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NBA Icon Isiah Thomas Has Quickly Become an Entrepreneurial Legend
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “The goal of winning a championship – how to do it together. So, when you’re managing people, it’s’ about giving them a vision and a goal and ensuring that we have the right game plan to get there. Basketball gave me a lot of those [tools]. Having perseverance, getting knocked down, failing, and regrouping,” said entrepreneur and NBA Legend Isiah Thomas.
The post NBA Icon Isiah Thomas Has Quickly Become an Entrepreneurial Legend first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Isiah Thomas played basketball with the tenacity not often seen in today’s game.
Whenever a team outscored his Detroit Pistons, it only meant a negative mark in the loss column, but never total defeat for Thomas.
An NCAA champion at Indiana, and a two-time NBA champ with the Pistons, much like basketball, Thomas has followed up his on-court success with an almost peerless triumph in the business world.
Thomas said building with the right individuals, seeking sound advice, and closely monitoring the success of others have made him a giant in several industries.
“The first [being a business owner] teaches you in terms of basketball is teamwork. You have to work together collectively to make something happen in terms of vision and goal,” Thomas stated.
“The goal of winning a championship – how to do it together. So, when you’re managing people, it’s’ about giving them a vision and a goal and ensuring that we have the right game plan to get there. Basketball gave me a lot of those [tools]. Having perseverance, getting knocked down, failing, and regrouping.”
Thomas hasn’t experienced getting knocked down in his business ventures, always displaying a deft touch and a championship pedigree in boardrooms.
The chair and CEO of ISIAH International LLC and Isiah Imports, Thomas has an extensive portfolio of investments.
His holdings include Isiah Real Estate, Cheurlin Champagnes, One World Products, GRE3N and RE3 Recycling, Sweetgreen, and Popcorn Indiana.
“I started my firm in 1990 to uplift the second-generation behind me out of poverty,” Thomas stated.
“We always talk about generational wealth. The best way to do that is to start and get involved in the business. I didn’t know that I was an ESG company – environmentally and socially conscious when I started. I was always interested in investing in things that impacted the community, impacted the family, and had a chance to make sure there was some legacy coming behind. My economics teacher told me to invest in things that I like. So, one of the first investments was popcorn because it was a staple in my home. After all, we didn’t have a lot of food, so my mom would pop a lot of popcorn.”
Thomas’ Indiana Popcorn, which comes in red packaging, marked him as one of the first to put colors on popcorn bags.
His foray into the industrial hemp business also counted as significant and rare.
“When you talk about industrial hemp and carbon reduction – industrial hemp takes more carbon out of the air than any other plant on the Earth,” Thomas asserted.
“What you see at Isiah and One World is how to replace plastics in automobiles. Looking at hemp and carbon reduction, it goes across every business, even the cosmetics space. It runs the gamut of its usage, and at One World, we have the largest supply of hemp on this side of the equator.”
Thomas’ Cheurlin Champagne is also one of the best. The bubbly is pressed from the first grapes. He’s the most prominent African American owner and importer of first pressed grape champagne globally.
“Anytime you buy champagne, you should ask if it’s from the first pressed. That’s important,” Thomas stated.
He also noted how his champagne allowed him to remain in the agricultural space.
“I didn’t realize I was entering the agricultural space when I entered champagne,” Thomas said. “I learned that the soil, the sun, and the farmers make the best grape.”
For the legend, it all comes back to the family.
His late mother, Mary Thomas, remains an inspiration.
“We were poor, but my mother was always positive and always gave of herself,” Thomas stated.
“I remember walking in the snow with my mom, and I had holes in my shoes, and I put cardboard in them. I looked at her, and she had glad bags over her feet. We were on welfare, but she used the money not to pay rent or buy food but to ensure we got an education.”
With his children and other family members having roles in Thomas’ businesses, the legend said his mission for them remains simple.
“We put them through school. They got student loans using the “Thomas Bank,” and we require them to come back, put in six months or a year, free labor. That’s how they pay off their student loans,” Thomas stated.
After that, there are no strings attached, he said.
“If they decide they like what they are doing in one of the companies or entities that we have, then this is a place where they can make a living, get a paycheck, pay their rent, and buy food,” he said.
“If they want to stay, great. If not, they’ve gained the experience and knowledge to go elsewhere. But, when you talk about trying to uplift your family out of generational poverty, that’s the vision of Isiah International. So the diversification of the spaces we’re in is because we have family members and me who have specialties in those spaces.”
Click here to view the full interview with Isiah Thomas.
The post NBA Icon Isiah Thomas Has Quickly Become an Entrepreneurial Legend first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Remembering George Floyd
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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association
For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.
As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.
Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.
We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.
Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.
The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.
We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.
Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association
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Hate and Chaos Rise in Trump’s America
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains.

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 1,371 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating across the United States in 2024. In its latest Year in Hate & Extremism report, the SPLC reveals how these groups are embedding themselves in politics and policymaking while targeting marginalized communities through intimidation, disinformation, and violence. “Extremists at all levels of government are using cruelty, chaos, and constant attacks on communities and our democracy to make us feel powerless,” said SPLC President Margaret Huang. The report outlines how hard-right groups aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout 2024. Figures on the far right falsely framed DEI as a threat to white Americans, with some branding it a form of “white genocide.” After the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a former Utah legislator blamed the incident on DEI, posting “DEI = DIE.”
Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains. Similar threats hit Jewish institutions and Planet Fitness locations after far-right social media accounts attacked them for trans-inclusive policies. Telegram, which SPLC describes as a hub for hate groups, helped extremists cross-recruit between neo-Nazi, QAnon, and white nationalist spaces. The platform’s lax moderation allowed groups like the Terrorgram Collective—designated terrorists by the U.S. State Department—to thrive. Militia movements were also reorganized, with 50 groups documented in 2024. Many, calling themselves “minutemen,” trained in paramilitary tactics while lobbying local governments for official recognition. These groups shared personnel and ideology with white nationalist organizations.
The manosphere continued to radicalize boys and young men. The Fresh & Fit podcast, now listed as a hate group, promoted misogyny while mocking and attacking Black women. Manosphere influencers used social media algorithms to drive youth toward male-supremacy content. Turning Point USA played a key role in pushing white nationalist rhetoric into mainstream politics. Its leader Charlie Kirk claimed native-born Americans are being replaced by immigrants, while the group advised on Project 2025 and organized Trump campaign events. “We know that these groups build their power by threatening violence, capturing political parties and government, and infesting the mainstream discourse with conspiracy theories,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “By exposing the players, tactics, and code words of the hard right, we hope to dismantle their mythology and inspire people to fight back.”
Click here for the full report or visit http://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/year-hate-extremism-2024.
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