Business
How Black Identity, In All Its Freshness and Different Beauty, Turned Blackness into A ‘Brand’ That America Wanted to Buy
NEW YORK N.Y. (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE), Sept. 1, 2020 — A new book written by Mark Robinson (ISBN: 978-1736621585) will be released on September 7, 2026. It is sure to change the way you view American culture, business and fashion. The book “Pitch Black” chronicles an important chapter of the Civil Rights Movement in America.
Cover image: “Pitch Black” by Mark Robinson.
The author asks: “What if, instead of the Mad Men admen who shaped modern American culture in the shadow of Jim Crow, it was the Black creatives that built their own advertising agencies under the Jim Crow system?”
This comprehensive coffee-table book contains advertising images and messages that chronicle an unrecorded episode in American history, fashion, and culture. It reveals how advertisements created by Blacks and for Blacks became the most powerful tools in the Civil Rights Movement, and changed the perception of Black America around the globe.
Today, African Americans are masters in culture, commerce, and art. There is no black culture today. Robinson says that there’s no pop culture without commerce.
It has not been an easy journey. The story of Black America’s advertising over the last fifty years tells us how we arrived at this point.
The book features the most iconic Black ads of the last 50 years. These images were hand-picked by an expert panel made up of top Black creatives in the advertising industry.
Mark Robinson spent 45 years working in the advertising industry at some of the most prominent agencies in the world. His work has been featured in Fortune Magazine, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise, and Advertising Age. Robinson was a member of American Advertising Federation’s Multicultural Marketing Leadership Council. He is also a lecturer on national tour for Advertising Educational Foundation and a mentor to the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Mark Robinson was selected by Spike Lee as a co-founder and manager of his Spike/DDB agency.
Mark’s first book “Black on Madison Avenue”, which won 9 Literary Excellence Awards, was part memoir, part history, and a frank account of the “america’s least diverse white collar profession.”
Before the official publication date of “Pitch Black”, September 7, 2026 has even passed, this book already won four awards in the United States for its literary merit: the Literary Titan Award (Booky Award), Readers Favorite Award (Readers Favorite) and Firebird Book Award. Now, the praise is pouring out from all corners of advertising.
Mark Robinson did it again. He has compiled a variety of ads in ‘Pitch Black,’ including some you will remember and others you may have overlooked. Along with the advertisements, Mark has written sharp analyses in his signature style. Mark’s analysis is not superficial. He digs deep to discover the histories behind the advertisements and the impact they have had on Black culture and society.
The book ‘Pitch Black,’ shows how getting the right message across can have a positive impact on the culture and economy. It also shows what happens when you get it wrong. John Osborn is the President of SeenThis and former CEO at BBDO & OMD. He said that it’s a great read, with insights and practical advice as current as ever.
What are some of the most effective and successful examples created by African Americans for African Americans?
No central library, archive or museum houses a large collection of the great work. ‘Pitch Black’ is the very first archive to contain this excellent work.
MORE Information:
Author website: https://markrobinson-writing.com/
Learn more about “Pitch Black”: https://markrobinson-writing.com/pitch-black-a-new-book-coming-in-2026
Watch the “Pitch Black” Trailer (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsXQMgrn4ng
Bookstores will be selling books starting September 7th, 2026.
IMAGE link for media: https://d1an6hb2j63rg7.cloudfront.net/Pitch_Black_v8_9194e6793a.jpg
Mark Robinson, “Pitch Black”: the best Black advertisements of the last 50 years.
Mark S. Robinson, Author: News Source
To view the original post, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/how-black-identity-in-all-its-freshness-and-different-beauty-turned-blackness-into-a-brand-that-america-wanted-to-buy/.
Send2Press(r), Newswire issued this press release on behalf of its news source. The news source is responsible for the accuracy. www.send2press.com.
Business
Stock Market Today: Dow Slumps 400 Points As Oil Surges; Shell Jumps Past Entry (Live Coverage)
Investor’s Business Daily contains information and education only. It is not intended to be an offer, a recommendation, a solicitation or rated securities. We have obtained the information from reliable sources, but cannot guarantee its accuracy, relevance, or timeliness. This includes information in closed captioning. The past performance of investments is not a guarantee or indication of the future. The authors/presenters of the articles may be owners of stocks that they are discussing. No representations are made or warranties given regarding the suitability of any investment strategy or any securities. The information is subject to changes without prior notice. Please see our Terms and Conditions for information about our service.
*Real time prices according to Nasdaq’s Last Sale. Not all markets provide real-time quotes and/or trading prices. Data on ownership provided by LSEG, and estimated data by FactSet.
Investor’s Business Daily, Leaderboard, MarketDiem, MarketSurge, IBD, IBD Digital, IBD Live, IBD Weekly, Investor’s Business Daily, and other trademarks are owned by Investor’s Business Daily, LLC.
Investor’s Business Daily, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Business
‘Gambling with our lives’: Anthropic researcher quits, warns against self-improving AI
An Anthropic research scientist has quit over concerns that the unrestrained creation of AI models capable of improving themselves will ultimately kill us all.
Jacob Coxon is a researcher, who in an evening social media post said that he had spent the past three years at OpenAI, and Anthropic working on research for pre-training. He accused both firms of not acting responsibly. The researcher said that the developers of this technology are “honestly convinced” it will kill everyone by 2020.
Coxon, in a post on X: “They’re racing to an ever-improving self-improvement superintelligence while gambling with our life,” wrote.
Coxon is part of a chorus within the AI industry that calls for a halt in AI development until it can learn to better itself. This would, according to many people, be a major milestone which would allow AI autonomy.
After several instances of AI agents escaping their sandboxes, and gaining access to the internet in general, policymakers and insiders are putting pressure on AI developers to reduce development.
Researchers say that the most severe breach so far was the OpenAI system’s intrusion into Hugging Face servers. This event is still poorly understood by researchers, in part due to the lack of independent investigation. Anthropic AI agents were also able to reach systems beyond their testing environments around the same time due to misconfigurations made by third parties during safety assessments.
Anthropic didn’t immediately respond to a comment request on the resignation.
Coxon continues his warning and calls to action in the following paragraphs:
Don’t underestimate this technology. Soon, these superhuman machines will be able to hack into anything and revolutionize any area overnight. They’ll also have real power and resources. The progress has been impressive in all of these areas, and it isn’t slowing down.
AI developers believe it will kill everyone by the year 2020. It’s not just a publicity stunt. In fact, I’ve heard senior executives and researchers feigning sanity in public while privately expressing fear. This level of risk is unique to human activities.
Many at OpenAI haven’t fully internalized that the stakes are civilizational. Anthropic is well aware of the risks, but it’s in a rush to be the first. They believe that no one will take responsibility, and so must act themselves.
It is hubristic to accept this race, and enter the “endgame”, from Slack of a private business. To speedrun an alignment, you must be utterly confident that no other options exist.
I’m optimistic about the possibility of coordination. The Hugging Face Attack and other warning shots have helped make pacing arrangements between U.S. laboratories more feasible. I do not feel that we are on the right track to stop a race around the world, and this may mean costly measures such as temporary restrictions on model capability.
You should consider how the future will feel if you’re a laboratory researcher. Would you like to start a superintelligent RL without a thorough understanding of the mind behind it? You should put your head on the pillow because it’s “happening anyway”. Or, take this opportunity to demand different conditions.
Evan Hubinger is Coxon’s colleague at Anthropic. He shared the same sentiment. His team “believes AI will kill us all!” Hubinger tempered this argument by saying that the probability of AI killing humans within the decade was greater than 10%. Anthropic admitted they don’t have a “plan to solve the alignment for superintelligence” and “are not on track.”
Guidelight AI Standards (an organization that encourages safe AI frontier development practices) published a report recently that found few top AI laboratories had developed containment plans to shut down AI which tries subverting human control.
Hubinger said in his posts on social media that current models pose a low risk, but “superintelligence” resulting from “recursive improvement,” is “happening quicker than we expected.”
The AI industry is divided on whether this self-improvement can lead to the human race’s demise or whether it can help solve the problems that AI advocates claim it could one day eradicate, such as cancer, climate changes, and world peace.
Anthropic, OpenAI and other companies are also actively working to achieve recursive improvement. In recent months a wave of startups have launched with fat checks and pedigreed founding teams to become the first ones to reach this goal. In February, Ricursive Intelligence attracted $335 million with a valuation of $4 billion; three months after that Recursive superintelligence attracted $650 million and a valuation of $4 billion; last month former Google DeepMind employee Jeff Dean founded Discovery Loop.
“The most likely point at which we will lose control is when an AI system can create a new AI that builds a next-generation AI. This AI can then build a stronger AI. It’s hard to shut down that system before it is too late.
Recently, legislation was introduced in the U.S. as well as the U.K. that bans the deployment and development of superintelligence. The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, last week. On Tuesday, British Labour MEP Alex Sobel presented the Artificial Superintelligence Security Bill to Parliament.
Leahy who advised both bills noted that U.K. legislation pointed to self-improvement recursive as an early precursor of superintelligence which “must be controlled and prevented.”
Leahy stated that “superintelligence is not an instrument.” It’s not even a weapon. “It’s an enemy.”
Business
Amazon plane’s black box reveals strange sequence of events just before cargo jet skidded off runway, killing 5
The flight data recorder from the Amazon Air Boeing 767-390 crashed plane paints an interesting picture and also raises some questions about the events that took place in the cockpit when the plane careened down the runway of Miami International Airport.
21 Air’s 230,000-pound cargo plane, which was operated by Amazon for the contractor, hurled off the runway, crashing into an SUV, a van of cleaning crew, an airport fence and concrete barriers, before stopping. The van was carrying five people who were all killed.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, announced Tuesday night that investigators will be interviewing the 21 Air assistant chief pilot and the two pilots who crashed the plane on Wednesday. NTSB will also share information about what the pilots were saying in the minutes leading up to crash according to cockpit audio recordings.
Homendy, a spokesperson for the FBI in Washington said that investigators had recovered both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders – commonly referred to as “the black box” – found at the tail end of the jet. They were able to successfully access the data in their Washington lab.
The black box captured more than 400 data streams. Data released by the NTSB on Tuesday evening shows an odd sequence of events that led up to the aircraft going off the runway.
Chihoon Shin said that 30 seconds before the end of the recording, when the plane reached speeds exceeding 180 mph two landing wheels, the nose and back wheels, touched down onto the runway.
Nine seconds after the landing, the third set of gear on the left-rear of the aircraft touched down. The back wheels of the aircraft are always the first to touch down.
The plane had reached nearly 140mph when the 15 seconds recording began. To compensate, the brakes of the wheels on each wheel were removed and the throttles were set to maximum take-off. The brakes and throttles are then re-applied four seconds after the recording ends.
This sequence of events is not entirely clear. It’s not clear why this sequence of events occurred.
Shin, who spoke on Tuesday, said that “we need to talk to the crew to learn how they are manipulating the controls to better understand the situation.” Interviews with the crew will fill in any blanks we may have in regards to actions they took but did not express. We need to understand this completely before we can analyze the events that occurred with throttles.
The NTSB stated that there was no evidence of speed brakes being used or thrust reversers deployed at the time. The two systems can help slow down a plane. Speed brakes use aerodynamic surfaces, and thrust reversers divert air away from the engine.
The cockpit voice recorder captured more than two hours worth of audio, but NTSB wants to speak with the pilots first before disclosing what they said. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has identified the two pilots involved as Joseph Carol, and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina.
The NTSB reported that Carol, a 55-year old captain, was certified as a Boeing 767 pilot since May. Silva Molina had over 2,500 flying hours and was certified to fly the Boeing 767 in April 2025.
Investigators from the NTSB collected evidence on Tuesday. They took measurements, inspected the cockpit and engines, and found debris in the parking lot where the aircraft stopped. The black box of one vehicle that was struck was recovered.
The NTSB visited 21 Air’s Miami operations center and spoke with the dispatcher of the flight who was responsible for pre-flight preparation and tracking the flight from San Juan, to Miami.
NTSB reports that the plane carried more than 32 pounds of cargo, mainly contact lenses.
The investigators visited both the terminal radar approach control and the air traffic tower, where planes are guided into the airport.
The investigators will enter the other areas of the plane on Wednesday to collect additional evidence. The NTSB reported that one runway at Miami International Airport is still closed. However, a second runway was opened for departures Tuesday night.
The investigators’ focus is on gathering perishable evidence at the accident scene. Homendy explained that the length of time gives them a chance to get it right.
Information that is received within hours or days after an accident may be incorrect. It takes time for us to verify that the information we provide is accurate,” she said Tuesday. We have a lot to do and we need to verify a great deal of information. It takes time to validate all the information.
Company says that the 5 victims are like family
Miami-Dade sheriff Rosie Cordero Stutz confirmed Tuesday that the five victims of this van accident all worked at Professional Ocean Service Corp.
According to the sheriff’s office, victims included Rolando Aleman Leon (55), Yoel Rodanjo (53) Julio C. Pineda (75) Carlos Acosta Fajardo (53), and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo (47)
Professional Ocean Service Corp. expressed its “heartbreak” at this tragedy, and said that their employees are like family.
The company expressed its deepest sympathies to all employees and their families whose lives were forever altered. We grieve for those who have lost loved ones and we pray that those injured will recover and heal.
The sheriff reported that three people who were injured in the accident remained hospitalized on Tuesday morning.
The sheriff’s department reported that Ridoel Diaz, 32 years old, was an occupant in the van and Eugenio Coronador, aged 79 in the vehicle next to it, both were critically injured. The sheriff’s department reported that Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres (36), who was in van, is in stable condition.
Homendy stated that the van and SUV were both struck by the plane on an airport service route, while the plane also hit the SUV outside of an airport fence.
This report was contributed by Andy Rose of CNN, Maria Aguilar Prieto from CNN, Julianna Brgg, Chris Boyette and Amanda Musa. Alexandra Skores also contributed.
Business
Meta stock surges with Wall Street bullish on new AI agent
What happened? Meta’s (META), stock rose more than 5% Wednesday.
Why the change? Shares in the company rose after it debuted Muse – an AI assistant. Wall Street analysts have high hopes for the chatbot.
In a note to clients, Mizuho Securities’ analysts stated that they believe Meta’s Muse AI consumer agent is the start of an important product cycle. This has not yet been priced into Meta’s shares. It has an outperform rating on the stock and set a price of $750 for it.
KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst have assigned the stock an Overweight ranking with a $780 price target. They wrote, “continued to believe that the market undervalues Meta’s AI product cycle and positioning.”
Meta, on Tuesday, said that you should also know the following: Muse is “designed around how people communicate already, so messaging it in the Muse application or in WhatsApp works the same as messaging someone else.”
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, praised in a video his tool’s privacy- and security-related capabilities.
Muse cannot read your credit card numbers or passwords because we have built a Secure Credential Store. Muse checks with you directly before sensitive actions such as making payments or sending out messages”, Zuckerberg stated.
He added, “We are modeling our encryption after what we have built for WhatsApp where Meta cannot see your messages.”
Meta shares are back to where they were earlier in the year. The stock has lost 1% so far this year.
Ines Ferre, a Senior Business Reporter for Yahoo Finance.
Here you can find a detailed analysis of recent stock market events and news.
Business
GE Aerospace Buys Turbine Maker in Blow to SpaceX. These Stocks Could Benefit.
Now you are leaving Barron’s Website
Clicking on “Proceed”, you’ll be directed to the website of Hong Kong Tiimoot Information Technology Co. Limited. “HKT” is a Hong Kong-based company. This website is independent of Barron’s, and Barron’s has no control over it. Please read the Privacy Statement of HKT carefully to learn about its privacy practices. HKT is responsible for its privacy and other data practices.
-
Entertainment1 week agoKacey Musgraves’ Stage Catches Fire During Boston Concert
-
Business1 week agoWaymo accelerates robotaxi expansion with launches in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa
-
Entertainment1 week agoMiley Cyrus Announces ‘Bass Persuades’ Album, Hollywood Bowl Shows
-
Entertainment1 week agoPresident Trump Calls for Federal Film and TV Tax Incentive
-
Entertainment1 week agoTrump Endorses U.S. Tax Incentive to Keep Hollywood Production
-
Sports1 week agoNFL Execs, Coaches Identify 10 Breakout Players to Watch in 2026
-
Business1 week agoTikTok, Whatnot livestream shopping gains steam in the U.S.
-
PM office canada1 week agoPete Hegseth posts latest “frat boy” insult to Canada, academics say
