News Bites From Across South Carolina And The Nation

*Scott Hosts Inaugural School Choice Caucus Breakfast Feat. Former Secretary DeVos*

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — co-chair of the bicameral School Choice Caucus — hosted his inaugural School Choice Caucus Breakfast, featuring former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and caucus co-chair, Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.). Caucus members discussed ways to expand families’ access to education options that work best for their children.

“It’s unacceptable that, in America today, millions of kids still lack access to quality education simply because of their zip code,” said Sen. Scott. “Their futures — and the future of our nation — depend on us taking action. That’s why I founded the School Choice Caucus, to put the focus back on children and their unique education needs. I’m thankful for Secretary DeVos’ leadership on this issue and look forward to our continued efforts to advance education freedom for all kids.

*Norton Introduces Resolution For Mary Church Terrell Day*

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has introduced a resolution recognizing the achievements of the late civil rights and feminist leader Mary Church Terrell by supporting the designation of Sept. 23, 2022, as Mary Church Terrell Day.

Terrell, the daughter of Robert Reed Church, a wealthy Black businessman in Memphis, moved to the District in 1887 to become a teacher at a school that later became known as Dunbar Senior High School. Norton is a graduate of Dunbar.

Terrell became one of the first Black women to graduate from college and was the first Black woman appointed to the D.C. Board of Education. She co-founded the NAACP and the National Association of Colored Women.

“Mary Church Terrell is well-known for the battles she fought in the District of Columbia to demand a more equal America for Black women,” Norton said. “Her education empowered her to speak against the flaws of segregation and voter suppression. Our history books are littered with the accomplishment of men, but not enough of women, who like Mary Church Terrell, worked to change the world.”

The resolution can be found on Norton’s website.

*EPA Launches New National Office Dedicated to Advancing Environmental Justice and Civil Rights*

For the better part of a month, National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Benjamin F. Chavis traveled back and forth to North Carolina.

Chavis helped spearhead plans and events in observance of the 40th anniversary of the Warren County protests.

The 1982 protests occurred after officials dumped polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in predominately Black communities.

On Saturday, Chavis welcomed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, formally introducing him as he announced the establishment of a new national office charged with advancing environmental justice and civil rights.

The creation of the new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights delivers on President Biden’s commitment to “elevate these critical issues to the highest levels of the government and solidifies the agency’s commitment to delivering justice and equity for all,” EPA officials stated.

Chavis not only introduced Regan to a large crowd in Warrenton that included local and national media, but he also championed the administrator’s hiring.

“When I first coined the term environmental racism, our communities were being deliberately targeted for toxic waste and hazardous materials,” Chavis told the crowd. “I’m so happy that the administration had the good sense to put a brother over the EPA. This brother not only represents historically Black colleges and universities but the community — a community in Wayne County with a history like Warren County of standing up for justice.

“Thank God we have a freedom fighter at the EPA,” Chavis said. “Thank God Michael Regan is the administrator of the EPA at a time where we not only connect civil rights with environmental justice, but we will have solutions.”

Regan said the new office plans to dedicate more than 200 EPA staff members across 10 regions. The administrator asserted that their mission is to solve environmental challenges in underserved communities that’s been occurring for far too long.

*Rihanna To Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show*

Rihanna, who refused to perform during the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show because of her stand with Colin Kaepernick, has decided to headline the big event in February.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Apple music made the announcement on September 25, and Rihanna took to Instagram displaying an NFL football, signaling her appearance.

The highly anticipated performance takes place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12.

Rihanna also is expected to soon drop new music.

“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” Jay-Z said in a statement.

“A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”

For the Barbadian beauty and multi-talented songstress, music is far from all in her phenomenal portfolio.

In 2021, Rihanna achieved billionaire status.

In 2022, Forbes acknowledged that she’s the youngest self-made billionaire in America.

The 34-year-old, who recently gave birth to her first child, ranked 21st overall in the latest Forbes list of billionaires.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line counts among the most popular in the world, is the only billionaire under 40 on Forbes’ list.

Earlier this year, reports noted that Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie planned an initial public offering valued at about $3 billion.

The megastar owns 30 percent of Savage X Fenty and 50 percent of Fenty Beauty, reportedly generating $550 million in revenue in 2020.

The nine-time Grammy Award winner has stated that she intends to increase her philanthropic efforts around the globe.

“My money is not for me; it’s always the thought that I can help someone else,” she told the New York Times in 2021. “The world can really make you believe that the wrong things are priority, and it makes you really miss the core of life, what it means to be alive.”

In 2021, Forbes estimated Rihanna’s net worth at $1.7 billion, trailing only Oprah Winfrey as the world’s richest entertainer.

“A lot of women felt there were no lines out there that catered to their skin tone. It was light, medium, medium-dark, dark,” Shannon Coyne, co-founder of consumer products consultancy Bluestock Advisors, told Forbes about Rihanna’s successful beauty products.

“We all know that’s not reality. She was one of the first brands that came out and said, ‘I want to speak to all of those different people.’”

Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, the tantalizing starlet delivered hit after hit with songs like “Umbrella,” “Rude Boy,” and “Diamonds.”

With over 100 million social media followers, Rihanna’s fans have pleaded with their idol to deliver new music.

But with her Fenty and Savage X Fenty business white-hot, Rihanna appears to have settled in as an entrepreneur and business magnate.

Cutting deals with Puma in 2014, Dior in 2016, Fenty Beauty in 2017, Savage X Fenty in 2018, and Fenty Skin in 2020, Rihanna kept her business focused.

Forbes writer Madeline Berg described Rihanna’s rise this way:

“When Robyn Fenty, known to the world as Rihanna, launched Fenty Beauty in 2017, she sought to create a cosmetics company that made “women everywhere (feel) included.” A perhaps unintended consequence: The beauty line has helped her enter one of the world’s most exclusive ranks: Billionaire.”

Berge concluded by providing commentary from Coyne, the consultant.

“She is creating a brand outside of herself. It’s not just about Rihanna. Even if you don’t like her music, she’s created a real style in the fashion and beauty space.”