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What's On Today - Monday

LL COOL J Dropped Out Of Wawa Welcome America Due To Union Strike

LL COOL J garnered the praise of striking union workers for refusing to take the stage during a weekend performance in Philadelphia. In a statement, LL COOL J confirmed in a video statement that he couldn’t cross the picket lines, which prompted both praise and criticism.

As reported by NBC Philadelphia, LL COOL J was one of the booked performers for Wawa Welcome America but declined on the night ahead of the July 4 performance.… Read more

Target Donates $300K To Black Church Group, Activists Want It Returned

In what several activists and spiritual leaders view as an underhanded effort to court Black dollars, Target donated $300,000 to the National Baptist Convention amidst several ongoing Target boycotts nationwide.

According to USA Today, both Rev. Jamal Bryant and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong say the church group accepting the donation does a disservice to their separate, ongoing Target boycotts. Bryant initially called for a 40-day Target boycott before going on to call for a full boycott over the company rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives earlier this year.… Read more

LeBron James Exercises $52.6M Option With Lakers

LeBron James, at the ripe age of 40, is still one of the best basketball players on the planet, and he’ll give a least one more season to the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James exercised a $52.6 million player option, ensuring he’ll play in the coming 2025-26 NBA season.

Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul shared the news of LeBron James picking up the player option with ESPN on Sunday (June 29). According to Paul, James is eyeing the hopes of a championship, a goal that is understandable for the four-time NBA champion.… Read more

King Combs & Ye Ye FKA Kanye West Drop ‘Never Stop’ Project

King Combs, the son of mogul and entertainer Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been supportive of his father throughout the elder Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial. King Combs joined forces with Ye Ye, formerly Ye and Kanye West, for a quick project titled Never Stop, featuring a verse from Ye’s daughter, North West.

King Combs, 27, has previously released a mixtape and a pair of EPs, with Never Stop being his first collaborative effort.… Read more

Outdoor Afro Offers Swim Scholarship Program To Help Close Racial Gap In Water Safety

Outdoor Afro, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reconnecting Black communities with nature, is making waves with its mission to address a long-standing disparity in swim education. The organization has been spreading the word about their Making Waves program, which provides swimming scholarships—or “swimmerships”—to Black children, teens, and adults across the country, according to a report shared by journalist Phillip Lewis on June 24.

The initiative aims to tackle a troubling and persistent issue: Black Americans are significantly more likely to drown than their white counterparts due to their inability to swim.… Read more

Howard University And Google Team Up To Advance AI Speech Recognition For African American English

In a significant move toward advancing inclusivity in technology, Howard University and Google Research have unveiled a new dataset designed to enhance how automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems serve Black users. The collaboration, part of Project Elevate Black Voices, involved researchers traveling nationwide to document the unique dialects, accents, and speech patterns commonly found in Black communities, features often misinterpreted or ignored by current AI systems.

The project spotlights African American English (AAE)—also known as African American Vernacular English, Black English, Ebonics, or simply “Black talk”—a culturally rich and historically rooted linguistic form.… Read more

Nike Will Raise Prices, Shift Production From China Amid Tariff Hits 

For decades, Nike was the premier name in sneakers and sportswear. Through the Jordan brand, the company had become synonymous with Black cool. In recent years, though, the allure of the brand has cooled with sales steadily declining. A recent earnings report revealed that while Nike’s sales decline appears to be reversing, the company expects to take a $1 billion hit due to the Trump administration’s ongoing tariffs.

According to CNBC, the company announced the news during an earnings call with investors on Thursday.… Read more

We are excited to announce that the 5th Annual South Side Stop The Violence Community Cookout is finally here

We are excited to announce that the 5th Annual South Side Stop The Violence Community Cookout is finally here! Join us for the biggest community event of the year!

📅 Date: Thursday, July 31st

🕑 Time: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

📍 Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Park, 4055 Nicollet Ave S

Get ready for a day filled with nonstop fun, community connection, and positive vibes. Everything is FREE!

🎮 Fun games and activities

🍔 Free food and refreshments

🎶 Live music and entertainment

🏀 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

👟Jordan & Nike giveaway

🎪 Water slide, bungee swings, obstacle courses, and bouncy houses, giveaways and much more!… Read more

Kyrie Irving Donates $50K For Tamir Rice Youth Center

NBA star and activist Kyrie Irving has donated $50,000 to a fundraiser launched to support the creation of a youth center honoring the legacy of Tamir Rice.

Nearly a decade after 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by Cleveland police, his name continues to echo, not as a headline but rather a call to action. This week, NBA star point guard Kyrie Irving answered that call with a powerful donation of $50,000 to the Tamir Rice Foundation, bringing a grassroots fundraiser to over $85,000, a huge step closer to its $110,000 goal.… Read more

Diddy And Justin Combs Hit With “Gang Rape” Allegations

According to reports, a startling new lawsuit has been filed against Diddy and his son, Justin Combs, accusing them of luring a woman to California to be raped by Diddy and two other “masked men” in 2017.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday (June 23), alleges that Justin Combs used his father Diddy’s celebrity and position to lure the victim (referred to as Jane Doe in the filing) to California with the promise of a job in television.… Read more