4 Views From Covid-19 to racial justice, how 2020’s biggest issues influenced the Black voteNational pollster Henry Fernandez has
6 Views Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams: How to stay safe and shop onlineA record number of peopleare
7 Views Trump says it will be ‘a very hard thing’ to concede to BidenWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that it’s going to be difficult for him to concede the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden even when the Electoral College is expected to soon formally certify Biden’s victory. “It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede,” Trump told reporters on Thanksgiving evening as he took questions from the press for the first time since the election following a series of video conferences with military service members. Pressed further about whether he would concede once the Electoral College finalizes Biden’s win, Trump said, “If they do, they’ve made a mistake.”
8 Views UPS Finally Ends Ban on Natural Black Hairstyles and BeardsAccording tocnn.com,<br According to cnn.com, United Parcel Service (UPS) finally is lifting several strict rules on how employees who interact with the public — mostly the delivery drivers — can wear their facial hair and hairstyles. To quote from CNN.com: The changes relax the strict limits on facial hair (no beards for most employees, and mustaches limited to above the crease of the lip), how long men could wear their hair (nothing longer than collar length) and hairstyles (no Afros or braids). While styles still must be business-appropriate and not pose a safety concern, those specific limits have been eliminated. The UPS changes also include the lifting of gender-specific regulations, including rules like the length of the uniform’s shorts. The new rules, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, were posted on an internal company web site for employees. “These changes reflect our values and desire to have all UPS employees feel comfortable, genuine and authentic while providing service to our customers and interacting with the general public,” UPS said in a a statement, adding that the company is “determined to continue to make UPS a great place to work for all of our more than 500,000 employees around the world.”
16 Views Homes of Harriet Tubman and Langston Hughes Among 22 Sites Getting Funding to Help Preserve African-American History The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced more than $1.6 million in grants to 22 sites and organizations through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. These monies will help maintain poet and scholar Langston Hughes‘ house in Harlem, New York, The Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, NY, the home of Negro League Baseball star Satchel Paige in Kansas City, Mo., the Emmett Till Memorial Commission in Summer, Miss., ‘The Forum’ in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, the African Meeting House in Boston, MA, the oldest existing black church in the U.S., and the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, among others. In his announcement at 2019’s Essence Festival in New Orleans, Action Fund executive director Brent Leggs championed the importance of this work when he remarked, “The recipients of this funding shine a light on once lived stories and Black culture, some familiar and some yet untold, that weave together the complex story of American history in the United States.”
3 Views Maurice Davis couldn’t find a book with Black entrepreneurs. So he wrote oneMaurice Davis wanted a book about
12 Views The Beauty-Supply Store Run by a 16-Year-Old Paris McKenzie didn’t plan to become the youngest-ever Black owner of a beauty-supply store. Her plan, actually, has always been to become an orthopedic pediatric surgeon: The 16-year-old attends the High School for Health Professions & Human Services and takes sociology classes at Hunter College on the side. “Having my own store wasn’t ever a goal I had on my list,” she says. “It was really like the opportunity was presented to me, and I knew I could do it.” The opportunity came from her mother, Senica Thompson, who owns both Paris Runway Boutique and Paris Hair Studio, which sit across the street from each other on a stretch of Church Avenue filled with Caribbean restaurants, storefront churches, and fish markets. Paris was finishing up a client’s nails at the salon when her mother came in with news that the owners of the beauty-supply store down the block were planning on vacating their building and asked if she was interested in renting the space. Paris said yes straightaway. Not only had she grown up watching her mother run two businesses but she had spent the past several years working at both of them. She had saved money ringing up customers at the boutique and installing and coloring wigs at the salon — earning enough to cover the first month’s rent on the space ($2,500 a month) and stock the store.
7 Views Local Teen Becomes First Maryland Native To Win Junior Bull Riding Championship One Maryland teenager can now call himself a bull riding champion. His name is Nick Jackson. “The first time I ever did it, I was a whole mix of different things,” the 13-year-old said. “I was excited, I was a little scared, but not too much.” It could be Nick wasn’t so scared because being a cowboy is in his blood. “Nick is a fifth-generation cowboy from my wife’s side, it’s in his DNA,” Corey Jackson, Nick’s father, said. Unlike most other cowboys, Nick is from Maryland. “When we travel, folks are surprised to hear that we’re from Maryland,” Corey Jackson said. “The first thing they say is, ‘Wow, we didn’t know there were any cowboys in Maryland.'” But when Nick is riding his bull, none of that matters. “In bull riding, you have to stay on for eight seconds, and within that eight seconds, you want to stay as controlled as possible without touching the bull with your free arm,” Nick said. He did exactly that, winning this year’s championship.