Figure Skating Legend Surya Bonaly Pleads For Help After Burglars Steal Her Championship Medals
The trailblazing Olympian, long celebrated for breaking racial and athletic barriers in figure skating, says thieves took her most prized symbols of a groundbreaking career.
Decorated figure skater Surya Bonaly is asking the public for assistance after discovering that her Las Vegas home had been burglarized and her collection of international medals had been stolen. The 51-year-old champion athlete, whose daring one-blade backflip at the 1998 Nagano Olympics remains one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post.
“You see, all those medals that I won in the past while competing in different worlds and European championships are sadly gone,” she wrote, explaining that “someone I mean a couple burglarized my home and stole all my valuable.” Bonaly urged locals to alert authorities if they encounter “foreign gold and silver medals for sale,” adding, “Please, please call the Police immediately, thanks.”
According to Cleveland, the stolen items represent years of competition at the highest levels of the sport. During her career, Bonaly amassed 13 medals across the World Championships, European Championships, and World Junior Championships, becoming a five-time European champion and one of the most dynamic athletes of her era. Now a coach in Las Vegas, she competed in three Winter Olympics in the 1990s, finishing as high as fourth place.
Bonaly’s iconic one-footed backflip in Nagano — a move banned since 1976 — defined her fearless approach to skating. She performed it despite knowing she would be penalized and despite dealing with an Achilles injury at the time. To date, no skater has replicated the feat at the Olympics.
Her story has long resonated beyond the ice. Adopted from an orphanage and raised by a white family, Bonaly quickly realized she was often “the only Black female skater” at European competitions. Her competitive career was marked not only by athletic excellence but also by navigating bias in a predominantly white sport.
At the World Championships, after placing second behind Japan’s Yuka Sato, she was loudly booed by the crowd before being swarmed by reporters asking whether she planned to quit. Figure skating coach Joel Savary, founder of the Diversify Ice Foundation, said moments like these chipped away at her spirit: “I feel that was the beginning of the judges really wearing her down… The feeling that I felt was it paints another negative picture of a person of color,” he toldTODAY.
Andrea Jordan of Figure Skating in Harlem called Bonaly’s perseverance extraordinary. “Being an athletic woman of color… and still persist in that spot and accomplish all what she accomplished is remarkable,” she said.
Police have not yet announced any leads in the burglary. Bonaly hopes someone will recognize the stolen medals and help return the defining symbols of her pioneering career.
Ray J Accuses Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner of ‘Publicity, Power, and Punishment’ In Intensifying Legal Battle
Ray J argues the lawsuit against him is a tactic to control the narrative around their decades-old sex tape, while the Kardashian legal team dismisses his claims as baseless.
Ray J is once again challenging the long-standing public storyline surrounding the release of his sex tape with Kim Kardashian, claiming in new legal filings that Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner, have weaponized the courts to maintain control of the narrative.
In documents obtained by Page Six, the singer asserts that “Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner’s lawsuit is not about defamation — it’s about publicity, power, and punishment.” He argues that the pair have spent years shaping a version of events that shields them and vilifies him.
According to the filing, Ray J says “[Jenner and Kardashian] have spent two decades peddling the false story that the sex tape that Kardashian filmed with [Ray J] was leaked against her will.” He maintains the video was consensually recorded in 2003 and that he and Kardashian discussed releasing it in 2006—allegedly with Kardashian proposing that Kris Jenner oversee the rollout.
The R&B artist, born William Ray Norwood Jr., claims Kardashian and Jenner are “furious” that he no longer participates in what he calls their “tall tale.” He also says that Kardashian, Jenner, Kanye West, and Kendall Jenner falsely accused him on Hulu’s The Kardashians of assaulting Kardashian while she was asleep, as well as engaging in extortion and revenge porn.
Ray J’s filing states that after he responded through counsel, the Kardashians and their production team agreed to a settlement in which he would receive $6 million and the family would make “no further mention or public reference” to the tape on their show. He argues they went back on that commitment “almost immediately after the Agreement was executed.”
His attorney wrote that Ray J will “not allow Kardashian and Jenner to weaponize the judicial system, shirk their contractual obligations, and sacrifice him on the altar of fame.”
The Kardashian-Jenner legal team strongly rejected these accusations. Their attorney, Alex Spiro, told Page Six: “After realizing he is losing the case and losing his way, this disjointed rambling distraction is not intimidating anyone. Ray J will lose this frivolous case, too.”
Kardashian and Jenner sued Ray J last month for defamation after he claimed he was assisting federal authorities with a RICO case against them. The complaint notes that “no such federal investigation exists” and states: “No law enforcement agency has initiated any criminal proceedings or investigations related to racketeering charges against Ms. Kardashian or Ms. Jenner.”
Spiro added that the family “have never brought a defamation claim before … but this false and serious allegation left no choice.”
Alabama State Men’s Hoops Breaks Losing Streak In Historic Win Over UAB
In men's basketball, ASU is now the first and only SWAC team to beat UAB.
Alabama State University (ASU) men’s basketball team not only snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), 77-74, on Wednesday night, it was their first victory ever over UAB. And it was on the road.
The win was the first for any Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) team over UAB men’s basketball team, which entered the contest with 78 consecutive victories over the SWAC.
ASU started the game with an 11-0 run, leading to a 14-4 lead. But UAB went on a 16-3 scoring binge to take a 55-47 lead with 12:01 remaining in the game. ASU fought back and had a 3-point lead with 3.9 seconds left. But UAB was unable to score.
Micah Simpson hit six three-pointers and finished the game with 18 point for ASU, while Asjon Anderson scored 20 points, sealing the game with 11-of-16 free throws, including the last two that secured the victory.
“Great win for Alabama State, for all the HBCUs,” said ASU head coach Tony Madlock, according to the Birmingham Banner. “Y’all understand that we have to go play these games on the road. And they’re never easy, they’re never easy what we have to go through. But for us to be an hour and a half down the road and to come down and play the way we played and against one of my mentors, (Andy Kennedy) is one of my guys. I worked for him for four years and been knowing him forever. So it was a great win for our program.”
Alabama State, now 1-1 on the season, hosts Virginia University Lynchburg on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m.
The penny's demise reflects a changing financial landscape shaped by digital payments and rising manufacturing costs.
The United States Mint produced its final penny on Wednesday, Nov. 12, after more than 230 years in production, a victim of the changing financial landscape shaped by digital payments and rising manufacturing costs.
For decades, the penny’s fate was debated by lawmakers, economists, and the public, particularly as the cost to produce a single cent rose well beyond its face value. According to the Mmnt’s most recent analysis, it cost more than 3 cents to manufacture and distribute each penny in 2024.
“God bless America, and we’re going to save the taxpayers $56 million,” Treasurer Brandon Beach said at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia before hitting a button to strike the final penny. Beach said the final coins pressed will be auctioned off. The actual last pennies put into circulation from the U.S. Mint were struck in June.
The mint said it will focus on producing coins commonly used day-to-day. Cashless payments, digital wallets, and real-time transfers have reduced demand for low-denomination coins. The United States is one of several countries, including Canada and Australia, to phase out its smallest currency units.
Unfortunately, retailers are not required to round prices, which may be a minor detriment of consumers.
The end of the penny marks the end of one of America’s oldest currencies, first utilized in 1792. Although its production line has stopped, the mint said it will maintain educational materials and public displays honoring the penny’s legacy.
“Today, the Mint celebrates 232 years of penny manufacturing,” said Kristie McNally, acting mint director. “While general production concludes today, the penny’s legacy lives on. As its usage in commerce continues to evolve, its significance in America’s story will endure.”
Tuskegee Sues American Veterinary Association For Trying To Revoke Accreditation
Tuskegee University has sued the AVMA over an appeal hearing that could strip the nation’s only historically Black veterinary school of its accreditation.
Tuskegee University has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the American Veterinary Medical Association’s attempt to hold an appeal hearing that could revoke the accreditation of the nation’s only historically Black veterinary school.
In two filings—a complaint and a time-sensitive motion for a preliminary injunction—Tuskegee University alleges that the AVMA and its Council on Education (COE) violated due process and ignored their own rules during an accreditation review, Yellowhammer News reports. The university warns that losing accreditation could shut down the program, cut off federal student aid, and cause lasting reputational damage.
“Tuskegee University respectfully requests that the Court enjoin the AVMA from conducting an appeal hearing under procedures that deny Tuskegee a fair opportunity to present evidence and witnesses,” the motion states.
Founded in 1945 by Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson, Tuskegee’s College of Veterinary Medicine trains over 70% of the nation’s Black veterinarians and is the most diverse veterinary college in the United States. AVMA COE reports indicate the college has been on probationary accreditation since 2022.
In its motion for a preliminary injunction, Tuskegee’s counsel notes the AVMA cited major deficiencies in finances, clinical resources, and outcomes assessment, requiring corrective action within two years. The lawsuit claims the AVMA applied standards inconsistently and ignored its own procedures, violating the university’s right to due process.
“When Purdue University faced comparable facility challenges, the AVMA COE did not demand financial documentation before approving extensions,” the complaint claims, “but Tuskegee’s verified commitments from its Board, President, and financial institution were rejected as insufficient.”
The filing warns that the decision, set for a hearing on Dec. 5, could damage the university’s veterinary school and potentially force the program to close.
“The AVMA, a trade association, and the AVMA COE, the sole accreditor of veterinary schools in the United States, will soon decide, in large part, whether minority participation in the field of veterinary medicine will enjoy continued success,” the motion states.
The emergency motion requests that the court issue an injunction by Dec. 4, one day before the AVMA hearing, allowing the university’s program to operate normally until the case is fully resolved.
Inaugural Artist In Residence Dr. Yaba Blay and Most Incredible Studio Create ‘The BAMBOO,’ Elevating Icon to Cultural Artifact
The residency program will expand in the coming year, spotlighting creators from a variety of traditions.
In an act of cultural preservation, Most Incredible Studio (MIS), the creative house specializing in translating memory into collectibles, has announced its inaugural Artist-In-Residence: scholar, cultural worker, and visionary, Dr. Yaba Blay.
The first release from this collaboration is The BAMBOO—a highly detailed cultural artifact built with LEGO® bricks that transforms the enduring iconography of the bamboo earring into a monumental, collectible testament to Black womanhood. The project is far more than nostalgia; it is an assertion of inherent worth.
Shared on both parties’ Instagram accounts, the BAMBOO announcement was dropped with much fanfare. For the next year, the prominent professor will “infuse Black Girl culture into LEGO culture.”
“THE BAMBOO is making its way into y’all’s hands!! There’s a HUGE and growing community of #BlackGirlsWhoLego, so it means EVERYTHING to US to witness y’all create collectibles reflective of our own culture — Black girl culture! Thank YOU @jen_builds_!! THIS is PHENOMENAL! AND OH SO PROFESSIONAL!! #ProfessionalBlackGirl#MostIncredibleStudio“
The BAMBOO preserves a shared language of style, self-definition, and belonging, reminding its collectors that everyday culture is sacred. The collaboration with Blay turns a familiar, often-politicized symbol of identity into a cherished monument of memory—a beautiful homage to the creativity, beauty, and brilliance of Black women everywhere. Building the LEGO® artifact with one’s own hands carries the same weight as the pride with which the earring was worn, elevating the symbol from street fashion to the cultural canon.
“BAMBOO is here. The first piece of collectible art designed in collaboration with Dr. Yaba Blay, the inaugural Professional Black Girl-in-Residence at Most Incredible Studio, this limited-edition collectible reimagines the iconic bamboo earring using 303 LEGO® bricks. A symbol of beauty, identity, and legacy, BAMBOO celebrates the women who made “at least two pair” a rite of passage. Each piece comes with a custom assembly guide and photo editorial, capturing the essence of culture you can build, play with, and proudly display.”
Dr. Blay, the force behind Professional Black Girl—a dynamic multimedia platform celebrating the everyday genius and lived experiences of Black women and girls—brings her incisive scholarly eye to the residency. As the author of the groundbreaking One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race, Dr. Blay’s work continues to validate and codify marginalized narratives.
The residency marks the beginning of a new MIS initiative designed to partner with cultural leaders who carry vital stories, traditions, and communities into the physical realm through permanent artifacts.
MIS’s mission of making memory visible, combined with Dr. Blay’s ongoing work to assert an unapologetic identity, is a hellafied force of cultural preservation.
The philosophy of Professional Black Girl posits that “Black Girl Magic” is not an exclusive achievement reserved for those who have accomplished unprecedented feats, but a ubiquitous state enjoyed by all.
By declaring themselves “Professional Black Girls,” the community asserts its identity against a world constantly promoting respectability politics on how they “ought to” act, embracing the freedom of self-definition. They are, as the platform proudly affirms, professional code-switchers who hold Ph. D.s and listen to trap music; they twerk and work.
For Dr. Blay, the material creation of the earring was a necessary step toward canonization. She noted the intrinsic demand for the partnership’s focus, “When Syreeta mentioned to me that she wanted to infuse Black girl culture into Most Incredible Studio’s canon, I told her there was no way I would allow her to do that without ME! She laughed, but I was serious. The idea of merging what she does with what we do and how we do it is beyond exciting—it’s necessary.”
The limited-edition cultural artifact arrives with MIS’s signature collectible packaging, including a custom booklet and keepsake elements, reinforcing the notion that this is not a toy, but a piece of history.
The residency program will expand in the coming year, spotlighting creators from a variety of traditions. The new residency ensures that the MIS universe becomes a permanent gallery for the stories and traditions that shape contemporary cultural life.
Trump’s Claim That Chinese Students Keep HBCUs Alive Debunked On Social Media
The claim was swiftly refuted by Black X users.
Trump’s latest assertion that Chinese students are critical to the success of HBCUs has prompted jokes and backlash from the Black side of social media.
Trump went on conservative outlet Fox News to speak with Laura Ingraham about how he views Chinese students. Recently, Trump has been vocal about allowing student and H-1B Visas, particularly from those hailing from the East Asian country.
“We do have a lot of people coming in from China,” he began. “We also have a massive system of colleges and universities, and if we were to cut that in half… You would have half the colleges in the United States go out of business.”
Trump says that HBCUs would be "all be out of business" if fewer Chinese students were allowed to go to American universities pic.twitter.com/QWCtipwVcH
However, his particular note about HBCUs struck the wrong chord with many in the Black community.
The president claimed, “You would have the historically Black colleges and universities would all be out of business.”
Trump’s audacious claim had Black X users perplexed, leading them to inquire when Chinese students began to put HBCUs on their backs.
Since when did HBCUs rely on Chinese students ??? FBA would be having wall To wall spaces if Biden said we need immigrant students … https://t.co/4BbQQvc1xN
“Since when did HBCUs rely on Chinese students,” questioned one commenter. “FBA would be having wall to wall spaces if Biden said we need immigrant student…”
Bruh really can’t make a decent talking point without making black ppl either the villain or the scapegoat. https://t.co/u98XAABcdr
The X user wrote, “Bruh really can’t make a decent talking point without making black ppl either the villain or the scapegoat.
Another, however, apparently debunked Trump’s idea that Chinese students kept HBCUs afloat.
I was curious so I ran the IPEDS data for fall 2023. Approximately 3000 students listed as Asian attended HBCUs, or 1%. So based on the numbers and my experience as a president, this scenario won’t impact HBCUs. https://t.co/LCGmHNY0U1
“I was curious, so I ran the IPEDS data for fall 2023,” wrote Walter M. Kimbrough, a three-time HBCU president. “Approximately 3,000 students listed as Asian attended HBCUs, or 1%. So based on the numbers and my experience as a president, this scenario won’t impact HBCUs.”
Black Information Network also obtained data from the Institute of Education Sciences. The outlet confirmed that international students account for only 2.5% of total enrollment at HBCUs.
However, Trump’s evolving policy views toward immigration have caused friction with his”MAGA” base. Despite this, he defended his stance on the importance of allowing Chinese people to work and study in the United States.
Top U.S. Women’s Basketball Recruit Saniyah Hall Signs With USC
She is going along with Sitaya Fagan, considered one of the top basketball players in Australia.
The No. 1 prospect for American women’s basketball, high school recruit Saniyah Hall, will soon be joining arguably one of the best women’s college basketball players in the world, JuJu Watkins, when she heads to the University of Southern California (USC).
The school announced that Hall signed to play for the Trojans in 2026, along with Sitaya Fagan, considered one of the top basketball players in Australia. Both players will join a strong basketball nucleus consisting of Watkins, Jazzy Davidson, and Kennedy Smith.
USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said she is excited for both players deciding to be a part of the winning squad at USC.
“I mean, what can I say? We could not be more excited with our class of 2026,” said Gottlieb in a written statement. “We think we have the best class in the country and the best duo in the country. Both for what they bring as humans and as talented athletes, but also how they fit with what we are as a program and what we are aiming to become.”
Hall’s talent and athletic prowess have already been recognized, as she is ranked at the top in the country. Recently, she was named to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year Watch List.
She earned Most Valuable Player honors at the FIBA U19 World Cup, where she played for Team USA and led the team with an average of 19.9 points per game, which is a USA U19 scoring record. Last season, she was named the 2025 MaxPreps National Junior of the Year, earning Naismith Trophy First Team All-America honors at Montverde Academy in Florida, where she averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. The team went 26-2 and advanced to the Chipotle National Championship game.
Fagan, an international phenom, averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds for her country at the FIBA U19 World Cup. She helped her team reach the gold medal game. The Australian also earned gold medals at both the FIBA U16 Asian Championship (2023) and the FIBA U15 Oceania Championship (2022).
CJ Pearson On A Mission To ‘Win Young People Over’ In The Black MAGA Movement
CJ Pearson is rising as the face of the young Black MAGA movement, and aiming to attract more young voters.
CJ Pearson, the Black Gen Z Republican rising star, aims to draw more young voters to the MAGA movement.
With his new podcast, Family Matters, Pearson, 23, is positioning himself as a leading voice for the next generation of Black conservatives. As Democrats criticize Trump’s policies as harmful to Black communities, Pearson and other right-leaning Black creators are courting voters with the viral-style approach popularized by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, aiming to shift support from historically Democratic strongholds.
“Right now, my priority is simply doing all I can to win young people over to our side and help us win the culture war because politics is downstream from culture,” Pearson told USA Today.
This includes stirring controversy by highlighting the interracial marriages of Democratic figures such as Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Rep. Ilhan Omar, former CNN anchor Don Lemon, and former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“Have y’all ever noticed that Black people on the left love to hate white people in the streets but love them in the sheets?” Pearson asked his listeners.
While Pearson has built a massive social media following and other Black Republicans hold influential roles in the Trump administration, conservative Black candidates like NFL star Herschel Walker and former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson have struggled in statewide races. Pearson believes strong fundraising and strategic messaging could bridge the gap.
“Being a Black Republican is not enough to win an election, so you got to actually have a few other things going for you as well,” Pearson said.
Political strategist and fellow MAGA Republican, Janiyah Thomas, 27, agrees with Pearson in that Republicans running for office need to do more grassroots work.
“We definitely need to dive in and try to make a difference electorally, not just on the internet,” she said. “I mean, the internet is great, and I do think you reach a lot of people, but it’s important to be on the ground. There’s work to be done.”
Pearson’s popularity continues to rise. The Georgia native was named to the Time100 Creators list in July and featured in The Washington Post’s Sept. 2 story, “The MAGA kids are not all White,” published a week before Charlie Kirk’s death. He hosts gatherings for his cause, appears on Fox News, and socializes with Black Democratic peers—“the good ones,” he clarifies.
Pearson, a Georgia native, also actively promotes conservative online culture and defends his party’s pro-Trump, anti-DEI stance. At 23, he could address one of his party’s challenges in three years, when he reaches the minimum age to run for Congress.
“This is a country that has always given so much to me,” he said. “I want to give back to it one day as well. What that looks like, whether it’s elected office or something else, I don’t know.”
From Ami Colé’s Closure To SKIMS Beauty: Diarrha N’Diaye’s Journey Reveals Myths On Black Founders And Venture Capital
The founder shares why raising $1M wasn't enough
By Noel Walker
A quick Google search of Ami Colé reveals that with $1 million in financial backing, the brand filled a void, bringing much-needed products to the Black beauty industry. So when news broke on July 17 that founder Diarrha N’Diaye was closing the brand and would be off Sephora shelves in September 2025, the beauty community was gutted. N’Diaye‘s self-authored piece in The Cut asked a question that reverberated across the industry: “My beauty brand offered Black women shades they couldn’t find elsewhere. Why wasn’t that enough?“
Today brings a different headline. SKIMS announced N’Diaye as executive vice president of Beauty & Fragrance, effective Nov. 3, where she’ll lead product development and brand strategy for Kim Kardashian’s beauty venture. But weeks before the press release, N’Diaye sat down with BLACK ENTERPRISE to discuss what really happened with Ami Colé.
The Therapeutic Mindset and the Pattern Recognition Trap
The path to raising that million dollars began somewhere unexpected: therapy. Growing up in a Senegalese family where asking for money was culturally taboo, N’Diaye found herself fighting psychological barriers before she could even think about pitch decks.
“For me, it took literally almost like a therapeutic mindset of, OK, why am I asking for money? I’m not asking for charity, for personal benefit. This is really for the business,” she explains to us in an interview. The breakthrough came from reframing capital entirely—not as a handout but as energy. “The unlock was thinking about capital as energy. So if I’m going to bring something to life, you literally need a battery to make sure that thing is on, continuing to go strong.”
This mental shift transformed how investors perceived her, because in venture capital, insecurity has a price tag. “They’re going to know when you’re feeling insecure about the ask or if you’re asking for too little,” N’Diaye says. “I don’t think deserving is the word, but I do think that they can take advantage. There are different things like valuations and other merits that could easily be reconsidered, or you get the shorter end of the stick.”
As one of only 30 Black women to raise over $1 million during the pandemic, she carried statistical weight into every investor meeting. But being part of that group didn’t mean investors would be lenient. It was quite the opposite. “It was always the elephant in the room. Investors don’t like to talk about that; there were so few solo women of color,” she reveals. She actually had to be quadruple prepared because venture capital operates on pattern recognition, continuing to bet on the same models that already work. Most pitches are “we’re gonna be the Uber of XYZ” or “the Glossier of XYZ” because investors need you to plug into frameworks they already understand. When you’re building something genuinely new, you’re not just pitching a product; you’re reeducating investors on why the unfamiliarity matters.
Despite working at Glossier in research and development and actively trying to distinguish Ami Colé’s DNA, investors defaulted to the easiest comparison anyway. “I really tried to change their mindframe because I knew that we were not going to be on the trajectory of a Glossier, wanting to be a unicorn and all these metrics that probably would not be true to this brand in terms of our intention, our speed, our cadence,” N’Diaye expressed. The comparison stuck regardless.
Without access to friends-and-family funding rounds, a bleak reality for many Black founders whose communities can’t provide that initial capital, the stakes felt impossibly high. “It felt like literally zero to a million. Like, no in between,” she recalls. She built networks through former colleagues, raising capital simultaneously, business panels, and crucially, the Clubhouse app during its pandemic peak. This was the beginning of The Black Beauty Club with Tomi Talabi, where founders like Olamide Olowe of Topicals, Maeva Helene from Bread, and Abena Boamah-Acheampong from Hanahana Beauty would pop in, sharing notes. After 150 rejections, the funding came through. But securing the capital was just the beginning of hard lessons.
What They Don’t Teach You About Retail and Scaling
Landing in 250 Sephora doors sounds like validation. N’Diaye learned that without understanding retail machinery, even dream partnerships become traps. Looking back, she wishes she’d started with 20 doors instead.
“Ask retailers what’s the bare minimum you could do both for dot com and in-store because they’re two different beasts. I promise you, they will give you a recommendation. Most retailers are grateful that you’re asking these questions because it shows a level of intentionality and desire to succeed,” she affirms.
But getting everyone aligned on the same growth strategy proved nearly impossible. Sephora operates with certain assumptions about inventory and sell-through. Investors expect different trajectories. “You can’t have Sephora agreeing on one thing, but your investors agreeing on another plan because the math won’t work, someone’s going to be let down, and you’re probably going to be burned out,” she says. With different investors who valued intentional growth over explosive scaling, the entire trajectory might have shifted. “I would go a different route. I’m a mom of two now. I would not immediately ascribe to that model of high growth, and I would not do so alone. I do think that in future ventures, I would start with a partner.”
Then there’s the data gap no one wants to discuss. When Ami Colé performed inconsistently across markets, N’Diaye started asking questions the beauty industry couldn’t answer. She points out that major corporations deployed task forces to understand Latinx consumers, conducting on-the-ground market research. That same rigor never materialized for Black consumers. “I think there are only about two to three Nielsen studies on Black consumerism, specifically to beauty. Even making my deck, I was scraping the internet, bugging all of my friends who worked at corporate for access to their MPD. The information is not even out there.”
The most fundamental question remained unanswered: where are Black and brown women shopping? Sephora, Ulta, Amazon, TikTok shops, the patterns keep changing. Understanding how shopping behavior shifts as Black women gain economic mobility exists in group chats and word-of-mouth recommendations, but there’s no centralized research. “I don’t think it is the brand’s full responsibility to understand the market because that’s not true for other markets or companies. If we really care, let’s sit down, let’s figure it out. Like, I don’t think anyone’s actually doing the work for that.”
The competitive reality crystallized during a therapy session: “I felt like I was building a rocket ship with papier-mâché right next door to NASA.” On one side, LVMH-backed brands like Fenty with nine-figure marketing budgets and global infrastructure; on the other, Ami Colé with venture capital and community devotion, couldn’t compensate for the resource chasm. “Fenty is amazing, all these LVMH-backed brands give good quality products, but they’re not touching the community and talking to them the way that I am, which was part of our point of differentiation. The problem is scaling that without the machine. You can make the best pancakes in the world, but if you can’t afford rent, there’s no more pancakes for anyone.”
A Different Model for Black Beauty Leadership
N’Diaye’s appointment as EVP of Beauty & Fragrance at SKIMS represents what she’d already identified as necessary: partnership and infrastructure. Kim Kardashian, who acquired Skkn by Kim from Coty Inc. in March and folded it into SKIMS, recruited N’Diaye specifically for her community-building approach. “I want SKIMS Beauty to be a place where everyone feels represented, and there was no better person to help us do that than Diarrha,” Kardashian said in a press release.
N’Diaye’s vision centers on what she learned through Ami Colé. “SKIMS is for everybody, and now we’re trying to create beauty for everybody,” she said in the press release. The role offers resources her independent venture couldn’t access: infrastructure, capital, and the ability to scale inclusivity without doing it alone.
The timing adds weight to what’s been happening across Black beauty. The class of 2020—brands that emerged during the racial reckoning—have faced unprecedented struggles. Former Glossier grantees Ceylon and The Established have shuttered. Hyper Skin is crowdfunding for survival. The tragedy deepened in August when Sharon Chuter, founder of Uoma Beauty, was found dead at her Los Angeles home at age 38. At the time, Chuter was in a legal battle alleging that during her 2023 medical leave, investors used her absence to sideline her and sell Uoma’s assets to MacArthur Beauty without her consent. The case remains unresolved.
When asked whether this pattern represents coincidental market forces or something more deliberate, N’Diaye chose her words carefully.” Listen, we live in America. We know that there’s a lot of dismantling that we’re still trying to do, and the system can only work if it works at the top. We’re watching DEI being literally erased. So you can’t help but to think. I would hope not, given that it’s literally 2025. But I can’t help but be really observant.”
When N’Diaye told The Business of Fashion that “no one had the answer to how to scale a diverse, melanin-rich brand,” she articulated what the industry refuses to face: these aren’t individual failures, they’re systemic ones dressed up as market forces. Her new role at SKIMS may offer a different model for scaling inclusivity in beauty. Rather than independent Black founders navigating impossible odds alone, N’Diaye’s position suggests that partnership with established brands might provide the support structure that venture capital alone couldn’t deliver. For Black founders watching this journey, her transparency reveals why great products and devoted communities still aren’t enough when the system itself hasn’t changed.
