Page 31 - Florida Sentinel 10-15-21

National
North Carolina Teacher Accused Of Telling Black Students They Could Be 'Field Slaves' Resigns
The Mural In Boynton Beach, Florida, That Depicts Latosha Clemons, A Black Woman, As White
A North Carolina teacher resigned following outrage over alleged comments she made to Black students that they would be her "field slaves" if it wasn't for the Constitution.
A parent told NBC affiliate WITN of Washington, North Carolina, about the Winter- ville Charter Academy teacher's remarks.
“She had them raise their hand during a constitutional lesson and reminded them that if it wasn’t for the Con- stitution, they would be her slaves. Her field slaves,” Kanisha Tillman told the
WINTERVILLE CHARTER
news station.
Tillman has a child in the
class.
The school, located north-
east of Wilmington, did not
immediately respond to a re- quest for comment Saturday. The school's principal sent a memo to parents of the eighth grade class and said action had been taken follow- ing a "racially insensitive les- son," according to WITN.
The memo also stated that two "racially insensitive words" were reportedly used by multiple children in the classroom "without appropri- ate redirection along with in- appropriate response from the educator."
The principal said the school accepted the teacher's resignation.
The mural in Boynton Beach, Florida, that depicts Latosha Clemons, a Black woman, as White.
The Boynton Beach City Commission will meet this week to discuss a lawsuit filed on behalf of the city's first Black female firefighter over a mural where she was inaccu- rately depicted with a White face.
"The City Commission will meet in a closed-door session to discuss the litigation. It is not a public meeting," City Manager Lori LaVerriere confirmed to CNN in an email Sunday.
Latosha Clemons filed the lawsuit in April against the City of Boynton Beach. According to the complaint, a mural in- tended to honor her and others for their service to the city "re- flected her as a White member of the city fire department."
A second amended com- plaint filed September 2 alleges the case is being brought on be- half of Clemons "to redress the defamatory statement [the City of Boynton Beach] made regarding her race and/or its negligence in failing to prop-
LATOSHA CLEMONS
erly oversee an approved use of the likeness of Clemons."
Clemons became the city's first Black female firefighter in 1996 and served the city for a total 26 years in different ca- pacities, according to the com- plaint.
The complaint alleges once the City Art Commission ap- proved of the mural in No- vember 2019, Clemons approved the use of a pro- posed picture.
"Come June 3, 2020, when the mural was unveiled, it did not reflect Clemons as the Black member of the city fire department. Instead, it was al- tered and reflected her as a White member of the city Fire Department," the complaint said.
"Being depicted as White was not only a false presenta- tion of Clemons, it was also a depiction which completely disrespected all that [she] the first female Black firefighter for the city had accom- plished," the complaint said.
Youngest NYSE Stock Trader Lauren Simmons Inks Deal With Spotify
Former New York Stock Ex- change (NYSE) stock trader Lauren Simmons partnered with Spotify to release her pod- cast. The new project, “Mind Body Wealth with Lauren Simmons,” premiered on Wednesday, September 29. Simmons will share new episodes – – exclusively on Spotify — on Wednesdays.
Lauren Simmons went viral after making history as the youngest full-time female trader on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Her story also inspired many African- American women all over the
LAUREN SIMMONS
world. She was the second Black woman equity trader
since the NYSE was estab- lished over two hundred years ago.
After reportedly earning less than $25,000 per year as a stock trader, Simmons left her job and carved out her own lane. Hollywood picked up her story and is now producing a film about the young trader. She’s also working with Entre- preneur.com to debut the new digital series, Going Public, on October 19. The interactive se- ries will give diverse entrepre- neurs a chance to pitch investors and become a pub- licly traded company.
Black Woman Entrepreneur Launches
Shoe Company That Caters To Sororities
And Fraternities In The Divine 9
Birmingham, AL — Meet Kam Ballard, founder of b.c.e Shoes, an online com- pany that customizes shoes for the sororities and fraternities in the Divine 9. She says that she started the company to offset college costs for her chil- dren. She comments, “I started this company as a way to pay for my children’s col- lege education. I wanted to break the cycle of graduating from college with a mountain of student loan debt. It has evolved into something bigger than I ever could have imag- ined.”
She is a member of and a certified vendor for Delta
KAM BALLARD AND B.C.E. SHOES
Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is also an approved ven- dor for the following organiza- tions within the Divine 9: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
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