Racial Tension Rampant In Jacksonville After Black Boys Are Kicked Out Of Fair For Wearing Memorial Apparel

An 18-year-old black man and his friend were kicked out of the Greater Jacksonville Agriculture Fair, without refund or apology, for their attire. 

The two friends, who are members of the black male empowerment group, EVAC, were going about their business on November 3 when police officers approached one of them and questioned the chain he was wearing around his neck. The jewelry honored his late mother. The officers said the chain was "gang-related" apparel.

"There were like four officers. They approached us, and the first one told us to pull up my pants, and the second one told my friend and said, 'Let me see that,’ and he told him that it was his mom and it wasn’t even his friend, it was his mom," he told News4Jax. "They told us to get out."

The next day, one of the guys headed back to the fair to double-check the rule board for any established rules around attire. There were none. Then, he called to clarify he has yet to see any rules that justify the reason for him and his friend's removal from the fair. 

Shortly after his phone call, a sign prohibiting "memorial clothing or jewelry" was posted. According to News4Jax, fair officials claim the sign was put up before the fair opened October 31.

 

racial profiling. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>“It’s used purposely to prey upon and keep out African-Americans in the community,” Donofrio said. On the contrary, Gayle Hart, a spokeswoman for the fair, said this is a sensitive situation that has caused a lot of grief. Hart also said the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office banned the clothing and jewelry because it's associated with "bad behavior."

racial profiling. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>“It said we can’t wear them. Basically, no necklaces, none of that,” said Jarod Mills, a Lee High School senior, about the school's decision. “They don’t feel it’s appropriate for the school.”

racial profiling. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>

racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>The incident has sparked tensions in the Jacksonville community between civilians and police. Amy Donofrio, the founder of EVAC, is calling the case for what it is: racial profiling.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/racial-profiling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>“It’s used purposely to prey upon and keep out African-Americans in the community,” Donofrio said. On the contrary, Gayle Hart, a spokeswoman for the fair, said this is a sensitive situation that has caused a lot of grief. Hart also said the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office banned the clothing and jewelry because it's associated with "bad behavior."\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/racial-profiling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>The banning of "memorial clothing and jewelry" did not just stop at the fair but \u003Ca href=\"https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/lee-high-school-students-reminded-not-to-wear-anything-with-rip\">matriculated to Robert E. Lee high\u003C/a> school, as well. The high school's officials told News4Jax the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/lee-high-school-students-reminded-not-to-wear-anything-with-rip\">reason for banning the items\u003C/a> is because "gang-affiliated clothing and paraphernalia is unacceptable," referring to any R.I.P. attire. \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/racial-profiling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>“It said we can’t wear them. Basically, no necklaces, none of that,” said Jarod Mills, a Lee High School senior, about the school's decision. “They don’t feel it’s appropriate for the school.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/racial-profiling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>The west Jacksonville school has yet to comment on the ban, and its attempt to shut down the students' expression in honoring lost loved ones has been the tip of the iceberg and caused several students to organize protests. \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/racial-profiling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/racial-profiling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racial profiling.\u003C/a> Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a “sensitive” situation that has unfortunately “caused a lot of grief.”’ data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>\u003Cem>Now, check these out:\u003C/em>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/employees-at-a-frozen-yogurt-shop-called-cops-on-an-unwanted-subject-that-subject-was-a-black-man\">Employees At A Frozen Yogurt Shop Called Cops On An 'Unwanted Subject.' That 'Subject' Was A Black Man.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/maryland-couple-racially-profiled-while-buying-refrigerator-files-4m-lawsuit\">Maryland Couple Racially Profiled While Shopping At Costco Files $4M Lawsuit\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/a-black-teen-was-arrested-for-wearing-a-hoodie-in-a-memphis-mall-and-so-was-the-person-defending-him\">A Black Teen Was Arrested For Wearing A Hoodie In A Memphis Mall And So Was The Person Defending Him\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n",[23],{"id":24,"name":25,"slug":26,"description":10,"image":27},83,"News","news",null,[29],{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32,"description":10,"image":10},29035,"Tallahassee, Florida","tallahassee-florida",{"url":34,"thumbnail":34,"credit":35,"title":10,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":27,"height":27},"https://res.cloudinary.com/blavity/image/upload/v1543442533/ow5walspoe9xknpc4kwz","Twitter","image","2018-11-28T16:43:57-05:00","2018-11-28 16:43:57","default",[],false,2,{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":45,"headScript":27},true,{"reviewer_name":10},"https://storage.googleapis.com/blavitynews/images/fallback.jpg","article","2026-04-02T03:04:50.632Z",{"list":51,"total":197},[52,98,145],{"id":53,"author":54,"authors":65,"title":67,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":68,"body":69,"categories":70,"tags":76,"featuredMedia":81,"publishedAt":89,"publishedAtGMT":90,"updatedAt":91,"updatedAtGMT":92,"type":39,"listicle":93,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":41,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":94,"customFields":95,"additional":96,"acf":97},72905765,{"id":55,"avatar":56,"firstName":57,"lastName":58,"displayName":59,"email":60,"username":61,"normalizedUsername":62,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":63,"registeredAt":64},99744,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dc562aac1694e45f51548f0ae16f8b3e36f122aece13a4ea0d3bf9a28f506ab7?s=1024&r=g","Brenda","Alexander","Brenda Alexander","[email protected]","BrendaAlexander","brendaalexander","https://www.instagram.com/trulybrenda_/?hl=en","2023-01-10T02:35:32+00:00",[66],{"id":55,"avatar":56,"firstName":57,"lastName":58,"displayName":59,"email":60,"username":61,"normalizedUsername":62,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":63,"registeredAt":64},"A Tote Bag That Carries 100 Years Of Black History: Akio Evans Merges Art With Consciousness","akio-evans-black-history-tote-bag","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"http://blavity.com/tag/baltimore\">Baltimore\u003C/a> native Akio Evans tells stories through fashion, canvas and film, while also teaching and working as a mentor in his native city, Baltimore, and beyond.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>His work has been seen worldwide, including his documentary film, \u003Cem>Grace After Midnight Pain\u003C/em>, the story of the life and times of \u003Cem>The Wire\u003C/em> actress Felicia ‘Snoop’ Pearson, which he directed and produced alongside Felicia Snoop Pearson and the late Michael K. Williams. His commissioned sneaker art has been collected by the likes of Donnell Rawlings, Dave Chappelle, Dr. Dre, Nick Cannon, \u003Ca href=\"http://blavity.com/tag/kevin-hart\">Kevin Hart\u003C/a>, Havoc of Mobb Deep, Tyronn Lue, Allen Iverson and Lena Waithe.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A recipient of notable honors and awards, including the Joe Mann’s Black Wall Street Award for his contribution to Baltimore’s inner city and personal entrepreneurial achievements and a city citation from former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for his filmmaking contribution to Baltimore Public Schools.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>During CIAA weekend this year in Baltimore, Blavity spoke with Evans about one of his latest pieces, the 100 years of Black History tote bag, which was a special activation at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. We spoke with Evans about his journey as an artist, career highlights and what’s next, and he makes it known that the messaging will always be key.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10173967665330137%26set%3Da.301546600136%26type%3D3&show_text=true&width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"625\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\">\u003C/iframe>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Take me through your journey as an artist and as a creator. I read that you started in fashion by learning how to put your art onto clothing. Why was that your initial medium, and how would you say that it has expanded since?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think that in the beginning, it was my initial medium because I typically wanted to figure out how to eventually not look like anybody else. In the early 2000s, when it was hardly but a thing. I think that over time, it just created the sense of an escape. In high school, the cafeteria was like your fashion show. You would step in and people would observe what you had on. And then it went from me wanting to have it as a side hustle. From that point on, I started to develop a keen eye for things that were new and innovative. So, with those things, I think that that kind of created this space for me to be able to fully express myself. And then years later, finding out that that expression is just not necessarily your custom t-shirts, but it also carries weight into the fine art spaces thanks to Virgil Blow and all these other individuals who paved the way in the fashion industry.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>You took a break from fashion. Though you’ve resurfaced, you share your art and storytelling through so many mediums. You are also a documentary filmmaker and you do a lot of stuff in video production. Talk to us a little bit about your journey from fashion and art to a different version of storytelling behind the lens.\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Behind the lens for me, it was more so me being a documentarian at first, picking up the camera and being able to document my peers that surround me, as well as the city. And when I was able to travel abroad, I was able to capture moments that are now archival footage of DMX, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Twista and Tech N9ne. And over time, I started wanting to learn how to edit. It just really created another outlet for me to be able to do storytelling.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Working with actresses like Felicia Pearson from \u003Cem>The Wire,\u003C/em> who hired me to capture her in the essence of her documentary, her memoir, \u003Cem>Grace at the Midnight\u003C/em>, I turned that into a film. We had two private screenings, one in Harlem and one in Manhattan. But the experience for me has stretched me to be able to know how to execute and be able to have a visual language when it comes to capturing the essence of the individual and telling a story. With storytelling, whether it be clothing or whether it be another medium as far as picking up a camera and being able to document and interview individuals, it’s just another way for me to share a story.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I was able to work behind the scenes with GQ in 2018 for Lin-Manuel with \u003Cem>Hamilton\u003C/em>. The powers that be from \u003Cem>Hamilton\u003C/em> had contacted me. The director contacted me to utilize the footage that I filmed here in Baltimore, where it was the last footage that was captured of Prodigy of Mobb Deep having a live performance. And it was funny because I wasn’t supposed to bring that camera into the Baltimore Soundstage, and my friend had encouraged me to bring the camera and they allowed it in. I would have never thought that that footage was the last footage of Prodigy, and it’s been used for various purposes now.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Bongo the Cannon, I was able to meet him and also gift him with the Timberland Merrill art that Atlantic Records had commissioned me to be able to give to him, and also the director of that music video. So, it’s full-circle moments when we’re creating these pieces and it shows that filmmaking and fashion can be merged into one.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Is there a medium that you enjoy more than the other?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think for me, I’ve been able to just always stick to what the story is and share artifacts. So, when I’m giving my art to people, it’s like an artifact. I’m gifting people with my art, and I’m giving them facts. So it’s I who is in between the art and the facts. And only I can be the one to be the vessel to be able to demonstrate that.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Lately, it’s not only just been filmmaking, but it’s also been canvas work. I started canvas work in 2024, and since then, I’ve been able to sell art pieces that I would have never thought that I would have been able to. And I have been able to have my art exhibited. Unlike before, I was only doing shoes as a small medium. My friends have been telling me for years to try canvases and to explore that world. So with that, I’ve been able to expand my imagination onto a different universe, which the canvas allows me to.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I’ve always been putting Harriet Tubman on hats of her hunting camo, and people still didn’t get why I was doing that. But through doing that on larger canvases, people have started to finally get why I was doing it. When I was able to do my very first canvas, one of the first canvases I did, I merged Harriet Tubman, where she’s escaping the painting, and she’s going into the middle of a portal. And in modern day time, she will be wearing hunting camo because when she was in the woods, she was being hunted. Most people now hunt for sport, but she had to do those things to survive. And for me, when I was on a run in my early days as a teenager, these are the same stories that I’m able to educate to the incarcerated youth of how I’ve been able to use and put her onto clothing. I think that more so now, whether it be filming, whether it be wearable art, whether it be shoe mural art or canvas work, I just love telling the story.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I love being able to have an immersive experience, whether it’s doing a verbal art workshop of sharing the art, and, of course, actually sharing the facts and the stories, because your story and your signature is the most powerful name that you have. And it’s pretty much what we have to leave behind – the story and the signature is how we leave our mark and make an impact.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Now you’ve had some major influencers and public figures wear your art. Has there been anyone who has been anyone who has been the most memorable or the most impactful?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Yes, I would say on my birthday, I was doing a commission piece for the Visionary Art Museum, and they had commissioned me to make a replica jacket of John Carlos, the jacket that he wore when he took the stance in the 1968 Olympics, giving that to him on my birthday. And that was funny because when I presented that jacket, the next day, I was scheduled to do a World Art workshop in Atlanta. So when John Carlos had told me, ‘Hey, whenever you come to Atlanta, I wanna take you to my spot to show you some of the memorabilia.’ And I told him I was leaving for Atlanta the next day.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A lot of the pieces that are created, unbeknownst to me at the time, are a lot of full-circle moments, and most recently, even with Lena Waithe, with putting the hang tag of my mother in the sneakers I curated for her. My mother, she transitioned from a heart attack, and utilizing that into the hang tag, so it’s a deeper meaning just being transactional. It’s really being able to pull in the heartstrings of the collector, so that way they are able to attach themselves to an inanimate object, which normally has no emotion, and we’re putting emotion to an inanimate object.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>You have the 100 years of Black History tote bag, which you gifted some of the journalists, during CIAA weekend. Talk to us a little bit about your inspiration for the bag and how that whole thing came to be.\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The bag that was gifted with the vision of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. It was something that I’ve always been doing with putting Black leaders onto the $100 bill note. It just so happened that it coincides with this year being the 100th year we celebrate Black History Month. It started as a week first by Carter G. Woodson. So, I wanted to really just highlight him and others who made a big impact for the Civil Rights Movement. I feel that it coincides with just the work of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. I even use Reginald F. Lewis, put him onto the note as well, because he was a prominent figure as the first Black man to secure billion-dollar deals, and he’s from East Baltimore, where I’m from. Not too many people know that. I didn’t know that until recently. So I felt like utilizing that and putting those figures onto those notes – it builds some type of social currency, so that way we’re able to talk about those who are mostly forgotten.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Something that always fascinates me is when I meet people local to their town. You’re Baltimore born and bred, and you have done a lot, but you remain loyal to Baltimore. And a lot of people leave their respective cities that they’re from, specifically artists, for what they may consider to be more mainstream or larger markets. What has kept you local?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think that what kept me local is the heartbeat here. It is a lot louder, and even when I’m traveling to different cities, it’s a lot louder, whether you’re here or you’re anywhere else. The heartbeat can be your accent that is recognizable. The heartbeat can be the impact that people have seen on television shows, and then when you’re actually going to different other places, when you identify yourself, and you’re actually sharing, I feel like it’s a way where we’re able to really shake things up.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This city, I just love the history. The history is rich, the food, the culture, and it’s a lot more than what people can then recognize from afar. I always share with people, I use the analogy of bees pollinating the hive. They are the teachers, they are the creators, they are the makers, they’re the ones that are beautifying the city, just like how bees do when they go back to a hive. The honey is sweet. Yes, you have your killer bees and the things that can actually harm you, but when you get closer and closer to the hive, it kind of puts it in a different perspective, and if you would have stayed away, you would have never known how great it was.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I feel like the city has so much more to offer. I’m glad to be the vessel to be able to share the complete opposite of what most people worship, or they praise like \u003Cem>The Wire\u003C/em> or \u003Cem>The Corner,\u003C/em> and all the negative things that the media has seen. But I love to actually share with people that we’re much more than that. Even if I am just a small seed, I can still inspire.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>I spoke with Michael E. Haskins Jr. another local artist from Baltimore, and he spoke about Baltimore in comparison to other cities and how its growing at a rapid pace. How would you say Baltimore is doing in comparison to the larger cities?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Being able to travel to places like LA and Cleveland and all these other places that I’ve been to recently, they always tell me, even people who have been to Baltimore, they say Baltimore is the most raw. We haven’t lost the very essence of what some cities have lost because of gentrification or things change, and things shift. There’s definitely a renaissance happening here, but it’s still the essence of Baltimore, and the community remains involved as it grows.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What special projects are you working on currently?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Currently, I’m prepping for the exhibition that I have with my twin sister at the Quid Nunc Art Gallery. It’s in the Mount Vernon section of Baltimore in the Arts District. I also have a few things in the works that I am unable to speak about right now in collaboration with two different arenas, the Chesapeake Arena and CFG Arena. And I continue to gift things to people.\u003C/p>\n",[71],{"id":72,"name":73,"slug":74,"description":75,"image":27},118,"Culture","culture","Commentary on culture, happenings, and the things that move us. We in the these #tweets too.",[77],{"id":78,"name":79,"slug":80,"description":10,"image":10},44529,"top stories","top-stories",{"url":82,"thumbnail":83,"credit":84,"title":85,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":86,"height":87,"mimeType":88},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/photo-collage.png-25.png","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/photo-collage.png-25-150x84.png","Photo: Courtesy of Akio Evans","photo-collage.png (25)",1920,1080,"image/png","2026-03-29T23:45:00-04:00","2026-03-30 03:45:00","2026-03-29T14:58:48-04:00","2026-03-29 18:58:48",[],8,{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":41,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":99,"author":100,"authors":110,"title":112,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":113,"slug":114,"body":115,"categories":116,"tags":122,"featuredMedia":128,"publishedAt":136,"publishedAtGMT":137,"updatedAt":138,"updatedAtGMT":139,"type":39,"listicle":140,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":41,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":141,"customFields":142,"additional":143,"acf":144},72905759,{"id":101,"avatar":102,"firstName":103,"lastName":104,"displayName":105,"email":106,"username":107,"normalizedUsername":108,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":109},100233,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/72f914bd1af7a8b8565f0bd4e863560ddbb3f74da3e30d69c4a7ee2e71847a08?s=1024&r=g","Shanique","Yates","Shanique Yates","[email protected]","ShaniqueYates","shaniqueyates","2023-09-15T16:06:13+00:00",[111],{"id":101,"avatar":102,"firstName":103,"lastName":104,"displayName":105,"email":106,"username":107,"normalizedUsername":108,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":109},"11 Memoirs Every Black Reader Should Have On Their Shelf","Blavity's Book Club lists 11 essential celebrity memoirs that every Black reader should have on their bookshelf.","celebrity-memoirs-every-black-reader-should-have","\n\u003Cp>There’s nothing juicier than a good celebrity memoir!\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In a world where people are obsessed with the lives of the stars they adore and aspire to be like, there’s an infatuation with learning everything there is to know about public figures, whether it’s Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/THE-VOICE-IN-MY-HEAD-IS-GOD/2-Chainz/9781668031155\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz\u003C/a> or living sports legend Allen Iverson. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Here are 11 celebrity memoirs that every Black reader should have on their shelves.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-around-the-way-girl-by-taraji-p-henson\">‘Around the Way Girl’ by Taraji P. Henson\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Released in 2016, Taraji P. Henson’s autobiography details her journey to Hollywood from Washington, D.C.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The book follows Henson’s life as a single mother, peels back the layers of her upbringing and is candid about her life navigating Hollywood.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-autobiography-of-gucci-mane-by-gucci-mane\">‘The Autobiography of Gucci Mane’ by Gucci Mane\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Co-authored with Neil Martinez-Belkin, this \u003Cem>New York Times \u003C/em>bestselling memoir details Gucci Mane’s life, including his Alabama roots and his work as a pioneer in Atlanta’s trap music scene.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he shares the not-so-shiny moments of life as a rapper, opening up about addiction and his infamous beef with fellow Atlanta rapper Jeezy.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-autobiography-of-malcolm-x-by-alex-haley-and-malcolm-x\">‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ by Alex Haley and Malcolm X\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Listed as one of Time’s most important books, \u003Cem>The Autobiography of Malcolm X,\u003C/em> as told to \u003Cem>Roots: The Saga of an American Family\u003C/em> author Alex Haley, is a classic 1965 book detailing the life of influential civil rights leader Malcolm X.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Malcolm X’s philosophy of Black pride, Black nationalism and pan-Africanism is outlined throughout the book, and it homes in on his fight for Black empowerment, while simultaneously exposing racism in American society. The sad part is that it still reads as if it were written today.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-becoming-by-michelle-obama\">‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The former first lady chronicles her life from childhood, being raised in Chicago, to the journey that led her to the White House.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s a personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance, offering a unique glance into her life, outside of being married to America’s first Black president. Readers get to know what makes Michelle Obama tick, her advocacy for women and girls and more.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Her latest title, \u003Cem>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://michelleobamabooks.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Look\u003C/a>, \u003C/em>was published in November and recently won a 2026 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work-Biography/Autobiography. It explores her style evolution and showcases the power of fashion as a tool for storytelling, self-expression and confidence.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-born-a-crime-stories-from-a-south-african-childhood-by-trevor-noah\">‘Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood’ by Trevor Noah\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Trevor Noah’s critically acclaimed 2016 memoir details his life as a mixed-race child born to a Black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss-German father during apartheid.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Revered as powerful, a bit humorous, and a poignant look at growing up under racist laws, \u003Cem>Born a Crime\u003C/em> specifically highlights his mother’s perseverance alongside his journey to becoming an adult.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-house-of-hidden-meanings-by-rupaul\">‘The House of Hidden Meanings’ by RuPaul\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A candid memoir by RuPaul Charles, \u003Cem>The House of Hidden Meanings\u003C/em> is the story of his journey from a queer Black youth in San Diego to a global drag icon.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Exploring early life to his rise in the punk/drag scenes, sobriety and everything in between, RuPaul bears it all in the autobiography’s pages.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-by-maya-angelou\">‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ by Maya Angelou\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A story of becoming, yet often challenged and banned, Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography is the first in a series of books that detail her early life from ages 3 to 16, centering on overcoming childhood trauma, abuse, racism and more.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Many have deemed it a necessary coming-of-age story for Black women; it challenges social norms, hence why some think it’s “too raw” to be on bookshelves.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-matriach-a-memoir-by-tina-knowles\">‘Matriach: A Memoir’ by Tina Knowles\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Selected for Oprah’s Book Club, this revealing memoir is penned by the mother of two of this generation’s most popular and talented musicians, where she details the role she played in the making and rise of Destiny’s Child, not wanting Solange to pursue music and her journey from Louisiana to Houston, among other items.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Knowles also opens up about her marriage to Matthew Knowles and later Richard Lawson, while reminding readers of the importance of adapting a family-first mentality, as well as one rooted in self-love.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-misunderstood-by-allen-iverson\">‘Misunderstood’ by Allen Iverson\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In \u003Cem>Misunderstood\u003C/em>, sports phenomenon Allen Iverson candidly details his difficult journey from childhood in Virginia to his destiny of becoming a pioneer in the world of basketball we know today, from setting trends in fashion to remaining true to himself and beyond.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>His memoir, co-written alongside Ray Beauchamp, covers everything from the event that changed his life in high school to his take on practicing at the press conference that served as a career-defining moment.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-mother-of-black-hollywood-by-jenifer-lewis\">‘The Mother of Black Hollywood’ by Jenifer Lewis\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Widely recognized as “The Mother of Black Hollywood,” Jenifer Lewis leaned into the role as the title of her memoir, where she shares her journey from Midwestern poverty to Hollywood stardom.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>She also opens up about sex addiction as well as the undiagnosed mental illness that led to her diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and her life through that lens.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-will-by-will-smith\">‘Will’ by Will Smith\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Oprah Winfrey called it “the best memoir I’ve ever read,” and \u003Cem>Will\u003C/em> became a \u003Cem>New York Times \u003C/em>bestseller. In it, Will Smith brings readers into his world, growing up in Philadelphia, to becoming one of Hollywood’s most prominent actors.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The West Philly native opens up about family dynamics, childhood traumas and moments that changed his life forever, leading to a meteoric rise in his culture.\u003C/p>\n",[117,121],{"id":118,"name":119,"slug":120,"description":10,"image":27},14,"Books","books",{"id":72,"name":73,"slug":74,"description":75,"image":27},[123,127],{"id":124,"name":125,"slug":126,"description":10,"image":10},75810,"Non-Newsletter","non-newsletter",{"id":78,"name":79,"slug":80,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":129,"thumbnail":130,"credit":131,"title":132,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":133,"height":134,"mimeType":135},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/design-11.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/design-11-150x84.jpg","Photo: Getty Images","design (11)",2048,1147,"image/jpeg","2026-03-29T13:31:21-04:00","2026-03-29 17:31:21","2026-03-30T22:05:24-04:00","2026-03-31 02:05:24",[],4,{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":41,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":146,"author":147,"authors":156,"title":158,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":159,"slug":160,"body":161,"categories":162,"tags":167,"featuredMedia":180,"publishedAt":188,"publishedAtGMT":189,"updatedAt":190,"updatedAtGMT":191,"type":39,"listicle":192,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":41,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":181,"readingTime":193,"customFields":194,"additional":195,"acf":196},72904484,{"id":148,"avatar":149,"firstName":150,"lastName":151,"displayName":152,"email":153,"username":154,"normalizedUsername":154,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":155},100880,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bf7dd78d586c937b18ad8b77f3ee81a0f4fe2f9ab04571313a46ad2c11f46017?s=1024&r=g","Maya","Boddie","Maya Boddie","[email protected]","mayaboddie","2026-03-13T02:21:05+00:00",[157],{"id":148,"avatar":149,"firstName":150,"lastName":151,"displayName":152,"email":153,"username":154,"normalizedUsername":154,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":155},"The Iran War Disproportionately Impacts Black Americans, And Here's How","Here's how the Iran War could disproportionately impact Black Americans as they try to distance themselves from Trump’s reckless moves.","how-iran-war-disproportionately-impacts-black-americans","\n\u003Cp>As the United States quickly escalated a \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/are-trump-cabinet-members-ordering-bunkers\">war with Iran\u003C/a> earlier this month, one message began circulating across social media. Not from public servants or lawmakers but from \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/black-influencers\">Black influencers\u003C/a>. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@_iamjamila/video/7612363949534678303?lang=en\" type=\"link\" id=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@_iamjamila/video/7612363949534678303?lang=en\">viral TikTok viewed 4 million times\u003C/a>, content creator Jamila Bell addressed Iran directly: “I just want to speak on behalf of my people,” she said. “We ain’t never had an issue with y’all.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The video is one of several posts in which Black influencers have jokingly but very clearly attempted to distance themselves from the Trump administration’s reckless moves.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@_iamjamila/video/7612363949534678303\" data-video-id=\"7612363949534678303\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> \u003Csection> \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"@_iamjamila\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@_iamjamila?refer=embed\">@_iamjamila\u003C/a> \u003Cp>I swear it’s not us!!! 😭😭\u003C/p> \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"♬ original sound - Jamila Bell\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7612363992199121695?refer=embed\">♬ original sound – Jamila Bell\u003C/a> \u003C/section> \u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Bell’s reaction also reflects broader public opinion, as Julienne Louis-Anderson emphasized in a recent \u003Ca href=\"https://wordinblack.com/2026/03/we-bombed-iran-black-folks-are-asking-who-is-we/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https://wordinblack.com/2026/03/we-bombed-iran-black-folks-are-asking-who-is-we/\">Word In Black op-ed\u003C/a> titled “We Bombed Iran. Black Folks Are Asking: Who Is ‘We’?” Black Americans are overwhelmingly against war with Iran, with one poll finding that 93 percent opposed military conflict.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Louis-Anderson noted that many Black Americans hear the use of collective language differently. The word “we” assumes that this attack was a group assignment, and that’s simply not the case. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Black communities have experienced war—from World War II, the Korean War, to the Vietnam War—as something that often demands significant sacrifice with little to no benefits as a result.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As the war escalates, and as U.S. service members face injury and death, Black Americans are rightfully looking at history and urgently asking who actually pays the price when the U.S. goes to war?\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Here are three ways a war with Iran could disproportionately impact Black Americans.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-black-americans-serve-in-the-military-at-disproportionate-rates\">\u003Cstrong>1. Black Americans serve in the military at disproportionate rates\u003C/strong>\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Making up only about 13.7 percent of the U.S. population, Black Americans account for roughly 19 percent of active-duty military enlistments, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/27/us/pentagon-dei-minority-military-recruitment\">CNN\u003C/a>. That imbalance is one reason war often feels personal in Black communities.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For many young people growing up in neighborhoods with limited economic opportunities, the military is often presented as a pathway to college tuition, job training and stable employment.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Military service has long served as a means of economic mobility for many Black men. A report from \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cato.org/research-briefs-economic-policy/army-service-all-volunteer-era#:~:text=Military%20service%20can%20have%20a%20number%20of,increase%20homeownership%20and%20marriage%20among%20black%20Americans.\">the Cato Institute\u003C/a> similarly describes military service as a key engine of upward mobility in the U.S., offering stable income, healthcare, housing and access to education through the GI Bill. But when conflicts escalate, those same pathways can also put a higher number of Black service members in danger, as \u003Ca href=\"https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-americans-are-much-more-likely-to-serve-the-nation-in-military-and-civilian-roles/#:~:text=Military%20service%20is%20heavily%20skewed%20towards%20men.,of%20economic%20mobility%20for%20many%20Black%20men.\">The Brookings Institution\u003C/a> notes.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-the-human-cost-of-war-ripples-through-black-communities\">\u003Cstrong>2. The human cost of war ripples through Black communities\u003C/strong>\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>War’s consequences do not end when soldiers return home.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“When the U.S. goes to war, Black Americans, whether as civilians, enlisted personnel or military families, often carry a disproportionate share of the burden,” attorney Liscah R. Isaboke told \u003Ca href=\"https://blackpressusa.com/black-americans-face-unequal-burden-as-u-s-inches-closer-to-war/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=black+press+usa+When+the+U.S.+goes+to+war%2C+Black+Americans%2C+whether+as+civilians%2C+enlisted+personnel+or+military+families%2C+often+carry+a+disproportionate+share+of+the+burde&sca_esv=9badeb6290be4fc7&rlz=1C5OZZY_enUS1137US1137&sxsrf=ANbL-n5UfBl54fQQvwfTA1zaqyE49RAyyg%3A1773782136156&ei=eMS5adaVCc6hiLMP_YacwQE&biw=1422&bih=675&ved=0ahUKEwjWsYmx7aeTAxXOEGIAHX0DJxgQ4dUDCBM&uact=5&oq=black+press+usa+When+the+U.S.+goes+to+war%2C+Black+Americans%2C+whether+as+civilians%2C+enlisted+personnel+or+military+families%2C+often+carry+a+disproportionate+share+of+the+burde&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAirAFibGFjayBwcmVzcyB1c2EgV2hlbiB0aGUgVS5TLiBnb2VzIHRvIHdhciwgQmxhY2sgQW1lcmljYW5zLCB3aGV0aGVyIGFzIGNpdmlsaWFucywgZW5saXN0ZWQgcGVyc29ubmVsIG9yIG1pbGl0YXJ5IGZhbWlsaWVzLCBvZnRlbiBjYXJyeSBhIGRpc3Byb3BvcnRpb25hdGUgc2hhcmUgb2YgdGhlIGJ1cmRlSABQAFgAcAB4AJABAJgBAKABAKoBALgBA8gBAPgBAZgCAKACAJgDAJIHAKAHALIHALgHAMIHAMgHAIAIAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp\">Black Press USA\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Black service members have historically been overrepresented in frontline roles while remaining underrepresented in officer ranks, she said. That imbalance can increase exposure to danger and create long-term disparities in benefits, career advancement and mental health care.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Retired Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Donald Sparks also warned that many Americans underestimate the lasting trauma of combat, according to reporting from \u003Ca href=\"https://afro.com/veteran-warns-trump-iran-war/\">The AFRO\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The human toll is already visible. U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said “approximately 200 U.S. service members have been wounded” since the start of the operation, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/16/us-troops-iran-war\" type=\"link\" id=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/16/us-troops-iran-war\">The Guardian\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For communities that are overrepresented in military service, those numbers are not abstract. They represent real people, real families and real futures altered by war.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-war-s-economic-fallout-will-hit-black-families-hard\">\u003Cstrong>3. War’s economic fallout will hit Black families hard\u003C/strong>\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Even Americans who never serve in uniform feel the effects of war. Conflicts in the Middle East often lead to rising oil prices, inflation and increased federal defense spending. Those pressures ripple through everyday life by raising the cost of gas, food and housing.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For Black families already navigating the racial wealth gap, that economic shock can land especially hard. Expanded military spending can also divert resources away from domestic investments such as housing, education and health care.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>None of this diminishes the long tradition of Black military service. But that service has always existed alongside a difficult question: what does it mean to defend democracy abroad while still fighting for equality at home?\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Because when America goes to war, Black Americans have learned from history that the sacrifices are rarely shared equally.\u003C/p>\n",[163],{"id":164,"name":165,"slug":166,"description":10,"image":27},120,"Politics","politics",[168,172,175,176],{"id":169,"name":170,"slug":171,"description":10,"image":10},77581,"Iran War","iran-war",{"id":173,"name":174,"slug":166,"description":10,"image":10},14608,"POLITICS",{"id":78,"name":79,"slug":80,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":177,"name":178,"slug":179,"description":10,"image":10},32262,"Trump administration","trump-administration",{"url":181,"thumbnail":182,"credit":183,"title":184,"alt":185,"type":36,"width":186,"height":187,"mimeType":135},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-1458139494.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-1458139494-150x100.jpg","Photo: AndreyPopov via Getty Images","Black soldier","Rear View Of Military Man Saluting Us",2121,1414,"2026-03-22T19:42:23-04:00","2026-03-22 23:42:23","2026-03-22T19:42:33-04:00","2026-03-22 23:42:33",[],3,{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":41,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},281,{"list":199,"total":515},[200,259,340,391,453],{"id":201,"author":202,"authors":209,"title":211,"subTitle":212,"excerpt":10,"slug":213,"body":214,"categories":215,"tags":217,"featuredMedia":233,"publishedAt":240,"publishedAtGMT":241,"updatedAt":242,"updatedAtGMT":243,"type":244,"listicle":245,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":45,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":42,"customFields":256,"additional":257,"acf":258},376704,{"id":203,"avatar":204,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":205,"email":206,"username":205,"normalizedUsername":207,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":208},94683,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/beff3a595af5beaf99c7ba2fc564e798524e70654b2978c89eee1bbfc6377294?s=1024&r=g","Rashad Grove","[email protected]","rashad-grove","2022-02-17T12:42:10+00:00",[210],{"id":203,"avatar":204,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":205,"email":206,"username":205,"normalizedUsername":207,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":208},"Actor John Cena Posts His 'Black Twin' And The Resemblance Is Uncanny","The WWE superstar noticed a striking resemblance he had with a Black bodybuilder on social media.","actor-john-cena-posts-his-black-twin-and-the-resemblance-is-uncanny","\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Everyone has a doppelganger and apparently John Cena has a Black one, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/12/entertainment/john-cena-jamal-cena/index.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reports\u003C/a> from CNN.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The actor and WWE superstar posted a photo of trainer and bodybuilder Brendan Cobbina that has been circulating on social media because of their resemblance. \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Cena \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">posted \u003C/a>the photo on his Instagram without a caption and none was needed as Cobbina could easily be mistaken for a Black version of Cena.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYaSrPtG8Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by John Cena (@johncena)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">According to the comments, many also noticed how much the two looked alike and named Cobbina “Jamal Cena."\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Cobbina has embraced his newfound status as the “Black John Cena.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">"24. You may know me as the 'Black John Cena' or the owner of OmegaMuscles. Bodybuilder. Coach,” his Twitter bio \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/iamcobbina?s=20\">reads.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Of course, you can always count on Twitter to share some hilarious reactions. Here are a few of the funniest tweets about the "Black John Cena."\u003C/p>\n",[216],{"id":24,"name":25,"slug":26,"description":10,"image":27},[218,222,225,229],{"id":219,"name":220,"slug":221,"description":10,"image":10},454,"Brendan-Cobbina","brendan-cobbina",{"id":223,"name":224,"slug":224,"description":10,"image":10},14579,"doppelganger",{"id":226,"name":227,"slug":228,"description":10,"image":10},453,"John-Cena","john-cena",{"id":230,"name":231,"slug":232,"description":10,"image":10},34816,"WWE","wwe",{"url":234,"thumbnail":235,"credit":236,"title":237,"alt":237,"type":36,"width":238,"height":239,"mimeType":135},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2202199110-Cropped.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2202199110-Cropped-150x94.jpg","Photo: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images","The Rock and John Cena at WWE event",819,512,"2021-08-12T15:55:50-04:00","2021-08-12 15:55:50","2026-03-24T12:23:16-04:00","2026-03-24 16:23:16","listicle",[246,248,250,252,254],{"title":10,"content":247},"\u003Cp>One person thought that the moniker “Jamal Cena” was hilarious.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Someone said Jamal Cena ???????????? \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/sxUSO0ZEMn\">https://t.co/sxUSO0ZEMn\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— Yxng’J???? (@aoethemindset) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/aoethemindset/status/1424714594048675842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":249},"\u003Cp>Another person couldn’t believe that Cena posted the photo.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">John Cena posted him ???????????????? \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/91SGw4CpfW\">pic.twitter.com/91SGw4CpfW\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— Chidden Nuddet (@Maraculousness) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Maraculousness/status/1425076135679959040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":251},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">bro is literally black John Cena \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/p45R4xzPbR\">https://t.co/p45R4xzPbR\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— cryptic incognito (@CrypticNoHoes) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CrypticNoHoes/status/1424793096181714948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":253},"\u003Cp>Another person noticed a few celebrities have a doppelganger of a different race.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Life is just a lie. We got Black John Cena, White Kobe and female Tupac \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/ggUd5HZKkb\">pic.twitter.com/ggUd5HZKkb\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— BlackOut (@SicknessOG) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SicknessOG/status/1424848385685680141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":255},"\u003Cp>This is what John Cena saw when he looked in the mirror in 2005 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/f8HitfI2KS\">pic.twitter.com/f8HitfI2KS\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp>— KloutMachine (@KloutMachineTM) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KloutMachineTM/status/1425187292923277312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\">Besides finding his long-lost Black twin, Cena has been busy starring in \u003Cem>The Suicide Squad,\u003C/em> playing Peacemaker and recently, he made his long-awaited \u003Ca href=\"https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/07/19/john-cena-wwe-return-money-in-the-back-summerslam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">return\u003C/a> to \u003Cem>WWE Smackdown.\u003C/em>\u003C/p>\n",{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":41,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":260,"author":261,"authors":269,"title":271,"subTitle":272,"excerpt":273,"slug":274,"body":275,"categories":276,"tags":278,"featuredMedia":303,"publishedAt":310,"publishedAtGMT":311,"updatedAt":312,"updatedAtGMT":313,"type":244,"listicle":314,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":45,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":42,"customFields":337,"additional":338,"acf":339},72472064,{"id":262,"avatar":263,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},94522,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f8eb52660d8b8be94e59634f2a01c1477c0a47da81d7ac50cffea2e1d30d7d38?s=1024&r=g","Danteé Ramos","[email protected]","Dante Ramos","dante-ramos","2021-08-23T00:00:00+00:00",[270],{"id":262,"avatar":263,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},"Dennis Rodman's Daughter Trinity Rodman Is The Highest-Paid Player In National Women's Soccer League","They say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.","Trinity Rodman is the highest-paid player in league history. The 2021 Rookie of the Year received a contract extension.","trinity-rodman-highest-paid-in-national-womens-soccer-league","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://firstsportz.com/nba-news-dennis-rodmans-daughter-trinity-rodman-outraces-megan-rapinoe-and-alex-morgan-to-become-highest-paid-player-in-nswl-history/\">Trinity Rodman\u003C/a>, 19, the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/im-trying-to-go-this-week-dennis-rodman-plans-to-visit-russia-to-rescue-brittney-griner?category1=news&category2=politics\">Dennis Rodman\u003C/a>, is the highest-paid player in league history. The 2021 Rookie of the Year received a contract extension with the Washington Spirit. \u003C/p>\n",[277],{"id":24,"name":25,"slug":26,"description":10,"image":27},[279,283,287,291,295,299],{"id":280,"name":281,"slug":282,"description":10,"image":10},152,"Blavity-U","blavity-u",{"id":284,"name":285,"slug":286,"description":10,"image":10},170,"Blavity-U-News","blavity-u-news",{"id":288,"name":289,"slug":290,"description":10,"image":10},31113,"Dennis Rodman","dennis-rodman",{"id":292,"name":293,"slug":294,"description":10,"image":10},53634,"highest paid","highest-paid",{"id":296,"name":297,"slug":298,"description":10,"image":10},2332,"Trinity Rodman","trinity-rodman",{"id":300,"name":301,"slug":302,"description":10,"image":10},53633,"women soccer","women-soccer",{"url":304,"thumbnail":305,"credit":306,"title":307,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":308,"height":309,"mimeType":135},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMG_5383-compress.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMG_5383-150x84.jpg","Tim Nwachukwu / Leon Bennett","IMG_5383",800,450,"2022-08-29T20:04:36-04:00","2022-08-29 20:04:36","2022-08-29T20:05:10-04:00","2022-08-29 20:05:10",[315,317,319,321,323,325,327,329,331,333,335],{"title":10,"content":316},"\u003Cp>Her new extension includes a four-year deal for $1.1 million, currently more than what she was earning under her prior agreement — a three-year contract with a net pay of $42,000 to play in the National Women’s Soccer League.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":318},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Trinity Rodman is the highest-paid player in NWSL history.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The 19-year-old signed a four-year, $1.1M guaranteed contract with the Washington Spirit 👏 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/cx8sPXl1cy\">pic.twitter.com/cx8sPXl1cy\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>— B/R Football (@brfootball) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1488888807336427520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 2, 2022\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":320},"\u003Cp>She has an option to extend her contract with the 2024 NWSL Champion team until 2025. Trinity will earn $281,000 yearly, surpassing the $250,000 salaries of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, two United States women’s national team superstars.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":322},"\u003Cp>Rodman signed a three-year contract last year with an average base pay of $42,000 plus housing and bonuses. Trinity has made a name for herself, having a successful season, which led her to be selected as the league’s youngest player in the first round of the NWSL draft in January 2021.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":324},"\u003Cp>Rodman won the Rookie of the Year, the Young Player of the Year award from US Soccer, and was the only one from her team to be invited to the US Women’s National Team training camp.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":326},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgm1WK3O2bO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgm1WK3O2bO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Trinity Rodman (@trinity_rodman)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":328},"\u003Cp>Since joining USWNT, Trinity has been compared to other soccer superstars, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, who have acquired substantial financial contracts over their careers. The annual income of Megan and Alex, however, is $250,000.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":330},"\u003Cp>Many speculate Trinity will soon become a star for the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-olympics-news-uswnt-soccer-news-nba-news-nba-legend-dennis-rodmans-daughter-outclassed-soccer-queens-megan-rapinoe-and-alex-morgan-to-become-highest-paid-player-in-nwsl-history-in-2022/\">USWNT\u003C/a> and reach the heights of Morgan and Rapinoe.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":332},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLL5kxvtQE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLL5kxvtQE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Washington Spirit (@washingtonspirit)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":334},"\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Her father, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/dennis-rodman-accused-of-refusing-to-properly-wear-face-mask-during-flight?category1=news\">Dennis Rodman\u003C/a>, also known as \u003C/span>“The Worm,”\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> was a legendary player in the NBA. Dennis holds five NBA titles, and twice he made the NBA All-Star team. He won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award twice and spent eight seasons as a member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":336},"\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In 2011 Rodman was selected for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2022 he became a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n",{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":41,"headScript":27},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":341,"author":342,"authors":343,"title":345,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":346,"slug":347,"body":348,"categories":349,"tags":357,"featuredMedia":376,"publishedAt":382,"publishedAtGMT":383,"updatedAt":384,"updatedAtGMT":385,"type":39,"listicle":386,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":41,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"readingTime":387,"customFields":388,"additional":389,"acf":390},72743473,{"id":262,"avatar":263,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},[344],{"id":262,"avatar":263,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},"Atlanta Restaurant Owner Introduces 'Grits That Give Back' Initiative, Directing 100% Of Proceeds To HBCU Student Scholarships","Ebony Austin, owner of Nouveau Bar & Grill and Nouveau Creations in College Park, Georgia, is making a big difference. ","atlanta-grits-that-give-back-initiative-100-proceeds-to-hbcus","\n\u003Cp>Ebony Austin, owner of Nouveau Bar & Grill and \u003Ca href=\"https://nouveaucreations.myshopify.com\">Nouveau Creations\u003C/a> in College Park, Georgia, is making a big difference. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As part of her initiative “Grits that Give Back,” Austin donates 100% of proceeds to scholarships for students attending HBCUs. Her mantra in life, “Never tell a child no,” has driven her passion for supporting HBCU students, according to\u003Ca href=\"https://www.wishtv.com/focus-on-food/focus-on-food-stories/atlanta-restaurant-owner-giving-back-to-hbcu-students/\"> WishTV\u003C/a>. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Austin has awarded four Spelman students $5,000 scholarships and partnered with U.S. Foods to alleviate food insecurity at Howard University and Morehouse College. Furthermore, she surprised Michael Wright, a Howard University student on Good Morning America, with a $15,000 scholarship.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tIVeLAkC_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\"> \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tIVeLAkC_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003Csvg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\">\u003Cg stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\u003Cg transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\">\u003Cg>\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\">\u003C/path>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/svg>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\u003Cdiv> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/a>\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3tIVeLAkC_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Ebony Akira (@ebonyakira)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/div>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to \u003Ca href=\"https://cw33.com/news/local/celebrity-backed-eatery-nouveau-noir-coming-to-north-texas/\">CW33\u003C/a>, through her work, she furnished three families’ townhomes in 2023. She covered their first year’s rent and provided resources for sustainable living. Her four eateries and thriving food truck are expanding to Dallas with Nouveau Noir, a high-end brunch spot she’s opening soon.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We are so excited about coming to North Dallas,” Austin told CW33. “Not only are we looking forward to helping boost the city’s economy by opening our third location there, but we are eager to pour into the community, which continues to be a huge passion of mine.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Through her annual Christmas event, Nouveau Bar & Grill has provided more than 5,000 families with ring lights, computers, XBoxes, Playstations, bicycles, dirt bikes, BEATS by DRE headphones, cash, and gift cards.\u003C/p>\n",[350,352,353],{"id":351,"name":281,"slug":282,"description":10,"image":27},70685,{"id":72,"name":73,"slug":74,"description":75,"image":27},{"id":354,"name":355,"slug":356,"description":10,"image":27},70684,"HBCU","hbcu",[358,362,363,364,368,372],{"id":359,"name":360,"slug":361,"description":10,"image":10},13797,"academic scholarships","academic-scholarships",{"id":280,"name":281,"slug":282,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":284,"name":285,"slug":286,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":365,"name":366,"slug":367,"description":10,"image":10},70891,"Ebony Austin","ebony-austin",{"id":369,"name":370,"slug":371,"description":10,"image":10},70890,"Grits That Give Back","grits-that-give-back",{"id":373,"name":374,"slug":375,"description":10,"image":10},70892,"Nouveau Bar & Grill","nouveau-bar-grill",{"url":377,"thumbnail":378,"credit":379,"title":366,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":380,"height":381,"mimeType":88},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Social-Thumb-2024-04-01T131336.950.png","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Social-Thumb-2024-04-01T131336.950-150x84.png","Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Nightclub & Bar Media Group",1280,720,"2024-04-01T18:14:44-04:00","2024-04-01 22:14:44","2024-04-01T18:14:50-04:00","2024-04-01 22:14:50",[],1,{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":45,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":392,"author":393,"authors":400,"title":402,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":403,"slug":404,"body":405,"categories":406,"tags":408,"featuredMedia":420,"publishedAt":425,"publishedAtGMT":426,"updatedAt":427,"updatedAtGMT":428,"type":244,"listicle":429,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":45,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":421,"readingTime":193,"customFields":450,"additional":451,"acf":452},72743986,{"id":394,"avatar":395,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":396,"email":397,"username":398,"normalizedUsername":398,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":399},99591,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_1020-2-compress.jpg","Aria Bell","[email protected]","ariabell","2022-08-29T17:13:08+00:00",[401],{"id":394,"avatar":395,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":396,"email":397,"username":398,"normalizedUsername":398,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":399},"Billionaire MacKenzie Scott's Latest Donation Is $2M That She's Given To A Black Doula Nonprofit: 'We're Poised To Continue Transforming Maternal Health Outcomes'","MacKenzie Scott has donated $2 million to a Black doula nonprofit in Northeast Ohio.","billionaire-mackenzie-scott-donates-to-black-doula-nonprofit","\n\u003Cp>Author and philanthropist \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/mackenzie-scott-12m-donation-to-howard-college-of-medicine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MacKenzie Scott\u003C/a> has continued to give monetary support to nonprofits making an impact in communities nationwide, and now, she has donated $2 million to a \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/midwife-opened-virginia-first-black-owned-birthing-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black birthing center\u003C/a> in Northeast Ohio.\u003C/p>\n",[407],{"id":24,"name":25,"slug":26,"description":10,"image":27},[409,413,417],{"id":410,"name":411,"slug":412,"description":10,"image":10},14635,"black maternal health","black-maternal-health-2",{"id":414,"name":415,"slug":416,"description":10,"image":10},15940,"Donations","donations",{"id":418,"name":419,"slug":419,"description":10,"image":10},36881,"doula",{"url":421,"thumbnail":422,"credit":131,"title":423,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":424,"height":308,"mimeType":135},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/uni-2024-04-02T173242.287.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/uni-2024-04-02T173242.287-150x92.jpg","uni – 2024-04-02T173242.287",1300,"2024-04-02T17:39:58-04:00","2024-04-02 21:39:58","2024-04-02T17:41:52-04:00","2024-04-02 21:41:52",[430,432,434,436,438,440,442,444,446,448],{"title":10,"content":431},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>When the billionaire’s divorce was finalized in July 2019 from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after 25 years of marriage, she received a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/mackenzie-scott-bezos-yield-giving-philanthropy-2022-12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4% stake in the company\u003C/a> as a part of her settlement. Since then, she’s been donating large lump sums of money to numerous organizations. She also joined the other billionaires part of the Giving Pledge, created by Warren Buffett and \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/bill-gates-afrobeats-burna-boy-rema\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bill\u003C/a> and Melinda Gates, in committing to give most of her riches away to philanthropic organizations that are combatting an array of societal issues.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":433},"\u003Cp>“I have no doubt that tremendous value comes when people act quickly on the impulse to give. No drive has more positive ripple effects than the desire to be of service,” she said in her \u003Ca href=\"https://givingpledge.org/pledger?pledgerId=393\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledge letter\u003C/a>. “There are lots of resources each of us can pull from our safes to share with others — time, attention, knowledge, patience, creativity, talent, effort, humor, compassion.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":435},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In December 2022, the 53-year-old launched a website database called \u003Ca href=\"https://yieldgiving.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yield Giving\u003C/a>, founded by Scott to “share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people” and provide transparency for all the money given on her behalf since 2019. According to the site, the charitable association has donated over $17 billion to over 2,300 charities.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":437},"\u003Cp>Last month, Scott revealed that following a review of YG’s \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/mackenzie-scott-launches-new-open-call-pledging-250m-for-community-focused-nonprofits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2023 open call applications\u003C/a> from numerous small charitable groups, she’ll be giving 361 nonprofit groups $640 million, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/mackenzie-scott-open-call-yield-giving-bezos-ae809a469080e9e61a945a14a230629e#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AP News\u003C/a>. A movement that will benefit the most from the grant funding is \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Birthing Beautiful Communities\u003C/a>, the only, “community-based doula program” whose mission is to ensure safe pregnancies and birth for at-risk women of color by providing one-on-one support to growing families before, during and after the pregnancy. In addition, mothers and infants can continue getting aid until the newborn’s first birthday per the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">site\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":439},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QoMhvOoH0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QoMhvOoH0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Birthing Beautiful Communities (@birthingbeautiful)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n",{"title":10,"content":441},"\u003Cp>On March 19, the Cleveland-based institution, created by African American trained Perinatal Support Persons, announced the good news online via a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/2m-mackenzie-scott-grant-awarded-to-clevelands-birthing-beautiful-communities-supporting-medical-equity-for-black-mothers-regionally/\">press release\u003C/a>. Jazmin Long, BBC’s president and CEO, expressed her gratitude for the donation.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":443},"\u003Cp>“We’re overjoyed and deeply grateful for this transformative gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call. This generous support propels Birthing Beautiful Communities into an exciting new chapter, empowering us to amplify our impact and further our mission of ensuring every mother, baby, and family receives the care and support they deserve,” Long said, per the press release. “With this funding, we’re poised to continue transforming maternal health outcomes in Northeast Ohio and beyond, ushering in a future where every birth is a beautiful and healthy experience.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":445},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Since the BBC was founded, they have helped train, certify, and employ other PSPs who provide services for Northeast Ohio at-risk women who may likely have complications during childbirth that result in the death of the infant. They have been able to successfully facilitate classes to certify \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/about/\">over 75 women\u003C/a> who were interested in birth work while simultaneously serving over \u003Ca href=\"https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">600 clients\u003C/a>. Furthermore, outside of pregnancy and postpartum support, the holistic health organization offers wealth-building opportunities for Black women, who can typically struggle economically due to society’s class structure, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackenterprise.com/mackenzie-scott-donation-doula-program/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Enterprise\u003C/a> reported.\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":447},"\u003Cp>Long also shared in a video announcement made to help celebrate and spread the news about the $2 million grant, that the money will help build out their second location.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph --> \u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>“This generous support helps to propel us to a new chapter,” she said. “A new chapter that helps take us to our new birth center, which is set to break ground in this fall.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":449},"\u003Cp>\u003Ciframe title=\"Thank You Yield Giving: Announcing Our Award\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/3NMkJEU2z2s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\u003C/p>\n",{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":45,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},{"id":454,"author":455,"authors":456,"title":458,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":459,"slug":460,"body":461,"categories":462,"tags":471,"featuredMedia":481,"publishedAt":486,"publishedAtGMT":487,"updatedAt":488,"updatedAtGMT":489,"type":244,"listicle":490,"disableContentGate":41,"disableListicleNumbers":45,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":511,"readingTime":42,"customFields":512,"additional":513,"acf":514},72748975,{"id":394,"avatar":395,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":396,"email":397,"username":398,"normalizedUsername":398,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":399},[457],{"id":394,"avatar":395,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":396,"email":397,"username":398,"normalizedUsername":398,"description":10,"htmlBio":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":399},"The Black Food Truck Festival Is A Rapidly Rising South Carolina Event, Founded By A Former College Of Charleston Basketball Player","The Black Food Truck Festival is now a staple in Charleston, South Carolina, drawing attendees from Georgia and Florida as well.","black-food-truck-festival-founder-south-carolina","\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackfoodtruckfestival.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Food Truck Festival\u003C/a> in Ladson, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/angel-reese-and-kamilla-cardosa-will-be-wnba-teammates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">South Carolina\u003C/a> is gearing up for its fourth annual get-together this weekend.\u003C/p>\n",[463,467],{"id":464,"name":465,"slug":466,"description":10,"image":27},70683,"Black Owned Business","black-owned-business",{"id":468,"name":469,"slug":470,"description":10,"image":27},70681,"Small-Business","small-business",[472,476,480],{"id":473,"name":474,"slug":475,"description":10,"image":10},71071,"food festival","food-festival",{"id":477,"name":478,"slug":479,"description":10,"image":10},35682,"South Carolina","south-carolina-2",{"id":78,"name":79,"slug":80,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":482,"thumbnail":483,"credit":484,"title":485,"alt":10,"type":36,"width":186,"height":187,"mimeType":135},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1125671385.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1125671385-150x100.jpg","Photo: SolStock via Getty Images","Friends Sharing Pizza at Festival","2024-04-24T11:34:23-04:00","2024-04-24 15:34:23","2024-04-27T14:43:40-04:00","2024-04-27 18:43:40",[491,493,495,497,499,501,503,505,507,509],{"title":10,"content":492},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>When Marcus Hammond moved to Charleston to play basketball for the College of Charleston, he fell in love with the city, the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.postandcourier.com/moultrie-news/news/business/black-food-truck-fest-founder-reflects-on-growth/article_0c8a56a8-fad9-11ee-92fe-4fa75f8fcb9d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Post and Courier\u003C/a> reported. After graduation, he stayed in the area and worked in the banking industry as a relationship manager. In 2022, he created the Black Food Truck Festival, which brought out 5,000 guests during its first year.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":494},"\u003Cp>“We’ve got everything from the diaspora to Gullah Geechee to soul food, seafood, Charleston staples like the chewies, Gullah rice and red rice,” he said.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":496},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3z-mttLRMO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3z-mttLRMO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Black Food Truck Festival®️ (@blackfoodtruckfestival)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":498},"\u003Cp>Due to the festival’s quick rise in popularity, Hammond left his corporate job to focus on the event full-time to ensure that he and his team produced a successful customer-driven occasion.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>“Two things that have really guided me, [with] the first one being the customer is not always right, but the customer is always first,” he told Post and Courier. “So, everything we do with the festival, we keep the attendees in mind first.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":500},"\u003Cp>He added, “We do our best to make sure everybody is safe, and we do our best to make sure that everybody has a good time. We aim for that perfection knowing that we’ll fall short. But it’s always our aim.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":502},"\u003Cp>This year, over 15,000 people are estimated to come out and fill up the Exchange Park Fairgrounds with most attendees expected to come from states nearby like North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":504},"\u003Cp>Hammond shared some new additions to the festival that include “Rhythms & Booze” (April 26), The Melanin x BFTF AM Workout (April 27) and the “Trappyoke” Afterparty” (April 28).\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":506},"\u003Cp>“Those are tweaks that we have made seeing the data that a lot of people came here from out of town. So, [it’s] what we wanted to do [with] Charleston being No. 1 in tourism hands down throughout the country for more than the last decade. But oftentimes, when we see those tourist attractions, they’re not always guided toward Black-curated events,” Hammond explained. “So, what we wanted to do is change the narrative from people thinking of the deep south, old Charleston, to being able to come to Charleston for a full weekend and experience Black culture and Charleston, curated by Black people.”\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":508},"\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C5qhJjLgLIG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">\u003Ca style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C5qhJjLgLIG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Black Food Truck Festival®️ (@blackfoodtruckfestival)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\u003C/p>\n",{"title":10,"content":510},"\u003Cp>\u003C!-- wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>For more information about the Black Food Truck Festival, visit the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackfoodtruckfestival.com/\">website\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003C!-- /wp:paragraph -->\u003C/p>\n","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screen-Shot-2024-04-23-at-3.50.48-PM.png",{"disableConnatixPlayer":41},{"disableAd":41,"enabledComments":45,"headScript":10},{"reviewer_name":10},5,["Reactive",517],{},["Set"],["ShallowReactive",520],{"page-racial-tension-rampant-in-jacksonville-after-black-boys-are-kicked-out-of-fair-for-wearing-memorial-apparel":27,"fetch:/articles:{\"count\":3,\"tag\":\"top-stories\"}":27,"fetch:/articles:{\"count\":5,\"sort\":\"most-read\"}":27},"/racial-tension-rampant-in-jacksonville-after-black-boys-are-kicked-out-of-fair-for-wearing-memorial-apparel",["Reactive",523],{}]