Allagash Brewing Company, the award-winning Portland, Maine-based brewery, and Crowns & Hops Brewing Co., the celebrated Black-owned brewery in Inglewood, California with a mission to advance racial equity in the craft beer space, are proud to announce the launch of their collaboration beer, Cur-8. Hitting shelves in February at the start of Black History Month, Cur-8 pairs the crisp flavor of Crowns & Hops’ 8 Trill Pils pilsner with notes of bourbon, vanilla and oak from Allagash Curieux.
Proceeds from sales will go to the 8 Trill Initiative, a development fund launched by Crowns & Hops co-founders Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter dedicated to generating opportunities for Black-owned craft beer brands while demonstrating the benefits and fiscal impact of racial equity. Cur-8 is part of the new Eight Trillion Allies Collaboration Series that partners established breweries with Black-owned beer brands to accomplish true representation in the brewing industry. “8 Trill Pils” is named after a statistic from a W.K. Kellogg Foundation report, “Business Case for Racial Equity.” The report suggests that the U.S. stands to realize an $8 trillion gain in the national GDP by closing the racial equity gap by 2050.
“Allagash has been a brand that we have long admired, and partnering with them to launch Cur-8 is a natural fit,” said Beny Ashburn, CEO and Co-Founder, Crowns & Hops. “We’re able to draw from our respective signature beers to create something new and exciting, while also joining forces to support important initiatives that we care deeply about,” states Teo Hunter, COO & Head Beer Operations and Co-Founder, Crowns & Hops.
Cur-8 and the partnership between Allagash and Crowns & Hops is an extension of the two breweries’ long-standing relationship and mutual appreciation. Allagash Curieux was actually the first craft beer that Teo Hunter tried, and was key in sparking his interest in craft beer. The two breweries were also paired up in August 2022 for a ‘Fresh from the Barrel’ offering exclusive to Barrel & Flow Fest. With their latest partnership, Allagash and Crowns & Hops aim to create a lasting contribution for the 8 Trill Initiative, united in their mutual desire for progress.
“We have huge admiration for Beny and Teo’s passion and commitment – not just for brewing outstanding beer, but for building community and for civic engagement,” said Rob Tod, Founder, Allagash. “Our breweries’ core values align, and the release of Cur-8 reflects our respective efforts to make a positive impact through beer. We loved collaborating with them on this and look forward to working together with them to achieve more racial equity in craft beer.”
Allagash’s dedication to community and social justice initiatives is ongoing. The B-Corp certified brewery collaborates with multiple philanthropic and nonprofit partners, including through giving back 1% of the company’s annual revenue to multiply their efforts. Internally, Allagash has also made the commitment toCrafted For All, a framework built to help diversify and expand the craft beer community.
Cur-8 (6.5% ABV) is a limited release available in 4-packs of 16 ounce cans, available in California, New York, Georgia and at Allagash’s Portland, ME Tasting Room.
Urban One Inc. and Sounder Partner for AI/ML Research to Support Diverse Voices in Podcasting
Urban One Inc., the largest African American owned and operated multi-media company, reaching over 80% of Black America, and Sounder, a contextual intelligence platform for audio, announced a partnership to conduct groundbreaking research.
This research project aims to improve podcast ad technology to ensure equal monetization opportunities for all creators of audio content. The research will specifically address the industry’s generally limited brand safety technology capabilities for BIPOC audio content, with the goal of scaling new solutions that enable advertisers to sponsor BIPOC audio content at a higher rate and with greater confidence, according to a press release.
With this partnership, Sounder will work closely with Radio One and Reach Media, Urban One’s audio divisions, as well as the new Urban One Podcast Network, to analyze a variety of content from its catalog and create a report identifying strengths and challenges facing audio ad technology in classifying diverse media. The results will further inform and refine Sounder’s industry-leading brand safety and suitability solutions driven by AI/ML models, addressing these challenges, and setting a new, fairer standard for the industry.
“As the leader in urban-formatted content, Urban One’s mission has always been to do our part in educating our partners, ourselves, our clients, and the broader industry on the evolving cultural landscape of Black America,” said Josh Rahmani, CRO, Urban One, Audio Division. “Through this work we hope to bring awareness of Black culture and its nuances to the industry at large and support an ecosystem of the diverse voices that drive mainstream culture.”
“Sounder was founded on the belief that we could help diverse voices connect with listeners who cared about what they had to say. We also believe that these voices should have the same ability to monetize and fund their content,” said Kal Amin, co-founder and CEO of Sounder. “Yet suitability and brand safety can’t be optimized until technology catches up to culture and holistically supports a thriving, diverse world of audio content. Our mission to transform audio insights includes redefining the brand safety status quo with contextual intelligence tools to support diverse creators.”
Legacy brand safety and suitability technology across media types disproportionately flags and restricts diverse voices due to inaccurate classification and discriminatory blocklists. These blunt, all-or-nothing tools misrepresent and underprivilege Black content. Through this research, Urban One and Sounder aim to develop a more nuanced approach that will refine speech classification accuracy and sensitivity, delivering significantly better performance and restoring parity to content advertising.
Podcasting’s growth is accelerating. The number of regular listeners is set to top 160 million this year. Simultaneously, Black audiences are becoming more engaged, with the most recent Black Podcast Listener Report noting that listenership climbed 53% in the course of a single year. With the importance and influence of Black creators and consumers rising, research that supports parity is vital for continued growth.
Six Figures In The Sixth Grade: How the Goodwin Family Maintains a Legacy of Entrepreneurship
How many stories do you know of sixth graders with six-figure businesses? Probably not many, right?
Well, I can never forget the moment I learned about Gabby Goodwin. I was sitting at a business conference contemplating how I was going to grow my own company, when the speaker said, “What if I told you Gabby was making six figures in the sixth grade with her business? Gabby stood up.” At that point, everyone in the room turned to stare at a bright-eyed, confident Gabby Goodwin, the co-founder of Confidence®️ by GaBBY Goodwin and the co-inventor of GaBBY Bows. Then, the speaker asked us, “What’s your excuse?”
The more I learned about Gabby and her dad, Mike Goodwin, and mom, Rozalyn Goodwin, the more I was floored by their story. Gabby’s father, Mike Goodwin, is a comedian and keynote speaker who has been on America’s Got Talent, Dry Bar Comedy, Lifetime, BET, and more. Gabby’s mom, Rozalynn, runs the show behind the scenes for both Gabby and Mike’s business. This family of entrepreneurs has landed on some of the largest media platforms on the planet while still maintaining love, laughter, and growth. This is what real legacy looks like. Keep reading for their story, why once-in-a-lifetime opportunities aren’t always what they seem, and why Gabby started saying that “no” stands for “next opportunity.”
BLACK ENTERPRISE sat down to talk with the Goodwins about their legacy of entrepreneurship.
What businesses do you run and how did you get started with them?
Gabby: I’m Gabby, and me and my mom are the co-founders of Confidence by Gabrielle Goodwin and the co-inventors of Gabby’s Bows, that guaranteed non-slip hair barrette that has two faces so you can always see the design both ways. [The bows have] teeth and are created to trap the hair so it doesn’t fall out.
And we started with a Twitter rant. My mom would spend about 15 or 20 minutes doing my hair in the mornings and would drop me off at school, looking all nice and pretty. Then, she’d pick me up a few hours later to find that half of my barrettes were gone and that my hair was a complete mess. She was doing that consistently, not only wasting that time in the morning, but also wasting a lot of money as she was constantly replacing those barrettes and hair accessories. And so one day, she went on Twitter to rant about how the bows didn’t stay in my hair. Her and many other moms were talking about how terrible these barrettes were, and our pastor actually jumped into the conversation and said, “This sounds like a market you need to break into.” I was about five years old. I didn’t really know what entrepreneurship was. But I did know that one, I wanted to stop getting in trouble for barrettes that accidentally slipped off my thick hair, and two, I wanted to inspire people. And I saw this product as a way to do that. Many other girls who were going through the same issue as me. It’s a generational problem. And I wanted to be able to change that. So I nagged my mom and I was persistent enough to actually create our first demo. We started in February of 2014, and we’ve been for eight years now. I was seven years old when we started and now I am 16.
Rozalynn: There are three patents on this barrette, so it’s the first of its kind. We also have a full line of hair products for girls, as well as a girls’ salon.
Did you work on being entrepreneurs together as a family or did you kind of work in your respective markets?
Rozalynn: I saw Mike’s joy and the passion as he was working with his gift for comedy. I didn’t plan to tell him to pursue comedy full-time, but when you see your spouse’s dreams come alive, all you want to do is encourage that. Every venture that we’ve done are family businesses. Everybody chips in in some type of way. There were years that I was the sole booker, for [Mike]. When he had events, the kids would work his table and sell his merch. We just have always felt that there was something one of us was supposed to do.
We believe in blending versus balancing. “Balancing” can set up a false expectation that things can be equal. So we practice blending. If one of the businesses needs a lot more attention this week, we’re shifting our attention to that. I think we’ve grown and evolved over time. Both of us are a part of the [Traffic Sales & Profit] Business Mastermind. Being around people learning how to work on the business versus in the business has helped us blend our responsibilities as a family as well as a family of entrepreneurs.
How did you get your start in entrepreneurship?
Mike: I’m a stand-up comedian and keynote speaker. I started doing stand-up in December of 2004 at my church for the first time, and hadn’t had any desire to be an entrepreneur. So I maintained the day job while I worked as a college counselor at a private school, and then on the weekends and at night, I was doing stand-up comedy. That developed and grew to about the point where I was making half of my salary doing stand-up part-time. For years, my wife and I talked to our pastor and each other, and we made the decision for me to go full-time doing stand-up in June of 2012.
And then maybe four or five years ago, I had a woman approach me at an event because I do clean material. She had seen me a few times, and she asked me if I did any keynote speaking. I didn’t have the time, but I didn’t want to lose the opportunity. [The woman] was having a conference for social workers out in North Carolina and she didn’t want to send folks home depressed after the tough conversations about neglect, abuse, and budget cuts. She wanted me to come in and provide humor with substance. So I created a keynote talk called “Leadership and Laughter.” I’m pretty selective about the organizations that I speak with. I normally talk to folks in social services, education, and healthcare; folks that primarily pour out into others.
A lot of times people think about comedy and they immediately think about nightclub humor. My saying is that comedy is neutral. It’s what you choose to do with it. I choose to be inspiring, uplifting, and inclusive, as opposed to damaging, belittling, and ostracizing.
How do you define success?
Mike: Success for me, initially, was to take care of my family. Then, it was being seed money for Gabby’s business and keeping the ship afloat until the bows were self-sustaining.
Over time, success was attracting high-level clients. I wanted to do events that were significant with a budget and marketing. Success, for me, required me to move myself to a place where I was being sought out by folks that were serious about event planning.
Gabby: For me, success has kind of been like an idea of satisfaction, where I feel as though I have inspired someone or changed their perspective on things. The whole reason why I’ve really wanted to start this business is to inspire others. People may say they want to hit the seven-figure mark and that’s success. It’s a component, and all the accolades are nice, but success is just being able to actually reach the girls who look like me and who I want to continue to inspire.
Rozalynn: Particularly in my role, just kind of as the engine behind the two businesses, success is keeping everything moving. We also have a son, Michael, who was 12. Success is about every member of our family fulfilling their maximum potential. I think it’s a combination of what Mike said and what Gabrielle said. Success also is establishing generational wealth and a legacy of entrepreneurship that our grandchildren and great grandchildren after us will look back on and say, “they had this dream when they pursued it, and there’s nothing I can’t do.” We started from nothing. I mean, nothing. Literally, just an idea. And now we’ve got a physical product that’s been sold all over the world with three patents. So I think it’s a little bit of inspiration and financial success. We want to be able to leave something, inspirationally, but also financially, and have our family set up for generations to come.
How do you stay true to yourself as a family, and kind of stay true to your ideas of success?
Mike: I think that that’s something that entrepreneurs don’t encounter until it’s too late. You’re doing this great thing and you’re minding your business, nobody’s bothering you. And then you have this awesome thing and everybody wants a piece of it. I’m of the opinion that if I know something’s coming, I better be prepared for it. And there is a level of understanding the value of “no”, and being confident in saying, “Yeah, that’s a great opportunity. It just isn’t for me, or that’s not where my values align.”
Entrepreneurs should establish who they are out on the onset. When I started doing comedy, I was a married father. I wasn’t impressionable. I wasn’t doing comedy to bring me validation; I was doing comedy, because I recognized that I had a skillset that can serve folks. I really feel compelled to share what I’ve come up with. Knowing who you are and what you bring to the table can assist with being able to say no.
Also, unfortunately, a part of entrepreneurship that people don’t talk about is making bad decisions and figuring out that, hey, this isn’t my path. I think the best way to navigate that is to make quick decisions to get out of bad routes and go back the way that we were going. You don’t know what you do until you’re presented with those opportunities, but if you have your core values, you can evaluate each opportunity.
Rozalynn: We do weekly planning, quarterly planning, and annual planning. We’ll reevaluate our mission and our vision and our goals for the year that’s coming up. And, you know, once we’re really pretty solidified on what we want to achieve, it helps us screen opportunities. Coaching, counsel from our pastor, and having people who have been where we are helps us screen as well. I can’t reiterate enough what Mike said. Sometimes you just have to make a mistake. Sometimes you gotta fail. We’ve had big opportunities that on the surface looked amazing. And then we sacrificed and went into debt to try to take advantage of an opportunity, because we just didn’t think that they would ever come back. We thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Then it didn’t work out. Failing in that way has really helped us know that once an opportunity comes to us, no matter how big the name is or how shiny the organization is, we now know how to evaluate it. And this keeps us grounded.
We got opportunities very early to go into retail, and we weren’t ready. Our story is just so amazing, and it drew a lot of attention. We got approached within six months of starting the business to go into some retail stores. Getting on the shelf is easy. Staying on the shelf is the hard part. When a big retailer called, we thought, “yes, this is amazing.” But we didn’t know to really figure out if we were making enough money for the opportunity. Do we have the margin for this? What is our price compared to the competition? Is our price too high? Do we have enough money to bring down our price and buy our barrettes in bulk so we can bring down the price? Do we have any money for marketing? We know to ask those questions now, but just starting off, we thought it was an amazing miracle and we jumped on it. I believe your business should probably be a seven-figure business, or very close to it, before you consider big-box retail, because there are a lot of costs that you’re just not considering.
Once entrepreneurs prioritize the things that you can control about your business, you’re ready to evaluate other opportunities because you’re not desperate. I remember when we first started and got that big opportunity, 80% of our revenue was coming from retail. One decision about the margin totally flipped our business. And I thought, at that moment, we would never be in that position, again. So I just really encourage people to focus on what they can control and not be distracted by the glitz and the glam. A lot of times you’ll see brands who are in stores, but then when you pull them to the side, they’re losing money on the shelves. It’s just a play for them to get more clout or notoriety.
You know, we got a really big opportunity probably about a year ago with a very big media company. I think they meant well. A lot of people meant well, particularly after the murder of George Floyd. People are offering to try to, I guess, level the playing field for Black-owned businesses. But once we really evaluated and talked with coaches and those around us, it was not a good opportunity for us. It looked amazing. And it was scary to tell them no, because we thought maybe they would never come back to us and we never get an opportunity like that again. But we recognize that it was going to put us at high risk to have a bad financial situation again. Regardless of how flashy it looks, and how wonderful it would have looked on a press release, we have to focus on what will be best for our business, our staff that we employ as well as our family.
That’s really powerful. What is some advice that you would give to families about maintaining the family unit while going into business together?
Mike: I think one of the things that I recognized a few years ago was that, as a couple, me and Rozalynn needed to get away from the daily grind. I instituted quarterly getaways where we leave for about two days – we typically will leave on a Sunday and come back on a Tuesday – to spend time together, talking about a business, but also, to cultivate our relationship. I didn’t marry a business partner. I married a person I was romantically interested in. If we spend the majority of our time talking about business, our relationship is failing. I would much rather have a healthy marriage than to have a thriving business and a failing home life. Make sure that you keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is the marriage.
Do you have advice for the young aspiring entrepreneurs who want to enter into this world?
Definitely recognize that it’s a challenge. This isn’t a kid-based industry. It’s not common that you see many kids having a business and my parents have told me I’m doing a lot for a kid. There will be challenges and things that you will have to face on your own.
To go through those things, you have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, if you don’t have that confidence, nobody else will. So make sure that you are giving off the impression that you know what you’re talking about, and you know what you want to achieve. That will help other people latch onto you and want to help you achieve your dream. Not everything has to be perfect. But if you’re putting the best effort towards it, you will know that you are trying your hardest and reap the benefits of what you are putting in.
The last thing I want to say is a quote that I came up with: no is just an abbreviation for “next opportunity.” So after one “no,” after two “nos,” keep pushing and keep going. There can be so much negative energy towards you, but being able to look forward with that belief, you’ll be able to get to that next opportunity. My business is a testament of that.
Ashley N. Kirkwood is an attorney, speaker, and owner of a seven-figure consulting business. She holds a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Law and an International Business Degree from the University of Illinois. She has worked with large corporations such as Phillip Morris USA (Altria), Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Boeing, Microsoft, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and others.
Ashley has been published and featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, Black Enterprise, Forbes, Time, NBC Chicago, Fox32, Amy Porterfield’s Online Business Made Easy, Entrepreneur, WPRI 12 New, HF Chronicle, the American Bar Association, and others.
Howard Graduate and Karsh STEM Scholar Named in Eighth Cohort of Schwarzman Scholars
Schwarzman Scholars, one of the world’s most prestigious graduate fellowships, recently announced its eighth cohort which includes Howard University graduate Cameryn Burnette.
Burnette was selected from among an initial pool of nearly 3,000 applicants to matriculate at Schwarzman College on the campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. She will join 150 additional candidates selected from 36 countries and 121 universities around the world for the fully funded, one-year master’s degree program in global affairs. Burnette is the second-ever Howard student to join Schwarzman Scholars, according to a press release.
Burnette graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in civil engineering in 2022. Burnette is a proud member of the second cohort of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program and has taken part in numerous research programs. Notably, Burnette participated in the Amgen Scholars program at UC Berkeley and worked for Amazon through The Hasnine Lab at Howard.
“I am grateful to both the Karsh STEM Scholars and Schwarzman Scholars programs for recognizing my potential as a leader in academic research and entrepreneurship in the area of development engineering. My future research and businesses will focus on culturally relevant and environmentally sustainable materials designed to build stronger buildings and safer communities,” Burnette said.
Burnette’s dream career combines her interests in sustainability and engineering with global outreach to blaze trails in international development. Burnette currently realizes this vision through her current work in Benin with Energicity, where she helps develop solar microgrids for rural communities. Understanding of China’s political and economic objectives is essential in this field, as China is one of the major players in worldwide efforts to improve and influence infrastructure in the Global South. Burnette has a longstanding commitment to exploring Chinese perspectives. Under her belt are years of Chinese study, including participation in HU’s Chinese Culture Club and completion of all the University’s Chinese language courses.
While in Beijing, Burnette looks forward to immersing herself in Chinese culture, improving her Mandarin, and expanding her capacity for international collaboration. Upon her return to the states, Burnette will begin studies for a PhD in material science. Burnette credits the Karsh STEM Scholars Program for augmenting her analytical curiosity, work ethic, and commitment to becoming a future STEM educator.
Burnette’s passion for the environment led her to co-found and lead the Howard University Water and Environment Association, the campus’ largest sustainability organization. Burnette is equally passionate about engineering outreach; as a NSBE, Jr. mentor, Burnette inspired an appreciation for STEM discovery in K-12 students. She also represented her department at industry events such as the U.S. House of Representatives Women’s History Month Summit. Burnette additionally served the Howard community through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
“I am excited by the eighth cohort’s potential,” said Stephen A. Schwarzman, founding trustee of Schwarzman Scholars. “As the geopolitical landscape grows more complex each day, I am inspired by this year’s selected Scholars and their readiness to engage thoughtfully with global issues and drive change. We are confident that this inspiring cohort of young leaders will make the most of this unique opportunity.”
Xue Lan, dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, offered his congratulations to the incoming class. “Congratulations, eighth cohort! I see great potential, diversity, and talent in this group. I am sure these young leaders will enrich the community at Schwarzman College, at Tsinghua University, and beyond.”
‘Invisible Beauty’ to Have World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival
Invisible Beauty is the story of Bethann Hardison, a fashion revolutionary who has been on the front lines of racial justice in her industry for over five decades. Through her life journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent and activist, the film explores race, beauty and representation.
Directing in tandem with Frédéric Tcheng (Halston, Dior and I), Hardison is a force at the helm of her own story. Together, they trace Hardison’s impact on fashion from runway shows in the 1970s to roundtables about the lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s. Candid and audacious, Invisible Beauty is an absorbing record of the racial evolution of fashion and an original contemplation on the life of a radical thinker.
Hardison embodied the ethos “Black is beautiful” long before the fashion industry acknowledged this truth. As a model, she walked the runway alongside Iman. As an agent, she discovered people such as Tyson Beckford and mentored supermodels like Naomi Campbell.
Featuring intimate interviews with collaborators including Campbell, Beckford, Iman, Whoopi Goldberg, Ralph Lauren, Bruce Weber, Tracee Ellis Ross, Fran Lebowitz, Pat Cleveland, Stephen Burrows and her son Kadeem Hardison, Invisible Beauty chronicles the life of a maverick at the epicenter of major representational shifts in fashion.
Hardison was one of BLACK ENTERPRISE’S 2011 Women of Power Legacy honorees.
Black Designer’s Visit to a Museum Inspired Her to Launch Original Shawl Collection
When Queens New York designer Dr. Tenaria Drummond-Smith visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, she had no idea that she was going to be inspired to launch her very own shawl collection.
But that’s exactly what happened when she saw an exhibit of an original shawl worn by Harriet Tubman in 1911. She says that after being inspired by it, she prayed about designing her own line of shawls without using any patterns. She calls it the SWAG SHAWL.
Harriet Tubman’s shawl in the museum had square patterns made with materials of silk, lace, and linen, which she wore by folding in half and draping over her shoulders. However, the more Dr. Drummond-Smith crocheted, the more her design took a circular shape that had incredible features. For example, when worn, it moves gracefully from side to side.
Another feature is that the SWAG SHAWL can be preserved for a lifetime, and is unique, one of a kind, and classic.
Every stitch is strategically handcrafted and comes in several different colors. One of the shawls that she designed for a client is a bright yellow shawl with a blue and orange trim, and upon receiving it, the customer said, “I will wear my SWAG SHAWL all around the world.”
Another of her selected SWAG SHAWL designs is now being featured at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, Maryland.
Broward College President Appointed Deputy Chair of Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Broward College President Gregory Adam Haile, J.D., has been appointed by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to deputy chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
His term as deputy chair began on January 1, 2023, and runs through December 31, 2024. Haile will be the first education leader to serve as deputy chair of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank in approximately 70 years, and he is the first public college president to ever serve as deputy chair of the Atlanta Fed. Haile serves on the board’s executive committee alongside the chair, performing essential leadership and governance functions of the Bank.
“The performance of our nation’s higher education institutions is an inextricable element of the performance of our nation’s economy. I have been privileged to advance the understanding of this intersection as a board member for the past two years, and am honored to advance my service in this increased capacity,” Haile said. “The opportunity to contribute my perspective to policy discussions that will impact the financial well-being of countless Americans is a responsibility that I will continue to handle with care.”
Federal Reserve Member Banks appoint Class A and B directors, while the Federal Reserve Board of Governors appoints Class C directors. The Reserve Bank’s chair and deputy chair must be Class C directors. Haile was appointed as a Class C director at the start of 2022.
Since assuming leadership of Broward College in July 2018, the institution has been repeatedly recognized as one of the top ten (from more than 1000 colleges) community colleges in America by the Aspen Institute, has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as the #1 college in the Southeastern United States for minimizing student loan debt, and the College has been nationally recognized for Broward UP™, a service model expansion that has significantly improved access to post-secondary education and economic mobility for Broward County residents in zip codes with disproportionately high unemployment rates and low education attainment rates.
Haile teaches a self-designed four-credit course at the Harvard Summer School (Higher Education Law and Policy), and he is known for his exceptional record of representing the interests of Broward College and providing thought leadership through partnerships and service within the local community and beyond. He currently serves as chair of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and on the boards of Florida TaxWatch, Everglades Foundation, BBX Capital, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Achieving the Dream, the Broward Workshop, the United Way of Broward County, and he is a member of the Orange Bowl Committee and the Council on Foreign Relations. Haile has been listed among Florida Trend’s 500 most influential business leaders of the state of Florida.
To view the full board of directors and read about other appointments here.
Detroit Youth Fashion Designers to Feature Looks at New York Fashion Week
To further expand on the impact of the Fashion Industry Club launched in 2020, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) continues to add to their list of high-profile collaborations now—with Black-owned fashion brand Masion Black (MB).
This Black Men in Fashion collaboration is a unique mentorship program that pairs five accomplished Black male New York-based designers with five young Black male rising stars in Detroit to guide them in designing a full look to present February 7, 2023 at the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey (LVMH) tower during New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
The collaboration will host an invite-only sneak peek at the designs during their NYFW Michigan Preview, January 19 at 5 p.m. inside the Diehl Club at 4242 Collingwood St, Detroit, MI 48204.
“The impact on these youth is significant and supported by research that shows positive outcomes when young Black men are supported by Black mentors,” said Tori Nichel, founder of Maison Black. “When emerging talent can identify with someone that paved the way for them and navigated similar discriminations—the nurturing, understanding and resources are unbounded.”
Given that many of these Detroiters are leaving the city for the first time, BGCSM is raising funds for a seamless experience. Donations directly support the costs of the fashion show in NYC on February 7, including travel and hotel costs, and the development of garments for the fashion show. These funds open possibilities for youth residing in communities or attending schools with limited artistic outlets or resources.
It’s so important for our youth—especially youth of color, to find mentors who they can connect to and who have similar lived experiences,” said Shawn H. Wilson, president and CEO of BGCSM. “Not only can these men pass along their technical knowledge of the fashion industry, but also give youth the tools to navigate race-based barriers which come along with being an entrepreneur of color.”
The NYFW Michigan Preview will include an introduction of the youth designers, a candid discussion will Black male fashion moguls like Ken Walker, Andre Sanford, Quandell Wright, and Darryl or DeKoven Humes currently impacting fashion in Detroit, and a display of the pieces heading to New York Fashion Week.
Maison Black x Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan Men in Fashion mentorship program was created to provide a platform for black male youth to be empowered, discover their talents and pursue their passions unapologetically in fashion. The program looks to amplify the excellence of Black men, their cultural impact on disrupting industry trends by influencing style and fashion through design and art.
PrizePicks and Morris Brown College Establish Esports Scholarship Fund to Enhance Professional Development Opportunities
PrizePicks, the largest privately-held skill-based fantasy sports operator in North America, today announced a first-of-its-kind strategic esports program with Atlanta-based HBCU Morris Brown College (MBC) that includes the establishment of an Esports Scholarship Fund.
The two organizations will launch a multifaceted program that will help pave the way to send candidates through Morris Brown College Global Management and Applied Leadership Bachelor’s Degree program and the Esports Performance Certificate program, according to a press release.
Later this year, PrizePicks and Morris Brown will launch an internship program for MBC students to apply their classroom skills development directly to the PrizePicks’ esports division, where candidates will be able to gain experience across a variety of concentrations including esports content development, operations, analytics, and graphic design.
The initiative with Morris Brown is the latest milestone in PrizePicks’ growing esports footprint. In November 2022, PrizePicks was honored for having the ‘Best Esports Fantasy Initiative’ as part of the Tempest Awards at the Esports Business Summit.
“As an Atlanta-based company, it is paramount that we continue to invest in our local community and partner with organizations that share an affinity for providing opportunities for our local youth,” PrizePicks Co-Founder and CEO Adam Wexler said. “We were blown away by the college’s commitment towards getting their esports program off the ground and we envision great synergies between the two organizations in the years to come.”
Morris Brown College was re-accredited as a HBCU and recently rolled out its Esports Performance Certificate program. MBC also opened the doors of the Ronald Floyd Thomas Center for Esports and Innovation, its state-of-the-art esports lab, which was recently upgraded and renovated by McDonald’s and REVOLT.
“We are very excited to work with PrizePicks, a pioneer in esports, to be able to offer students the opportunity to participate in our one-of-a-kind program, set up a career development pipeline through an internship program, and to gain valuable industry knowledge from their team’s deep bench of esports experts,” Dr. Kevin James, President of Morris Brown College explained. “We commend the company for their ingenuity in structuring this unique collaboration and for taking tangible action towards creating professional opportunities for local youth.”
“We also want to recognize the members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus for their efforts in making this groundbreaking initiative a reality,” said PrizePicks Head of Company Relations Steven Kerstein. “As we mature and develop as an organization, our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will continue to be a foundational pillar of our identity.”
Interested prospective students can learn more about Morris Brown College, the ‘Hard Reset’, and the MBC Esports Performance Certification Program at https://morrisbrown.edu/.
Dallas Real Estate Expert Helps Bridge Wealth Gap Using Free Social Media Tools
Chastin J. Miles‘ story is a prime example of how passion and using free resources can change the course of one’s life.
Miles, who is described on his site as a “real estate expert, author, and public speaker,” started his career in 2014 as a struggling solo real estate agent. As time progressed and Miles found his footing, he decided to share his experience and the lessons he learned in real estate, entrepreneurship, and finances on YouTube.
This venture would ultimately catapult Miles’ career into overdrive. Since starting his channel in 2015, Miles has gained over 77,000 followers and obtained millions of views on the platform overall. Miles has developed or is leading several million-dollar companies, some of which are within the real estate industry.
The Dallas native also provides help for individuals worldwide trying to break into real estate and or becoming an entrepreneur by holding coaching sessions and sharing his tips in the 2018 book The Real Before The Estate: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Real Estate.
In an interview that Global Newswirefeatured, Miles shared what initially prompted him to use social media, primarily YouTube, as a marketing tool. He said, “If social media is that marketing channel that millions and billions of people are on, why wouldn’t I be marketing my business through social media?”
Miles also revealed that the main reason he was interested in helping others reach their financial goals was because of the wealth gap. He explained that individuals could solve this problem by having the right mentorship and using the provided information.
Miles stated, “If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed and like you’re spinning your wheels going nowhere, and you’re ready to claim the freedom you want for your family, it’s safe to stop trying to ‘figure it out,’ all of the information is already here, it’s just up to you to follow a leader, like myself, so you can get the same if not better results.”
For more on Miles’ companies and coaching program click here.
