The Southern Environmental Law Center filed an appeal challenging the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s plan to issue an air permit to xAI’s affiliate company, MZX Tech. The appeal was filed on behalf of the NAACP, Young Gifted & Green, and the Safe and Sound Coalition, who believe the permit violates the law and threatens the health of families living in North Mississippi and South Memphis. The permit allows xAI to allow 41 polluting methane gas turbines—essentially a personal power plant—at a site in Southaven, Mississippi. The power plant would
TikTok and Issa Rae’s HOORAE are launching a new micro-series of content available on TikTok and PineDrama. HOORAE Digital has produced the first series, Screen Time, which launches later this month, according to a press release. This collaboration marks a return to Rae’s digital roots, she said at TheWrap’s Creator x Hollywood Summit. She added that her team created Screen Time for today’s content audience, with the series launching across TikTok and PineDrama. Issa Rae launching a series on TikTok Screen Time opens with a couple on a double date, only to be
IBM has agreed to pay $17 million to the US Department of Justice to settle allegations of illegal DEI practices, as CNN reported. The DOJ believes that the tech company engaged in illegal DEI practices” by factoring in “race, color, national origin, or sex” when hiring or promoting employees. The settlement “IBM is pleased to have resolved this matter. Our workforce strategy is driven by a single principle: having the right people with the right skills that our clients depend on,” an IBM spokesperson told TechCrunch. In May 2025, the
This Married Couple Built a $38M Haircare Brand. And They Just Raised Capital while Keeping Control.
The Doux, a Black-owned hair care brand, has received a minority investment from VMG Partners, according to WWD. Maya Smith and Brian Smith launched the brand in 2011 as a salon in Germany, where Brian was stationed as a US Air Force veteran. “I opened a salon because at the time, there weren’t really any hair spaces overseas that really focused on curly hair. I started developing [the product line] in 2010, but we launched in 2012, and then when we came back to the States, our official mass launch was
Fresh Bourbon wins the appeal to have the right to say that they distilled the first Black-produced bourbon in Kentucky, at least for now, according to the Lexington Herald Leader. Black-owned Louisville-based Brough Brothers sued Fresh Bourbon’s marketing, alleging that the claim from Fresh Bourbon “to be the first Black-owned distillery in Kentucky” was false advertising because they didn’t have their own distillery at the time. The appeal Sean and Tia Edwards released a bourbon in 2017, distilled at Hartfield Distillery in 2018. The Kentucky General Assembly recognized the brand
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from asking universities to collect race information when admitting new students, according to Reuters. Colleges that participate in federal student financial programs were asked to share data on students’ race and sex. The department would use the information to monitor its compliance with the US Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that ended affirmative action in higher education. But US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston issued a temporary restraining order. Trump’s adminstration asking colleges to collect data about race The data
White Influencer Lauren Blake Boultier used AI to place her face on a photo of Black influencer Tatiana Elizabeth, according to People Magazine. The image was a 2-year-old photo of Elizabeth at the US Open. Boultier shared the image to her 1.6 million followers last month, leading them to believe she attended the Miami Open. Social media users started to notice that the image belonged to Elizabeth. On March 30, Elizabeth posted a screenshot of Bouliter’s photo next to her original on threads. The image showed that Boultier was wearing the
London-based live entertainment platform for African music and talent, The Malachite Group (TMG), has launched its Culture Investment Program in partnership with Republic Europe. Investors and supporters can now share in the platform’s ownership. TMG’s portfolio includes Afro Nation and Piano People, both of which have sold tickets in several countries. The company has become one of the fastest-growing festival-led social media brands globally and co-launched the official Afrobeats Charts with the BBC in the UK and Billboard in the US, cementing its role in shaping the global narrative around
Fenty Beauty has launched Rose Amber,” an AI-powered beauty advisor built for WhatsApp, as reported by Glossy. Users can get reviews, product recommendations, and tutorials through the chat. This marks the brand’s first partnership with Meta in the US. “We’ve always wanted to partner with Meta more deeply,” Nanette Wong, global VP of marketing and communications at Fenty, told Glossy. “WhatsApp is so widely used all over the world, and our community and accessibility are important to us. So, we’re always thinking of new ways to connect with them.” What
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is scrapping grants helping farmers secure land, according to POLITICO. Around $300 million was set aside to support nonprofits, tribal governments, and other organizations. These programs were created by The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program and gave underrepresented farms access to capital, planning, and efforts to reduce land loss. A letter shared with POLITICO said that the program “involved discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” and “wasteful spending.” Scrapping grants for underserved farmers “USDA will prioritize unity, equality, meritocracy, and color-blindness in furtherance
