Spike Lee: I’m Done Attending Knicks Games for the Season

The most well-known New York Knicks fan is hanging up his Knicks jersey for the season. Filmmaker (and arguably New York’s best-known Brooklynite) Spike Lee has officially given up his courtside seat at Madison Square Garden, according to the Associated Press.

The Oscar-winning writer-director and famed No. 1 Knicks fan told ESPN’s First Take that he will not attend another Knicks home game this season. According to Lee, Madison Square Garden security wouldn’t allow Lee to enter the Knicks’ home court through the employees’ entrance. 

Lee, who had been accustomed to entering through the employees’ gate for years as a season ticket holder, was directed to use the celebrity entrance located two blocks away. “I’m coming back next year, but I’m done for the season,” said Lee.

Former New York Knicks player, Charles Oakley, who had been arrested by Garden officials some time ago in a dispute with Knicks owner, James Dolan, had this to say, “Spike means a lot to New York. All the boroughs. He’s a game-changer for black movies, black superstars. He gave a lot of people chances to better themselves. This wasn’t fair,” Oakley told the Associated Press in a phone interview. “You’re cheating the people of New York when you do something like that to a New York native. I know he was born in Georgia but he’s been here long enough.”

“They never said when the thing changed, so why not call me?” Lee added. “When my deposit’s due, this astronomical price for Knicks tickets, and I’m one day late, my phone is ringing off the hook.”

The Knicks PR team response via Twitter essentially placed the blame on the team’s most famous fan.

New York Knicks Statement on Spike Lee pic.twitter.com/19JcvhFKO7

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 3, 2020

“The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him to not use our employee entrance and instead use a dedicated VIP entrance–which is used by every other celebrity who enters The Garden–is laughable,” the statement from Madison Square Garden read. “It’s disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama. He is welcome to come to the Garden anytime via the VIP or general entrance; just not through our employee entrance, which is what he and [James Dolan] agreed to last night when they shook hands.”

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Black Entrepreneurs Are Migrating To The South For More Opportunities

With the legacy of Jim Crow laws and violent racism toward African American communities, many black families moved up North through the Great Migration for more economic opportunity. These days, there is a new migration happening with black entrepreneurs looking to take their ideas and businesses down South.

In 2017, Blacktech Week released a report stating that the top three cities where black-owned businesses thrived were all in the South—Memphis, Montgomery, and Atlanta. Among the factors contributing to this move is the low cost of living many Southern cities offer compared to places like New York or San Francisco, which are dealing with soaring real estate prices due to gentrification. There has also been an increase in business incubators emerging in Southern metro cities. Major destinations like Atlanta are seeing a surge in tech incubators to foster rising black-owned businesses in the field.

For entrepreneurs like Stanford M.B.A. graduate Tristan Walker, who started his company, Walker and Co., to address the lack of health and beauty products geared toward black consumers, there was no better place to set up shop than Atlanta. “It was important for us to be in a place that’s more diverse than the places that we were,” Walker said to NBC News.

Also, the South still holds some of the largest enclaves of the African American population in the country and have a long history of supporting black-owned business, which has attracted many entrepreneurs to bring their ventures to the communities that need it most. It has also seen an increase in new residents over the last decade. According to USA Today, Southern states gained over 66,000 additional black residents between 2005 to 2010. Many of these new residents are college graduates looking to take advantage of new opportunities that aren’t available in other cities. Older residents are attracted to the cheaper housing costs allowing for a more comfortable lifestyle.

 

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Fired College Recruiter Defends Separating Students By Skin Color and Hair Texture

The Internet went livid when an Oklahoma Christian University recruiter was fired for lining up black students by skin tone and hair texture. The recruiter has now come forward, defending his actions, which put students in a very uncomfortable position.

Cedric Sunray, who had been an educator for 20 years, told Oklahoma’s News 4 that the situation has “destroyed his reputation but his character won’t change.” The now-disgraced recruiter said that he has been doing this “icebreaker” for years with no complaints. In fact, he had done the exercise around 90 times this year. “I break the groups into four teams and then I say, ‘Line up darkest to the front and lightest to the back,’” Sunray said to the news station. “From the largest afro to the tightest braid to the blondest hair, blue-eyed student, they all want to know they are valued and warranted. And that is the kind of programs I provide.”

The students involved did not share the same feelings as Sunray. They felt the exercise was unnecessary. “I accept who I am and what I look like,” 11th grader Korey Todd said the news station. “I don’t need an exercise from a college recruiter, personally.”

The university has already issued an apology to the students and parents involved, condemning Sunray’s actions. “I am embarrassed and ashamed and I am mad at what happened,” Oklahoma Christian University President John deSteiguer said. He added that the university will screen future presentations and implement programs like mandatory cultural sensitivity training.

When asked if he would do the exercise again, Sunray responded, “Oh yes.” He added that he had already been hired by another metro university which he refused to disclose.

“I have been doing this exercise for years,” Sunray said. “We need to have these conversations.”

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California voters want Michelle Obama to join Dem ticket as running mate

No matter who ultimately wins the Democratic nomination for president, Californians want our forever FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, to be the running mate.

READ MORE: Trump administration announces plans to ‘roll back’ Michelle Obama school lunch rules

A poll put out by Stanford’s Hoover Institution, along with the Bill Lane Center for the American West and YouGov, shows 31 percent of those asked choose Obama as vice president. This compares with 19 percent for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) at 18 percent, Stacey Abrams, author and politician from Georgia, garnered 13 percent support, and 10 percent of respondents supported Bay Area billionaire Tom Steyer as the VP. California Gov. Gavin Newsom received 8 percent support.

The poll was conducted across the state between Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 and tallied responses from 1,507 registered voters, according to CBS SF. Researchers first asked the voters whom they wanted to be president, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was chosen by 26 percent of respondents, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden, who received 19 percent of the vote, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) who landed 18 percent support and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who received 14 percent support.

The poll also asked Californians what issue the Democratic presidential nominee needed to prioritize and work closely with California lawmakers on and the top response was finding a solution for the state’s homelessness at 33 percent. Dealing with the housing shortage came in second at 20 percent, CBS SF reported.

Of those polled, 55 percent say they voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and 28 percent said they voted for President Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Joe Biden says he would like Michelle Obama to be his vice president

In January, while campaigning in Iowa, Biden said he’d love to have Michelle Obama be his running mate. He also mentioned the pairing during a sit down with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show last September.

When Colbert asked him if he ever asks Michelle Obama for advice, Biden joked: “Only to be my vice president.” He added that he was just kidding. “I’m only joking. Michelle, I’m joking.”

The post California voters want Michelle Obama to join Dem ticket as running mate appeared first on TheGrio.

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Fired College Recruiter Defends Separating Students By Skin Color and Hair Texture

The Internet went livid when an Oklahoma Christian University recruiter was fired for lining up black students by skin tone and hair texture. The recruiter has now come forward, defending his actions, which put students in a very uncomfortable position.

Cedric Sunray, who had been an educator for 20 years, told Oklahoma’s News 4 that the situation has “destroyed his reputation but his character won’t change.” The now-disgraced recruiter said that he has been doing this “icebreaker” for years with no complaints. In fact, he had done the exercise around 90 times this year. “I break the groups into four teams and then I say, ‘Line up darkest to the front and lightest to the back,’” Sunray said to the news station. “From the largest afro to the tightest braid to the blondest hair, blue-eyed student, they all want to know they are valued and warranted. And that is the kind of programs I provide.”

The students involved did not share the same feelings as Sunray. They felt the exercise was unnecessary. “I accept who I am and what I look like,” 11th grader Korey Todd said the news station. “I don’t need an exercise from a college recruiter, personally.”

The university has already issued an apology to the students and parents involved, condemning Sunray’s actions. “I am embarrassed and ashamed and I am mad at what happened,” Oklahoma Christian University President John deSteiguer said. He added that the university will screen future presentations and implement programs like mandatory cultural sensitivity training.

When asked if he would do the exercise again, Sunray responded, “Oh yes.” He added that he had already been hired by another metro university which he refused to disclose.

“I have been doing this exercise for years,” Sunray said. “We need to have these conversations.”

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