Rihanna bruised, ‘healing quickly’ after scooter accident: report

An observant photograph snapped a photo of Rihanna leaving a Los Angeles restaurant, posted to TMZ Saturday

Rihanna is said to be recovering from a mobile accident after she was captured leaving a Los Angeles restaurant with bruises on her face.

People Magazine reports that the Grammy Award-winning artist was injured in a scooter crash, as told by a representative for the singer.

“Rihanna is completely fine now, but flipped over on an electric scooter last week and bruised her forehead and face,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “Luckily, there were no major injuries and she is healing quickly.”

Photos of Rihanna’s bruised face and black eye had first surfaced on TMZ early Saturday morning.

Rihanna's Bruised Face Caused By Nasty e-Scooter Accident https://t.co/G0oQ0OPRhJ

— TMZ (@TMZ) September 6, 2020

READ MORE: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reveal skincare secrets, talk representation in new video

While fans have been salivating for a new album, Rihanna, 32, has been less focused on music and more focused on social issues and her beauty and fashion empire.

She even went as far as to send a video message to fans that she had more important matters than new music to tend to, as previously reported by theGrio.

Rihanna (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

“If one of y’all motherf—–s ask me about the album one more time when I’m trying to save the world, unlike y’all President… [chuckles] on sight!” she said with tongue in cheek.

Rihanna’s world-saving efforts include her $4.2 million donation with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles for domestic abuse victims during COVID-19 and an undisclosed donation of PPE to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The superstar has also built an inclusive conglomerate with her Fenty Beauty cosmetics products and her Savage X Fenty lingerie company. She regularly uses women of all colors, complexions and body types to showcase her fashion line and make-up products.

She recently spoke with rapper A$AP Rocky in a video for GQ about the importance of representation.

“I wish the leaders of the beauty industry were a more diverse set of pioneers who have not just experienced the culture but have experienced a negligence in the industry whether it comes to their skin tone or skin type,” Rihanna said. “I feel like there’s so many voids to be filled and we will only know that by the pioneers that have experienced those voids, and the lack of their representation in the industry.”

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Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen says Trump hired a ‘Faux-Bama’ in new tell-all book, and video surfaces

Donald Trumps former ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen is set to release a tell-all book about his experiences working with the businessman-turned-president

President Donald Trump‘s disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen is the latest Trump ex-insider to craft a book detailing their experiences in the Trump orbit, and the forthcoming tell-all goes into detail about Trump’s hatred for his predecessor, according to CNN.

In the book, which CNN says it obtained a copy prior to its Tuesday release, Cohen wrote that Trump, years before he jumped onto the campaign trail, went so far as to hire a lookalike of then-President Barack Obama to ridicule and fire what he called a “Faux-Bama.”

Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer, writes in his book “Disloyal: A Memoir” that Trump was enamored with contempt for Obama, something that Trump has put on display as a notorious sounding board of the “birther” movement that questioned if Obama was born in America.

In the book, Cohen, a self-described “fixer,” writes that Trump felt Obama only received his education at Columbia University and Harvard Law School due to “f—ing affirmative action,” as stated by Business Insider. He even called Obama a “Manchurian candidate,” meaning that he was a puppet to enemy powers.

READ MORE: Trump tweets false accusations in angry response to Obama, Harris DNC speeches

Cohen, who was convicted of campaign finance violations and tax fraud in 2018 for his part in Trump’s 2016 campaign, said that he once hired, what he called, a “Faux-Bama,” to come to his office so he could ridicule him.

Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The book states that Trump intended to use the actor in a video in which he “ritualistically belittled the first black president and then fired him,” according to the CNN report.

According to Deadline, the video was intended to play at the 2012 Republican National Convention, when Mitt Romney was running against Obama for his second term. The video didn’t air due to the RNC being canceled for a day due to Hurricane Isaac.

The video has since resurfaced on the internet. Trump is seen interrogating the “Faux-Obama” in a performance review-style set-up of his first term, holding an Obama resume, grilling him about how “the private sector is dying,” and how to improve his golf swing.

In the end, Trump tells the lookalike “You’re fired,” mimicking his catchphrase from his popular ABC reality show, “The Apprentice.“

Trump has worn his contempt for former Obama on his sleeve ever since he took office in 2009.

Aside from the birther movement and attempting to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, Trump constantly tweeted disparaging critiques about Obama during his two terms in the White House and continues to this day.

READ MORE: Trump seeks to cut funding for racial sensitivity training in federal agencies

One of those tweets, “President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States,” was humorously read by Obama on NBC‘s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” weeks before the election in 2016.

“Well, @realdonaldtrump, At least I will go down as a president,” Obama quipped in reaction, simultaneously dropping the phone like dropping the mic.

We all know how that turned out.

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Insider Q&A: City First CEO on why Black-led banks matter

Brian Argrett, chief executive of City First Bank, talks merging with Broadway Financial and the importance of minority-led banks

NEW YORK (AP) — Last month majority Black-owned banks City First Bank of Washington DC and Broadway Financial of Los Angeles said they would merge to create the U.S.’s largest minority deposit institution, or MDI.

MDIs are banks and financial service companies majority owned by racial and ethnic minorities. They often function as conduits to poverty-stricken neighborhoods, providing low cost loans and access to capital that wouldn’t typically be available.

City First CEO Brian Argrett will be CEO of the new bank once the merger is completed in early 2021. The combined bank will have roughly $850 million in deposits and $1 billion in assets. He spoke to The Associated Press about the merger and why minority-led institutions are important for racial and ethnic minorities to get a leg up.

Q: How did you start working at City First?

A: I like to call myself an accidental banker. I ran a small business investment company for many years. We were focused on providing financing to women and minority entrepreneurs. I joined City in 2011, after the financial crisis. City First was a lot smaller when I joined, so we worked to grow on that foundation.

READ MORE: Serena Williams on money management: ‘When you work hard, you reap the benefits’

Q: How did COVID impact your business?

A: Minority communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. More deaths. More wealth destruction. We saw this as an opportunity to help our communities even more. We did $30 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, most of that going to minority-led businesses, non-profits and advocacy groups. We also did 1,300 loans through a program started by the Washington, D.C. mayor’s office.

CFBanc CEO Brian Argrett (CFBanc Corporation via AP)

Q: Why does the country need minority deposit institutions?

A: We have all seen the compounding impacts from centuries of racial inequities in this country – social unrest, higher unemployment, poverty. Economic injustice is at the root of racial injustice. That’s why the work of MDIs and community deposit financial institutions are more important than ever – they are squarely focused on these inequities like getting capital to those who truly need it.

READ MORE: Black homeowners routinely discriminated against by appraisers

Q: Why did City First and Broadway pursue this merger?

A: This merger was in discussion for over a year, well before COVID. We focus on housing, non-profit finance and small business financing. Broadway also focuses on commercial lending and has a very strong affordable housing practice in Southern California. We’ll be able to increase the amounts of capital we can offer and offer more systemic solutions for the issues we talked about earlier. This is about creating a national platform where we can scale our solutions to help with these problems impacting these communities.

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5 things to expect from ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ premiere

Fans of the ‘Power’ series can expect the latest installment to pick up from where things left off.

It’s finally time for STARZ to premiere the long-awaited Power spinoff Power Book II: Ghost and we can’t wait.

Here’s what fans can expect to see:

(Photo Starz)

Read More: Mary J. Blige will star in ‘Power’ spinoff ‘Power Book II: Ghost’

It’s not over. Power Book II: Ghost picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of the original series’ finale as Tariq St. Patrick grapples with a new world order: his father dead and his mother, Tasha, facing charges for the murder her son committed.

Tariq is front and center. We may be tired of Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and his antics but he’s leading the charge this time around. He’ll be struggling to do what he needs to do to get his inheritance at the Ivy League university he’s attending while he works to get his mom out of jail.

Famous faces. Truly on his own for the first time in his life, Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to pay for Davis MacLean (Method Man), the fame-hungry defense lawyer who is Tasha’s only hope of getting out of jail and escaping prosecution by newly minted U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe.

Method Man stars as defense attorney Davis Maclean in Power Book II: Ghost. (Photo: Starz)

Read More: Tommy-focused ‘Power’ spinoff announced: Starz

With no better options, Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself with a cutthroat family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada (Mary J. Blige), that’s been at it for far longer than him. As Tariq tries to balance his drug operation with his grades, love life, and family, he figures out that the only way to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only better.

New faces. The Tejada family is bringing brand new drama and several new faces to the franchise. Expect new characters Lauren Baldwin (Paige Hurd), Dru Tejada (Lovell Adams-Gray), and Diana Tejada (LaToya Tonodeo), and Cane Tejada (Woody McClain) to breathe new life into the series.

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Meet the 4 Black Women CEOs Teaching How to Invest in Real Estate, Stocks, and More

Meet the four Black women entrepreneurs who have launched a much-needed masterclass called The Collective Movement, a platform that educates others about investing in real estate & stocks, structuring a business, branding, and digital product creation.

They are Sierra Nicole, founder of Financially Lit in Dallas, TX; Neko Cheri, founder of Excell University in Atlanta, GA; Derricka Harwell, founder of BeautifyCredit in Southhaven, MS; and Natalie Birdsong, founder of Hair By Natalie B. in Chicago, IL.

Starting out as four complete strangers who met online and came together in the middle of a pandemic, they have since created a multi-million dollar business network that addresses the nationwide economic disparity.

In fact, in just over a month, The Collective Movement has earned well over six-figures and has created income-earning opportunities for many others within their “Inner Circle”. They have changed many lives by helping to improve financial literacy through business education and collaboration in a way that creates a lasting impact. They stand on the principles of economic growth, financial independence, entrepreneurship, and community.

Through the ashes of a country that is burning, they have been a beacon of hope for change. Right now, the world needs leaders and these ladies have risen to the occasion. Their philanthropic efforts include donations to needy families during COVID-19 and for the untimely death of Ahmaud Arbery.

Neko comments, “The only way to change the narrative is to change the narrator.”

To learn more, visit TheCollective-Movement.com or follow them on Facebook

This article was originally written by BlackBusiness.com.

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Meet The Black Women Marketers Making It Happen As Founders of The Sax Agency

Owners Kara Sax and Tamara Keller of The Sax Agency have been making major noise in the areas of branding, collaborative marketing, project management, advertising, and media as a whole. As a certified Black, woman-owned marketing and consulting agency, their portfolio spans a large and diverse client base. From dealing with Fortune 100 companies, athletes and entertainers, to startup brands and nonprofit organizations, these women make things happen for their clients.

Tell us how your partnership came about.

About 12 or 13 years ago we were introduced by mutual friends. As women we tend to have that instinct when we meet people, whether or not they will be for a moment or for life. We both knew we were “lifers” from the moment we met.

What made you start The Sax Agency?

We moved to Los Angeles around the same time both dealing with significant shifts in our personal lives, which led to us both leaving our corporate jobs and stepping out on faith to tap into our creative sides.

When we decided to move to L.A., Kara was speaking with a friend who happened to work in VH1’s unscripted division about a show concept we had and they got us an opening to come in and pitch the show! It was a whirlwind experience, as we ended up pitching our show to many major networks—BET, WeTV, etc. In the process, we researched and hired who was supposed to be “the best” marketing firm. We were sorely disappointed in their marketing presentation, work, strategy, and just overall execution. We immediately thought since we saw all these glitches in the matrix, and all of those skills came naturally to us, that this might be our calling … and here we are nine years later.

How does The Sax Agency plan on finishing the year strong in the midst of a pandemic?

Doubling down on investing in ourselves, continuing to be students of our craft, and plain old hard work.  When the pandemic happened, we recognized this moment in time as the “Great Equalizer” and in many ways, businesses across the globe were starting over. We confidently took our position and took off. Our ability to be proactive and focused on moving forward was critical. We are now walking in our season of abundance and chance-taking and have refused to look back. We have kicked the roof off the self-imposed glass ceiling over our heads and realized that we in fact can go confidently toe-to-toe with the best firms in the industry. We are prouder than ever to not only lead with our talents, but also with the fact that we are a proud, strong, Black women-led agency. Our clients continue to “word of mouth” us to new heights.

What advice would you give to the aspiring female entrepreneur who is feeling discouraged in the environment that the world is in today?

Both of us are very spiritual people, prayer is how we start, get through, and end our day. Our advice is to focus on aligning your goals and objectives and making sure that your work ethic matches. Prioritize personal development work daily, show yourself compassion, and embrace a growth mindset. Be ready to take a risk, stay agile and connected with what feels right in your soul. We also have tried to practice more of a work/life balance than we had pre-pandemic—meaning we make sure we set aside time for family, working out, and reading. Making time to clear your mind is as important as any other appointment we fill our calendars with, especially in times like these.

From a monetary perspective, one of the keys to our success has always been “never be afraid to pivot.” We started out as production firm and are now a marketing agency for some of the most well-known brands in the country. In the process, we’ve also invested in restaurants, subscription boxes, and many other industries. They say the average millionaire has seven streams of income—so we are always looking for opportunities to dabble in industries that interest us.

What’s next for Kara Sax and Tamara Keller?

We are focused more than ever on contributing our time and money to cause-related projects and also expanding our agency’s reach—really aiming to not only exponentially grow revenue but maximizing our footprint in the industry. We want to sit on more boards and lend our voices to contribute to impactful D&I work. We want to leave a legacy. We are serial entrepreneurs and always have other irons in the fire. Out of everything, however, we are most excited about the book we are releasing later this year on self-sabotage. The book will provide both personal and professional testimonies from us both about how decisions we’ve made or have seen others make have impeded growth in many areas. This book is essential reading for all young professionals.

 

---

Dr. Jessica Mosley is a serial entrepreneur who loves teaching fellow CEO women how to show up in their truth & power. As Steward Owner of MizCEO Entrepreneurial Media Brand, Sovereign Care Home Care, Sovereign Care Medical Training Center, and Deborah’s Place for Battered Women, Jessica is busy making moves that impact her community & those connected to her.

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NY AG to form grand jury after hood death of Daniel Prude

A jury will investigate the death of Prude after video shows Rochester police placed a hood over his head and held him down.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s attorney general on Saturday moved to form a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died earlier this year after Rochester police placed a hood over his head and held him down.

“The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement about Prude’s death, which has sparked nightly protests and calls for reform. She said the grand jury would be part of an “exhaustive investigation.”

Read More: Mayor suspends officers involved in Daniel Prude’s suffocation death

State Attorney General Letitia James announces a lawsuit against e-cigarette giant Juul on November 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Prude’s death after his brother called for help for his erratic behavior in March has roiled New York’s third-largest city since video of the encounter was made public earlier this week, with protesters demanding more accountability for how it happened and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies.

“This is just the beginning,” Ashley Gantt, a protest organizer, said by email after James’ announcement. “We will not be stopped in our quest for truth and justice.”

Hundreds of protesters gathered Saturday for a fourth night on the street where Prude, naked and handcuffed, was held face-down as snow fell. Policy body camera video shows officers covering Prude’s head with a “spit hood,” designed to protect police from bodily fluids, then pressing his face into the pavement for two minutes.

Prude died a week later after he was taken off life support.

The Monroe County medical examiner listed the manner of death as homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.” Excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, were contributing factors, the report said.

Read More: Video in Black man’s suffocation shows cops put hood on him

A police internal affairs investigation cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing, concluding in April that their “actions and conduct displayed when dealing with Prude appear to be appropriate and consistent with their training.”

James’ office opened its investigation the same month. Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general’s office, rather than handled by local officials.

Police union officials have said the officers were strictly following department training and protocols.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this week called on James to expedite the probe.

“Today, I applaud Attorney General Tish James for taking swift, decisive action in empaneling a grand jury,” Cuomo said in a statement Saturday. “Justice delayed is justice denied and the people of New York deserve the truth.”

Mayor Lovely Warren, who is under pressure to resign over how long it took for Prude’s death to become public, thanked James for taking the action in what she called “a trying time in Rochester.”

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. (Photo: Spectrum News)

Protesters on Saturday continued to criticize Warren and Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, walking and bicycling from the site of Prude’s detention to City Hall, where they again called for them to step down.

Also Saturday, the attorney for several people struck by a car as they protested Prude’s death in New York City said police have opened a criminal investigation now that victims have come forward to file a police report. Sanford Rubenstein said two of those struck Thursday when the Ford Taurus drove through the crowd in Times Square have been interviewed by police and three others will meet with investigators next week.

The group wants the driver charged with reckless endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon.

Advocates say Prude’s death and the actions of the seven now-suspended Rochester police officers demonstrate how police are ill-equipped to deal with people suffering mental problems.

Activists have marched nightly in the city of 210,000 on Lake Ontario since the police body camera footage of the encounter with Prude was released by his family Wednesday.

Friday night’s protest resulted in 11 arrests, police said. As they had the night before, officers doused activists at police headquarters with a chemical spray and fired what appeared to be pepper balls to drive them from barricades around the building.

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6 Best Compact Cameras (2020): Cheap, Rugged, 10x Zoom, and More

Your phone's portrait mode is no match for these point-and-shoot cams. These are the best pocket cameras we've tested.

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Tunisia: Policeman and three militants dead after 'terrorist' attack

The incident happened in Sousse, where 38 people, mostly Britons, were killed in a 2015 attack.

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Mompreneur Strikes Deal With Walmart Just 2 Years After Launching Her Beauty Products

Meet Ebony Robert, founder and CEO of Ebony’s Beauty Hair and Skin Care, whose handcrafted all-natural hair and skincare products are now available in Walmart stores nationwide. Ebony, a mother of five boys, launched the business two years ago, but says that her love for the beauty industry started at a very young age.

Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Ebony built her business from the ground up and continues to fulfill her dream of being a woman entrepreneur. Last year, she grossed almost six figures while working as a full-time teacher.

As a wife, mom, and a boss, Ebony has positioned her company to become a very popular household brand on the rise. In addition to her distribution deal with Walmart (in both the U.S. and Canada), she has also established a partnership with Amazon.

Her motivation to launch the company was to give consumers safer alternatives without the use of harmful chemicals when it comes to hair and skin care products. Ebony comments, “My products are safer, effective, and free of harsh chemicals. They provide relief of dandruff, dry itchy scalp, weak and falling hair as they promote hair growth.”

She says her company is committed and passionate about helping her customers achieve great results for their hair and skin care goals.

For more details about her company and/or to place an order, visit EbonysBeauty.shop or Walmart.com

Also follow the brand on Instagram @ebonysbeauty5

This article was originally written by BlackBusiness.com.

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18 Labor Day Deals to Make Your Home an Oasis: Candles, Lighting, Plants, and More

There are a ton of sales on candles, smart lighting, and sleep accessories to ease the stress (and blues) of quarantine.

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Mathematicians Report New Discovery About the Dodecahedron

Starting at a corner, could you walk around the surface of this Platonic solid without crossing other corners? To get the answer, you need an 81-holed doughnut.

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How to Organize Your Browser Tabs

If you’re drowning in a sea of browser tabs, these are the tricks and tools you need to get your head above water.

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Oura Ring Review: Worth the Hype

No, you can’t diagnose yourself with Covid-19 by wearing a ring. But it can tell me when my period is coming.

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Doctors and Nurses Take to TikTok to Fight Covid Myths

“We can treat only one patient at a time, but if we can get a message out there that can hit thousands or hundreds of thousands, then we can change their thoughts.”

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Mali coup: Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta flies to UAE

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was toppled by the military in August after mass protests against his rule.

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Ahmaud Arbery’s mother says 2:23 Foundation using son’s name without consent

Wanda Cooper-Jones publicly criticized people using Arbery’s name for non-profits and trademarks.

Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said she has not endorsed an organization called the 2:23 Foundation. The foundation started an, “I Run With Maud” Labor Day campaign.

Cooper-Jones said she feels disrespected because her late son’s name is being used without her approval.

READ MORE: Supporters organize 2.23-mile run in honor of Ahmaud Arbery

“This foundation did not have my blessings,” Cooper-Jones said, according to Newsweek .

However, the 2:23 Foundation founders told WSB-TV, an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, that “[Cooper-Jones] said it was fine.”

In response to the founders, Cooper-Jones publicly criticized people using her son’s name for non-profits and trademarks, saying she felt people were exploiting her situation.

Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, listens as attorneys speak outside the Glynn County Courthouse on July 17, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan appeared before a judge for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“The ideas for the foundation likely started after national attention began to spread due to our advocacy efforts,” Cooper-Jones wrote, according to Newsweek. “Within seven days of the foundation’s launch, its organizers had already planned a large fundraiser.”

“The I RUN FOR MAUD committee (all five members who I do not know well),” she continued, “have known for months I did not want my child’s death to be exploited or used for monetary gain for anyone. I was disrespected and ignored.”

Newsweek reached out to the foundation’s head of PR and communications. They pointed the publication to a Facebook post made by the foundation.

READ MORE: Court docs say Ahmaud Arbery had previous connection with one of the men who shot him

“We have attempted countless times to reach out to [Cooper-Jones] and counsel to discuss this privately,” the post said.

“Our intention from the beginning was simple: Pursue justice for Ahmaud. Our team has not benefited financially from any of the work we have done to do just that. In fact, we have spent our own money to help pursue justice. And we have gotten the support from Maud’s family in the process.”

#AhmaudArbery’s mother, #WandaCooper, has a message for anyone profiting off of her son’s name.
Ahmaud Arbery’s tragic death made headlines after a video of him getting fatally shot after two white men, a father, and son, chased him down. The men, along … https://t.co/3JvepNNcK0 pic.twitter.com/eWkR43By4o

— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) September 5, 2020

As theGrio previously reported, supporters of Ahmaud Arbery, who was ambushed and fatally shot in Georgia by two white men, organized a multi-mile run to raise awareness about his murder and honor him on what would’ve been his 26^th birthday.

Many activists are still promoting the call for justice in Arbery’s case and the cases of the many other unarmed Black men and women have been killed.

Yesterday, tennis star Naomi Osaka wore an Ahmaud Arbery mask. Osaka also wore masks with the names of Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain, CNN reported. 

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

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Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz prevented from entering mail facility

The entrance to the parking lot was blocked by a Postal Service police car and caution tape.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was stopped by USPS police and told she could not go inside of two mail sorting facilities, according to MSNBC.

At 4 a.m., Wasserman Schultz was supposed to be on a tour of the Royal Palm Processing and Distribution Center in Opa-Locka, Florida, but the entrance to the parking lot was blocked by a Postal Service police car and caution tape.

She was blocked again at the Miami Processing and Distribution Center a few hours later. Wasserman Schultz was met in the lobby by two Postal Service police officers.

READ MORE: Postal chief DeJoy has long leveraged connections, dollars

Wasserman is responsible for the House Oversight Committee and was unable to do her job. She was informed by union members, who shared pictures with her, that mail was received on July 23, and was still undelivered.

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) speaks about her experiences during a trip to Israel and Auschwitz-Birkenau as part of a bipartisan delegation from the House of Representatives on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The pictures have not been verified, NBC News reported.

As theGrio previously reported, Postmaster General Louis Dejoy, a Republican donor and ally of President Donald Trump, has been under fire for the sudden changes in the USPS.

These changes come as the nation relys on mail-in ballots for its upcoming election.

“If DeJoy thinks he can just throw a bed sheet [sic] over what’s going on behind these doors, he is sadly mistaken. It looked like the post master [sic] had something to hide,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.

READ MORE: Democrats investigate the head of USPS after sudden changes

“Without access to these public facilities, the public is blindfolded to the problems or fixes taking place there. DeJoy cannot delay the mail and delay oversight of these facilities.”

For anyone wondering how @USPS is doing… after 9 days sitting at a distribution facility (~8.5 miles from my house), my package left the facility yesterday, and is now delayed in transit. Good thing it's just new eyeglasses… People get meds by mail! This is all fine, right?!? pic.twitter.com/WX9XeKjvIW

— Christopher G Myers (@ChrisGMyers) September 4, 2020

She also said DeJoy has already “obstructed the committee” by not providing documents and data as requested, NBC News reported.

Kim Fuller, a spokeswoman of the USPS, said the reason Wasserman Schultz was denied was because the facilities were not aware of her visit. Fuller advised her camp to set an appointment.

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Black leaders want to remove slavery references from Utah constitution

The bill passed the House, but now it needs to pass the Utah state senate in order to be on the ballot.

House Rep. Sandra Hollins of Salt Lake City sponsored a bill, Amendment C, that includes the removal of slavery references from Utah’s founding documents. The bill passed in the state legislature.

“This language in our constitution, it was written 32 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It should never have been placed in our constitution,” Hollins told FOX 13. “It no longer reflects Utah values. It’s not who we are as a state.”

Utah House Committee Advances Bill to Remove the Word 'Slavery' from State Constitution https://t.co/RD27BXd4Lv pic.twitter.com/yv8pek5FM0

— Atlanta Black Star (@ATLBlackStar) February 7, 2019

The bill, which is backed by a coalition of community groups, including the NAACP, the Utah Black Roundtable, Action Utah, the Alliance for a Better Utah, and the Greater Salt Lake Alumnae of Delta Sigma Teta, will need to be passed by voters in the community.

READ MORE: Utah protesters, accused of defacing government building, could get life in prison

On the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, Aug. 18, hundreds were reported to have marched through Salt Lake City, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Local residents wearing Black Lives Matter shirts rallied for racial equality and police reform.

Utah State Capitol Building (via Google Maps Street View)

“Register to vote! You can do it on your phone. Go vote!” longtime community activist Darlene McDonald told the crowd, according to The Tribune. “The 13th Amendment did get rid of slavery but not in its entirety,” she said.

“Slavery should not be a part of the Utah constitution or any constitution in this country, especially in 2020,” she continued.

“I do anticipate some pushback, yes, because of the criminal justice system. And prison labor and corporations using prison labor for cheap labor. That’s the reason why we anticipate some pushback.”

READ MORE: Utah man yelling ‘All Lives Matter’ aims bow and arrow at protestors

The bill has to go through the state senate, which is controlled by Utah Republicans.

Luckily for Black activists, Sen. Jake Anderegg, a Republican, sponsored her bill in the state Senate, hoping it would encourage his colleagues to vote for the amendment on Election Day.

“Removing this outdated provision sends a strong, bipartisan statement about our values as citizens of Utah,” Anderegg said.

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Black Lives Matter forces South African sports to face racist past

Opportunities have been scarce for Black players across a wide range of sports, despite the end of Apartheid.

The Black Lives Matter movement has forced South African sports to take a hard look at its post-apartheid history and the dissension between former teammates in a county still trying to heal from its racist past.

BLM has shined a light on how people of color are treated around the world, and in South Africa the focal point is the sports world.

”Black Lives Matter” protest hits South Africa https://t.co/LolWrV0paN #vanguardnews pic.twitter.com/MZRGyYlsuX

— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) June 4, 2020

The debate has led to the acknowledgement that opportunities have been scarce for Black players across a wide range of sports, despite the end of Apartheid, a system of racial segregation that existed in South African from 1948 until the earl 1990s.

The inequities between white and Black players has been a heated discussion that jeopardizes amicable relationships between current teammates as well as former teammates from an older generation, according to Reuters.

READ MORE: Yankees’ Stanton, Hicks vow to keep kneeling during the national anthem as Trump Yankee Stadium visit looms

Showing support of BLM, South Africa’s World Cup-winning former rugby captain, Francois Pienaar took a knee before a cricket match in July, and was criticized by his former teammates who felt his position linked them to being in support of BLM as well.

According to a report in news24.com, one of Pienaar’s former teammates, Ollie Le Roux, retweeted a post that compared BLM to devil worshipping.

Francois Pienaar, who took a knee in support of Black people, and Fikile Mbalula during the Memorial service of Joost van der Westhuizen at Loftus Versfeld on February 10, 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Johan Rynners/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Public backlash against Pienaar’s decision to support BLM has included death threats. Pienaar, however, defended his position, stating that he was showing solidarity against “any form of racism and suppression.”

“I think a discussion must be held to fully understand the Black pain, but the other side of the coin is the farm murders, which has caused a lot of white pain,” Le Roux told Rapport, referring to the ongoing violent attacks against usually white-owned farms in South Africa.

READ MORE: Alabama’s Nick Saban leads players, coaches in BLM march

When eight South African members of the premiere rugby team, the Sale Sharks wore ‘Rugby Against Racism’ t-shirts, but refused to take a knee before a game in England, the country’s minister of sport, Nathi Mthethwa called for action against those players.

“Racism is no longer in the statues books but some are practicing it covertly and we are saying that we will hunt them down because we know the pain that is caused by this pain called racism,” Mthethwa said in a statement.

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