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☆ Opinion: What the calls to boycott ‘The Woman King’ are really saying
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Nsenga K. Burton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Nsenga K. Burton Courtesy of Nsenga K. BurtonInspired by true events, “The Woman King” was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and produced by Academy award-winning actress Viola Davis (who also stars) and veteran actress/producer Maria Bello. But there are calls to boycott the film because, to its critics (even those not calling for a boycott), it underplays the role played by the Dahomey Kingdom in the Atlantic slave trade. Join us on Twitter and Facebook“The Woman King” is an outstanding film in the tradition of classics like “Spartacus” (1960), “Braveheart” (1995) and “The Gladiator” (2000). The difference is that Black women are at the center of the action, both on-screen and behind the camera. The effort by some to erase their work in “The Woman King” is lamentable.

☆ The most common crime in UK hotels isn't theft
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Violence against another person" is by far the most common criminal offense reported in U.K. hotels, new data shows. 'Magnets for crime'Brian Moore, operations director at hotel security consultancy Global Secure Accreditation, told CNBC that hotels are "magnets for crime." When asked about the U.K. figures, Moore said, "I think most people would be surprised at the volume of crime since the U.K. is relatively safe. Hotel guests should store valuables in room safes, and exercise caution when using a hotel's Wi-Fi. Hotel guests should also ensure they are connecting to the hotel network and not a similarly named, fake one.

☆ For first time, Brazil's census counts Black communities founded by enslaved people
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

SALVADOR, Brazil — For the first time in its 132-year history, the Brazilian census now underway includes a question counting members of the “quilombo” communities founded by runaway enslaved people. “One of our objectives is to escape an intentional invisibility.”Her friend Eliete Paraguassu, 42, is mounting another front in the strategy. Quilombos were formed over centuries by enslaved people who escaped forced labor to create isolated, self-subsistence communities in remote forests and mountain ranges or on islands like Ilha de Mare. Quilombo residents now hope that a proper count of their numbers and more elected voices will open the door to improved social services and guarantees of rights for people and places long left off official maps. On Ilha de Mare, quilombo residents have for generations survived on the hard work of artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen.

☆ Big business likes to trumpet ESG credentials. But a 'greenwashing' reckoning could be on the horizon
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Many of these claims are now viewed through the prism of ESG, or environmental, social and governance. But here's the rub: Definitions of ESG often vary and are hard to pin down. Over in the United States, scrutiny of claims about sustainability and ESG is also taking place. When contacted by CNBC, Vale — which has an "ESG Portal" on its website — referred to a statement issued on April 28. The debate surrounding greenwashing is becoming increasingly fierce, with the charge often leveled at multinational companies with vast resources and significant carbon footprints.

Paraguassu is one of the record number of Black candidates running for state and federal office in October 2022 elections. REUTERS/Amanda PerobelliSALVADOR, Brazil, Sept 20 (Reuters) - For the first time in its 132-year history, the Brazilian census now underway includes a question counting members of the "quilombo" communities founded by runaway slaves. Quilombo residents now hope that a proper count of their numbers and more elected voices will open the door to improved social services and guarantees of rights for people and places long left off official maps. Bolsonaro was fined 50,000 reais ($10,000) in 2017 for insulting quilombo residents, saying that "they do nothing" and are "not even good for procreating." On Ilha de Mare, quilombo residents have for generations survived on the hard work of artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen.

☆ Veterans criticize Doug Mastriano for wearing 'the uniform of traitors' after a photo of him in a Confederate outfit surfaces
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly 60 veterans signed a letter criticizing Doug Mastriano for wearing a Confederate uniform. Mastriano, a Pennsylvania Republican, wore the uniform in a faculty photo for the US Army War College. As Reuters reported in August, Mastriano — a state senator running for governor – chose to wear the Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the US Army War College. Mastriano has battled claims of extremism since winning the GOP nomination with the help of former President Donald Trump. Mastriano paid the site $5,000 and praised its founder, Andrew Torba, an anti-Semite who identifies as a Christian nationalist.

☆ Organized groups fuel rapid rise in U.S. book-banning, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There were 2,532 instances of individual book bans affecting 1,648 titles at 5,000 schools with 4 million students, according to the report. The research found 1,000 more book bans than were documented in the group's initial report released in April. PEN America said the rapid rise came as a growing number of groups have targeted books dealing with race or LGBTQ issues. The report identified at least 50 groups active in pushing for book bans, the vast majority of which have formed since 2021. More than 40% of the banned titles address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer themes or have prominent queer characters.

Now, in response to the 1619 Project and its examination of slavery, Texas leaders have created an alternative project that highlights their state’s contributions. Greg Abbott approved a 15-page draft of a document titled the Texas 1836 Project, which is named for the year that Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project, said the Texas project was a tactic to limit the discussion of slavery. In addition to approving the Texas 1836 Project, in June 2021 Abbott signed a critical race theory bill limiting the teaching of race relations in schools. She said the Texas project was a tactic to limit the discussion of slavery, not to limit discussion of critical race theory.

Many residents were especially incensed that their countries were helping pay for the royal tour. The same goes for Canada, where the support for having a foreigner as head of state has also been eroding. The sun was already setting on the British Empire when Elizabeth took the throne in 1953. With Charles now king, that trend is likely to continue, said Prior. “I don’t think that these conversations taking place across the world are conversations that the new king would have a great deal of control over,” Prior said.

☆ Cloud of colonialism hangs over Queen Elizabeth’s legacy in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-10 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —The death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted an outpouring of reflection and reaction online. Among the worst atrocities under British rule occurred during the Mau Mau uprising, which started in 1952 – the year Queen Elizabeth took the throne. Queen Elizabeth II on her way to the Kumasi Durbah with Kwame Nkrumah, President of Ghana, during her tour of Ghana, November 1961. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to a crowd of schoolchildren at a rally held at a racecourse in Ibadan, Nigeria, February 15, 1956. Queen Elizabeth II dances with President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, during her visit to Accra, Ghana, in 1961.

☆ How Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey's Bitcoin Academy provides financial inclusion and breaks down barriers of inequity
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( John Lynch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Insider profiled Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey's Bitcoin Academy at the conclusion of its program for Marcy Houses in Brooklyn. For Marcy resident Mariela Regalado, The Bitcoin Academy represented a continuation of an altruism she had seen from Jay-Z firsthand. Lamar Wilson teaching at The Bitcoin Academy. Following the conclusion of its summer courses at Marcy Houses, The Bitcoin Academy is "looking to expand to other neighborhoods soon," the program said. The over 350 people who attended The Bitcoin Academy classes let us know that this education is important to them - and that it matters.

William Barr said in his confirmation hearings to become Trump's attorney general, that he might recuse himself on overseeing matters related to Epstein. A photo from 2000 shows Trump, Melania Trump (then Melania Knauss), Epstein, and Maxwell at the resort together. The photo at the top of the page is of the two together in Palm Beach in 1997. The entry for Donald Trump as it appears in Jeffrey Epstein's "black book" that was published by Gawker in 2015. The complaint, brought against Trump and Epstein, alleged that the victim attended multiple parties at Epstein's residence in the summer of 1994, that Trump also attended.

☆ 23 Black leaders who are shaping history today
▼ + stars: | 2021-02-01 | by ( Courtney Connley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +39 min

Following the lead of trailblazers throughout American history, today's Black history-makers are shaping not only today but tomorrow. —Cory StiegRosalind Brewer, 58, Walgreens' next CEO and only Black woman to currently lead a Fortune 500 firmWalgreens' next CEO Rosalind Brewer. When she steps into this new role, she will be the only Black woman currently leading a Fortune 500 firm, and just the third Black woman in history to serve as a Fortune 500 CEO. "When you're a Black woman, you get mistaken a lot," she said during a 2018 speech at her alma mater, Spelman College. —Tom Huddleston Jr.Jason Wright, 38, first Black president of a National Football League teamWashington Football Team president Jason Wright.

Persons: Shirley Chisholm, John Lewis, Maya Angelou, Mary Ellen Pleasant, Kamala Harris, Gene Kim, Harris, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, Shyamala, —, — Cory Stieg Rosalind Brewer, Rosalind Brewer, Ursula Burns, Mary Winston, Brewer, Kimberly, Clark, she's, — Courtney Connley, Kizzmekia, Corbett, Kizzmekia Corbett, Anthony Fauci, Fauci, Dr, — Cory Stieg Victor J, Glover , Jr, Victor Glover, Amanda Gorman, Joe Biden, Gorman, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Lady Jill Biden, Robert Frost, Oprah, Angelou, — Jennifer Liu, Amanda Gorman's, Raphael Warnock, Georgia's, Kelly Loeffler, Warnock, Ebenezer Baptist Church —, — Abigail Johnson Hess Rashida Jones, Rashida Jones, Jones, Kristen Welker, Carole Simpson, Nicolle Wallace's, Dorothy Tucker, Brown, — Taylor Locke Sandra Lindsay, Sandra Lindsay, Lindsay, She's, I'm, Jade Scipioni Nicholas Johnson, Princeton's, Nicholas Johnson, Princeton University's, Johnson, William Massey, — Abigail Johnson Hess Cynthia, Cynt, Marshall, Cynthia Marshall, Cynt Marshall, George Floyd, Marshall —, Mark Cuban, Scipioni, Cynthia Marshall's, Dallas Mavericks Cori Bush, Missouri's, Missouri, Cori Bush, Michael Brown, Ferguson, William Lacy Clay Jr, Bush, Essence.com, I've, he's, Louis, Clay, — Jennifer Liu Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon's, Jeff Bezos Alicia Boler Davis, Alicia Boler Davis, Boler Davis, Jeff Bezos, alums, Jennifer Liu, Noah Harris, Harvard Noah Harris, Harvard's, It's, we've, Fentrice Driskell, Du Bois, — Abigail Johnson Hess, Harvard Mellody Hobson, Mellody Hobson, Ariel Investments, Hobson, — Courtney Connley Sydney Barber, Sydney Barber, Barber, Ms, Janie Mines, wasn't, Mines, Jesse Collins, Collins, Indiewire, " Collins, Jennifer Liu Nia DaCosta, Nia DaCosta, Marvel, DaCosta, Nora Ephron, Jordan Peele, Peele, — Tom Huddleston Jr, Aicha Evans, Zoox, Evans, Jason Wright, Wright, He's, Dan Snyder, — Emmie Martin Dana Canedy, Dana Canedy, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Dana Canedy's, Canedy, Denzel Washington, Alicia Adamczyk, Schuster Bozoma Saint John, Saint John, Beyonce, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson, — Courtney Connley Cheick Camara, Ermias Tadesse, Cornell University's, Cheick Camara, Ermias Organizations: CNBC, White, South, Latina, Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Democrat, United States Senate, U.S, Walgreens, Fortune, Starbucks, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Xerox, Bed, Sam's, Walmart, Nonwovens, Spelman College, Moderna, National Institute of Allergy, National Urban League, FDA, Vaccine Research, University of North, Space Station, NASA, Capitol, LA, Poet, Harvard, Georgia, Black, Morehouse College cum, Ebenezer Baptist Church, United, MSNBC, University of Missouri's School of Journalism, NBC, ABC News, National Association of Black Journalists, Jewish Medical Center, Northwell, Long, Pfizer, Pew Research Center, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NBA Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Mavericks, NBA, Mavericks, Congress, Senate, Democratic, Green New Deal, General Motors Institute, GM, Amazon, Employees, Amazon's, Ariel Investments, Ariel, Financial Planning's Diversity, Princeton University, JPMorgan, Lucas Family Foundation, Hobson College, Naval, U.S . Naval Academy, U.S . Naval, Naval Academy, Academy, Super, Super Bowl, Jesse Collins Entertainment, ViacomCBS Cable Networks, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount Network, VH1, Marvel, Marvel Studios, Marvel Universe, Tribeca, Wall Street, George Washington University, Intel, Financial, Automotive News, National Football League, Washington Football, Washington Football Team, National Football, NFL, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, University of Chicago, McKinsey & Company, Washington, Morning, Simon &, New York Times, Jordan, Crown Publishers, New Yorker, Netflix, Saint, Longtime, Endeavor, Uber, Apple, PepsiCo, BlackGen Capital, Cornell, BlackGen Locations: United States, Oakland , California, India, America, White, California, University of North Carolina, Chapel, Los Angeles, Georgia's, Savannah , Georgia, Ebenezer, Long, New York, Queens , New York, Jamaica, Princeton, Montreal, Canada, Spring, Missouri, Louis, St, Detroit, Hattiesburg , Mississippi, Florida, Chicago, U.S, Lake Forest , Illinois, Sydney, mull, Senegal, Zoox, Charlottesville , VA

☆ WATCH: Experts discuss race, wealth-building, and closing the racial wealth gap once and for all
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-29 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The racial wealth gap in the United States is enormous — and growing. On September 25 at 4pm EST, a group of thinkers joined Business Insider reporter Taylor Nicole Rogers for a live Zoom discussion on how to close the racial wealth gap. The conversation is a part of our "Inside the racial wealth gap" series. On September 25 at 4pm EST, a group of thinkers joined Business Insider reporter Taylor Nicole Rogers for a live conversation via Zoom on closing the racial wealth gap. This conversation is part of Business Insider's "Inside the racial wealth gap" series, examining how we got here and why the wealth gap persists.

When the enslaved population was first freed, the Freedman's Bank was established to provide a savings and wealth-building tool. Black bank customers lost millions in deposits. When Freedman's Bank closedA short nine years after opening, the Freedman's Bank closed in 1874. The Freedman's Bank collapse destroyed Black people's trust in financial systemsMy grandmother had a bank account. In short, in the African American community, the Freedman's Bank collapse is to finance what the Tuskegee experiments are to healthcare.

☆ How Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the US, finally became recognized as a holiday by major companies like Nike and Lyft — and landed in the center of a Trump controversy
▼ + stars: | 2020-06-15 | by ( Taylor Borden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While it is not a federal holiday, many companies like Twitter and Nike are now choosing to recognize the day by closing offices. President Donald Trump drew controversy by scheduling a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Juneteenth — the site of a 1921 race massacre. Juneteenth, a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth," has been commemorated by Black Americans as an independence day in Texas since 1866. On June 12, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league will recognize Juneteenth by closing offices, as well. JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump's announcement to start his 2020 election campaign rallies in Tulsa on Juneteenth immediately stirred controversy.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Abraham Lincoln, General Gordon Granger, Juneteenth, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Jack Dorsey, Roger Goodell, George Floyd, Bastiaan, JEFF KOWALSKY, Donald Trump's, Trump's, Trump, Tim Scott Organizations: Americans, Twitter, Nike, Service, Black Americans, Austin History, Austin Public, House, NFL, Getty Images Trump, Juneteenth, Greenwood, Getty, Republican, CBS Locations: Texas, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Galveston, Austin , Texas, Americas, Minneapolis , Minnesota, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Tulsa, Battle Creek , Michigan, AFP, Juneteenth, Lincoln

☆ We asked CEOs from 24 companies like HP and Prudential about their actions plans for addressing equality and racism. Here are the 5 main takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2020-06-13 | by ( Jennifer Eum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After releasing heartfelt statements recognizing systemic racism in the US and pledging to fix it, corporate America's response is taking shape. Social media platform TikTok, for example, is using an internal diversity task force to solicit insight from outside organizations and experts. Many organizations making donations to organizations like historically black colleges or investing in causes to advance social justice. Blue Apron, the meal-kit service, will give a day off to employees for election day, November 3. The quick responses from these CEOs indicate that deeper conversations on diversity, equality, and inclusion have taken shape at the top-most levels of large companies.

Persons: George Floyd's, EY, Kelly Grier, Edward Jones, It's, Enrique Lores, Ali Ghodsi, Albert Bourla, Publicis, Burson, Cohn, Wolfe, Juneteenth Organizations: Business, Consulting, Employees, Duke Energy, Cannabis, Inc, Microsoft, Pfizer, Black, Citrix, Capital, Publicis Groupe, US, Nike, Twitter Locations: America

☆ 5 momentous military events that took place on Christmas Day
▼ + stars: | 2017-12-11 | by ( Business Insider | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

1868 — US President Andrew Johnson pardons former Confederate soldiersPresident Andrew Johnson Pardoning Rebels at the White House en.wikipedia.orgNearly a century later, on Christmas Day 1868, US President Andrew Johnson extended a full pardon and amnesty "to all and to every person who, directly or indirectly, participated in the late insurrection or rebellion." At war's end, however, he seemed to determine to punish those who had rebelled to preserve the institution of slavery. The day after being sworn in as the nation's president, Johnson said that "treason must be made infamous, and traitors must be impoverished." Prior to this blanket Christmas Day amnesty, southerners who had fought for the Confederacy could obtain a pardon provided only that they swore allegiance to the Union (top officials were excluded). Under "Proclamation 179," pardons were extended "to every person who, directly or indirectly, participated in the late insurrection."

☆ The child sex trade in Cambodia
▼ + stars: | 2015-04-03 | by ( Lisa Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In 2013, the Freedom Project went to Cambodia with Oscar-winning actress and UNODC Goodwill Ambassador against Human Trafficking, Mira Sorvino. The result was “Every Day in Cambodia: A CNN Freedom Project Documentary,” which looked at child sex trafficking in the country. In Svay Pak, a notorious child sex trafficking hub in Phnom Penh, Sorvino met Kieu, who was then around 14 years old. She had been rescued from sex trafficking by Agape International Missions (AIM), a non-profit for trafficked and at risk children and teenagers. “If people weren’t trying to buy child sex it wouldn’t be being sold.”Watch the video above to find out more.

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