Major League Soccer Reaches a Deal to support Black Banks, Hoping to Help Close the Racial Wealth Gap

Major League Soccer (MLS) and National Blank Bank Foundation (NBBF) leaders join with Dr. Bernice A. King to announce MLS’s historic $25 million transaction with Black-owned banks across the country. L to R: NBBF Co-Founder Brandon Comer; Black Players For Change Founder and MLS veteran Quincy Amarikwa; King Center CEO Dr. Bernice A. King; MLS Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Sola Winley; NBBF Co-Founder Ashley Bell.

MLS Will Leverage Historic $25 Million Loan With Black Banks

Major League Soccer is attempting to do its part to help close the racial wealth gap.

Thursday, the league announced a partnership with the nonprofit National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF). Through it, the league will leverage a $25 million loan with eight Black banks.

According to MLS, the historic deal would mark the first time any sports league has participated in a major commercial transaction exclusively with Black-owned banks.

"Major League Soccer's partnership with the National Black Bank Foundation is a tangible step in the efforts to close the racial economic gap in the United States, and it's the right business decision for us," MLS Commissioner said Don Garber of the reasoning behind the move in a statement. 

"As a league, we continue to increase our initiatives in support of racial justice. In order to make a genuine impact, economic justice must be part of the equation. This transaction with a syndicate of community-focused Black banks is an important measure, and it is our hope this will raise awareness of the importance of Black-owned banks and their impact on the economy."

Dr. Bernice A. King, National Black Bank Foundation board member and King Center CEO, added, "I brought MLS and NBBF together because I saw an opportunity to create a partnership with the power to transform lives in Black communities and change hearts and minds throughout our nation. This deal undoubtedly marks an important moment in the continuing struggle for civil rights in the United States."

According to the Federal Reserve, the Black-white economic gap in the United States has remained virtually untouched since the Civil Rights Movement. Historical efforts by Black families to escape the continuum of poverty by building intergenerational wealth, primarily through homeownership and small business entrepreneurship, have been thwarted by racialized credit access. In 2020, lenders denied Black mortgage applicants at a rate 84% higher than white borrowers.

The terms of the loan have yet to be disclosed, but it is known the interest and fees will be paid in advance, creating what's called Tier 1 capital — which the league says will almost immediately allow the banks to offer more loans and lines of credit in Black and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Chris Brown Rape Accuser Loses Lawyers After Incriminating Texts Found on Phone

Photo by Francesco Carrozzini

Chris Brown is feeling vindicated after the sexual assault case against him filed by an unknown woman, began to fall apart Wednesday, nearly as quickly as his career briefly did in 2009, when he pled guilty to the felony assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.

Lawyers representing the woman, known only as Jane Doe in court proceedings, who filed a lawsuit in South Florida against the R&B superstar alleging he drugged and raped her on Diddy's Miami Beach-based yacht, announced they are recusing themselves from the case.

The news followed the release of several incriminating texts recovered from the woman's phone by Miami Beach Police during their investigation.

George Vrabeck told Rolling Stone he and his co-counsel, Ariel Mitchell, will no longer represent the plaintiff in the sex assault, false imprisonment, and gender violence lawsuit that was filed against Brown, 32, on Jan. 28 due to unspecified "information" obtained from police last Thursday.

"We are very grateful that the Miami Beach Police Department brought this to our attention. They did a great job," George Vrabeck said. "We were not made aware that the information existed (prior to filing). It precludes us from going forward for a number of reasons."

He added, "It's not a comment on whether an assault happened or not, but it precludes us from going forward."

While Miami Beach Police declined to comment on the matter, Brown, who has long denied the allegations, had a lot to say.

Praying for my brother @chrisbrown “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities”Ephesians 6:12 🙏🏾 The enemy stays busy… ‘You Were The Best ---- I’ve Had’: Case Of Woman Who Said Chris Brown Drugged https://t.co/dzhhXVqqpG

— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) March 8, 2022

He took to social media to share months of text, voicemails and images sent by the woman beginning shortly after the alleged incident — including a voicemail dated Aug. 23, 2021, in which she pleads to see him again.

"Well, you're giving me mixed signals. You're like reading my messages and stuff and you haven't blocked me yet so I'm guessing you don't hate me," the accuser says in the audio clip posted on Brown's Instagram Story. "I just wanna see you again, I mean, you just answered the phone and then you just hung up. Like, just let me know. Like, if you want me to leave you alone I definitely will, but I really just want to f—k with you again."

Brown said his legal team will be taking action against the woman who sued him and made a public plea to the media.

#ChrisBrown's text messages leaked! The singer's alleged victim's allegations start to crumble after photos were revealed. #RadarExclusive
https://t.co/7cWIyjYfCF

— Radar Online (@radar_online) March 8, 2022

"No more dragging me through the mud," he wrote on social media. "CLEARLY YOU CAN ALL SEE THE [blue cap emoji]. Now let's see if the media will keep that same energy they had trying to destroy me, to Run the real story. Me and my team are taking legal action on this situation. You don't play with people lives like that. THX TEAM BREEZY."

Travis Scott Donates $5 Million to Fund Community Initiatives Through Newly Launched Project HEAL

Frank Schwichtenberg via Wikimedia Commons

Embattled rapper Travis Scott, has kept a low profile since 10 attendees were killed and hundreds injured at his annual Astroworld Festival concert last November.

Facing more than 140 lawsuits and a mass litigation suit by 1,500 show attendees against himself, Live Nation, Apple Music, and Drake,  among others — the "Sicko Mode" artist has been dropped from Coachella and other festivals.

He also lost lucrative deals with McDonald's and Dior for his Cactus Jack Brand.

Scott, who has offered to pay for the funerals of the dead and provide other assistance, has maintained his stance that he would have stopped the show if he had heard signs of distress in the crowd.

Tuesday he stepped out of the shadows to announce a $5 million investment in community-focused initiatives through his newly launched Project HEAL.

According to a statement released by the Cactus Jack Foundation, which will administer the charitable project, it is a "multi-tiered initiative dedicated to addressing challenges facing today's youth, especially those from marginalized and at-risk communities."

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A post shared by Cactus Jack Foundation (@cactusjackfoundation)

"My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life. He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big," said Travis, of his motivation for creating Project HEAL in the press release. "It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.”

The first phase of the program kicks off today with $1 million in scholarships for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Waymon Webster Scholarship, bankrolled by Scott, will provide $10,000 grants to seniors with GPAs of at least 3.5 who risk not graduating due to financial adversity.

In the future, Project HEAL plans to address the mental health crisis through digital counseling and telephone hotlines, expand Scott’s CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston — a nonprofit makerspace for aspiring artists, designers and tech innovators — and fund the previously announced U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety and a tech-driven device that will address safety at large-scale live events.