#Black African Investor

[thelettilady]

~ New Book Release ~

Hello everyone! I am beyond excited to announce that my very first full fictional book, “Urban Currents,” is finally ready to be shared with the world! 🎉 This journey has been nothing short of incredible, and I am so grateful for all the support and encouragement I’ve received along the way. From the initial spark of an idea to the countless hours of writing and editing, it’s been a labor of…

[battleangel]

Jeff Goldblum warning us in Jurassic Park that cloning dinosaurs is raping mother nature was apparently an instruction manual and not a warning.

"Colossal Biosciences, a biotechnology company founded in 2021, is working to genetically resurrect the woolly mammoth by combining its genes with Asian elephant DNA. The company's goal is to create a hybrid species, called a "mammophant", that will look and behave like a woolly mammoth. Colossal plans to use cloning techniques similar to those used to create Dolly the sheep in 1996, inserting genetically edited cells into an elephant egg that would then be gestated by a surrogate elephant. The company has said it intends to complete the project by 2027."

Exploitative KKKapitalism = Eating like 💩 in the neighborhood! "Studies have shown that the prevalence of fast-food restaurants is positively correlated with the percentage of Black residents in urban neighborhoods in the U.S. Similar trends have been found for liquor stores."

$Anything for a Dollar$

"While dollar stores can fill a need in low-income neighborhoods, they are often regarded as predatory businesses that harm communities more than they benefit them, due to very low wages, displacing other grocery options while failing to sell fresh food, store design that increases the rate of armed robberies, and OSHA and FDA violations that put customers and employees at risk."

Who Needs Fresh Food?

"There are no fresh vegetables, fruits, or meats in most dollar stores. And yet, as limited as their offerings are, dollar stores are now feeding more Americans than Whole Foods is, and they’re multiplying rapidly. Since 2011, the number of dollar stores nationwide has climbed from about 20,000 to nearly 30,000. There are now more dollar stores than Walmart and McDonalds locations combined."

Dollar Tree Customers = Permanent Underclass

"In their latest annual reports, Dollar General and Dollar Tree say they have identified thousands of new locations for dollar stores. The two chains are planning to expand their combined empires to more 50,000 outlets."

“Essentially what the dollar stores are betting on in a large way is that we are going to have a permanent underclass in America,” Garrick Brown, a researcher with the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, told Bloomberg last year.

“The economy is continuing to create more of our core customer,” Dollar General chief executive Todd Vasos told investors last year.

"More than one-third of American adults, and 48 percent of African American adults, are obese."

13% of the US population is Black, and 48% of Black Americans are obese.

"Look at the pharmaceutical companies. In my neighborhood, there is a fast-food restaurant on every block, from Wendy’s to Kentucky Fried Chicken to Popeye’s to Little Caesar’s Pizza. Now drugstores are popping up on every corner, too. So you have the fast-food restaurants that of course cause the diet-related diseases, and you have the pharmaceutical companies there to fix it."

"If you give people access to really good food and a living-wage job, someone is going to lose money. As long as people are poor and as long as people are sick, there are jobs to be made. Follow the money."

"I talk about power, and how power is a drug and power over people is a drug and it’s hard to give up."

"A substantial body of evidence indicates that diet, toxic metals, food additives, insufficient nutrients, food allergy, lack of exercise can all contribute to criminal behavior. Evidence is mounting that a good diet makes a positive difference when working with some offenders."

"Our estimates imply that the 42% drop in the natural gas price in the late 2000s, mostly driven by the shale gas boom, averted 12,500 deaths per year in the United States."

"Participants (60.55%) experienced unexpected or increased medical expenses (17.69%), job loss (13.64%), pay reduction (11.85%), and death of a family member (9.09%). Pay reduction and increased debt were associated with moderate hunger; death of a family member, pay reduction, and increased debt were associated with severe hunger."

Lung Cancer to Avoid Severe Hunger

"In unadjusted models, annual household income <$15,000, non-urban residence, lack of health insurance, unstable housing, heavier food pantry reliance, fair or poor adult health, adult anxiety, and adult smoking to reduce hunger pangs were all positively associated with VLFS-C."

Fast Food = Fast Death

"Survey respondents had 8 ± 7 fast-food outlets within 2 miles of their home. Individuals living in close proximity to fast-food restaurants had higher BMIs, and lower fruit and vegetable consumption."

Happy Meal = Psychiatric Distress & Violence

"Consumption of fast food has been linked to psychiatric distress, violent behaviors, and impulsivity in adolescents."

"The analysis found that liquor stores are disproportionately located in predominantly black neighborhoods, even after controlling for census tract socioeconomic status."

"At equal levels of poverty, Black neighborhoods had the fewest supermarkets."

[darklydeliciousdesires]

London Will Burn - Chapter Eight.

A new week means a new update, besties! :)

Previous chapters - One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Tag list - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed

Words - 3,338

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI.

Those assembled at the table sat in tense wait, the vacant seats to be filled by Elliot as well as a mystery party seeming vast to the major players within London’s criminal network, the meeting watched by eight very intimidating, heavily armed African men dotted around the room.  

Truly, they assumed they had everything sewn up. With Sean gone, as they concluded, Elliot was now the top player of the investors choosing, and with Asif and Lale exiled, London was all theirs. As the dawn broke on a new morning, a new London, they were primed to begin discussing the new balance, the new alliance and shift in power.  

If only that decision was truly theirs to make... 

A set of high heels tapping against the smooth, white floor alerted them to the arrival of another, shocked eyes widening as they took in the last person they’d expected. She was pristine in her black suit, Lale taking a seat at the table, nodding to Luan.  

“Lale, you... I thought you were...” Ed began, the Kurdish woman’s eyes snapping onto him. 

“All great forces have their resurrection.” 

“And Asif?” 

She smirked, reaching for the provided glass of water and taking a sip. “Now there is somebody who shall not be making a return.” The Pakistani might have saved her rather than ended her, as all had thought, but truly, it had been another to elevate her. Asif’s proposal had been good, but, as she’d learned after being helped up off the floor within his home out in Pakistan, by a member of the militia who had stormed the room and gunned him and his associates down, Catherine Cavanagh’s offer was better.  

Lale was shrewd enough to always side with better.  

If shock was the prevailing emotion at seeing the Kurdish gang leader alive and well, it could only be described as all-out disbelief when the final player revealed themselves, Catherine Cavanagh striding in to take her place at the table. 

“I apologise for keeping you all waiting, but there was a loose end that I had to ensure remained tied up. Suffice to say that Elliot Finch shall not be joining us.” she began, incredulous stares all pointing right at her. “Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I have returned. What, did you just assume the Cavanagh’s to have died when my father did? Oh, no. No.”  

“Catherine,” Marian began, her name bitten frostily between her teeth, Rin holding up a finger. 

“No. Now is not the time for you to talk. Now is the time for you to listen, Marian. Surely you can do that, can’t you? I mean, I know being a rotten, duplicitous shit of a mother who sold her sons out for her own profitable gain comes naturally to you, but perhaps listening should, too.” 

The young woman had some balls, she thought, but if nothing else, Catherine was her father’s daughter to a fault.  

Marian was incensed. “I beg your fucking pardon?” 

Straightening in her seat, Rin chuckled. “It is amazing, what can be attained through the assistance of hidden surveillance, or a direct set of ears,” she began, turning to Luan. “Thank you. My father always held you in great esteem. This does not change for me.”  

Marian’s guts twisted, knowing that her associate had been working for another all along, their alliance not as tightly forged as she’d once thought.  

“Now, to the rest of you. The investors you once worked under are no more. I saw to that personally, the ins and outs of such being none of your concern. Moving forward, the direct overlord you now report to is me, the fresh investors backing me fronting enough cash to keep business running just as smoothly and efficiently as it always did. We tire of the battlefield London has become. I think we can all agree that gang warfare is attracting entirely too much heat upon our enterprises. It is time to revert, and that means each and every one of you falls in line.” 

A snort sounded through the quiet of the room, Catherine turning to view Mehmet, leader of the Persian mafia. “Do we have a problem?” 

“Yes, Miss Cavanagh. We do if you expect me or my organisation to take orders from a little girl.”  

She smirked, cocking her head, her eyes narrowed as she stood. A little girl was the teenager who had left London seven years previously. The woman who stood in her place was far from it, a hardened criminal, a prolific arms dealer who solely ran her now late father’s enterprise in and out of Africa.  

In short, she was not to be fucked with. Mehmet might’ve done well to acknowledge that prior to opening his mouth and letting his misogyny flow out for all to see.  

Her hand then reached into her jacket, pulling a glock from her concealed holster and firing upon him. He slumped, sliding from the chair onto the floor, blood beginning to pour from the single bullet hole in his forehead. Her eyes then turned to her nearby associate Atticus, who stood primed and ready. “Find his next in line and offer my terms. If he does not comply, scrub them all.”  

He nodded. “Boss.” 

Her threat needed no interpretation, Rin continuing to slowly walk around the table after holstering her weapon once again. “The laundering for narcotics will continue through Dumani Finance, Ed and Shannon I would like to keep you at the helm of such. Everyone sitting at this table, be assured that your cash will be washed, the drug machine will continue to turn, and from the ashes, the Wallace Corporation will rise, along with the buildings that shall once again begin dotting the London skyline.” 

“May I ask, Catherine,” Ed began, diplomatic in his address as always, understanding well how the balance of power had turned on its axis. He also had no desire to be shot in the head if she so much as gauged the tiniest whisper of disrespect. “Why do you plan to elevate Sean Wallace once more? With Dumani Finance running the legitimate front, surely you need no further holdings?” 

“Not for drugs, Ed, you are correct. For the guns that I will continue to run into Africa and the Middle East – Kurdistan especially - I very much do. My father’s footing in this city slipped the moment he became ill; I have now returned to stamp my mark upon it.” 

Her nod to Lale at the mention of her homeland was reciprocated, the pieces of Catherine’s plan all tying together very neatly. “My proposal is quite clear, ladies and gentlemen. You either work in my new London or die in your old one. I feel my offer is more than fair. You will run your respective helms, but ultimately answer to me. Going forward, our new investors intend to make you all extremely wealthy people. It is now up to you, whether you sink or swim.” 

They all looked to be accepting of her proposal, each leader voicing that entirely, all but Marian. With her son being given his power back, she knew that left no place for her in this new London, not with how Sean now viewed her. She left the meeting quietly, while drinks were poured, hands were shaken, and brand-new alliances formed. They did not loiter for long, each of them filing out, the second youngest woman within the room halted by an elegantly manicured hand upon her shoulder. 

“Oh, and just one more thing, Lale,” Rin began, pressing that hand to her shoulder as she leaned in close to her ear. “If you so much as even wink at Sean Wallace again, I will cut your fucking tits off with a rusty razorblade. Clear?”  

The Kurdish woman smirked, lifting her chin. “You have some fucking balls to make such threats against me, Catherine.” 

“And you have the entirety of the money that funds the freedom of your people running through a fucking empire that I ultimately preside over, as well as the guns used for them to continue the firefight for said freedom supplied at ten percent over cost. Remember that.” 

Rin might not have wanted him, but that did not mean anybody else could have him. Besides, she needed him focused, not getting himself caught up in anything swayed by his rampant libido. Not that Lale was ever likely to open her legs to him again after Sean had sold her out like that. 

He had a penchant for wronging his lovers, it seemed.  

Heading back to the fleet of cars, she and her African associates all left, bar the men who remained to clean up the former Persian mafia boss’s corpse.  

“Silas, stop at McDonald’s on the way. I could murder someone for a McMuffin,” she spoke, the man turning with a frown. 

“You eat that shit?” Reaching, he poked her slender thigh. “You will become chubby, boss.” 

“Oi, you cheeky fucking knob!” she scolded, smacking his arm as he hissed a laugh. “Fucking watch who you’re talking to! Besides, it might be shit, but there’s no McDonald’s in Kenya, so you have no idea whether it’s worth the calories. Trust me, it is.” 

He made a contemplative face. “Then I try this McMuffin also.” Fifteen minutes later, and he was chomping through the double sausage version of the breakfast item, Rin happy with her bacon alternative. “I accept I was wrong, boss. Definitely worth the calories.”  

“See?” she spoke, washing it down with a sip of orange juice. “Told you. I’m never wrong, am I?” 

He snorted a laugh. “And when you are, you are still right.”  

“Exactly.”  

For the last seven years of her own exile to Africa, taking charge of her father’s gun running enterprise porting in Mombasa from the reserve that lay twenty miles north, Silas and Sokoro had not only been her fiercest protectors, but her genuine closest friends. The men had even followed her across an ocean, to a land neither were familiar with in order to keep their titles as heads of her security, which comprised of a fifteen-man team, all ex-Kenyan military.  

It was a well-paid job, and Rin about as delightful and funny as she was truly formidable, the latter they’d both had a hand in bringing out more from anything to skills in weaponry to furthering her proficiency in one-on-one combat. In short, they had assisted in priming her before returning to London, ready to take the criminal empire as hers.  

She’d done so with such finesse, Silas was nothing but proud. As her father would have been.  

“Morning, love.” She was greeted warmly by the embrace of her mother upon entering the kitchen, Diane pressing a kiss to her forehead. “How did it all go?” 

“As expected, only one protested. We’re exactly where we should have always been, head and shoulders above the rest. I suppose I ultimately have you to thank for that.” 

Of course, the notable people who were now funding the investment side of their empire were all contacts close to Diane, persons of extreme wealth, power and influence. “Well, I don’t like to toot my own horn.” 

“Oh, bollocks, mum,” Rin snorted, moving to the coffee machine. “You toot it so much, anybody would think the cavalry were charging in.”  

Although they’d been separated for seven years, their relationship had grown much fonder than it once was, most notably in the last five months since Rin’s return to be close to her father while he was dying, as well as putting the wheels in motion to facilitate the Cavanagh takeover of London.  

Diane laughed, nodding to the machine. “I’ll take an espresso, if you’re offering.”  

“Ah, I was just about to make one of those for somebody else.” Even after seven years, she remembered how he took his coffee.  

“Hm.” Diane’s face was sour as she hummed her answer, tucking her hair behind her ears. “The ginger twat, I take it? He's in the conservatory at present, wisely staying out of my way.”  

“Yes, mum. The ginger twat.” She heard a snort behind her, turning to see a clearly entertained Sokoro. “How’s he behaving?” 

“White man barely says boo to a goose, boss. The doctor come in to check him, give him progress on his brother. Billy is well, arm is stitched and clean, eh.”  

Rin nodded, handing the espresso to her mother before making a second. “Good, I’m glad he isn’t dead. He’s a sweet soul, Billy Wallace.” Much sweeter than his brother, that was for sure. In saving Sean’s life, there was no way she intended to allow his brother to perish, sending him to a private medical facility for immediate assistance. 

It was upon arrival there that he’d been rushed into the care of a doctor whom for years had been paid well to ask no questions over the treatment of certain gangland related injuries. That very doctor had only left Mulford Hall ten minutes prior to her arrival home, after checking the health of her unwelcome house guest.  

Once she’d prepared the coffee’s, the conservatory was where she headed, finding Sean in there, wearing the black jeans and dark brown sweater she’d sent a member of staff out to fetch. Noting that she’d gotten the sizes right to how she remembered him, it was not without a feeling of self-loathing, noticing that the thin knit sweater fitted a little snugger over his biceps than she was expecting, an area that seemed to have filled out more.  

Damn her hormones for reacting. 

“Thank you,” he spoke, taking the coffee from her outstretched hand, Rin stepping back to seat herself at the small table by the door opposed to by his side upon the sofa. “So, do I get to know yet, why I have been saved and brought within the frosty confides of Mulford Hall? If looks could kill, your mother would have withered me three times by now.” 

“Can you fucking blame her?” she spluttered, pausing in taking the first sip from her steaming cappuccino.  

He winced ever so slightly. “I suppose not.” A pause followed. “Now, the reason why I am here. Shall we get to it?” 

Even when at a disadvantage, the man demanded to know the lay of the land. “London is no longer in the hands of the investors, or at least not the ones you knew. A new kingpin has risen to power, backed by a brand-new set of investors.”  

He lifted his chin. “And who have you chosen to rise to this role?” 

Oh, it was a delivery she’d been greatly looking forward to. “Me.”  

And there was the payoff, his brow furrowing, clearly not expecting her reply. “Excuse me?” 

“You fucking heard.” Her statement was delivered with all the biting chill of a Siberian winter, placing her coffee down. “Me. I control London. Well, myself and Luan, Lale, the Dumani’s and a few other notables from their respective outfits. I preside over them all, though.” 

“Wait,” he frowned, unable to believe his ears. “Lale isn’t dead?” 

“No, Sean. Her being dead does nothing conducive for my running of arms further into the Middle East. I’m sure by the time she catches up with you, though, you’ll probably wish that she was.”  

She was taking way too much pleasure in this. His jaw tightened, and after the slugging he’d received in the early hours, it was an action which hurt like hell. “And where the fuck do I fit into all of this, exactly?” 

“Back in your old role, running your family business. The Dumani’s front for the drug cash, and you will front for the weapons I will continue to run through Africa and the aforementioned Middle East, eventually South America, too.” Oh, she was so, so pleased with herself, and he knew he deserved it, every ounce of it, but fuck. It stung like hell. He had his freedom; but it was her boot that trod upon his coattails.  

“Why me?” 

“Because as insufferable, impulsive and reckless as you are, Sean, I need the Wallace Corporation revived. With the extra capitol from my gun running empire, I need legitimate footings in London to keep the cash washed, hence why you need to return to your place and this time truly refrain from fucking everything up,” she explained succinctly, sipping her coffee.  

“So, Singer came to you as well then, yes?”  

She snorted a laugh. “No, Sean. Singer fucking works for me.”  

Fucking hell. Her words rocked him, learning of the reach she had, the power, how high she’d risen to be able to pull off what she had. While he’d slipped, she’d ascended. Quite deserving a fate, really, considering what he’d done to her. Still, it filled him with no sense of joy that he was effectively in her pocket now.  

While he’d gotten back what he’d coveted with such determination, the Wallace name on top again, it was not without its pitfalls. The greatest being that he would still answer to somebody else, in this case a woman who quite clearly loathed him. He was alive, free of his enemies, free of the investors, but without the freedom or dominance that he craved.  

“How did you do it?” he questioned, lifting his drink from the table and taking a careful sip. He was in more pain than he could ever remember being in, his throat feeling like it had been run over by a tank. “How on earth did you take out those of such power and influence?” 

“Easy,” she shrugged, her mouth curling into a smile. “I aligned myself with those of much greater power and influence.”  

“And me running the Wallace Corporation again, that was your only reason to do what you did for me?” 

She scoffed, beginning to laugh. “Sean, please don’t embarrass yourself by thinking I did it out of any fondness or feelings of magnanimity for you.” Her words were tinged with the kind of ice that didn’t exist in her eighteen-year-old self, Sean thinking it was a pity she seemed to have lost that warmth. “There was another reason, but you don’t deserve to be made privy to it just yet. If you behave, work well and become the kind of man who would have shown your father wrong in what he estimated of you, then you shall be.” 

He snorted softly. “Sounds ominous. And what if I demand to be informed right now?” 

Standing from her seat, Rin walked to the sofa, grasping his jaw and lifting his head sharply. He went to knock her hand away, her other grasping upon his delicate throat in dominance. “You are in absolutely no place to make demands of me. Seventh room on the right upstairs, there’s a guest bed made up for you. You can remain here until your old abode is liveable once more. If I were you, I’d spend most of my time up there. In fact, I insist upon it. Get the fuck out of my sight.” 

The stare they exchanged was weighted by both frost and fire, Rin eventually releasing her grip, picking up her coffee and sauntering back out, leaving Sean feeling as if somebody had cut off his air. He didn’t need the figurative of that so close after experiencing the literal, rubbing his sore neck as his brow furrowed.  

He had everything he wanted back, and none of it on his terms. He supposed he should have been grateful to her, yet the bile thrashed within his stomach like an angry serpent, spiny and cold, his grip upon the cup in his hand shaking as rage poured through him.  

There he was, a prisoner of his own actions, his own poor choices, at the beck and call of a woman whom he’d wronged so long ago, at her mercy entirely as she’d laid out her ground rules for him to abide by.  

And fuck, had she looked good while she’d been doing it.  

Damn her.  

[blackhistorychatgpt]

Black inventors

From Perplexity:

Famous black inventors have significantly contributed to various fields, from everyday household items to groundbreaking technological advancements. Here are some notable figures:

George Crum (1824-1914): A chef who is credited with inventing the potato chip in 1853[1].

Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961): Developed refrigeration equipment for trucks, trains, ships, and planes, receiving over 40 patents. His invention, the Thermo King, revolutionized the food and medical transport industries[1].

Granville T. Woods (1856-1910): Accumulated almost 60 patents, improving railroad functioning. Notably, he invented the induction telegraph system for train communication[1].

George Washington Carver (1864-1943): An agricultural chemist who developed 518 products from peanuts and sweet potatoes, including ink, dye, soap, and synthetic rubber[1].

Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919): Became the first African American woman self-made millionaire by creating a line of hair products for African American women[1].

Garrett Morgan (1877-1963): Invented the traffic signal and a safety hood that served as a prototype for the gas mask[1].

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner: Patented the sanitary belt in 1957, a significant advancement in women's health and hygiene[1].

Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1859): The first African American to receive a U.S. patent, for a dry-cleaning process[4].

Patricia Bath (1942-2019): Invented a laser cataract treatment, becoming the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent[4].

Mark Dean (1957-present): Holds over 20 patents, including contributions to the creation of the color PC monitor and the first gigahertz chip[4].

Elijah McCoy (1844-1929): Known for his invention of the automatic lubricator for oiling steam engines, leading to the phrase "the real McCoy" to denote something authentic[4].

These inventors have left a lasting impact on society, demonstrating ingenuity and perseverance in the face of challenges.

Citations: [1] https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/work-money/g30877473/african-american-inventors/ [2] https://www.parents.com/kids/education/world-changing-black-inventors-that-every-kid-should-know-about/ [3] https://www.black-inventor.com [4] https://www.biography.com/inventors/g46697619/famous-black-inventors [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_inventors_and_scientists

From Gemini (formerly Bard):

20 Famous Black Investors with Short Descriptions:

Dr. Shirley Jackson: First Black woman to earn a doctorate in nuclear physics, invested in research and development for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Robert F. Smith: Founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm with over $85 billion in assets under management. Known for his philanthropic endeavors.

Oprah Winfrey: Media mogul and investor, known for her investments in cable channels, production companies, and Weight Watchers.

Udayan I. Lekhraj: Founded CMG Partners, a private equity firm specializing in healthcare investments. Advocate for diversity and inclusion in venture capital.

Catherine Hughes: Founded Urban One, a media company serving the African American community. First Black woman to chair a publicly traded company in the U.S.

Rodney Bryant: Co-founded JUST Capital, a firm that measures and incentivizes corporations to prioritize stakeholder capitalism.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Former President of Liberia, Nobel Peace Prize winner. Focused on economic development and investment in her country.

Ronald Lauder: CEO of Estee Lauder Companies, known for his investments in the beauty industry and philanthropic work.

Charles R. Bronfman: Chairman of The Seagram Company Ltd., invested in various industries including entertainment, real estate, and philanthropy.

John Rogers Jr.: Founded Ariel Investments, a mutual fund company with over $28 billion in assets under management. Advocate for responsible investing.

Marc Morial: Former mayor of New Orleans, currently president of the National Urban League. Focused on economic empowerment of Black communities.

Ronald Watkins: Founding CEO of Watkins Investing Group, invests in real estate and businesses within the Black community.

Melody Hobson: President and CEO of Ariel Investments, known for her work on financial literacy and diversity in boardrooms.

Aisha Evans: Founded BE Capital, a venture capital firm focused on Black and Latinx tech entrepreneurs.

Kevin Hart: Comedian and investor, known for his investments in production companies, streaming platforms, and sports teams.

Jay-Z: Rapper and entrepreneur, known for his investments in music streaming, sports teams, and venture capital funds.

Will Smith: Actor and investor, known for his investments in production companies, media platforms, and venture capital funds.

Serena Williams: Tennis champion and investor, known for her investments in venture capital funds focused on women and diverse founders.

Rihanna: Singer and entrepreneur, known for her investments in beauty brands, fashion lines, and technology startups.

LeBron James: Basketball player and investor, known for his investments in media companies, production companies, and technology startups.

Please note: This list is not exhaustive and can be debated in terms of individual importance and impact.

Reading List on Black Inventors:

Black Inventors: Lives That Mattered by Darlene R. Medford

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Lifting the Veil: Celebrating the Unsung Heroes of Black History by Michael Hill

Lost Genius: The Forgotten Black Inventors Who Changed the World by Dennis Freeman

Pioneering Women in American Mathematics: From Agnes Scott to Emmy Noether by Pamela Prochazka

Black Inventors in Science and Technology by Shirley J. Smith

A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James M. Whitfield: With Recollections of the Early Struggles of Colored Men in Boston by Wilbur H. Siebert

Inventing the Future: Black Inventors in Science and Technology by Geneva Gay

African Americans in Science, Math, and Invention by Darlene R. Medford

Black Inventors in the United States by Darlene R. Medford

This list offers a variety of books covering different periods and areas of innovation by Black inventors. Consider exploring further based on your specific interests.

I hope this information is helpful!

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil bank's ties to slavery reopen wounds, reparations debate

In 1853, Viscount Jose Bernardino de Sa, a Brazilian nobleman who made his fortune shipping enslaved Africans to the Americas, became the largest investor in the country's oldest bank, Banco do Brasil.

Now, 170 years later, the bank faces legal action over its historic ties to the slave trade, part of a growing push in Brazil and worldwide for those who profited from slavery to pay reparations.

In Brazil -- the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, in 1888 -- the issue erupted in September, after 14 historians sent federal prosecutors a study detailing Banco do Brasil's involvement in the trade.

In what historians believe is the first case of its kind in Brazil, prosecutors opened an investigation, and are now demanding reparations from Banco do Brasil, a state-run company founded in 1808 that is today Latin America's second-biggest bank, with assets of $380 billion.

But slavery's stain goes far beyond one bank, as the study made clear.

"Capital in the form of human bodies was a fundamental part of the financial system," said the document, compiled by historians at various Brazilian universities as well as Harvard and the University of Pittsburgh.

Today, 56 percent of Brazil's 203 million people are black or mixed-race, and the scars of centuries of oppression are still visible.

Black Brazilians earn about half as much as their white countrymen on average, have a lower life expectancy and face frequent discrimination.

"This isn't about the past. It's about the problems of today," said one of the historians, Martha Abreu, of Rio de Janeiro State University.

Continue reading.

[sageglobalresponse]

Who is Eniola Aluko? First African Woman Appointed to Board of Female Football Club in Italy

Eniola Aluko, a Nigerian-born British former sports director for Aston Villa and Angel City in England, has made history by becoming the first African female to make the board of Italy’s female top-flight football club FC Como Women.

Mercury 13, an investment group focused on the development of women’s football clubs, recently finalised its $100 million acquisition by securing a controlling stake in FC Como Women, a team competing in Italy’s Serie A. A consortium led by Victoire Cogevina Reynal, Mario Malave, Eniola Aluko and Women in Football’s Ebru Koksal, the group last year announced plans to acquire women’s soccer clubs across Europe and Latin America.

FC Como Women, currently playing in the top division of Italian women’s football, is located in the picturesque region around Lake Como, known for its affluent residents like George Clooney and Richard Branson. The team plays its home matches in Seregno, approximately 14 miles south of the lake, and attracts an average crowd of 1,700 spectators per game.

Transitioning from her playing career, the Lagos-born has pursued football broadcasting and now ventures into sports ownership with the Mercury 13 group. Her ownership of Como FC not only marks a historic milestone for black women in Italian football but also signals a significant step forward for diversity and representation in sports ownership.

Growing Up

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Eniola Aluko moved to Birmingham in England when she was six months old, where she developed a passion for football while playing with her brother and his friends. She began her career at Leafield Athletic Ladies before joining Birmingham City Ladies’ youth team, where she made an impactful debut at just 14 years old.

The Mercury 13 group’s commitment to investing in women’s football teams underscores the growing interest and investment in the sport globally. With Eniola Aluko’s leadership, the group aims to build a portfolio of women’s clubs, leveraging the increasing popularity of women’s football to drive growth and development in the sport.

Football Journey

Eni Aluko, who grew up playing football alongside her brother Sone Aluko and his friends, also engaged in other sports like tennis and was a dedicated supporter of Manchester United.

The 37-year-old football journey began at Leafield Athletic Ladies, followed by a stint at the youth team of Birmingham City Ladies under the guidance of manager Marcus Bignot.

Before retiring from professional football in January 2020, Eniola Aluko also provided television commentary on football, including FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cups.

From Football Punditry to Ownership

Eniola Aluko’s journey from professional player to club owner is a testament to her dedication to football to make a positive impact. As an established figure in the football world, her involvement is expected to elevate the profile of women’s football in Italy and inspire future generations of black sports investors and owners.

She has been a regular broadcaster for live football on ITV, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and Fox Sports in the USA, including men’s Premier League matches and Women’s Super League since 2014. She was the first Sporting Director for Angel City FC in the American National Women’s Soccer League and formerly held the position of Sporting Director at Aston Villa Women’s Football Club from January 2020 to June 2021

The acquisition of FC Como Women by the Mercury 13 group, led by Eniola Aluko, represents a significant milestone in Italian football history.

[fatehbaz]

[T]he lands that they reside on [...] are currently under siege from these different extractivist development initiatives.

There are about 46 Garifuna communities along the Caribbean coast of Honduras and on the island of Roatán, and because these are coastal communities located on lands that are highly coveted now for their touristic potential, tourism investors have taken an interest. There’s a lot of land speculation and land-grabbing taking place related to tourism, but also related to agro-industry and agricultural development, specifically African palm. [...]

---

Garifuna have this really complicated history. They are a Black Indigenous people of African, Arawak, and Carib ancestry. They arrived in Honduras in 1797, initially in Roatán, after they were exiled from the island of Saint Vincent. And then from there, they established all these communities along the Caribbean coast of Honduras.

They have been in Honduras since before Honduras gained its independence from Spain in 1823. And I think that’s really significant, because what we see happening is that Garifuna are often positioned as outsiders to Honduras or as recent arrivants. [...]

What is so fundamentally problematic about Garifuna identity [...] for the Honduran state? [...]

There are Garifuna communities in Belize and Nicaragua and Guatemala, and of course, a large Garifuna diaspora in the U.S. [...]

The other point that’s important to mention here is that this sort of exteriorization of Blackness is very much related to Honduran history. So after Honduras gains independence from Spain, like many other countries in Latin America, it is attempting to carve out a unique national identity [...]. It is exclusive of Blackness. Of course, that has all sorts of political and material consequences for Black Hondurans, including the Garifuna, the English-speaking Black population or the Creole population, and even the Miskito population, which also has African ancestry. [...]

---

The development projects that are underway on the Caribbean coast, and that are leading to land dispossession, are projects promoted not just by the state but multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. They’re promoted as projects that will create development, that will bring progress and prosperity to Honduras, but often at the expense of Indigenous and Black peoples’ rights. Lands with the largest concentrations of forests, water, white sand beaches, fertile soil — those are largely concentrated in Indigenous and Black territories. So that development or that promise for a more prosperous future is contingent on the extraction of those resources from those communities.

---

Words of Christopher Loperena. As interviewed by the Graduate Center at CUNY. “’The Ends of Paradise’ Explores the Struggles of Honduras’ Black and Indigenous Peoples.” Published by the Office of Communications and Marketing, online in the News section of CUNY’s Graduate Center. 16 March 2023. [Some paragraph breaks and contractions added by me, for accessibility/readability.]

[lboogie1906]

Mellody Hobson (born April 3, 1969) is a businesswoman who is President and co-CEO of Ariel Investments and the chairwoman of Starbucks Corporation, the first African American woman to be chairperson of an S&P 500 company. She is the former chairwoman of DreamWorks Animation, having stepped down after negotiating the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., by NBCUniversal. She became the first African-American woman to head The Economic Club of Chicago.

As of 2020, she is listed as #94 on the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

The youngest in a family of six children, she graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and from Princeton University. She was a member of the Cottage Club.

After graduation, she joined Ariel Investments, a Chicago investment firm that manages nearly $13 billion in assets as an intern. She rose to become the firm’s senior vice president and director of marketing. In 2000, she ascended to become the company’s president. It is one of the largest African-American-owned money management and mutual fund companies in the US. She was a contributor to financial segments on Good Morning America for many years. She is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ariel Investment Trust. She is a regular contributor on financial issues on CBS This Morning and was formerly a spokesperson for the annual Ariel/Schwab Black Investor Survey. She was a regular contributor on financial matters on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

She serves on the board of many organizations, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., the Chicago Public Education Fund, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and the Sundance Institute. She has been acclaimed in selections such as Time’s 2015 Time 100 List, Ebony magazine’s “20 Leaders of the Future”, Working Women Magazine’s “20 Under 30”, the World Economic Forum’s “Global Leaders of Tomorrow”, Esquire’s “America’s Best and Brightest”, The Wall Street Journal’s 50 “Women to Watch”.

On June 7, 2022, she became part owner of the Denver Broncos.

She married George Lucas (2013) and they have one child. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha

[mariacallous]

Who Will Be in South Africa’s Next Government?

It’s official: The African National Congress (ANC) party will need to share power for the first time since apartheid ended in 1994 after losing its parliamentary majority in South Africa’s May 29 national election. The historic loss was in part due to former President Jacob Zuma’s 6-month-old uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party eating into ANC support. The ANC received 40.2 percent of votes, down more than 17 percentage points compared with the 57.5 percent it secured in the last national election in 2019. It now holds just 159 seats out of 400 in the National Assembly.

The center-right Democratic Alliance (DA) trailed in second place with 21.8 percent of votes (87 seats). Zuma’s MK gained 14.6 percent of votes (58 seats), becoming the third-biggest party in the National Assembly.

In Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal, the former president rejected the final tally, claiming vote-rigging, and threatened violence if South Africa’s Electoral Commission declared the results on Sunday as planned. “People would be provoked,” he said, referring to the violent riots that gripped the nation when he was sent to jail in July 2021. “Do not start trouble when there is no trouble.” MK won 45.3 percent of votes in KwaZulu-Natal—just under the 50 percent needed to govern the province outright.

Zuma’s earlier conviction means he is barred from taking a seat in the National Assembly, but he is still able to pull the strings from behind the scenes. “Love him or hate him, Zuma is the most consequential South African politician of his generation,” Sisonke Msimang wrote in Foreign Policy prior to the election. Another ANC splinter group, the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), dropped to fourth place, with a vote share of 9.5 percent (39 seats).

“We suffered heavily, but we are not out,” ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said at a press conference on Sunday. “We are talking to everybody. There’s nobody we are not going to talk to.” The ANC now needs to form a coalition with one or more opposition parties and began talks on Monday.

The first option that’s popular with investors is a partnership with the pro-business DA. But factions of the ANC are ideologically opposed to the free market agenda promised by the DA. There’s a high potential for political infighting that could weaken any ability to govern cohesively. The DA does not support racial quotas in the workplace—introduced by the ANC—or the new government-funded national health insurance system.

The DA also opposes setting a minimum wage, which it says contributes to unemployment; meanwhile, the ANC believes a minimum wage shelters low-skilled Black workers from extreme poverty.

EFF leader Julius Malema warned the ANC against forming a coalition that would “reinforce white supremacy” and make it a “puppet of a white imperialist agenda”—referring to the DA, which is perceived as serving the interests of minority white South Africans. But the DA has drawn support from Black and mixed-race voters and is seen by most South Africans as governing the best-run province—the Western Cape and its capital, Cape Town.

In turn, DA leader John Steenhuisen has been open to an ANC partnership from the outset knowing that the party was unlikely to reach more than 22 percent of votes. He called an ANC-MK-EFF coalition a “doomsday” scenario.

An alternative to appease dissenting ANC members would be a coalition with the ANC, DA, and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), which draws its support mainly from ethnic Zulus in KwaZulu-Natal. This would give the three parties 66 percent of the national vote and a commanding majority in South Africa’s most populous province, Gauteng.

A coalition between the ANC and the EFF would intensify great-power competition in the region by further antagonizing the United States. The EFF has suggested nationalizing key institutions and redistributing minority white-owned land without compensation. The two parties currently run the Johannesburg city council together but have had violent clashes running Ekurhuleni, a municipality east of Johannesburg.

The EFF and MK advocate similar economic policies, but an alliance between MK and the ANC is at the moment unlikely due to the souring of relations between Zuma and ANC members. Zuma’s party has demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa step down before any coalition talks, which ANC members have ruled out.

Coalitions have rarely worked in South Africa. Coalition governments that have previously governed major cities such as Johannesburg and Durban have been unsuccessful, as party rivalries often hampered the delivery of basic services. On a national level, this could affect the ability to swiftly introduce new policies and pass budgets to deal with the country’s immediate problems on the economy, energy, and jobs.

“The lack of ideological cohesion among parties has led to the rise of coalition politics in South Africa,” Ebrahim Fakir wrote in Foreign Policy just before the election. “The result is a governmental environment where oversight and accountability are minimal—and where policy implementation is erratic.”

Leaked ANC documents seen by South Africa’s Daily Maverick suggest the party may opt for a minority government with a more stable supply and confidence agreement struck with the DA and IFP, similar to the parliamentary system currently in place in Canada. The arrangement would mean that the parties agree to back the ANC on key policy votes in exchange for concessions on specific policies.

Regardless, experts suggest Ramaphosa’s time in office could be limited. No ANC president has ever served a full second term. Nelson Mandela chose not to run for a second term, while his successors Thabo Mbeki and Zuma were forced to step down as party leader before their final terms ended. Having presided over such a historic defeat for the ANC, pressure may increase on Ramaphosa to step down before his mandate ends.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Joel Kotkin

Published: Jun 21, 2023

In an age of darkness, glimpses of light are rare — but all the brighter for it. As the censorious progressivism embraced by Joe Biden and much of his Democratic party grows into an increasingly pervasive quasi-religion, ordinary people are finding ways to push back. Like democratic Leftists in the Cold War, old-style liberals are becoming a key force in challenging today’s new orthodoxies.

And this rising tide of liberal apostasy, coupled with a growing pushback from grassroots businesses and consumers, represents a far more profound challenge to the established order than the one routinely mounted by conservatives. In the Renaissance, the impetus for change did not come from Jews, Muslims, devil-worshippers or pagans, but devout Christians such as Erasmus, Luther and Calvin.

In our era, the most powerful critics of progressive theology once again tilt to the Left: Andrew Sullivan, Matt Taibbi, Ruy Teixeira, to name but three. Their apostasy rises to uphold the basic principles once central to liberalism — equality of opportunity, free speech, and open inquiry. This battle is also reminiscent of the struggle waged by the Renaissance critics of the all-powerful Catholic Church. Today, it’s not bishops or popes who seek control, but the oligarchs and their media platforms which, with the sometimes exception of Twitter, favour a censorship regime that brands dissidents largely as purveyors of “misinformation”.

Like earlier apostates, religious or scientific, ours face an uphill struggle. They must contend with forces within the C-suite and, particularly, academia, where even the sciences are now constrained by ideological edicts. This is where the money flows, often to a host of non-profits, some secretly funded, that spread the gospels of censorship, police reduction, indoctrination in schools and an apocalyptic environmental agenda. One problem the apostates face is therefore an obvious one: despite often impressive media resumes, their research rarely makes it into the mainstream, their voices being carried no further than Twitter, Substack and the more broad-minded corners of the media.

This pushback comes at a propitious time, extending beyond a few dissident intellectuals to the grassroots and business moguls such as Elon Musk, Ken Griffin and Bernie Marcus. The latter, in particular, understand that the new progressive orthodoxy undermines the entire system by embracing anti-capitalist memes and reducing the role of merit in a system built around it. And so a critical front has been the rebellion against ESG (environmental, social, governance) standards. Many US states have moved to take their pension funds out of firms that embrace this ideology; some investment houses, notably Vanguard and upstart Thrive Asset Management, are eschewing corporate policies that stress climate change and other issues over fiduciary obligation to investors.. The fact that returns to ESG firms have been poor, when compared with those tied to fossil fuels and basic industries, could presage a further awakening among financial and business leaders that the balance sheet, rather than ideological back-slapping, constitutes the primary mission of business.

More important still, apostasy is also rising among the general population. The pressure for reparations, for example, is opposed by upwards of two-thirds of Americans. All major ethnic groups, notes Pew, reject race quotas, including African-Americans; overall, almost three in four oppose this, as do a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.

In the race debate, the role of black apostates is particularly critical. As John McWhorter has long argued, preferential policies encourage “therapeutic alienation” among black people and other minorities — leading some to adopt a mentality of “anger and scapegoating”, instead of doing “the work needed for success”. In the bizarre world of modern progressivism, any opposition to this agenda is “racist”, even if it comes from people who support equal rights and access to opportunity. Critics of race-based discrimination such as McWhorter and Glenn Loury are far from Klansmen incarnate.

Similarly, assaults on European culture have proven unlikely to win over the masses in these countries, the bulk of whom still express some pride in their heritage. The notion that Western societies are eternally oppressive and racist seems a bit of a stretch given that millions of Africans, Middle Easterners, and south Asians continue to flock to these countries, largely to experience higher levels of economic and cultural freedom. The progressive assault on heritage also is likely to stir up far-Right sentiment, as we can see in France, Denmark, and, perhaps most dangerously, Germany.

The ever-more edgy cultural agenda of the Left, particularly its obsession with transgenderism, provides additional fuel for apostasy. People generally believe in the existence of two genders, and are hostile to efforts to impose either sexual or explicitly political curricula on young people. The idea of parental rights, for example — making sure parents are informed if their child decides to transition — has broad support, including nearly four-fifths of Californians, reflecting what appear to be national trends. In defiance of the transgender advocacy from the White House down, the opposition to sporting categories based on gender, rather than sex, has actually grown over the last two years, with even more Democrats now opposed to the practice than in favour.

Critically — and, no doubt, shocking for some — many opposing the progressive agenda are themselves minorities. In Britain and Europe, for example, Muslims tend to be more religious and socially conservative than whites, and Indians, particularly Hindus, have been drifting Right-wards for a generation. In America, surveys show that foreign-born Americans are also more culturally conservative than the native-born.

Perhaps the most economically significant apostasy relates to climate-change policy. Despite growing moves to censor contrary opinions, here the liberal apostates are not classic deniers or oil company executives, but respected scientists such as former Obama advisor Steve Koonin, and climate scientists Roger Pielke and Judith Curry. Even some environmentalists — including Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore — openly denounce “Net Zero” and “de-growth” policies as both impractical and deeply flawed. They recognise that these policies are already leading to the immiseration of poorer people, particularly in California and Germany. They are not calling for an end to climate change mitigation, but for policies that are more realistic and less economically damaging for the working and middle classes.

And then there are grassroots protests at European governments’ attempts to impose emission reductions on farmers and ban chemical fertilisers — regulatory moves at a time when food prices are rising throughout the West. Efforts to reduce agricultural output, now being suggested in the United States and Canada, also could have dire consequences for billions in the developing world. It’s hardly surprising, then, that there is growing scepticism about climate policies globally; in surveys, it barely registers as a priority for people either in Africa or the US where, according to Gallup, climate is stated as a primary concern for barely 2% of the population.

Other troubles, notably the loss of industry amid soaring energy costs, are already creating a popular backlash, which has been a boon for the far-Right in Germany and Italy, among others. Some centrist regimes have taken fright, with France’s Emmanuel Macron stepping back from climate extremism. Less than a year ago, Germany signed an EU target to ban the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, but quickly backtracked.

Overall, for all the talk of ideological polarisation, public opinion may well be tilting more towards the apostates than those of the progressive zealots. Despite the media profile of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow “Squad” members, the majority of Democrat members consider themselves moderate or conservative, while barely one in four sees themselves as “very liberal”.

Of course, even with public support, supporters of traditional liberal values face a number of challenges when it comes to enacting meaningful political change. But there is some good news. Many companies are now rethinking their marketing strategies in the face of negative consumer reaction. There are even glimmers of hope for liberal apostasy in some big cities, as demonstrated by the election of New York’s pro-police Eric Adams and San Francisco’s recall of progressive school board members.

As was the case during the Reformation, the apostate’s course is still not an easy one. But their critique remains critical to undermining the current progressive theology — a far more effective weapon than the reactionary antics of DeSantis, which are focused primarily on Right-leaning GOP voters. In contrast, the apostates speak the same language and share many of the values that once constituted progressive ideals. They are, in other words, both the key to restoring rationality — and to keeping liberalism alive for future generations.

==

I'm a-Woke for the exact same reasons I'm a-theist.

[pilawturkey]

Turkish Business Lawyer

This article seeks to examine the particular role of Turkish Business Lawyers in Turkey. Turkey is surrounded on three sides by the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea. Therefore, our country is based on a critical geography. It connects three continents including Africa, Asia and Europe. There is a growing interest of foreign entrepreneurs in making investments.

What is the meaning of Turkish Business Lawyer in Turkey?

Law and its application necessitates a great deal of knowledge about the legal framework in every single country. Every single investment project needs an embracing analysis of applicable Turkish norms. Commercial activities such as company formations, opening a branch, mergers and acquisitions, franchising system must be managed through an efficient legal guidance by foreign investors. Turkish business lawyers provide in-depth services to large, middle or small scale of corporations and|or individuals for their upcoming investment activities.

What is the role of Turkish Business Lawyers for the recent achievements of Pi Legal Consultancy?

Pi Legal Consultancy is a legal consulting and business consulting international law firm in Turkey. Pi Legal Consultancy working groups aim at setting up a wide network inside and outside Turkey. Currently, Pi Legal Consultancy enjoys solution partners and lawyers based in most European and African countries as well as Canada and the United States. Additionally we have three offices based in İstanbul, Ankara and Batman. It necessarily means that Pi Legal Consultancy has a robust network around the globe. Based on a detailed overview of our client profiles, our service quality, satisfying nature of our articles and papers together with our marketing and branding efforts, we have been recently chosen by the London-based Prestige Awards Group as the international law firm of 2022/2023. Currently, we provide legal and business consultancy to leading French, British, Norway, USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Israel, Canadian and Kuwait companies and the Ministry of Health of Kuwait. We have also created a great collaboration with the Embassy and Istanbul Consulate General of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Pi Legal Consultancy also offers legal guidance to numerous foreigners living or working within the jurisdiction of Turkey. On one hand, Turkish Business Lawyers in Ankara are of utmost importance in meeting the growing interest of particularly individual foreigners. On the other hand, Turkish Business Lawyers in Istanbul are of great importance in offering detailed services to foreign corporations for their investment activities in Turkey.

Conclusion

Pi Legal Consultancy is very pleased to provide a comprehensive business consultancy to foreigners. Qualified commercial lawyers in Ankara and qualified commercial lawyers in Istanbul undertake paramount duties under the umbrella of Pi Legal Consultancy. They provide legal and business consulting to citizens of foreign countries. Form more information about this topic, please click to https://www.pilc.law/turkish-business-lawyer/

[whitneyfanclublog]

Black Investors: Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961) Frederick McKinley Jones left his mark with the development of refrigeration equipment, receiving over 40 patents for it. In the 1930s, he began inventing automatic refrigerated air-cooling units for trucks, trains, ships, and planes, which helped the preservation of food. His creation, the Thermo King, allowed people to eat fresh food year-round. His work also contributed to the preservation of blood and medicine, proving to be particularly useful during WWII. In 1991, he became the first African American to receive the National Medal of Technology. #blackhistorymonth

[blueiight]

🔥 the vc books

the racist tropes in them is my #1 biggest issue & the most poorly wrote aspects of them all.. unresolved plot threads, freudian creepy incestuous undertones is part & parcel for the genre. and anne rice’s absurdity is almost enjoyable / self aware at times. & i think the incestuous / gendered dynamics r actually handled w a bit more nuance than any of wdf this series posits on race. i am slogging thru a reread bc hearing about how lestat “didnt trust human slaves” & lewis pontificating on the nature of black ppl in captivity he declares his property v. free black ppl makes me want to gouge my eyes out. by the time i get to poor benji i will self immolate and this blog will no longer exist. + the pseudohistorical interest in the roman empire& egyptology 101 knowledge off 99 cent bookstores is cutenall but placed in the wider context of this fangirling over the antebellum period it becomes troubling…seriously need a close study on rice’s obsession w ‘bloods’ of races or w/e ‘mixing’ and the ‘african’ being ‘cleansed’ by euro/other ‘admixture’ it gets weird + tiring to read. the fandom’s greater refusal to even acknowledge, much less subvert these racialist aspects [in fact, even reinforcing them in the fanon perception of armand’s backstory] before during & even after the amc series by n large is why i could never bring myself to engage w them until the show came out, not sorry. n its not cuz i think u can be a ‘good’ owner i want a vc rewrite where the european investor in slavery creates the american slave owner + theyre parasites to black flesh. cuz being this regressive about race even in the 70s knowing all the advances around the world at the time w race is just inexcusable. im forever grateful for the modern show adaptation for being unafraid to tackle this tho.

[kai-selfships]

SING + SING 2 HEADCANONS (human au)

Part 2: side characters (may not be as long because I don’t have as many ideas haha

Picrew link, art by Naylissa on various social medias

(One year passes in between movies so for characters who are in both movies, there will be two ages listed)

I’m posting this here instead of on my main because you guys are used to me being cringe <3

Also, important: I chose each character’s ethnicity based either on where in the world their species of animal lives, or (for animals that live all over, like pigs or mice) other contextual things (like Gunther’s accent)

Eddie Noodleman (he/him, gay)

35 years old as of the first movie

5’7”

Mixed race (his mom is black and his dad is white)

Still lives in the pool house

Does not have a job

But he does have a YouTube channel! He posts video game speedrun

Bleaches his hair

Grew up rich so he doesn’t know how to cook or anything

He is really close with his family, and Nana likes him a lot

He was the one who broke up with Buster— nothing bad happened, he just thought they would be better as friends, but Buster’s feelings were hurt :(

Nana Noodleman (she/her, asexual)

92-93 years old

5’10”

Eddie’s maternal grandmother

Becomes good friends with Clay Calloway— they’re both old, rich, mean, and famous in the music industry

They don’t really have the same taste in music (Clay is a rockstar and Nana is a theater actress), but they have a lot in common otherwise

Was a very iconic and popular actress, but it was “controversial” how she had a child out of wedlock and raised them alone

At first she didn’t like Buster at all, but she changed her mind after watching his show, which was very successful

Ryan (he/him, questioning but he ends up identifying as gay)

24 years old

5’11”

Thai

He’s a natural at dancing, and is the youngest person on Klaus’ high-level choreography team

Was kind of friends with Alphonso during the production of “out of this world” and maybe had a little crush on him

Is very kind— he felt horrible having to beat Johnny over and over on the first day of practice

He thought about reaching out, but was really shy

Really likes to wear pretty clothes and extravagant outfits

Is really stressed out because a lot is expected of him

Suki Lane (she/her, femme lesbian)

26 years old

5’4”

Egyptian

Bleaches and dyes her hair often

She got her job working for Mr. Crystal because her parents are big investors for Redshore City’s theater shows

After Jimmy Crystal is arrested and she’s out of a job, she decides to pursue her dream of going to art school and becoming an artist full time

She starts dating Sasha a few months after everything went down, but they had been friends pretty much since the day they met

She doesn’t actually need glasses, she just things they look cool

Loves to thrift

Is allergic to cats

Sasha (she/her, futch lesbian)

27 years old

5’6

South African

She works as a stunt actress and happened to be hired by Jimmy to train Rosita— so she doesn’t directly work for Crystal

She’s very strong and good at gymnastics and rock climbing

Has a two year old child from a previous relationship, and has full custody

She is very close with her siblings and parents— they help raise the kid when she has a lot of work to do

Met Suki during “Out of This World” production, and they became fast friends. Suki needed a cheaper housing arrangement after she lost her job, and Sasha happened to be looking for a roommate, so they end up living together and eventually dating

She was the first one to confess— Suki didn’t realize her feelings were reciprocated

James “Jimmy” Crystal (he/him)

45 years old

6’0”

Originally from Canada, but moved to Redshore for business opportunities

Has always struggled with controlling his anger, but he stopped putting in an effort after his wife left him

Has a podcast about how to “survive” in the entertainment industry

Thinks being gay is a choice and doesn’t support Porsha being a lesbian

Definitely one of those “alpha male” guys

Jerry (he/him, gay)

48 years old

5’8”

Norwegian

Is so in love with Jimmy and in denial about him being a horrible person

“Babysat” Porsha way up until she was a teenager because she used to get into trouble and Jimmy let her do whatever she wanted

Was really good at his job and very dedicated

Always fought with Suki because he was jealous that Jimmy liked her better

Trying really hard to learn Norwegian because he wants to travel there one day

Mike (he/him)

25 years old, was sadly murdered at the end of the first movie (this is implied in canon btw)

4’11

Recently graduated from the Lincoln School of Music, but had yet to land a real gig

Still loved to drink and party, and used to go to clubs every weekend

Is from a rich family, but got cut off financially after he made some poor choices regarding money in his teens

Really loved Nancy— she went to the same music school learning to play the flute, and they used to date. She broke up with him because she was going through some tough personal things and didn’t have the energy to be in a relationship

When he saw her again in the first movie, a year had gone by and he was hoping that she was ready to date him again

He plays a lot of instruments; he’ll get bored quickly and move on to another one as soon as he masters it

Nancy (she/her, pansexual)

24

5’0”

Glamorous af, really cares about her appearance

But also really sad :( she was partying and drinking to cope with how lonely she was

Her life was spared by the bears that killed Mike. She ended up breaking down and asking them to kill her, but they felt too bad— Mike had cheated them out of a lot of money, but Nancy hadn’t ever done anything to them

She ended up moving to Washington state to live closer to her family and just get away from the city that held so many bad memories for her

She finds out shortly after the events of the first movie that she’s pregnant, and chooses to raise the child anyway

Still has horrible memories about witnessing Mike’s murder

Alphonso (he/him, pansexual)

25 years old

6’5”

Lactose intolerant

Meena isn’t his first girlfriend, but his first breakup left him not knowing what to do because his ex had been so controlling. As a way to try and get over it, he had been practicing putting himself out there by flirting and being really friendly with all the actors and actresses he served

Once he met Meena, though, there was kind of a spark— they were both so awkward and didn’t know how to flirt, lol— he was glad to meet a kindred spirit, and started kinda crushing on her in secret. Plus, she was like really pretty.

He would tell his friends about his feelings, and they encouraged him to ask her out, but he thought for sure she’d have a boyfriend already because she was so cute and kinda famous

He was so glad when she asked him out, and he’s the best long distance boyfriend ever! They do a lot of virtual dates, and send each other love letters and gifts, and all that cute stuff :]

[reasoningdaily]

It was this VCU professor who discovered key research that ties the Royal Family to the slave trade

RICHMOND, Va. — The Royal Family is acknowledging their ties to the slave trade for the first time in history, and many credit research by a Virginia Commonwealth University associate professor of history for the admission.

Brooke Newman is a professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of A Dark Inheritance: Blood, Race, and Sex in Colonial Jamaica, a book that traces the evolution of racial definitions and sexual practices in one of 18th century Britain’s most valuable colonies.

In this conversation, Newman discusses how notions of race and nation interacted with sex, gender, and class in often surprising ways during a brutal imperial occupation, and explains how Jamaica’s particular history reveals the deep, pathological contradictions at the heart of the Atlantic slave system.

Thousands are expected for King Charles's coronation on Saturday, eight months following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Historian and author Dr. Brooke Newman specializes in the study of early modern Britain and the British Atlantic world, with a primary focus on slavery.

She was invited by the UK site "The Guardian" to participate in a project called “Cost of the Crown” that investigated the wealth of the royal family from the slave trade to modern times.

Dr. Newman dug through hundreds of pages of archives from the 1600s to discover the key document tying the Royal Family to the transatlantic slave trade. Her work was first reported stateside by VCU News.

“What this document shows is the transfer of 1000 pounds of Royal African Company stock from Edward Colston, the deputy governor at the time, to the incoming king and Governor William of Orange, who would be crowned William the third a couple of months after this transfer,” Dr. Newman explained. “This is a really critical moment in the history of both the Royal African Company and the slave trade from Britain to West Africa to the Americas.”

Richmond doesn’t shy away from the city’s significant ties to the slave trade. City leaders are still working to install a slave museum in Shockoe Bottom near the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail.

“I talk about Richmond quite a bit when I when I talk about slavery and British history, because I do see us at the forefront of the movement to acknowledge history, and a lot of this history is deeply painful,” Dr. Newman noted.

WTVR Dr. Brooke Newman

She discovered that the royals encouraged investors to fund the Royal African Company that eventually brought slaves to Richmond.

The professor also saw parallels to the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, too.

“A very similar process was unfolding across the UK, but it was aimed at members of the Royal African Company. For example, the Edward Colston statue in Bristol was torn down by protesters in the summer of 2020 similar to the statues that were torn down in Richmond and for the same reasons,” Dr. Newman said .

Dr. Newman’s research alongside The Guardian made it to the Royal Family and on King Charles’s desk.

“….the royal household is supporting this research through access to the royal collection and the royal archives,” a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said.

According to The Guardian, they believe this is the first time ever that the Royal Family has acknowledged their ties to the slave trade.

Newman also has a book coming out called “The Queen’s Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery."

[liam-hartley]

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