Art for Sale Page 2

March 29, 2026
The duo reached an impasse over the direction of the bow tie company, prompting them to close down.
A mother-and-son duo found success as e-commerce entrepreneurs with their bow tie business, but opted to hang it up to save their personal relationship.
Andrea Henderson and her then-teenaged son Roland first noticed a new fashion trend among men and boys, the bowtie. As they witnessed the dress accessory popularize, the two decided to strike gold themselves and launch an online business all about bowties.
In her op-ed to Business Inside does not name the business. But the two dived into the realm of Amazon’s private label market. They used the e-commerce platform as their main distributing hub, learning about how to SEO optimization to draw customers to their products. Alongside a fashion-forward approach to the traditional men’s formal accessory, the duo’s marketing strategy through Amazon worked to their benefit.
The mother-and-son played to their strengths, with the parent holding down operations as her child matriculated through school at a private HBCU. Roland, fulfilling his own dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, oversaw the creative elements, ensuring their bow tie assortments fit their wide-ranging customer base to drive growth.
Customers, however, were beyond their initial market of young college-aged men and professionals. Despite some unusual requests, they played to customers’ needs to maximize profits.
The money went toward sustaining Roland’s education at the historically Black institution, with additional revenue going back to the business. However, something else was growing between the bigger checks, a familial divide between its owners.
Their ideas for the future of the company brought hidden issues to the surface. While Roland had couture dreams for the company, Henderson preferred to scale outward instead of upward through a potential deal with Walmart.
After the constant disagreements that led to no resolution, Henderson came to her own realization about the real issue at hand. Each person had their own goals for the business and their role in it, and it was in direct contrast with the other.
As the strain grew deeper, alongside conversations for one to leave the company, the family decided to re-align their priorities back to one another. At the height of their business successful, they decided to shut down their bow tie brand.
The lesson, according to Henderson, is not one of loss. In fact, she considers the shut down her best business move yet, especially as she keeps Roland in her life. To both mother and son, launching a successful business deserves praise. However, their willingness to step away when it no longer served their personal relationship remains more important.
Now, she hopes others can learn from her story as they begin new ventures with family, emphasizing how success should never overshadow one’s love.
RELATED CONTENT: Mother And Son Elevate Black-Owned Beauty Supply Store With 7-Figure Expansion

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Black excellence, style, and community impact took center stage at the 12th Annual Truth Awards. Check out the Black celebs in attendance.
Black excellence, bold style, and community impact took center stage as the 12th Annual Truth Awards brought out a powerful mix of culture shifters and tastemakers.
Held at the iconic The Beverly Hilton, the sold-out gala served as the culmination of a multi-day celebration hosted by Better Brothers Los Angeles in partnership with Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation, honoring trailblazers across media, entertainment, and advocacy. Vivica A. Fox led the evening, which blended heartfelt tributes, standout performances, and a room full of culture-shifting creatives.
The weekend kicked off with an intimate Dinner & Conversation in downtown Los Angeles, followed by the Passing the Torch Awards, spotlighting rising stars and emerging changemakers. Hosted by Kalen Allen and Shar Jossell, the ceremony honored talents like Dewayne Perkins, Jordan E. Cooper, and Sydney Colson, with performances from India Shawn and others setting the tone for a weekend rooted in culture and community.
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By Saturday night, more than 600 attendees filled the ballroom for the main event, where the star power was undeniable. Presenters including Karine Jean-Pierre, Cynthia Bailey, and Claudia Jordan joined actors like Novi Brown, Jerrie Johnson, and Isis King to celebrate a stacked lineup of honorees.

Hosted by Vivica A. Fox, the night delivered everything from heartfelt speeches to unforgettable performances. According to the official press release, the event marked a major cultural moment, highlighting both legacy and the next generation of Black excellence.
The celebrity turnout alone showed the love and support in the room. Fresh off her continued success on Abbott Elementary, all-star entertainer Sheryl Lee Ralph showed up in full support alongside political powerhouse Karine Jean-Pierre. Reality TV favorite Cynthia Bailey and media personality Claudia Jordan also hit the stage as presenters, adding even more star power to the night.
Actors and rising stars like Novi Brown, Jerrie Johnson, and Isis King kept the energy fresh, while industry veterans and creatives reminded everyone of the depth within Black Hollywood.
And the honorees? Equally stacked.
Don Lemon received the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his impact on the media. Legendary actress Jenifer Lewis was honored as an ally, continuing her long-standing advocacy for the community. Meanwhile, Carlos King, Flame Monroe, and Durand Bernarr were also celebrated for their contributions across media, comedy, and music.
Speaking of music, Lalah Hathaway delivered a standout performance that had the room locked in. Her emotional rendition of “A Song For You,” originally made famous by her father Donny Hathaway, brought the audience to its feet.
Beyond the glitz, the impact was just as powerful. A surprise anonymous donation of more than $100,000 was announced to support scholarships for Black LGBTQ+ youth, one of the largest single contributions in the organization’s history, further cementing the Truth Awards’ mission to uplift the next generation.

The weekend closed with a Community Gospel Brunch, offering a moment of reflection and fellowship after days of celebration, connection, and purpose.

From brunches, to red carpets to the stage, the Truth Awards has created a space for Black celebrities to truly show up for community, culture, and each other. The moment becomes more than entertainment and extends into a true legacy.
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Seen On The Scene: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenifer Lewis, Durand Bernarr & More Stars Sizzle The 12th Annual Truth Awards was originally published on bossip.com

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March 28, 2026
Critics warn the directive could limit opportunities for minority-owned businesses and spark further legal battles.
President Donald Trump has issued a new executive order intensifying his administration’s efforts against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, this time focusing on companies that do business with the federal government. Signed March 26, the directive instructs federal agencies to more closely monitor contractors and subcontractors for what it describes as discriminatory DEI-related practices. Under the order, companies may be required to provide internal financial and operational records to demonstrate compliance. Businesses found in violation could face penalties, including the loss or suspension of government contracts.
The order frames DEI initiatives as harmful, stating, “DEI activities are not only unethical and often illegal, but also cause inefficiencies, waste, and abuse within entities that engage in such practices.” It further argues that these programs introduce “artificial costs” into hiring and promotion decisions, claiming they undermine merit-based systems and contribute to workforce instability by prioritizing “immutable characteristics over job performance.”
The move builds on earlier actions taken by the Trump administration after his return to office, which targeted equity-focused programs across multiple sectors, including education, housing, and healthcare. Several of those efforts are currently being challenged in federal courts, leaving their long-term impact uncertain.
Administration officials have also promoted the idea that white workers, particularly men, face widespread bias—an assertion disputed by economic data showing they maintain comparatively low unemployment rates and hold a significant share of national wealth.
Advocates say the new policy could disproportionately affect minority-owned businesses, especially Black-owned firms that have historically relied on federal contracting as a pathway to economic stability. While participation increased slightly during the Joe Biden administration, such businesses still represented a small fraction of total federal contract awards.
Civil rights leaders argue the order risks reversing progress made in expanding access to government opportunities. Alphonso David, president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, criticized the directive, telling The Grio, “This executive order is not only vague, but intellectually disingenuous and ignores existing laws.” He added, “The reality is that qualified people of color have been historically excluded from contracting opportunities based on their race and ethnicity—not merit.”
David pointed to similar efforts at the state level, noting, “We are already seeing this approach play out at the state level, including in Texas, where efforts to dismantle the Historically Underutilized Business program have disrupted thousands of businesses and triggered legal challenges.” He warned that the federal order signals a broader attempt to restrict access to public procurement, which he described as a critical driver of economic mobility.
He further emphasized the legal implications, stating, “Issuing an executive order to prohibit compliance with current civil rights law does not erase civil rights law, nor does it eliminate the remedies that exist to address real racial and ethnic discrimination.”
RELATED CONTENT: Prominent Black Execs Take A Deep Dive On The ‘Mood of America’ Amid The Backlash Of DEI

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Drake filed an appeal to revive his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group in January.
Universal Music Group is making moves to get Drake’s defamation suit dismissed again. The company said a response to the rapper’s appeal that his argument would “critically undermine” rap, “a highly creative art form built on exaggeration, insult, and wordplay.”
“[Drake] seeks to strip words from their context and deem them actionable defamation if anyone, anywhere, might treat them as factual,” UMG’s lawyers wrote, per Rolling Stone.
The response comes as Drake continues to pursue his case against the music corporation for releasing Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The Grammy Award-winning diss accuses the Canadian artist of appropriating hip hop and being a pedophile in its lyrics. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas dismissed the suit in October 2025, calling Lamar’s lyrics insinuating pedophilia as “non-actionable opinion” rather than a matter of fact in her opinion.  
Following the suit’s dismissal, the rapper filed an appeal in January, once again arguing that “Not Like Us” was damaging to his reputation.
Drake’s attorneys wrote, “Millions of people understood [‘Not Like Us’] to convey factual information, causing countless individuals around the globe to believe that Drake was a pedophile.”
On Friday (March 27), UMG issued its response to the “Hotline Bling” rapper.
“That is not the law, and Drake’s view would critically undermine a highly creative art form built on exaggeration, insult, and wordplay.”
UMG also pointed out that in his disses toward Lamar, Drake accused the Compton rapper of physically abusing his girlfriend and raising a child that wasn’t his.
“’Not Like Us’ falls within a genre typified by inflammatory putdowns, epithets, fiery rhetoric, vulgarity, and hyperbole,” UMG’s lawyers write. “Drake’s attempt to rip the words he now dislikes from their immediate and broader context has no support in governing law.”

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The “Moulin Rouge!” star is using her platform to spotlight the crisis at animal shelters after welcoming a “new son” just minutes before his final hour.
Megan Thee Stallion is proving that her heart is just as big as her hustle.
The Houston hitmaker and new Broadway sensation took to social media on March 26 to share a story that is as emotional as it is urgent. Megan revealed she has officially expanded her “Hottie” household by rescuing a dog named Tyger, plucking him from a kill shelter just as his time was running out.
“Okay so you guys, I’ve rescued a dog because I was yesterday years old when I found that there’s such thing as a kill shelter,” the rapper told her followers in a candid video. “And they are putting down dogs when they cannot find them a home. That is insane.”
A post shared by Megan Thee Stallion (@theestallion)
The reality of “kill shelters,” or facilities often forced to euthanize animals due to extreme overcrowding and lack of funding, clearly struck a chord with the artist. According to Megan, Tyger was scheduled to be put down the very day before she intervened.
Refusing to let the clock run out on the pup, Megan stepped in personally.
“I said, ‘No way. Just give him to me. I’ll take him,’” she recalled. “I don’t know how 4oe is gonna feel about this… but we had to save him.”
In the heart-melting footage, the Grammy winner is seen cuddling the grateful rescue. As Tyger nuzzled into her neck, Megan beamed, declaring, “Oh, he’s so happy. I don’t know what kind of dog this is, but he my son. He my new son.”
Tyger is moving into a home already with some of the most famous pets in hip-hop. He joins Megan’s iconic French bulldog, 4oe, and her Maine coon cat, Nine.
While 4oe has already mastered the spotlight, having appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and celebrated birthdays with professional photoshoots, Tyger’s introduction marks a more somber, advocacy-driven side of Megan’s pet-parent journey.
A post shared by Megan Thee Stallion (@theestallion)
While she’s currently earning standing ovations on the Broadway stage in Moulin Rouge!, Megan continues to show that her influence stretches far beyond the theater or the recording booth. By sharing Tyger’s story, she is shining a light on the millions of shelter animals in need of homes and the high stakes of the adoption process.
As Tyger trades a cold kennel for a life of luxury and “Hot Girl” energy, he serves as a reminder that for many animals, one person’s “yes” can be the difference between life and death.

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Sybil Wilkes breaks down the key information you need to know on March 27, 2026.
In Sybil’s latest ‘What We Need to Know’ segment, she delivers the crucial updates that directly impact our lives. From crucial political shifts to global justice and Black excellence. Here is a breakdown of the vital news shaping our diverse world this week.

The ongoing budget battles in Congress have left many working families in a state of uncertainty, especially those on the front lines of our airports. To stop the growing chaos caused by a funding fight over immigration enforcement, President Trump announced an order to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. Instead of declaring a national emergency, the administration plans to shift existing funds to cover these much-needed paychecks. This move bypasses the congressional gridlock, ensuring that the hardworking individuals keeping our skies safe can finally take care of their own households.
In a historic moment for the global Black community, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a powerful resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans the greatest crime against humanity. Furthermore, the resolution calls for reparations to address these deep historical wounds. The final vote stood at an overwhelming 123 to 3 in favor of the measure. However, the United States, Israel, and Argentina voted against it. U.S. officials argued they do not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not considered illegal at the time. Despite this pushback, the global demand for truth and justice continues to empower voices worldwide.
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We love to celebrate our brilliant entrepreneurs, and the “Buy Black 365” file brings us an inspiring success story. Adrian Abrams, a first-year MBA student at Duke University, is making major waves with his new clean-ingredient startup, Washletics. Abrams designed a specialized detergent specifically formulated to remove deep sweat odors from gym clothes. His innovative approach recently won a top prize at the Duke Venture Capital pitch competition. Now, he plans to scale his business to reach washing machines across the country, showing us all the power of Black ingenuity and community support.
The Pentagon is currently preparing to deploy elements of the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. This major move comes as the conflict with Iran officially enters its fourth week. The United States has already conducted over 9,000 airstrikes. Despite this heavy military action, President Trump confirmed that direct negotiations are underway, involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. While the president claims Iran wants to make a deal, Iranian officials have publicly dismissed these reports as fake news.
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we continue to celebrate the incredible impact of Black women in our society. Black Enterprise is wrapping up its inspiring series highlighting Black women’s leadership in art, athletics, and civic engagement. Established by Congress in 1987, Women’s History Month events are continuing nationwide with empowering panel discussions and cultural exhibitions. These gatherings do more than just honor the legacy of our female leaders; they actively inspire the future progress of our community.

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Li Wang’s Cold Spring (2023)
Courtesy of Fragment, New York
Visitors to Hong Kong Art Week this year will have several new fairs to add to their brimming calendars. Each offers an original take on the traditional model of viewing and buying art. First off is ArtHouse Tai Hang (until 25 March), spearheaded by Jacky Ho, the former senior vice president and deputy head of department for 20th- and 21st-century art at Christie’s.
ArtHouse features the works of 50 artists across ten locations in Tai Hang, a quiet neighbourhood of century-old residential buildings. His inspiration was of Venice, where cultural venues are often scattered across the ancient Italian city. Another inspiration for Ho was ArtDrunk’s 2025 Block Party in Seoul, where an inclusive, community-driven initiative was integrated into the neighbourhood. The financial model is equally unique: galleries pay a fee only if a work sells.
Over on Sun Street in Wan Chai, Alex Chan, the founder of The Shophouse gallery, is running Check-in (until 29 March) with a condition familiar to many frequent travellers: every work must fit inside a suitcase. Nine galleries from Asia and Europe have signed up. Each day of the event also features at least one live performance or special presentation, including a collaboration between the photographer Wing Shya and the street artist Lousy on 25 March.
Per.Platform is part of Check-in’s event programme Image: Lenyx Choi, Falling, 2025. Courtesy of Per.Platform and FKY Artist Residency, Indonesia. Photographer: Bijaksana Creative – FKY, 2025.
Alongside the local gallerists Ysabelle Cheung and Willem Molesworth, Chan previously organised Supper Club, an alternative art fair that closed in 2025 after two editions. Despite charging lower fees than some of the bigger art fairs in the city, Supper Club’s costs still proved to be prohibitive for the participating small and mid-sized galleries testing the waters in Hong Kong. Chan took those lessons forward: “By focusing on ultra-portable works and a flexible, mobile format, the event seeks to reduce overhead costs and rethink the scale of presentation,” he says.
Cheung and Molesworth, meanwhile, have come up with their own alternative: Pavilion, which launched its inaugural edition in Taipei in January and now comes to H Queen’s in Central (until 28 March), with around 25 galleries from Asia, Europe and North America taking part. The premise of the fair is to counter the “high-octane, super-accelerated environments” of traditional art fairs, Cheung says. The Paris-based Sultana gallery—a regular at Art Basel Paris, Frieze Seoul and other major art fairs—signed on because of the boutique format the fair promises, which Kate Park, Sultana’s director of sales and business development in Asia, describes as “retaining a commercial dimension while feeling closer to a curated exhibition than a conventional fair booth”.
Down at the Central Harbourfront, a short walk from H Queen’s, Art Central returns for its 11th edition (until 29 March) with 117 participating galleries
While already a cornerstone of Hong Kong Art Week, the fair has a new curated section titled “Central Stage”, which will features mid-career artists who have recently had major institutional exhibitions or commissions. They include the Iranian American artist Elnaz Javani and the Lithuanian artist Marta Frėjutė.
Correction: an earlier version of this article stated that Art Central had 100 participating galleries. This has now been updated to reflect that 117 are taking part.
The fair’s Echoes section is dedicated to art created in the last five years
While men still dominate the local market, there are signs of progress towards equality in Hong Kong this week
The art fair will have 177 galleries this year, compared with 134 in 2022, but still fewer than before the pandemic

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The Grammy-winning singer joined Earth, Wind & Fire, Common, and others in Atlanta to raise money and awareness for student debt.
Jill Scott has always been a master of “The Art of Love,” but on Thursday night in Atlanta, she showed that love to HBCU students.
The artist affectionately known as “Jilly from Philly” graced the stage at the inaugural HBCU Aware Fest on March 26, delivering the soulful, melodic vocals that have made her a staple of Black excellence for over two decades. While her voice soared through the Georgia air, it was her attire that had the crowd — and the internet — buzzing.
Scott rocked a custom “Patched Gal” look, a creative ensemble featuring upcycled HBCU t-shirts stitched together into a high-fashion statement. The ‘fit was more than just a style choice. It was a deliberate embrace of heritage and environmental consciousness.
The vision came together under the direction of Scott’s stylist, former ESSENCE Fashion Director Pamela Macklin, who collaborated with a rising local talent to bring the piece to life.
“I provided direction to this young designer from ATL and she did not disappoint,” Macklin shared. “This is art.”
While the fashion was a highlight, the heart of the evening remained centered on the mission of the Student Freedom Initiative. The first-of-its-kind festival, which musical director Adam Blackstone first teased to theGrio in February, aims to tackle the crushing weight of student loan debt. This burden disproportionately affects students from under-resourced communities.
For a week, Atlanta served as the hub for celebrity panels and wealth-building workshops, culminating in the benefit concert. The goal? To bridge the gap between the private sector and higher education to make the “Black college experience” more accessible.
“How can the private sector, the public sector, and the federal government come together to make college more accessible?” asked Clark Atlanta University President George French Jr. French emphasized that the festival is about showing students what is possible, especially when they see leaders and artists who share their background.
“They need to see people who look like them, talk like them, that live in the neighborhoods where they come from — to know that the way out is still through higher education, without a doubt,” French said.
The benefit concert featured a powerhouse lineup reflecting the breadth of Black music. Alongside Scott, legends Earth, Wind & Fire brought the funk, while Common, GloRilla, and gospel powerhouse Yolanda Adams rounded out a night dedicated to financial literacy and community support.
As the Student Freedom Initiative continues its work, the HBCU Aware Fest serves as a reminder that investing in Black students is an investment in the future of Black wealth.
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“This executive order is not only vague, but intellectually disingenuous and ignores existing laws,” Alphonso David, president and CEO of Global Black Economic Forum, tells theGrio.
President Donald Trump is doubling down on his anti-DEI agenda, signing a new executive order that seeks to crack down on what his administration calls “DEI discrimination” in federal contracting.
The order, signed on Thursday, calls on executive departments and agencies to take further steps to ensure that federal contractors and subcontractors are not engaging in “racially discriminatory DEI activities.” It seeks to require contractors to submit their books, records, and accounts to confirm compliance. If a contractor is found to be out of compliance, their contracts could be suspended or terminated.
“DEI activities are not only unethical and often illegal, but also cause inefficiencies, waste, and abuse within entities that engage in such practices,” the executive order reads.
The EO also claims that DEI practices impose “artificial costs” in hiring, promotion, and operations by preventing the “implementation of merit-based principles” and by creating “excessive workforce turnover by elevating immutable characteristics over job performance.” The order also claims that DEI activities create “unnecessary costs” by “reducing the pool of available labor by artificially limiting companies to hiring or promoting certain individuals, suppliers, or intermediaries based on their race or ethnicity.”
The president’s new order follows his signature anti-DEI orders signed when he first returned to office last year, which the Trump administration has used to claw back equity programs, grants, and offices intended to help close racial disparities in business procurement, education, housing, health care, and environmental harms. Many key provisions of Trump’s anti-DEI orders and subsequent actions remain under challenge in federal court.
The Trump administration has simultaneously pushed the narrative that white men are being discriminated against at large scale, despite them having the lowest unemployment rates and the highest share of wealth.
The latest move targeting federal contracting has the potential to further hurt Black businesses, which have been disproportionately impacted by Trump’s economic policies, including his global tariffs and now the president’s costly and deadly war in Iran. During the Biden-Harris administration, Black-owned businesses saw a modest increase in their share of federal contract funding, though they accounted for only 1.3% of total contracts awarded.
For decades, government jobs, including contracting, have been pillars for building up the Black middle class. Civil rights groups and advocates have argued that President Trump’s executive actions stand to threaten the Black economy at a time when Black Americans are seeing the highest unemployment rates since the COVID-19 pandemic and the highest among any racial group.
“This executive order is not only vague, but intellectually disingenuous and ignores existing laws,” said Alphonso David, president and CEO of Global Black Economic Forum. “The reality is that qualified people of color have been historically excluded from contracting opportunities based on their race and ethnicity—not merit.”
David explains to theGrio, “We are already seeing this approach play out at the state level, including in Texas, where efforts to dismantle the Historically Underutilized Business program have disrupted thousands of businesses and triggered legal challenges. This order signals a broader shift toward restricting access to one of the most important economic engines in this country: public procurement.”
He added, “Issuing an executive order to prohibit compliance with current civil rights law does not erase civil rights law, nor does it eliminate the remedies that exist to address real racial and ethnic discrimination.”
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Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police officers in 2020, and the officers involved in the shooting were never charged in her death. 
Breonna Taylor’s mother has spoken out after the Department of Justice moved to drop charges against two police officers who drafted the no-knock warrant that led to Taylor’s shooting death by Louisville police.
“She was killed because of their lies and negligence, and somebody should be held accountable for that,” Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said in a Tuesday (March 25) interview with ABC News. 
According to The New York Times, the DOJ requested that the charges against Kyle Meany and Joshua Jaynes be dropped “in the interest of justice.” Former Attorney General Merrick Garland filed the charges against Meany, Jaynes, and two other officers during the Biden administration.
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While Meany and Jaynes weren’t present at the shooting, Garland accused the two of falsifying the documents that allowed the officers to enter Taylor’s apartment. 
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was watching a movie at the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when a group of plainclothes Louisville Metro Police officers battered down the door to search for illegal drugs. Walker thought the men were robbers and fired one shot with a firearm he legally owned when the cops began to fire back, killing Taylor in the crossfire. There were no drugs in the apartment. 
Breonna Taylor’s death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, were two of the primary catalysts for the protests against racial injustice during the summer of 2020. Meany and Jaynes faced charges of misdemeanor civil rights violations, falsifying records, and conspiracy to cover up their actions. 
“We are elated with this development,” Travis Lock, an attorney for Jaynes, told ABC News. Meany’s attorney, Michael Denbow, told ABC News that his client is “incredibly grateful” that the DOJ has moved to dismiss the charges and is “looking forward to putting this matter behind him and moving forward with his life.”
Palmer addressed the comments in her interview with ABC News. “Breonna doesn’t get to come back. She doesn’t get to put it behind her,” adding that for herself, “every day” has been March 13, the date Breonna was killed. “There’s no putting it behind me,” she said.
When asked about Palmer’s comments, a spokesperson for the DOJ told ABC News, “Neither of these officers was present during the shooting, and a district court has already repeatedly dismissed the most serious charges as completely unsupportable.” 
“These cases represented the kind of inappropriate, weaponized federal overreach that this Department of Justice no longer tolerates,” the spokesperson added. 
Under the questionable leadership of Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s civil rights department has abandoned its long-standing mission of prosecuting cases that involve race-based discrimination. You may know Dhillon as the woman who recommended that Brett Hankison, one of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s shooting, should only serve one day in jail after he was found guilty of civil rights abuse. 
Dhillon has abandoned many of the civil rights cases brought forth by prior administrations, and instead is focusing on one of the biggest problems in American society: Black people getting too many jobs. 
Kristen Clarke, who was the head of the DOJ’s civil rights division when the case was brought, was critical of Dhillon’s decision to dismiss the charges. “This move is indefensible and unsupported by the facts and the law,” she said. “It is especially callous that this comes as communities just marked the six-year anniversary of her tragic murder.”
SEE ALSO:
Brett Hankison Sentenced To Nearly 3 Years In Breonna Taylor Case, Taylor’s Aunt Arrested Outside Courtroom
Breonna Taylor: DOJ Investigation Leads To Police Reform
Breonna Taylor’s Life Still Matters
The DOJ Put A Price Tag On Murdered Black Lives: 1 Day In Jail

Breonna Taylor’s Mother Speaks Out After DOJ Drops Charges Against Officers was originally published on newsone.com

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A recently surfaced post on the “No Scrubs” singer’s social media account prompted fans to dive deep and wonder whether Chilli’s support for Republican figures had been hiding in plain sight.
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas caught the ire of social media earlier this week after longtime fans of TLC accused the singer of being MAGA.
Those accusations turned up a notch following a recent Medias News report, highlighting campaign donations made by the “No Scrubs” singer to political action committees tied to President Donald Trump, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other GOP-affiliated groups.
According to FEC filings, donations from Rozonda Thomas of Stone Mountain, Georgia, total $897.14 and include 17 donations made between April 2024 and November 2024. The majority of the donations were made to WinRed and Never Surrender Inc, with three donations made to the Trump National Committee PAC.
The donations discovery comes as social media users on Threads found a screenshot of Thomas’ Instagram account, which shared a debunked post claiming that former First Lady Michelle Obama was a transgender man who was registered to vote in elections in Illinois in 1994. The post was deleted from her page.
Fans continued to dig deeper into the alleged ties between Thomas and MAGA, as a scan of her Twitter and Instagram showed that she followed several notable MAGA influencers, including Donald Trump Jr., the news network NewsMax and Dean Cain. On Instagram, those follows include Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds and other MAGA content creators.
Thomas would not be the first notable celebrity to donate to Trump or support him. Recently, Nicki Minaj considered herself one of Trump’s strongest supporters, including making appearances at several of his events. At the White House’s recent Black History Month event, Trump thanked Minaj during a speech.
Chilli has not addressed the controversy, as TLC recently performed at the iHeartRadio Music Awards alongside Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. The groups are set to hit the road in the summer for the “It’s Iconic Tour.” The 30-plus date tour kicks off in Franklin, Tennessee, on August 15 and criss-crosses the country before wrapping up in Concord, California, on October 11.
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Soma Surovi Jannat’s In a Timeless Sweet Land (2023) Collection of the artist. © Soma Surovi Jannat
In this monthly column, Louisa Buck looks at how the art world is responding to the environmental and climate crisis.
There is no escape from the global consequences of climate change, but some countries are directly on the front line. With two thirds of its land less than five metres above sea level, the low-lying delta nation of Bangladesh is consistently singled out as one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. According to recent research by John Hopkins University, rising sea levels could submerge 17% of its territory and 30% of its agricultural land by 2050, and this precariousness is ramped up by the fact that Bangladesh is one of the most populated countries in the world. And all this despite the fact that Bangladesh only contributes to a minute proportion of total global emissions.
The vulnerability of Bangladesh, the uniqueness of its terrain and the resilience of its population, together with the overarching links between natural disasters and social inequalities are all key subjects underpinning a show of paintings and drawings by Soma Surovi Jannat at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Climate Culture Care is Dhaka-born Surovi’s first exhibition in the UK and is also the first solo exhibition of a Bangladesh-based artist to be held in a UK museum. 
Mainly created following a residency at the Ashmolean during the summer of 2023, Surovi’s 20 or so paintings and drawings—in one case made directly onto the museum’s walls—draw their inspiration from Bangladesh’s extensive Sundarbans mangrove forest as well as from the collections of the Ashmolean. 
Sundarbans—which translates to ‘the beautiful forest’—is a sprawling region shared between India and the south of Bangladesh that is laced by a network of river systems and is home to the world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest as well as a vast array of wildlife, including the endangered Bengal tiger. More than 13 million people also live in this World Heritage Site, where they are increasingly challenged by the evermore catastrophic symptoms of environmental degradation and climate change, most notably rising sea levels and resulting land salinisation. These pose a particular threat to the Sundari mangrove trees, the dominant species in the region, which have always offered essential protection for the Sundarbans with their intertwined roots forming a natural barrier against storms, as well as being able to sequester more carbon than most other tropical trees.
Soma Surovi Jannat’s Who Carries Whom? (2025) Collection of the artist. © Soma Surovi Jannat
As well as featuring the trees of the Sundarbans, Surovi’s work is rich in both human and animal imagery and often fuses the two in distorted, exaggerated figures, set against fantastical, dreamlike backgrounds. At the Ashmolean the flora and fauna of the Sundarbans forest is made to mix and morph with images taken from its stories and cultural traditions in tumultuous and richly detailed scenarios. In a series of eight ink and acrylic works on paper titled Where Every Leaf Holds a Tale (2023-24), for example, each piece replicates the shape of one of the Sundarbans’s now-shrinking archipelago of islands and sand bars. Across the surfaces of the works local creatures—from tigers to turtles, storks and shrimps—mingle and form odd alliances with folkloric figures such as Bonbibi, the region’s main forest deity, as well as humans and gods from the Hindu pantheon. 
Throughout the show, a close examination of the Ashmolean’s collections—especially its holdings in works from Asia and the Indian subcontinent—is also strongly in evidence. In Surovi’s hands a terracotta plaque of a Yakshi (nature spirit) from the second century BC in the Ashmolean is reinterpreted as a giant, heavily pregnant Mother Nature figure who cradles a lifeless bird between her breasts while a mangrove shoot emerges from her navel and a roaring tiger is rammed between her legs. “Art, history and activism are deeply entwined… I am drawn to fragments—objects, memories, and landscapes—that carry traces of resilience, disruption or overlooked lives,” Surovi states in the exhibition catalogue. “For me each piece is a conversation across time, a way to honour what has been, and to imagine what might be.”
Throughout, Indian and Persian miniaturist techniques have clearly fed into the meticulous execution of her intricate crowds of cavorting, conjoined animal and human protagonists, while many of their forms show borrowings from specific pieces owned by the Ashmolean. These include a number of tumbling figures which owe their origins to an Indian gouache of street performers painted around 1790; and her menagerie of bizarre conjoined beasts, which corresponds to the grotesque inter-species creatures in a number of the Ashmolean’s 18th- and 19th-century Indian paintings. 
Soma Surovi Jannat’s Resensitizing the Brown Narrative (2023) Collection of the artist. © Soma Surovi Jannat
Surovi’s stated commitment to “amplifying silenced voices and to creating spaces where difficult truths can be faced with honesty and imagination” is made manifest in unexpected ways. Recent Google Map images of the Sundarbans’s murky polluted waters played a key part in influencing the choice of the dark brown backgrounds and tawny hues of many of these works, but issues of racial and caste identity and demarcations of social status based on skin colour also had a part to play. This is made most explicit in the ink, acrylic and gold leaf work Resensitizing the Brown Narrative (2023) which, in both its palette of browns and contorted figures holding symbolic objects, was in great part influenced by the Ashmolean’s collection of 19th-century unfired clay models representing members of different Indian castes. These miniature figures—men, women, children all carrying out different occupations—were created in colonial-era India as ‘exotic’ souvenirs for the European market, and the 200 or so owned by the Ashmolean were originally exhibited in the Colonial and Indian exhibition in London in 1886, supposedly to showcase the British Empire and its colonised peoples.
The Ashmolean’s problematic collection of Indian archetypes of all ages, trades and religious groups from across the entire subcontinent also feature in Surovi’s epic 30ft-long scroll Between the Sea and the Sky, Who Holds the Ground? (2025). This ambitious work addresses issues of displacement and climate migration and also how South Asian bodies have historically been framed. In one section of the scroll, boats float on dark polluted waters, carrying a multitude of ordinary folk, inspired by the Ashmolean’s colonial-era figures. Here they are reimagined as refugees, carrying the tools of their trade and fleeing from the environmental changes that were invariably first set in motion by the extractive actions of colonisation.
Yet Surovi also sees these beleaguered individuals as personifying human fortitude and versatility in the face of the trauma of migration. Across her scroll some figures morph into bees, which in turn evolve into processions of ants, both, like their human counterparts, overlooked and often maligned but also utterly crucial to the health of an ecosystem. Finally, the stream of ants goes deep into the hidden but essential network of tree roots that in the Sundarbans sustains and nourishes every aspect of this unique environment. In this important show of complex and richly metaphorical works, Surovi is not only highlighting the richness and fragility of a very particular part of the world but reminding us how, from Oxford to Bangladesh, everything is interconnected. Nothing exists in isolation and consequences cannot be escaped. The sooner we realise this, the more hope there is both for the Sundarbans and the planet in general. 
• Soma Surovi Jannat: Climate Culture Care, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 28 March-1 November
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March 28, 2026
The bold statement piece is known as the ‘Gold Standard Cassette Tape’ bag.
At the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, Spike Lee once again proved he doesn’t just show up, he likes to make a statement. While he wasn’t nominated this year, the Oscar-winning director commanded attention on the red carpet with a standout accessory: a gold cassette tape handbag designed by Detroit creative Runyaro Richardson.
The bold piece, known as the “Gold Standard Cassette Tape” bag, is a nostalgic nod to vintage music culture, reimagined as a luxury fashion item. Retailing at $950, the bag is crafted with 14-carat gold and features a genuine leather interior. The unique bag also comes in platinum and black chrome, Complex reports.
Spike Lee quite honestly in his bag at the 98th #Oscars pic.twitter.com/lnZ6oOSP24
With Lee opting to carry the bag gave Richardson’s brand, Runyaro, global visibility overnight. According to CBS News, Lee personally reached out to the designer after discovering her work and purchased the bag himself.
“When he reached out to me, it was surreal because I grew up on him, all of his movies; he’s a legend,” Richardson told the outlet. “When he reached out to me, I was just so … wait a minute, is this AI? Like, hold up. Not trying to discredit my brand, because I believe in my brand; it was just surreal.”
Born and raised in Detroit, she began designing in 2015, initially creating T-shirts before expanding into accessories, according to CBS News. Her breakthrough came with the invention of the luxury cassette tape handbag, a concept that merges her early love of music with fashion innovation. Each design reflects a hands-on creative process and a commitment to originality that has resonated with both consumers and celebrities.
RUNYARO has steadily built momentum, earning features in major fashion publications such as British Vogue and GQ.
For Lee, whose films like “Malcolm X,” “School Daze,” and “Do the Right Thing” have long influenced both culture and style, has continually supported emerging talent and innovative Black designers. He has publicly spoke out against luxury labels such as Gucci and Prada following controversies over racist imagery in 2019, instead encouraging consumers to support designers of color.
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As the first Black woman to chair the Board of Trustees, the violinist and professor is using Music In Our Schools Month to centralize mentorship and career development for the next generation of creators.
When Dr. Chelsey Green took the gavel as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Recording Academy in June 2025, she didn’t just break a glass ceiling, she shattered a series of them. Making history as the first Black woman and the youngest person to ever lead the board, Dr. Green is proving that her seat at the table isn’t just for show; it’s about opening doors for those who have historically been kept in the hallway.
March is Music In Our Schools Month, and Dr. Green’s dual life as a world-renowned violinist and a professor at Berklee College of Music is more than an impressive résumé; it’s a blueprint for change. For Dr. Green, the gap between the classroom and the Grammy stage is where the future of Black music will be won or lost.
Dr. Green’s rise to the top of the Academy follows a two-year stint as Vice Chair, during which she did the heavy lifting on committees to understand exactly where the industry’s “blind spots” lie. Her “Creators Connected” platform is a direct response to those gaps, focusing on intentional representation rather than the performative diversity often seen in corporate boardrooms.
“It is an honor to serve in this capacity and represent so many—past, present, and future—whose contributions to music have often gone unseen,” Dr. Green told theGrio. “Personally, it’s a reflection of my ancestors’ prayers and sacrifices.”
While the glitz of the Grammys grabs the headlines, Dr. Green is putting her energy into the Music Education & Professional Development Committee (MEPD), which launched in September 2025. By tapping industry veterans Nikisha Bailey and Riggs Morales to lead the charge, Dr. Green is centralizing the Academy’s resources—from GRAMMY U to MusiCares—to create a pipeline for Black talent.
“Music education is access,” Dr. Green asserts. “It’s a way of honoring legacy while building pathways. If we want a thriving future in music, we must invest in those honing their craft today.”
For Dr. Green, this isn’t just professional—it’s ancestral. The daughter of two educators, she was raised to see the violin not just as a classical instrument, but as a tool for liberation. It’s that same “outside the lines” thinking she’s now bringing to the Recording Academy’s strategic direction.
This March, the Academy is rolling out over 40 programs focused on mentorship and professional development, a massive push to prove that the organization is more than just a trophy provider.
By showing up fully as a Black woman, an artist, and an educator, Dr. Green is sending a clear message to the young creators watching from the back of the classroom: you don’t have to leave your identity at the door to take your seat at the head of the table.
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Empowering Curators Residency at Ashorne Hill, January 2026
© Hydar Dewachi

The Art Fund charity in the UK is launching an ambitious new curatorial fellowship programme as a “response to the lack of representation in curatorial leadership”. Empowering Curators will support 20 curators from Global Majority backgrounds through multi-year fellowships at UK museums and galleries (Global Majority is a collective term that refers to individuals who are Black, Asian, Brown, mixed heritage and Indigenous to the Global South).
The curatorial fellows will design and deliver exhibitions and programming and engage with local communities, says an Art Fund statement. The host organisations will also launch programmes aimed at advancing equity, diversion and inclusion.
The first ten fellows include Christo Kefalas at the Whitworth, who will explore “transcultural perspectives” in the next collection re-hang at the Manchester institution.
Carine Harmand is curating exhibitions and displays to be shown at Tate Liverpool once it reopens in 2027, including a new multidisciplinary installation by the artist Julianknxx, co-commissioned with Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum. Another fellow, Jill Sutherland is developing ​interpretive approaches at the International Slavery Museum, as part of its redevelopment.
Nusrat Ahmed, meanwhile, will lead work to “embed anti-racism and social justice across Manchester Museum’s practice”, according to a release.
The project follows the publication of an Art Fund report in 2022 (It’s About Handing Over Power) which stated that “much more focused and sustained work needs to be done to diversify the UK curatorial workforce”. The report’s recommendations included addressing “structural and institutional racism in funding criteria to ensure a more equitable allocation of funding”.
Last year another key report published by the cultural and creative industries membership body Creative UK (Leadership diversity in the creative and cultural industries) found that there are “significant gaps in leadership diversity across the creative and cultural sectors”.
The steering group overseeing Empowering Curators includes Gus Casely-Hayford, director of V&A East, and Noorah Al-Gailani, curator of Islamic collections (Arab World) at the British Museum. Project funders include the Headley Trust, Arts Council England and the Hollick Family Foundation.
The chaotic layout of the show is designed to embrace the theatricality and madness of the great artist
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René Morales of the Pérez Art Museum Miami and Jamillah James of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, will fill key vacancies at the MCA

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