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Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Richelieu Dennis steps down as CEO of Essence Communications

A blog post titled, The Truth About Essence, went viral over the weekend as the anonymous women writers blogged about their painful experiences working at the magazine. In it, they requested the resignation of several key senior managers.

Today, one of those requests was honored. Richelieu Dennis has stepped down as CEO of Essence Magazine.

READ MORE: Essence Magazine’s staffers anonymously call out toxic workplace culture

Dennis, the founder of Shea Moisture and Sundial Brands, bought the iconic magazine and brand from TIME in 2018. The acquisition made Essence Communications 100% Black-owned again. However, according to the blog post, that did not stop a pervasive culture of toxicity and harassment.

The Truth About Essence was written by a group of anonymous women who state that they are either current or past employees of the magazine. They wrote the post out of frustration, and as a demand for change. The scathing allegations reverberated throughout the Black media world, and Essence Communications quickly released a statement.

Richelieu Dennis theGrio.com
(L-R) Essence CEO Michelle Ebanks, Essence Ventures Founder & Chairman Richelieu Dennis, and Essence Chief Content & Creative Officer Moana Luu at the 2020 13th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

Essence Communications released a statement on Monday denouncing the allegations as baseless. However, on Tuesday, they released another statement that Dennis will be stepping down as CEO, and that they have committed to an independent review of their business practices.

“Out of an abundance of caution and an unwavering commitment to transparency, ESSENCE is in the process of hiring law firms and other independent external experts to assess and review the company’s policies and practices and conduct comprehensive employee interviews.” The statement reads.

 “It is of critical importance to us that there is no doubt or question about who we are, what we represent, and what we believe in.”

READ MORE: ESSENCE CEO Michelle Ebanks unexpectedly steps down

Caroline Wanga will be stepping in as interim CEO. Wanga was hired by Essence on June 2 to be the company’s Chief Growth Officer. She was previously the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Vice President of Human Resources at the Target Corporation.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Richelieu Dennis steps down as CEO of Essence Communications appeared first on TheGrio.



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What the Data Really Says About Women Leaders and the Pandemic

Two new research papers try to shed some light on a popular theory, but the evidence is still very weak—and could point to confirmation bias.

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Pivo Pod Review: A Camera Assistant for Aspiring Social Media Stars

Bored in the house and you're in the house bored? This rotating gadget takes the effort out of capturing fun, quirky videos.

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Coronavirus: Uganda opens border for DR Congo refugees

Some 3,000 people were stuck in no-man's land for more than a month after fleeing violence in DR Congo.

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In These Factories, Inspector Robot Will Check Your Work

Artificially intelligent camera systems look for defects and misplaced parts in many industries. The coronavirus pandemic makes them extra useful.

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Leigh Stein's 'Self Care' and the Death of the Girlboss

The author's new novel is wildly prescient when it comes to the fortunes of female founders.

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You Purged Racists From Your Website? Great, Now Get to Work

The Covid-19 infodemic taught social media giants like YouTube and Reddit an important lesson: They can—and must—take action to control the content on their sites.

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Schools Already Struggled With Cybersecurity. Then Came Covid-19

A lack of dedicated funding and resources made it hard to keep data secure—and that was before classes moved almost entirely online.

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Where Should Covid-19 Vaccines Be Tested? It's a Moving Target

Developers need to test in hotspots, but those keep changing. And they must avoid ethical problems, like testing in low-income areas but only selling in rich ones.

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Jawar Mohammed: Ethiopian politician arrested over Hachalu Hundessa protests

The opposition figure was reportedly taking part in demonstrations after a popular singer was killed.

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Adebayor leaves Olimpia over corona fears

Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor ends his time at Paraguayan side Olimpia over safety fears and costs related to coronavirus.

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Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Africa Cup of Nations: Men's competition moved to 2022, women's tournament cancelled

The next men's Africa Cup of Nations Cup is put back a year to 2022, while the women's tournament is cancelled.

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Convicted Kenyan rugby players to be retried

A judge orders a retrial in the case of two Kenya Rugby Sevens players convicted of rape.

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The Cameroonian who decapitates French colonial statues

Essama Andre has repeatedly attacked the statue of French war hero Gen Philippe Leclerc in Doula.

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Exploring interactions of light and matter

Growing up in a small town in Fujian province in southern China, Juejun Hu was exposed to engineering from an early age. His father, trained as a mechanical engineer, spent his career working first in that field, then in electrical engineering, and then civil engineering.

“He gave me early exposure to the field. He brought me books and told me stories of interesting scientists and scientific activities,” Hu recalls. So when it came time to go to college — in China students have to choose their major before enrolling — he picked materials science, figuring that field straddled his interests in science and engineering. He pursued that major at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He never regretted that decision. “Indeed, it’s the way to go,” he says. “It was a serendipitous choice.” He continued on to a doctorate in materials science at MIT, and then spent four and a half years as an assistant professor at the University of Delaware before joining the MIT faculty. Last year, Hu earned tenure as an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

In his work at the Institute, he has focused on optical and photonic devices, whose applications include improving high-speed communications, observing the behavior of molecules, designing better medical imaging systems, and developing innovations in consumer electronics such as display screens and sensors.

“I got fascinated with light,” he says, recalling how he began working in this field. “It has such a direct impact on our lives.”

Hu is now developing devices to transmit information at very high rates, for data centers or high-performance computers. This includes work on devices called optical diodes or optical isolators, which allow light to pass through only in one direction, and systems for coupling light signals into and out of photonic chips.

Lately, Hu has been focusing on applying machine-learning methods to improve the performance of optical systems. For example, he has developed an algorithm that improves the sensitivity of a spectrometer, a device for analyzing the chemical composition of materials based on how they emit or absorb different frequencies of light. The new approach made it possible to shrink a device that ordinarily requires bulky and expensive equipment down to the scale of a computer chip, by improving its ability to overcome random noise and provide a clean signal.

The miniaturized spectrometer makes it possible to analyze the chemical composition of individual molecules with something “small and rugged, to replace devices that are large, delicate, and expensive,” he says.

Much of his work currently involves the use of metamaterials, which don’t occur in nature and are synthesized usually as a series of ultrathin layers, so thin that they interact with wavelengths of light in novel ways. These could lead to components for biomedical imaging, security surveillance, and sensors on consumer electronics, Hu says. Another project he’s been working on involved developing a kind of optical zoom lens based on metamaterials, which uses no moving parts.

Hu is also pursuing ways to make photonic and photovoltaic systems that are flexible and stretchable rather than rigid, and to make them lighter and more compact. This could  allow for installations in places that would otherwise not be practical. “I’m always looking for new designs to start a new paradigm in optics, [to produce] something that’s smaller, faster, better, and lower cost,” he says.

Hu says the focus of his research these days is mostly on amorphous materials — whose atoms are randomly arranged as opposed to the orderly lattices of crystal structures — because crystalline materials have been so well-studied and understood. When it comes to amorphous materials, though, “our knowledge is amorphous,” he says. “There are lots of new discoveries in the field.”

Hu’s wife, Di Chen, whom he met when they were both in China, works in the financial industry. They have twin daughters, Selena and Eos, who are 1 year old, and a son Helius, age 3. Whatever free time he has, Hu says, he likes to spend doing things with his kids.

Recalling why he was drawn to MIT, he says, “I like this very strong engineering culture.” He especially likes MIT’s strong system of support for bringing new advances out of the lab and into real-world application. “This is what I find really useful.” When new ideas come out of the lab, “I like to see them find real utility,” he adds.



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Bozoma Saint John named as Netflix’s new chief marketing officer

Netflix has tapped former Endeavor powerhouse Bozoma Saint John to serve as its new Chief Marketing Officer. 

Saint John, who worked as CMO at Endeavor since 2018, is replacing Jackie Lee-Joe, after she departed the streaming giant due to personal reasons, Deadline reports.

Throughout her 20-year career, Saint John has sprinkled her Black Girl Magic across  multiple global brands and industries including music, fashion and entertainment to sports, automotive and consumer goods. 

READ MORE: Netflix to spend $100M to help Black business

“Bozoma Saint John is an exceptional marketer who understands how to drive conversations around popular culture better than almost anyone,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “As we bring more great stories to our members around the world, she’ll define and lead our next exciting phase of creativity and connection with consumers.”

Said Saint John: “I’m thrilled to join Netflix, especially at a time when storytelling is critical to our global, societal well-being. I feel honored to contribute my experience to an already dynamic legacy, and to continue driving engagement in the future.”

Prior to joining Endeavor, she was the top branding executive at Uber after working at Pepsi-Cola North America, Beats Music and Apple.

Saint John is reportedly Netflix’s third CMO in less than a year. Lee-Joe had only been at the company for 10 months. Her exit is said to be amicable. 

“I’m so proud to have led this team and all that we have achieved together during such an extraordinary time, fostering conversations about our films and shows that brought people together all around the world,” said Lee-Joe. “I wish everyone at Netflix all the very best.”

In related news, Netflix, which has $5B in its cash reserves, will place 2 percent of its holdings with financial institutions that loan to Black businesses, theGrio previously reported.

They will begin with splitting $35M among two organizations – the newly founded Black Economic Development Initiative that will provide funding to Black banking institutions and Hope credit union, a federal credit union in the South that helps unbanked families and those who have been underserved by traditional banking institutions.

The idea came from a call to improve diversity at Netflix, which has partnered with several Black creators including the Obamas, Kenya Barris, and Shonda Rhimes who signed big contracts with the streamer. The 2019 documentary American Factory out of the Obamas production company won a Best Documentary Oscar in 2020.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

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August Alsina says Will Smith ‘gave his blessing’ with Jada Pinkett Smith

August Alsina nearly broke the Internet on Tuesday after an interview dropped of him confessing to having romantic relations with Jada Pinkett Smith. 

During a recent sit-down with Angela Yee, the R&B singer served up a bombshell when he confirmed his past love affair with the actress, thejasminebrand.com reports. Their relationship even had the blessing of her superstar husband Will Smith.

Relationship rumors have long shrouded Alsina and the Red Table Talk host. His 2019 track “Nunya” fueled the speculation, as the lyrics go: “You got me feeling like it was an act, you’re just an actress/Putting on a show ’cause you don’t want the world to know.” 

Fans decided that in the song, he’s implying that he had an affair with the mother of two. Additionally, the woman he’s texting in the music video is named Koren, which is Pinkett Smith’s middle name, theGRIO previously reported. 

READ MORE: August Alsina’s new song fuels rumors about affair with Jada Pinkett Smith

The track refueled the 2018 rumor that the two were in a secret relationship, but the pair have always remained mum about it. Now it seems Alsina has had a change of heart.

When Yee asked him about his love life and to set the record straight about “Nunya,” the R&B crooner didn’t hold back in spilling the tea. 

“People can have whatever ideas that they like. But what I’m not OK with is my character being in question …” he said around the 16:30 mark of the YouTube clip above. “I also don’t think that it’s ever important for people to know what I do, who I sleep with, who I date, right? But in this instance, there are so many people who are side-eyeing me,” Alsina explained. 

Adding, “I’ve lost money, friendships, relationships behind it. And I think it’s because people don’t necessarily know the truth. But I’ve never done anything wrong. I love those people (the Smiths) … They are beautiful people.”

Alsina went on to recall his discussion with Will Smith about the situation with his wife. 

“I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation … He gave me his blessing,” he said. “And I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really, deeply loved and have a ton of love for her,” Alsina confessed. 

“I devoted myself to it. I gave my full self to it. So much so that I can die right now, and be OK knowing that I fully gave myself to somebody … Some people never get that in this lifetime.”

During his conversation with Yee, Alsina said speaking his truth was “difficult” because it’s “hard for people to understand” polyamory and consensual nonmonogamy. 

“I have to speak up about my truth, he said. “Walking away from it butchered me. It almost killed me. Not almost. It did—it pushed me into being another person. It broke me down. It probably will be the hardest thing I ever had to experience in this lifetime, Alsina admitted.

“It’s difficult because I never want to be the person to cause confusion or step on toes, but I want to honor myself and I want to honor my authenticity,” he added. “And if honoring my authenticity means you hate me, stone me, shoot me, crucify me, whatever, bury me an honest man.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

 

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Dr. Fauci says US coronavirus cases to reach ‘disturbing’ 100,000 per day

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the United States is “not in total control” of the coronavirus pandemic and predicts the nation could eventually see 100,000 new COVID-19 cases a day.

As of Monday, the U.S. averaged nearly 40,000 new cases daily over the past week, a 40% increase compared to data — compiled by Johns Hopkins University — from a week ago, CNBC reports.

Speaking at the U.S. Senate Committee hearing on Tuesday, the White House health advisor warned that daily cases could more than double if the outbreak continues at its current pace. 

“I can’t make an accurate prediction, but it’s going to be very disturbing,” he said in a response to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass). “I will guarantee you that, because when you have an outbreak in one part of the country, even though in other parts of the country they’re doing well, they are vulnerable,” Fauci explained. 

READ MORE: Trump and Fauci spar over NFL return as more athletes test positive for COVID-19

“We are now having 40,000-plus new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around, and so I am very concerned,” he said.

According to Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 50% of all new COVID-19 cases are coming from Florida, California, Texas and Arizona.

During the hearing on Tuesday, he urged Americans to stop going to bars, which are hotbeds for the deadly contagion.

“Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news,” Fauci said, citing the surge in COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

“I think we need to emphasize the responsibility that we have both as individuals and as part of a societal effort to end the epidemic that we all have to play a part in that,” Fauci added.

“Because if a person gets infected, they may not be symptomatic, but they could pass it to someone else, who passes it to someone else, who then makes someone’s grandmother or grandfather, sick uncle, or leukemic child on chemotherapy get sick and die,” he continued. 

“We’ve got to get that message out: that we are all in this together. And if we are going to contain this, we have got to contain it together.”

COVID-19 has reportedly claimed the lives of 126,000 Americans.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

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Netflix to spend $100M to help Black business

Netflix is not just virtue signaling its support of the Black community. It’s actually putting some big dollars in play to make it happen.

The New York Times reported today that Netflix, which has $5B in its cash reserves will place 2 percent of its holdings with financial institutions that loan to Black businesses. They will begin with splitting $35M among two organizations – the newly founded Black Economic Development Initiative that will provide funding to Black banking institutions and Hope credit union, a federal credit union in the South that helps unbanked families and those who have been underserved by traditional banking institutions.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings delivers a keynote address at CES 2016 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 6, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The idea came from a call to improve diversity at Netflix, which has partnered with several Black creators including the Obamas, Kenya Barris, and Shonda Rhimes who signed big contracts with the streamer. The 2019 documentary American Factory out of the Obamas production company won a Best Documentary Oscar in 2020.

Yet their executive ranks are devoid of color, as the Netflix’s top 8 execs are white. That was the impetus for company dinners with members of underrepresented communities beginning in October of last year, to figure out ways to improve. The idea to invest in Black financial institutions stemmed from those dinners, according to Bloomberg.

READ MORE: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donates over $100M to HBCUs, talks importance of supporting Black colleges

Netflix executive Aaron Mitchell suggested the idea of the CFO Spencer Neumann, referencing the book “The Color of Money,” by Mehrsa Baradaran as a guide to the challenges faced by Black financial institutions. Baradaran says in the book that systemic racism has ensured Black banks remain undercapitalized which undercuts their ability to grow.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife recently gifted $120M of their own money to split between Morehouse, Spelman, and the United Negro College Fund.

Hope credit union is appreciative of the effort.

READ MORE: 5 Savvy money moves to make when cash is flowing

“We are capital-starved, just like the people in the communities we serve,” their CEO, Bill Bynum told Bloomberg.

“Having a global voice like Netflix say it’s important to invest in financial institutions like Hope is tremendously important, not just for the capital we will use to make mortgage loans and small business loans, but for what it says.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

 

 

 

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Jemele Hill apologizes after backlash over transphobic tweet

Jemele Hill apologized on Monday after a critic discovered a transphobic tweet that was a decade old and others attempted to “cancel” the outspoken journalist.

The controversy began on Sunday when Hill took exception to 2006 clip by Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy. He compared the former 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick to an “ISIS guy” and likened him to a terrorist.

READ MORE: NBA star Ja Morant apologizes for anti-police tweet

Jemele Hill SportsCenter thegrio.com
Jemele Hill (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAACP )

“So I’m going to say something that’s racist,” Portnoy explained, and claimed he thought Kaepernick was “an ISIS guy… Throw a head wrap on this guy, he’s a terrorist.”

“He looks like a Bin Laden. That’s not racist.”

It caught Hill’s attention who hosts a podcast for The Ringer and is a writer for The Atlantic.

“This is terrible, but then again, consider the source,” Hill declared, amplifying the video to her followers.

In response, Portnoy began to share tweets of where he has defended Kaepernick over the years as over his subsequent blackballing by the NFL. He found a tweet from 2009 which Hill referenced MLB player Manny Ramirez‘s doping scandal and how he used a fertility drug.

“My fb friends are calling him ‘Manny the Tranny’… so inappropriate and hilarious,” Hill wrote in 2009.

Portnoy did not call on Hill to be canceled but stated he would not “bend the knee” and apologize for his own remarks in a video.

“I’ve been doing this for two decades. I’ve made fun of every group of people, every race, every creed, every culture — you name it, we’ve made jokes about it,” Portnoy said.

Hill has since deleted the tweet but stated in a series of tweets that she wanted to be held accountable and has grown as a person in the past decade. She made no excuses and tweeted her focus was on proving she was an ally to the LGBTQ community.

“For context, the tweet was in reference to Manny Ramirez testing positive for the woman’s fertility drug, gonadotropin. It was wholly ignorant, dumb, and offensive. I am ashamed that I was so uneducated about trans issues at the time. I stand with this community firmly today,” she began her twitter thread.

“I kept the tweet up because I welcomed the opportunity to apologize and to show growth. See, unlike some people, I’m not defensive about my moments of failure. I learn from them and own it.”

The former ESPN writer did not concern herself with those attempting to “cancel” her.

“I don’t care about Dave Portnoy or any of the other Barstool sycophants RT’ing this into my TL, like it’s some gotcha moment. I care about the trans community I belittled and offended. If they don’t see me as an ally because of this, it’s my job to show them that I am,” she wrote.

Hill has received support from those in the LGBTQ community who accused her critics of attacking in bad faith. She spoke with Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of OUT magazine about her 2009 tweet and the growth she’s experienced as a person.

“It wasn’t until I was older, and frankly had more personal experiences with people from the LGBTQ community, that I began to see the similarities between our two struggles and the fight for visibility and the fight for equality,” Hill said.

“It was understanding that if they come for the rights of Black and Brown people within that, they are coming for the rights of LGBTQ people. We can’t really separate our struggles. They may be intrinsically different, but we can’t separate them because all of our civil rights are at risk.”

Hill explained she was more than ready to continue doing her part

READ MORE: Jemele Hill calls out Kraft’s support of Trump amid masks donation

“As Black and Brown people, and as Black and Brown trans people and LGBTQ people, we are always stronger together. That’s why I feel it’s our duty to fight for this community because we have brothers and sisters in that community.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

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