Dear Shadow Ball: I am 63 years old and Black. I have only heard snippets about the Negro Leagues during my lifetime. I now have an interest in educating myself about the leagues. How do you suggest that I start — I imagine reading your column is one place and I will read your column and engage, but I want to really dig in deep.
Secondly, are any of the players still alive? Ready to Dig in Deep – Ansonville, NC
Dear Ready to Dig in Deep: Thanks very much for that question and your imagination is in keeping with my expectations and intent for this column. I hope that questions like yours and future inquiries submitted by others allow me to “really dig in deep” and permit me to educate readers about the rich history of the Negro Leagues. I expect from time to time I may recommend books, articles or websites that further serve to provide that education about the other half of Major League baseball.
With regard to your second question, some background is necessary. On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared seven specific Negro Leagues and time spans as Major Leagues. I will limit my answer to those leagues. They are as follows:
Negro National League I 1920-1931
Eastern Colored League 1923-1928
American Negro League 1929
East-West League 1932
Negro Southern League 1932
Negro National League II 1933-1948
Negro American League 1937-1948
Sadly, at the time of that 2020 announcement, only three players survived. Since then, Willie Mays has passed on leaving only Reverend William Greason, 101, who pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948 and Ronald Teasley, 98, who played outfield for the 1948 New York Cubans still alive. So only two – Greason & Teasley remain from those Negro Leagues designated as a Major League. Just to be clear, the Negro American League continued on, no longer recognized as major, until 1961. A couple dozen or more of those players are still with us and continue to share rich stories with us.
The Shadowball Significa Question of the Week
“Who was the first 20th century player to break the color barrier and get into the major leagues, two bonus questions, what year, what team? A third bonus question, how long did he play in the majors?
Ted Knorr
Ted Knorr is a Negro Leagues history expert and longtime SABR member, known for his trivia wins and founding the Jerry Malloy Conference and Commemorative Nights. You can send questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033
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Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will invest $50 million over 10 years to help nearly 10,000 Atlanta HBCU students complete degrees through need-based “gap scholarships.”
The initiative, beginning in 2026, aims to close financial gaps that often prevent students from completing their degrees. The foundation estimates the funding will help nearly 10,000 students earn their diplomas over the next ten years.
Photo by Milton Kirby Morris Brown College
“These grants are a material investment in hope,” said Fay Twersky, president of the foundation. “Our goal is to help more students earn their degrees, launch successful careers, and become alumni who give back — creating a cycle of opportunity that benefits young people and communities across the nation.”
Closing the Financial Gap
Each of the four institutions will distribute the funds independently. Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, and Spelman are expected to receive about $16 million each, while Morris Brown, which currently enrolls about 350 students, will receive a smaller share.
Scholarship awards will range from $500 to $10,000, depending on financial need. The funds will primarily support juniors and seniors in good academic standing who have exhausted all other sources of aid, including federal Pell Grants, state programs, and loans.
A Legacy of Giving
Founded in 1995 by Arthur M. Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta FalconsandAtlanta United, the foundation has donated more than $1.5 billion to date. Blank, who has signed The Giving Pledge and holds a net worth of more than $11 billion, has long focused his philanthropy on education, health, and community development.
Past contributions to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) include$10 million for the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab at Spelman College; $6 million to improve athletic fields at Clark Atlanta, Albany State University, Miles College, and Savannah State University; $3 million to help Morris Brown digitize a hospitality credential; and $400,000 for Morehouse College’s golf program and new football helmets at both Clark Atlanta and Morehouse.
Broad Economic and Social Impact
According to the foundation, Atlanta’s HBCUs collectively contribute more than $1 billion annually to the region’s economy and outperform other institutions in helping students from lower-income families move into higher-income brackets.
“This monumental investment will empower our students to remain focused on their academic studies and ensure that their talent, ambition, hard work, and integrity — not financial hardship — will determine their futures,” said Dr. F. DuBois Bowman, president of Morehouse College.
Rooted in Values
Blank traces his philanthropic philosophy to his mother, Molly Blank, who taught him the Jewish principle of tikkun olam — repairing the world through kindness. “You only pass through life once, so make it count,” she often told him — words that continue to shape the foundation’s mission.
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, headquartered in Atlanta, supports initiatives across Georgia and Montana, as well as programs for veterans, mental health, democracy, youth development, and environmental sustainability. Its leadership reaffirmed in 2023 a commitment to accelerate philanthropy over the next decade to address urgent social challenges.
Through strategic giving and community engagement, the foundation continues to embody its founder’s guiding principle: repair the world, one opportunity at a time.
The reason for the indictment? James is accused of having falsified a mortgage application on a property purchased in Virginia. The extent of the harm she is alleged to have caused? About $18,000.
Whether the prosecution will ultimately be able to prove the case against James remains to be seen. What seems more likely is that James will be able to get the case dismissed, because it could be classified as an unconstitutional selective prosecution.
James is charged with having engaged in mortgage fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The case appears to rest on flimsy and conflicting evidence at best, has been brought on grounds that are rarely prosecuted and was filed over the objection of career lawyers within the Justice Department who did not think there was probable cause to bring the case.
What the government will have to prove in establishing the charges before a jury is that James knowingly lied when she claimed that she intended to use the home as a secondary residence at the time of the application. That is something the prosecution will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Other evidence that James appears to be able to present will likely contradict that case. It will be up to the jury to decide if the prosecution can meet that burden. But there is a good chance a jury will never hear this case.
Donald Trump has railed against and threatened to prosecute James once he retook power, after she brought a civil action against him for … mortgage fraud. James won that case in New York and secured a nearly $500 million judgment against Trump, several members of his family and some of his businesses. That damages award has been overturned on appeal, and what damages should be paid is an issue that is pending final resolution. The underlying verdict that Trump committed fraud still stands, however.
While James has professed her innocence, she has another potential response to this indictment: that the prosecution itself violates the constitutional prohibition against what is known as selective prosecution.
The concept of selective prosecution is one recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court. It occurs when a prosecution is brought for an improper purpose and an improper discriminatory effect. Courts generally recognize that prosecutors have wide discretion to prosecute cases as they see fit — but that discretion is not without limits. Still, establishing a claim of selective enforcement requires the defendant to meet a fairly high bar. From the publicly available information about her case and others, James would appear to be able to make out a good case that this action against her qualifies as a selective — and therefore unconstitutional — prosecution.
According to the Supreme Court, a selective prosecution claim is available to someone who says that the prosecution “had a discriminatory effect” and “was motivated by a discriminatory purpose.” For example, that the prosecution was brought based on the defendant’s race or gender, or as a form of punishment for asserting a protected constitutional right.
It is hard to escape the conclusion that James is being prosecuted simply because, in carrying out her functions as a state attorney general, she enforced the law against the person who is currently president.
A prosecution of a state official for doing their job in enforcing federal law would fly in the face of critical free speech and federalism principles — in violation of the 1st and 10th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Again, a claim of selective prosecution is hard to establish. Still, the evidence for James to try to make out this claim is in plain sight, but even that evidence may be but the tip of the iceberg. In September, the president took to Truth Social to implore Attorney General Pam Bondi to commence prosecutions against several of his enemies. (It seems quite possible that this message was not meant to be a public communication.)
Are there more communications like that that were not made public? What was the scope of the investigation into mortgage fraud by James and others? Why were these investigations even commenced? Was it simply a case of presenting a list of individuals to the Justice Department with the directive to find a crime, any crime? What steps has the administration taken to investigate the allegations that others in the administration engaged in similar conduct?
If James can present some initial evidence that the case against her constitutes an unconstitutional selective prosecution, she will then be able to explore some of these other factual questions.
From publicly reported information, the criminal case against James appears to rely on a somewhat flimsy evidentiary basis. At the same time, what we do know already from publicly available information, with some of it containing the public statements and missives of the president himself, the evidence that this was a selective prosecution may be overwhelming.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
MARTA closes Five Points’ Peachtree entrance October 13 as part of its $230 million transformation to enhance safety, connectivity, and community space in downtown Atlanta.
By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | October 12, 2025
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will take another major step in its ongoing Five Points Station transformation project this Monday, October 13, as crews close the Peachtree Street entrance and the federal employee tunnel to prepare for demolition of the concrete canopy.
Starting October 13, all passengers will need to use the Forsyth Street entrance, which will serve as the only access point to the city’s central transit hub during this phase of construction.
What Riders Need to Know
The following service changes remain in place:
Alabama Street and Broad Street Plaza entrances remain closed.
Restrooms are closed.
Customer service offices have temporarily relocated and will eventually reopen at Ashby Station.
All bus routes continue boarding on Forsyth Street.
Rail service and transfers remain unchanged.
Elevators will stay open for passenger access and transfers.
While elevators will continue to operate, riders should expect temporary escalator and stair closures in the coming weeks as MARTA crews install scaffolding and overhead protection. Signs will be posted throughout the station to direct customers during the transition.
A $230 Million Rebuild in Motion
MARTA officials describe the closure as a key step toward transforming Five Points into a modernized, vibrant city center with improved transit connectivity, enhanced safety, and expanded community spaces.
The first phase involves removal of the aging concrete canopy, followed by the construction of a new, open-air canopy designed to brighten and expand the station. Later stages will include a centralized bus hub, a new pedestrian connection to Broad Street, and community-oriented features such as public art and urban agriculture spaces.
The total project cost is estimated at $230 million, funded primarily through the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, with additional support from a $25 million Federal RAISE Grant, $13.8 million from the state of Georgia, and the MARTA core penny.
MARTA says the upgrades are aimed at strengthening the system’s role in downtown revitalization while improving daily experiences for thousands of riders.
For updates and construction details, visit itsmarta.com.
“It’s just the continuation of his hatred toward Black women and Black people,” former Obama White House aide Michael Blake tells theGrio.
President Donald Trump‘s vow to go after his political enemies came to a head on Thursday when his Justice Department announced the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
James, who was charged with mortgage fraud, maintains that she did not commit any crime and slammed the president for his “desperate weaponization of our justice system” and “grave violation of our constitutional order.”
While the targeting of James is being condemned as part of a growing trend of political retribution in which Trump is using his second term presidency to go after Democrats he deems his political enemies, others see another trend: the targeting of prominent Black women in politics.
“It’s just the continuation of his hatred toward Black women and Black people. From Tish James, to Lisa Cook, to Fani Willis, over and over again, this is Donald Trump,” said Michael Blake, a former Obama White House aide who serves as CEO of KAIROS Democracy Project. He told theGrio, “You can’t be surprised when a man calls for political revenge that he takes these kinds of actions.”
Blake slammed the “cowardice” of Republicans in not speaking out against Trump’s use of the Department of Justice to try to or threaten to jail his political enemies.
“You have a Republican Party that refuses to fund the government because they want to take your health care away. You have a president who cares not about helping you with groceries but cares about grudges,” he said.
“It is quite appropriate and fitting that in his latest act of cowardice, of going after Tish James, where he fired someone because they wouldn’t go after her, but the very next day, he lost on the Peace Prize he thought he was going to get. Justice was actually served.” Here is a list of the Black women that President Trump and his administration have gone after since taking office this year.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: NY Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at Manhattan Federal Courthouse on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Letitia James
On Oct. 9, the Trump Justice Department announced that it had indicted Letitia James, New York’s first female and African American attorney general.
James is accused of committing mortgage fraud over a Virginia property she owns. According to the New York Times, the Eastern District of Virginia alleges that James falsely claimed in loan documents that she would use a home she purchased in Norfolk as a secondary residence. Instead, the indictment alleges, she used it as a rental investment property and received loans with “favorable terms that would save her close to $19,000.”
James called the indictment “baseless” and has maintained she did nothing wrong.
Citing the president’s own statements, New York’s top prosecutor said the charges brought by the Trump administration are nothing more than “political retribution” for her successful prosecution of Trump for business fraud.
“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as a New York State Attorney General,” said James, who noted that Trump fired a U.S. attorney who refused to bring charges against her, only to replace the prosecutor with someone who is “blindly loyal not to the law but to the president.”
James said she stands “strongly” behind her office’s litigation against the Trump Organization.
“We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence, not politics. Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company and his two sons were liable for fraud,” she asserted.
On Oct. 9, the Trump Justice Department announced that it had indicted Letitia James, New York’s first female and African American attorney general.
James is accused of committing mortgage fraud over a Virginia property she owns. According to the New York Times, the Eastern District of Virginia alleges that James falsely claimed in loan documents that she would use a home she purchased in Norfolk as a secondary residence. Instead, the indictment alleges, she used it as a rental investment property and received loans with “favorable terms that would save her close to $19,000.”
James called the indictment “baseless” and has maintained she did nothing wrong.
Citing the president’s own statements, New York’s top prosecutor said the charges brought by the Trump administration are nothing more than “political retribution” for her successful prosecution of Trump for business fraud.
“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as a New York State Attorney General,” said James, who noted that Trump fired a U.S. attorney who refused to bring charges against her, only to replace the prosecutor with someone who is “blindly loyal not to the law but to the president.”
James said she stands “strongly” behind her office’s litigation against the Trump Organization.
“We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence, not politics. Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company and his two sons were liable for fraud,” she asserted.
While a grand jury indicted James, it is no indication that the U.S. government will come out victorious in the case against James. Prosecutors have incredible sway in grand juries, which are conducted in secrecy, and defense lawyers are not permitted to present their evidence.
James said, as a woman of faith, she knows that “faith and fear cannot share the same space,” adding, “I’m not fearful; I’m fearless.”
“As my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively,” she said.
FILE – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Fani Willis
In late September, the Trump Justice Department subpoenaed records related to the travel history of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who, in 2023, indicted Trump and 18 others for engaging in a “criminal enterprise” to illegally return Trump to office after his 2020 defeat.
Willis accused Trump, who peddled false claims that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from him due to voter fraud, of “attempts to interfere in the administration of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.”
The Georgia prosecutor accused Trump and his co-defendants of taking “various actions in Georgia and elsewhere to block the counting of the votes of the presidential electors who were certified as the winners of Georgia’s 2020 general election.”
Trump infamously called Georgia Secretary of State Raffensberger after the 2020 election to demand that he “find 11,780 votes,” which would have reversed his loss in the state.
Willis’s case against Trump hit a snag after defense attorneys asked a judge to remove Willis from the case because of a romantic relationship with the case’s special prosecutor, Nathan Wade. After much scrutiny into their personal lives, Wade resigned, and Willis was allowed to continue leading the case.
In December 2023, an appeals court disqualified Willis, citing that the trial court “erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office.” Willis appealed the decision and asked to be reinstated; however, Georgia’s Supreme Court denied her appeal.
Willis’s criminal prosecution of Trump was one of four criminal cases against him, two of which were led by special prosecutors appointed by the DOJ. The two federal cases related to Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election and the withholding of classified documents were dropped upon his re-election.
Though the case in Georgia was stalled due to Willis’s disqualification, Trump was found guilty in another criminal case brought by New York Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 21: Lisa DeNell Cook, nominee to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, testifies during a Senate Banking nominations hearing on June 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. If confirmed, Cook would be the first Black woman to sit on the Board of Governors in its 108-year history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The accusations against Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed board–first lodged by Bill Pulte, Trump’s director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency–launched a criminal investigation by the Justice Department.
Cook, who has not been charged with a crime, has maintained she did no wrong and successfully challenged Trump’s attempted termination in federal court.
The effort to unseat Cook gave Trump an opportunity to reshape the Federal Reserve’s seven-member board, which was designed to be an independent economic policy body that is free from politics. No president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the agency’s 112-year history.
A federal judge ruled that the removal of Cook was illegal and reinstated her to the position. An appeals court upheld that decision. The Trump administration appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort to remove Cook. The nation’s highest court allowed Cook to remain as board governor as it prepares to hear oral aguments in the case in January 2026.
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 06: U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) speaks on Elon Musk’s government interference at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on February 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
LaMonica McIver
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was indicted by the Trump administration on June 10 for an encounter she had with federal agents outside an ICE facility in Newark, where she was conducting a congressional oversight visit.
McIver, a 39-year-old freshman congresswoman, faces up to 17 years in prison for a May altercation outside of a Newark ICE detention facility, where she and two other members of Congress were joined by Mayor Ras Baraka.
The encounter with federal agents was chaotic, as McIver attempted to shield Baraka from being arrested for trespassing. Baraka’s charges were ultimately dropped, and the judge overseeing the case scolded the U.S. Attorney of New Jersey, Alina Habba, for bringing the “hasty” and “embarrassing” prosecution.
McIver was ultimately still charged in a historically rare criminal case for a sitting member of Congress.
“The facts are on my side…I have no doubt that I will be victorious,” McIver previously told theGrio shortly after leaving a New Jersey courthouse where she was arraigned in June for her three-count indictment, for which she is accused of “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers.”
“Me being the one person picked out to be charged, definitely speaks to me being a young Black woman, and basically speaking up and speaking out about what they were doing and how they treated us,” McIver told theGrio. The congresswoman dismissed her prosecution as an “intimidation tactic” to “humiliate” her.
In August, McIver’s defense attorneys moved to dismiss the case against her, accusing the Trump Justice Department of selective and vindictive prosecution. She also argued that she cannot be charged for official acts.
What’s more, McIver said that the DOJ is demonstrating “unconstitutional differential treatment” by pursuing charges against her after dropping cases against over 160 other Jan. 6 defendants who were accused of the same crime. Trump pardoned more than 1,500 accused Jan. 6 rioters on the first day in office during his second term.
“There is a simple difference between this prosecution of Congresswoman McIver and the 160 cases involving assault against federal officers on January 6 that the Justice Department has dismissed: it is all about politics and partisanship,” a dismissal motion reads.
By Milton Kirby | Birmingham, AL | October 12, 2025
The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) will convene its 2025 Annual Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, from October 31 to November 1, uniting farmers, policymakers, and civil rights advocates from across the country for two days of education, empowerment, and strategy.
This year’s theme focuses on building capacity and identifying resources for small-scale, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and landowners. The conference’s hands-on training sessions and educational workshops are designed to provide practical tools, proven techniques, and access to vital programs that strengthen the economic resilience of Black farmers and rural communities.
Prominent Voices in Attendance
Among the confirmed attendees are civil rights attorney Ben Crump, NBFA President John Wesley Boyd Jr., and Kara Brewer Boyd, the organization’s First Lady and national outreach coordinator.
John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer, civil rights activist, and founder of the NBFA, lives in Boydton, Virginia, with his wife Kara. He operates a 1,500-acre family farm cultivating soybeans, corn, wheat, and produce, while raising beef cattle, American Guinea Hogs, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and chickens.
A lifelong farmer and advocate, Boyd spent 14 years as a Perdue Farms breeder and many more as a tobacco farmer before forming the NBFA in the early 1990s. His leadership has brought him to the table with national and international agricultural leaders, working to eliminate discrimination in federal farm programs and expand opportunities for underserved farmers. Boyd’s story has been featured in the History Channel docuseries The American Farm, chronicling his fight to sustain his family’s land against the odds.
Conference Highlights
Hosted at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex, the 2025 event celebrates the 35th anniversary of the NBFA’s founding. Over two days, attendees will participate in sessions focused on climate resilience, federal lending access, rural broadband expansion, hemp and specialty crops, and youth engagement in agriculture.
Workshops will be paired with a Farm Expo, women’s leadership roundtables, and networking receptions designed to connect attendees directly with USDA officials, lenders, and private sponsors.
“The NBFA has been the voice of our community for 35 years,” said Boyd. “This conference is about more than policy—it’s about passing on the tools and land that sustain us.”
Opportunities and Deadlines
The Annual NBFA Conference offers marketing, exhibitor, and sponsorship opportunities for partners who share its mission to build an equitable agricultural future.
For sponsorship, exhibitor, or advertiser information, contact Kara Boyd at nbfa.kara@gmail.com. Reservation deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Uncle Nearest’s receiver plans to sell its Cognac, France château amid questions over asset value, investor stakes, and whether creditors aim to recover—or acquire—the brand itself.
By Milton Kirby | Shelbyville, TN | October 11, 2025
A French Estate on the Market
The court-appointed receiver overseeing Uncle Nearest, Inc. says the company’s French estate—known as Domaine Saint Martin—will be sold to satisfy debt, calling the Cognac property “non-income-producing” and estimating that it would require $15 million to $25 million in new investment to launch a viable product line.
Domaine Saint Martin Signature – Beverage Journal
In a 19-page quarterly report filed October 1, Receiver Phillip G. Young Jr. described the château, vineyards, and related intellectual property as “non-core assets” and confirmed he has already received one offer and two additional inquiries for the French holdings. The report also identified real estate in Martha’s Vineyard and Bedford County, Tennessee among other non-income-producing assets now under review for possible liquidation.
Young’s team has begun domesticating the U.S. receivership order in France, a legal step required before any sale or transfer of the Cognac property. Until a French court recognizes that order, control of the local bank accounts and property remains limited.
The Numbers Behind a Billion-Dollar Brand
Public filings confirm that Uncle Nearest raised more than $220 million from roughly 163 individual investors, with founder Fawn Weaver retaining about 40 percent ownership and 80 percent of voting rights.
Pre-receivership valuations placed the company between $900 million and $1.1 billion—figures drawn from investor briefings and industry profiles that underscore why the brand’s fate now carries implications well beyond a simple debt workout.
The receiver’s report portrays a company that remains operational and cooperative, with employees and management assisting in stabilization efforts. Payroll has been restored, distribution channels reopened, and new product releases are expected this quarter.
Still, the report makes clear that cash flow remains tight, and that lender Farm Credit Mid-America has advanced $2.5 million in emergency funding under a forbearance agreement.
Photo by Milton Kirby Uncle Nearest Trio
Receivership and Race: What the Data Show
Receivership is a court-ordered process in which a neutral third party assumes control of a company to preserve its value for creditors. It differs from bankruptcy in that operations often continue and the goal—at least in principle—is rehabilitation or an orderly sale, not liquidation.
While direct, specific statistics detailing the comparative success rates of minority-owned versus white-owned companies emerging from formal receivership are difficult to find in public reports from universities, banking regulators, or the SBA, there is extensive research highlighting disparities in business outcomes, access to capital, and failure rates that contribute to such financial distress.
General Business Outcome Disparities Research indicates that minority-owned businesses generally start smaller, have lower revenues and profits, and have lower survival rates compared to white-owned businesses—conditions that make financial distress or receivership more likely.
• Closure/Survival Rate: A 1992–1996 study found that the average probability of closure was 26.9% for Black-owned firms, compared to 22.6% for white-owned firms. • Revenue Disparity: Over half of Black-owned businesses have annual revenue below $100,000, compared to only 13% of white-owned firms. • Financial Distress: In 2019, 58% of Black-owned and 49% of Hispanic-owned firms were categorized as financially at risk or distressed, compared to 29% of all small businesses. • COVID-19 Impact: During the pandemic, Black-owned businesses closed at more than twice the rate of white-owned firms.
Disparities in Access to Capital
• Loan Approval Rates: Black-owned firms apply for new funding more often but are approved 19 percentage points less frequently than white-owned firms. • Full Financing Received: Among low-credit-risk applicants, 48% of white-owned, 25% of Latino-owned, and only 46% of Black-owned firms received none of the financing they sought. • Credit Risk Perception: Black-owned businesses are 3–5 times more likely to be labeled “high credit risk.” Only 33% of Black-owned businesses had low credit risk, compared to 72% of white-owned firms.
These statistics were compiled from publicly available research by the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and multiple peer-reviewed academic studies. They have been independently reviewed and summarized by The Truth Seekers Journal for inclusion in this publication.
General Outcomes in Receivership and Bankruptcy
Restructuring and receivership processes tend to lead to one of three outcomes: 1. Successful Emergence/Reorganization (Going Concern) 2. Sale as a Going Concern 3. Liquidation
While specific comparative data are limited, the broader research on capital access and survival rates strongly suggests that minority-owned companies face greater barriers to achieving the more favorable outcomes—successful reorganization or sale as a going concern—due to longstanding inequities in lending, collateral valuation, and investment access.
Assets Under Scrutiny
The Receiver’s First Quarterly Report states plainly that Uncle Nearest’s non-income-producing assets “should be liquidated.” That includes Domaine Saint Martin in France—acquired in 2023 as part of the company’s planned Cognac expansion—and property in Martha’s Vineyard reportedly purchased for $2.25 million through UN House MV LLC.
Industry observers note that the Cognac estate’s sale would unwind the company’s most ambitious international venture—an African-American-owned whiskey label expanding into the ancestral home of cognac production.
What the Receiver Did Not Investigate
In his 19-page report, the Receiver concluded that Uncle Nearest “lacks the ability to make that investment at this time,” referring to the $15–$25 million required to bring the Cognac operation to market.
However, the report does not analyze alternative scenarios—such as whether a strategic capital infusion, investor partnership, or lender-backed financing package could preserve the asset and enhance the company’s value over time.
The Receiver did not address whether a coordinated plan between Uncle Nearest’s ownership and its primary lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, could fund the launch of the Cognac line within a 36-month horizon, potentially transforming a dormant holding into a global revenue stream. Nor does the report estimate the annual cost of maintaining the French estate, or compare that expense against the projected value of an operating Cognac division. These omissions raise a key question: is the sale of the French property a necessary financial remedy—or a missed opportunity to strengthen a billion-dollar brand’s international expansion?
Who We’re Asking Next
As part of The Truth Seekers Journal’s continuing coverage of the Uncle Nearest receivership, we first reached out to Receiver Phillip G. Young Jr. at Thompson Burton PLLC for comment and clarification regarding several key findings in his October 1 report.
Our questions—emailed on October 10, 2025—included requests for information about asset valuations, operating benchmarks, professional fees, and any offers for the company as a whole. As of publication, no response or acknowledgment has been received.
In the coming days, we plan to reach out to additional individuals and organizations connected to the receivership and company operations, including Justin T. Campbell, Counsel for the Receiver, Thompson Burton PLLC; Newpoint Advisors Corporation, financial advisors to the Receiver; Thoroughbred Spirits Group, LLC, operational consultants; Farm Credit Mid-America, PCA, the senior secured lender; Fawn and Keith Weaver, company founders and principal stakeholders; and Tennessee Distilling Group (TDG), Uncle Nearest’s contract distiller and warehousing partner.
These inquiries will focus on valuation methodology, asset strategy, and possible restructuring options—particularly whether viable paths exist for the company to emerge stronger from receivership without selling the French Cognac estate.
If responses are received, The Truth Seekers Journal will publish a dedicated follow-up feature and reader update, continuing our commitment to factual, transparent coverage of this developing case.
More than 1,400 business and civic leaders will gather Thursday, October 16, 2025, to honor Tommy Holder—Chairman and former CEO of Holder Construction—at the Council for Quality Growth’s 36th Annual Four Pillar Tribute. The black-tie-optional gala begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a formal program in the Georgia Ballroom of the Georgia World Congress Center.
The tribute, presented by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, and Norfolk Southern, recognizes Holder’s lifetime of leadership and civic engagement that has shaped Atlanta’s skyline and business community.
Program Highlights
Governor Brian P. Kemp will share remarks via video, with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens delivering the evening’s welcome. The invocation will be offered by the Very Reverend Sam Candler of the Cathedral of St. Philip. Doug Hertz, Chairman and CEO of United Distributors and a 2020 Four Pillar honoree, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Tribute speakers will highlight the event’s guiding values—Quality, Responsibility, Vision, and Integrity—through reflections from:
Beth Lowry, President & CEO, Holder Construction
Donna Hyland, CEO, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Dr. Ángel Cabrera, President, Georgia Institute of Technology
The Very Reverend Sam Candler, Dean, Cathedral of St. Philip
Musical performances will feature a 60-piece Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Marching Band ensemble and Atlanta-native Slater Nalley, a 2025 American Idol finalist. Other featured speakers include Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and current Council Chairman, and Michael E. Paris, President and CEO of the Council for Quality Growth.
Continuing a 36-Year Tradition
The Four Pillar Tribute has become one of Atlanta’s most prestigious honors, celebrating leaders who embody the Council’s mission of balanced and responsible growth. Each year’s honoree is recognized for upholding the Four Pillars of Leadership—Quality, Responsibility, Vision, and Integrity—principles that mirror Holder’s career and community impact.
Founded in 1985, the tribute event provides a platform for the region to celebrate the individuals whose work advances economic development and quality of life across Georgia.
Press RSVP: Anna Frances Gardner | ag@councilforqualitygrowth.org | 770-813-3388
About the Council for Quality Growth
For four decades, the Council for Quality Growth has championed policies that support responsible development, infrastructure investment, and economic vitality throughout metro Atlanta and Georgia. Its members include leaders from construction, engineering, real estate, and public service who work together to promote balanced growth for future generations. Learn more at www.councilforqualitygrowth.org.
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Mayor Andre Dickens appoints Amanda Rhein as Chief Housing Officer and Chatiqua Ellison as Deputy, strengthening Atlanta’s affordable housing and homelessness response.
By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | October 9, 2025
Mayor Andre Dickens has announced a new housing leadership team that is committed to shaping the City’s next chapter in affordable housing, homelessness response, and community development, instilling hope for a better future.
At the top of that team is Amanda Rhein, appointed Chief Housing Officer, effective January 2026. Rhein currently serves as Executive Director of the Atlanta Land Trust, where she has built one of the nation’s most successful community land trust models. Under her leadership, the organization has placed more than 100 homes into trust and has 100 more under development.
Amanda Rhein – Courtesy City of Atlanta
Rhein brings over two decades of experience in equitable development, affordable housing, and community revitalization. She previously led transit-oriented development (TOD) at MARTA, where she redeveloped more than 35 acres of underused surface parking at eight rail stations. Before that, she spent nearly a decade at Invest Atlanta, managing more than 30 projects that generated $3.5 billion in investment for underserved neighborhoods.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Rhein earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Boston College and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Amanda is a nationally respected leader whose experience, innovation, and track record of execution will serve the city well,” said Mayor Dickens. “With her leadership, we will continue to set national standards for how cities can tackle housing affordability with innovation and compassion.”
Strengthening the City’s Homelessness Response
Joining Rhein is Chatiqua Ellison, appointed Deputy Chief Housing Officer and Senior Advisor to the Mayor on Homelessness. An Atlanta native, Ellison has led several of the City’s most transformative housing efforts — including the Forest Cove Relocation, which successfully moved 193 families into safe, stable homes.
Chatiqua Ellison – Courtesy City of Atlanta
She also oversees the Rapid Housing Initiative, which has already created more than 300 of a targeted 500 quick-delivery homes for unhoused residents, including The Melody, Atlanta’s first container home community.
Ellison earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Spelman College and a Master of Public Policy in Urban Planning and Policy from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
Her leadership extends to chairing the City’s Homelessness Taskforce, where she helped establish coordinated encampment closure policies, and to partnering with Invest Atlanta to launch the Grocery Initiative, which expands access to fresh food in underserved neighborhoods and supports projects like The Azalea Market.
A Comprehensive Housing Leadership Team
The new housing leadership team will report directly to Chief of Staff Courtney English, aligning the City’s affordable housing, homelessness, and revitalization goals.
Other key appointments include:
William Tucker, Director of the Housing Innovation Lab, leading creative housing affordability strategies.
Katie Molla, Director of Special Projects, overseeing food access programs and Tax Allocation District implementation.
Colin Delargy, Assistant Director, focusing on housing finance, planning, and policy.
Carolyn Kovar, Assistant Director of Housing Delivery, coordinating affordable housing projects on public land.
Matt Delicata, Senior Real Estate Advisor, specializing in large-scale real estate development.
Chanel Ziesel, continuing as Director of Housing Policy, leading anti-blight and downtown revitalization initiatives.
“This team represents the best housing leadership in the country,” said Dickens. “Together, we’re not just building housing — we’re building pathways to stability, dignity, and opportunity for all.”
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By Stacy M Brown | BlackpressUSA Newsiwre | October 9, 2025
Across America, families are being broken not by illness alone, but by the quiet cruelty of denial letters from insurance companies. Patients in crisis are told their care is not medically necessary. Others learn too late that their coverage has been canceled. The denials come swiftly, the appeals take months, and the system often feels rigged against the very people it was built to protect.
A ProPublica investigation revealed just how devastating those denials can be. In North Carolina, Teressa Sutton-Schulman and her husband, identified as “L” to protect his privacy, endured escalating mental health crises. After two suicide attempts in 11 days, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield repeatedly denied payment for psychiatric treatment. Hidden on page seven of a denial letter was a single line about a right to an external review. Desperate, Sutton-Schulman filed for that review. An independent physician overturned the insurer’s decision and forced the company to pay for more than $70,000 in care, ProPublica reported. “Appeal, appeal, appeal, appeal,” said Kaye Pestaina, a vice president at the nonprofit health policy group KFF, who has studied external appeals. “That’s all you have,” she told ProPublica.
The right to an external appeal was expanded by the Affordable Care Act in 2010, but the protections are uneven. Karen Pollitz, who helped draft the federal regulations under the Obama administration, told ProPublica that insurance lobbyists weakened the process. She said only a fraction of denials are eligible for external review and, in most cases, insurers still choose the reviewers who decide the fate of patients’ appeals. “There are all kinds of ways they could strengthen the laws and the regulations to hold health plans more accountable,” she said. Even when laws exist, few Americans know where to turn. That is why state-based consumer assistance programs, established under the Affordable Care Act, have become a vital safety net — though many states never created them, and others have defunded theirs. About 30 states still operate programs that guide patients through internal and external appeals, while the rest leave families largely alone.
“Every state needs one of these programs,” said Cheryl Fish-Parcham, director of private coverage at Families USA. “Health care is so complicated, and people really need experts to turn to,” she told ProPublica. Those experts are often housed in attorney general offices, state insurance departments, or nonprofit agencies. Maryland’s Health Education and Advocacy Unit, for example, has been a lifeline for residents struggling with denied care. “The numbers are low because some people just give up. They’re frustrated. They’re tired. They’re battling cancer,” said Kimberly Cammarata, the unit’s director. “And sometimes the information about why the claim was denied or about how to appeal is terribly unclear. A lot of these outcome letters will say you have a right to an external appeal, but they don’t exactly tell you where to go,” she told ProPublica.
In New York, the Community Service Society operates a similar program, where advocates draft detailed appeals on behalf of patients. “We can help people write their appeals,” said Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives at the Community Service Society. “We write appeals for them, sometimes going through thousands of pages of medical records and writing 15- to 20-page appeals,” she told ProPublica. Across the nation, CMS documents show an uneven patchwork of help. In California, consumers can call the Department of Insurance Ombudsman at 1-800-927-4357 for help with denied claims. In Georgia, the Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner fields appeals and complaints from residents at 1-800-656-2298. In Illinois, the Department of Insurance maintains a consumer hotline at 1-866-445-5364. New York’s Department of Financial Services handles cases through its consumer division, while Pennsylvania residents can reach the state Insurance Department at 1-877-881-6388. Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia all continue to run active programs through their respective attorney general or ombudsman offices.
Still, millions of Americans remain in states without fully funded consumer assistance programs. For those individuals, even knowing that an external appeal exists is a struggle. ProPublica found that the process is buried under jargon, hidden in small print, or placed deep within denial letters that few patients have the time or emotional strength to decode. Experts say one step can make a difference: persistence. “Appeal, appeal, appeal” has become a mantra not only for patients but for advocates who have watched insurers exploit confusion and fatigue to wear people down.
For urgent cases, the law allows expedited reviews that must be resolved within 72 hours. If the independent reviewer overturns the denial, the insurer is required by law to pay. When that happens, the victory is binding. But the system was never designed for easy victories. Most patients never reach that point. Many die waiting. And yet, despite the exhaustion and the heartbreak, people keep fighting. From North Carolina to California, from New York to Georgia, they continue to challenge billion-dollar corporations that have learned to profit from denial. What unites them is not just the pursuit of care, but a demand for fairness — a demand that too often goes unanswered. “Every state needs one of these programs,” Fish-Parcham said again. “Health care is so complicated, and people really need experts to turn to.”
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