Urban One to Launch "ONE Yard: The HBCU Experience"--a Multi-City Tour Bringing the Cultural Power of the HBCU Yard to Life

Urban One, the nation's largest distributor of Black and Urban content, today announced the official launch of ONE Yard: The HBCU Experience, a multi-city engagement tour celebrating the culture, community, and legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Originally born as a digital sanctuary, ONE Yard is stepping outside of the screen and hitting the ground to deliver immersive, live on-campus experiences at Bowie State University on August 27 and Clark Atlanta University on September 2.

Today's younger audiences are experiencing "algorithm fatigue" and actively seeking genuine, physical spaces rooted in community and shared joy. Urban One is answering this call by honoring the HBCU yard as the epicenter for gathering. Designed as a vibrant village of culture, entertainment, wellness, and career empowerment, each stop will feature celebrity hosts, top Black influencers and digital creators, live DJs, notable alumni, and special guests.

"For decades, Urban One has been an anchor in the HBCU community. With ONE Yard, we're creating a powerful, scalable gateway for brands looking to engage meaningfully with Gen Z. By combining live on-the-ground activations with digital storytelling, we are providing our partners with an unmatched opportunity to drive culture and connect with this generation on an entirely new level," said Jeff Meza, Urban One's EVP, Head of Branded Entertainment & Integrated Marketing.

ONE Yard's signature on-the-ground activations include:

• Aura Arcade: Hosted by PlayVS, this arcade-style gaming hub allows students to compete, connect, and put their joystick skills on full display.
• 3rd Space by Live Wire: A reimagined main stage with curated programming, performances, and a special HBCU edition taping of Live Wire for HipHopWired.com.
• Wellness Zone: A dedicated wellness, beauty, and grooming oasis featuring personalized skin insights, yoga, meditation, and an affirmation station.
• Cookout Corridor: A tailgate-themed food and beverage zone where guests can refuel and experience regional local cuisine and signature flavors.
• Your University Row: A one-stop resource hub with the professional guidance, career tools, and entrepreneurial support needed to navigate life beyond graduation.
• The Promenade: A photo moment where guests step inside a life-size Cassius magazine cover for a shareable, social-ready experience celebrating HBCU style.

"ONE Yard gives brands the opportunity to do more than show up on campus—it enables them to invest meaningfully in the culture, talent and future of HBCU communities. By combining Urban One's cultural intelligence and first-party data with our trusted media brands, creators and live experiences, we help partners connect with the culture makers shaping what's next, create new opportunities for commerce and deliver measurable business impact," shared Tiffany Nasralla, Urban One's Co-Chief Revenue Officer.

ONE Yard is part of Urban One's long-term investment in emerging HBCU voices. Built in close partnership with local HBCU leaders and student organizations, every activation is designed to boost student success and retention. Through hands-on portfolio building, industry mentorship, and clear career pathways, ONE Yard bridges the gap between campus life and professional success.

For more information about ONE Yard: The HBCU Experience and for students to register, please visit, www.oneyard.co.

National Black Beauty Week Returns August 16-22 With 'The Promise of Black Beauty'

Black beauty culturalist and media and technology executive Stephenetta (isis) Harmon founded National Black Beauty Week in 2022 to help change how the world sees, celebrates and experiences Black beauty. Held annually during the third full week of August, the initiative also encourages Black women to embrace their beauty while challenging perceptions through meaningful conversations and actionable game plans.

According to NielsenIQ, Black consumers drove U.S. spending on beauty by 9%, shelling out $16.2 billion in the past year. The number is even higher if you account for non-U.S. beauty and beauty-related purchases, from imported hair and hair tools to haircare, skincare, and more.

"Black buying power and influence remain at opposite ends of the spectrum from how we experience beauty and are valued in the beauty industry, whether as consumers, professionals or brand owners," said Harmon.

"Black consumers -- women, in particular -- drive markets and trends as loyal consumers who are willing to spend top dollar to feed their beauty fixes. Yet, we remain underserved and underrepresented, with persistent gaps in access to marketing, funding, resources, product choices, and services. National Black Beauty week provides a dedicated moment to examine that contradiction while celebrating the people reshaping what beauty looks like."

This year's theme, "The Promise of Black Beauty," comes at a moment when many of the beauty industry's promises around Black representation, investment and opportunity are being put to the test.

In the years following 2020, beauty companies pledged major dollars to Black founders, retailers committed shelf space to Black-owned brands, and grant and accelerator programs expanded. Campaigns became more representative, and companies promised greater opportunities for Black creatives and professionals.

"For a moment, it felt as though the industry had finally recognized what we had been saying for decades: Black beauty is not niche," said Harmon.

The moment was short-lived. Companies across industries have scaled back diversity initiatives and reconsidered commitments. Crunchbase data shows funding for Black beauty founders fell nearly 80%, from $73 million in 2022 to $16 million in 2024. Sadiaa's ongoing tracking of grant and accelerator opportunities for Black beauty entrepreneurs has also seen available opportunities shrink to less than half of previous levels.

But "The Promise of Black Beauty" is about more than whether the industry keeps its promises. It is also about the enduring promise of Black beauty -- its innovation, cultural influence, and economic power.

"The industry's attention may shift, but our influence doesn't disappear with a corporate initiative or a funding cycle," Harmon said. "Black communities have always created beauty movements, built businesses and shaped trends -- often long before the mainstream industry recognized their value. The question now is what happens to the promises that were made once the spotlight moves somewhere else."

Throughout the week, Sadiaa will publish interviews and conversations highlighting the broader ecosystem behind Black beauty, including founders, hairstylists, makeup artists, executives, educators, journalists, advocates, creatives and consumers whose contributions continue to shape beauty culture around the world. It will also create space for conversations about where Black beauty goes next.

"National Black Beauty Week is about recognizing Black beauty as culture, creativity, innovation and economic power. It's about challenging how Black beauty has historically been defined and valued, while celebrating the people who continue to redefine it," said Harmon. "Ultimately, we're working to change how the world sees, celebrates and experiences Black beauty. That starts with creating and taking up space."

Join the conversation at NationalBlackBeautyWeek.com.

Dr. Latorial D. Faison has been named Virginia Poet Laureate

Virginia State University's Dr. Latorial D. Faison has been named Virginia Poet Laureate!

As Virginia's Poet Laureate, Dr. Faison, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Languages & Literature, will promote poetry and literature, encourage appreciation for the literary arts, and celebrate the Commonwealth’s rich literary heritage through public engagement. The appointment is one of the highest literary honors in the state.

An accomplished poet, educator, and literary scholar, Dr. Faison has earned national recognition for her contributions to contemporary poetry and scholarship. In 2025, her acclaimed poetry collection, Nursery Rhymes in Black, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, bringing national attention to her powerful exploration of history, identity, culture, and the African American experience. Her appointment as Virginia Poet Laureate reflects her enduring contributions to Virginia's literary and cultural landscape.

Grand Opening of the African American Heritage Center

After years of dedicated planning and unwavering commitment, the African American Resources Cultural and Heritage Society, Inc. (AARCH) proudly announces the Grand Opening of AARCH's African American Heritage Center (125 East All Saints Street) in the heart of Frederick, MD. This landmark achievement is the result of tireless research, community collaboration, and a shared vision to honor and preserve the rich heritage of African Americans in Frederick and beyond.  

The dream of a Heritage Center that showcases, celebrates, and educates about our local African American history has blossomed into reality. Community leaders, residents, historians, and supporters have come together, contributing their time, expertise, and passion to bring this vision to fruition. Their collective efforts have created a vibrant space for learning, reflection, and inspiration.

The Heritage Center will serve as a hub for cultural events, educational programs, historical research, and artistic expression. Through curated exhibits and interactive programming, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the stories, struggles, and triumphs that have shaped Frederick's African American community.

"This is more than a building—the Heritage Center is a living legacy," said Dr. Olivia White, President of the AARCH Society. "We have created a place where our community's history is honored, our youth are inspired, and our future is shaped by understanding and unity."

The Grand Opening festivities will feature ribbon cutting ceremony, guided tours, live performances, and a special dedication ceremony. All are welcome to join in celebrating this historic milestone that will enrich Frederick for generations to come.

For more information on AARCH, upcoming events, or ways to get involved, please visit our website aarchsociety.org.

Cory Booker Reintroduces Supreme Court Term Limits Bill

U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) are pushing to establish term limits for Supreme Court justices, reintroducing the Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits , legislation that would effectively impose 18-year term limits and put Supreme Court appointments on a predictable, regular schedule–as the Court’s approval rating among Americans nears a historic low. Under the proposal, a new justice would join the Court every two years, hear the full range of cases for 18 years and then transition to a limited role handling only the small number of cases the Constitution requires.

“It is unacceptable that our highest court has the lowest standards of accountability—no one should hold immense, unchecked power for decades in the manner our Court currently operates. The Supreme Court is not the possession of any president or political party; it is a sacred institution meant to reflect our nation across generations, not a single political moment. This legislation strengthens trust in our highest Court, protects its impartiality, and ensures it can fulfill its constitutional purpose: delivering equal justice for every American,” said Senator Booker.

“The Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision supercharged an organized, dark-money funded scheme by right-wing special interests to capture and control the Court. The result is a distorted judicial process that sides with the wealthiest interests at the expense of ordinary Americans, and President Trump is only eager to keep up the scheme to consolidate his own power,” said Senator Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee. “Term limits and regular appointments would make the Court more representative of everyday Americans and help restore the Supreme Court to the proper independent body it was created to be. More than ever, it’s important we get this right.”

“As the Supreme Court faces a legitimacy crisis, fundamental reforms are needed to restore trust and credibility. Implementing term limits would make the Court more representative of America, and preserve an institution that is increasingly influenced by toxic politics and partisan obstruction. This legislation is critical to the Supreme Court’s survival as an independent branch of government, and its accountability to the American people,” said Senator Blumenthal.

“The Supreme Court has reached unprecedented and unacceptable levels of politicization,” said Senator Padilla.“Term limits are a commonsense solution to lower the temperature on the Judiciary and start restoring trust in the highest court in our land.”

Right-wing billionaires, the fossil fuel industry, and other special interest groups have spent hundreds of millions building a network of

of front groups to capture the Supreme Court and dictate who gets appointed and shape how those appointees rule, resulting in a Court that has repeatedly greenlighted donor-friendly policies in cases like Dobbs. V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Shelby County V. Holder, and Citizens United V. FEC–decisions reshaping American life in ways out of step with the public. The Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act seeks to depoliticize the appointment process and ensure the Court serves the American people, not billionaires, by using Congress’s constitutional authority over the Court’s appellate jurisdiction to: 1) limit appellate cases to the nine most recently appointed justices; while 2) allowing all justices to retain authority over original jurisdiction cases, as the Constitution requires; and 3) permitting justices to stepp in to hear appellate cases when a sitting justice has a conflict or is unavailable. The bill also establishes regular appointments by requiring the president to nominate one justice within the first 120 days of the first and third years of each presidential term, with the law taking effect only at the start of the first new presidential term after enactment.

The United States is one of only five nations that grants lifetime tenure to its highest court’s judges. Americans overwhelmingly want a Supreme Court that better reflects and answers to the public it serves, and recent polling finds that two out of every three Americans back term limits for the justices.

The Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act is endorsed by the Brennan Center for Justice, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Public Citizen, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Project on Government Oversight (POGO), Alliance for Justice, People for the American Way, Newtown Action Alliance, National Association of Consumer Advocates, Stand Up America, True North Research, End Citizens United, Voto Latino, National Council of Negro Women, Inc., and Reproductive Freedom for All.

“The Supreme Court needs term limits. It has vast power and minimal accountability. A single justice can now shape the law for generations. This is at odds with the democratic principle that no one should hold too much power for too long. At a time when trust in the Court is hovering at record lows, term limits should be at the top of the list of reforms. It would bring new perspectives and voices to the Court while strengthening the link between the Court and the American people. Congress should work to pass Supreme Court term limits into law,” said Michael Waldman, President and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice.

“We applaud the re-introduction of the term limits proposal spearheaded by Senate champions of a fair Supreme Court. We are all witnessing the disastrous consequences of the appointment of ideologues hand-picked to use judicial power to limit our freedoms. The regressive billionaires who have backed Leonard Leo’s court capture agenda are counting on ringers, like Clarence Thomas, who are biased in their favor spending thirty or forty years dismantling our rights. This proposal–which limits the gaming of retirement for partisan purposes and disincentives the selection of young operatives for the bench–is one of several worthy reform initiatives that must be considered in order to restore and expand the rights of We the People in our democracy,” said Lisa Graves, Executive Director of True North Research.

“Congress cannot remain passive while a corrupt Supreme Court continues to favor the powerful and harm the rest of us. The BATL Act recognizes that we can and we must structurally reform the Court,” said Marge Baker, Executive Vice President at the People for the American Way.

“Right-wing dark money groups orchestrated a capture of the Supreme Court over many decades. It’s how we got Citizens United and a corrupt government that only works for its donors while failing the American people,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “The fix is simple: judicial term limits and biennial appointments would make the Court fairer, more accountable, and less susceptible to dangerous partisan schemes. This is a first step toward restoring public trust in an institution meant to be a last line of defense for justice and protecting Americans’ rights. We’re grateful to Senators Booker, Whitehouse, Blumenthal, and Padilla for their commitment to making government work for all Americans.”

“Supreme Court justices hold too much power for too long. We applaud this common-sense solution to bring the Supreme Court in line with courts throughout the country and the world by ensuring regular turnover,” said David Janovsky, Acting Director of The Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight.

“It’s long past time for Congress enact serious reforms to ensure that the Supreme Court is made up of fair-minded, independent justices guided by the Constitution and the rule of law—not wealthy interests, political loyalty, or ideological agendas,” said Alison Gill, senior director of democracy and nominations at the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. “This commonsense Supreme Court term limits bill would help restore public confidence in the Court’s independence and integrity. At a time when public trust in the Court is at an all-time low, this legislation would take a meaningful step toward ensuring that the nation’s highest court remains accountable to the Constitution—not politics.”

“The Supreme Court’s decision to take up the challenge to Connecticut’s assault weapons ban—enacted after the Sandy Hook massacre to protect future generations from the same horror—underscores why Supreme Court reform can no longer wait,” said Po Murray, Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance. “When a handful of lifetime-appointed justices can put lifesaving laws and millions of lives at risk decades after they were enacted, our democracy is out of balance. Biennial appointments and eighteen-year terms would restore accountability, reduce the political warfare surrounding every vacancy, and help ensure the Court remains connected to the American people it serves. Survivors should not have to relive their trauma every time the Court reconsiders whether their states have the constitutional right to protect themselves from weapons of war.”

“Serious and repeated allegations of ethical misconduct at the Supreme Court have undermined public faith in the judiciary. This self-inflicted crisis raises serious concerns about whether the Supreme Court’s credibility can survive without meaningful reform,” said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “The Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act of 2026 is a strong response to this crisis. It uses the Court’s jurisdiction to create term limits for Supreme Court justices and permits those justices whose terms have ended to retain their seats in a senior status position. This legislation could help both end partisan manipulation of the Court’s composition and reduce ethics problems among justices. CREW commends Senators Booker,Whitehouse, Blumenthal, and Padilla for continuing to lead the charge on the need to address Supreme Court ethics and introducing this crucial piece of legislation.”

“No one should hold power for life. Lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court give nine individuals the power to shape federal law for decades, if not generations. Eighteen years is long enough. Every major democracy in the world except the United States, and 49 of 50 states, limit their top judges with term limits, elections, or mandatory retirement ages. That’s why three-fourths of Americans support term limits for Supreme Court justices. We applaud Senator Whitehouse’s leadership and urge his Democratic colleagues to rally behind this commonsense legislation,” said Brett Edkins, Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs at Stand Up America.

The Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

Full text of the bill is available here.