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Rocket Mortgage ‘Changing the Course’ for Black Detroit Residents During PGA TOUR Event

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In 2020, the Rocket Mortgage Classic announced the program, “Changing the Course”, to ensure every Detroit resident would have access to the internet, technology, and digital literacy training within a ten-minute walk of their home.

Published

4 years ago

August 1, 2022

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Even as Tony Finau, Taylor Pendrit, Cameron Champ, and others stormed atop the leaderboard, officials were again making sure that the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Mortgage Classic continued its four-year-old tradition of being more than just about golf.

As competition in the classic heated up, officials have continued to embrace the mission of giving back to Detroit and the city’s predominately Black neighborhoods.

In 2020, the Rocket Mortgage Classic announced the program, “Changing the Course”, to ensure every Detroit resident would have access to the internet, technology, and digital literacy training within a ten-minute walk of their home.

Officials promised that the event would become an awareness vehicle highlighting the urgent need for digital inclusion and direct proceeds toward Connect 313—a partnership between the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Rocket Community Fund, Microsoft, and United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the City of Detroit.

Connect 313 seeks investments to increase access to technology, the internet, and digital literacy resources.

“‘Changing the Course’ is really the way we’ve all come together through this PGA TOUR tournament to drive generational change in Detroit,” said Laura Grannemann, the vice president of the Rocket Community Fund and a board member of the Rocket Giving Fund.

“In everything we do, we try to layer that authentically,” Grannemann stated.

She continued:

“We wanted to drive systemic change, and we started in 2020 right after the pandemic began when the world was upended. We were sitting here deciding whether we should continue with the PGA TOUR tournament.

“The question came down as to whether we were going to be able to be impactful in the Detroit community and if we should produce the tournament with or without guests.”

During the height of the pandemic, Rocket Mortgage decided to produce the classic without guests, and Grannemann said challenges in the community came to light.

“We saw the true depth of the inequities through the course of the pandemic,” she asserted.

And that proved the impetus behind the launch of Changing the Course.

“The goal is to bridge the digital divide. To make sure that every resident is digitally connected,” Grannemann contended.

“Coming into the pandemic, we only had 40 percent digitally connected, and with Detroit being a largely Black city, it became clear that this is stark along racial lines,” she said.

“We are pushing an equity agenda on how we drive digital inclusion and that it looks like not just distributing digital devices, but building trust with community partners, and ensuring that residents have a community space they can go to and ask questions on how to use their devices.”

Grannemann emphasized that the Changing the Course mission is largely executed by the Connect 313 Fund.

She pointed out that the Fund has tirelessly worked to impact the outcome for Detroit residents, even ensuring that residents can access job training, education, telemedicine, and other necessities.

As of May, the efforts have allowed 67.5 percent of Detroit households to become digitally included after only 30 percent enjoyed that status three years ago.

“We started distributing devices to every Detroit Public School student – 51,000 students,” Grannemann stated.

“We expanded that to seniors, particularly those with challenges connected to health care providers, and so far, we’ve distributed 70,000 devices across the city, which has really moved the needle.”

Additionally, Rocket Mortgage increased the number of partners from 5 last year to 22, enabling officials to get the word out about the federal Affordability Connectivity Program.

“We’ve been proud to support the network to drive about 90,000 families to access that subsidy. So, it’s been a huge number of folks to access those resources,” Grannemann said.

She noted the “true and deep equity issues” faced primarily by Black residents in Detroit and across the country. However, Grannemann sees promise.

“There’s hope in that equity issue if you can be intentional about it and bring together a group of passionate leaders who understand that equity issue. Then, we can truly drive systemic change here,” she stated.

Grannemann concluded:

“We have an ‘ism’ that says, ‘you’ll see it when you believe it,’ which is the opposite of believing it when I see it. The more I do this work, the more I realize that it’s pretty incredible what you can do with a group of passionate people.

“The only way to make change happen is by believing you can do it, having the vision, and sticking with it. It’s not easy, and there are hurdles, big hurdles. It will take a lot of time, but we are committed to taking that time and moving this forward.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park

ATLANTA VOICE — A mural depicting late journalist Jovita Moore, painted on the exterior wall of a building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee in Grant Park, was painted over in April. Moore passed away in 2021 after decades of working in Atlanta television news. Bellwood Coffee owners stated in May they were unaware of Moore’s identity or significance to the community before painting over the mural.
The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

At the corner of Boulevard, SE. and Rosalia St., SE., directly across the street from an abandoned home and a Methodist Church, is Bellwood Coffee. One of hundreds of coffee shops in Atlanta, this place of business would not be worth a solitary discussion if not for the way its exterior walls are currently painted. There was once a mural depicting the late Jovita Moore, a beloved journalist who worked in Atlanta for decades. Moore, who passed away in 2021, mentored many of the people you see on television newscasts today. Though her legacy will never be forgotten, it was the mural of her image that was erased.

In April, members of the Grant Park community voiced their disgust at the mural, which graced a side wall of the building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee’s Grant Park location, before it was painted over. In its place are the words “Bellwood Coffee; Cocktails, Biscuits, Dry Goods, Air Conditioning. *Heat Too”. In May, the business owners responded to the community pushback on social media by acknowledging they did not know who Moore was before painting over her image. And later admitted that they did not attempt to find out what she meant to the community.

On May 21, the Bellwood Coffee Instagram account had a post about being “in close contact with Jovita’s family and are actively working on next steps in this process.” Two months later, the mural has not been replaced, repainted, or repositioned on the property. Nothing has been done. Black history is often erased, most recently by the current Presidential administration, but oftentimes on a smaller, quieter scale. The mural was originally painted by muralist Tommy Bronx, who had been in contact with the business owners about repainting it. As of July 6, Tommy Bronx had responded to a direct message via his Instagram account from The Atlanta Voice about any updates on his plans to repaint the mural.

“We’re currently working on it. You should see some movement in the weeks to come,” he wrote in a response.

On Monday, July 6, the business had several patrons inside and was running smoothly with three employees manning the counter. The Atlanta Voice dropped by Bellwood Coffee to get a look at the exterior wall where the mural once stood as a memorial to a journalist and mother who lost her life to brain cancer at the young age of 54. Moore’s image added some color to the block. The grey wall in its place does not.

A direct message was sent to the Bellwood Coffee Instagram account, and there hasn’t been a response as of 7 p.m. on Monday.

The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Voice.

The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator

ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — A New York man faces felony hate crime charges for allegedly posting a threat against New York State Senator Lea Webb. James A. Crosby, 49, of Binghamton, was arrested by New York State Police after investigators determined he posted a threatening comment on a social media news post about a Juneteenth celebration.
The post ‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

A New York man is facing felony hate crime charges after allegedly posting that he’d be “proud to hang” New York State Senator Lea Webb from a tree in response to a news story about a Juneteenth celebration.

James A. Crosby, 49, of Binghamton, was arrested June 23 by New York State Police after investigators determined he posted a threatening comment on a WBNG 12 News Facebook post. “I’d be proud to hang her from a tree,” Crosby wrote, according to WBNG.

Crosby was charged with making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, a class C felony, per the New York State Police. He is currently being held at Broome County Jail.

During the subsequent investigation, state police found Crosby was in illegal possession of firearms despite being prohibited from owning them due to a prior felony conviction. Investigators recovered a rifle, a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, and a firearm suppressor — all prohibited under New York state law, per the NYSP.

Crosby was charged with four additional counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, all class D felonies.

Webb, who represents New York’s 52nd Senate District, had been a featured speaker at a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony at Binghamton City Hall, where the celebration included prayers and the singing of the Black national anthem.

Police said Crosby’s comment was posted in response to a WBNG news story covering the event.

The day before his arrest, Crosby posted a Facebook apology claiming the comment “was not intended to be racial in any way” and was made in reference to what he described as a “criminal,” citing criticism of Webb over her use of nonprofit legal aid in a foreclosure case — a matter state watchdogs said created an appearance of a conflict of interest, per the Ithaca Voice. He was arrested the following day.

Webb issued a public statement June 25 condemning the threat.

“It was extremely disappointing and hurtful to see the now-deleted threat and attacks on my life in response to a story about Juneteenth, a national holiday that recognizes the ending of slavery in America,” she said. “Feedback and thoughts on policy are one thing, but to make a public call for lethal violence is absolutely unacceptable and dangerous. We must recognize our shared humanity and reject violence in all forms.”

She thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and law enforcement for their “swift response.”

Following Crosby’s comments, social media users called for a boycott of his contracting business, Crosby Home Improvements.

The Binghamton City Democratic Committee also called for an investigation into the incident before his arrest.

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The post ‘Proud to hang her from a tree’: Man arrested for threatening Black Senator appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Daily World.

The post ‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations

NEW YORK CARIB NEWS — Outgoing CARICOM Chairman Terrance Drew called on regional leaders to build a stronger and more effective Caribbean Community that benefits future generations. Speaking at the 51st Regular Meeting, Drew urged modernization of governance structures and improved implementation of Community decisions to make CARICOM safer and more prosperous.
The post CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

Speaking Sunday at the opening of the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Saint Lucia, Dr. Terrance Drew said the region must modernize its governance structures, improve the implementation of Community decisions, and ensure CARICOM becomes safer, more prosperous, and more relevant to the lives of its citizens.

The meeting, being held under the theme “CARICOM: From Resilience to Renewal in a Changing World,” coincides with the Community’s 53rd anniversary. During the ceremony, Dr. Drew formally handed over the rotating CARICOM chairmanship to Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre.

Reflecting on his six-month tenure as chairman, Drew praised fellow regional leaders for maintaining their commitment to democracy, good governance, unity, and the rule of law despite mounting global economic and geopolitical challenges.

“Throughout these challenges, CARICOM chose engagement over isolation. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to a fair and rules-based international trading system and ensured that the interests of small developing states continued to be heard.”
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He highlighted progress made in strengthening the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, including deeper trade cooperation, expanded labour mobility, and efforts to lay the foundation for long-term economic growth. Drew also noted the Community’s growing partnerships beyond the Caribbean, particularly with the African Union, while stressing that every international partnership should advance the interests of all parties involved.

The outgoing chairman also expressed appreciation to Dr. Carla Barnett and the CARICOM Secretariat for their professionalism and unwavering support during his tenure.

“Whenever I called, you answered. Whenever support was required, you and your team responded with diligence, competence, and excellence.”

Dr. Drew urged the Secretariat to continue preserving its impartiality while faithfully implementing decisions made by Heads of Government, saying that balance has helped strengthen the regional integration movement.

The conference continues in Saint Lucia with regional leaders expected to deliberate on key issues including regional security, climate resilience, trade, economic integration, food security, Haiti, reparations, and strengthening the CSME.

Based on reporting by New York Carib News.

The post CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations appeared first on BlackPressUSA.