Zeta National Educational Foundation (ZNEF), a prominent non-profit organization dedicated to funding higher education for young individuals, recently celebrated a significant milestone. Macy’s, in a generous show of support, donated $250,000 to ZNEF to bolster the foundation’s campaign aimed at assisting students in their college pursuits. The check presentation ceremony took place at Macy’s Metro Center store in Washington, D.C., where several members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, along with executives from Macy’s and The Kasper Group, gathered to witness the impactful donation.

This donation is part of a broader initiative launched in 2022, when Macy’s and The Kasper Group introduced an exclusive collection inspired by the signature colors of various Divine Nine® Sororities. The collection, which features an evolving assortment of sizes and styles, aims to allow members to proudly represent their organizations year-round. Initially comprising dresses, skirts, blazers, and pants, the collection has now expanded to include menswear and accessories inspired by the Divine Nine® Fraternities. This unique line is available online at macys.com and is marketed by members of the respective sororities.

Macy’s plans to further this impact with an anticipated $3 million donation to various Divine Nine Fraternity and Sorority foundations by January 2025. So far, Macy’s has contributed $1.75 million, divided equally among Zeta National Educational Foundation, Delta Research and Educational Foundation, and Sigma Public Education and Research Foundation. Since 1975, through its partnership with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, ZNEF has awarded millions in scholarships and fellowships, significantly benefiting both Zetas and non-Zetas. The foundation’s Chapter Designated Scholarship program, established in 1980, has processed hundreds of other scholarships, and its annual $125,000 Founders Centennial Scholarship has already supported four female high school seniors in their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree.

Expressing her gratitude, Valerie Hollingsworth Baker, Chairwoman of Zeta National Education Foundation, stated, “We thank Macy’s for the generous investment in ZNEF as we continue to share our donations with deserving students who are seeking higher education. We are going to continue utilizing these funds to give out scholarships. I believe we have to do more for our children. I am going to lead the charge of giving back to the community. We feel good when the community benefits from our goodwill.”

Simone Harris-Laws, Macy’s Senior Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, echoed this sentiment, saying, “As we continue to build a brighter future with bold representation as part of our social purpose platform, Mission Every One, we are proud to partner with ZNEF to empower and support these future leaders with scholarships to further their educational journeys and pursuits.” The collaboration between Macy’s and ZNEF exemplifies a shared commitment to enhancing educational opportunities and supporting the next generation of leaders.

The Star Wars fandom continues to embarrass itself. The latest series in the franchise, “The Acolyte,” has fallen victim to yet another review-bombing campaign from the audience — an unfortunate practice that’s often rooted in racism and misogyny.

The prequel series, which stars Amandla Stenberg, earned glowing reviews from critics, currently sitting at 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The series has also been a ratings hit for Disney +, standing as the largest debut for the streamer so far this year.

Yet, despite its warm reception, the show is still not immune to some of the harshest parts of the Star Wars fanbase, as it currently sits at a shocking 15 percent audience score.

For years now, certain projects in the franchise have been review bombed, with hundreds of audience reviews on sites like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes pouring in and affecting their overall scores. Dedicated audiences feel a right to these stories, and unfortunately, sectors of these fandoms have some serious racial, misogynistic, and often homophobic biases they operate with when engaging in this content.

Stenberg opened up about some of this when speaking to GQ UK earlier this month. “There is a specific kind of ‘Star Wars’ fan that’s very vocal on the internet…they’ve called our show ‘The Woke-alyte’ a fair amount – which I’m like, ‘OK, what about it?’”

Some of the backlash from fans also came from a clip of Stenberg that started to circulate as the series premiered. As Forbes points out, an interview clip from years ago where Stenberg talked about “making white people cry” while promoting her film “The Hate U Give,” was reshared by thousands, completely taken out of its context and used as a way to criticize the actress and a perceived “woke agenda” from Lucasfilm.

Again, this is not a new move in the Star Wars fandom playbook. Stars like John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, and, as The Root reported, Obi-Wan star Moses Ingram faced relentless attacks and even racial threats from the fans. God forbid the Star Wars franchise represents more than just the white leads of the original series. With a Black and queer lead like Stenberg, scores of fans are finally seeing themselves in this beloved, fantasy world.

Luckily for Stenberg it seems she is focusing on the love she is receiving from other viewers, specifically the Black fans and content creators. “There’s also a significant sect of Black creators and Black ‘Star Wars’ fans on TikTok who are being vocal about…the pushback that we’ve received and where it comes from,” she also told GQ.

“And those folks make me so deeply happy, and those are the folks that I’m so grateful to, and I want to send as much recognition and love and gratitude towards them because they keep us grounded.”

“The Acolyte” is available to stream now on Disney+.

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Get ready to be unsettled all over again! Paramount Pictures has released the chilling teaser trailer for “Smile 2,” the sequel to the 2022 horror hit that made us all afraid of smiles.

The teaser centers around Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a global pop star on the verge of a world tour. However, her dreams of fame are quickly overshadowed by a series of nightmarish events. The trailer offers glimpses of these horrors: a distorted reflection with a menacing grin, a swarm of crows gathering around Skye, and the unsettling feeling that someone – or something – is always watching.

As the pressure mounts, Skye is forced to confront her dark past. We see flashes of a younger Skye, hinting that the root of the present terror may lie buried in her forgotten memories.

The teaser boasts an impressive cast, including Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, and even a legendary cameo from Jack Nicholson.

Directed by Parker Finn, who also wrote and directed the first film, “Smile 2” promises to deliver the same bone-chilling thrills that left audiences terrified in 2022.

Mark your calendars, horror fans! “Smile 2” infects theaters on October 18, 2024. And be sure to check out Skye Riley’s new single, “Blood on White Satin,” to get a taste of the dark melody that awaits.

But just remember, even the biggest smile can hide the most sinister secrets…

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Following the recent death of civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson, lawmakers hope to finally achieve a years-long effort to award him a Congressional Gold Medal. 

“There’s not enough knowledge about how profound a role James Lawson played in the civil rights movement in this country,” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told theGrio in an exclusive about re-introducing a bill to honor Lawson with one of the United States’ oldest and highest civilian awards. 

Khanna, who developed a personal relationship with Lawson over several years, called the activist and theoretician a “civil rights hero” and argued that “his story needs to be better celebrated and told.”

The progressive congressman, along with nearly two dozen co-sponsors, reintroduced legislation that would award Lawson, who died on June 9 at 95, with the Congressional Gold Medal for his “contributions to the advancement of civil rights through nonviolent methods in the United States.”

Khanna described Lawson as the architect of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, which was steered by civil rights leaders like Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and former U.S. Rep. John Lewis. 

Khanna pointed out that many Americans may not know that Lawson imparted the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi to Black civil rights activists. This became an effective strategy that galvanized America’s consciousness and eventually led to groundbreaking legislation that advanced Black freedoms, like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Lawson went to India and learned about nonviolence and Satyagraha, and he really helped impart that teaching to King and John Lewis and others,” Khanna said. “He’s one of the key reasons that tied the Indian independence movement with the civil rights movement.”

Khanna came to know Lawson personally after they were connected because of Khanna’s grandfather, Amaranth Vidyalankar, who was imprisoned alongside Gandhi during the Indian independence movement. His grandfather’s activism inspired the future congressman to a career committed to advancing human rights. Even as the U.S. became more polarized during the political rise of former President Donald Trump, Khanna recalled Lawson encouraged listening to the American voters who supported Trump to “understand where they’re coming from in terms of their fears and anxieties and finding our common humanity as Americans.“

I would call (Lawson) sometimes when I was very concerned about the direction of the country, upset about the vitriol on the other side, and he always calmed me down and talked about healing and reconciliation and transcending division,” Khanna said. “He had such a wonderful perspective and hopeful perspective about America.”

Khanna has introduced legislation to award Lawson every year since 2018 without success. He said it would pass in both chambers “if my colleagues just got to see what he stood for and know what he helped to achieve.” Lawson’s death might make a difference. “I’m hoping that now that he’s passed, there will be more clarity into the magnitude of his achievements.”

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., a mentee of Lawson and a co-sponsor of the bill, told theGrio in a statement that he was “humbled” to join fellow members of Congress in the “important effort” to honor the civil rights leader’s “life, legacy, and colossal impact.

“Reverend Lawson’s teachings and inexorable commitment to nonviolence techniques proved pivotal in the fight for civil rights, shining a light on the horrors of Jim Crow and providing a path to salvation for millions to follow,” Cleaver said. He continued, “There are few Americans in history who have done more to ensure the nation lives up to its founding promise of equality and freedom for all, and the Congressional Gold Medal is an appropriate recognition from a grateful nation for his lifetime of service.”

As an Indian American, Khanna acknowledged the deep connection between the Indian American and Black American communities, formed by leaders like Lawson, who made his American success story a reality.  

“There would be probably no King if there were no Gandhi, but there would be no Indian American community if there were no King. Indian American immigration happened post ’65,” said Khanna, who noted that the Immigration Reform Act, which made it possible for Indian immigrants to come to the United States, resulted from the civil rights activism of Lawson, King and others.

“The Indian American community owes a huge debt to the civil rights movement,” said Khanna, including the fact that many Indian Americans served as faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) because “the Harvards and Stanfords” wouldn’t hire them. 

He added, “In fact, Nikki Haley‘s father was at one of them.”

Given that shared connection, the congressman said he envisions a future where Indian American and Black communities “come together around new economic opportunity, new wealth generation, technology.” 

On Sept. 30, Khanna will convene 40 HBCUs and tech leaders from companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft to “create economic opportunity and jobs” for HBCU graduates, including funding their businesses and creating scholarships.

“A lot of the Indian American community has had success in tech,” he acknowledged. “We need to recognize the connection between the communities … this coalition can be very powerful in American politics.”

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You probably recognize Nara Smith from her “made from scratch” TikTok recipes for bubble gum and bread. You could also know her and her husband, Lucky Blue Smith, for their children’s unique names: Whimsy Lou, Rumble Honey and Slim Easy.

What you may not know is Smith, 22, has been recently accused of stealing content from a lesser known creator, Onezwa Mbola from South Africa, who posts her own lifestyle and “made from scratch” content.

This all started when fans of Mbola, 29, began to notice similarities between the two creators. Mbola has a soft and soothing voice…. So does Smith. Mbola posts relatable lifestyle content that revolves around cooking for her family…. So does Smith.

What caught the attention of many is when Mbola recently made boba completely from scratch– down to the goat’s milk which she sourced from her own livestock. Just two days after Mbola posted her video, Smith posted her own also making boba from scratch.

Following the videos, Mbola announced that she would be taking a break from TikTok, saying “for months now I have watched a very, very popular content creator use my ideas to get views.”

Mbola disclaims that she is “not the first person to do anything” but also notes that she does not get paid for TikTok views in South Africa, where she lives, but Smith does. “She has been making money off stealing my content,” Mbola said. She claims Smith changes her videos “just enough” to get away with copying her style, and Mbola is tired of it.

Even though these two ladies have comparable styles, does this really mean one is copying the other? Fans on TikTok seem to think so, and they are convinced the reason why Smith is so popular and Mbola is not is because of their looks.

Smith is a mixed-race professional model who lives in the US. She has created an aesthetic wearing lavish gowns and jewelry while she makes her food.

Mbola, on the other hand, is darker skinned and lives on her farm in South Africa where she cares for her livestock and is not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Even though the two women have completely different lifestyles, they make similar content, so why do we only see Smith on our for you pages?

Tiktoker @electra_telesford says it all comes down to the “root issue,” which is the “inequity that seems to be embedded” in the TikTok algorithm. Many believe the algorithm favors Smith because her aesthetic and her lifestyle is more acceptable compared to Mbola, but the drama does not stop there.

Since Mbola called Smith out, fans of Smith have begun harassing Mbola’s social media. Comments about Mbola’s appearance and even calling her a liar have flooded the creator’s YouTube page and TikTok. Mbola clapped back saying “I don’t participate in likeability politics” in a recent TikTok post.

Despite the drama, Mbola’s fanbase has grown, and her supporters continue to advocate and support her.

“AS WE RIDE TILL DAWN FOR YOU ONEZWA,” said @siphephelo2323 under Mbola’s recent post.

“Your content is very relevant to us South Africans…. Don’t mind the distraction, focus sis” wrote user @_fumani.

“This drama has brought me to your page. You are talented and so is Nara. Keep doing you.” Cassie M wrote under another post.

Smith has responded, saying she “never seen her [Mbola’s] videos,” even though fans clocked Smith’s reply to a TikTok from Mbola back in February, suggesting Smith at least knows of Mbola.

It is unclear if the two have spoken to each other about the recent allegations, but Smith and Mbola continue to make relatable content for their respective audiences. Until the TikTok algorithm gets it together, you can find and support both women on TikTok and YouTube.

43

Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” is a chart-topping juggernaut, solidifying itself as one of the best-selling albums of 2024 so far. The project’s success is fueled in part by the massive single “The Boy Is Mine,” which cleverly references Brandy and Monica’s 1998 megahit of the same name.

The “The Boy Is Mine” music video, featuring Penn Badgley and surprise cameos by Brandy and Monica themselves, took the internet by storm. But the excitement didn’t stop there. Grande upped the ante by announcing a “The Boy Is Mine (Remix)” featuring the original queens, Brandy and Monica, dropping this Friday, June 21st.

Grande’s sheer elation over the collaboration was evident in her Instagram caption, expressing her gratitude to her idols and acknowledging their immense influence. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Grande elaborated on the placement of “True Story” and “The Boy Is Mine” on the “Eternal Sunshine” tracklist, highlighting the connection between the two songs and her longstanding admiration for the original “The Boy Is Mine.”

Brandy and Monica’s version dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for 27 weeks in 1998, holding the top spot for a staggering 13 weeks. With the release of the remix this Friday, fans anticipate a new chapter for this iconic song, fueled by Grande’s contemporary sound and the timeless voices of Brandy and Monica.

Get ready to be transported back in time with a modern twist – watch Grande’s captivating “The Boy Is Mine” video and prepare to be blown away by the upcoming remix featuring the original legends!

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Kenya Moore broke her silence on Saturday after she was reportedly suspended indefinitely from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

The actress took to social media to address reports that she was suspended from filming the reality series after allegedly sharing explicit images of castmate Brittany Eady at the opening of Kenya Moore Hair Spa in Atlanta, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The images, which were reportedly displayed on posters at last week’s event were “allegedly found online,” Entertainment Tonight reported.

Moore slammed the reports in a statement on X (Twitter), writing, “I would never engage in revenge porn, I have never distributed private images or footage of anyone, nor solicited images owned by others to use to threaten or blackmail. I have always been vindicated. I can’t talk about STORY even with people planting fake news.”

The 53-year-old media personality also spoke out on her Instagram Story, saying, “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see. The truth always comes to light,” per THR. 

The alleged incident was reportedly filmed by Bravo cameras, with ET reporting that “the network is still reviewing the content Kenya displayed during filming.” Eady has been accused of making threats towards Moore before the hair salon opening, allegedly using the word “gun,” according to Page Six. 

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Eady seemingly addressed the reports in a post on her Instagram Story, writing, “It’s never a good feeling being targeted or HAZED BY SOMEONE I thought would embrace me into a new circle, that I never met.”

She added, “For the record, I’ve never once had possession of any weapons or threatened anyone ever. I’ve never been to jail, in [a] fight, or even had as much as a speeding ticket. That’s not my character. I am hurt by the narrative that’s being displayed. Wrong is wrong.”

Moore has been a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” since 2012. The reality series is currently filming its 16th season, which will premiere in 2025, according to Bravo.

26

Pop royalty Katy Perry is back to reclaim her throne! She’s gearing up to dominate the charts once again with a brand new lead single, “Woman’s World,” set for release on Thursday, July 11th at 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET. The official music video will premiere hot on its heels on July 12th.

A taste of the empowering track, along with the striking cover art shot by renowned photographer Jack Bridgland, has already sent fans into a frenzy on social media. The artwork hints at a bold, futuristic direction for Perry, perfectly aligning with the song’s title suggesting a powerful message. “Woman’s World” marks the first single from her upcoming studio album, shrouded in exciting secrecy for now.

@katyperry

WOMAN’S WORLD SONG JULY 11 VIDEO JULY 12 PRE-SAVE + PRE-ORDER GET READY TO POP OFF KATYPERRY.COM

♬ Womans World by Katy Perry – Katy Perry

Perry is a powerhouse in the music industry, boasting a jaw-dropping 115 billion streams and a phenomenal 70 million albums sold worldwide. These figures solidify her place as one of the best-selling artists of all time. But her impact goes beyond mere numbers. With a staggering 143 million certified tracks, Perry’s enduring popularity is undeniable. Notably, she’s one of the elite few artists to achieve the prestigious 100 Million Certified Songs distinction by the RIAA.

Perry’s reign shows no signs of stopping. On Friday, September 20th, she’ll headline the sold-out Rock in Rio festival in Brazil. This highly anticipated performance marks her triumphant return to the Rio de Janeiro stage after a stellar showing in 2015. With a new album on the horizon and a sold-out performance later this year, Katy Perry is poised to make a powerful statement this summer. Get ready to be empowered by “Woman’s World.”

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