Posts tagged with "inequality"

Changing the Game in Cannabis

Q&A With Tatev Oganyan of the Oganyan Agency: Changing the Game in Cannabis

The 360 Magazine had the honor of interviewing a woman who is changing the game in the cannabis space as well as luxury consumer goods as one of the top attorneys in California. She is a force to be reckoned with due to her many accolades and talents. Mrs. Oganyan speaks on gender equality, balancing her professional and personal life, her favorite hobbies including her successful “Happy High Hour” events in Orange County, the future of the cannabis industry, and which A-list celebrities are investing in cannabis companies. Read the informative interview below and keep up with Tatev on INSTAGRAM and her website TheOganyanAgency.com

As a powerful female attorney in the cannabis space, do you find being a woman has made it harder for your success? We read all the time about actresses not being paid the same as their male co-stars. Would you say the cannabis industry is similar or not at all?

I think being a woman has its challenges in most industries including acting and cannabis, especially as you move up the corporate ladder. I have seen my fair share of gender inequality, which could be detrimental to cannabis companies. Without a doubt, there are a lot more hurdles for women to overcome but we are stronger because of it in an industry that requires thick skin. You must know your worth and advocate for yourself, negotiate your pay and work hard to get what you want because it will not be handed to you.

How do you balance your professional life and your personal life? 360 read that you work with your husband, what are your tips on leaving work stress at the office?

My husband is of counsel at The Oganyan Agency for corporate and commercial real estate matters so it’s not uncommon to talk business while we brush our teeth.

We just got back from our honeymoon in Croatia, which we had to postpone for eight months due to work deadlines. We powered through and our clients were very grateful. Here are some tips that work for us

Get organized and coordinate scheduling for work and personal time on a regular basis.

Respect professional boundaries and personal space at home and in the office, which is important for privacy and comfort.

Find ways to instill passion in each project and have fun. Your clients will appreciate it.

Make time for nature to unplug and stay active.

Be present.

Our readers would love to know some of your favorite hobbies.

My creative outlet is drawing, painting, and curating unique experiences through experiential marketing. This week, we hosted a Happy High Hour, which was an exclusive taste testing event for industry insiders and influencers to meet Trendi, an indoor premium California flower brand that launched this summer.

Where do you see the Cannabis Industry within the next year?

Without federal legalization, sound regulation, and tax breaks, the market will continue to be volatile as the illicit market thrives. Large operators will continue to buyout challenged operators. Mergers and acquisitions will accelerate as larger companies expand their footprint to boost revenue. The stigma will reduce as education and research improves and more states legalize cannabis. A lot more Americans will be open to using cannabis regularly for medicinal and recreational purposes.

Do you believe cannabis will be legalized on a federal level? If so, when do you see that happening?

I believe cannabis will be legalized but no time soon, unfortunately. I am optimistic about the prospects of full federal legalization in the long run because I believe it has broad popular support from the American people.

Just look at how long progress takes at the federal level with the SAFE Banking Act which was first introduced in 2013. It would be a huge boom to the legitimacy of the cannabis industry if cannabis companies could bank like every other legitimate business.

It’s 2022 and despite the Act’s continued bipartisan support, we see it held up for one reason or another by both Democrats and Republicans. Overall, we believe the momentum is there for the bill to eventually pass, but it is not a priority for this legislative season.

Tell us who inspires you and did they help influence you to pursue your career in the cannabis space?

My cannabis backstory happened largely by chance. I applied for a job on Indeed fall of 2016 and the industry was not disclosed to me until the final interview. I requested time to consider the offer since I was unsure if cannabis was legal at the time. My husband (then boyfriend) helped me research California laws on cannabis and encouraged me to pursue a legal career in cannabis. He also believed in my entrepreneurial spirit since law school and motivated me to start my own business in 2020. Today, we tag team our largest projects together.

What are 3 tips or professional advice you have for our readers who are looking to open a dispensary and have never been in the cannabis industry before?

Only the cream of the crop makes it. Don’t expect to get rich overnight. The heavy tax burdens (up to 40%), ever-changing regulations, and competing illicit markets make it challenging to operate a profitable dispensary.

Know your market. Integrate yourself into the cannabis culture for long-term industry success.

The industry is not for the faint-hearted. Learn to eat bad news for breakfast because you must be relentless to survive when navigating unseen waters.

Since 360 is a lifestyle magazine and also focuses on celebrities, do you see a shift in celebrities being open publicly about using cannabis recreationally?

We are seeing more celebrities openly discuss cannabis or CBD consumption especially celebrities who want to get into the cannabis industry. Fans expect authentic ventures and collabs. Cannabis consumers are very quick to reject cash grabs.

In order to succeed, celebrities must connect with the culture and lifestyle by openly sharing their story and relationship with weed. Otherwise, their involvement will seem merely opportunistic.

Do you think celebrities will start investing in cannabis companies?

Cannabis is an emerging industry and a hot commodity with strong ties to Hollywood, hip-hop, and reggae cultures. In recent years, more celebrities are investing in cannabis-connected businesses. Many like Mike Tyson, Bella Thorne and Seth Rogen are already creating their own cannabis brands. Brands that exemplify celebrity personas capitalize on an existing fan base, which can help drive retail sales. It’s exciting to see how celebrity-backed products attract new cannabis-curious consumers and audiences.

Lastly, if you could give advice and inspiration to your younger self starting off in law school, what would you say?

I would tell my younger self to enjoy the ride as much as the destination. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun because the work will always be there. Trust your instincts and stop doubting yourself. Use your fear as fuel to learn. Being scared and uncomfortable is a sign of personal growth.

The Overlooked

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It has been found that several social media platforms possess algorithms which bury and/or shadowban certain groups within the content curation community. According to Insider.com, Black influencers make significantly less than whites, a gay wage gap exists and there’s a 30% discrepancy between fe/male influencers.

@NotLewy

NotLewy is a songwriter, solo recording artist, and a digital creator. He was diagnosed with arthrogryposis, and his music is inspired by his inner battle and life with a disability. He is very humorous, thoughtful and passionate about life and music. NotLewy’s most popular songs includes Hillary Clinton Freestyle, Summer Rain, and Burn With YOU.

Check out NotLewy’s in depth discussion with Vaughn Lowery on 360 MAG Podcast HERE.

@Leftyonhardmode

Nic is a software engineer and digital creator. He has been a prosthetics user for almost 30 years, as an amputee. After receiving a BS from Harvard University, he has worked in labs at MIT and NASA. Currently, he’s working on creating wearable robots that help people–namely, bionics and exoskeletons.

Check out Nic’s chat with Hannah Zhong on 360 MAG Podcast HERE.

@JerrisMadison

Jerris Madison is a world renowned fashion photographer as well as publisher/founder at OBVIOUS Magazine. The publication has a worldwide reach of over 4 million monthly audience members, largely within the framework of its social platforms such as Facebook. It’s a powerhouse within the design metaverse.

As a bone cancer survivor (Chondrosarcoma), Jerris continues to inhale and ends up amputating one of his legs. His story is truly inspiring.

Check out Jerris’ candid conversation with Hannah Zhong on 360 MAG Podcast HERE.

Tennessee Deathrow Inmate Pervis Payne Should be Freed

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Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., the president and the CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the organization co-founded and first led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said today that the legendary civil rights organization will launch a global movement for the freedom of Pervis Payne, a Tennessee man with intellectual disabilities who was sentenced to the death penalty for the 1987 murders of a 28-year-old Tennessee mother and her two-year-old daughter. With the announcement, the SCLC joins a growing number of organizations seeking Payne’s freedom. The campaign has led to a massive movement with nearly one million people signing a petition for Payne’s release.

“We feel that Mr. Pervis Payne has been caught in a system where a miscarriage of justice is taking place in terms of him being sentenced for over 33 years and all of that time, he has been on death row,” Dr. Steele said. “It is a miscarriage of justice in terms of his situation. We have researched it. We have talked to the experts. We have talked to the people involved who have worked with this case for many years. We know beyond a reasonable doubt, Mr. Payne is innocent and should be exonerated.”

For the first time in about a decade, Mr. Payne appeared on Friday in a Memphis court for a hearing on his case that could be decided in December. Dr. Steele was in Memphis on Thursday and Friday to support Mr. Payne. The focus of the SCLC’s effort, he said, is to raise global awareness and drive public pressure to free Payne, other innocent death row inmates and to force the U.S. to end the practice of the death penalty.

According to a 2020 report by the Death Penalty Information Center, there are 2,553 people on death row in the U.S, and, of that number, 1,076 (42.15 percent) are White, and 1,062 or 41.60 percent are black when Black people make up less than 14 percent of the U.S. population. Texas leads the nation with 572 inmates on death row. There are 13 in Tennessee. Zane Floyd of Nevada is due to be executed on July 26th.

“First of all, I do not believe in the death penalty,” Dr. Steele said. “Who are we as human beings to take a life when God gave a life? I believe people who have been involved in crimes and those who perpetually commit crimes, should be punished, but not at the hand of the death penalty. Give them life without parole. This gives an opportunity for those who really know the facts and have researched the facts to bring about the exoneration of people, preventing them from being executed. What if Mr. Payne had been executed prior to his 33 years on death row, then that would have been an innocent man killed just because of the discrimination from people who said he wanted to have a sexual encounter with a white woman after he looked at an issue of Playboy Magazine. Many people of color have been lynched because of the stigma surrounding… white woman.”

Dr. Steele said Americans and those of influence internationally cannot sit idly by and allow this miscarriage of justice to continue. Of the people on death row, five percent are innocent, and no innocent person should be executed.

“We have a right to protect and a right to educate in the court of public opinion that what took place over 200 years ago as far as lynching and unjustifiable executions of people of color is still happening today,” Dr. Steele said. “It is just another form of slavery and modern-day lynching. Memphis, the state of Tennessee and human beings around the world must be accountable. The Jim Crow mentality is why Mr. Pervis Payne is up for execution.”

Dr. Steele added, “If you believe in fairness, you need to get behind this movement on Pervis Payne. You need to march right now. You need to understand what Dr. King said when he said, ‘Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.’ You are just as bad as the prosecutor and people who want to execute him if you do not open your mouth and support this movement. Free Pervis Payne.”

About The SCLC

Established in 1957, the SCLC, whose first president was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is an international organization made up of chapters and affiliates with programs that affect the lives of all Americans: North, South, East, and West. Its sphere of influence and interests have become international in scope because the human rights movement transcends national boundaries.

TOOSII – WHAT IT COST

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Toosii Shares New Single And Video for “what it cost”

Track Is From Thank You For Believing, Set For May 7 Release

Combined Global Streams Of Toosii’s Songs Near One Billion

Pre-Save / Pre-Order Thank You For Believing HERE

View “what it cost” Video HERE

On his powerful new single, ”what it cost,” Toosii reflects on his roots and his current reality. The Syracuse-born, Raleigh-based artist, who is closing in on one billion combined global streams across all of his songs, details his journey from a lost kid surrounded by tragedy to a national sensation full of promise on the introspective, stripped-down track. Download/stream ”what it cost” HERE. The song is from his new mixtape, Thank You For Believing, set for May 7 release via South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records.

“My mom is a real hard worker. That’s where my hustle comes from. She taught me to never quit,” says Toosii.

While many rags-to-riches stories have been told, the official video for “what it cost” is a rags-versus-riches story, following Toosii as he transverses two starkly different worlds. Directed by Joan Pabon, who helmed the official videos for ”back together” and ”Reminiscing,” the clip shines a light on inequalities and economic disparities and the tangible and intangible costs of living in a poverty-stricken home versus a wealthy household. The video is bookended by real talk from Toosii about his life, touching on the loss of his grandfather, the times he’s nearly died himself and his drive to be there for the loved ones that are depending on him. “Everyday bro, I wake up, I gotta go hard bro. Can’t go back to being homeless,” says Toosii. View the video HERE.

Earlier this month, Toosii earned widespread praise for ”back together,” which also appears on Thank You For Believing. XXL named it one of the “best new songs” of the week. “Toosii skyrocketed into the mainstream in 2020. Now, he’s looking to continue this ascension with “back together,” observed Complex. ”Toosii [is] looking to own 2021,The harmonic love fest [‘back together’] taps into [Toosii’s] R&B sensibilities while still showcasing his penchant for nimble bars,” said HipHopDX. HotNewHipHop noted, ”[‘back together’] plays much more like a ballad than anything else and it works to perfection, it’s a nice piece of self-reflection that will make any fan want to tap in for more.” View the official video for ”back together” HERE. Fans who pre-save / pre-order Thank You For Believing HERE will instantly receive ”what it cost” and “back together.”

Propelled by his gift for drenching real lyrics in rich emotion, Toosii has proven himself to be one of rap’s most relatable rising stars. Naming him an artist to watch, Billboard said, “Toosii is coming for the crown.” On Thank You For Believing, he tells jarringly honest tales of street life and lost love, addressing the good times and the bad, the glow-up and the dark days that came before. Toosii’s career has been percolating in North Carolina for years, but he found immediate, staggering success in February 2020 on the strength of Platinum Heart. The album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart and launched Toosii into the top 10 of Rolling Stone’s Breakthrough 25 chart.

Toosii quickly followed up those achievements with Poetic Pain in September 2020, which debuted in the top 20 of the Billboard 200. He recently earned a Gold record for his top 10 Urban radio hit, “Love Cycle.” Toosii has earned a devoted audience, including 2.4 million Instagram followers. In 2020, Toosii collaborated with DaBaby, who’s tipped him as “the hottest new emerging artist.”

Win With Black Women

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Back in 2016, while campaigning for the office of President of the United States, Donald Trump asked black voters, “What do you have to lose?”

He asked in reference to generations of oppression, violence and inequality, saying, “You’re living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. 58% of your youth is unemployed.”

The obvious implication is that things couldn’t possibly get worse for black voters, and Trump thought he had a chance to be the solution to the problem.

Well, in Sept. 2020, it seems that President Trump has his answer, and it comes in the form of a letter penned by Win With Black Women and co-signed by over 1,000 black female leaders.

The letter opens with a direct response to the question posed by Trump.

“Our answer, evidenced by increasingly poor economic outcomes, high racial tensions and hate incidents, the coronavirus, and an overall lack of dignity and respect in the White House, is a lot. And for Black women in particular, it’s too much,” the letter said.

It went on to discuss “sycophantic rhetoric” at the RNC that would lead watchers to believe that black life in America is in a healthier place now than it was prior to Trump’s election. Furthermore, the letter said that rhetoric insisted that anyone challenging that notion was brainwashed.

To refute the points set forth at the RNC, the letter cited the State of Black America, saying black households bring in 41% less than white households, and 60% of the black population lives below the poverty line. The letter also said that black unemployment is double the percentage of white unemployment.

The letter covered the cause of the recent protests throughout the country, saying, “Our lives are in constant threat under your Administration. If you are Black in America, you are three times more likely to be shot by the police,” going on to name Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Jacob Blake as evidence that justice has gone unserved.

It also mentioned that black people are dying disproportionally from COVID-19 while black women, specifically, “lag behind in life expectancy, and maternal and infant mortality.”

Win With Black Women finished by saying that they will fight against attacks on Kamala Harris and proposed a call to action.

“We call on voters, no matter their background, to join us in setting the record straight and to reject your distracting antics, lies and attacks. We call on you and the GOP to focus on the crises afflicting the American people and not to insult every American with petty diversions, outright lies, and by sweeping problems under the rug. We call on voters to stand in solidarity with Black women and reject your derogatory sexist, racist rhetoric aimed at undermining our credibility, our character, and our achievements,” the letter said.

Before closing the letter, Win With Black Women said they “vow to continue to uplift the issues most important to our families and our communities, keep our eyes and ears open, and to work to restore what is true, just, and decent to this election and to this monumental time in history.”

Win With Black Women has published the letter on Change.org, asking signees of the petition to stand with them in unity. To sign the letter and to see a complete list of co-signing leaders, you can click right here.

Thomson Reuters Foundation x Omidyar Network

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The Thomson Reuters Foundation has joined forces with Omidyar Network to document the devastating effects of COVID-19 on millions of people around the globe.

Using photography and journalism, COVID-19: The Bigger Picture aims to tell the stories of those most affected and most vulnerable to the pandemic that has changed the lifestyles of each person on the planet.

Antonio Zappulla, the CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said, “This pandemic is a global crisis like no other, affecting every person on the planet. The world is grappling daily to understand its scale and severity against an onslaught of information and misinformation. It has never been more critical to lean on the power of journalism excellence to cut through the noise with accurate and impartial storytelling.”

The Thomson Reuters Foundation works to advance media freedom and promote human rights while Omidyar Network is committed to building inclusive and equitable societies. Though the impact has been widespread, the goal of the project is to show how social inequality that existed before the inception of the virus has only been magnified by the spread of the pandemic.

“This virus has devastated lives and livelihoods across the globe. By combining the storytelling capabilities of the Thomson Reuters Foundation with photos from people whose lives have been upended by the pandemic, we will not only see the impacts on everyday life but also the systemic inequalities that brought us to this dire moment,” said Mike Kubzansky, the CEO of Omidyar Network.

COVID-19: The Bigger Picture, consists of two parts. First, a photojournalism competition allows anyone to submit a photo capturing the devastation of the coronavirus. Entrants may submit one photo with the prize being a photojournalism class taught by Thomson Reuters Foundation’s trainers. Photos may be entered beginning August 12th.

The documentation also includes a series of photo essays focusing on the United States. Experienced and decorated journalists will uncover the stories of workers assisting the elderly in Florida, caretakers of children in North Carolina and more. The photoessays will be released over the next three months, and readers can sign up to be notified when each essay is published.

“By capturing individual experiences, The Bigger Picture will document a wider story. It is only then, that we can truly change the narrative,” Zappulla said.

Police Kill Mike Ramos

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By Eamonn Burke

New footage of the shooting of 42 year old Mike Ramos in Austin, Texas was released by the Austin Police Department last week. On April 24 of this year Ramos was shot after being cornered by police when a 911 was placed reporting two people (the other was his girlfriend) doing drugs in a car. Despite yelling that he was unarmed, which it was later proved he was, the police fired non-lethal bullets at Ramos. He then tried to flee the location in his car, but was shot and killed. His girlfriend survived the altercation.

Ramos became one of the names that was chanted in the streets of Austin during BLM protests over the death of George Floyd. There were demands for the termination of Austin Police Chief Brian Manley as well as calls for more systemic changes such as defunding the police in the city, which has a history of inequality and racism.

The new videos of the murder from four different body cameras do not show the shots that killed Ramos, but they can be heard. The video was reviewed by the District Attorney Margaret Moore, and the Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit alongside Texas Rangers are working to determine whether there will be charges against Officer Christopher Taylor, who fired the bullets that killed Ramos. The attorneys for Taylor say that the video is misleading and should not have been released to the public. “No judge has ever even ruled on whether or not evidence the government has released will even be admissible at trial” said attorney Doug McConnell.

Mike Ramos’ mother Brenda Ramos is devastated and believes that the killing was unjustified. “I’m going to be in pain for the rest of my life,” she says, and states that she is unable to watch the videos.

Ski Mask The Slump God – Burn The Hoods

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Florida’s Ski Mask The Slump God raps about racism, injustice, and inequality on his new single “Burn The Hoods.”

“Over production that feels ripped right from a horror movie score, he maniacally manipulates and massacres the beat with off-kilter rhyme patterns and incisive infectiousness,” reads a press release.

“Burn The Hoods” is the rapper’s first release of 2020 and precedes the release of his second full-length album, dropping in the near future.

Listen to the brand new single here.

FOLLOW SKI MASK THE SLUMP GOD: Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook

Nasty C & T.I. Collaboration

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SUPERSTAR RAPPERS NASTY C & T.I. PERFORM PROTEST ANTHEM “THEY DON’T” ON LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS

TONIGHT, JUNE 23 12:35E/11:35C

Today, global rappers, Nasty C and Tip “T.I.” Harris will join Late Night with Seth Meyers for a virtual performance of protest anthem, “They Don’t,” created by the rappers in the wake of global unrest over rampant police brutality and racial injustice. The powerful new track is Nasty C and T.I.’s very first collaboration. Tune in tonight to Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:35 ET/11:35 CT to watch the first performance for “They Don’t”.

STREAM “THEY DON’T” HERE

WATCH LYRIC VIDEO HERE

Upon its release, proceeds from “They Don’t,” have been donated to Until Freedom, an intersectional social justice organization focused on addressing systemic and racial injustice, as well as investing in those who are most directly impacted by cyclical poverty, inequality, and state violence and Solidarity Fund, which provides social support, including access to food and shelter, for those in South Africa whose lives have been systemically and disproportionately affected by
COVID-19.

Ruha Benjamin x Deepening Social Inequality

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From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce white supremacy and deepen social inequity.

Far from a sinister story of racist programmers scheming on the dark web, Benjamin argues that automation has the potential to hide, speed, and even deepen discrimination, while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to racism of a previous era. Presenting the concept of the “New Jim Code,” she shows how a range of discriminatory designs encodes inequity: by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies, by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions, or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Moreover, she makes a compelling case for race itself as a kind of tool – a technology designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice that is part of the architecture of everyday life.

This illuminating guide into the world of biased bots, altruistic algorithms, and their many entanglements provides conceptual tools to decode tech promises with sociologically informed skepticism. In doing so, it challenges us to question not only the technologies we are sold, but also the ones we manufacture ourselves.

The Author:

Ruha Benjamin is an Associate Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.