Hulu just greenlit a pilot for “Group Chat,” a new comedy starring and executive produced by La La Anthony, with “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris and Kim Kardashian also attached.

Described as “loosely inspired by Anthony’s bestseller The Love Playbook,” the series follows “five fly, successful women in their 40s who have conquered L.A.” But beneath their picture-perfect lives, a secret group chat where “the truth is messier, more unfiltered, and juicier than anyone could imagine.” 

Barris will pen the script and exec produce via Khalabo Ink Society. This marks Hulu’s latest push into comedy. 

JuJu Watkins just added another crown to her historic sophomore season. The USC Trojans star guard became the first player in program history to be named AP Player of the Year, just one day after joining Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie as USC legends to win the Naismith award.

Watkins, already recognized as National Player of the Year by The Athletic, USBWA, and Sporting News, delivered a monster season—averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks.

Watkins helped lead USC to its first regular-season title since 1994 and earned a No. 1 tournament seed before tearing her ACL in the second round. Though likely redshirting next season, Watkins’ legacy—with her three murals in downtown L.A.—has already been cemented.

Tisha Thompson, founder of LYS Beauty, just secured the bag—and then some. The first Black-owned clean makeup brand at Sephora has landed a major eight-figure Series A investment led by Encore Consumer Capital, right as it gears up for expansion into 800 Sephora at Kohl’s stores on April 8, 2025, Afrotech reported. 

Thompson, who will remain majority owner, got her start as a college makeup artist before rising to VP of Marketing and Innovation at PÜR Cosmetics. She launched LYS in 2021 with inclusivity in mind. Since then, she’s made history, hit major milestones—including a 200% year-over-year sales increase on TikTok Shop—and turned her No Limits Cream Bronzer Stick into a Sephora bestseller.

RELATED:  This Week in Good Black News: Rick Ross Opens Dental Practice, Lizzo Cast as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Will Smith Gets Street Named in His Honor

Regina Hall is headed back to where it all began. The award-winning actress will return to her alma mater, Fordham University, to deliver the Class of 2025 commencement address on May 17. In recognition of her “exceptional career and commitment to using her platform for good,” Hall will also be awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts.

“Regina is an inspiring role model who will show our graduates what it looks like to live out our Jesuit values,” said Fordham President Tania Tetlow. “Her remarkable talent, strong work ethic, and unwavering commitment to justice make her the ideal speaker.”

Hall’s advocacy stretches far beyond Hollywood. She’s worked with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, and Smiles for Speech. After her mother’s 2006 diagnosis with scleroderma, Hall became a passionate advocate for the autoimmune disease and now serves on the Scleroderma Research Foundation’s board.

In a historic moment on Capitol Hill, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker shattered the U.S. Senate record for the longest speech, speaking for 25 hours and 5 minutes in what he called a “deliberate reclamation” of history.

“I rise to disrupt the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker declared at 7:00 p.m. EDT on March 31, launching a filibuster that stretched into the evening of April 1.

His speech, rooted in protest of President Donald Trump’s policies, surpassed Strom Thurmond’s 1957 segregationist filibuster by nearly an hour. Booker condemned Trump and advisor Elon Musk for showing “a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.” 

He spotlighted attempts to gut the Department of Education, deport student protesters, and ignore judicial orders. Throughout the marathon, Booker invoked John Lewis’s legacy and praised “individual courage” like that of late Senator John McCain. 

Senators Schumer, Murphy, and Warren joined to offer brief reprieves.

When Booker finally yielded the floor at 8:05 p.m. on April 1, his colleagues rose in a standing ovation—marking not just a record broken but a new legacy claimed.

A Kentucky youth organization is rallying community support to restore a long-vacant piece of Black history. Men 2 Be, a nonprofit mentoring group based in Hopkinsville, is hosting a gospel concert fundraiser to help transform the historic Crispus Attucks High School into a fully functional community center.

The free concert will take place on Saturday, April 26, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bridge of Hope Fellowship Church (1005 S. Main Street). While entry is free, donations are encouraged, and $15 dinners will be sold to support the cause.

The historic school, once Hopkinsville’s only Black high school, has sat unused since 1988. In February 2024, the Crispus Attucks Alumni Association transferred ownership to Men 2 Be for just $1. The organization hopes to raise $1 million to revitalize the building by fall 2026. The revamped space would house emergency shelter, a food pantry, art studio, rec areas, and more.

Donations can also be made by visiting the Men 2 Be website.