“King Mo” is checking all the boxes on the combat sports circuit. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal was a decorated freestyle wrestler at Oklahoma State University. As a Cowboy, he would reach All-American status. In 2008, he came up short at the Olympic Trials and soon made his transition to mixed martial arts, where he would win his first seven fights, including capturing the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in just his seventh pro bout in 2010. In 2015, Lawal went on to capture the RIZIN Heavyweight Grand Prix in Japan by winning three fights in three days. During his time fighting…
Author: Tn Tribune
BALTIMORE — To help students avoid crippling college debt, former United Parcel Service executive and Morgan State University alumnus Calvin Tyler is increasing his $5 million commitment to his alma mater by $15 million to fund academic scholarships. The expanded Calvin and Tina Tyler Endowment Scholarship Fund, created in 2002 to offer scholarships for Baltimore students, will now be used to attract students from around the country to a university eager to distinguish itself as a premier research institution, the university recently announced. “A lot of young people in Baltimore and throughout the country are in need of help right now,”…
Shared suffering has birthed a powerful partnership. Drawing on their shared experiences of discrimination and marginalization, Black and Jewish leaders have formed an alliance to combat racism and anti-Semitism. They are using the power of celebrity as a microphone to call for change, as anti-Semitic attacks have skyrocketed over the past few years and the Black Lives Matter movement has renewed calls for racial justice. More than 170 men and women from the entertainment industry, ranging from film stars to music executives to athletes, signed a February unity statement released by the newly formed Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance (BJEA) in full…
Social media lend a voice to the voiceless — and being heard can be life-changing. Dallas rapper Tonio Hall got the attention of R&B legend Donell Jones when he posted his cover of Jones’ “Life Goes On” on social media. Impressed with Hall’s talents, Jones shared the cover with his Instagram followers, and the exposure has been a career boost. Understanding the importance of feeding his fan base, Tonio hopes to release one single per month until his much-anticipated EP drops later this year. Dallas rapper Tonio Hall got the attention of R&B legend Donell Jones when he posted his…
As an immigrant from Ethiopia, Washington, D.C., businessman Yimaj “Steve” Kalifa is living the American Dream, having built a personal wealth estimated at $100 million. Now at a time when COVID-19 has struck nearly 38,000 residents of the District and killed more than 900, Kalifa is paying back to the community that helped him build his fortune. At the urging of a friend with connections to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office, one of Kalifa’s companies, Capital Medical Supply Inc., donated 30,000 pieces of personal protection equipment to a Howard University virus testing center. The friend was Armstrong Williams, political commentator and…
The Chinese video app TikTok has exploded in popularity since the pandemic began. With hours of extra time on their hands, many users have turned to the app for diversion, recording 60-second dances to tracks by their favorite artists. Others have used it as a form of expression, whether to vent or to perform music of their own. New York’s Baby Storme at first found TikTok to be somewhat of an escape from real life. It was a place where she was unknown and so could be herself. What she didn’t anticipate was using the app to launch a career.…
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Christian Okoye punished defenses while playing running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. Teammate Irv Eatman appropriately labeled him “The Nigerian Nightmare” — a nickname that rang true for opposing defenses. Okoye was a big back who could run around you or through you; he led the NFL in rushing yards in 1989. He was hard to bring down, and seldom was he tackled by a single defender. Breaking arm tackles while scurrying into the end zone became his forte. The Nigerian-born Okoye didn’t pick up the sport until he was in college,…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It all started because she wanted to claim her seat at the table. Deryl McKissack had worked hard in the construction business for years but was always told to put her head down, work harder and not ask any questions. When her new boss wanted to demote her simply because she was a woman, McKissack said, “I quit.” With a thousand dollars and a business plan drafted using a book purchased at Barnes & Noble, she launched McKissack & McKissack. “I just think it was my passion that got me through, and my determination of, I’m just…
Despite rising demand for cultured meat and other cellular agriculture products, scaling up production and gaining public acceptance remain challenges, according to industry experts. Cellular agriculture refers to the bio-technology — such as tissue engineering and synthetic biology — to create products that would otherwise be produced using traditional agriculture methods. In the case of cultured meat, products are creating using in vitro cultivation of animal cells, rather than the meat of slaughtered animals. Globally, cultured meat products have quickly risen in popularity over the last several years. The global cultured meat market accounted for $72.6 million in 2018 and…
Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion “Prime Time” Sanders learned the value of movement after purchasing his first “iced out” Rolex in his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons. His multi-diamond timepiece wasn’t working properly — or so he thought, until the jeweler told him to move his arm. “The Rolex works off movement,” Sanders quipped during the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Spring Football Virtual Media Days in mid-January. “I go on movement. Whenever I’m idle, I lose energy. I’m a mover and shaker who makes things happen, and that’s how my life has always been. That’s what makes me…