by Mary Spiller

August 4, 2023

Wendy’s General Manager Created ‘Ghost Employee’ And Pocketed Their Wages

In Pennsylvania, a former Wendy’s general manager was charged with theft by deception on July 14. Thirty-five-year-old Linda Johnson reportedly created a fake employee to keep their logged wages.

Authorities reported that the Monroe, Louisiana, native worked at Wendy’s in Manheim Township at 1117 Harrisburg Pike. The restaurant owners contacted the police to report a suspected fraud case at Johnson’s hands. They claimed that the woman created a fake “ghost” employee named William Bright and was collecting the wages made by the employee. Johnson manually entered upwards of 100 shifts under Bright for nearly a year, clocking in and out at her restaurant location in Lancaster, according to the Manheim Township Police Department.

The total revenue paid to the ghost employee was $19,898 between June 2021 and May last year. The almost $20,000 in discrepant cost was found after an audit at the location.

On April 19, 2023, a police officer spoke to Johnson on the phone, and she reportedly admitted that she created William Bright and assigned him shifts that no one worked to pocket the money. She admitted that she set up all of the paychecks for Bright to be directly deposited into her CashApp account and then used the money to take care of her kids. Shortly after the admission, a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Wendy’s insurer paid out around $16,000 for the fraud incident, and Johnson was charged formally with one count of theft by deception on July 7, and a criminal case was filed shortly after. The Manheim Township Police Department requests any information the public may have about Johnson and her crime. Anyone with information should call the Manheim Township Police Department at 717-569-6401 or provide information anonymously on its website under “Submit a Tip.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 4, 2023

Kevin Durant Invests In Black Woman-Owned Sports League

Kevin Durant is expanding his business portfolio for a diverse initiative, investing in the National Cycling League. Launched in 2022, the organization became the first majority-women and minority-owned professional sports league.

NCL’s co-founders, Paris Wallace and David Mulugheta, wanted to spark a new era of cycling, branching out to new potential fans by breaking the knowledge barriers of the sport. Inspired by other sports leagues, they adopted a scoreboard for the contest to better engage viewers and attendees.

AfroTech confirmed Durant would oin other sports investors, including former professional athletes, in this cycling venture who are committed to broadening the audience of the niche sport. Durant has yet to publicly announce the news, but others in his cohort have expressed their excitement to be a part of the growing movement.

“As a former professional athlete and as an amateur cyclist who is committed to accessible health and wellness, I’m pleased to now be a co-owner in the league,” says former NFL wide receiver Desmond Howard in a statement re-shared by the publication. “NCL is providing many who haven’t historically had opportunities to own sports properties the chance to do so. I’m excited to be a part of the efforts to grow the interest and passion for the sport and to make cycling more inclusive.”

The league also opens the door for Black cycling enthusiasts and participants, diversifying what historically has a majority-white presence. As the exercise gains popularity across groups, the NCL ihopesto showcase that Black people do bike, and can succeed in the professional sport.

“There are millions of Black and brown cyclists around the world. In fact, they are the fastest growing group of cyclists in the US,” said Wallace, president of the NCL. “We plan to give these cyclists an opportunity to consider a professional career path in cycling and give them a sport to be proud of and to root for.”

by Jeffrey McKinney

August 4, 2023

Black-Owned Fearless Fund Plans Response Soon To Impromptu Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

The Fearless Fund plans to respond soon to an “unlawful racial discrimination” lawsuit filed impromptu against it by a conservative anti-affirmative action activist, BLACK ENTERPRISE covered.

The Atlanta-based Fearless Fund, calling itself the first VC fund built by women of color for women of color, made its intentions known to BLACK ENTERPRISE on Aug 3. The Black-owned venture capital firm was caught off guard by the suit filed this week by American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by Edward Blum.

The suit surfaced as the Fearless Fund has been a prominent and pivotal player in helping Black women business owners gain and raise capital. Started in 2019, it has raised tens of millions of dollars in financing to help Black women grow and expand businesses. The firm is led by CEO Arian Simone.

Now, the Fearless Fund is dealing with the newly reported lawsuit. Black leaders have voiced strong objections to the Supreme Court’s decision abolishing affirmative action. And some observers now question if the workplace will be Blum’s next target.

William Michael Cunningham, owner of Creative Investment Research, commented on the lawsuit in an editorial he wrote on the topic. He expressed that the American Alliance for Equal Rights has directed its negative legal stand at the Fearless Fund.

Amid this controversy, Cunningham told BE pressing questions are: why this specific legal battle, why the Fearless Fund, and why now? He says his firm’s analysis suggests that American Alliance is trying to eliminate all minority and women business programs.

He added his firm’s research shows the organization stands a good chance of succeeding because of their affirmative action lawsuit that was adjudicated in their favor by the Supreme Court.

“Black businesses must resist the temptations to retreat and hide their blackness,” Cunningham says.

“This lawsuit is an existential threat to the survival of all Black businesses. The situation demands a bold, courageous, and authentic approach to combat this.”

The suit questions Fearless Fund’s Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, according to Yahoo Finance.

The program awards Black women small business owners $20,000 in grants and digital tools to help them grow.

According to Reuters, lawsuits initiated by another group started by the conservative affirmative action activist Blum led to the Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023. The lawsuit is reportedly Blum’s first since the ruling by the nation’s highest court.

Blum and the Texas-based American Alliance for Equal Rights have stated some of its roughly 60 members – White and Asian American – have been excluded from the grant program due to their race, based on Street Insider.com.

business, startup, VC funding, black startups

by Mary Spiller

August 4, 2023

4th Annual Virginia Black Business Expo & Business Conference Features Sheila Renee Designs

Sheila Renee Designs will be featured in the 4th Annual Virginia Black Business Expo & Business Conference on Aug. 11—13 this year. Sheila Hawkins shared with the Baltimore Times how excited she was to partake in the event with other Black business owners.

As the company’s CEO and chief creative designer, Hawkins plays a big part in creating custom jewelry and clothing items with unique bling and designs. The company focuses heavily on things like Converse, tumblers and bottles, Crocs, and shirts; more notably, they offer classes on blinging things out yourself and elevating your craft business. Sheila Renee Designs is based in Waldorf, Maryland, and was started in 2018.

Hawkins said, “Our class, “Bling Like A Boss!,” teaches the art of bling. We offer Crocs and Converse classes. We will be adding additional bling classes soon. Also, we will be offering crafting courses like jewelry making, sublimation, how to make t-shirts, and other courses.”

She shared how excited she was to bring her business to Fredericksburg, Virginia, for the expo and conference. Not only does she believe that it will help drum up more attention for her business and gain more clientele, but she also feels that the event will be an opportunity to network with other prominent Black-owned businesses.

Hawkins described the space itself as incredibly valuable.

“Black business owners need to have a space to network and meet new customers. Networking allows business owners to build relationships, share knowledge and gain valuable insights. Having a dedicated space for Black business owners to network can also provide a sense of community and support. Additionally, it can create opportunities for collaboration and partnerships, which can lead to business growth and success.”

“Additionally, Black vendor events often feature unique and diverse products and services that may not be available elsewhere, providing attendees with a chance to discover new and exciting offerings. Overall, attending and supporting Black vendor events is a meaningful way to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society,” Hawkins added.

The Annual Virginia Black Business Expo & Conference is one of the largest of its kind and was co-founded by Ernisha and Tracey Hall. The event will have vendors from the East Coast area. Ernisha told the outlet that the goal was ultimately the “economic empowerment of Black businesses” and that they intend to further the mission by creating spaces to give Black businesses the exposure they deserve with education, directory, and networking opportunities.

The 4th Annual Virginia Black Business Expo & Business Conference will be three “days of shopping, entertainment, culture, and education with different leaders,” according to Ernisha. There will be activities over the weekend, like concerts, brunch, a skate party, food trucks, a career fair, and shopping spots.

“Overall, it’s about recycling the Black dollar,” Ernisha said. “There’s going to be over 100 vendors here to shop with.”

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 4, 2023

New Jersey Couple’s Appearance On The Food Network Helped Their Pasta Company Reach New Heights

A television network competition offer was needed to help revitalize an entrepreneur’s fledging business.

According to Scripps News, AJ Sankofa, a New Jersey chef, was notified via his Instagram account about The Great Food Truck Race competition. The Food Network asked him if he and his company ESO Artisanal Pasta would like to audition for a spot on the show. The rest, as they say, is history.

That opportunity helped the business in a way that can only be measured by including Sankofa and his company in the competition. He and his wife, Kristin Gambarian, appeared on the 15th season of the show in 2022, and it was the spark they needed to stay on level ground.

After being invited to audition and surviving through several rounds, their team, which included their friend Matt McFadden, was accepted into the competition. The trio was given their own food truck to go up against other teams of chefs in the competition. None of them had experienced working within the confines of a food truck, so they learned as they went about the competition. Until then, they didn’t realize that it isn’t as easy to fix artisanal pasta in a tight space. ESO was the first team to serve pasta on The Great Food Truck Race.

After being flown to California and competing between February 2022 and April 2022, the team came in third place in the competition, and from there, business took off!

ESO Artisanal Pasta can be found on a side street in Morristown, New Jersey. The shop is only open two days a week, on Fridays and Saturdays. This is due to the couple cooking and hosting parties throughout the week. They rent out a commercial kitchen at a restaurant 45 minutes away to make their products. They also make their money doing private parties as well.

Appearing on The Great Food Truck Race has helped their online business. Their customers and fans of the show can order home kit pasta that sells in the $150 range so they can serve an artisanal meal at home.

Now that business has picked up, and they are doing well, Sankofa and Gambarian plan to save to buy a home and open their own restaurant business.

Lil Baby & Foot Locker Give Back To The Atlanta Community

by Mary Spiller

August 4, 2023

Lil Baby & Foot Locker Give Back To The Atlanta Community

Lil Baby and Foot Locker are back at it again, giving back to the community as a part of their “Back to School Festival.” This week the “Drip Too Hard” rapper dropped by two events to give back to the kids in Atlanta, his hometown. He and Foot Locker gave away school supplies and sneakers for the upcoming school year.

As commemorated with an Instagram post on Aug. 2, Lil Baby shared a montage of his supply drive. In the video, Dominique Armani Jones, known as Lil Baby, handed out snacks like granola, crackers, and Cheez-Its. In other locations in Atlanta, he passed to children and their families folders, pencil cases, notebooks, and backpacks for the upcoming school year. In one clip, Lil Baby even operated an ice cream truck and took photos with some of his young fans.

The Instagram post was captioned: “No Matter How The Narrative Switch, I’m One Of The Best To Ever Do This S###. 3 giveaways In The Same Day.”

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A post shared by @lilbaby

Another video posted the day before by Foot Locker showed the 28-year-old rapper in Atlanta’s Westland Mall giving away sneakers. According to Complex, Lil Baby gave away over $300,000 worth of shoes and clothing to nearly 2,000 Atlanta students. The post on Instagram features Lil Baby walking around the Foot Locker store, interacting with his fans, and taking pictures with them and the employees while handing out sneakers. The excited crowd was given free shoes and other items through Lil Baby and Foot Locker’s partnership with Goodr.

The local food company, Goodr, strives to combat a persistent food waste problem to help end hunger. The company showed up for the partnership to provide hot meals and snacks to those who attended the event to get free shoes.

Foot Locker wrote in the caption, “Free shoes for the kids @lilbaby,” and described the video with “Lil Baby pulls up to Foot Locker to give back.”

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A post shared by Foot Locker (@footlocker)

by Stacy Jackson

August 4, 2023

10 Black Women-Owned Retail Businesses Are Getting A Boost Through Louisiana Retail Accelerator Program

Black women may be the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, but they still face some of the same struggles hindering major success.

The Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA) recently announced the launch of the Retail Accelerator Program, a new initiative in collaboration with several other National Urban League Entrepreneurship Centers countrywide. The National Urban League described the initiative as a commitment to support Black women in retail.

“We are proud to offer this unique program in support of Black women in retail across Louisiana and applaud National Urban League and Walmart for being intentional in their efforts to support Black women founders,” said Urban League Louisiana President and CEO Judy Reese Morse.

According to Biz New Orleans, the program will support 10 Black women-owned retail businesses in Louisiana in areas such as:

Entrepreneurial training and support.
Women in retail leadership development program.
WBE and MBE certification assistance.
Bid prep training and assistance.
Mentor, protégé, and peer-to-peer partner programs and financial empowerment and access to capital services.

Klassi Duncan, vice president of ULLA’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, said participants would have the opportunity to learn about capacity building, distribution, go-to-market strategies, supply chain management, and access to capital from several retail experts. “One of the biggest challenges that small businesses face is getting access to the right resources to scale in meeting the needs of large big box retailers. This program directly addresses this challenge and much more,” Duncan said.

ULLA’s program goals will focus on amplifying the marketability of Black women-owned retail businesses and assist with job creation and retention to grow the businesses into multi-employee firms. The program will provide direct assistance with business certifications, public and private contracting, and leadership development.

The 2023 inaugural cohort includes Sherilyn Hayward of Leroy’s LipSmack’n Lemonade; Tiffany Brown of Wicks Nola Candle Company; Natashia Paul of Chuupul Leather; Paige Alexander of L’Jai Amor; Keishia Deverney of Element Beverage; Jacqueline Arvie of Jax’s Creole Kitchen; Laportia Cooper of Nola Botanical Tea; Julie Vaucresson of Creole Made Easy; Joyce Galmon of Joyce’s Sweets Inc.; and Brittney Hawkins-Dobard of Nola Cookie Co.

Walmart sponsors the Retail Accelerator Program through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity.

CURLBOX Closes Down After Over A Decade In Business

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 4, 2023

CURLBOX Closes Down After Over A Decade In Business

CURLBOX, a monthly subscription box that paved the way for businesses focusing on textured hair, has announced it is ceasing operations. Founded by Myleik Teele in 2012, the Atlanta entrepreneur shared her decision to shut down and forge a new direction for her career.

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A post shared by myleik (@myleik)

In a conversation with Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Teele spoke about how the company remained independent throughout its entire run, a choice she wanted to step out of in a post-pandemic society.

“After running the company independently for 11 years, I have achieved all that I can on my own,” shared Teele.

“Following the pandemic, the company would be better off under the umbrella of a larger corporation with access to the latest e-commerce technology and a more comprehensive beauty portfolio to offer a complete beauty experience.”

CURLBOX was a gateway for Black women to explore new products that best fit their hair pattern, as these haircare essentials were rare and inaccessible for mainstream purchasing when it first started. Building her business from the ground up, connecting and collaborating with Black-owned haircare brands was essential to Teele’s mission, even amid partnerships with huge retailers such as Walmart and Ulta.

Her promotion of Mielle Organics, for example, helped in its growth to become a leading brand in the textured hair space. Being the go-to marketing platform, with a unique premise of mystery items in every box, created subscribers’ fascination and appreciation for the consistent quality.

Teele is grateful for the opportunity she was able to provide for herself and her brand, as well as be part of the movement for greater accessibility to diverse hair care products,

“When I first established this company, we provided customers with a rare opportunity to try out entire collections of textured hair products. Now, you can easily find suitable products in any store.”

However, for the company’s longtime fans, Teele assures them that CURLBOX is still under her ownership. Its future, however, is evolving in a way that suits her aspirations best.

by Derek Major

August 4, 2023

HUD Secretary Reiterates Commitment To End Bias And Create Equal Housing Opportunities, newsletter 4,

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) agreed to work together to address appraisal bias and discrimination.

According to a HUD statement, Fudge, who recently spoke at NAREB’s 75th National Convention, is committed to fighting housing discrimination and bias through education, outreach, and other activities. Fudge added the agency will conduct online training for housing counselors to understand racial appraisal bias in home valuations betters.

“I live in a Black neighborhood by choice; my home is bigger, my lot is bigger, yet my home is valued less than the white neighborhood down the block; this must change,” Secretary Fudge admitted in her speech.

HUD and NAREB will also hold roundtable discussions at regional HUD Office of Housing Counseling (OHC) meetings across the U.S. to help homeowners better understand appraisal bias in specific areas, build public-private partnerships to fight appraisal bias, and discuss how housing counselors can best help families impacted by housing discrimination and prejudice.

Housing appraisal bias has been a hot topic in recent years as Black homeowners have exposed racist appraisers who lowered the value of their homes through whitewashing, a practice where a Black family that owns a home will take out all identifiers and have a white friend pretend it’s their home.

The National Fair Housing Training Academy will also collaborate with the NAREB to train its Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP) and Fair Housing Assistance Program participants to identify bias and discrimination in appraisals.

In her speech, Fudge also committed to fighting racial disparities in housing for marginalized communities, adding, “There’s a new sheriff in town, and her administration is committed to ensuring they make a difference in the lives of Black and Brown people. “

Fudge added that HUD and its partners will also address credit and financial challenges Black borrowers face when purchasing a home.

“Some Black borrowers lack credit, but now when obtaining an FHA loan, rental history can be used as a credit history.” The policy change is a method to expand access to credit and homeownership opportunities for individuals with limited credit history.

by BigDrop

August 4, 2023

‘Touch Of Class Beauty Bar’ Is Helping Future Entrepreneurs Build Their Business Skillsets

Christina Bernadotte of Touch of Class Beauty Bar is helping future entrepreneurs build their skillset.

Bernadotte is a hairstylist in Seminole County, Florida, and her beauty bar teaches young entrepreneurs everything they need to know about launching their businesses, including financial literacy. One would expect Bernadotte to have her hands full, juggling her own business while being a mother of two. However, she has made it a point to balance her career as a stylist and her passion for helping others. At her salon, she strives to make sure her clients feel beautiful. “Whether they are chemotherapy patients or are going through a bad divorce or a bad breakup, they come in here and change their lives,” Bernadotte told Click Orlando.

Beyond that, she has made her salon a site for young people to grow. She regularly hosts hair braiding and entrepreneurship classes and team-building exercises. Bernadotte’s goal is to inspire the next generation. “We are definitely in a different day and age, and I let them know it’s important to have your own. Ownership is key,” she said. “Try it, have something that you’re passionate about and utilize it and make it make money and make it make sense.”

David Lucdor, a student at Howard University, has attended Bernadotte’s sessions and can attest to her talents. “She’s really been there as a good mentor,” he said. “I think it’s important to have classes especially for Black youth to understand not only the importance of having your own business but also being able to understand what it means to be a trailblazer in your own particular area.”

Touch of Class Beauty Bar is soon relocating to 185 S. Westmonte Drive in Altamonte Springs. Still, this won’t stop Bernadotte’s mission to help others. If anything, she’ll gain even more clientele and entrepreneurial hopefuls eager to start their journeys. Regardless of where she is, her impact will remain just as grand.