Login to view embedded media
Mike Mayden, a former major-league baseball scout and now the Founder of A League of Our Own (ALOOO), the only Black-owned independent baseball league in the United States, is inviting Black-owned businesses to take advantage of available sponsorship opportunities. In September 2024, the 501(c)3 non-profit organization will schedule 30 games in 30 days and is looking to develop a network of boosters, financial supporters, donors, sponsors, and/or underwriters to help sustain and cultivate the future growth of the league.

Smith comments, “We are appealing directly to Black entrepreneurs, community and church leaders, and the people of the black community at large to make themselves a committee of one and make a financial donation to help support the longevity of our league.”

He continues, “Since 1986, we have afforded inner-city baseball players, the opportunity to play baseball in: New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Minnesota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Florida, Canada, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Hawaii etc. Over 200 baseball players from his program have gone on to play college and/or professional baseball.”

ALOOO is a league dedicated to the generations of baseball players who were denied the opportunity to play because of factors other than their ability to play the game. Its objective is to promote diversity in baseball, provide family entertainment, and serve as an outlet for African American baseball players to continue playing. The non-profit is offering a fall league that starts the first week of September through the first week of October with non-stop baseball 30 games in 30 days.

The league is open to local, national, and international baseball players from all ethnic backgrounds, 18 years old and older, who may or have not completed their high school or college eligibility. Mayden comments, “We look to serve as a bridge and extension for participants who have aged out of their local inner-city baseball initiatives and would normally be out of options, but still need additional time to hone their skills. That is where we come in.”

ALOOO provides an outlet for players to continue to compete and develop their skills with a focus on playing at the college or professional level. In addition, it will offer an entrepreneurship training program that introduces participants to the process of becoming a self-employed entrepreneur (sports management, media production, umpiring, sports agent & grounds crew maintenance training, etc.).

The league will also be honoring the following distinguished African American baseball icons by naming teams in the league after them for their legacy, history, and accomplishments:

R Foster: Chicago Elite Giants, Stachel Paige: All-Stars, Sam Allen: Monarchs, and Dick Allen: Hitmen. Currently under review for future team naming are former Negro League, Chicago Cubs, and MLB icons Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Buck O’Neal. The league is also open to more suggestions.

View attachment VID-20240313-WA0000.mp4
Probably the clearest example of if someone tells you who they are, believe them.
Edit: the weak response to this threat has been noted.

This is pathetic. It's so embarrassing. He's gone to the sunken place. He's all in. He's trying to be vice President and will obviously say anything. He can't straddle whatever line is left. He's Stephen from Django. I honestly believe Trump could say the n bomb in his presence privately and he would still stay.

Login to view embedded media and

For all the true fans of my Melanated Thought Podcast... it's definitely coming back!!! Stay tuned....

He was so pissed.. Here’s the full interview and he did block it from the X platform. You have to watch on YouTube! I enjoyed it

I haven't seen the fight but this came across my feed. Thoughts?

Go Fani!! #FaniWillis Lock him up!

Login to view embedded media

Big ups to the Brotha .. the accolades are well deserved.

Login to view embedded media

Lyft and Uber say they will leave Minneapolis after city council forces them to pay drivers more​

Associated Press
Thu, March 14, 2024 at 6:33 PM





1 / 2

Ride Hailing Drivers Minneapolis​

Ride-hailing drivers celebrate in Minneapolis, Thursday, March 7, 2024, immediately after Minneapolis City Council members voted to pass a measure that would increase wages to drivers of ride-hailing companies, including Uber and Lyft, to an equivalent of more than $15 an hour.

Opponents say this may increase costs to customers and increase fears that Uber and Lyft will follow through on their threats to leave the area altogether. (AP Photo/Trisha Ahmed) ASSOCIATED PRESS MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lyft and Uber said they will cease operations in Minneapolis after the city's council voted Thursday to override a mayoral veto and require that ride-hailing services increase driver wages to the equivalent of the local minimum wage of $15.57 an hour.

Lyft called the ordinance “deeply flawed,” saying in a statement that it supports a minimum earning standard for drivers but not the one passed by the council.
“It should be done in an honest way that keeps the service affordable for riders,” Lyft said.
“This ordinance makes our operations unsustainable, and as a result, we are shutting down operations in Minneapolis when the law takes effect on May 1.”


Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but news outlets reported that it issued a similar statement saying it would also stop service that day. Both companies promised to push for statewide legislation that would counter the Minneapolis ordinance, and state House Republicans proposed a bill Thursday that would preempt local regulations of ride-hailing services.

The City Council first passed the measure last week in a 9-4 vote despite Mayor Jacob Frey’s promise to veto it. The measure requires ride-hailing companies to pay drivers at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute for the time spent transporting a rider — or $5 per ride, whichever is greater — excluding tips. In the event of a multi-city trip, that only applies to the portion that takes place within Minneapolis. Critics of the bill say costs will likely spike for everyone, including people with low incomes and people with disabilities who rely on ride-hailing services. Supporters say the services have relied on drivers who are often people of color and immigrants for cheap labor. “Drivers are human beings with families, and they deserve dignified minimum wages like all other workers,” Jamal Osman, a council member who co-authored the policy, said in a statement. “Today’s vote showed Uber, Lyft, and the Mayor that the Minneapolis City Council will not allow the East African community, or any community, to be exploited for cheap labor,” Osman added. “The Council chooses workers over corporate greed.” Democratic Gov Tim Walz, who vetoed a bill last year that would have boosted pay for Uber and Lyft drivers, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was concerned because so many depend on those services, including disabled people. He said he believed the companies would pull the plug, “and there’s nothing to fill that gap.” Walz added that he hopes the Legislature will seek a compromise that both includes fair pay for drivers and dissuades the companies from leaving. Seattle and New York City have passed similar policies in recent years that increase wages for ride-hailing drivers, and Uber and Lyft still operate in those cities.