Lil Baby Donates $150,000 To His Former High School In Atlanta

It’s good to give back! This week, Dominique Jones, aka Lil Baby, surprised his old high school in Atlanta, Booker T. Washington High School, by performing at the educational facility. Then he surprised them again by announcing that he would be starting a $150,000 scholarship program for the high school, according to Billboard.

With the support of Amazon Music’s Rap Rotation, Quality Control Music, Wolfpack Global, and Motown Records, the rapper launched the “My Turn” Scholarship fund. “A majority of the students in these neighborhoods, when they have good grades most of them don’t have support. They don’t have a family who can afford to [send them] to a good college or the college they want to go to,” Lil Baby explained. He wants this to be an annual fund.

Officials from Atlanta Public Schools said the first scholarship went to Vachon Raye Jr., who plans on attending Dartmouth College in the fall while playing football there. “For him to give back really [impacted] me,” Raye told WSBTV,

“From the time I left here to now, I’ve had a crazy journey,” the rapper, who left school around the 10th grade, told Billboard. “Just to be able to come back on a positive note and actually touch this ground again and see some of these faces again… I can’t even explain it. I was once in a state where I knew for sure I wasn’t ever coming back here.

“To be able to come, give back and be something, and perform for children, that means everything to me,” he added.

“It’s crazy that these people did amazing things for their time and their people,” Dan Sims, an associate superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools, said of Lil Baby. “To watch these students respond to Lil Baby, their artist—and I love him, too—is just so gratifying. We’re thinking years from now, what will the history say about Booker T. Washington High School. There will be this story about Lil Baby, Dominique Jones, who gave back, started this scholarship fund, attended this school [previously] and gave to the lives of other individuals. That is huge for us.”

“Who knows what seeds were planted today as it relates to not just seeing him as a performer, but as a philanthropist,” Sims added. “I hope [this] puts some positive pressure on other rappers who came from some of these same classrooms and hallways to just give back a little bit.”

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Black Voters Are the Most Influential Voting Bloc in the Country. Their Generational and Regional Differences Are Worth Exploring

The immediate wake of Super Tuesday went more or less as predicted: some jubilation, some anger, and a lot of punditry on overdrive as those invested in the Democratic presidential nomination collectively recalibrated where the race now stands.

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Tavis Smiley Ordered to Pay PBS $1.5 Million for Violating Morals Clause

This past week, a jury found that former PBS host Tavis Smiley violated the morals clause portion of his contract with the network when he engaged in sexual contact with his subordinates, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Smiley was suspended back in December 2017 after allegations of misconduct were leveled against him. The network ultimately removed him after some credible allegations of misconduct were revealed to the network. Smiley filed a lawsuit against PBS claiming that the network weaponized its morality clause against him in getting rid of his position. PBS then counterclaimed that based on multiple, credible accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment, they had to take action. On Wednesday, a jury ruled against Smiley, stating the host had violated the terms of his contract and awarded PBS $1.5 million.

“We are pleased with the jury’s decision,” a PBS spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. It was important for us to ensure that the courageous women who came forward were able to share their stories and that we continue to uphold the values and standards of our organization.”

At the trial, which took place in Washington, D.C., PBS presented more than half a dozen women who detailed how they were pressured into relationships with Smiley or were victims of unwanted advances. Smiley denied the claims, insisting that the relationships he had were all consensual. The jury had to base the merits of the case on the morals clause of Smiley’s contract. While on the witness stand, Smiley said the women’s stories were filled with “lies.”

Smiley initially sued PBS in D.C. Superior Court, claiming that racial bias contributed to his dismissal and he was wrongly terminated without proof. He was seeking a $1 million payout. The network then countersued, arguing that Smiley owed the network for a season that didn’t air.

Grace Speights, trial attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, who represented PBS at trial said, “With this jury verdict for PBS, companies now have another tool in their arsenal to ensure a safe and respectful workplace culture. Especially in the entertainment industry, the enforcement of the morals clause in contracts hadn’t been previously tested in courts. This decision could impact the next wave of litigation in the #MeToo movement.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2wB6C1E

Tavis Smiley Ordered to Pay PBS $1.5 Million for Violating Morals Clause

This past week, a jury found that former PBS host Tavis Smiley violated the morals clause portion of his contract with the network when he engaged in sexual contact with his subordinates, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Smiley was suspended back in December 2017 after allegations of misconduct were leveled against him. The network ultimately removed him after some credible allegations of misconduct were revealed to the network. Smiley filed a lawsuit against PBS claiming that the network weaponized its morality clause against him in getting rid of his position. PBS then counterclaimed that based on multiple, credible accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment, they had to take action. On Wednesday, a jury ruled against Smiley, stating the host had violated the terms of his contract and awarded PBS $1.5 million.

“We are pleased with the jury’s decision,” a PBS spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. It was important for us to ensure that the courageous women who came forward were able to share their stories and that we continue to uphold the values and standards of our organization.”

At the trial, which took place in Washington, D.C., PBS presented more than half a dozen women who detailed how they were pressured into relationships with Smiley or were victims of unwanted advances. Smiley denied the claims, insisting that the relationships he had were all consensual. The jury had to base the merits of the case on the morals clause of Smiley’s contract. While on the witness stand, Smiley said the women’s stories were filled with “lies.”

Smiley initially sued PBS in D.C. Superior Court, claiming that racial bias contributed to his dismissal and he was wrongly terminated without proof. He was seeking a $1 million payout. The network then countersued, arguing that Smiley owed the network for a season that didn’t air.

Grace Speights, trial attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, who represented PBS at trial said, “With this jury verdict for PBS, companies now have another tool in their arsenal to ensure a safe and respectful workplace culture. Especially in the entertainment industry, the enforcement of the morals clause in contracts hadn’t been previously tested in courts. This decision could impact the next wave of litigation in the #MeToo movement.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2wB6C1E

NYC Mayor de Blasio implies Black voters are ignorant of Joe Biden’s full record

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio implied on Thursday that Black voters who support Joe Biden for president are doing so because of his ties with former President Barack Obama and with insufficient information on his record.

During an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, de Blasio was asked why Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whom he endorsed, lost the Black vote to Biden in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday and de Blasio said it was because Black people only had a “certain amount of information” on Biden.

READ MORE: Woman blasts NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio at CNN town hall over Eric Garner case

“It stands to reason if people have a certain amount of information — and I don’t blame them for this, I understand it,” de Blasio said on the show, before a host, Elise Jordan, sought clarification from him on his comment, reported The New York Times.

“So you’re saying they were low information?” Jordan asked de Blasio.

“No, no, no,” responded de Blasio. “I’m saying you had a whole lot of candidates, which I think is a very different discussion. The information that I think people received about Joe Biden was some of his historic connection, which, understandably, means something to people.”

Co-host Willie Geist asked de Blasio if he was referring to Biden’s connection to Obama, whom he served under as vice president.

“Of course,” the mayor said.

“But, the one-on-one race — and I do think this is just pure political science —  the one-on-one race brings out a whole different set of information, a whole different set of comparisons,” de Blasio said in the MSNBC interview. “Joe Biden’s record, I think this is a fair statement, did not get a ton of examination when there’s eight candidates.”

“Look, if Pete Buttigieg had had a couple different outcomes, we would be talking about Pete Buttigieg right now, not Joe Biden. So now, it’s a chance to really examine Joe Biden,” de Blasio added.

Some have blasted the mayor’s comments as condescending, suggesting that they resemble similar comments made by people who have said Black people in the South who support Biden have “low information.”

“I think Black voters knew enough about both of them to say which one they were interested in,” said Melanye Price, a professor of political science at Prairie View A&M University, according to The New York Times. Price added that she found the mayor’s remarks “condescending.”

Davin Phoenix, an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine, said this idea that Black people are not informed about Biden’s record reflects a “fundamental lack of comprehension of how black voters generally navigate politics.”

“African-Americans rarely, if ever, have the luxury of choosing candidates who they perceive as perfectly, or even adequately, aligned with their preferences, or fully committed to advancing the interests of the group,” Phoenix said, according to The Times.

Phoenix did point out, however, that it does matter to Black voters that Biden was chosen by Obama to be his vice president. And he said Sanders also realizes the reverence Black voters have for the former president and “that’s why he’s now showing commercials with him and Obama.”

Twitter also exploded with criticism of the New York mayor.

So Bill DeBlasio thinks that African Americans voted for Biden are low information voters whose primary reason for voting fr the VP is because of his connection to Obama…I guess POC like myself aren’t bright enough to look at someone’s political resume. #VettingBernie pic.twitter.com/lAV7dqYAwt

— Alfonso Robinson (@ctblogger) March 5, 2020

 

So, @BilldeBlasio is on @Morning_Joe pushing the theory that all the black voters who showed up for @JoeBiden on Super Tuesday were misinformed or lacked information.

I don’t think calling black voters naive or ignorant is going to win Bernie MORE black voters.

— Liddle’ Savage (@littledeekay) March 5, 2020

Twitter user @battletested5 was so offended that she pushed for people in New York City to look for his replacement in his upcoming election.

If I was an African American voter that lives in NYC, I would be appalled at Bill de Blasio statements right now and looking to see who can replace him

Implying that African Americans are low information voters is some racist ass shit#morningjoe

— ABlackWomanWhoDontGiveAF*ck (@battletested5) March 5, 2020

So upset, she followed up the last tweet saying his comments basically showed his imbedded racism.

So Bernie Sanders defenders like Eddie Glaude and Bill de Blasio thought it was a good idea to go on #morningjoe this morning and call Black Voters low information & think that will persuade Black voters to vote for Bernie going forward

Whew, the racism jumped out this morning

— ABlackWomanWhoDontGiveAF*ck (@battletested5) March 5, 2020

READ MORE: EXPOSED: De Blasio, Cynthia Nixon’s wife plotted to stop Jennifer Hudson performance at charter school rally

Just as de Blasio did, Sanders also sought to attribute Biden’s success among Black voters to him capitalizing off of his ties to Obama. During an interview on the Rachel Maddow Show on Wednesday, Sanders said he’s “running against somebody who has touted his relationship with Barack Obama throughout the entirety of his campaign.”

The post NYC Mayor de Blasio implies Black voters are ignorant of Joe Biden’s full record appeared first on TheGrio.

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