Latest news with #ApostolicChurch
Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Sen Mike Lee accuses Chicago mayor — who called Trump a 'monster' — of 'bragging about' violating the law
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called President Donald Trump a "monster," and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has accused the mayor of "bragging about" violating the law. Johnson accused the president of "animus towards women, people of color, [and] working people." "We have always known who he has been," he declared. "This is not a surprise. He's a monster, period. We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. The mayor's fiery comments come in the context of the Justice Department launching a probe into whether Chicago is engaging in race-based discrimination. "Our investigation is based on information suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race," a letter signed by Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon declares. The letter points to comments the mayor made while speaking to Dr. Byron T. Brazier, pastor of the Apostolic Church of God. During the exchange, Johnson pointed to various roles occupied by Black individuals and said, "when you ask, how do we ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business, having people in my administration that will look out for the interest of everyone, and everyone means you have to look out for the interests of Black folks … that's how we ensure long-term sustainable growth …" Dhillon's message to the mayor notes that "we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation." "Chicago's mayor is about to find out," Sen. Mike Lee declared in a post on X. "Racial discrimination is illegal." "There's no such thing as benevolently racist hiring policies," Lee said in another post. "Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is breaking the law And bragging about it Then calling Trump a monster because his administration won't tolerate that," Lee wrote, adding, "He's about to find out." The mayor's press office also did not respond to Fox News Digital's comment request by the time of publication.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
From Boardrooms To Brand Deals: How I Hid My True Self - And Why I'm Done Masking
I was recently dropped by a brand. Not because I missed a deadline, violated a contract, or underperformed. The PR agency delicately told me that while they vehemently disagreed, the brand no longer wanted to partner with me because my content included themes they considered NSFW (Not Safe For Work). What they meant, without saying it, was: Too Black. Too bold. Too Woman. Too much. That email stayed with me for days. It wasn't the first time I'd been asked to shrink, soften, or sanitize myself. Church taught me how to perform purity. School taught me how to button up and carefully fall in line. Corporate life taught me how to say just enough to seem valuable, but not enough to sound threatening. And content creation? I naively believed that after leaving the corporate world, after building something of my own, I was finally free to be fully me. Turns out, the expectation to perform, play by the rules, and appear palatable doesn't end just because the office does. A post shared via Instagram I was raised in the Apostolic Church and was taught from the crucial age of 11 that a woman's body should also be seen as her greatest shame. At this church, women were not allowed to wear jewelry (because, of course, Jezebel was known for her excessive jewelry and the jingle from her anklets could be heard before she was seen), perm or cut our hair, wear pants… the list goes on. The only rule for men, was that they could not grow their hair too long. One particular Sunday service comes to mind, as I wore one of my favourite dresses with wide, ivory straps over my shoulders. My mom immediately placed an itchy chiffon cardigan on top to cover my shoulders. When I started to object, one of the elder women of the church jumped in to yell in my mom's defence, 'you think you're going into the house of the Lord with your skin all out? Who do you think you are?' Understood. My 11-year-old shoulders were sinful and needed to be hidden from even God himself. To be respectable and safe for a church house, I need to dress in a manner that earns respect. The policing of Black women's bodies is of course an issue that dates back to colonialism, and the adultification of young Black girls is no different. Certified Emotional Intelligence and Neuro-Life Coach Karlyn Percil explains that she 'doesn't wear anything that doesn't make [her] feel good.' I take comfort in Percil's words today, knowing that she, as a successful business woman who partners with Fortune 500 companies, assures me that fashion can be a form of therapy, allowing Black folks to connect with their roots, research their histories and of course showcase their personalities. 'When I wear something from a Nigerian designer, I am connecting with something ancestral and having to deepen my knowledge in myself,' says Percil. That moment in church stuck. Over time, it shaped the way I moved through every space that followed: school, work, the internet. I got really good at reading a room and tucking parts of myself away. Call it survival, strategy, codeswitching, hiding, I just knew that to be accepted, to be respected, to be safe - I couldn't be all of me. When I attended university, at what's now known as Toronto Metropolitan University, I was one of five Black girls in the entire broadcasting program. We naturally gravitated towards each other based on this shared experience. Other students quickly became annoyed by this, assuming we were stuck-up or antisocial. In the student lounge, a boy yelled, 'Why are the Black girls even in this program?' To this day, I'm not completely sure what he was suggesting. Perhaps he couldn't fathom that Black girls could actually be shy and find safety in being ourselves among ourselves? Perhaps he couldn't see that every other race, culture, and identity group naturally gravitated toward their own affinity circles, but only our group enraged him? I'm not sure. But what was understood was that my need for social safety and comfort did not make me safe or accepted in an academic environment. Years later, I graduated and received one of my first jobs as a marketing manager in Dubai. I flew halfway across the world to support young founders in building their marketing agency. As the only woman in the office, they'd often call me into client meetings, 'joking' that they needed a skirt in the room. In that same office, we hired a coordinator, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl from Australia. She seemed to have an obsession with the N-word and just couldn't restrain herself from using it, daily. She'd use it in place of 'guys' or 'everyone'. No one in the office said or did anything about it. Whenever she blurted it out they would all look at me to see how I'd react. At my wits end about it, I reported it to the founder, who then asked me if I was 'going to be the bigger person or if they should fire her'. Understood. My need for psychological safety made my white counterparts uncomfortable. I wish I could tell you that my immediate response was 'yes, get rid of her and bring in an HR specialist to investigate this place'. I was in my early twenties, on another continent, and afraid of upsetting the peace. Instead, the founder gave her a scolding, and she pulled me aside after work to cry and ask why I would tell on her. I continued to climb the corporate ladder, moved back to Canada, and was consistently praised for how well I took criticism and for being the most mature person on the team. During one performance review, I was told that although I wouldn't receive the promotion I had worked so hard for, I should be congratulated for my 'professionalism' and maturity. My director even asked me to help hold our team accountable because 'Dom, you really are the most mature person on this team.' This coded compliment sounded a lot like taking on the responsibilities of the senior manager role I was working for, without the title. It sounded like working twice as hard to get half as far. While my white counterparts were able to have angry outbursts, even cry when they didn't get their way, my 'professionalism' earned me a pat on the shoulder while my colleagues were celebrated and promoted publicly. I had successfully embodied the respectability politics that my upbringing relentlessly imposed on me. Dilute. Mask. Shapeshift. Prioritize their safety in that moment to ensure your own security in the long term. A post shared via Instagram 'Embrace the process of unlearning all the blockers you put on yourself in the hopes of coming across as palatable to your white coworkers', advises Jermaine L. Murray. Jermaine L. Murray, also known as The JobFather is the founder of JupiterHR. Murray is well on the way to completing his mission of helping 500 Black people get jobs in tech. Every day he works with Black candidates getting into mostly white tech spaces. His advice is always to show up as yourself. 'Authenticity is one of the highest forms of self-respect, but as Black people, we are often penalized for being authentic. It would make sense to accept that showing up as yourself isn't going to happen overnight. So 'tek time'. Give yourself grace and slowly interject more of you in your day-to-day until you can fully embrace being who you are in all spaces,' says Murray. I left my corporate job last May, and now I am very intentional about how I show up. In every client meeting, branded partnership presentation - I refuse to code switch, dress or be in any room that doesn't feel authentic. I go back and forth deciding if I'm incredibly privileged to not only get paid, but paid well for this, and even more so to feel safe when holding these boundaries in my work life. But safety shouldn't be a privilege. As I continue to grow and shed the corporate cloak that I once used to hide my true self, I'm exploring new ways to express myself - ways that the little church girl wasn't permitted. I've signed multiple brand partnerships with Fortune 500 brands, and I refuse to conceal any part of who I am. I'm grown, married, a mother, and bursting with creativity - if I do say so myself - and I'm letting reflect that authenticity. If this feels NSFW for a brand, then that's unfortunate. But if working with you means I can't be truly myself, then that's NSFM (Not Safe For Me!)
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Chicago mayor investigated after suggesting he prefers to hire black staff
Chicago's mayor is under investigation after suggesting he prefers to hire black staff. The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday opened an investigation into mayor Brandon Johnson over remarks he made at church suggesting he selects officials in his administration based on their race. Speaking at a service at the Apostolic Church of God on the city's South Side on Sunday, Mr Johnson told worshippers that 'when you hire our people, we always look out for everybody else'. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has written to Mr Johnson saying she has 'authorised an investigation' into whether Chicago is 'engaged in a pattern or practice of racial discrimination'. Mr Johnson was addressing claims from critics that all he talked about 'is the hiring of black people', given that the deputy mayor, the chief operations officer, the budget director and others in his administration are all African-Americans. He said: 'When you ask how do we ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business, having people in my administration that will look out for the interests of everyone, and everyone means you have to look out for the interests of black folks, because that hasn't happened. That's how we ensure long-term sustainable growth.' The mayor also criticised the Trump administration's attempts to 'wipe us out of history'. 'Black folks will be here in this city and in cities across America, protecting this democracy, protecting humanity, because that's what black people have always done,' he said. Ms Dhillon wrote: 'If these kind of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions.' The investigation comes amid moves by the Trump administration to align the Justice Department with its efforts to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. Shortly after returning to the White House, Donald Trump signed an executive order to end what he called 'discriminatory and illegal' DEI programmes in government agencies in favour of merit-based appointments. He has also ordered investigations into companies that make use of DEI hiring practices. Mr Johnson has frequently clashed with Mr Trump, calling the president a 'threat' to black families and defying his efforts to deport undocumented migrants by pledging to uphold Chicago's status as a sanctuary city. In February, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Chicago accusing it of 'deliberately impeding' immigration officers' abilities to detain illegal migrants.
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Chicago Mayor's Hiring Practices Probed by Justice Department
The US Department of Justice said it will investigate whether Chicago is discriminating against municipal job candidates by race after Mayor Brandon Johnson highlighted the number of Black officials in his administration while addressing a church on the city's south side. Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general that oversees the department's civil rights division, posted a letter on social media Monday citing comments the mayor made Sunday at the Apostolic Church of God in the city's Woodlawn neighborhood.
