KL’s Natural Beauty Bar In Nigeria Celebrates Decade Of Hair Care
KL’s Beauty Bar, a Nigerian-based natural hair care business, started over 10 years ago with the vision of founder Kemi Lewis to uplift and enrich textured hair in her community.
Lewis’ mission to create a space dedicated to natural hair within Nigeria led to the establishment of her own salon, as detailed by Business Day, a national news source. After Lewis’ life-changing choice to embark on her own natural hair journey in 2012, her knack for styling curls and coils became KL’s Natural Beauty Bar.
The Nigerian businesswoman celebrated a decade of business and service to those in Lagos who took a chance on changing how they perceive styled hair.
Within the natural-focused salon, based in Lagos, those wanting to treat their natural hair texture are guided by specialists on products and routines to create the healthiest hairdo upkeep. The success of the flagship store has expanded into multiple locations through Nigeria’s capital city.
However, Lewis’ mission toward innovative natural hair care did not stop at the salon. Wanting to further empower a community of those embracing their textured hair, the entrepreneur enlisted and trained more stylists through her NLS Natural Hair Academy.
Deemed “the natural hair experts,” stylists are encouraging more women to take a chance on their original curl pattern. With the first salon still in operation, loyal customers have become advocates to honor one’s natural manes. For those struggling with a decline in hair health due to damaging styles, the experts are also there to retrain not only their tresses, but to empower people avoid those practices.
Lewis currently has designated hair care products, Groom and Grow, to increase the health and wellness for all naturals. As she jumps into another era of her expansive brand, the quest to evolve the beauty industry further and strengthen women’s confidence from the inside out continues.
First Black-Owned Bakery In Knoxville, TN, Celebrates 25 Years
If you can describe it, this bakery can make it.
Chandra Taylor is preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Mer Mer’s Bakery, a business that became the very first Black-owned bakery in Knoxville, TN, when she opened its doors in 1998.
Named after a nickname for her oldest daughter, Mercedes, Mer Mer’s is famous for its creative custom cake designs. Taylor’s signature five-flavor pound cake follows a recipe from her great-aunt and has become a best-seller.
The bakery also offers a variety of cookies, cupcakes, banana pudding, brownies, and special occasion requests.
“Everything we make at Mer Mer’s Bakery is made from scratch, with the freshest ingredients and baked in our store,” Mer Mer’s website states.
“We bake in small batches to create the best tasting sweets that you won’t get anywhere else. We are known for having the best pound cakes you will ever eat. We bake our pound cakes daily and they come in several flavors,” the bakery’s site reads.
According to Inside of Knoxville, Taylor found her passion for baking at an early age, throwing down in the kitchen with her grandmother. She was so serious about baking, she’d use her allowance to purchase baking supplies to make and sell cakes for friends and family.
When she went to college, she still had baking on her mind. She attended Pellissippi State in 1994 where she majored in Business Management so she would be ready to open her own bakery. After putting together a business plan, Taylor presented a proposal for a bakery to denim giant Levi Strauss, which was offering a bonus to its employees who presented a productive use of startup money.
Taylor’s mother worked for the company and presented her daughter’s proposal. Levi Strauss awarded Taylor and her mother $5,000. The two used the money to purchase supplies and to find a location for the bakery, which now sits at 617 N. Gay Street in Knoxville.
Mer Mer’s Bakery is preparing to recognize its 25 years of business with an anniversary celebration scheduled in November. Taylor’s parents and her two daughters, Mercedes and Chrisma, are hands-on at the bakery, creating and maintaining the physical space.
In an effort to pass on the art of baking to the community, Taylor is planning to offer cookie classes soon.
Customers can stop by the bakery Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and enjoy a cake by the slice, a quarter, half, or a whole.
6 Reasons Every Black Person Should Experience Crop Over In Barbados
Carnival season has wrapped in the Caribbean but it’s the perfect time to prepare your travel plans for next year—especially if you’re a Black American who has never experienced a real Carnival in a Caribbean country.
I was lucky enough to enjoy a VIP introduction to Barbados Crop Over with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), which helped me understand why every Black American should experience not only Carnival in the Caribbean but Crop Over in Barbados.
If you’re of the Black diaspora with no known Caribbean heritage, there’s plenty of reason to experience Carnival firsthand. The festivals, parties, and culture are ones all will enjoy, but especially the melanated ones who share a deeper connection with the history and purpose of it all.
If you’re new to Carnival culture and want a proper introduction without a J’ouvert experience that will leave you scrubbing paint off your body for the next week, Barbados Crop Over might be right up your alley.
Crop Over is a traditional Barbadian festival that celebrates the end of the sugarcane harvest season. With its ties to slavery, the annual festival has evolved into a major cultural event and a significant tourism attraction in Barbados. Tourists worldwide flock to the island nation each year to indulge in the culture, history, celebration, music, food, and entertainment.
Barbados Crop Over allows people to experience the spirit of the Caribbean country by connecting with its people and partaking in a centuries-old tradition that holds deep significance for the island and its residents. If you need more convincing on why you should attend Barbados Crop Over, read on for six reasons that’ll have you ready to book your flight today.
When was the last time you let all your worries go on the dance floor? There’s a sense of freedom, self-expression, and emotional release when dancing and Crop Over offers plenty of opportunities to dance. Between the back-to-back fetes (parties), Soca music at every turn, and lively energy, you’ll find yourself moving and grooving without any fears or worries.
The J’ouvert or “Native Foreday Morning Fete” was by far one of the most fun-filled experiences I’ve ever had. Happiness surrounds you as people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds wear their most run-down clothes for an early morning party of dancing, drinking, and throwing paint on each other.
It sounds messy, but the more paint you throw (water-based paint, thankfully) the more free you feel. It’s also the perfect preparation for Kadooment, the first Monday in August when the entire island comes out to celebrate the close of Crop Over. The costumes are mesmerizing and the music and dancing are endless as you sway down the road in rhythmic unison while an audience of beautiful Black faces cheer you on.
Ties to Black History in Slavery
In America, we’ve only recently come to a place where Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Even with Juneteenth becoming a national holiday in 2021, there are still ways to go in having it not just recognized but celebrated by the masses. However, in the Caribbean, they’ve been celebrating the liberation of our ancestors for centuries. When it comes to Barbados Crop Over, it’s all about honoring our ancestors and their successes during the times of slavery.
“Historically, it represents a huge part of our heritage,” Tenisha Holden, Senior Business Development Officer at BTMI, tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“The origins of the festival date back to the days of chattel slavery, where, after the culmination of a successful sugar cane harvest, enslaved Africans would celebrate with drums, dancing, and drinks.”
“Though the festival has certainly evolved from its humble origins, a huge part of the Crop Over season is about celebrating our ancestors and paying homage to our roots,” she adds.
Who said Barbados Crop Over was just for young partygoers? There is something for everyone to enjoy regardless of age, race, or gender. Between the cultural heritage, music and dancing, socializing, food, and spirit of unity, tourists will become immersed in the fun that fills the island no matter what demographic you represent. There’s also plenty of time to celebrate and not just the week leading up to Kadooment.
“The thing is Crop Over is really a two-month long festival, though, of course, everything comes to a head in the week before Grand Kadooment,” Holden explains.
“Prior to the big finale weekend, or ‘last lap’ as we call it, there are so many activities and events happening on the island. We have museum and art exhibits, poetry readings, and lots and lots of musical events. I think the spectacle of grand Kadooment and the fetes etc. take center stage but we truly have so much going on—from Bridgetown Market to horse racing!”
“Barbados as a destination has a place for everyone—from the foodies, to the thrill-seeker to the historian, and this doesn’t change during Crop Over,” holden adds.
“So bring your entire family and come, I promise there will be something exactly your speed. And, in any case, I think the beach is everyone’s speed!”
Perfect Way to Support Black Business
Crop Over showcases local Bajan craftsmanship through arts and crafts exhibitions like never before. Anyone with an appreciation for traditional arts and artisanal work will enjoy browsing the endless displays and supporting local artists. The festival also offers a chance to celebrate and support local Bajan artists, musicians, and performers.
“Of course, from an economic perspective, Barbados is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and though we are known for our sun, sea, and sand—Crop Over is our chance to show the world how much more we have to offer,” Holder says.
“If you get the chance to participate in the festival, you really get intimately acquainted with our people and our culture. It’s one big family reunion and I think it showcases Barbados and its people at our best—our most vibrant, our most free, and our most spirited. The best of Barbados is really the people so I think that you really get to see who we are and where we shine, especially during Crop Over.”
If you’re coming to a party in Barbados, just know a plate of hot food isn’t too far away. Our press group enjoyed parties at the Barbados Derby, J-Scape Bar, Halo Lounge, Rise Barbados, Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruise, and Lifted Beach, and there wasn’t one fete we went to that didn’t have food on hand. For all the rum, tequila, and whiskey you’ll likely consume, there’s a delicious dish waiting on the other side. Food pretty much comes with your ticket purchase at Crop Over. The all-inclusive parties include food, drinks, and dessert that prove why Barbados is the culinary capital of the Caribbean, as noted by The Times (of London).
Real Carnival is Only In The Caribbean—and Barbados Knows How to Party
While there are Carnivals in Caribbean-heavy cities like Miami, Florida, Brooklyn, and Toronto, anyone of Caribbean heritage will tell you there’s no Carnival like a Carnival in the Caribbean. Countries like Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, Grenada, and Jamaica are known for their annual Carnival celebrations with Trinidad and Barbados ranking in the top two.
Considering the timing, Barbados Crop Over “final lap” into Kadooment comes in the first week of August. A time when most are out of school or looking for time off from work.
“After the pause due to the pandemic, we’re definitely picking back up momentum,” Holder says.
“Each year we have more and more eyes on the festival and demand goes up. Flights are booked from as early as a year in advance in anticipation of the festival.”
5 Black-Owned Businesses Headed To Baltimore Washington International Airport Through Launch Pad Program
Five Black-owned businesses local to the DMV area will make their way to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) as part of a lasting commitment to minority entrepreneurs.
Established in 2017, the Launch Pad program equips small business owners with retail space to raise awareness for their brands. In addition to prime real estate in a heavily populated airport, entrepreneurs will be given invaluable resources and development training. “This year’s Launch Pad class represents some of the region’s most creative entrepreneurs,” said Faraji Whalen-Robinson, vice president of BWI concession’s manager Fraport Maryland. “Fraport is extremely proud to have partnered with BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport on this long-term initiative to provide small local businesses an opportunity to reach an international audience. Come welcome these new business owners and salute supporters and advocates that have been part of promoting small business at BWI Marshall Airport over the years.”
According to Afro News, this year’s cohort consists of a large array of businesses, including Zaaf, an African artisanal brand; Pamper Me Please, a spa and beauty, health, and wellness company; and Drama MaMa Bookshop, a stationery company. Visitors will also have a chance to shop with Different Regard, a sustainable men’s and women’s boutique, and Abrin Fashion House, a jewelry and accessory store. As the program puts its brands in an international space, the business owners will also have the opportunity to understand what they need to scale their businesses successfully. “The Launch Pad program is more than just popping up in the airport. It’s a fine-tuning for our businesses and makes us hyper-aware of where we are as businesses and what we need in order to be prepared to operate in a place like the airport,” said Alisa Brock, owner of Drama MaMa Bookshop. “I have high hopes.”
Aaron Wilson And Kelvin Mensah Launch ‘Approved Jets,’ A Black-Owned Private Jet Company
These two brothers have hopped aboard air travel and are not turning back.
Aaron Wilson and Kelvin Mensah entered the aviation industry upon launching Approved Jets, a private jet company and concierge service. With their combined knowledge across different professions, the brothers became well versed in the fun and the rigors of traveling.
“At Approved Jets, we take great pride and joy in offering an unforgettable luxurious experience while traveling across our global network,” Mensah stated on the company’s website. “Our expertise in luxury aviation comes from over twenty years of experience in providing private flights throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, South America, and the United Arab of Emirates.” Some experiences on the company’s site include Ghana, Turks and Caicos, Tulum, Dubai, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
Approved Jets’ core capabilities include private aviation charter services, aircraft acquisition consultation, and luxury concierge services. The travel agency also offers helicopter and yacht charters, hotel accommodations, and other custom travel experience packages. The company has served physicians, attorneys, finance professionals, musicians, professional athletes, HNWIs, and celebrities.
According to Travel Noire, the brothers introduced Approved Jets in 2019, and it has since become one of the industry’s most recognized Black-owned private aviation brokerage companies.
Mensah, the travel agency’s founder and CEO, was a BLACK ENTERPRISE40 Under 40 recipient in 2022 and recognized as the youngest global Black private jet broker. On Instagram, the CEO posted about the event on Instagram: “What an amazing night to celebrate an illustrious group of young black leaders making waves in their respective industries. Thank you for honoring me @blackenterprise#BE40under40.”
Arkansas Removes AP African American Studies Course 48 Hours Before School Year Begins
While students across the country prepare to return to the fall semester of school, the state of Arkansas‘ department of education has made a change to the curriculum just two days before the official school year started. It announced that a new Advanced Placement course on African American history will not count toward any course credit for the 2023-24 school year.
According to the Arkansas Times, the Arkansas Department of Education told high school educators via a phone call that the Advanced Placement course on African American history would not be recognized for course credit in the coming school year. The educators were also informed that, unlike AP classes offered throughout the semester, the state would not cover the $90 cost of an end-of-year test for students to qualify for college course credit.
Update on the @ArkansasEd and @SarahHuckabee attack on African American history, families, and kids.
An email has been sent to the school districts that offer AP African American Studies and the entire course code has been deleted. pic.twitter.com/EyMGQfQICc
There was no explanation for the changes, and according to the media outlet, phone calls were not picked up, nor did the spokesperson, Kimberly Mundell, respond to inquiries. There were questions about why the course was listed, yet, 48 hours before the start of the school year, it was removed without explanation.
Public education watchdog Jim Ross was one of the people questioning why this was done, noting that the Advanced Placement course on European History is still being offered. He called the elimination of the coursework for credit “racism, pure and simple.”
The department of education’s move is causing issues for students, who now must decide on whether to take the course with no credit and be made pay for the test afterward, or to choose another course to fulfill whatever coursework is needed to graduate.
Chicago’s 1st Independent, Black-Owned Weed Dispensary Opens Second Location
Chicago has gained an additional cannabis shop.
The Brewer family has tapped into a majority white industry – cannabis. The Brewer family, owners of Grasshopper Club, is opening a second dispensary location further south, located at 58 E Roosevelt Road. The dispensary is one of the first Black-owned cannabis dispensaries in Chicago.
The dispensary was established by brothers Matthew Brewer, Chuck Brewer, and their mother, Dianne Brewer, according to Book Club Chicago.
In attendance at the grand opening was Ald. Lamont Robinson, a former schoolmate of Matthew.
Like the flagship store, the new location will employ workers with previous experience in retail and hospitality. Some employees will have cannabis industry experience.
Chuck said this allows their business to create jobs and economic support for people excluded from the cannabis industry due to discrimination of incarceration.
According to the outlet, the family had to overcome significant pushback and obstacles before opening the new location. People in the neighborhood voiced their concerns about traffic and safety issues. A public meeting was held to urge officials to prevent the opening of the cannabis shop in the South Loop.
Mathew, a Harvard Business Graduate, was eventually able to persuade those who objected to the dispensary’s opening. Matthew said he even received apologies from some of the community members who were against the shop’s opening.
At the grand opening, many of the neighbors who initially contested the dispensary were in attendance to support the business.
“We’ve been in business now [in Logan Square] for six months, so we have a sense of what works and what doesn’t,” Matthew said. “… South Loop is such a remarkable neighborhood, and the fact that we can be the first in that neighborhood, I think it’s going to be game-changing.”
Governor JB Pritzker signed a law legalizing weed in 2019 to ease access into the industry for Black and brown people disproportionately affected by laws prohibiting drug use. Despite the law, there are still several obstacles to overcome when getting involved in the industry. “I think it’s the hardest thing that any of us have ever done,” Matthew said. “Part of it is just the intricacy of cannabis operations in general.”
The family has plans to expand, but these details are being kept within the family.
Grasshopper Club’s hours of operation are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays.
Six Former Mississippi Police Officers Plead Guilty To Charges In Torture Of Two Black Men
On Monday, August 14, six former Mississippi police officers pled guilty to all state charges against them connected to a January 2023 incident in which they tortured and abused two Black men.
Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke—who are former deputies—along with ex-police officer Joshua Hartfield all entered guilty pleas earlier this month in a federal case tied to the same violent attack. According to CNN, the charges against the men include conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, as well as home invasion and aggravated assault. They have been formally charged with 13 felonies and were officially relieved of their positions in June.
The former officers, who referred to themselves as the “Goon Squad,” broke down the door of the victims and proceeded to assault them for two hours.
The victims, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker filed a federal lawsuit in June, alleging the Mississippi officers illegally entered their home in Braxton, where they proceeded to handcuff, kick, waterboard, and tase them before also attempting to sexually assault them. Jenkins also recalled one of the deputies putting a gun into his mouth before shooting him.
Jenkins and Parkers both feel that the attack was racially motivated. The deputies “in their repeated use of racial slurs in the course of their violent acts, were oppressive and hateful against their African-American victims,” their lawsuit says. “Defendants were motivated on the basis of race and the color of the skin of the persons they assaulted.”
According to CNN, only one officer in the case has released a statement via his legal counsel. “He takes responsibility for his part in the horrific harms perpetrated on Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker, the victims, and is prepared to face the consequences of his misconduct,” Opdyke’s attorney Jeffrey Reynolds said in a statement.
Black Twitter is searching for a home in the wake of Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform and subsequent rebrand into X. In an article for TheWashington Post, Elizabeth Dwoskin posited that since Musk has been intentional about restoring the accounts of extremists, Black users have been exiting the platform.
Black Twitter has created a community, a digital home of sorts, on the app but those who have been a part of that community for years say that it no longer feels the same.
Touré, a writer and cultural critic, told The Post, “There was a time I felt Twitter was, like, too important,” Touré said. “With Elon, there were purposeful, dumb changes that felt like, ‘you’re literally shoving me out the door.’”
Black Twitter was instrumental in making sure that the world did not forget about the stories and lives of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and George Floyd. Those three names are now synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Wesley Lowery, a journalist who covered the Ferguson uprising for The Post, explained to the paperhow the hashtags spawned by Black Twitter drew media coverage: “The entire history of the mainstream media was that the editor made decisions about what to cover or what people were talking about based on what was said in his book club or at a dinner party. Suddenly, you had all these Black perspectives that were perceived as ‘That’s what everybody’s talking about.’”
Under its former owner, Jack Dorsey, Twitter made incremental efforts to protect its Black users, but Musk has largely dismantled those protections. When Musk bought the company, he found some shirts with the hashtag #StayWoke on them at its San Francisco headquarters. Musk mocked the shirts openly on the platform he had just purchased from Dorsey. This climate has transformed Twitter from a place that can help enact social change into something much less impactful, according to Meredith Clark, an associate journalism professor at Northwestern University. Clark told The Post, “Today, it would be impossible for Twitter to be the locus of attention for a similar racial justice movement as we saw in 2020.”
Clark explained, “What Elon’s purchase of Twitter has successfully done is create a hostile environment for [Black] folks who were meeting in good faith, to connect and find community.”
As a result of these changes, Black Twitter users have been searching on other platforms for the same kind of digital community they once enjoyed on Twitter. So far, there have been no real successes to find a replacement. Apps have certainly popped up, among the most recent entry is Spill, which was founded by two Black ex-Twitter executives. What has hampered some other apps, like Bluesky, is both an exclusive invite-only system and a failure to adequately address racism on its platform. Fanbase and Somewhere Good are Black-owned alternatives, but with different focuses and mediums of connection than Twitter. This has created a situation where, upon leaving Twitter, former Black Twitter members have become digital nomads.
Andre Brock, a media studies professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, describes Black Twitter as a “digital diaspora” looking for a new home, but thus far unable to find a place to set down roots.
Usher Recalls Serving As A Babysitter To Beyoncé’s Former Girl Group ‘The Dolls’
Usher and Beyoncé go back like Similac…or something like that. The “Nice and Slow” singer has known Beyoncé for so long he once had to serve as a babysitter to a young Bey and her early girl group The Dolls.
Usher was a guest on the U.K. radio show “Capital Breakfast With Roman Kemp” on August 11 when he shared a “fun fact” about his history with the most awarded artist in Grammy history.
“I knew Beyoncé when she was 12 years old, 11 years old,” Usher said, as noted by ET Canada. “She used to be in a group by the name of The Dolls.”
“I don’t know if I could consider myself their babysitter, but I actually had a time where I had to watch the Dolls.”
They were all kids at the time, but with Usher being a few years older, he was once tasked with watching over Beyoncé and The Dolls while at producer Daryl Simmons’ house.
“[Simmons] was working with [The Dolls] at the time, and I just happened to be over there and they were working on a session,” Usher explained.
“I kind of found my way into being their, like, I don’t know, chaperone, nanny, or something like that, because I was kinda the oldest person in the room.”
Those were the early days of their careers before both would go on to become music superstars with accolades across the Grammys, Billboard Awards, VMAs, and more. In 2008, Usher and Beyoncé answered the prayers of many R&B fans when they collaborated on Usher’s “Love in This Club, Part II” with Lil Wayne.
Most notably, Beyoncé shared the stage with Usher in 2004 for a sultry dance performance to his hit “Bad Girl.” Usher was the lead in her “Naughty Girl” video that same year.
“I’m giving away my secret to you!” Beyoncé said while revealing the name of her music video co-star, MTV reports. “I feel like Usher’s the Fred Astaire of our times.”
