Black-Owned Bank to Raise $10 Billion for Tech in Underserved Communities

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FOUNDERS OF BLACK-OWNED BANK PLAN TO RAISE $10 BILLION TO PROVIDE TECH TO UNBANKED AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

Nationwide -- Executives at Ingenious Financial have announced plans to raise $10 billion in capital to invest in unbanked and underserved communities. Darnell Parker, founder of Ingenious Financial, and Derek Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, say the $10 billion will fund the capital disbursement towards the following four initiatives:

• $4 billion for the financial institution and holding company
• $5 billion for technology products, smartphones, and broadband service
• $600 million to lease nationwide training facilities
• $400 million to hire 500 employees nationwide to train how to use a smartphone and teach financial literacy

According to the Federal Communications Commission’s Eighth Broadband Progress Report, "approximately one in three African Americans, 14 million still don't have access to computer technology in their homes." In addition, “35 percent of black households do not have broadband internet capabilities.” This technology gap leaves many black families at a significant technology disadvantage, with less financial security and less ability to fully participate in the broader economy.

2 Educators Launch Black-Owned Online School

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FASTEST GROWING BLACK-OWNED ONLINE SCHOOL LAUNCHED BY TWO EDUCATORS WHO MERGED THEIR ACADEMIES

Meet LaTishia Jordan and Aquarius Cain, the founders of Achieve Success Tutoring, one of the fastest-growing Black-owned online schools for students of all ages. The two of them initially had independently-owned tutoring academies but decided to merge their companies together during the pandemic to better handle the demand of parents seeking more Black-inclusive curriculums for their children.

LaTishia is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Aquarius is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but both of them are members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and this is part of what helped them to form such a successful and historic partnership.

Both of them are educators, who have served as teachers, adjust professors, and department deans over the past 20 years, and they both agree that in order for children to function, especially with the social component taken away because of the pandemic, they have to be individually assessed.

Amazon Gives $175K Grant to Black Edu Organization

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AMAZON STUDIOS’ SUPPORT ALLOWS EDUCATING YOUNG MINDS CURRICULUM TO EXPAND NATIONALLY

Educating Young Minds (EYM), a leader in supplemental education in the greater Los Angeles area for more than 33 years, is now expanding its online platform Access/No Excuse (ANE) nationally thanks to a $175,000 grant from Amazon Studios. With the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns, EYM had to transition its full suite of services to a virtual model, now offering tutoring, computer tech programs, early learner’ interactive curriculum, counseling, mentoring and community resources for at-risk youth and families in need.

“During this unprecedented and uncertain time of COVID-19, confusion and fear, children nationwide who attend online public schools are learning less and falling further behind,” said EYM CEO & Founder Angeles Echols. “We’re proud to benefit from Amazon Studios’ ‘children and families first’ philosophy and are excited to further our partnership and ensure that parents with limited resources across the country receive what they need and what all our children deserve.”

Indie Film About Black Superheroes

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AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER TO RELEASE NEW INDIE FILM ABOUT BLACK SUPERHEROES

Former pro wrestler turned writer, director, actor and producer, Marcus Nel-Jamal Hamm, will be releasing his anticipated short film, The Black League of Superheroes, available to watch on April 30th through the film's website and via YouTube.

Marvel and DC enthusiasts will enjoy following the story of a young hero, Miles Morales Spiderman, who discovers that an intentional injustice was covered up as an accident. To prevent this from happening again, he takes advantage of his gifts and "borrows" a powerful glove to summon his elders: Spawn, Blade, and Black Panther. The band of superheroes must then decide how to best address the tragedy that has unfolded before them.

With the current political climate and the ascent of the Black Lives Matter movement, Marcus was inspired to create a film where Black individuals can see themselves reflected as superheroes.

Black Couple, How to Survive Long Distance Relationships

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MEET THE HUSBAND AND WIFE HELPING COUPLES IN LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS “SURVIVE THE DISTANCE”

In their new publication, Surviving the Distance: The Do’s, the Don’ts and the Definitely’s of Surviving a Long Distance Relationship, Shauna and Taurean Curry reveal what it took to get them from the dating phase to now sharing a last name.

Despite living 1,886 miles apart between San Jose, California and Houston, Texas, they learned valuable ways to stay connected and share their story on how they went from an LDR to now husband and wife.

Although Shauna and Taurean knew each other for some time, it was not until they lived in separate states that they truly realized what it took to build a healthy connection, beyond material and physical constructs.

See Why Court Orders Black Man To Be Paid Over $546,000 For Being Enslaved By White Man 5 Years

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Black Man With Mental Challenges Ordered To Receive About $546,000 Compensation For Being Enslaved For 5-Years By White Business Owner   

John Christopher Smith (left) was brutally enslaved by Bobby Paul Edwards (right)

By Kamau Austin, Publisher Scoop Publications

John Christopher Smith, a Black man with mental intellectual challenges was forced into slavery for 5-years by a white man Bobby Paul Edwards.  Edwards, the owner of a South Carolina restaurant J&J Cafeteria, "used physical beating and intimidation to brutally force John Christopher Smith, a man with intellectual disabilities, to work over 100 hours a week for 5 years between 2009 and 2014" for free according to the Insider and Washington Post.

Bobby Paul Edwards, pleaded to a forced labor charge and is presently doing a 10-year prison term.  Originally as a part of his sentencing he was ordered to pay Smith $273,000.

However the Washington Post, reported "The Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled on April 21 that the previous amount decided by a district court “had erred” in not accounting for federal labor laws entitling him to $546,000, or double the amount he was owed from his imprisonment between 2009 and 2014."

Discover How Former State Trooper Orrin Hudson Is Teaching Black Boys How to Stay Alive

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BE SOMEONE ACADEMY, STARTED BY A FORMER POLICE OFFICER, TRAINS BLACK TEENS HOW TO STAY ALIVE

Orrin C. Hudson, who worked as an Alabama State Trooper for 7 years, is now the founder of a non-profit academy called Be Someone. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the academy has recently established a new priority of training Black boys and teens and helping them to navigate the complexities of life. The school will also prioritize training young Black men on how to stay alive during police interactions.

Orrin's formula – using the chessboard – teaches that for every move that is made, whether it is playing the game or living as a contributing citizen, there is a corresponding positive or negative consequence.

Black-Owned Sneakers Celebrate 5 Years in Business

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BLACK ENTREPRENEUR WHO LAUNCHED FIRST AFRICAN PRIDE SNEAKER CELEBRATES 5 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Nagast Footwear, a Black-owned sneaker company, was launched in late 2015 by entrepreneur Tarik Edmonson to honor and celebrate African heritage. Drawing inspiration from the Pan-African flag created by Marcus Garvey in 1920, Tarik created the classic African Pride Canvas sneaker.

The combination of red, black, and green is more than just a color scheme; It is a political movement that calls for African control of African communities. These shoes are collector's items that capture a moment in time back in December 2015 when Tarik made history by becoming the first to create an internationally successful sneaker line of this kind.

New Single From Soul & Blues Singer Karen Wolfe Inspires Love

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KAREN WOLFE BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER WITH HER NEW POWERFUL SINGLE “STAY TOGETHER”
(FEAT. CALVIN RICHARDSON)

With multiple music awards and over 50 Soul and Blues top recordings under her belt, singer Karen Wolfe has taken her career one step further with the release of her newest duet called “Stay Together” featuring R&B artist Calvin Richardson. The new song, written by Dee Dee Simon and produced by Sweet Success Records, follows the success of her previous hit release “Just Goodbye” - a song that is full of razor-sharp statements about standing up for oneself by leaving those undeserving people behind.

“This is the right time for me to come out with this song with all of the sickness, violence, and loss of life (in the world) now. I felt I owed it to my fans to respond with a song that (can) touch not only a Man and Woman, but the whole family which I believe this song does say,” says Karen.

“Stay Together” may sound like a spiritual/gospel song with her deep soulful tone commanding each run and every note, followed by another vocal arrangement harmonizing in the background that is also wrapped in a bass-heavy, polished submerged-sounding production.

Police Brutality Anthem Goes Viral

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RECORDING ARTIST CREATES VIRAL ANTHEM TO KEEP SPOTLIGHT ON POLICE BRUTALITY

Nationwide -- Emerging artist Reggie Boone says that he wrote ‘No More’ after he sat in his living room watching the news about George Floyd, another black man, a human being’s life being taken and it scared people. Boone, who was discovered by Steve Harvey, says he writes lyrics to promote the message of equality, ending police brutality and the power behind genuinely getting to know each other beyond our skin color. [Watch the video here]

Reggie says that he sees the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict as definitely a pivotal step. But with the tragic shooting of Duante Wright, Boone continues his mission through his music to raise awareness about the violence incited against minorities with a message of upliftment to every human being, reminding them to love God and each other. Radio personality Michael Baisden premiered Reggie’s ‘No More’ video and it quickly racked up over 75k views. ‘I want to support artists like Reggie Boone, who like the greats, Marvin Gaye, Gill Scott Heron, and Curtis Mayfield create music with a message’ Baisden said. The video has been shared on various platforms garnering support for its overwhelming positive message and call for change.

See The Insightful New Book Surviving Chaos Pinned By Harold Phifer On Growing Up With A Schizophrenic Mom

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AUTHOR TELLS HIS STORY ABOUT GROWING IN EXTREME POVERTY WITH A SCHIZOPHRENIC MOM

Harold Phifer has announced the publication of his second book, a collection of autobiographical short stories exploring his sad and often appalling upbringing in Columbus, Mississippi.  Kept secret for more than 50 years, Phifer’s childhood was largely forgotten until an explosion during a job in Afghanistan forced him to take some time off to recover in a paradise beach resort in Thailand.

While there, he met an unusual but compassionate stranger who pulled him into a long discussion about his experiences growing up. Hours later, Phifer finally found a measure of peace from the ghosts of his past and began planning out the stories that would later appear in Surviving Chaos. The book is available for purchase via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible.

“How do you sum up your childhood in a few sentences? Childhood is such a rich and nuanced tapestry of people, places, events, and formative influences – all shaping you in ways that can take a lifetime to uncover,” said Phifer.

“And that’s probably true for everyone. But when you have a bad childhood? Well, you shove most of that way down deep for decades.

I have overcome many challenges and obstacles in my life, many of them entirely by myself. My hope is that my story may help someone smile when they are having a bad day, and remind young readers that no matter how bad and hopeless things may seem in the present, the power is within each of us to change our future.”