• Career

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 15, 2023

Mushiya Rebrands Hair Care Brand And Talks Menstrual Care Initiative

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Mushiya Tshikuka, the founder and CEO of Runway Curls, the popular haircare brand that has been serving customers with quality natural hair wigs and extensions for years, has rebranded her company as MUSHIYA Beauty. The rebranding comes as a result of the brand’s desire to expand its product line while remaining true to its core values of empowering women to embrace their natural hair textures throughout the US and across the African diaspora.

Mushiya, former reality-TV star of WEtv’s Cutting It In The ATL and founder and CEO of MUSHIYA Beauty (formerly Runway Curls), has long been a trailblazer in the natural haircare industry. With a mission to provide quality, high fashion products that empower women of color to love their natural textures, Mushiya has built a loyal following of customers who trust her products to deliver the results they want.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of MUSHIYA Beauty,” said Mushiya. “Our new brand name not only reflects our continued commitment toward providing our customers with the best in natural hair wigs and extensions but it also reflects our full spectrum of new beauty products and accessories to further celebrate their natural beauty. From Atlanta, Georgia to the Republic of Congo, MUSHIYA aims to provide an arsenal of products that makes women of color feel unstoppable and unapologetically gorgeous in all things natural beauty.”

Signature Collections of MUSHIYA Beauty include:

• The Baby Naps Wig Collection
• Madame Kinky Wig Collection
• Virgin Hair Wig & Bundles Collection
• Blended Bundles Collection
• MUSHIYA Press-On Nails Collection
• MotherFanner Hand Fan Collection
• MUSHIYA Cosmetics coming later in 2023

In addition to the expanded lines of hair and beauty products, MUSHIYA Beauty is home to The Mushiya Foundation, which aims to bring awareness to end menstrual trauma among women and girls living in the Republic of Congo through its NOIRE initiative. NOIRE consists of education, advocacy, and outreach to break down the social, cultural and economic barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing menstrual health resources, and instead, empowers them to take control of their own reproductive health. A dollar from every purchase of MUSHIYA Beauty products will go toward producing and distributing FREE Noire sanitary pads to those women and girls in the Congo who lack this resource.

“NOIRE is my ultimate passion project,” says Mushiya. “As a woman born in the Congo and raised by two Congolese parents, the menstrual trauma faced by women and girls there just breaks my heart. For this reason, NOIRE strives to create a world where every woman and girl can live with dignity, free from the shame, stigma, and trauma that so often accompanies menstruation. I look forward to teaming up with MUSHIYA Beauty customers, the Congolese community at large, and women’s health and political advocates to put an end to this crisis.”

To learn more about the beautiful world of MUSHIYA, please visit the company’s website at MushiyaBeauty.com

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Change Your Hair, Change Your Life,’ This Emmy Award-Winning Celebrity Hairstylist Is Teaching Financial Literacy to Beauty Professionals

Dorothy Jean Tillman, the youngest ever to make the BLACK ENTERPRISE 40 Under 40 list in 2021 at the age of 15, continues investing in the next generation of leaders.

From Chicago to Africa, the now 17-year-old founder and CEO of the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Leadership
Institute, and aspiring woman of power, has planted roots to cultivate her leadership approach. Tillman is fostering creativity and divergent thinking alongside STEAM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) while encouraging children to explore, play, and try new things.

While pursuing her Doctorate of Behavioral Health, at Arizona State University, Tillman and her team of STEAM-ulators are creating pathways for more underrepresented groups to enter and succeed in STEAM related fields in spite of the education landscape.

“There’s obviously a big problem in our education system. And a big part of that problem is that they are treating kids like robots who are all cut and colored the same. They aren’t. Every kid is different. Even when you don’t break it down to each person, there is at least three or five big groups of ways to learn that they still don’t want to cater to,” Tillman tells BE.

“People need to be able to go at their own pace and openly communicate and learn about things like financial literacy and communication,” she adds. “Counselors in a lot of schools aren’t really up to par with what those students need or even if the counselors are very competent, there’s way too many students to help each one.”

Most recently, the STEAM Leadership Institute brought its learning and leadership prowess to ASU, while giving students the undivided attention they each deserve. It recently partnered with American Family Insurance for the empowering and interactive 2023 STEAM & Dream Summit in Phoenix. More than 200 students participated in the youth-led and youth-focused activation to celebrate Earth Day and climate resilience. As a change maker, Tillman is leading the charge in amplifying voices on how to invest in our planet.

“Having leaders who want to lead you, who want to teach you is extremely important. There are a lot of teachers who are getting treated unfairly are resenting their jobs and they’re resenting their students. That’s not okay because that creates resentment from the students and then its just an endless cycle,” Tillman explains.

Tillman is proud and intentional about maintaining a point of contact and resource for youth to gain access to leadership, guidance, and even letters of recommendations. She is looking forward to her golden 18th birthday, franchising her business as well as pouring time into trips for bonding and learning purposes.

In doing so, Tillman has done the following: “surround yourself with the best people possible. Resources take people very far and it makes a difference in the equitability of a situation.”

“That’s why I was able to do it because I had a great foundation. I had good leaders and people to look to tell me how to do things. When you have that help and you have those people guiding you and to be that ground to walk on, things are a lot easier.”

Tillman advises youngsters who want to build and create something for kids to “lay out your plan and find the right people to associate with.”

“Know exactly what you want so your village can help you get it,” she says.

RELATED CONTENT: BLACK ENTERPRISE Presents Inaugural 40 Under 40 Summit 

Since the couple got married in 2008, they have always dreamed of having their own baby. But years have passed and Susie still didn’t get pregnant. They tried consulting doctors but they were always told that it could not happen.

Aside from their age, Susie had uterine fibroids and Tony had some medical issues that lowered their chances to have a baby in a natural way.

RELATED CONTENT: Da Brat And Jesseca Harris-Dupart Are Gifting An IVF Cycle Worth $10K To A Lucky Fan

That is when they tried other procedures like IVF and egg donation. Cone Health OBGYN Dr. Carolyn Harraway-Smith referred them to Carolinas Fertility Institute where Susie’s fibroids were removed before performing rounds of egg collections and IVF.

“None of that worked, and we were down to our last embryo,” Susie Troxler told WFMY News about their experience. “They bring me into the ultrasound, and the first thing they said was, ‘Oh, she’s moving!’ I was like, ‘Yes!’”

RELATED CONTENT: Da Brat & Jesseca Get Candid About Lack of Black Sperm Donors, ‘We Don’t See No Black People’

Susie gave birth to a healthy baby girl that they named Lily, during the pandemic

“We are thrilled. Sleep-deprived, but totally beyond worth it. She is a miracle baby,” Susie said.

Meanwhile, even though giving birth at the age of 50 is extremely rare, Harraway-Smith said it is not always recommended as it involves risks

Several key risks include:

• Preeclampsia is a type of high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy and can become life-threatening
• Gestational diabetes
• Ectopic pregnancy happens when the egg is attached outside of your uterus
• Moms older than 50 also have a higher risk of needing a cesarean delivery
• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth

RELATED CONTENT: This Mompreneur Spreads Awareness On Infertility With Toddler Luxury Line

This article was originally published on BlackNews

Update: This article was first published on May 12, 2017, but Dominique Earland’s work is important as ever as Black maternal health is critical. Earland currently attends the University of Minnesota, and is a MD/PhD candidate in the Medical Science Training Program. Earland’s research is around infectious disease, community health and social justice.

Dominique Earland wasn’t just born on Mother’s Day—in a sense, her birthright became her destiny. And this year, her birthday will also fall on Mother’s Day and mark the beginning of a week of accolades in recognition of the young scholar’s work.

Socially Engaged Researcher

Earland will be graduating later this month with two undergraduate degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas: one in biology (pre-med track) and one in human rights. But from before the ninth grade, she already seemed to be moving toward what would become her life’s work.

The young student arrived on the SMU campus in 2008 as part of the federally funded Physician Scientist Training Program, which encourages youth of color to pursue STEM careers by taking college-level classes and participating in research projects. Through that exposure, Earland learned that SMU was a leader in the field of human rights, another passion of hers.

“Hearing [EHRP Director] Prof. Rick Halperin talk so passionately about important issues made me see there was another world of learning opportunities out there, ones relevant to me pursuing a career in global health,” she says. In 2012, SMU began offering an undergraduate degree in human rights––”that really sealed the deal that I would attend college here.”

Maternal Health Toolkit

Earland has earned several awards, grants, fellowships, and scholarships. She used her SMU Embrey Human Rights Program Community Outreach Fellowship to develop the 36-page maternal health kit for Dallas-area women.

The guide, Your Right to Health, which offers women medical advice and alerts them to community resources, was developed “to break down barriers to healthcare faced by all women, especially in Texas, where maternal mortality rates have reached an alarming high,” Earland says. The guide was completed with assistance from the Dallas County Fetal-Infant Mortality Review Program, and includes resources for refugees and undocumented immigrants; it also provides information on the Zika virus.

“Did you know a person’s health outcome can be predicted by their zip code?” Earland says. “Race also plays a factor. African American women face harsher healthcare disparities.”

A Gentlewoman and a Scholar

Earland has done research on anemia in pregnancy in western Jamaica, which has been accepted for peer-reviewed publication. She has also done research on teen pregnancy and participated in service projects that took her from Oklahoma to Costa Rica.

The Phi Beta Kappa Scholar has received SMU’s highest honor—the “M” award. In addition, she held a leadership role in the school’s Association of Black Students and volunteered with a program for refugee children, among others.

Along with several college grants and scholarships, Earland received support from her Philadelphia home community, including her family’s house of worship, Bethlehem Baptist Church, and the Black Women’s Educational Alliance, based in Pennsylvania.

Maybe being born on Mother’s Day didn’t set the course for Earland’s life work, but it certainly didn’t hurt!

RELATED CONTENT: 7 Magical Things To Do On Mother’s Day

• Women

by Ida Harris

May 14, 2023

Badass Boss Lady Bozoma Saint John Chronicles Losses And Wins Of Motherhood

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Bozoma Saint John shared an emotional video clip that chronicled her losses and wins in motherhood. 

The sentimental visuals ran against Mariah Carey’s powerful vocals on the song “Hero.”  The bad ass boss woman tied her journey to being a strong mom and a heroine, respectively. 

“Strong mamas are heroes. And heroes are built through love, loss and survival.” Saint John captioned the tearjerking Instagram post. 

The video begins with Saint John in a gym working on her well-toned physique then quickly shifts to a Clearblue pregnancy test that reads positive. Images of a happily pregnant St. John are displayed along with a sonogram of a fetus and a picture of the former Netflix executive in a hospital bed visibly swollen. This photo was captioned, “…and then I got sick with preeclampsia which made my blood pressure life-threatening.”

What followed was devastating: an obituary for Eve Afiba Saint John that read “Ascended to Heaven July 11, 2008.” Baby Eve was being held by her parents and did not survive childbirth. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bozoma Saint John (@badassboz)

Due to alarming racial disparity in maternal health, Black infants are dying at alarming rates. According to the National Vital Statistics Reports, Black birthers face the highest infant mortality rates across race and ethnicity at “10.97 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.” And while low income and poverty seemingly play a role in these outcomes, wealthier Black women are impacted as well. The New York Times reported that “437 babies born to the richest Black mothers die” and “653 babies born to the poorest Black mothers die” per 100,000 California births. 

Although Saint John has found herself among this demographic, the C-suite executive went on to have a healthy pregnancy that resulted in the birth of her daughter, Lael, who is now 14 years old. Bozoma shared the post ahead of Mother’s Day to remind her followers of the resilience of Black mothers and let them know that heroes are “built” not “born.” 

To learn more about Saint John’s journey pick up her recently published memoir, The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival, at a Black bookstore near you. 

RELATED CONTENT: Netflix Executive Bozoma Saint John Unveils New Memoir Coming In 2022

• Career

by Tiffany Trotter

May 14, 2023

ICYMI: City Girls Series Opens Up A Larger Conversation Around The Penalty Of Motherhood

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This article was originally published July 12, 2020. It’s safe to say Yung Miami has survived the motherhood penalty. The Florida native is currently host of Caresha, Please on Revolt TV

The rap duo City Girls is known for speaking their minds. They keep it 100% real about the experiences that have defined their lives and how they view the world.

Yung Miami and JT (born Caresha Brownlee and Jatavia Johnson, respectively), the Miami-based rappers who comprise the rap group, are very vocal and transparent about expressing their opinions through their music.

Best of all, they don’t care what people think or how their music is perceived. 

Their no-holds-barred approach to their music is also reflected in their interactions with fans, including sharing personal details and vulnerable moments in their career.

Yung Miami’s Secret 

In the first of a new five-part series, Brownlee revealed her fears surrounding pregnancy and her career. 

In the video, aptly titled Yung Miami’s Secret, she revealed how scared she was to tell her boss, Pierre Thomas, CEO of Quality Control Music, she was five months pregnant. 

“One of the reasons I hid my pregnancy is because I didn’t want people to feel like it’s a limit to what I can do,” she shared. 

She went on to share that she was not only fearful of her manager’s reaction but also the impact her pregnancy could have on her career.

“I was just scared because I didn’t know how people were going to react. How my fans were going to feel.”

The Motherhood Penalty 

Brownlee’s fears around pregnancy and career aren’t unfounded. 

Rapper Cardi B shared a similar experience when she became pregnant with her first child at the height of her burgeoning music career in 2018.

“When I got pregnant, I was f*cking freaking out. Everybody around me was like, ‘No, this never happened before. Every artist that has a baby, they already put in years in the game. This is your first year. You’re going to mess it up. How are you going to make it?” she told W Magazine in 2018.

Understanding the Motherhood Penalty

I wasn’t even thinking of winning or even the Grammies. All I can think about was …everybody is disappointed in me, am I still going to have a career after this baby ? Is this album going to make me or break me ? I need to finish before I start showing .

— iamcardib (@iamcardib) August 28, 2019

One can only imagine the pressure and fear both female entertainers felt, amid what should be one of the happiest moments of their lives. These experiences and concerns around pregnancy and career help to illustrate the motherhood penalty. 

The motherhood penalty is a term used to describe the systemic disadvantages working mothers often face in perceived competence and pay when compared to their male counterparts. 

Motherhood often comes with unconscious bias and unfounded stereotypes that mothers aren’t as committed to their jobs. 

Women in the Workplace

But the motherhood penalty isn’t just felt by entertainers and athletes. These experiences speak to a broader, more complicated problem around women and how pregnancies impact their careers.

According to a study conducted by Bright Horizons, the number of women worried about telling their bosses about their pregnancies nearly doubled in five years—from 12% in 2014 to 21%. 

In fact, from my own experience, shortly after I revealed my pregnancy to a former manager, I was called by an HR executive and told I would be let go. 

When I asked if it was due to performance, they reassured me it had nothing to do with that. In fact, I had gotten a salary increase a few weeks before.

I didn’t dare ask if it was because of my pregnancy. But to this day I still wonder if my pregnancy had anything to do with my untimely goodbye. 

It was a devastating experience, and yet it’s something many women struggle with today.

A staggering 65% of women without children worry about what having a child will mean for their career.

Black Women in the Workplace

Black mothers face even more obstacles in the workplace due to racism and sexism.

“In so many different ways, Black women have a harder and worse experience than almost everyone else,” according to a study conducted by Lean In.

These struggles include being overrepresented in minimum wage jobs, being hired and promoted more slowly, and being paid less than men and most other groups of women. Adding the motherhood penalty to that equation only makes it harder for Black women to succeed in the workplace. 

Choosing Between a Career and Pregnancy?

“I see a lot of women online, like, ‘I feel sorry for you. Your career is over.’ And it’s like, ‘Why can’t I have both?'”

— Cardi B 

Research has shown that for the stereotypes and biases around working mothers to be dismantled, there needs to be equal representation for women in the workplace, in leadership roles, and more flexible work arrangements that support mothers. 

• 91% of working Americans agree that moms can bring unique skills to leadership roles in an organization.
• 84% believe that having mothers in leadership roles will make a business more successful.

Thankfully there are signs of improvements as companies roll out more inclusive workplace policies, but there is still a long way to go.

Women shouldn’t have to choose between the birth of their child and their career. And women shouldn’t have to feel fearful or afraid if and when they become pregnant.

After all, if you ask me pregnancy is the eighth wonder of the world. 

Tiffany Trotter is the founder of BraveSelfStarter, a community dedicated to helping newcomers to the U.S. to navigate careers and personal finance. She is also a children’s book author committed to spreading gender positive messages of bravery and confidence.

• News

by Stacy Jackson

May 14, 2023

The Future Of Black Women In Corporate Board Positions Hangs In The Balance

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Obtaining corporate board positions could become more complicated if the U.S. Supreme Court eradicates affirmative action this summer.

The decision hangs in the balance as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares for an upcoming ruling on two cases to determine if race should be considered in college admissions. Banning affirmative action will also impact the likelihood of Black women in corporate board positions.

In 2021, Black women gained a record number of seats—168 Black women held 231 spots of the over 5,500 seats—in the boardrooms of S&P 500 companies, according to ISS Corporate Solutions.

Still, just 4% of Black women have earned a seat at the table.

Merline Saintil, co-founder of Black Women on Boards, said Black women have trouble landing corporate board positions due to a lack of access to the right networks. Whites with access to networks are likely to have held previous C-suite positions that distinguish their resumes from those of Black women.

Despite impressive work experiences, Black women appointed to corporate boards are likely taking a seat for the first time. Their lack of connection to networks is apparent when pitted against their white counterparts.

College is one place Black women can connect to the right networks, and affirmative action ensures that institutions “address racial discrimination by recognizing and responding to the structural barriers denied to underrepresented students access to higher education,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The absence of affirmative action could result in a significant decrease in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and higher education. Katharine Meyer, a fellow at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution said,

“I think these policies do increase the racial and socioeconomic diversity of particularly the flagship institutions in a state,” she told U.S. News & World Report.

Meyer added that institutions “aren’t able to overcome the loss in diversity from banning affirmative action” after affirmative action has been banned in a state.

A study noted, “the number of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students enrolled at the nine surveyed flagship universities was 11.2 percentage points less than the share of high school graduates from these demographic groups in the states where the schools are located. This gap rose to 13.9 percentage points immediately after the ban and, by 2015, to 14.3 percentage points.” 

The executive order signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 required government contractors to employ applicants and treat employees “without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”

RELATED CONTENT: This Black Woman CEO is Working to Fix the Prison System: ‘We Have Witnessed Hope Renewed’

The number of businesses owned by African American women has increased by 67% between 2007 and 2012, making black females the fastest growing sector of entrepreneurs in the nation. In spite of the unique set of hurdles and challenges, black women in business continue to thrive and have become a booming economic force. The exponential growth is particularly impressive and hard-won, especially among black mothers who manage to raise children while running a business. Featured below are 10 mompreneurs who serve as inspiration for business owners of all sorts and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Mompreneur’s Unique Invention Wins $50,000 on ‘Steve Harvey’s Funderdome’

A frustrating day at the beach with her son led Shirley Hayden to invent The Unique Seat, a lightweight lounging system that’s perfect for outdoor use. Hayden and her son pitched the product on Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, a TV show hosted by Harvey, and earned $50,000 in capital last year.

“Having a young child at the time and wanting to have an enjoyable day going to the beach created the necessity for The Unique Seat for me and many other outdoor enthusiasts,” Hayden told Black Enterprise.

 

“I recall how frustrating it was to pack and carry all the comforts of home with us to enjoy a family day at the beach. That’s when the idea for The Unique Seat came to me. After setting up for the day at the beach I sat thinking, ‘there has to be a better way to do this’ and I received a clear vision of what The Unique Seat would look like. I remember coming home and drawing the vision in detail and therefore beginning the creation of my first prototype.”

Def Jam Exec Gets Fired After Maternity Leave and Launches Dance Fitness Class 

%CODE1%

Akinah Rahmaan, the founder of lifestyle fitness company Banana Skirt Productions, stopped by Black Enterprise to talk about her popular dance classes and journey into entrepreneurship.

Teen Mom Turned Mompreneur is Honored With the Key To her City

Altrichia Cook was not deterred when she unexpectedly became a teen mom at 17. Rather, the Florida native became even more determined to graduate high school, pursue higher education, and launch her own business. Today, she runs a luxury swimwear line and is redefining the realm of possibilities for teenage mothers of color through philanthropy and mentorship.

Mompreneur Raises $25,000, Creates Line of Diverse Dolls, Gets in ‘O’ Magazine

Ozi Okaro started Ikuzi Dolls in early 2015 once she realized how limited the scope of toys was for children of color. “One of my daughters has dark brown skin and the other has light brown skin. I couldn’t find dolls for each of them individually,” Okaro told Black Enterprise. So she launched an online-based business to fill a gap for girls of color who didn’t have access to dolls that look like them.

In the fall of that year, she started an online crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the production of inventory. It failed spectacularly, raising only $6,000 of the intended $36,000. A few weeks later, she would turn to family and friends for support and raised $25,000 in a matter of three weeks with a bulk of the cash coming from her own family savings. “It’s funny how people come together for you when they believe in you,”

Her big break, however, would come in the spring of 2017 when O Magazine came calling.

The Two Women Changing the Perception of Millennial Moms of Color

Ghanaian publicity pros Simona Noce and Nikki Osei created a platform for millennial moms of color called District Motherhued that provides opportunities and resources for its #DMVMomTribe for personal, professional, and economic growth.

Mompreneur Who Raised $20,000 on Kickstarter Is Open for Business

Lynnette Abbott began planning parties for children of color, while simultaneously working as an office administrator at the U.S. Customs and Border Control office in Florida. She then raised over $20,000 and quit her job with the federal government to run her business, Craft My Occasion, full time.

 New Mom Launches Subscription Box Spotlighting Books With Black Characters

Tamara McNeil was a first-time mom, wife, and a public relations director for a national nonprofit back in 2016 when she became frustrated with searching for books featuring black characters. That’s when she took matters into her own hands and created Just Like Me!, a perfectly curated subscription box filled with African American children’s books and other fun educational tools. Considering “3,500 children’s books were published in 2014, but only 180 were about black people,” according to a study, McNeil figured there were probably other mothers who felt the same way.

Former Wall Street Exec Launches Afrocentric Avatar Collection to Help Black Girls Feel Pretty

After watching her 4-year-old have an identity crisis, Múkami Kinoti Kimotho created a line of Afrocentric avatars called Royelles that empowers girls, like her daughter, to embrace their originality. Kimotho designed and hand-crafted 13 different prototypes in the collection.

Millennial Mom Launches High-Style Enterprise

Rosalind Brown is a Miami-based millennial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Selfie Addict LLC. In addition, Rosalind works as an online fashion consultant and real estate agent.

• Money

by Jeffrey McKinney

May 13, 2023

Mother’s Day Spending Projected To Reach Almost $36 Billion

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“Mother’s Day provides Americans with an opportunity to honor important women in their lives,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay shared in a statement.

According to a news release, and as seen in prior years, the most popular gifts to give are flowers (74%), greeting cards (74%), and special outings such as dinner or brunch (60%). People will spend a total of $7.8 billion on jewelry, $5.6 billion on special outings, and $4 billion on electronics.

Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said,  “While most consumers shopped online last year for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, we are seeing just as many people turn to department stores as a shopping destination this year.”

Yet, consumers continue to prioritize thoughtful gifts. Respondents reported that the most important factors in purchasing a Mother’s Day gift include finding unique or different items (47%) or creating a special memory (42%).