WSSN Stories

EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—(ENN)—- A team of 7 Black climbers has made history as the first all-Black expedition to make it to the top of Mount Everest, which is the Earth’s highest mountain above sea level.

Seven Full Circle Everest team members — Manoah Ainuu, Eddie Taylor, Rosemary Saal, Demond Mullins, Thomas Moore, James “KG” Kagami, and Evan Green — successfully made it to the summit of Mount Everest on May 12.

They made the attempt to summit the highest mountain in the world after countless hours of preparations, training, and dedication. It took them nearly 40 days to reach the top since they started the historic journey.

Moreover, Full Circle Everest is proud to have brought representation to the highest place on Earth wherein out of the over 10,000 summits as of 2020, only 10 Black climbers have reportedly summited. The team is hoping to change the future of mountaineering, making it more accessible to people of color.

The group wrote on their GoFundMe page, “Everest is not the end goal, but just the beginning. Our expedition will reshape the narrative of the outdoors to one that is inclusive and where everyone belongs. Each member of this team has a powerful story to share. Together, we speak to many histories, traditions, and ancestries.”

EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK— (ENN)— Meet Joseph Carswell and Daryl D. Jones, two African American entrepreneurs who have launched a very ambitious project called Wealth First City, a series of smart cities centered around technology, finance, and green space for about 10,000 citizens. Their first three smart cities will be completed by the year 2030 and will be located in Ghana, West Africa, the country of Belize, and the Cayman Islands.

To date, there are over 225 smart cities being built around the world with the leading smart city called Neom being built in Saudi Arabia and slated to be finished in 2025.

In addition to their smart city projects, Wealth First also helps to close the wealth gap by assisting hundreds of minority-owned businesses to secure capital. To date, the company has helped hundreds of businesses and individuals $10 million in loans and lines of credit.

For more details about Wealth First, visit its official web site at WealthFirstInc.com

When “Back to Lyla” hits major Video-on-Demand (VOD) streaming and cable/satellite TV platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, iTunes, and DirecTV, it won’t just be another romantic comedy. The feature film is undoubtedly a quirky, hilarious love story jam-packed with star power featuring performances from actors known for hit shows such as “Yellowstone,” “Legacies,” and “Shameless” just to name a few. But there’s another element that deserves a moment in the spotlight: “Back to Lyla” is the brainchild of a Latin American production company and a team led by a majority of female producers and filmmaker America Young. As empowering as the cast and crew will attest to this being for them, the combination is a rarity for a feature film in Hollywood.

“Everyone talks about more diversity and representation in Hollywood, especially with women at the forefront, but it’s rare to see it achieved on such a large scale, as we accomplished with “Back to Lyla,’” said Young.

Young is riding a wave of success with a number of high-profile projects under her belt and knows a thing or two about inclusion. Young, who was honored with the Humanitarian Award by  the University of California, San Diego in 2020 for empowering women in film and television, recently directed the pilot for a soon-to-be released Apple TV+ series “Surfside Girls.” “Back to Lyla” will be her second feature film in the director’s chair.

The story for “Back to Lyla,” which was written by Guillermo Noriega who hails from Mexico, centers around a young man who is under the belief he is dying. In a desperate attempt to make the most of his life, Mark, played by Argentina-born and BAFTA-winning actor Gonzalo Martin, recruits his childhood friends to help him track down the love of his life Lyla, played by Hassie Harrison known for her roles in “Yellowstone” and “Tacoma FD.” The film also stars Emma Kenney from “Shameless,” Tracie Thoms from “Truth Be Told,” and Chris Lee who is a series regular in the hit TV show “Legacies.”

“Back to Lyla” was Martin’s first stint as a producer — a test for the international actor, which Young firmly believes he passed with flying colors.

“It felt like the stars aligned with this wonderful cast and crew for Back to Lyla. So many factors have to come together and Gonzalo was the force behind all of it. He handled it all while still giving a layered and beautiful performance. He also had a brilliant support system with Julie and Graham. I could not be more proud of our team.” said Young.

The film was also produced by Ana Menendez, Julie Bersani, Graham E. Sheldon, and executive produced by Maria Jose Michelucci. The film will be released by powerhouse distributor 1091 Pictures, which acquired the rights earlier this year.

“‘Back to Lyla’ was a phenomenal experience. I had to pivot between producing and acting, which was quite challenging at times, but I worked with an outstanding cast and crew through the entire process who understood what I was trying to convey with this film. It was an honor to work with professionals who were all on the same page and helped the film become a reality,” said Martin.

“Maria Jose was a true visionary. She saw the potential of this magical story and continuously supported the development of the film. Working with her and such a stellar production team of diverse artists brought another dimension to the filmmaking process that I will always cherish. I believe our backgrounds also contributed to the quality and uniqueness of this film, which people will be able to see for themselves when it is released,” he added.

“Back to Lyla” will be released on digital streaming platforms such as Amazon, iTunes, VUDU, and cable/satellite providers AT&T, DirecTV, and more on June 28.

By Glynda  Carr

The Supreme Court just dealt a devastating blow to reproductive rights. With its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, five Republican-appointed Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court swept away half a century of progress and eviscerated women’s rights and equality. After last month’s leaked opinion, we knew this moment could come, but that doesn’t make today’s news any easier to digest.

For Black women in this country, today’s decision is especially devastating. Thirteen percent of American women are Black, but 38% of people receiving abortion care are Black. Abortion is necessary healthcare – and a lack of access can quite literally mean life or death for many Black women. This is especially true for Black women who have lower incomes, live in rural areas, and do not have access to health care because of systemic racism and discrimination.

According to CDC data, Black women are nearly three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women and are more likely to face maternal health issues. With new abortion restrictions and bans, these health outcomes are expected to get even worse: a 2021 Duke University study estimated the potential death toll following a total abortion ban and found a 33 percent increase in Black women who died due to pregnancy-related complications.

The states that are already moving to ban abortion are among those with the largest Black populations in the country. Consider Mississippi, the state with the highest percentage of Black residents in the nation, and one of the 13 states with a “trigger law” that ensured today’s decision would result in a near-immediate ban on abortion access. Three other states with the highest proportion of Black residents – Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas – have these trigger laws in place, and many other states, especially in the South, are moving to severely restrict or outright ban abortion.

The impact of new abortion bans and restrictions will be felt most acutely by poor and working-class Black women – Black women are significantly more likely to live in poverty compared to white women. For these women, the overturning of Roe won’t mean that abortions will end; it will mean that access to critical, potentially life-saving healthcare will move hundreds of miles out of reach. It will mean time off of work (likely unpaid) and travel and childcare costs – expenses that may not be possible for women living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to simply put meals on the table.

At a time like this, when daughters suddenly have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers, it is challenging to imagine a way forward. But the answer is to do everything we can to restore our rights and ensure every woman has access to the healthcare they need and deserve, a right afforded to them under our nation’s Constitution. To do that, we need to elect and elevate more Black women. Black women have been at the forefront of the fight to protect and expand reproductive rights – from members of Congress like Reps. Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, and Lauren Underwood, to our first Black woman Vice President Kamala Harris, to soon-to-be-seated Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. We must elect Stacey Abrams to lead the state of Georgia – one of the states that is now positioned to severely restrict, or overturn the right to access abortion care under the leadership of their current Governor, Brian Kemp. And finally, we need to not only encourage, but throw our unwavering support behind more Black women from all across the country to run for office – women who personally understand the deep impact that a lack of healthcare and abortion restrictions have on communities thathave lacked fair representation for far too long.

Today and every day, I stands with my partners and allies ready to continue the critical fight for access to affordable, safe, legal abortions for all women, no matter where they live, how they identify, or how much money they have. We will not back down.

Glynda Carr is president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, the only national organization providing Black women with a political home exclusively dedicated to harnessing their power to expand Black women’s elected representation and voting participation, and advance progressive policies.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.

By Lou Yeboah

Boasting in your arrogance!  Deceived by your comfort! ‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, Who have eyes but do not see; Who have ears but do not hear [Jeremiah 5:21]?  Be mindful, of the height from which you have fallen. Repent at once, and act as you did at first, or else I will surely come and remove your lampstand out of its place” [Revelation 2:4-5]. “What is your life, but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” [James 4:14]. Repent while it is still daybreak!

For, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and destroy the sinners thereof out of it. [Isaiah 13:9]. For Thus saith the Lord, “I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” [Isaiah 13:9-11]. Living on the Edge! Boasting in your arrogance! Deceived by your comfort! Repent while you still have a chance!

And when He, [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, He, wept over it, saying, ““If you, even you, had only known on this day the things that make for peace ??? but now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you, and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” [Luke 19:41-44]. I tell you; God is about to turn up the heat. Repent now before it is too late!

“And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. [Revelation 9]. The results of Living on the Edge!

LOS ANGELES, CA— Areva Martin is one of the nation’s leading voices in media, covering topics such as law, race, politics, pop culture, celebrity, and breaking news! She has a unique way of blending her outstanding legal expertise with her passion for promoting inclusion, diversity, and equality within ALL environments!

A Harvard University law graduate, Martin releases a statement about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade:

Statement by Areva Martin:

The aftershocks of today’s SCOTUS opinion overturning Roe vs. Wade are already rippling across the country, as many states have trigger laws withdrawing the established right to abortion. This devastating decision is happening despite that documented fact that a majority of this country — Democrats and Republicans alike — support the abortion and understand it as a fundamental right.

Black and brown women in this country have always struggled with obstacles to equality and with the bitter reality that, as citizens, we are “lesser than.” And, as always, Black and brown women and those struggling to get by financially will be hit hardest by the ruling.

As a lawyer deeply engaged with civil rights issue, I am appalled at a ruling that claims, at its core, the justification that the right to abortion is not specifically enumerated in the constitution. The Constitution is silent on countless other rights we rely on every day in this country; it’s [saying] that a woman’s right to abortion is the one the Court has chosen to decimate today.

The concurring opinion of Justice Thomas should be a wake-up call to everyone. Thomas calls out the rights to same-sex marriage and contraceptives as examples of others that are not enumerated in the constitution. He is laying out the game plan of the right. We should consider ourselves forewarned.

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Dr. Willie Morrow, publisher emeritus of the San Diego Monitor and creator of one of the most well-known symbols of Black pride, the Afro Pick, passed away at his home surrounded by family on Wednesday, June 22.

Morrow is also the creator of “California Curl,” a once-popular hair texturizer many call the forerunner to the Jheri Curl.

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to a family of sharecroppers, Morrow taught himself the basics of barbering and chemistry, tools that served as the foundation to his hair care empire.

From the 1960’s to the mid-1990’s, Dr. Morrow set up his headquarters at 4165 Market Street in San Diego. The two-story building housed his barbershop, salon and publication company where he printed the San Diego Monitor newspaper and operated a San Diego’s 92.5 FM radio station

“There was no voice other than the radio at the time,” said Morrow in a 2017 interview with San Diego Voice and Viewpoint newspaper. “When we first started throwing the paper, we would have mountains of them, about 15 or 20 thousand. We would throw them in every home and church in the community. Then we married the print and radio components together (with 92.5). It became the most powerful tool in the Black community.”

In the 70s, as his popularity grew within the beauty industry, the Department of Defense enlisted Morrow to teach and cut hair on military bases and in war zones, which led to him writing several hair styling and barbering technique books.

In 2016, the Museum at California Center for the Arts in Escondido curated an exhibit honoring Dr. Morrow and his accomplishments. The exhibit featured more than 250 objects, from paintings to vintage hair styling equipment. Most of the objects were part of Morrow’s own private collection.

The exhibit also included a diorama of Morrow’s Market Street barbershop, featuring the barber chair he used for years. The red velvet chair hosted local Black leaders including the first Black judge in San Diego County, Judge Earl Gilliam, and even basketball hall of famer Michael Jordan as customers.

Following his death, Morrow’s daughter, Cheryl Morrow, will now take over the newspaper and oversee her father’s California Curl Company.

“He had the foresight not just to create the style but the service so it can enrich an industry,” said Morrow to ABC 10 News in San Diego. “Prior to 1962, you couldn’t buy a comb exclusively for your cultural affinity,” says Morrow. “While that whole era was going on, San Diego Black panthers had the best afros.”

Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) tweeted about the impact Morrow had on the city he called home.

“Our community is rocked by the news of the passing of Dr. Willie Morrow. He was a true San Diego success story; having built several businesses from hair care products to publishing. His legacy as an entrepreneur and community educator will continue to touch and inspire many.”

Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist and founder of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates, expressed his grief about Morrow’s death.

“Lost for words. To a man I called Dad, mentor, and confidant. Rest in Peace. Dr. Willie Morrow was one of a kind and was an innovator. San Diego has lost a tremendous leader. The creator of the California Curl and so much more has now left his earthen vessel,” he tweeted.

NEW YORK, NY— ASCAP reveals the chart-topping winners of its 35th annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, taking place today through June 24 on @ASCAP and @ASCAPUrban’s social media channels. Celebrating the songwriters and publishers behind this year’s biggest hits in hip-hop, R&B and gospel, ASCAP’s prestigious Rhythm & Soul Music Awards return in a virtual format, with posts and original videos spotlighting each winner over four days. Fans all over the world can participate by tuning in to @ASCAPUrban on Instagram and @ASCAP on Instagram & Twitter, and using the hashtag #ASCAPAwards.

Rapper Lil Baby has continued his meteoric rise to success, capturing ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for the second year in a row. The prolific, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and artist had a hand in penning several chart-topping hits including “Every Chance I Get,” “Girls Want Girls,” “On Me,” “Rags2Riches 2” and “Wants and Needs.” Fans have been eagerly awaiting the solo follow-up to his four-time certified platinum sophomore album My Turn, which is slated to arrive this summer.

The R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year award is presented to ASCAP songwriters Orville “Buggs Can Can” Hall and Phillip Triggerman Price A.K.A. The Showboys, Dion “Devious” Norman, Tre? Samuels and Dave Welcome for their work on “Go Crazy,” performed by Chris Brown and Young Thug. The hit song broke the record for the most weeks at #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and dominated both pop and hip-hop radio.

The Gospel Song of the Year goes to co-writers Johntá Austin and Jeremy “TryBishop” Hicks for “Speak to Me,” performed by Koryn Hawthorne. “Speak to Me” scored Hawthorne her second #1 single on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart.

Sony Music Publishing scored their third win in an extremely successful year, earning the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year award, following their ASCAP Awards for Pop Music Publisher of the Year and Latin Music Publisher of the Year.

On June 24 at 3PM ET, the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards wrap up with “Deconstructed: Ashanti Breaks Down Her Hits,” a special ASCAP Experience conversation featuring multiplatinum singer and songwriter Ashanti. She will speak with VIBE Editor-in-Chief Datwon Thomas about the 20-year anniversary of her history-making debut album, Ashanti, and delve into the creation of some of her all-time greatest hits. In addition to the Grammy she won for the album, Ashanti has won numerous Billboard and American Music Awards and is a Guinness World Record holder. The event will be broadcast from ASCAP’s YouTube channel. More information is available at www.ascapexperience.com.

Other expected highlights this week include videos from award winners Felisha King Harvey, Brian Warfield and production duo Blaq Tuxedo (Darius and Dominique Logan), breaking down their winning songs in a special Rhythm & Soul Awards edition of ASCAP Urban’s “Deconstructed” series.

A complete list of winners can be found at: http://www.ascap.com/rsawards22.

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP’s mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world’s best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business – from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 850,000 members representing more than 16 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook

By Aldon Thomas Stiles and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Diane Lanette Barkum is an in-home care provider and mom of three. She commutes about 40 minutes every workday between the Riverside County cities of Lake Elsinore, where she lives, and Moreno Valley, where her job is.

Over the last few months, Barkum says she has been stressed and scraping by, struggling to balance sharp increases in the cost of gas and food with making enough money to pay for other expenses.

“What worries me most about rising prices is that they’ll continue to rise, making it more difficult for low-income working parents to be able to support their families,” she said.

Terence Henry, who lives in Patterson in the Central Valley, used to drive 77 miles to the Bay Area to make deliveries as an independent contractor. He says the high cost of gas forced him to give up the job late last year and opt for only making local runs.

“It used to cost me about $50 each way to fill up the tank to get to Oakland, San Francisco and other cities,” he said. “It just was not worth it anymore. I was losing money.

Barkum says she hopes there is relief around the corner for people like her who are working hard, raising children and still unable to make ends meet.

Barkum and Henry are not alone. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, a majority of Californians (27 %) say jobs, the economy and inflation are their top concern over housing costs and availability (12%) and homelessness (11%).

Across the United States, the inflation rate is 8.6% — up from 4.7% last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. And the American Automobile Association reports that the average price per gallon of regular gas in California has risen above $6. Several economists agree that the effects of inflation hit poor and working-class families the hardest.

In Southern California, the inflation rate in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the Inland Empire has risen to 9.4%, according to the UCLA Anderson School of Management. That number is among the highest increases in the country.

Last week, the California Legislature approved a record $300 billion-plus budget for the next fiscal year, the largest annual spending plan in the state’s history. The package includes a surplus of close to $100 billion dollars, half of which must be used to fund schools by law.

Included in the budget are plans to spend the other half. So far, legislators have allotted $8 billion in rebates to taxpayers. Another $1.3 billion has been designated for grants to small business and non-profit organizations. Another $600 million has been specified for tax credits to the lowest-income Californians.

While lawmakers – both Democrats and Republicans – and the governor’s office agree that addressing spiraling inflation is urgent, they have not reached agreement on how to provide relief to struggling families.

Anthony York, Newsom’s senior advisor for communications said in a statement that the Governor still wants “more immediate, direct relief to help millions more families with rising gas, groceries and rent prices.”

At the federal level, US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell approved a three- quarter (0.75) percentage point rate hike — the highest single percentage rate increase since 2008.

“African American owned businesses and families are experiencing the damaging effects of inflation including the current interest rate increase instituted by the Federal Reserve Board. It is important for financial institutions to work with Black-owned businesses and their families to help navigate the rising cost of capital needed to operate and sustain all businesses,” said Timothy Alan Simon, Board Chair of the California African American Chamber of Commerce.

By statute, Gov. Newsom has until June 30 to veto the Legislators’ budget bill or sign it into law.

If the governor approves the budget, it will take effect July 1, the beginning of the 2022-23 fiscal year.  However, negotiations are expected to continue through the end of August as lawmakers hammer out final details.

During the public comment section of the Assembly Budget Committee hearing on June 13, Adrian Mohammed, an African American representative of the Bay Area Health Initiative spoke about the exclusion of a $500 million proposal to address Black housing and anti-displacement in the Bay Area in the budget the Legislature passed.

“We believe that this is an incredibly timely and incredibly necessary ask and we ask that you continue to work with us to get this to come to fruition,” Mohammed told lawmakers.

Two days later, Republican leaders held a rally last week at the State Capitol blasting their Democratic colleagues for their inaction on addressing the high cost of gas.

“Legislative Republicans are gathered here to remind Californians that it has been 100 days since the governor and the Democrats here in Sacramento promised California consumers relief on gas prices. 100 days is far too long,” said Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City). After 100 days, we are still waiting with no relief in sight. We need action now. We’ve been calling since January to suspend the gas tax.”

Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego said the state’s wealth needs to work for hardworking Californians. She pointed to a provision in the budget that provides $200 rebates to working families earning up to $250,000 a year and $125,000 for single filers.

“We are focused on providing struggling families the relief they need to weather rising costs of fuel and groceries, investing ongoing funding in core programs and services, funding one-time infrastructure projects that will keep California moving for years to come,” she said.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) echoed Atkin’s optimism.

“We share a firm belief that our state is strongest when it cares for the weakest among us,” said Rendon. “Our budget proposal continues to lay the groundwork with infrastructure and other investments for future prosperity.”