News — Black Kid

Presented by Jessica Okonkwo - Filmed by @ThinkWeike

Joseph has spent 15 years in primary 1. Teachers say it is impossible for him to graduate because he always comes last. His teachers claim he forgets everything immediately he's taught.  Joseph states that when he is in class, he gets dream-like hallucinations which make him forget everything. His classmates from previous years have graduated, and others even become his teachers, yet he is still in the same class. Due to his dwarfism, you might not realize he's 21 years old. Joseph is still optimistic about graduating one day and becoming a president. The sad part is the bullies call him "Old Man" so much that he can literally remember it. He deserves more respect. What do you think?

Lily Adeleye is a six-year-old CEO making big waves in the business world. She is the CEO of Lily Frilly Company that is into children’s hair accessories, clothing, and more. Her children’s accessory brand is launching into over 1,000 Walmart stores and on their website this month.

The six-year-old hails from Orlando, Florida. Launching on Walmart is the second of her retail launch. She and her mom had launched at Target only last year.

Adeleye’s launch on Walmart will bring a new assortment of her brand’s hair bows, exclusively designed for the Walmart partnership, and will be available for purchase, according to a statement on PRNewswire. “These new and exclusive designs include the Gold & Glitter Hair Bow, Galaxy Girl Hair Bow, Safari Party Hair Bow, and the Candy Rush Hair Bow,” the statement further noted.

Adeleye and her mom, Courtney Adeleye, are excited about their new moves. Courtney is optimistic that what her daughter has created will inspire other young girls to follow their passion. “Lily Frilly started out as a brand my daughter Lily and myself created, as I have always believed it’s important to let your children follow their passions, whether that be art, sports or in this case, growing a business.”

She added, “Now, Lily Frilly has become so much more than just that – it’s become a brand children love, as well as a symbol of inspiration and confidence for young girls as well as for the black community. It’s amazing to see what kids can do, and we’re so glad Walmart is providing this platform to give Lily Frilly the room and attention it warrants.”

Walmart’s Omni Associate Merchant Hair Accessories, Jennifer Aguirre, in a statement said the retail giant was excited and honored to work with Adeleye.

“We are excited to bring Lily Frilly to Walmart and honored to work with Lily Adeleye, as she represents the youngest founder among our Black-Owned business initiative,” she said. “We have been enchanted by Lily’s ingenuity and designs. We are certain that the assortment will captivate our young customers and inspire them to express their beauty and confidence with their hair.”

According to Lilly Frilly’s website, Adeleye loves to learn about investments with her parents. She, however, never forgets to watch Saturday morning cartoons with her older brother and sister.

Tanitoluwa Adewumi, the young New Yorker of Nigerian descent who came into national and international prominence about two years ago after he was discovered as a homeless chess genius, is now reportedly a United States National Chess Master.

The prodigy is still only 10-years-old and a fifth-grader. Adewumi’s new status was reported by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, one of Adewumi’s earliest media hype men. He also reiterated that the former Nigerian refugee still has a roof over his head as well.

According to the website of the body that oversees chess competitions in the US, the United States Chess Federation, the national master title is given “to any player who reaches a rating of 2200. Less than one percent of rated players hold the title. An Original Life Master is a National Master who has played 300 games with a rating [of] over 2200” points accrued from games.

The average age of a US National Chess Master has actually decreased over the decades even though Adewumi is thought to be one of a kind. For those born after 1990, the average US National Chess Master is around 19 years old. Adewumi was born in 2010.

There are growing expectations among those in the chess-playing community that Adewumi could be a Grandmaster (player with 2500 points) before he turns 21. Such has been the meteoric rise of the young boy since 2019.

In late 2019, it was reported that Paramount Pictures have secured the rights to the project around the boy whose family relocated from Nigeria to the States as refugees. Daily Show host, Trevor Noah, is set to produce the biopic.

A film project is not the only thing Adewumi and his family will have about their life. A three-part book is set to be released by W Publishing in 2020 about the travails of the family that had to escape the violence of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The film will be sourced from the books. However, on his part, Noah has yet to comment on his role as a producer through his company, Day Zero Productions.

At age 10 while most boys were thinking of the latest video game, Curtis Lawrence III was taking his SATs. Now a teenager, Lawrence has his eyes set on attending an HBCU after receiving more than $1.6 million in college scholarships and being accepted into top universities in the country.

The 16-year-old graduated from DC’s School Without Walls, a magnet high school, and started taking early college classes through a special program at George Washington University when he was just 14 years old.

Lawrence has now been accepted into Ivy League schools including George Washington University, Hampton, Harvard, Howard, Morehouse, Morgan, North Carolina A&T, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago, and Yale.

However, the next phase of his educational journey will be at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University where he will take a double major in biology and computer science.

“First I started thinking about what schools had good biology programs,” the 16-year-old told FOX 5 DC. “Then I started looking specifically at HBCUs because I wanted the HBCU experience and to be surrounded by the people who are just like me and who are not only Black but academically talented.”

He learned to read by age two from his mother. Both parents are educators with two gifted sons. “My mom just always pushed education, pushed advanced academics and especially being at the elementary school in Harlem, I was surrounded by other people who were advanced, so it just felt like the norm for me,” Lawrence said.

The gifted boy’s mother, Malene Lawrence, said her son has “loved dinosaurs and paleontology literally since he was one. And some people think, ‘Oh, your kid is going to grow out of that.’ But you foster that love of whatever it is.”

“So we’d keep dinosaur books. Like, we kept tons of nonfiction books in the car, and he would be pronouncing the names of dinosaurs and I was like, ‘How does this kid know this?’”

Apart from taking the SATs at age 10, he also studied abroad in China, where he stayed with a Chinese family and improved his Mandarin, according to wtop.com.

His parents are supportive of his ambitions and knew from the onset he wanted to take it to the doctorate level. And that is what they are working towards as a family.

“This has been a really long process that kind of started in seventh grade as we were thinking about college prep,” said Malene Lawerence. “His goal is to get a Ph.D., so we kind of helped him plan backward.” 

Lawrence is ever grateful to his parents for instilling in him the “love for learning” and the chance to advance himself in academia.

“We’ve taught them from an early age that education is key to opening up the opportunities and having access to things that they want to live,” his father, Curtis Lawrence, told FOX 5 DC. “Since they were born, we’ve given them those experiences to make sure they know the importance of education.

Keilani Contreras fell in love with football after watching her brother play. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes during football matches, her father signed her up to play the game. Now, she has taken the game to a whole new level, becoming the first girl in her league to score a touchdown, according to Action News Jax. The Jacksonville, Florida native is the first-ever girl to score a touchdown for the Arlington Football Association.

“I was inspired by my brother ever since I was little,” said Contreras. “And one day my Dad said, ‘Do you want to play football?’ So, I said, ‘Sure!’ So, he signed me up, and ever since that, I loved it!”

In the ESYFL, a local spring youth football league, Contreras has now become the second girl in the league’s existence to score a touchdown.

The 11-year-old is proud of herself for scoring the touchdown for her team, which won the game 26-0 on Saturday.

“Yeah, that was like my first touchdown,” said Contreras. “… I felt amazing. Like, I felt really proud of myself.”

Contreras, who has had a traumatizing year, did not let it weigh her down. In March, she was at a Youth Football tournament when an armed man began shooting in Greenland Park. Luckily, there were no casualties. Two months prior to that, she lost her best friend, Deaurra Nealy, who died from MIS-C, a COVID-19 related condition. Nealy died at age 8 so Contreras chooses to don the number eight on her jersey to honor her dear friend.

]“I wear the number eight because my best friend, she was like my little sister, she passed away and she passed away at the age of eight,” said Contreras.

“And so, when I was wearing eight, I felt like I had to make her proud, and have to show my honor for her. So, I made that touchdown and I made sure I made that touchdown, and nothing else could stop me there.”

According to her parents, Contreras is an all-around student who has straight A’s in school, and aside from football, she is an amazing artist. She is also very much aware at her age of the inhibitions of many girls to go for what they truly want. Her advice is to not fear to be the determining factor no matter the circumstance.

“Girl power, I feel like that’s a lot because, girls sometimes they’re scared to go out for stuff and sometimes boys might be like, ‘Oh, you can’t do this because you’re a girl. You can’t do that because you’re this,’ or something like that. Well, look at me, I’m a football player!” said Contreras.

A dope educator in Memphis, Tennessee, with a great memory and enough love for his students, has memorized over 250 personalized handshakes which he uses to welcome each student to class. David Jamison is on a mission to motivate students at Hickory Ridge Elementary School even as they return to in-person class after the long COVID-19 break.

“I’ve always had a great memory growing up and even had a secret handshake with my best friend of 20+ years. I remember what’s important to me.

“My scholars are important to me. This small gesture goes a long way. It creates an atmosphere of love and vulnerability. Allowing students to be completely open with me; even sharing with me troubling encounters that they have at home,” said Jamison to NEWS.

Jamison went viral in 2019 for doing these handshakes with his students and everyone lauded him for his thoughtfulness and effort to make these students feel special. So, for four years, Jamison knows the names of each student and knows which handshake routine goes with who.

To him, it is a sign of respect for each student. After he suffered the virus himself last year, he now has an even greater calling to make the most of each time with his scholars. He believes that one does not need to touch someone physically to make an impact on them.

The welcome back routine for the fifth-grade language arts teacher and his students is now a socially distanced one.

“Around this time last year, the school year was canceled because of Covid,” Jamison, who refers to himself as “The Dope Educator,” wrote alongside a video of the socially distanced greetings on Instagram.

“I remember being asked in an interview last year, ‘would I still welcome my students with customized greetings once they return?’

“My response remains the same, you don’t have to physically touch a child to actually ‘touch’ a child. We don’t focus on what it looks like; we focus on what it can be!”

For Jamison, he wants the kids to see themselves past a test score. He uses these handshakes to show love and motivate them. “When I became an educator, I wanted to create something that they can look at and see that I’m not just about a test score,” he told. “When kids see that they have a personalize greeting they are so excited to come to class every day.”

What’s more, research shows that a young Black child who has had at least one Black male educator increases their chances of attending secondary education, Jamison, who is completing his fourth year in education, told NEWS.

A young 21-year-old Albany native is on a mission to creating the perfect “Man-Making Machine.” King Randall is elevating The “X” for Boys program into a school to give troubled teenage boys a chance at finding their purpose and excelling in life.

In 2019, Randall started The “X” for Boys program at the age of 19 in Albany, Georgia with 20 boys in his home during a summer camp. Through the self-funded program, he taught these boys essential life skills like repairing and maintaining cars, cooking, and how to handle firearms. “Doing different workshops teaching young men how to do different skill trades, we’re also doing a book club and teaching them how to read because 93 percent of the children I come into contact with can’t read,” explained Randall.

The success rate of his book club showed an 86% improvement rate in comprehension skills of the boys aged 1 to 17. Hence, Randall felt it was time to expand his facilities by opening a school that can handle large group intake and change lives.

He is set to transform the former Isabella School into the New Life Preparatory School for Boys, according to WALB News 10. In the school, Randal and his team will provide trade skills such as auto-repair and welding.

Troubled teens have reached out to Randall wanting to take the high road in life. The 21-year-old has helped delinquents stay out of trouble, especially those who need to “escape from undesirable living conditions” and adult life of criminality.

“Giving them space where they’re around a lot of other young men and around other men trying to mold you and train you. I’ve had kids come find me at my house and come knock and ask to join The “X” for Boys. I’ve had kids message me on Instagram, gang members, you name it,” said Randall.

The motto of the school is “Let Us make a man” because Randall believes that it takes a village to groom these young men into responsible men. So for The Life Preparatory School for Boys, he is raising funds from his community and beyond to give these young boys a chance at a better future. “This is what the City of Albany needs! Let’s do this for our boys!
We will Make Men Great Again!” he said on his Facebook page.

They are believed to be special and have unique and spiritual capabilities like the gift of healing, extreme intelligence and physical strength. Known as Dada from Yoruba culture in Nigeria, these children are born with naturally matted or locked hair.

The hair is similar to dreadlocks and is difficult to comb but the difference here is that Dada is more predestined and not by choice. Local people believe that their strength and overall good health are tied to their hair and it must therefore not be tempered with or groomed.

The Igbos of Nigeria call them “Elena” translated to mean “Child King”, a name given to them largely due to the nature of their hair which is likened to a crown and also because of the belief of toughness such children possess.

Dada children are known to be very fragile and must be taken good care of especially in their formative years. The Igbos observe many traditional rules when dealing with a Dada. For instance, it is believed that when the hair of a Dada child is combed or cut, the child would fall very sick and could even die.

Apart from the mother of a dada, no other person must touch the hair of these children. If any other person mistakenly touches the hair, he or she must give money to the child or tie a cowry to their locks to prevent them from falling ill. Traditional Nigerian families further believe that their Dada children are gods and offer them to the shrine.

The chief priest now decides their fate. Some do not touch their hair and serve in the shrine for the rest of their lives and even take over from the chief priest when he dies. Others have their hair shaved off.  Most of them have their hair shaved off before puberty or adulthood. Shaving a Dada's hair must, however, be accompanied with a special ritual which is usually performed by the chief priest presiding over the child. After the ritual is performed, the hair of the Dada is collected into a pot of water containing special herbs and kept by the parents of the child. The potion can be used as medicine in case the child falls ill. It is believed that a child who doesn’t go through this ritual would die within three days after the shaving.

In recent times, Christian parents would rather have a Catholic priest to do the shaving. It is believed, particularly, among Igbo communities that Dada children are the reincarnations of deities and other great men and women, hence such children often lived in isolation. The trend is now changing as with the advent of modernization, many of them are now being largely accepted into mainstream societies. Families are also increasingly locking the hair of their children and hence it is generally hard to even distinguish a natural born Dada and a made one.

Dante Brooks, the 18-year-old son of acclaimed Jamaican dancehall musician, Mavado, was on Friday sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the gruesome killing of a man he and his co-accusers were at odds with in 2018.

Brooks, who was 16 at the time of the incident, also received an additional 20-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm and a 15-year sentence for arson, local news outlet The Gleaner reported. All the sentences will run concurrently.

Brooks was implicated alongside four others for fatally shooting Lorenzo “Israel” Thomas at his Cassava Piece residence in the Parish of St. Andrew before setting the property ablaze. Thomas’ father, a witness to the incident, managed to flee. Prior to setting the house on fire, Brooks and his co-accusers allegedly tried to behead Thomas but stopped because the machete they were using was too blunt.

Prior to his involvement in the killing of Thomas, Brooks was already out on bail for one of two pending charges, Jamaica Observer reported. When handing out his sentence, Supreme Court Judge Justice Leighton Pusey said Brooks partaking in the murder knowing very well he had to answer for two pending offenses meant he had a “scant regard for the system of justice.”

“Being before the court is supposed to be a caution, and you would need to govern yourself accordingly…whether or not the matter for which he was before the court was an act of violence it would mean he would need to behave himself; it shows his character…it is showing a pattern which is ‘It’s not my fault, I didn’t do anything and I will continue to do as I please,’” Justice Pusey said.

Though the Justice admitted Brooks was a juvenile at the time of the murder, he justified the sentence on the grounds that that is what the law prescribes. He also based the sentence on key pieces of evidence including the crime being a “gun murder”, a “deliberate act, a home invasion for the express purpose of killing” as well as a “case where not just the body but the house itself was burnt.”

Justice Pusey also pointed to Brooks not taking responsibility after he was implicated for his involvement in the killing despite one of his co-accusers, Andre Hines, apologizing for the manner by which the deceased died though he pleaded not guilty, Jamaica Observer reported.

“I note when he was asked about the impact, Mr Hinds said he was sorry. Mr Brooks said he was not guilty and the impact on the community and relatives was not a fault of his,” the justice said.

“That, for me, was a theme throughout his social enquiry report,” he continued, adding that Brooks had the privilege of attending “a very outstanding preparatory school [and] went to one of the oldest high schools, and yet in all these circumstances this is where we find him [before a court of law].

“He is not taking responsibility,” Justice Pusey reiterated, mentioning that Brooks even told his co-accusers Thomas was dead after the killing and also went ahead to remind them that “somebody want the head”.

“Even though he was not the main actor, he was crucial, not a mere bystander; he was crucial to this.”

Brooks, who was found guilty of the crime in January, will only be eligible for parole after serving 22 years of his sentence.

Young environmental scientist Dorothy Jean Tillman garnered national attention when she received her master’s degree at 14-years-old.

Now, the Chicago teen is breaking into entrepreneurship by exposing more youth to opportunities in STEAM. She’s giving more Chicago youth a head start in life by showing them what’s possible. 

“I know, one thing that I would want every kid to know is that what I did is an option and that they can do it too,” said Tillman to Rolling Out. “It doesn’t take a genius or someone who has been learning forever. I’m not perfect. I’m not the smartest person in the world. It just takes dedication.”

From Environment Scientist to Entrepreneur

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) is a growing field and Tillman wants more youth to know how they can get involved.

The 14-year-old has always had a passion for STEM, obtaining high rankings in all those subjects in school. This inspired her to pursue a master’s degree at Unity College. Tillman made history as the youngest environmental and sustainable scientist in the U.S. Her desire to expand opportunities is stronger than ever since COVID-19 has eliminated many traditional activities for youth.

“I’ve been working on STEM labs for kids because I really want to go into the STEM-related field and work with kids,” Tillman told Rolling out prior to earning her master’s degree. “I feel like I’m here to make people happy and to help people find their purpose. I might go back to school, but my plan is to be an entrepreneur and [use] my engineering degree.”

The Launch of a STEAM Camp

Tillman expanded her STEAM vision through the launch of the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Camp. All teens who participate in the camp will receive a customizable at-home STEAM activity kit. It’s one of the components of Tillman’s business, the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Education Leadership Institute that was launched in 2020. The young entrepreneur founded the STEAM Labs in Chicago and West Capetown, South Africa.

“A teen is a teen no matter where they are from,” says Tillman in a statement. “We all love TIKTOK and many enjoy hip hop. The key is showing them where the STEAM is in everyday life.” 

Tillman’s brilliant idea provides safe education and enrichment opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The kit includes science-focused projects, creative arts, and coding to give students access to different skills and career options. It also builds in mindfulness activities to help teems maintain mental wellness.

“People learn at different paces. One of our kits can last up to 6 months, even longer depending on STEAM knowledge and skill set,” Tillman explains in a statement.  

Teens who receive a kit also become members of the STEAM camp, providing another opportunity to network with other young STEAM achievers.

Using Her Education to Make a Difference

Tillman has enjoyed many unique and trailblazing experiences during her 14 years of life.

She enrolled in college at the age of 10 and completed a Bachelor of Science in Humanities in 2018. She’s also received numerous awards and honors including the 2021 WVON 40 under 40 Game changers and a 2018 Black Girls Rock award.

But what matters most to this young teen today is using her education as an environmental scientist to make a difference. She led a Jeopardy-inspired virtual STEAM game show to commemorate Dr. King Holiday. She’s also hosted a virtual STEAM fair and business pitch competition to award scholarship dollars. Through the Dorothy Jeanius Camp, teens in Chicago will get a chance to work with youth and gain exposure to STEAM-related career opportunities. 

There’s no doubt that Tillman’s path as an environmental scientist and entrepreneur will inspire more youth to achieve excellence and give back.

Many young people across the country have dreams of becoming their own boss and creating their own business. One young Philadelphian has already started a business at the tender age of 11, running his own car detailing and cleaning service.

Jabre Dutton is the owner of Jabre’s Car Cleaning Service, servicing locals in his community. Dutton was able to start the business after earning $20 from cleaning a family friend’s car. With his mother Sabrina Dutton’s encouragement, he slowly began to build his business, creating flyers and handing them out to residents around the neighborhood to gain new clients. Now, Jabre says he has a steady business flow and enjoys hearing his customers rave reviews on his services.

“My favorite part about doing this job is getting my customers’ reactions out of it,” Dutton said in an interview with Germantown InfoHub. “When it’s done, when you look at it, they look so happy. I get really excited because they’re excited.” Dutton often shares their reactions and positive affirmations on his Instagram page.

Dutton’s mom says running a business has given him many valuable lessons, including how to be more financially responsible and the inner workings of running a successful operation. “So it’s kind of like slowly trying to get him into understanding money and responsibility,” she said. “So with every car, I tell them a percentage goes to savings, a percentage goes into his pockets, and another percentage goes to his supplies.”

Dutton went on to say he plans on use some of his savings to get an iPhone as he prepares for school. “I never had an iPhone and I’ve always wanted a phone.”

He continued: “But when my mom taught me about financial savings I was like, I should be really considerate about our money. So the money that I keep is going to be raised for that iPhone and the money in my savings before anything else.”