Google Launches Initiatives to Promote Racial Equity

 

The increasing discussions on the impact of AI on economic mobility has led to questions on how it will impact the Black community. A recent study from the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility examines the potential AI could have on widening the racial wealth gap.

To ensure an inclusive move into AI, Google is working to bridge the gap through two new initiatives that promote racial equity and economic opportunity for historically overlooked communities. On Friday, April 26, Google launched the AI Essentials Course and Google.org AI Opportunity Fund.

JP Morgan Chase Provides $1.7M for Black Businesses

 

In a bid to promote equity in Black neighborhoods, JPMorgan Chase has awarded the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative and the Center for Community Progress a $1.7 million grant, according to a new press release shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

Top 5 Most Jay-Z’s Controversial Moments

 

There have been multiple instances in Jay-Z’s career where he has made headlines for the wrong reasons, either with fans, other rappers, in-laws, or even his wife.

Below, we’ve listed out the top five most controversial moments Hov has endured, ranking them from least significant to most.

Introducing the Concept of Candy Pickles to the World

 

Entrepreneurs are people who establish new businesses by developing and implementing unique ideas. They take risks to create and manage profitable businesses by utilizing limited resources. Entrepreneurship typically starts with an idea or concept for a product or service that motivates an individual to transform that idea into a profitable business. 

However, many businesses fail during the initial stages because entrepreneurs cannot go through with their ideas or lack the skills, expertise, and experience to take a company to new heights. Innovation is also essential for successful entrepreneurship because new products and innovations are necessary for a successful business. Entrepreneurs develop and run businesses with limited resources while fulfilling market demands and customer needs. 

What Happened To 'Freaknik' In Atlanta?

 

'Freaknik' is considered one of the most talked about festivals to happen in Atlanta. Universities and historically black colleges would mostly attend and help grow the event's popularity. The last official Freaknik would be in 1999, but why?

Gloria Carter Focuses on Sending Underserved Youth to College

 

With the Shawn Carter Foundation, Jay Z’s mother Gloria Carter’s focus is to send youth to college. Many high schoolers with low grade point averages (GPAs) don’t think going to college is a feasible goal. High GPAs help secure scholarships and grants. No matter how low their GPA is, the Carters make sure college dreams can become a reality.

“There are a lot of young people who have low GPAs,” Gloria Carter told rolling out. “A lot of those people don’t even get looks for financial assistance.”

Jay Z's House VS Kanye West's House

 

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

This Is What Made Beyoncé A Cultural Force

 

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

Master P on Episode Of IGTV Cribs

 

Master P wanted to talk to the youth and up and coming musicians about investing into themselves. Percy takes us on a walk through into his crib while keeping it real with the community and black culture. Romeo also had a guest appearance on the show to put in his input on life.

#Stream Prxscott Feat Tony Ro$e - Wassup @_Prxscott

 

Prxscott is a mutli-talented artist who has dipped into as many different trades and skills as he can. He’s found success in rapping, directing music videos, photography, screenwriting, and has even wrote a book – “Black People In Oregon?” which comes with an accompanying sound track.

He grew up in a three bedroom house with with 10 siblings and several cousins, defying the odds of his predicament and flipping his experiences to focus on his goals. Prxscott discovered his love of music in the early 90s by listening to his brother’s NWA and Eazy-E record collection. It would be another 10 years before he realized music was his passion and what he wanted to do as a career.

Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Pardoned By Trump

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

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

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

Rihanna and Jay-Z Invest in Vegan Cookie Company

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

Also See: Everything You Need to Know About Vegan Fashion

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

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

Understanding #MoviesWeLove Menace II Society

Menace II Society is much more than your typical hood movie. Caine narrates the story of his life, explaining how after the riots, drugs came into effect, and affected his home life as a child.

Tupac Shakur was originally supposed to play a role in the film but was fired by Allen Hughes, apparently because Tupac was causing problems on the set. Things later escalated on the set of a music video, when members of Tupac's entourage were found beating up on Allen Hughes.

Menace 2 Society is about a young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life. In an unflinching look at the mean streets of the contemporary urban American ghetto, a Black youth--despite his dreams for a better life--ultimately succumbs to the cycle of violence that pervades his community.

Master P Gets Into The Food Industry

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

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

Beyoncé Now Helping Black-Owned Businesses

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

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

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

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

Get Your Idea Funded

Do you want to gain more equity? From projects that increase access to capital to resources that increase disaster preparedness and relief, the Minority Business Development Agency is in search of innovative ideas that will benefit minority-owned businesses and will award up to $11.65 million in grants to fund and implement the projects across the country.

This year, the MBDA is including categories for formerly incarcerated persons and research projects to quantify and address the needs and challenges of minority businesses. “Recognizing the critical role of entrepreneurship in reducing recidivism and unemployment for released prisoners, the Agency saw an opportunity to support the Department of Commerce’s efforts to reduce crime, enhance public safety and improve the lives of all Americans through educational entrepreneurship programs,” MBDA said in a news release.

“We are excited to begin this year’s application process and look forward to receiving the proposals,” said Acting National Director Edith McCloud. “Minority-owned businesses contribute greatly to our economy, and through the BAA, we can work to meet the needs of this community with the ultimate goals of continued expansion, growth and job creation.”

Through its Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which is designed to solicit proposals, the search is open to for-profit entities including sole-proprietorship, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations), non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, commercial organizations, individuals, state and local government entities, or Indian Tribal governments.

The focal points of the BAAs are aligned with the Agency’s key priorities in support of minority-owned businesses. Priorities include:

Access to Capital American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Entities and/or Initiatives
Aquaculture
Disaster Readiness
Disaster Recovery
Entrepreneurship Education Program for Formerly Incarcerated Persons
Global Minority Women Economic Empowerment Initiative
Historically Black Colleges & Universities Initiative
Inclusive Infrastructure Initiative
Research
Space Commerce
Sustainable Business Model
Technology Transfer and Commercialization
Virtual Business Centers
Two pre-application teleconferences to educate potential applicants about the federal funding opportunity announcement are scheduled for June 18 and 21 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. eastern time. Applicants are encouraged to attend at least one of the pre-application teleconferences.

Deadline to submit completed applications for the broad agency announcement ends July 11 at 11:59 p.m. For more information and to register for a pre-application teleconference visit

www.mbda.gov/page/2018-mbda-broad-agency-announcement or www.mbda.gov

Hip Hop & Drug Culture

We make excuses for the negative impact of rap music because it has given so many young black males a way out of the hood; but for every ONE that it gives an exit, it entraps thousands more.

Chance the Rapper Has Raised Millions To Help Build Chicago

During a special appearance at Harold Washington Cultural Center on Friday, Chance the Rapper announced that his Social Works organization has raised $2.2 million for an arts initiative at Chicago Public Schools.

“Quality education for public schools is the most important investment a community can make,” the Grammy-winning rapper told a crowd students and supporters at the event, where he channeled the late Steve Jobs, donning a black turtle neck, faded jeans, and his trademark “3” hat.

Principals are reportedly committed to new initiatives like dance studios for ballet, hip-hop, and modern dance classes, design laboratories, sculpting, and pottery courses, remodeling auditoriums, and fixing existing art supplies.

Chance donated $1 million the $2.2 million in March. Shortly afterwards, he announced that the Chicago Bulls donated another $1 million towards the cause, helping him launch the Chance Arts & Literature Fund.

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Dave Chappelle Talks Police Brutality

A city council meeting in Yellow Springs, Ohio had the town's most famous resident show up to speak on the matter of policing recently, when Dave Chappelle appeared to share his unique experience of having grown up there and seen the change in the culture of local law enforcement.

Citizens of the small liberal Dayton suburb had been convening to review a scandal that has rocked the town, leading to the resignation of Police Chief David Hale, to "heal the rift" caused after officers violently broke up the annual New Years Ball Drop, in the early hours of January 1. The department drew heat, with protesters livid over the use of their cruisers to disperse the crowd and the subsequent tasering of two black men.

Chappelle spoke of being present at the event, but having left early because the vibe wasn't right. After imparting his gratitude to officers who have been nothing but courteous to him since his return to settle down in the place he was reared in, Chappelle laid into the force, reminding residents on hand that there was a time when it felt as though each officer had a personal connection with the families in the community; a sense he no longer gets. "Now, we're being policed by what feels like an alien force," he said, calling the New Year's Eve incident a "huge gaffe."

Chappelle then turned to politics, encouraging the council to consider the position Yellow Springs is in to shine as an example of progressive policing in the current political atmosphere. "I would beseech the council to look deeply and to look hard, because this is a golden opportunity. Literally, it could kill the game. In this Trump era, it gives us an opportunity to show everybody that local politics reigns supreme," he said. "We can make our corner of the world outstanding. So I'm just begging you to find a candidate that matches the culture of this town, which is renowned for being incredibly unique."

After the resignation of Commissioner Hale, one of the officers involved in the New Year's Eve incident, Allison Saurber, also resigned. The second officer said to have taken part in the tasing, R.J. Hawley, was reportedly injured at the function and has been on administrative leave since.

See What Barack Obama Thinks About African-Americans

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

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