TURNED STRUGGLE INTO SUCCESS?

During my upbringing, there were many social struggles. Neighborhood violence, narcotics, and domestic abuse appeared to be the norm. Having gone through such experiences allows me to better relate to those who might be experiencing similar situations. Being able to relate has made me a better community leader and detective. There is perhaps no greater feeling than helping a person get out of a dangerous life situation. Although I experienced my struggles, my success as a detective rests in my ability to identify with and help others.

WHO WAS YOUR GREATEST MALE ROLE MODEL AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HIM?

One of my greatest role models, although I don’t know him personally, is Denzel Washington. It’s not because of his fame or fortune, but due to how he appears to treat his wife and his words of wisdom offered in his speeches throughout the years. In one of his speeches, he suggested that a person should place their slippers way underneath their bed at night because in the morning that person would have to get down on their knees to retrieve the slippers. While on their knees that person should be thankful to the Lord for their blessings. I couldn’t agree more.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

The best advice I was ever given was to follow my heart because I was special and would change people’s lives for the better. To really appreciate that advice, you would have to have seen the sincere expression of the individual’s face when he shared it. He really meant it, and I believed him.

HOW ARE YOU PAYING IT FORWARD TO SUPPORT OTHER BLACK MALES?

In order to pay it forward, as a detective and a community leader, I make sure I mentor several young people each year. Being a man of color, I know firsthand that the world can seem limited as far as available opportunity is concerned. Communicating the appropriate wisdom and encouragement is essential, and a downright obligation.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE MANHOOD?

My definition of manhood is the moment immaturity leaves a male and is replaced with maturity and the embracing of responsibility.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING A BLACK MAN?

I love our heritage and expression in music that is arguably unsurpassed in any other genre. The soul that is poured, crafted, and produced as a rich melody is embedded with such emotion you can almost touch it. Luther Vandross, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, and so many others have captured the world with their gift.

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BE Modern Man is an online and social media campaign designed to celebrate black men making valuable contributions in every profession, industry, community, and area of endeavor. Each year, we solicit nominations in order to select men of color for inclusion in the 100 Black Enterprise Modern Men of Distinction. Our goal is to recognize men who epitomize the BEMM credo “Extraordinary is our normal” in their day-to-day lives, presenting authentic examples of the typical black man rarely seen in mainstream media. The BE Modern Men of Distinction are celebrated annually at Black Men XCEL (www.blackenterprise.com/blackmenxcel/). Click this link to submit a nomination for BE Modern Man: https://www.blackenterprise.com/nominate/. Follow BE Modern Man on Twitter: @bemodernman and Instagram: @be_modernman.

 

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Texas appeals court blocks inmate Rodney Reed’s execution

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ top appeals court on Friday halted the scheduled execution of inmate Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being questioned by new evidence that his supporters say raises serious doubt about his guilt.

The stay of execution issued Friday afternoon by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals came just hours after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended delaying the lethal injection.

The parole board unanimously recommended a 120-day reprieve for Reed. The board rejected Reed’s request to commute his sentence to life in prison.

The 51-year-old Reed had been set for lethal injection Wednesday evening for the 1996 killing of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. Prosecutors say Reed raped and strangled Stites as she made her way to work at a supermarket in Bastrop, a rural community about 30 miles southeast of Austin.

Reed’s efforts to stop his execution have received support from such celebrities as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and Oprah. Lawmakers from both parties, including Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, have also asked that officials take a closer look at the evidence in the case.

The board’s decision was to go next to Gov. Greg Abbott, who hadn’t said whether he would accept or reject it or do nothing. The stay likely makes Abbott’s decision moot until Reed’s appeals are exhausted.

Bryce Benjet, an attorney with the Innocence Project, which is representing Reed, had sought to delay the execution to properly consider “powerful new evidence of his innocence” and for possibly allowing DNA testing that could prove “who actually committed the crime.”

Since Texas resumed executions in 1982, only three death row inmates have had their sentences commuted to life in prison within days of their scheduled executions.

The parole board since 1982 has recommended commuting a death row inmate’s sentence five times. But former Texas Gov. Rick Perry rejected the recommendation twice, in 2004 and 2009.

Since taking office in 2015, Abbott has halted only one imminent execution, which occurred in 2018.

Reed still has several appeals pending, including with the U.S. Supreme Court. His supporters have held various rallies leading up to his execution, including an overnight vigil on Thursday in front of the Supreme Court in Washington. A rally in front of the Texas governor’s mansion is set for Sunday.

Reed has long maintained he didn’t kill Stites and that her fiance, former police officer Jimmy Fennell, was the real killer. Reed says Fennell was angry because Stites, who was white, was having an affair with Reed, who is black.

Fennell’s attorney has said his client didn’t kill Stites. Fennell was paroled last year after serving time in prison for sexual assault.

Prosecutors say Reed’s semen was found in the victim, his claims of an affair with Stites were not proven at trial, Fennell was cleared as a suspect and Reed had a history of committing other sexual assaults.

Reed’s lawyers say his conviction was based on flawed evidence. They have denied the other sexual assault accusations made by prosecutors.

In recent weeks, Reed’s attorneys have presented affidavits in support of his claims of innocence, including one by a former prison inmate who claims Fennell bragged about killing Stites and referred to Reed by a racial slur. Reed’s lawyers say other recent affidavits corroborate the relationship between Stites and Reed and show that Fennell was violent and aggressive toward Stites.

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Gayle King admits she posed nude for photoshoot during college

This week Gayle King made a surprising admission about an X rated photo shoot that she says will never see the light of day.

According to Page Six, Tuesday, while appearing on the “Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham” podcast, the CBS anchor opened up about her wilder days in the mid-1970s when she was a student at the University of Maryland.

READ MORE: Disney+ puts disclaimer on racially insensitive movies, but Whoopi Goldberg says we should see them

“Once in college, I was dating a guy who was a photographer, and I thought, ‘OK, let’s have a sexy photoshoot,” recalled the now 64 year old.

“Now, my idea of a sexy photoshoot, I was nude, but Ashley, I was wearing rollers. This was back in the day where you wear pink, foam rollers,” she continued.

“That’s very Marilyn,” Graham reassured her. “Were you doing, like, ‘50s poses?”

READ MORE: Lena Waithe reveals she secretly (and spontaneously) wed fiancée Alana Mayo

“I mean, you know, you stick your butt out, you stick your boobs out,” King said, actually mimicking her pose. “He’s a photographer, so I went with him to the dark room to develop them, and then when they were done, I got all the negatives. I know that they will never see the light of day.”

Despite that one risqué moment, King admits she still has a hard time understanding the allure of the modern day practice of “sexting.” Unlike her situation where she had complete control of who would see her images, she can’t reconcile why people would take the risk of widespread public exposure.

“I don’t get it, because once it’s out there, it takes [on] a life of its own, I honestly don’t get that,” concluded the mother of two.

Check out the full interview below.

READ MORE: Eminem dragged for lyrics that defend Chris Brown for beating Rihanna, issues response

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Kenya Airways stowaway: Mystery of the man who fell from the sky

Four months after the body of a suspected stowaway fell from a Kenya Airways plane into a London garden, we still don't know who he was.

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12 Great Gifts for the Coffee Lover in Your Life

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‘Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself' and the Meme-ing of Conspiracy

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For Barack Obama and Deval Patrick, a long friendship and political bond

By JULIE PACE AP Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON (AP) — Deval Patrick was in need of a pep talk.
He was staring down reelection as Massachusetts governor in 2010, in the midst of a sluggish economic recovery that would ultimately contribute to sweeping Democratic defeats across the country. In stepped President Barack Obama, a close friend and political ally, who was in town for an event. The two men met for a “get in the game” conversation that helped put Patrick on the path to a second term.

“I think it was very meaningful to Deval,” said David Axelrod, a political adviser to both Obama and Patrick. “That’s the kind of relationship they have. There’s a level of trust and mutual caring between them.”

READ MORE: Candace Owens claims she’s never had ‘race issues’ 

That relationship will test whether Obama can maintain his vigorously neutral approach to the 2020 Democratic primary now that Patrick has launched a late bid for the presidential nomination. Although Obama has ties to several candidates — most notably Joe Biden, who spent eight years as his No. 2 in the White House — his ties to Patrick are unique. The two men were friends well before the White House years and have bonded over shared personal experiences and a strikingly similar approach to politics.

“They both had Chicago roots, they both had the Harvard experience and they shared a set of values,” Axelrod said. “You go back and listen to some of Patrick’s speeches from when he was running for governor and you hear echoes of Obama.”

Obama advisers say there are currently no plans for the former president to endorse in the Democratic primary race, though he’s met with most of the major candidates and is said to be following the primary campaign closely. Yet advisers have purposely left some wiggle room in that position, well aware that there could be a moment that demands the input of the nation’s most popular Democrat, particularly if the primary appears to be headed toward a contentious conclusion.

READ MORE: New York state legislator’s bill seeks to outlaw hymen exams

For now, the former president appears content to stay on the sidelines and offer occasional counsel to the candidates he is closest to, including Patrick.

When Patrick called him this week to tell him he was making a late bid for the nomination, he got advice similar to what Obama has told other White House hopefuls: Make an affirmative case for yourself, show up and be present even in places you might lose, and stay focused on the urgency of defeating President Donald Trump.

Patrick, who made his first campaign appearance in New Hampshire on Thursday, said Obama had given him “great insights about his own experiences and about his experience with some of the other candidates and what he thought the strengths and weaknesses of the campaign, of my campaign, might be.”

“He’s been, I think, entirely appropriate in saying, Look, this is your decision, no one else’s,” Patrick said shortly after filing papers to get on the ballot in New Hampshire. “And I’m not encouraging you or discouraging you. Be clear-eyed about how heavy the lift is.”

Obama and Patrick first connected in the 1990s, long before either was a national political figure. Both graduated from Harvard Law School and were shaped by their experiences on the South Side of Chicago, where Patrick grew up and Obama worked as a community organizer. Later, when Obama and his family vacationed during their summers in the White House at Martha’s Vineyard, Patrick and his family made regular visits from Boston.

As barrier-breaking African Americans, Obama and Patrick have also drawn comparisons throughout their political careers. The day after Patrick won his first campaign for governor in 2006 — running on a “Together We Can” slogan — two of his top political consultants, Axelrod and David Plouffe, met with Obama to start charting his 2008 presidential campaign. That campaign’s motto: “Yes We Can.”

In addition to Axelrod and Plouffe, Obama confidante and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is particularly close to Patrick and urged his campaign for president.
It’s unclear whether those connections will help Patrick, who is launching his campaign less than three months before voting begins. Many Obama staffers are already working for other candidates or have left the political arena. It’s also uncertain whether Patrick, who was the first black governor of Massachusetts, will be seen by African American voters as the heir to Obama’s legacy.

So far, it’s Biden who has had the strongest appeal with black voters, one of the most important constituencies in Democratic politics. And it’s Biden who has wrapped himself in Obama’s legacy, frequently reminding voters of the eight years he spent by the 44th president’s side. He’s also staked his candidacy in part on a robust defense of the landmark health care overhaul Obama signed into law.

Obama has stayed in touch with Biden throughout the campaign, and the two huddled privately last month at funeral services for U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.
Biden also remains the only candidate whose entry into the race was greeted with a formal statement from Obama, who praised his former vice president but stopped short of endorsing his White House run.

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Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

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Judge denies motion to drop suspect’s charges in Nipsey Hussle murder

On Thursday Eric Holder, who is accused of killing rapper Nipsey Hussle, tried unsuccessfully to get his attempted murder charges thrown out.

READ MORE: Nipsey Hussle reportedly called his killer a ‘snitch’ before he was shot dead

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, a judge denied Holder’s motion to discharge the murder charges involving the March 31 fatal shooting of Hussle and attempted murder of two other men, XXL reports.

As previously reported by theGrio.com, prosecutors allege Holder fatally shot Hussle, 33, after having an argument with him in front of his Marathon Clothing Store in South L.A. earlier this year. He was ultimately charged with one count of murder, and two counts of attempted murder for shooting a man named Kerry Lathan and his nephew. Holder was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Also reported by theGrio.com, in earlier in October, Holder’s legal team wanted the two counts of attempted murder dropped.

His counsel believed that the attempted murder charges fit within the “Kill Zone” theory, which is based on whether the shooter intended to kill the other people who were injured.

Deputy District Attorney John McKinney wasn’t buying it. He believes Holder’s case does not fit within the “Kill Zone” parameters, and suspects the attempt to have the two charges dropped is just a ploy to prolong the case. McKinney also points out that the alleged shooter waived his right to have a trial within 60 days after his indictment.

“Given the magnitude of the case, the complexities of the case, work his defense attorney needs to do, he knew it wasn’t in his best interest to try to go to trial right now,” McKinney previously told USC Annenberg’s student run news website Annenberg Media.

READ MORE: Attorney Christoper Darden calls it quits in Nipsey Hussle murder case defense

But his attempt to get the charges axed didn’t work.

Instead, he is being held on a $6.53 million bond at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. The case is slated to go to trial in February, and Holder faces life in prison.

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How AS Roma helped find a missing Kenyan child

When the Italian side signed Chris Smalling on loan, his arrival helped find a missing child.

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An Instagram Without Likes, And a MacBook Keyboard Without Fails

Instagram and Apple made small changes to their products this week that could affect customers in a major way.

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The Evidence That Links Russia’s Most Brazen Hacking Efforts

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Five Ways To Leverage The Latest Rate Cuts By The Fed

Interest rates in America have been cut three times this year. The Federal Reserve on Oct. 29 slashed the federal funds rate to a range between 1.5% and 1.75%, a move to help keep economic growth spurring along. The action could bring lower rates on consumer loans, some mortgages, and student loans.

In tightening rates, the Fed has aimed to derail a global economic slowdown, President Donald Trump’s trade wars with other countries, and a drop in U.S. manufacturing. The trio of cuts was nearly a U-turn from the four increases the Fed made in 2018 to deal with a growing economy. The rate cuts since July 2019 are also geared to encourage more borrowing and spending. The move trims the short-term rates the nation’s central bank controls, determining the direction of some key consumer and business loans.

The Fed released a statement in its latest policy meeting that it has used since June to indicate a future rate cut is likely. That possibly indicates that the Fed is done cutting rates this year and will leave them untouched while gauging how the economy performs in upcoming months.

Consumers and entrepreneurs might benefit from the Fed rate cuts:

POSSIBLY MORE LOANS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Interest rates that banks and other financial institutions charge small businesses for loans likely move lower. That gives banks more incentive to boost loan activity, potentially increase the number of loans they make to small businesses. The lower rates make capital less costly and boosts the money supply. And with customers of small businesses able to borrow money for less, that perhaps means they could buy more goods.

POTENTIALLY LESS COSTLY TO MAKE HOME REPAIRS

A majority of home equity lines, also known as HELOC, are pegged to the prime rate. The prime rate is what most banks charge their most credit-worthy customers. Changes in the federal funds rate and the discount rate influence the direction of the prime rate. The prime typically determines the direction of borrowing costs on such things as credit cards, home equity loans, lines of credit, personal loans, and auto loans. Experts say the Fed’s third rate reduction could shave rates on HELOCs by a quarter-point by November or December.

For existing homeowners, the rate cuts could be good news. For those planning to make improvements to get their houses ready to sell next year, the rate changes could make financing the upgrades cheaper.

PERHAPS NOW IS THE TIME TO CONSIDER HOME REFINANCING

The Fed’s actions, along with the economy and other factors, could impact long-term mortgage interest rates. Still, how those rates move are more commonly tied to yields on U.S. Treasury notes. Accordingly, the mortgage rates are now much lower than since late 2018.

So if you purchased a house within the last several years, it would be worth checking to see if you can now refinance at a lower rate. Just cutting a percentage point off your mortgage rate could potentially save you more than $100 monthly, experts say.

PURSUE LOWER BORROWING COSTS ON STUDENT LOANS

More than 1.4 million students annually utilize private student loans to help pay college debt. At the same time, the bulk of students use federal student loans with fixed rates. The private loans can carry a fixed rate or variable rate. The loans with a variable rate could be trimmed when the Fed cuts rates. How much can be saved may depend on such factors as the terms of the loan. If you have both federal student loans and private student loans, experts advise paying off the private loans first or seeing if you can refinance them at a lower fixed rate.

LOWER CREDIT CARD COSTS, BUT ONLY EXPECT A TAD IN SAVINGS

The federal rate of 25 basis points will have little impact on the interest cost for consumers, says Robert McKinley, senior analyst for CardTrak.com. For example, a consumer with a credit card balance of $3,000, with a 20% interest rate, would save about $7.50 per year. So far this year there have been three rate cuts for a total of 75 basis points, dropping the prime rate from 5.50% one year ago to 4.75% in November. So, using the same example of a $3,000 balance at 20% APR, the savings would be $22.50 per year, or about a little less than $2 per month, compared to one year ago.

Unfortunately, the Fed rate means lower rates on a certificate of deposit and other savings accounts. Individuals may now have to look for higher-yielding savings accounts but realize the gains might be minuscule. Plus, senior citizens who put money into CDs and savings accounts will net less from lower rates. That could translate into less income for older Americans for retirement savings as well as money to live on.

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Rapper Lil Nas X makes history at the Country Music Association Awards

Lil Nas X has become the most unlikely darling dude of country music, making history as the first openly gay entertainer to win a Country Music Association Award.

READ MORE: Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ inspires autistic boy to sing

The “Old Town Road” rapper and his co-collaborator Billy Ray Cyrus has seen huge success with the folksy head-bopping rap jam. And on Wednesday the dynamic-odd-duo won for musical event of the year, which includes Cyrus’ rap solo on the song’s remixed version, Out Magazine reports.

“LETS GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 🐎 ⚡,” Lil Nas X tweeted on Wednesday, celebrating his historic win.

LETS GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 🐎⚡️ https://t.co/QjcZTvp09h

— nope (@LilNasX) November 13, 2019

“I wasn’t sure if this was going to be able to happen tonight,” he told reporters USA Today reports. “I’m so happy this song was accepted because it is the bridging of two polar opposite genres. I’m happy it’s gotten respect from both places.”

Earlier this year, Lil Nas X‘s smash single “Old Town Road” was removed from country charts.  In a twist of irony, he later found himself nominated for a Country Music Award at the 53rd annual celebration of the genre.

The trap-infused, remix which was nominated for the Musical Event of the Year category, was even up against country music vets Brooks & Dunn and Garth Brooks.

According to the Huffington Post, the original version of “Old Town Road” first hit the web in December. However, it did not begin to catch the attention of the masses until March. As it began to ascend up the Hot Country Songs chart, it was also removed in March. Billboard cited the reason for the exclusion as the single not containing the “elements of today’s country music to chart.”

READ MORE: People keep stealing ‘Old Town Road’ street signs in Massachusetts

After the removal outrage spanned social media, the history of racism, in particular with Black artists and country music, arose. In April, Billy Ray Cyrus spoke out in support of the young star, spawning the first of many remixes to the song.

And when Lil Nas X came out as gay at the end of June, his song still continued to skyrocket  and became the longest-running No. 1 single ever to hit the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

We’re happy for his success.

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Canada refuses visas to over a dozen African AI researchers

Visa hassles made another AI conference move to Ethiopia, rather than deal with Canadian officials.

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Alien Hunters Need the Far Side of the Moon to Stay Quiet

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'Ford v Ferrari' Overlooks the Best Part of the Racing Rivalry

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146 New Vulnerabilities All Come Preinstalled on Android Phones

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Ghana progress at Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations

Ghana beat Mali 2-0 to qualify for the semi-finals of the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations and move a step closer to the 2020 Olympics.

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Viral rap song highlights Morocco monarchy taboo

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SA post office rapist and murderer given life

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'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order' Is Strong With the Force

Traditional in its approach to the material but elegant in its craftsmanship, the game is one of the best 'Star Wars' games ever made.

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Jaleesa Trapp shakes things up in the classroom and in computing

“My introduction to MIT was an interesting one,” says Jaleesa Trapp, a graduate student in the MIT Media Lab. “MIT came to me.”

That introduction came in the form of an afterschool program called the Computer Clubhouse in Trapp’s hometown of Tacoma, Washington. The program, founded by the Media Lab research group Lifelong Kindergarten and run by the The Clubhouse Network, is a technology-based learning environment for high school students that has been introduced to 100 underserved neighborhoods in over 20 countries. At the Clubhouse, Trapp learned graphic design, coding, video editing, and robotics, and she was introduced to a wide spectrum of possible STEM careers.

Now, Trapp is working toward her PhD in the very same research group. Informed by many happy hours spent at the Clubhouse, her undergraduate studies, and her experience teaching high school, she aims to study the different ways youth, particularly black and brown youth, interact with computers and technology. She is especially curious about nonstandard human-computer interfaces — technologies distinct from desktop or laptop interactions.

Shaking things up

The Clubhouse in Tacoma was in close proximity to Trapp’s high school, yet it felt worlds away. “I hated high school, but I liked going to the Clubhouse,” she says. “It was like I was in two different worlds. My teachers had no idea that at the Clubhouse I was creating these interactive CD-ROMs and doing all types of things.”

Trapp’s experience at the Clubhouse, along with a high school internship at Microsoft, crystallized her interest in using technology to solve problems for people. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in human-centered design and engineering with a concentration in human-computer interactions.

After college, Trapp spent a year with AmeriCorps before returning to the Clubhouse as a coordinator, running the program she had attended just a few years before. After a year working solely at the Clubhouse, she was approached by local educators to teach high school. She hesitated at first but then realized the impact she could have. “I ended up going back to teach high school [because] I wanted to give more youth the opportunity to have the same Clubhouse experience I did — but inside the classroom. Not all students can come to an afterschool program, so I try to find a way to do that inside the school.”

Trapp describes her pedagogical approach as a bit unorthodox. She recalls a computer science class in which she taught students how to make their own playdough to use with Makey Makey, software that allows children to make their own controllers with conductive objects. “The way that I run things, when I go to other teachers’ classrooms I know they think, ‘She’s letting these kids run wild!’ I like going and shaking things up.”

Returning to kindergarten

After teaching for three years, Trapp wanted to apply her skills and her proclivity for shaking things up to the world of academic research. When she applied to the Media Lab, the Lifelong Kindergarten Group was a natural fit. The group is inspired by the way learning occurs in kindergarten — through building and experimenting — and aims to expand that concept to other technologies and learning experiences.

One of the strengths of the program, she says, is the diverse backgrounds of others in the Media Lab. "Kind of like the real world!” she laughs. “We all have these different skills and knowledge to bring to work on a project, which I think makes it a lot more dynamic than if we were to work alone.”

Despite the diversity of backgrounds, Trapp notes that she is one of just a few black students in the Media Lab, which at times makes her feel hypervisible: “I change my hair a lot. I wear a lot of braids and twists and stuff. And just the comments about my hair, asking why it’s so different … just having to answer that type of question is really exhausting. Like, you get to come here and be a student, and I get to come here and teach you about black hair … and then be a student.”

Empowering her students

Trapp has channeled the added pressure she feels as a minority student into her master’s thesis, which she recently finished. It’s an antiracist learning guide that helps educators engage marginalized youth in STEM activities by creating an equitable learning space. One important way to do that, Trapp explains, is by shifting power: “Even just the way we do introductions, allowing students to stand up there and say their names instead of [teachers] butchering their names, asking them their preferred name, giving them that power, asking them what they value.”

“I don’t have rules in my classroom,” she adds. “They come in and as a group we decide, how do we want to treat each other in this space? How do we want to treat this space, and how do we hold each other accountable for it? And by doing that, if something happens I can always remind them, ‘You set this up, not me, and I’m also held accountable to it.’” Trapp looks forward to using her master’s thesis work as a foundation for her PhD thesis, but with more of a focus on how youth interact with computing.

As she gears up for her next four years in Boston, Trapp admits she misses her beloved Tacoma, where her strongest support system remains. (The town raised thousands of dollars after she was admitted to MIT, to help her to move to campus and settle in.) She also feels a responsibility to the youth of Tacoma.

“I think I’m so invested because I want to be able to give opportunities that I didn’t have,” she says. “If there were more opportunities like the Clubhouse … I think that could inspire kids to do other things, and know that they’re capable, and know that there’s more out there. And then, hopefully, they would still want to give back to Tacoma, too. For the future of Tacoma, I want kids to know that they can go and do anything that they want to do.”

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Nathan Hale Williams: Filmmaker And Attorney Tells Stories Through A Social-Justice Lens

BE Modern Man: Nathan Hale Williams

Filmmaker, author, entertainment attorney; 43; President, Executive Producer and General Counsel, iN-Hale Entertainment L.L.C.

Twitter: @NathanHWilliams; Instagram: @NathanHWilliams

As a filmmaker and attorney, I tell stories and I represent people who tell stories. As a filmmaker, my goal is always to make movies that have a social justice focus, but that are also funny and entertaining.

My latest film, BURDEN details the macro and micro-aggressions we face as men of color in this society. I wrote in response to a discussion of what happened to the two men in a Starbucks in Philadelphia in April 2018.

90 DAYS starred Teyonah Parris and Pauletta Washington and dealt with HIV/AIDS in the heterosexual black community. The film literally toured the world, opening up dialogue on the topic in our communities across the African Diaspora and in Africa. It won many awards including multiple awards at Cannes and an African Academy Award. More importantly, it started young to old people talking about this disease that is still ravaging our community when it doesn’t have to do so anymore.

I also write books and have done several TV shows. The thru-line in all of my projects as a filmmaker and attorney is uplifting, empowering, and celebrating our people.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN LIFE?

I am most proud of my relationships with my family and my friends. The love I have in my life is the fuel that keeps me going when showbiz and entrepreneurship gets rough. My family is a traditional tight-knit, wisecracking and all-loving black family from the Southside of Chicago. I also pride myself on having the same friends for literally my entire life. When you have a solid foundation under you anything is possible, and I am proud that I have maintained, nurtured and supported the people that mean the most to me.

HOW HAVE YOU TURNED STRUGGLE INTO SUCCESS?

After living in New York City for almost 15 years, I decided I needed to move to Los Angeles to give my career as a writer/director a boost. I had been majorly successful in New York and had firmly established myself there. I moved to LA right after my 39th birthday. Little did I know that the first year in LA would be one of the most difficult years ever in my life.

Almost a year later, I celebrated my 40th birthday and things still hadn’t improved. My birthday party underscored that I was alone in a new place. It was filled with people, just not with the people that mattered most to me. It depressed me and I went into a week-long funk, secluded in my house.

By the weekend, I had enough of my pity party and knew I had to do something. I had to take the pain I was feeling and use it as fuel to change my circumstances. So the Sunday after my 40th birthday, I sat down and wrote my award-winning film, 90 DAYS, in 6 hours. That little film changed my life and firmly cemented me as a writer/director in Hollywood.

WHO WAS YOUR GREATEST MALE ROLE MODEL AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HIM?

My grandaddy aka “Big Daddy” was the epitome of what it meant to be a man. He worked hard. He wanted to learn things. He was a man of principle, integrity, and honor. He loved his family first and most. And he was dedicated to excellence in whatever he did. Whether it be the two jobs he worked for 30 years—driving a CTA bus and working for the Post Office—to being a 33rd Degree Mason, to the job that was most important to him: being a loving husband, father, and grandfather. I think about Big Daddy often and I always want to make sure I carry his legacy of excellence forward in my work as a filmmaker and attorney.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

My mother always told me to, “Never give up and always do your best.”

HOW ARE YOU PAYING IT FORWARD TO SUPPORT OTHER BLACK MALES?

My entire mission is to make sure I am not the last of anything. As a filmmaker and attorney, I make it a point to hire and mentor younger black men in entertainment. Just as Ava DuVernay does with women, I do the same to make sure my editors, my producers, my crew are made up of a lot of black men.

I have also volunteered for organizations like College Summit/Peer Forward, which helps young black men (and women) who might not otherwise go to college prepare, apply and go to college.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE MANHOOD?

I define manhood as the acceptance and execution of responsibility, duty and your place in the world. It also is the courage to stand for your convictions and the confidence to love who you are.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING A BLACK MAN?

I love the strength we have. Walking through this society as a black man and not merely surviving but thriving is a Herculean feat. I love that we are complex. I love that we are full of joy when we are given the space to express it. I love the way we move through the world—our swag is undeniable.

I want black men and women to really understand and embrace the extent of our power. We are powerful beyond measure and the sky is just the beginning of what we can accomplish in unity for our community. Truly, you can decide to be and become whatever you want. We have that much power and I want us to know it!

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BE Modern Man is an online and social media campaign designed to celebrate black men making valuable contributions in every profession, industry, community, and area of endeavor. Each year, we solicit nominations in order to select men of color for inclusion in the 100 Black Enterprise Modern Men of Distinction. Our goal is to recognize men who epitomize the BEMM credo “Extraordinary is our normal” in their day-to-day lives, presenting authentic examples of the typical black man rarely seen in mainstream media. The BE Modern Men of Distinction are celebrated annually at Black Men XCEL (www.blackenterprise.com/blackmenxcel/). Click this link to submit a nomination for BE Modern Man: https://www.blackenterprise.com/nominate/. Follow BE Modern Man on Twitter: @bemodernman and Instagram: @be_modernman.

 

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Africa's top shots: 8-14 November 2019

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond.

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Kenya's ugali scare: How safe is your maize flour?

Well-known brands of maize flour have been banned after a warning they could be poisonous to humans.

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A MacBook Keyboard Fix, Best Buy's Smart Home Mess, and More News From Today

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

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Reaching the C-suite: no shortcuts, yet many paths

For many, reaching the C-suite for senior executive officers may seem like the pinnacle of success. Power, prestige, the opportunity to make a lasting impact — not to mention that spacious corner office. But how do executives arrive at those top spots? What does it take to stay and thrive in the role? And what can we learn from the experience of others that can be applied to our own career paths?

Just as there are many incentives that drive an executive’s desire to land in the C-suite, so are there many potential paths to get there. That is especially true in today’s dynamic business environment, which demands that leaders be comfortable managing a state of nearly constant change.  

Veteran executive advisor and coach Cassandra Frangos spent her career helping Fortune 500 companies assess and select C-suite executives. She shares her experiences and expertise with those seeking leadership positions in her recent book, “Crack the C-Suite Code: How Successful Leaders Make It to the Top.” The book includes interviews with dozens of CEOs and other C-suite executives from a broad range of companies and industries, as well as hundreds of executives who are likely to be C-suite candidates in the future. Frangos also interviewed the topmost experts in executive recruiting, leadership development, and management academia.

“I talked to as many C-suite executives as I could, across industries over a multi-year period — at conferences, networking events, and over the course of my everyday job. I got in the habit of asking them to tell me their stories,” Frangos shared in a recent webinar for MIT Sloan Executive Education. “Suddenly, I was the one asking the question: 'So, what did you do to reach C-suite?'”

With this research and inquiry as the backdrop — along with her keen interest in the intersection of psychology and business — Frangos offers a practical framework for how leaders can prepare for and achieve the corner office. This work has also informed a new program at MIT Sloan Executive Education, Strategies for Career Development: Charting Your Path to the C-Suite. The inaugural session of the program was held in September and received great reviews from participants who appreciated the insights, interactivity, and 360-degree assessments the program provides. Frangos teaches the program alongside MIT Sloan Professor Roberto Fernandez.

Trends to watch

“It’s an exciting time be in in the C-suite — and with it comes a lot of pressure,” says Frangos. “The digital economy changes everything; most CEOs have never before seen this much transformation.”  

To manage this kind of change, today’s CEO needs to be both strategic and operational. They need to have a keen understanding of the current and future impact of technology on their business. And they need to be willing to recognize the areas of expertise they need to shore up. Frangos illustrates her points by sharing examples of specific strategies that real executives — including some household names — have used to ascend to the top of their organizations. Her experience offers a glimpse into the real work of succession and offers both inspiration and practical advice.  

Another key trend for aspiring executives to watch is the move toward flatter organizational structures. This removes layers of management that can act as a barrier to change, and in turn puts the CEO in charge of more direct reports, making it easier for him or her to get a pulse on the business and act quickly and decisively based on this information.

Within this type of organizational structure, communication is key. The successful CEO needs to be able to clearly communicate their vision clearly to their colleagues, customers, investors, and, perhaps most importantly, to themselves. It is this last audience — understanding one’s own motivations for reaching the C-suite — that is at the core of Frangos’ research and recommendations. 

Charting your path

Leaders who have their eye on the C-suite have likely already proven themselves as capable within their organization and in their field. Frangos offers ways to leverage this momentum to help these executives accelerate to the top. From the tenure track to the “leapfrog” path and options in-between, she offers a framework for advancement that is suited to an individual’s goals and strengths.

“When I assess executives who are getting ready to be promoted, I’m often surprised at how many don’t understand what their brand is within the organization,” she says. “For example, they may be very good operationally but need to be seen as more strategic to get to the next level.”

Frangos’ work explores ways leaders can evolve to better align with their leadership goals, as well as zeroing in on other factors that enhance or detract from a chance of success in the C-suite. She also offers proven career development strategies, regardless of where a person is in their organization. Importantly, her approach stresses the need for leaders to cultivate both professional and personal support networks. 

Embarking on a path to the C-suite isn’t for the faint of heart, which is why it’s just as important for leaders to assess whether they truly have the appetite and determination to do the work and stay the course.

“Only you can control your destiny,” says Frangos. “No one is doing this for you. You have to chart your own path.”

Strategies for Career Development: Charting Your Path to the C-Suite will be held again in July and October 2020.

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He’s In! Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announces Democratic presidential bid

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced Thursday he is running for president, making a late entry into the Democratic race less than three months before primary voting begins.

In an announcement video, Patrick highlighted his poverty-stricken childhood on Chicago’s South Side, saying he’s running for the “people who feel left out and left back.”

As the first in his family to go to college and law school, Patrick said, “I’ve had a chance to live my American Dream.” But over the years, the “path to that dream” has closed off for others, he said, as government and economy have been “letting us down.”

READ MORE: Democrats flip Virginia, but Kentucky governor race still too close to call

Patrick made history as the first Black governor of Massachusetts and has close ties to former President Barack Obama and his network of political advisers. But he faces significant fundraising and organizational hurdles this late in the race.

His announcement comes as some Democrats worry about the strength of the party’s current field of contenders. Another Democrat — former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg — is also weighing a last-minute bid for the party’s nomination.

Bloomberg has taken steps toward launching a presidential campaign, filing candidate papers in Alabama and Arkansas. Even 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton this week said in a BBC interview that she is “under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it,” adding that she has no such plans but still would “never, never, never say never.”

READ MORE: Former Gov. Deval Patrick mulling over Democratic White House run

The moves reflect uncertainty about the direction of the Democratic contest with no commanding front-runner. Joe Biden entered the race as the presumptive favorite and maintains significant support from white moderates and Black voters, whose backing is critical in a Democratic primary. But he’s facing spirited challenges from Patrick’s home-state senator, Elizabeth Warren, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, progressives whose calls for fundamental economic change have alarmed moderates and wealthy donors.

Patrick acknowledged the challenges posed by his late entry in such a big field.
“When I was thinking about it many months ago, one of the questions was: How do you break though in a field this large and this talented without being a celebrity or sensationalist? And I’m none of those things,” Patrick said on CBS “This Morning.”

Patrick could present himself as a potential bridge across the moderate, liberal and progressive factions — as candidates like Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Cory Booker are trying to do.

But the former governor faces significant hurdles to raise enormous amounts of money quickly and to build an organization in the traditional early voting states that most of his rivals have focused on for the past year. And he’ll have to pivot to the expensive and logistically daunting Super Tuesday contests, when voters in more than a dozen states and territories head to the polls. Bloomberg’s team has said they will skip the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina to focus on the Super Tuesday roster.

READ MORE: Elijah Cummings’ widow rumored to run for his Congressional seat

It’s also a near certainty that Patrick — and possibly Bloomberg — wouldn’t make a Democratic debate stage until January, if at all, because of debate rules set by the party.

Those dynamics left some prominent Democrats questioning Patrick’s viability.
“Stop. We have enough candidates,” said Kathy Sullivan, a Democratic National Committee member from New Hampshire, which hosts the party’s first presidential primary following the Iowa caucuses.

Texas Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, whose state boasts the second-largest number of Super Tuesday delegates behind California, argued that donors and media are mistaken to think that rank-and-file Democrats see Biden, Warren and others as unable to take down President Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Trump launches campaign to win Black support, promising to make 2020 a ‘year of change’ 

Besides, Hinojosa said, “most of the people you need to build out a campaign have already chosen sides.”

A former managing director for Bain Capital, Patrick has close ties to Wall Street donors. As only the nation’s second elected Black governor since Reconstruction, Patrick also could run as a historic boundary breaker trying to dent Biden’s support among African Americans — though Harris and Booker, the only two Black Democrats in the Senate, have been unable to do that thus far.

Patrick has remained active in politics since his term as governor ended in 2015. During the 2018 midterm elections, he traveled across the country in support of Democratic candidates, raising his national profile. He also campaigned for Doug Jones during Alabama’s contentious 2017 special election for U.S. Senate.

Last year, some of Patrick’s supporters and close advisers launched the Reason to Believe political action committee, which held meet-ups across the country, including in early presidential primary states.

By December, however, Patrick cooled to the idea of a presidential bid.

“After a lot of conversation, reflection and prayer, I’ve decided that a 2020 campaign for president is not for me,” Patrick posted on his Facebook page at the time. Patrick said he and his wife worried that the “cruelty of our elections process would ultimately splash back on people whom Diane and I love, but who hadn’t signed up for the journey.”

After Trump’s election, Patrick’s initial criticism of the Republican president was somewhat less pointed than other Democrats offered. “We need our presidents to succeed,” he said, while still expressing concern about what he described as Trump’s belittling of those with opposing points of view.

Patrick also urged the party at the time to look in the mirror, saying that “the outcome of the 2016 election was less about Donald Trump winning than Democrats and our nominee letting him do so.”

READ MORE: Donald Trump Jr. calls Kanye’s ‘Jesus Is King’ the ‘epitome of fearless creativity’

Early in his career, Patrick served as assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and later worked as an executive at Texaco and Coca-Cola. Since leaving the governor’s office, Patrick has worked as a managing director for Bain Capital — a company co-founded by 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Patrick’s predecessor as governor.
Patrick’s Massachusetts record is mixed. His successes include helping oversee the 2006 health care law signed by Romney that would go on to serve as a blueprint for Obama’s 2010 health care law.

But Patrick was also forced to publicly apologize for a disastrous effort to transition to the federal health care law during which the state’s website performed so poorly it created a backlog of more than 50,000 paper applications.

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Barrow reported from Atlanta. Peoples reported from Concord, N.H.

The post He’s In! Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announces Democratic presidential bid appeared first on theGrio.

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Kerry Washington reveals sometimes people confuse her with Kanye West

Kerry Washington’s got a situation that needs to be handled.

READ MORE: Kerry Washington is bringing ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to ABC

The former Scandal actress admitted that she gets quite a few texts sent to her phone that are meant for another KW – Kanye West.

Appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, Washington said she’s figured out that she and Ye’s got quite a few friends in common, even though she doesn’t know him.

“We’re not friends but we have a lot of friends in common,” Washington explained.

Her name, she assumes, has been programmed as KW in several celebrity phones so she occasionally gets an accidental text meant for rapper.

“I think  a lot of people have us programmed in their phone as ‘KW,’ so I’ll get a text like once a year where I’m like ‘That’s not for me.’ … This year if it happens I’m sure it will be something very pious and Godly,” she said referencing West’s news Christian quest.

Washington who appeared on Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons, also learned from Kimmel that she’s got a true friend in Will Ferrell.  

Washington who played opposite Ferrell as Tom and Helen Willis from The Jeffersons was surprised when Kimmel told her that the actor advocated that she assume the role. That shocked her since she said she didn’t know him that well before.

“The only time I ever see him is in my pajamas at drop off,” at her kids school, Washington said in the clip. “But, I must’ve impressed him with my pajammies,” she said laughing.

Now the actress is joining the producing team to bring audiences a holiday episode of All in the Family and Good Times on December 18.

READ MORE: Kerry Washington and husband Nnamdi Asomugha show off their adorable kids in Nigerian magazine

“You know what’s amazing to me is just how relevant these shows still are,” Washington said. “Still so funny, still so meaningful.”

Washington has her slate full and has also signed on to produce a new legal drama Reasonable Doubt through her production company, Simpson Street Productions partnering with Larry Wilmore and his Wilmore Films imprint along with ABC Studios.

The post Kerry Washington reveals sometimes people confuse her with Kanye West appeared first on theGrio.

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Sierra Leone boss Sellas Tetteh responds to Kei Kamara comments

Sierra Leone coach Sellas Tetteh responds to comments about his coaching style by former striker Kei Kamara.

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Don’t Underestimate the Forces, Mandalorian

A physicist analyzes a fight scene in the new TV series and asks: Do the *shoes* make the Mandalorian?

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11 Early Black Friday Tech Deals for 2019 (Frequent Updates)

Get a head start on holiday shopping with these deals and discounts.

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Deval Patrick Declares Presidential Candidacy Seeking To Build “A More Inclusive American Dream”

With less than three months before the start of primary season, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has decided to put his hat in the ring for the 2020 presidential nomination.

In making his announcement, the 63-year-old two-term governor maintained that he was making his bid “with a determination to build a better, more sustainable, more inclusive American dream for the next generation” and told CBS News this morning that he was confident that he would be able to “break through” the pack.

Earlier this year, Patrick, who most recently operated an impact fund as a managing director at Boston-based Bain Capital, told a group of high-powered executives—among others—that he had no intentions of seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, maintaining a position that he has held since December 2018. He was reportedly encouraged to run by his inner circle of advisers and now joins an already crowded field of 17 other presidential contenders, which is also expected to soon include former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His inclusion comes at a time when a number of Democrats have raised concerns about the viability of the current crop of candidates, including front runners Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg, and whether they have the sharp message and political chops to defeat Donald Trump in next year’s election.

Patrick represents the fourth African American candidate to enter the contest in an election in which the black vote will prove to be critical in the upcoming primaries and general election next fall. So far the campaigns of Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have lost considerable momentum and failed to ignite enthusiasm among large numbers of African American supporters, while many Americans arent even aware of long-shot candidate Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Florida. Biden’s had a vice-like grip on black support—as much as 40% of that voting bloc in recent polls—largely due to his service as former President Barack Obama’s vice president.

A native of Southside Chicago and graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Patrick has made his own political history. The first black governor of Massachusetts, he also represents one of two African Americans ever elected to the statehouse. (The other was former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder). During his professional career, he has been an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, held senior executive positions at a couple of the nation’s largest corporations and served a stint as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Clinton Administration. During his term—from 2007-2015—Patrick, a close ally of Obama, implemented health care reform (which had been enacted by his predecessor Mitt Romney in 2006), raised the state’s minimum wage, and increased spending for education, among other achievements.

According to CNBC, Patrick is expected to be challenged by the most progressive Democratic contenders Warren and Sanders, who have focused on income inequality and boosting taxes for the wealthy, about his role with Bain Capital, one of the nation’s leading investment firms.

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Two Colorado cops vindicated after fatally shooting Black teen in the back

A grand jury in Colorado vindicated two cops charged in the fatal shooting of a Black teen in August.

READ MORE: Indiana police officer who fatally shot Black man steps down

Sgt. Alan Van’t Land and Officer Blake Evenson won’t be charged in the death of 19-year-old De’Von Bailey. According to Buzzfeed, Bailey was shot after he ran away from the cops who were investigating a robbery.

Bailey was shot four times by the officers on Aug 3, after being stopped with another young man, identified as Lawrence Stoker, also 19. The two were being questioned as potential suspects in an armed robbery.

Body cam footage was released, appeared to show the cops ordering to young men to put their hands up, which they do. But shortly after, Bailey makes a run for it, and is fatally shot in the back. Officers did later find a weapon on him, but there is no evidence in the video that he ever reached for it.

On Wednesday, the grand jury unanimously decided the officers use of deadly force was justified.

That verdict hit hard for Bailey’s mother Delisha Searcy.

“The officer that murdered my baby will not be held responsible!!! They say it was justified 😡😡😡 PLEASE pray for me!!! My heart is heavy, it’s just not right!!! I just don’t know what to do right now😞,” she said in a Facebook post.

Because I ask myself everyday……WHY?!?! I mean he was such a good kid and just wanted to be a great father to his…

Posted by Delisha Searcy on Friday, October 18, 2019

The family’s attorney, Darold Killmer told the outlet that the decision was based on a “tainted investigation.”

“The refusal to allow an independent investigation doomed the chances of a fair outcome from the outset,” Killmer said. “This is the result that the Colorado Springs DA’s Office and the police wanted, and it’s the decision they caused to happen.”

READ MORE: Ferguson: 5 years after Mike Brown police shooting, racial tension lingers nationally

Dan May, the District Attorney disagreed.

“Everyone in the public can see what happened in this case,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“Colorado law is very carefully crafted,” May said. “If the officer has a reasonable belief that the person has used a deadly weapon in a crime and is still armed, they can use deadly force to prevent that person from being a fleeing felon with that deadly weapon.”

 

The post Two Colorado cops vindicated after fatally shooting Black teen in the back appeared first on theGrio.

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Best Gift Ideas for Sony PlayStation Fans (2019)

From themed coasters to games like Spider-Man, these are 2019's best gift ideas for a PlayStation lover.

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The Future of Banking Is … You're Broke

Our present financial ruin is being turned into a business model.

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Audio Porn Platform Quinn Streams Erotica to Your Ears

The website, now relaunching, aims to become the internet’s top destination for sexy sound clips as the “Spotify for audio porn.”

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Troubled rapper Kodak Black gets sentenced to almost four years in jail

The troubled rapper known as Kodak Black was sentenced and racked up nearly four years for charges stemming from his May arrest in Miami.

READ MORE: 5 times Kodak Black forgot that shutting up is free

Black’s lawyer Mohammed Gangat, said he was facing up to 10 years in prison for lying to feds in government paperwork, but was handed down the lighter sentence of three years and 10 months behind bars after he struck a plea deal. Black, known for his singles “ZeZe” and “Roll in Peace,” has already been in the detention center since August.

In May, Black checked a “no” box on the ATF Form 4473, a firearms application, where it asked if he was under indictment for a felony, XXL mag reports. That was was a lie. He was in fact under indictment in South Carolina on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Prosecutors wanted Black, whose birth name is Bill Kapri, to do at least eight years, not only for that lie but for all kinds of bad behavior. Just recently, while incarcerated, the South Florida rapper was reportedly involved in a prison fight at Miami’s Federal Detention Center. Black was reportedly drunk and allegedly kicked a guard in his privates.

According to the Miami Herald‘s Jack Brook, Black grabbed his testicles so violently that the man was hospitalized and needed to have surgery.

Black was first arrested in May, within hours of a planned performance at a Rolling Loud concert in Miami Gardens. At the time of his arrest, he maintained his innocence, but changed his position and entered a guilty plea in August.

READ MORE: Kodak Black expected to plead guilty in federal weapons case

The judge took it easy on him. In addition to pleading guilty to falsifying information on federal documents that pertained to the purchase of three guns– it has been discovered that one of those guns was found at the scene of a shooting in Pompano Beach, Florida in March.

They can keep him in jail if they wanna.

The post Troubled rapper Kodak Black gets sentenced to almost four years in jail appeared first on theGrio.

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Didier Drogba gets backing for top Ivorian FA job

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba receives his first official backing in his bid to become president of the Ivory Coast Football Federation.

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The 6 Best TVs to Buy for Every Budget (2019)

The best, boldest, and most budget-friendly 4K and 8K TVs WIRED has seen, including LG, Samsung, Vizio, and TCL.

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*The Mandalorian* Is Set to Become 2019's Most Pirated Show

Disney\+ has only launched in a handful of territories so far—which means *Star Wars* fans around the world are left waiting. 

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Supreme Court Could Turn Clock Back on Civil Rights With Byron Allen-Comcast Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving Byron Allen’s $20 billion lawsuit against Comcast that has left the civil rights protections of millions hanging in the balance.

In response to yesterday’s proceedings, the NAACP hosted a special tele-town hall featuring presidential candidates Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, along with NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and General Counsel Bradford M. Berry. All stressed the importance of upholding Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which allows people of color the right to bring discrimination cases before a court of law. Moreover, they expressed deep concerns that the constitutionality of the statute is being weighed by a conservative-majority court.

During the call, Harris asserted: “This section of the code was designed to stop racial discrimination in business contracts, regardless of whether discrimination was the sole reason a business contract wasn’t signed. Essentially, it would be against the law if racial discrimination was just a part of the reason a contract was signed. If the Supreme Court narrows this law, it would give corporations cover to cover up racial discrimination and avoid accountability. A bad decision, in this case, could have an impact on everyday businesses of black people across our country.”

The NAACP released highlights of the tele-town hall to BLACK ENTERPRISE and other media.

Will The Supreme Court Turn the Clock Back On Civil Rights?

According to news reports, Allen, who owns Entertainment Studios and The Weather Channel, filed a lawsuit against Comcast—in addition to a $10 million suit against Charter Communications—claiming that the media conglomerate denied to include his array of cable TV channels on their systems due, in part, to racial bias in violation of Section 1981. Comcast argued that its rejection of the channels was a business decision. After the case had been dismissed three times in lower district courts, Allen appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled that plaintiffs had a viable claim under Section 1981 if they can demonstrate discriminatory intent was a factor in the refusal of a contract. Comcast petitioned the Supreme Court to review that decision. By gaining agreement from the high court, the cable carriage dispute turned into a constitutional case.

Following the hour of oral arguments, Johnson stressed on the call that the case is “one of monumental importance to the protection and continuation of black businesses and contractors. The attempt to turn back the clock on one of the most vital civil rights protections is a grave threat to the very fabric of the nation—we will continue to fight so that section 1981 is preserved for generations to come.”

Booker maintained that Comcast is representing itself in a manner that seeks to undermine a critical aspect of civil rights laws that will have “wide-sweeping consequences” on all African Americans. “I still find it just so egregious that this is equivalent to an attack on one of our most durable and oldest civil rights laws,” he said.

He further stated that a ruling, due by the end of June, to strike section 1981 of the Reconstruction-Era law would make it extremely difficult for those facing discrimination to get their cases on court dockets since “it would require plaintiffs to prove that the adverse outcome would not have occurred but for discrimination on the part of the defendant.”

Harris added: “Justice and equality are at stake in this Supreme Court case and I am very concerned about the lasting implications that a bad decision can have on key civil rights laws, and particularly a law that protects against race discrimination throughout our country.”

Bradford M. Berry, NAACP’s General Counsel, raised the issue of the Trump’s administration support of Comcast’s position: “Through the Solicitor General’s Office, the current administration is set on pushing an agenda that will roll back this protection and make it near-impossible to call out racism and discrimination.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Creating a network of drivers to lift a community

Finding success in a big, informal market of a developing country is a tall task for any new company — which makes Nigerian mobility startup Max NG’s success all the more distinctive. The company is currently disrupting not just one huge market of West Africa, but two.

In the four years since its founding, Max NG has created a network of motorcycle drivers — currently 1,500 and projected to double by year’s end — that perform both package deliveries and transportation services for residents in cities including Ibadan, the Nigerian metropolis with nearly three times as many people as New York City.

By the end of next year, Max NG’s founders hope to be operating in three or four countries, with about 20,000 drivers on their platform. To help realize its ambitious projections, the company has already secured partnerships with the likes of Yamaha, Mastercard, and the e-commerce giant Jumia.

“The mototaxi industry and the tuk tuk industry are extremely popular, but they’re informal in the West Africa region,” co-founder Adetayo Bamiduro MBA ’15 says, referring to the three-wheeled, hooded rickshaws known as tuk tuks that Max NG drivers have also begun using. “Across West Africa, there’s about 12 million to 15 million mototaxi drivers, so Max has a huge opportunity to formalize this industry.”

Max NG is also pushing the delivery and transportation industries forward as it seeks to stand out amid increasing competition. Bamiduro, who founded the company with Chinedu Azodoh Mfin ’15, says Max NG recently developed the first locally assembled electric motorcycle in West Africa and will be deploying 500 such vehicles, along with charging stations, next year.

The initiative to electrify comes on top of the founders’ core commitment to make the industries safer, part of a wider emphasis on looking beyond the business opportunity and focusing on the impact the company has on the tens of thousands of people who benefit from its services.

Bamiduro thinks a lot about the woman working late who is now able to use a vetted, trained driver with an extra helmet to get home. He also thinks a lot about Max NG’s drivers — the company refers to them as champions — who he says experience an improved standing in their communities to go along with a bigger paycheck.

“A huge chunk of the population relies on this industry to get by, so it’s really important just from the sense of jobs,” Bamiduro says. “But it’s also a dangerous industry because of the lack of structure. It’s a big economic opportunity, but also a big opportunity for impact.”

Reshaping transportation

The coastal city of Lagos, Nigeria, with its burgeoning skyline and rapidly growing economy, is home to more than 21 million people. The city is also one of the most congested in the world, with commuters spending an average of 30 hours per week stuck in traffic. Bamiduro says some people spend up to 70 percent of their work hours trapped in the city’s gridlocked, underdeveloped roadways.

In response to this problem, people rely on informal mototaxis that come with their own problems. The vast majority of these informal drivers — Bamiduro says 98 percent — don’t wear helmets or provide them to passengers. Someone getting onto the back of a bike can’t tell if a driver is well-trained or if they will even obey traffic rules. Riders also risk being kidnapped or becoming the victim of some other crime in the city, a large chunk of which is perpetuated by people on motorcycles.

Max NG provides its drivers with a pair of high-quality helmets, distinctive yellow jackets, and new bikes, which it can loan drivers who enter one-year repayment plans. Each driver goes through extensive training on basic traffic rules, strategies for driving in inclement weather, and defensive driving tactics. They also must pass a background check, and every bike is tracked to deter crime and poor driving.

To order a ride, users can go through Max NG’s app, call the company’s service center, or simply flag down a free driver on the street. Cash and credit cards are accepted so people without smartphones or bank accounts can also benefit from the service.

“Max makes it super easy to dash across town very quickly in a safe, affordable, and efficient way,” Bamiduro says.

Finding a business model

Bamiduro and Azodoh, who are both from Nigeria, entered MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 2013 and 2014, respectively. They started Max NG as a motorcycle delivery company in the beginning of 2015, participating in MIT’s IDEAS Global Challenge, the MIT $100K pitch competition, and the Venture Mentoring Service. Bamiduro was also a fellow at the Legatum Center at MIT.

“We took full advantage of the MIT entrepreneurship ecosystem and resources that were available while we were there,” Bamiduro recalls.

While still pursuing their degrees, they developed a mobile software tool that let people enter their pickup and drop off points and connect with drivers. Before launching, the founders were able to get three e-commerce companies, including Jumia, which went public on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year, to commit to using their service.

By the summer of 2017, the company was helping a network of motorcycle drivers complete 500 deliveries per day throughout Lagos, enabling customers to receive same-day delivery. That’s when the company began piloting its transportation solution.

Today, Max NG’s employees are benefiting from the company’s success as much as its customers. Bamiduro says drivers make three times more money driving for Max NG compared to working as independent drivers. They also get access to high quality equipment, accident insurance, and the backing of an organized community.

“In a market like Nigeria, where there are not a lot of protection systems built for the lower class, driving for Max is their ticket out of the wild wild west, where no one is looking out for you and you don’t belong to any organized system,” Bamiduro says. “You also ride a plaid motorcycle and you wear a plaid jacket, and that improves the level of dignity you enjoy out there, because then people know you are part of a formal organization committed to quality. One of the things drivers tell us they like most often is the dignity of the work.”

Earlier this year, Max NG made a splash when it raised $7 million in a funding round that included motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha. But Bamiduro says the company is already in talks to raise another funding round of around $100 million by the middle of next year.

The money will help the company build out charging infrastructure for its new electric fleet and help finance motorcycle purchasing agreements for a growing pool of drivers. The plan is to not only lift up the company, but also to improve West Africa’s infrastructure in the process.

“We’re building infrastructure to provide energy and mobility in West African cities, and we’re also partnering with established players like local banks and Mastercard to build more robust payment infrastructure for that mobility,” Bamiduro says. “We and other startups are at the forefront of building basic infrastructure that’s required to deliver critical services in mobility, financial services, energy, agriculture, health care in the region today.”

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Live Updates: Byron Allen’s Supreme Court case

Today, the Supreme Court begins hearing the civil rights case involving Entertainment Studios CEO and founder Byron Allen‘s attempt to protect the Civil Rights Act of 1866 from cable giant Comcast.

If the Court’s rules in Comcast’s favor, it could erase equal opportunity protections afforded under the Act and have lasting implications for any Black entrepreneurs (or any entrepreneurs of color) who feel like they are victims of racial bias in business practices.

TheGrio’s Deputy Editor, Natasha Alford, is on the ground in Washington D.C. reporting on the action as it happens.

Check back here through out the day for updates, photos, and video.

The post Live Updates: Byron Allen’s Supreme Court case appeared first on theGrio.

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