John Conyers — the longest serving black congressman in U.S. history — has passed away.
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Sunday, October 27, 2019
Longest Serving Black Congressman John Conyers Jr. Passes Away at 90
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New Jersey NAACP chapter cancels screening of ‘Harriet’ to take stand in Comcast battle
In solidarity with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s ongoing fight with Comcast, the Southern Burlington County, New Jersey chapter decided to cancel a screening of the upcoming biopic about Underground Railroad trailblazer Harriet Tubman.
When local NAACP leaders realized that Comcast is the parent company of the film’s production company Focus Features, they decided it would not be such a good kick off to their annual Joint Freedom Fund Banquet. The national branch of the civil rights group has been vocal against Comcast.
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In the spirit of Harriet, @CynthiaEriVo shld speak out against Comcast’s efforts 2 dismantle the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Being courageous isn’t just playing #ADOS heroes in movies. It’s what u do in real life that matters. Show solidarity https://t.co/Iv0X4qEHac
— BreakingBrown (Yvette Carnell) (@BreakingBrown) October 26, 2019
#ados challenge @NAACP @ColorOfChange & @laurbanleague to #boycottharriet. @comcast should not have a film out on Harriet Tubman while attacking the Civil Rights Act of 1866 in the Supreme Court. We aren’t seeing Harriet in honor of Harriet Tubman. @CynthiaEriVo needs to speak up pic.twitter.com/CjYsZvd51d
— Antonio Moore (@tonetalks) October 26, 2019
According to the Burlington County Times, Comcast has been accused by the NAACP’s national office of seeking to undermine a critical part of the 1866 Civil Rights Act.
“The branch decided to take a stand as a long standing civil rights [law] is being threatened in court by the owner of the film’s production company, Comcast,” Marcus Sibley, the Southern Burlington County NAACP’s spokesman and communication chair.
For those that are not familiar with the case, Comcast has been a part of a longstanding lawsuit filed by Byron Allen, who is the Black entertainment mogul behind Entertainment Studios. Allen accused Comcast of refusing to air his various channels, including JusticeCentral.TV, Cars.TV, Pets.TV and Comedy.TV., on its cable devices, which he believed violated the 1866 Civil Rights Act’s Section 1981 that states Black people should not be discriminated against in business contracts, Burlington County Times reported.
Comcast denied any wrongdoing and claimed that they did not agree to air Allen’s channels due to low ratings.
“Mr. Allen’s frivolous, baseless claims — which a judge appointed by President Carter threw out three times as having nothing to do with race — debase and distort those laws. We are fully aligned with the view that this case should never have happened and we continue to hope that Mr. Allen will do the right thing and withdraw his claim — a move that would promptly terminate the Supreme Court case and bring this entire episode to an end,” a Comcast spokesperson said.
According to Burlington County Times, the NAACP became involved after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Comcast’s appeal of a 2018 decision by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in California overturned several lower court decisions dismissing the case. With Comcast arguing that race should be a determining factor instead of a motivating factor, the NAACP fears this case give a devastating blow to the landmark civil rights act.
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“The Civil Rights Act of 1866 rendered equalizers for black people in this country as it relates to employment, contracting and building wealth. Our expectations of Comcast, Byron Allen (Entertainment Studios) and ALL companies are that they employ and/or contract with black people and not discriminate based on race,” Southern Burlington County NAACP president, Crystal Charley said. “At stake here is far bigger than Comcast or Mr. Allen. Our position regarding this case is based on irretrievable harm to black people and other marginalized communities.”
Despite the controversy, Comcast is still holding out hope that moviegoers will go out to see “Harriet” in November.
“Focus Features has a longstanding history of releasing and telling stories that matter,” the spokesperson said. “This film and seeing Harriet Tubman’s life on screen is about celebrating her courage and legacy, and we hope as many people come out to theaters to do just that.”
The Supreme Court is expected to begin hearing arguments in the case next month.
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LaVar Ball is Restructuring Big Baller Brand
The resurrection has started! According to Sporting News, LaVar Ball, father of New Orleans Pelican’s player, Lonzo Ball, has stated that his disheveled sneaker company, Big Baller Brand, is restructuring amid a fractured relationship with former business partner, Alan Foster.
“The Big Baller Brand is alive and well. The Brand has been restructuring, and we are working to reveal the new website in the next few weeks. It will have a new look and a new name. www.BigBallerBrandInc.com” LaVar Ball reveals on his Twitter account.
“Unfortunately, Alan Foster continues to try and leverage the Ball Family name for his own gain. Alan Foster is a convicted felon who served 7 years in jail for defrauding people out of their money. He is a thief and con man and cannot be believed or trusted.”
Back in March, Lonzo Ball told ESPN that he believes that Alan Foster, a friend of Lonzo’s father for almost a decade who owns 16.3% of Big Baller Brand, had “used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself. As a result, I have decided to sever all ties with Alan, effective immediately.”
“This has been a very difficult decision as I had a great deal of love and respect for Alan,” Lonzo said at that time. “But the time has come for me to take responsibility for my own career both on and off the court.”
According to documents and emails reviewed by ESPN, Lonzo’s financial adviser, Humble Lukanga of Life Line Financial Group, alleged in an October email that Lonzo’s and Big Baller’s taxes could not be completed on time due to an inability to account for the whereabouts of $1.5 million.
In the meantime, Foster has taken over the Big Baller Brand website and when you click on the site’s logo, it redirects you to his website, Alan Foster Official, where he advertises an online mentoring course via the Baller Financial Network.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2JswYXv
LaVar Ball is Restructuring Big Baller Brand
The resurrection has started! According to Sporting News, LaVar Ball, father of New Orleans Pelican’s player, Lonzo Ball, has stated that his disheveled sneaker company, Big Baller Brand, is restructuring amid a fractured relationship with former business partner, Alan Foster.
“The Big Baller Brand is alive and well. The Brand has been restructuring, and we are working to reveal the new website in the next few weeks. It will have a new look and a new name. www.BigBallerBrandInc.com” LaVar Ball reveals on his Twitter account.
“Unfortunately, Alan Foster continues to try and leverage the Ball Family name for his own gain. Alan Foster is a convicted felon who served 7 years in jail for defrauding people out of their money. He is a thief and con man and cannot be believed or trusted.”
Back in March, Lonzo Ball told ESPN that he believes that Alan Foster, a friend of Lonzo’s father for almost a decade who owns 16.3% of Big Baller Brand, had “used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself. As a result, I have decided to sever all ties with Alan, effective immediately.”
“This has been a very difficult decision as I had a great deal of love and respect for Alan,” Lonzo said at that time. “But the time has come for me to take responsibility for my own career both on and off the court.”
According to documents and emails reviewed by ESPN, Lonzo’s financial adviser, Humble Lukanga of Life Line Financial Group, alleged in an October email that Lonzo’s and Big Baller’s taxes could not be completed on time due to an inability to account for the whereabouts of $1.5 million.
In the meantime, Foster has taken over the Big Baller Brand website and when you click on the site’s logo, it redirects you to his website, Alan Foster Official, where he advertises an online mentoring course via the Baller Financial Network.
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