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MGM National Harbor Sides With Troubled MBE Contractor Following Corruption Allegations

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Falisa Peoples-Tittle Was Fraudulently Removed As Co-Owner of TaylorMade Solutions, LLC And MGM Turned A Blind Eye

Despite being 50-percent owner of a Minority Business Enterprise—TaylorMade Solutions, LLC—under contract with MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Falisa Peoples-Tittle was stripped of her business and Casino credentials by MGM in 2019 and shown the door under the direction of her business partners, Brenda and Elleck Taylor, co-owners of TaylorMade Solutions, LLC.

Falisa L. Peoples in her own words: https://youtu.be/G9j1Yjwjhs8

“In December 2019, we filed a lawsuit against Brenda and Elleck Taylor and TaylorMade Solutions and by 2020 MGM had rerouted the money from our partnership banking account at PNC Bank to a separate account created by the Taylor’s. They just switched it without any background information or my signature.”

Three years later, the co-owners of TaylorMade Solutions, LLC are still pursuing a lawsuit in Prince George’s County Circuit Court for access to their share of the company they helped develop, including a just resolution from the mighty lion in the middle of a dispute between two minority co-owners of a commercial cleaning service. In the meantime, since this legal dispute, the Taylor’s have transferred ownership of the company to their children.

“I thought they were the best fit because they had a small cleaning company, maybe about 4 to 6 contracts at that time, and they shared my vision of wanting to hire people in Prince George’s country who are typically overlooked for employment. For example senior citizens, folks rejoining the workforce after some time and other disadvantaged groups.”

The allegations that led to the Tittle’s and Taylor’s losing their solidarity to make a positive impact in Prince George’s County and the lives of the underserved and overlooked were serious. They included OSHA and payroll violations, missing funds and exaggerated payments and overtime hours to the Taylor’s son, Wesley Peyton. Later, the Tittle’s learned of a Dubai trip the Taylor’s treated their family to, paid for with business funds.

“We talked about getting an American Express card for business expenses for the partners. I learned later that the Taylor’s did not reveal that they had opened the credit card nearly 10 months before they issued me a copy of the card. During that time, they had been using our joint partnership American Express Platinum card, and the business expenses were coming out of that card.”

According to Peoples-Tittle, every month each partner would receive a “partner draw” that amounted to $10,000. This partner draw was to cover each partners 50-percent share of business expenses.

“We were making $40,000 just on one contract alone. And we were bringing in revenue anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000 a month. Another $10,000 was meant for savings. When the draws started getting shorter, due to lack of funding as explained by the Taylor’s, it started to raise red flags and concern, as well as questions about where the money was going.”

As the two families worked to clear the confusion and growing discontent, Peoples voiced her concern in an email to Brenda Elleck:

From: Peoples-Tittle, Falisa L. 
Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2017 3:24 AM
To: peytonbrenda@

Subject: A few thoughts….

Hey B,

I was volunteering yesterday and ended my session by saying, “do one thing that challenges you within the next 24 hours” And, since communicating is my “challenge”  I woke up to type this note before my 24-hours was up. LOL I know we still need to get our information to Charles; however, I thought it would be a good idea to send you an email (excluding the guys) to discuss a few thoughts I had and to get a better understanding of your thoughts and your approach to our partnership. I absolutely LOVE you and Elleck and I can’t think of a better couple to have partnered with, so please know that these are just thoughts and not in any way meant to cause any concern. I know you are a “get to your point person” so bare with me for less than five minutes please. This is HUGE for me.

People tell me that they feel like I don’t voice my opinion and hold things in. My retort is that I do offer my opinion–I actually voice it often. I’m a listener and a processor and my observation is a lot people rarely listen to what others are saying and as a result, after I say something more than three times, I just stop talking. And, when I feel like I’m not being heard, my default is to back down and no longer be engaged. So B, your assumption was correct, I do have things I’m thinking, but because I’ve said them before and nothing has happened, or things remained the same, I revert to my default which is to be quiet.

The good thing is I do know that’s not a great approach and I’m really trying hard to change that character flaw about myself, so, as you read this email, please read it as comments from my heart, love and nothing else. Additionally, I KNOW I don’t need to tell you this; however, if you feel like you ever need to discuss something with me, please do. This will be along, engaging partnership and I want to make sure we’re always communicating—especially me, which I’m working on.

With that said, here are my thoughts:

Regarding the partnership agreement—what do you see my role to be? I’m asking because there have been a few instances where I’ve voiced my opinion and it felt like you made the decision regardless of my opinion and, in some cases, without discussing with me until after your decision was made. Here’s a few examples(understanding that I am paraphrasing and not citing you verbatim):

  • When we realized the kitchen job was going to take more manpower, after it was assigned to Ed, it was given to Clinton. I mentioned my thoughts on getting my sister and a few of the other companies I met with prior to partnering with you and E and your comment was, “Clinton will handle the large job because I know he can do it.” You still allowed the others to help out, but you assigned Clinton specific areas.
  • When MGM needed additional work completed from the original work order, you gave that job to Clinton as well. You quoted Clinton $187.50 without consulting with me (not sure about Terrence or E) when I suggested we lower it, you said, “I already told him that price.” Two things:
    • I’m certain Clinton would’ve still performed the work if you told him you quoted the price in error, or something to that degree. He works for you all the time so I’m sure he would’ve been okay with it.
    • I didn’t think it was fair we paid him that amount and only paid your workers (from TaylorMade) and my sisters group only $50. I would’ve much rather paid them our families that amount and negotiated another amount with Clinton. 
  • When we discussed the Project Manager for the Aramark roll, you said it would be Wesley, and I asked if him and Chanel could alternate weeks. You said, “that would be okay”; however, the week Chanel was supposed to go and I mentioned it to you, your response was, “Wesley is going to be the Project Manager.”
  • When Aramark called about the bi-weekly cleaning job. You said, you had already contacted Clinton and he’s going to do it. When I suggested we should give it to both companies your thought was it should just be one company assigned to the project. I understood, but again you offered the project to Clinton without consultation. I think that would’ve been a great opportunity to see who else could do the job.
  • When Tobias called us regarding Stitches, you already reached out to Clinton to do the work. I understand it was a small job, but that could’ve been something we gave to someone else to build a relationship as well.

Again, I have absolutely no problem with Clinton. I think he’s awesome! These are some examples of how I feel–like I don’t matter, I’m not being heard or that my role in this partnership is very limited. I know we are just learning one another, but I hope you know I that I would NEVER allow anyone to ruin the reputation you and Elleck have established with TaylorMade, and that I will always have your best interest in mind when I bring someone to do work.

Finally, here are the items I’m supposed to send for our follow-up discussion with Charles, plus a few things I’m thinking in general for the team:

  • Remove FLP from one part of the agreement (I forgot the part) that stipulates “partners”
  • Operating Agreement
  • Review and define roles so that everyone is clear about their responsibilities and structure. With the amount of projects I am anticipating us having, I think it’s a good idea to know what we should be doing without anyone feeling overwhelmed.
  • I think we should have a bi-weekly “pulse check call” with the team—or just you and I.
  • I do want to discuss the partnership with you all and Charlie
  • Strategically plan our goals for the year, etc. and go over our strategies and operations
  • Discuss structure and partnership
  • Establish relationship with other businesses. Have at least five companies/people to contact. To include backups.

Understanding that fairness is both of our expectations learning where you see this partnership would be helpful to me. I in NO way believe any of this was done as a result of you not respecting me, but because you are used to running your business without having someone else as a partner. I think we work extremely well together and I really would like to continue this and look forward to building a future for our families. I get it and that is why I am trying to understand what your preferred method is. Understanding the hierarchy and structure will help me immensely.

I’m still excited as the day we decided on this partnership and I look forward to building our dreams and our families dreams for the future.

Thank you for reviewing my thoughts.

Falisa

Two weeks later her business partner, Brenda Elleck, responded:

From: Personal Acct <peytonbrenda@>
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2017 10:30 AM
To: Peoples-Tittle, Falisa L. >
Subject: Re: A few thoughts….

Falisa

I am soooooooooo happy that you expressed your feelings to me. Communication, although sometimes difficult, is key to any successful relationship. Women are intuitive creatures and I knew that you had things on your heart that needed to be expressed.

Listen I’m a bossy bitch and I’m used to being in charge. I was raised an only child, then I raised 3 boys by myself, then I married a man who thinks my shit don’t stink and, before you guys came along, I ran the day to day of TaylorMade. But let me tell you a secret – I don’t like being in charge. I’ve developed those skills because I had to. If I feel that someone else is better than me at something, I will gladly let them take the reins. The problem is – that’s not usually the case AND I’m extremely anal retentive.

Enough about me. Let’s talk about us. I think we make a great team. We are complete opposites which is perfect for a partnership because we’ll cover all bases. Let me just say that it was never my intention to disrespect you or not take your thoughts into consideration. I do think that you are too sensitive sometimes. You always want to be fair to everybody and that’s not always possible in business. We will definitely operate with integrity but sometimes toes will be stepped on especially as we grow. I’m all for helping family (that’s why Wes is involved in everything) but we have to make the best decision for the job. We can talk in detail about your examples below because it’s too much to type.

Actually I’m going to stop typing here and suggest that we meet and continue this much needed conversation. I don’t want to come across as bullying or mean when that is the farthest from my intentions.

El and I are grateful that you brought this oppty to us and we are excited about the future for us as partners. These conversations are necessary for positive growth so LETS TALK

Brenda

 

“We had our priorities outlined in the Master Service Agreement with MGM but once we became partners things changed. I trusted Brenda but there were things happening that violated the agreement and commitment we set out with.”

ePa reached out to Brenda and Elleck Taylor but both declined to provide comment for this report. When reached by phone, Tobias Thornwell, Sr. Strategic Sourcing Manager, MGM Harbor stated that he had no knowledge of the lawsuit filed by FLP Global. When asked if he ever used TaylorMade Solutions, LLC to clean his personal residence before the Peoples were stripped of their ownership of the company, something he was accused of doing by plaintiff in the lawsuit, Thornwell said, “absolutely not. It would be a conflict of interest.”

However, text messages provided by Peoples between herself and Tobias indicate otherwise:

TEXT MESSAGES

ePa interview with Tobias Thornwell, Sr. Strategic Sourcing Manager, MGM Harbor:

Mirinda Jackson, Prince George’s County MBE Compliance Officer is one of many officials who tried but has thus far failed to bring about a resolution between MGM and the dueling MBE business partners. Other elected officials from the state and Prince George’s County have also tried to intervene without any luck. The buck seemed to have stopped at Thornwell’s office, who according to Peoples-Tittle, refuses to budge on his decision to only employ the Taylor’s as sole owners of TaylorMade Solutions, LLC, despite records showing the fraudulent seizure of Peoples-Tittle’s share of the company. Jonathan Butler, Chair of the MGM Oversight Committee stated that the dispute between the owners of TaylorMade Solutions is outside of his jurisdiction and added that he was unaware of the dispute or the lawsuit.

In the meantime, Peoples-Tittle is waiting for her day in Prince George’s County Civil Court and, or for MGM to come to the table to help mediate and finally settle the ownership issue.

“I was there from the beginning. I started with MGM 6 days after the Hotel and Casino opened and to be in this position now, still a certified MBE in the county, a certified supplier in the county without a contract is disheartening. Looking ahead, I hope that MGM establishes a compliance process or starts to review their MBE’s for compliance to ensure what’s happening to us, doesn’t happen to other Black owned businesses working to make a positive impact in their communities,” said Peoples-Tittle.

Compounding the alleged theft of her share of the company, Peoples-Tittle says she was issued fraudulent tax forms totaling nearly $1 million from a Prince George’s County accounting firm—The Hutt Company, LLC—hired by the Taylor’s to manage their books and taxes. According to Peoples-Tittle, who has since filed a complaint with the IRS, Maryland Department of Labor and the FBI, her countless attempts to reach the accounting firm has been ignored, due to what she perceives to be a calculated, well-orchestrated, and multi-faceted attempt to rob her of her company and silence her attempts to fight back. And MGM refuses to intervene or investigate any of these serious allegations, siting that the issue is a civil matter between the dueling MBE’s.

 

Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of, Between the World and Me, wrote poignantly in his book about the historic racial trauma, police violence and bureaucratic abuse that has impacted the lives of the people of Prince George’s County. He writes, “Most of us are forced to drink our travesty straight and smile about it.” Adding, “I wrote about the history of the Prince George’s County Police. Nothing had ever felt so essential to me. Here is what I knew at the outset. The officer who killed Prince Jones was Black. The politicians who empowered this officer to kill were Black. Many of the Black politicians, many of them twice as good, seemed unconcerned. How could this be?”

The question is a just one that demands an answer to the history of corruption that continues to plague Prince George’s County, including the allegations from Peoples-Tittle concerning MGM National Harbor and its MBE program. And the debates of corruption remains a serious problem, even for the state’s first Black Governor, Wes Moore, who was forced to scrap a controversial contract process to run concessions operations at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. The history of Prince George’s County political machine failing to hold government and private sector officials accountable for serious misconduct and mismanagement certainly justifies the question posed in, Between The World And Me … how could this be, indeed.

Media Contact: Jeanette Lenoir | jeanettelenoir@epluribusamerica.com

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Yale Study: Racism & Discrimination Main Cause For Excess Deaths For Black Americans

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

 

Black folks are still dying at an alarming rate compared to other ethnic groups in America. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a new Yale study that sheds more light on racial disparities in the U.S. regarding life expectancy for Black folks. The alarming new study shows Black people still suffer from illnesses at higher rates and die younger than white people. However, the study also revealed that the higher mortality rate for Black Americans translates to 1.63 million excess deaths compared to white people. This study is over the course of more than 20 years.

According to the report, the staggering higher mortality rate for Black folks from 1999 to 2020 led to the loss of more than 80 million years of life in comparison to white folks.  Key points of the findings are below.

Original Investigation

May 16, 2023

Excess Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Among the Black Population in the US, 1999-2020

Key Points

Question: How many excess deaths and years of potential life lost for the Black population, compared with the White population, occurred in the United States from 1999 through 2020?

Findings: Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, excess deaths and years of potential life lost persisted throughout the period, with initial progress followed by stagnation of improvement and substantial worsening in 2020. The Black population had 1.63 million excess deaths, representing more than 80 million years of potential life lost over the study period.

Meaning: After initial progress, excess mortality and years of potential life lost among the US Black population stagnated and then worsened, indicating a need for new approaches.

Abstract

Importance: Amid efforts in the US to promote health equity, there is a need to assess recent progress in reducing excess deaths and years of potential life lost among the Black population compared with the White population.

Objective: To evaluate trends in excess mortality and years of potential life lost among the Black population compared with the White population.

Design, setting, and participants: Serial cross-sectional study using US national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 through 2020. We included data from non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black populations across all age groups.

Exposures: Race as documented in the death certificates.

Main outcomes and measures: Excess age-adjusted all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, age-specific mortality, and years of potential life lost rates (per 100 000 individuals) among the Black population compared with the White population.

Results: From 1999 to 2011, the age-adjusted excess mortality rate declined from 404 to 211 excess deaths per 100 000 individuals among Black males (P for trend <.001). However, the rate plateaued from 2011 through 2019 (P for trend = .98) and increased in 2020 to 395—rates not seen since 2000. Among Black females, the rate declined from 224 excess deaths per 100 000 individuals in 1999 to 87 in 2015 (P for trend <.001). There was no significant change between 2016 and 2019 (P for trend = .71) and in 2020 rates increased to 192—levels not seen since 2005. The trends in rates of excess years of potential life lost followed a similar pattern. From 1999 to 2020, the disproportionately higher mortality rates in Black males and females resulted in 997 623 and 628 464 excess deaths, respectively, representing a loss of more than 80 million years of life. Heart disease had the highest excess mortality rates, and the excess years of potential life lost rates were largest among infants and middle-aged adults.

Conclusions and relevance: Over a recent 22-year period, the Black population in the US experienced more than 1.63 million excess deaths and more than 80 million excess years of life lost when compared with the White population. After a period of progress in reducing disparities, improvements stalled, and differences between the Black population and the White population worsened in 2020.

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Buffalo Massacre: A Year Later, White Supremacist Propaganda Continues To Spur Violence

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BY CALEB KIEFFER

On May 14, 2022, a gunman carried out a horrific, racist attack on the Black community, killing 10 people and wounding three others at a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in east Buffalo, New York. The gunman left behind an online screed suggesting the attack was motivated by a racist conspiracy theory that has previously inspired other white supremacist acts of terror.

On the anniversary of the atrocity in Buffalo, we remember and mourn those lost in the attack and those whose lives have forever been altered. To honor them, we call for urgency and vigilance in preventing and countering extremist violence and the white supremacy behind it. While testifying before the House Oversight Committee in June 2022, Zeneta Everhart, whose son Zaire was wounded in the shooting, spoke candidly about the nation’s problems stemming from white supremacy and gun violence.

“Domestic terrorism exists in this country for three reasons,” Everhart said. “America is inherently violent. This is who we are as a nation. The very existence of this country was founded on violence, hate and racism.” A lengthy digital footprint said to be associated with the shooter shows false conspiracy theories about a “great replacement” spurred him to drive more than 200 miles to a predominantly Black neighborhood to carry out the massacre.

The “great replacement” theory is a central tenet of white nationalism. Steeped in racist and antisemitic narratives, it falsely asserts there is a concerted and covert effort to replace white populations in white-majority countries with immigrants of color. The conspiracy theory has inspired many other attacks carried out by white extremists against people of color, immigrants, Jewish people and Muslims. Once a fringe idea propagated by hate groups and other extremists – frequently in online message boards – the “great replacement” theory and ideas akin to it have been normalized and dragged into the mainstream, in part, with the help of conservative political figures, media personalities, lawmakers and lobbying groups.

MAINSTREAMING HATE

Tucker Carlson, the now-former Fox News commentator, was one of the biggest media purveyors of “great replacement” ideas. He used his prime-time spot to stoke fear about immigration at the southern border and falling birthrates as existential threats to white people. While Carlson was careful to avoid using the more overt terms favored by avowed white nationalists, these extremists have praised him for mainstreaming their ideas.

These ideas have had a far-reaching effect. In a survey by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Tulchin Research, nearly seven in 10 Republicans agreed to at least some extent with the notion that demographic changes in the U.S. are deliberately driven by liberal and progressive politicians attempting to gain political power by “replacing more conservative white voters.”

A year after the Buffalo massacre, this type of rhetoric is still prevalent. This year, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has held multiple committee hearings on immigration featuring extremist voices and giving a platform to xenophobic rhetoric about a migrant “invasion” happening at the southern border.

On March 6, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, sent a letter signed by all committee Democrats to Rep. James Comer, the committee chairman, asking him and his Republican colleagues to denounce the white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory. The letter said that during one hearing on Feb. 7, Republicans “invoked dangerous and conspiratorial rhetoric echoing the racist and nativist tropes peddled by white supremacists and right-wing extremists.” This included warnings about “invasion” and accusing the Biden administration of implementing a plan “to deliberately open our border” for purposes of “changing our culture.” Comer and all the other Republicans refused to sign, calling it an attempt to “distract” from issues about the border.

This rhetoric has had deadly consequences. Aside from the Buffalo massacre, “great replacement,” antisemitic and invasion-style rhetoric has inspired numerous domestic terror attacks and other acts of violence – in places like Christchurch, New Zealand; El Paso, Texas; and Poway, California. The Buffalo anniversary this year comes during the trial of a man accused of killing 11 Jewish worshippers in a 2018 antisemitic mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The Black community of Buffalo was already dealing with the daily impacts of racism, false conspiracy theories and violence before the shooting.

“This attack compounded the preexisting generational and ancestral trauma that plagued this targeted Buffalo neighborhood and its Black residents,” wrote Thomas Beauford, president of the Buffalo chapter of the National Urban League, in the organization’s 2023 State of Black America report.

‘HELP US TO CREATE THE CHANGE’

Too often, following white supremacist acts of terror, politicians and others who refuse to take real action offer their “thoughts and prayers.”

But thoughts and prayers for the victims of extremist violence are not enough, says Zeneta Everhart. She told lawmakers, “We need you to stand with us in the days, weeks, months and years to come, and be ready to go to work and help us to create the change that this country so desperately needs.”

In fact, there are a number of policy actions that can be taken to mitigate the impact of far-right extremism. They include:

  • Improving the collection of hate crime data. The most recent FBI hate crime report documented the highest number of hate crimes ever reported, including the highest number of race-based crimes – mostly directed against Black people. After 30 years of incomplete data and underreporting from the FBI, Congress should enact legislation to require credible hate crime reporting by local and state law enforcement as a condition of receiving federal funds.
  • Expanding upstream prevention initiatives to build community resilience. The FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice have all confirmed that the primary domestic terrorism threat comes from racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists who advocate for the superiority of the white race. To bolster community well-being and ensure that everyone is prepared to inoculate young people against radicalization, federal and state governments should provide funding for long-term prevention and education initiatives. The SPLC has partnered with American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab to produce resources for parents and caregivers to assist them in helping to steer young people away from extremist propaganda. And the White House must follow through on the wide array of government initiatives and public-private partnerships against hate and extremism announced last September at the United We Stand Summit.
  • Defending and promoting inclusive, truthful education. As many states push new laws to restrict inclusive education and restrict teaching about difficult history in the U.S., more needs to be done to ensure young people are presented the unvarnished facts about this country’s history – both good and bad – to shape a better future. In her testimony, Everhart stated, “We cannot continue to whitewash education, creating generations of children to believe that one race of people are better than the other. Our differences should make us curious, not angry. … That awful day that will now be a part of the history books … let us not forget to add that horrific day to the curriculum that we teach our children.”
  • Promoting online safety and holding tech and social media companies accountable. Tech companies must be held accountable for their role in spreading extremist disinformation and indoctrinating young people into racist and other hateful ideologies. These companies should create and enforce policies and terms of service to ensure that social media networks, payment service providers and other internet-based services do not provide platforms where hateful activities and extremism can thrive.

Finally, elected officials, civic leaders, law enforcement and business leaders must repudiate dangerous and false ideas like the “great replacement” theory. A year after the Tops supermarket shooting, far too many political figures and pundits continue to perpetuate this dangerous rhetoric.

As we remember those who were killed and those whose lives were permanently changed because of the hate-based violence in Buffalo, we must come together to challenge white supremacy in all its forms and strive for a world free of it.

Caleb Kieffer is a senior research analyst for the SPLC’s Intelligence Project.

The Feds Charge Lying NY Rep. George Santos

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

Lying New York Congressman, George Santos has been charged with federal crimes and could be hauled in front of a judge at Brooklyn’s Eastern District court as soon as Wednesday, according to multiple reports Tuesday afternoon. He is expected to turn himself in.  The indictment are sealed and the exact nature of the charges are not immediately clear.  However, Santos had been under scrutiny for lying about his life and professional background, including fundraising practices during his 2022 House campaign.

Santos, 34, made national headline news late last year when it was uncovered that he lied to secure a House seat to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District. The embattled congressman confessed to a series of spectacular fabrications about his background and work experience, including lying about being Jewish and being related to Holocaust survivors. 

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15 Minutes: Snuffing Out A Black Man On The F Train

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

A troubled man was choked to death on a New York train in Lower Manhattan this week and the city didn’t even skip a beat as District Attorney Alvin Bragg hastily decided the snuffing out of a sick, hungry and tired Black man was justified, if not welcome. After first deciding not to file charges against the wannabe white savior, Bragg hit reverse when the public cried foul after video of the horrific incident made its way to the internet for the world to bear witness, once again, to the callous killing of a Black man.

“If folks can’t imagine you as human, all the policy in the world is irrelevant.” – Ta-Nehisi Coates

Jordan Neeley

Adding to this normal tragic occurrence in the American Black experience, Neely’s own mother, 36-year-old Christie Neely, was choked to death by her boyfriend in 2007 when he was only 14-years-old, according to a 2012 report by the Star-Ledger.

His mother’s body was stuffed in a suitcase and dumped on Henry Hudson Parkway. Imagine a young boy, just 14, having to live with this trauma, facing societal rejection, pressure and historical disadvantages simply because he was born a Black boy in America.

At this trajectory in our human experience as Black people, the only thing left is to ask: Which one of our Black souls is next?

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The Coronation Of The British Monarchy Is The Crucifixion Of Truth

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

As the world prepares to feast its eyes on the highly anticipated coronation of the British Monarchy, one would have to be violently shaken awake to the actual truth about the state of our world and the symbolism of this ancient evil power pursuing perpetual validation with expensive ceremonies in the Newer World.

The truth is that a racist wealthy man, Charles, with glutinous sausage fingers is finally getting to marry his long-serving mistress, Camilla. The truth is that he has never worked a single honest day’s work in his privileged life because all the wealth he enjoys and flashes as a brilliant bird of paradise, was plundered from Africa and other Black nations, many still under the ruling thumb of the crown he’s about to adorn as pompously and ceremoniously on May 6th, as if he’s not the epitome of pure evil, insidious injustice, and all that is wrong in the world.

The truth is that Charles and Camilla are symbolic head demons of the white supremacists underworld that has thus far in man’s evolution, been wildly and widely impactful in their mission to control the world and dominate all its wealth and resources without accountability, owing to their delusion of supremacy. These are the same people who created the caste system that places them on top of all others, while preaching the word of a stolen God. The very same people that ushered in chattel slavery across the world with the help of Christopher Columbus who delivered them the African Holocaust they still refuse to recognize, apologize for, nor repair with Reparations, ensuring anti-Black sentiments stays stat across the world. The very same people who will be sitting on fancy thrones on May 6th, will also be sitting on the graves and stolen artifacts of our Black ancestors who fought with valor during the Cape Frontier Wars—one of the most prolonged struggles by African peoples against European intrusion—including, the River War led by Britain’s war monger, Winston Churchill, who unapologetically refers to Black people as savages in his writings of the despicable conquest of the Sudan between 1896 and 1899.

Like J. Edgar Hoover in the U.S. where racism thrives with the still proud flying of the confederate battle flag, Churchill who lied about our African people in his writings and desecrated their graves, remains a celebrated British notable. If he was alive, Churchill would have a prime seat at the OG Klan gathering we deceptively glamorize as a “coronation.”

The truth is that the royal family’s billions don’t belong to them or the British Monarchy. All the wealth these people flaunt on galloping horses in serene scenes of heaven on earth full of white children, belong to the nations of Black people they lied to, stole from, enslaved, raped, killed and tortured to fit their behinds on an ill-gotten throne. Racism, fueled by their own Bible’s deadly sins, is what made the British Monarchy the world’s top sinner and evil doer. And the world is about to celebrate them, once again, with a lavish ceremony with heads of states and world leaders because the truth has no legs to stand on. The legs that buoyed truth since time in memorial have been amputated to fit the realities of the looters and plunderers of humanity.

Nevertheless, the compounding tragedy is that many of the children of our oppressed and enslaved ancestors will also be in attendance to gleefully clap and cheer for their white masters who beheaded, lynched and raped their fathers and mothers. Like a lost and insane tribe, they too will be taking part in the killing of truth like the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

All people deserve to feel good in the world. And as such, we are dutybound to teach and speak the truth about our history before it’s buried alive with fancy ceremonies and coronations.

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Founder Of CUNY Haitian Studies Institute Inducted Into Marquis Who’s Who

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BROOKLYN, NY — Jean Eddy Saint Paul, PhD, has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Leveraging more than three decades of excellence in political sociology and Haitian studies, Dr. Saint Paul has earned distinction as a professor with Brooklyn College of CUNY. Since 2016, he has focused his efforts on researching and teaching courses in political sociology, social policy, social theory, sociology of religion, and Haitian studies. Additionally, the current Brooklyn College Sociology Professor has served as the founding director of the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute of Brooklyn College (2016-2020), and has been a valued member of the National Council for Science and Technology (Conacyt in Spanish), the Haitian Studies Association, and the Latin American Studies Association, among other professional organizations.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Saint Paul began his international career as a research associate for the Centro de Estudios Internacionales of El Colegio de México in 2008 and became a project investigator for The Interdisciplinary Program of Studies on Religion of Colegio Mexiquense in 2009. Afterwards, he distinguished himself as one of the Best Visiting Professors at the Jesuit Universidad Iberocamericana where he taught Comparative Politics for the PhD Program in Political and Social Sciences, and Political Theory for the Masters Program in Sociology. Following this period, from 2010-2016, he served as a professor and researcher for Universidad de Guanajuato where he co-founded the PhD Program in Law, Politics, and Government.

Among his professional accomplishments, he is proud to have received many citations and recognitions for his work, including his induction as Haitian Roundtable 1804 Changemaker, an Education Leadership Award from the Haitian Medical Association Abroad (AMHE), and his Congressional Recognition for outstanding service to the community. His greatest satisfaction is to be found in his service to the community. Professor Saint Paul is constantly asked to write letters of recommendations on behalf of both students and colleagues.

A passionate Professor, Dr. Saint Paul is an inspiration for the various generations of students he has taught. On May 18, 2022, one of his students in Contemporary Social Theory, wrote in an email- “Hello Professor, I hope everything is going well. Thank you for another wonderful semester, and for passing on your knowledge for us to become better prepared in facing real-world experiences. Thank you for all the effort and support you give to me and other students making the college experience especially during these troubling times feel comfortable. I will keep in contact when I need advising, have a great summer!” Currently, this student is accepted with a full scholarship into a prestigious PhD program in sociology.

Over the course of his career, Professor Saint Paul has contributed a wealth of written work to his field, more exactly the publication of 55 scientific publications that include two books, book chapters and journal articles. His newest groundbreaking article titled, “Understanding Haiti Through the Power of the Social Forces in Interaction” was published by the prestigious Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (GJIA), a bi-annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering international affairs.

Prior to embarking on his professional journey, Dr. Saint Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Université d’État d’Haïti in 2000. Following this achievement, he attained a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Columbia in 2002. He then gained a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology from El Colegio de México in 2008. Well-qualified in his field, he holds a Diplôme Supérieur in library science from Université Antilles-Guyane in Pointe-à-Pitre, Martinique, and a Diplomado in cultural studies from Instituto Pensar de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.

Dr. Saint Paul is one of the few Haitian intellectuals who has worked as a visiting professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and is the first and only Haitian to be accepted and complete graduate studies in the department of political science and international relations at the Jesuit Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. He is also the first and only Haitian to have completed a Doctor of Philosophy in the sociology program at El Colegio de México since the foundation of the institution in 1940. Within the coming years, Dr. Saint Paul intends to finish and publish two new books on the political culture of the Haitian ruling class, and civil society and politics of memory. He also plans to establish his own platform to have better connections beyond academia.

About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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NAACP Files Federal Lawsuit Against The City Of Minneapolis

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According to local news in Minneapolis, the NAACP has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis for allegedly spying on members of the organization’s local chapter for years without legitimate cause. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday morning by the University of Minnesota Law Schools’ Racial Justice Law Clinic (RJLC) on behalf of the NAACP. Civil Rights Advocate and Attorney, Ben Crump stated the development of this lawsuit, “comes one year after the MN Dept. of Human Rights released a report saying Minneapolis police use covert social media to target Black leaders & organizations and to criticize elected officials — all without oversight or public safety purpose.” 

In a statement, Cynthia Wilson, president of the Minneapolis NAACP said, “While the Minneapolis Police Department’s surveillance of our membership is not surprising, it is disappointing. We assumed that our work with MPD on public safety and community matters was being done in good faith. Instead, MPD simultaneously tried to bring us harm. To know MPD surveilled our members is deeply unnerving and upsetting. Their actions violated our trust. MPD needs to be held accountable to prevent this from happening to anyone else.”

The lawsuit claims police officers’ surveillance of NAACP members violates the members’ First and 14th Amendment rights and discriminates against them and calls for compensatory relief in an amount to be determined at trial and punitive damages against the entangled officers.

Liliana Zaragoza, associate professor of clinical law and director of the RJLC said, “For years, MPD maintained a policy of singling out the NAACP and its members for online surveillance and harassment because of their race and because of their advocacy on behalf of Black community members. This conduct is not only unconstitutional but also eerily reminiscent of past efforts across the country to surveil Black activists and organizations, from the Black Panthers to Black Lives Matter. Our clients deserve safety, security, and freedom from both police harassment and the fear that they are being watched because of who they are and what they advocate for. The City and officers involved must be held accountable.”

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What Is America To A Black Boy?

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Ida B. Wells lived, she was an anti-lynching crusader who wrote about the terrorism and oppression Black folks lived under in America, a place where racism still functions as a well-oiled machine. Racism is so ingrained in our cultural make-up; even AI systems in search of alien life must undergo DEI training to work against our own inherent prejudices and discrimination practices. If history hasn’t been truthful enough, and the on-going and indiscriminate shooting of Black boys hasn’t been cruel enough, Ralph Yarl’s shooting will take its seat alongside similar racial shooting incidents as a “normal” node in American history. And accordingly, the human rights work Wells took up in her living days, like Harriet Tubman before her, marches on with other freedom fighters.

What is America to a Black boy? Langston Hughes searched for an America that cared for him and his people. He dreamed of a nation truly beholden to the words that captured principles rooted in a new humanity, and that all men are truly created equal. The truth of the matter is that America was never going to be America to him when he so eloquently captured with poetry, a broken heart and a broken promise to a people: “O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. There’s never been equality for me, nor freedom in this homeland of the free.”

And so we must ask America as Hughes did in 1935: Who are you that mumbles in the dark? Tell the world what America is to a Black boy.

In a 1939 song, Billy Holiday sang of lynching’s as strange fruit hanging from Poplar trees. Even so, the beautiful melancholy melody escaping her soul didn’t turn America’s hate for her sun-kissed children, instead anti-lynching laws sat shelved for more generations to bear witness to the callousness being inflicted upon Black souls, symbolically speaking of our worth without words. What is America to a Black boy, indeed.

This question is as old as the slave trade that trafficked millions of Africans to European and Native American shores. From Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey to Malcolm X, Black people have consistently sought compromise and solutions to remove barriers that deliberately obstruct their salvation in America. Imagine burning down Black Wall Street, denying Black people an education and basic human rights, all while declaring, E Pluribus Unum.

As we prepare the nations’ soil for future crop to grow, the question before the next harvest must be answered to stop the spread of this strange fruit we call racism. What is America to a Black boy, is the question. James Baldwin found his answer and salvation in Paris back in 1948, but considering the American market in 2023 and navigating our societal changes like the insincerity and hypocrisy of racial justice, one can easily conclude that America to a Black boy is the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a sweet 16 year-old kid stereotyped as a scary Black man.

What is America to a Black boy is answered in accidentally ringing a door bell of the wrong address and getting shot in the head for it. What is America to a Black boy is demonstrated in the nearly 100 years it took for Congress to make lynching a crime by finally passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act. What is America to a Black boy is witnessed with the assassinations of our Black leaders, holding true to the American promise that sicced J. Edgar Hoover—whose name still adorns the FBI building—on Black people to “Prevent the rise of a messiah” who could unify and electrify the black movement.

What is America to a Black boy is expressed with chokeholds, stop and frisk tactics, a knee to the neck, no-knock warrants, deliberate economic barriers to retard upward movement, health and human services without Black fathers in the home, and blatant inequality in every sector of our American lives and culture. Today, being carefully Black in America requires more than being Woke, The Green Book or even knowing your place in common society; it is also knowing the sting of America’s spiked tongue outside of the home and familiar Black spaces.

We are living in biblical times. But just like Moses led his people to freedom, we too shall find our way to a new Canaan and the promised lands revealed in the dreams and hopes of our ancestors. The racial shooting of Ralph Yarl, a high school honor student and aspiring musician who hopes to attend Princeton, is a stark reminded that America remains the pioneer on the plain where Black people continue to seek a home where true freedom reigns and their children can live in peace.

When state delegates reached The Three-Fifths Compromise in 1787, our subjugation was emblematically absolute, paving the way for reparations for former White slave holders, the formation of the KKK, and the birth of Jim Crow and Slave Codes. Today, Black people continue to live in a quasi freedom loving land that turned its back to their needs, and their children into dangerous stereotypes. The disrespect of African Americans runs so deep; Donald Trump ran on a platform to “Make America Great Again” and won.

The 1963 March on Washington wasn’t about a Black man’s dream. It was about reaching tangible reparations in many forms, including jobs and freedom. The call was also for racial equality and a more just society.  Clearly, we still have mountains to climb because the unjustified fear and loathing in an old White man’s heart when a Black boy rang his door bell by mistake, is homegrown American-made racism. And when more than half of the country voted to “Make America Great Again,” refuse to see the wrong in flying Confederate flags and calling for the return of the “good ol’ boy” days, how can this country honestly envision a better future and build out the blue print of a shared humanity.

America to a Black boy is the enduring folklore of a troubled and weary people, one that is constantly being created and recreated to suit new situations. It is the cyclical nature of history and the ugly truth of racism. Despite the many opportunities to loosen the grip on hate and intolerance, racist Americans refuse to budge. Even so, and regardless of any demands or sway of a nation, America can only be America when Black boys are valued, not feared.

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ePa Live: An East Coast Cannabis Pioneer & BK’s Favorite Haitian Son

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ePa Live Guests:

  • Jamila “Jay Mills” Hogan
  • Atibon Nazaire

Jay Mills is the founder of Ebony Green Society, she is a cannabis content creator, author, performing artist, community organizer and educator. She is the host of Pass The Jay Podcast. Jay is a cannabis industry pioneer. She is the first Black woman to manage a cultivation center on the east coast. She is the founder of The Green Life Learning Center, an international cannabis education company specializing in professional employee training standards for cannabis businesses. After some time in the herbal and holistic wellness industry and working at a DC medical dispensary she decided to focus on expanding her work, by creating opportunities for others and educating the community about the growing cannabis industry and all its uses. A powerful and deeply loved green leaf may just be the path to building generational wealth for Black folks, and Jay Mills wants to show you the way there.

To learn more about Jay Mills, her upcoming events and programs see info below:

Ebony Green | info@onlyebonygreen.com | 202.670.6867 | 712 H St. NE, Suite 1403 Washington, DC 20002 | IG @therealjaymills 

Jay Mills answers ePa Live: Question Of The Day

Jay Mills is a cannabis industry pioneer as the first Black woman to manage a cultivation center on the east coast.

Atibon Nazaire

Actor, Atibon Nazire 

Atibon is an award-winning actor and performer who lives in Brooklyn. His body of work includes films like FBI (2018), Fade to Black: The Trigger Effect (2013) Gabriel (2014), and Mountains. His passion for his Haitian culture and heritage led to the creation of Vodounchild and Brooklyn Loves Haiti merchandize you can purchase on Etsy. His new film, Mountain, is about a Haitian demolition worker who is faced with the realities of redevelopment as he is tasked with dismantling his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

Atibon Nazaire Answers ePa Live: Question Of The Day

Atibon Nazaire on his career as an actor and his new film, Mountain.

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