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A small, private Mississippi school that opened nearly three years ago with just six students has grown to approximately 50 in grades prekindergarten through 12th. Leora Hooper founded Abundance Educational Academy in a neglected storefront in Yazoo City, according to The New York Times. She had taught special education at a local public school and sixth-grade social studies at another. However, Hooper’s work in the impoverished community and struggling public school system took its toll and she quit in 2021. Since she left in the middle of the school year, her public-school teaching license was suspended. Inspired to start a new chapter and offer students an alternative as well, she started Abundance, becoming its executive director. Hooper wears many additional hats too: She is a math, social studies, and language arts teacher, an after-school tutor, the registrar, a guidance counselor, co-director of the drum line, a janitor, and receptionist. “I was born to do it,” Hooper said...
Marquitrice Mangham has opened a grocery store in her hometown. According to Capital B News, Mangham was born and raised in Webb, MS, but moved away after high school. Now living in Atlanta, GA, she ventured back part-time to the Mississippi community of less than 500 residents in 2016 after she inherited family farmland. Upon her return, Mangham recognized worsening circumstances had affected housing and businesses in the area. Additionally, for household needs locals could only rely on a Dollar General, which had been in operation since 2009. The nearest grocery store was a 20-mile drive. Mangham decided to support the community by establishing Farmacy Marketplace in 2022. The 2,500-square-foot store sources its fresh foods and meats primarily from local farmers. Additionally, she opened the grocery store under her nonprofit, In Her Shoes, to have access to programs and resources that can sustain the store in the community. “There was only one grocery store in the whole county,...
Intelligence, drive, and ambition seems to run in this family as the father, son and daughter have earned their master’s degree. Commondre Cole alongside his son, Ja’Coby Cole, and his daughter, Iesha Gully were among the graduating class at Mississippi State University. They all earned master’s degrees in education, WXXV25 reports. “This is a big accomplishment for our family,” said in an interview. “Just to keep driving and keep going forward and to lead by example and to show my younger siblings and the rest of my family that we can do it. We started strong, and we finish strong.” When the family achieves success together, the opportunities are endless. With the latest accomplishment, they are now joining the world of educators that are making the world a better place one child at a time.
Netflix has been championing Black stories, creators, and experiences through a more in-depth lens since 2019 with “Strong Black Lead,” which recently celebrated its three-year anniversary. Now, the streaming giant’s co-CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are dedicated to continuing their mission of advancing the Black and LatinX communities, specifically with educational opportunities for disadvantaged students. Variety reports that the wedded couple donated $10 million to Tougaloo College, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Mississippi. The new funding will be split between scholarships for the HBCU and will establish the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership Scholarship Fund at Brown University — founded by the two universities in 1964 “to prosper and thrive so that future generations of Tougaloo and Brown students can keep sharing new perspectives and generating new ideas.” Hastings and Quillin’s donation marks the largest that the school partnership has been...
Xavian Branch has options when it comes to his college decision. According to Blavity, the Mississippi student has been accepted to 20 different colleges and if that news isn’t good enough to jump for joy, the fact that he has also received $1.5 million in scholarship offers definitely is! Branch is a senior at The Jim Hill High School located in Jackson, Mississippi, and is an International Baccalaureate Diploma program participant graduating with a 4.8 GPA. He is also the class valedictorian. “When I look back at all the work that I did, I wouldn’t regret anything,” said Branch in an interview. After applying to colleges thanks to the help of his academic adviser Frank J. Branch, the opportunities are endless as that Branch has been accepted into 20 different schools and has been offered $1.5 million in scholarships. His mother, Zandra Branch is one proud mother and is excited to see all that he continues to accomplish. “I just can’t say enough about my baby,” she said. ” I want...
This Mississippi woman is truly a “Boss Lady!” Pam Chatman, the owner of Boss Lady Workforce Transportation, realized that her community in Cleveland, Mississippi was in dire need of transportation services to get their COVID vaccines. Registering for the vaccine online wasn’t an option, as high-speed Internet is hard to come by in the rural American South. So, Chatman came up with an idea that was truly “boots on the ground” in its nature. “We know here in rural Mississippi, a lot of places here do not have internet. So, it was difficult for them to register,” she said, according to The Atlanta Black Star. “We are now going into Black communities taking mobile facilities there and actually meeting the people and serving the people where they are. We’re going into their communities, into their churches, and providing them the vaccine.” The Mississippi woman expanded her transportation company, Boss Lady Workforce Transportation Services, to include taking people to their vaccine...
Techpreneur and Amazon worker Nashlie Sephus is accomplishing a groundbreaking goal to build a tech hub downtown in her Jackson, Mississippi hometown to help train the next generation of tech geniuses. According to Face2Face Africa, Sephus is turning downtown Jackson — which isn’t well-known for its technology prowess — into a $25 million tech district made up of 12 acres of vacant lots and seven buildings — roughly 500,000 square feet of workspace — to put her community on the map in the tech world. “My goal is to turn this space into a self-sustaining village where people can live, work, play, and eat,” Sephus told Inc. The idea to build up this tech community came to Sephus back in 2018 when she was looking for an office space for her own startup Bean Path — an incubator and technology consulting nonprofit — which has assisted over 400 local businesses and individuals with their technology needs. Her search landed her in the downtown Jackson area, which was once considered a...
Some states are stepping up to the plate in regards to appropriately regulating tech. Recently, Mississippi’s attorney general, Jim Hood, said the state is preparing an antitrust case against Google, as reported by CNBC . “At some point in the future, there will be a reckoning,” Hood said, according to CNBC. “It’ll either be in Congress or in a court of law.” Hood said the case will tackle the privacy practices of Alphabet — Google’s owner — and it’ll be similar to a federal case brought against Microsoft in the late 1990s. In that case, the federal government reviewed antitrust charges against Microsoft. Eventually, the company was charged with acting as a monopoly and limiting competitions on PCs. At the time, they were forcing manufacturers to bundle Internet Explorer on their hardware products before receiving a license for the Windows 98 operating system. Obviously, Microsoft wasn’t forced to split up because they’re still around today. However, the settlement definitely shook...
From breaking records on the field to securing lucrative endorsements, DK Metcalf has established himself as a wide receiver to watch in the NFL. Since being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, he has quickly risen to elite status, becoming one of the league’s most dominant offensive weapons. Known for his rare combination of size, speed and athleticism, Metcalf has delivered performances that showcase his stamina and strength, cementing his reputation as a game-changing playmaker. Off the field, the 27-year-old has successfully transformed his football stardom into financial success . His endorsements include partnerships with major companies such as Nike, Gatorade and Beats by Dre, further boosting his income and public profile. Additionally, he has ventured into business, capitalizing on opportunities in industries ranging from fitness to fashion. With a keen eye for branding and entrepreneurship, he has positioned himself as more than just an athlete – he’s a savvy...
A scholarship that provided assistance to HBCU students will no longer exist. In 1992, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created the 1890 National Scholars Program through a collaboration with 1890 land-grant universities, which refer to the 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that benefited from resources established by the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, according to Montana State University. The first act was established to ensure broader access to education in agriculture, military tactics, and engineering for the working class, and the second act provided further funding to include HBCUs. As for the 1890 National Scholars Program, it aims to increase representation at these schools by funding students, particularly from rural and underserved communities, i n food, agriculture, natural resource, and other related sciences, according to the USDA website. Recipients benefit from full tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Eligibility requirements...
Rick Ross was inspired to pursue business, following his mother’s entrepreneurial footsteps. The Mississippi-born rapper shot to fame with his 2006 breakout hit “Hustlin,” which led to him signing his first major record deal with JAY-Z at Def Jam, notes HipHopDX. “JAY-Z, I remember we went to eat after a game, and he was playing Rick Ross…‘Everyday I’m Hustlin,’” Former NBA player Jamal Crawford told Ross while they appeared on the “All The Smoke” podcast. “And Jay was mesmerized by the song. He was like, ‘Whip it, whip it real hard!’ He kept saying that part, he loved it.” Rick Ross became an overnight success and began prioritizing real estate as he accumulated his fortune, which is reportedly an estimated $150 million net worth today. According to Celebrity Net Worth, this encompasses $90 million earned from albums and singles, revenue from his record label Maybach Music Group (established in 2009), and other ventures. His decision to enter real estate dates back to his...
DEI terms are being removed from some public colleges. According to a landing page from The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17, titled “Responsibility of Governing Boards Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives,” on June 14, 2023. The bill restricts diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, as well as the programs, activities, and trainings across public institutions of higher education. It went into effect in January 2024. “DEI programs have been shown to be exclusive, they have been shown to be ineffective and they have shown to be politically charged,” Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, the ban’s author, stated on the Senate floor, according to The Texas Tribune in February 2024. “Many of these programs have been weaponized to compel speech instead of protecting free speech.” An internal memo shared in November 2024 by TikTok user momuniversity, who was a UT Austin educator at the time, provided updated...
A Black-owned pharmacy has opened in Toledo, OH. After seeing health disparities within communities during his residency with Kroger, pharmacist Anthony Pattin was driven to provide better access to underserved citizens. At the time, Pattin had already completed an undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences and a PharmD from the University of Toledo, Toledo Blade reports. “One of my first projects was looking at African-Americans’ perceptions of vaccines,” he told the outlet. “I learned a lot. One thing is, not everyone feels the same way. I had a group of people who wanted vaccines but said ‘As a matter of fact, when I go to the pharmacy, they don’t offer it,’ and that’s how I found out that there are some pharmacies, even in their community, that didn’t offer that service. So that was a disparity — that you were saying that maybe they don’t want the service, but they don’t have it available.” While Pattin took note, the idea for a pharmacy was catalyzed by an elderly neighbor...
Robert L. Johnson ’s journey from a young man with a vision to a media magnate and philanthropist is a story of perseverance, strategy, and relentless pursuit of success. As the founder of BET (Black Entertainment Television), Johnson became the first African American billionaire, cementing his place as one of the most influential figures in the media industry. His journey, however, was not without its challenges. Here’s a closer look at how Johnson built his empire and made a lasting impact as a businessman and philanthropist. Early Life And Education Born on April 8, 1946, in Hickory, Mississippi , Johnson grew up in a family that valued education and hard work. His parents were both educators, and their influence instilled in him a desire to succeed academically and professionally. Johnson attended the University of Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Afterward, he went on to obtain a Master of Public Affairs degree from Princeton University. His time...