• Lifestyle

by Atiya Jordan

April 27, 2022

8 Summer-Enticing Black-Owned Restaurants In Tallahassee

---

Visit Tallahassee invited BLACK ENTERPRISE on a pretty unexpected getaway to Florida’s historical yet lively capital city.

From the piquant spring weather and Black southern cuisine to the shining FAMU Striker pride and hospitality, Tallahassee is soaked in Black arts, culture, and heritage.

For the foodies, this city will dance on your palettes with good ol’ Southern country cooking. The culinary creators behind the city’s local Black-owned restaurants aim to fill appetites and souls with a wide selection of flavors.

Pineappetit is one of the restaurants BLACK ENTERPRISE got a chance to dine in. The tropical eatery stuns on the inside, from the vivid artwork of the pineapple-style business logo to the back wall adorned with neon lights that read “Fun. Fresh. Food.”

Located on Pensacola Street, Pineappetit serves over 20 fresh pineapple bowl combinations and other island-inspired dishes such as rasta pasta and Caribbean patties. You can even leave with a whole pineapple filled with tropical juice to quench your thirst on a warm day.

As the summer approaches, here are a few Black-owned restaurants to consider the next time you and your family are craving savory and sweet delights in the Tallahassee heat.

Smoothie Time

Smoothie Time is a family-owned smoothie café offering signature fruit smoothies made to cater to your health needs. They serve delicious breakfast and lunch dishes all day and provide easy catering options. Check out the chicken salad sandwich, “Ma Dears chicken salad sandwich.”

HempLade Vegan Café

A local vegan cafe, juice bar, and dispensary, HempLade Vegan Café promises high-quality plant-based foods from Hemp Smoothies to the electric Kushshroom Burgers. Perfect for a summer day, other menu items include the world-famous HempLade Teas and beverages, infused desserts, gourmet pizzas, and more.

Leola’s Crab Shack

The entire family can indulge in the wide selection of land and sea menu options at Leola’s Crab Shack. With an assortment of blue and snow crab trays, wings, and seafood combos, food lovers even have the opportunity to indulge from Leola’s food truck throughout the week.

JMO’s Sneauxball Catering Co.

JMO’s is the home of the cheesecake stuffed snoball. The local and family business serves the best gourmet snoballs in Tallahassee, with handcrafted syrup made from scratch using real cane sugar. With over 30 delicious flavors, there is a cool treat for the entire family.

Gurlies Lemonade and Sweets

Inspired by Grandma Gurlie’s recipes, Gurlies Lemonade and Sweets is an upgraded lemonade business serving homemade drinks and desserts, including the popular pink lemonade, funnel cakes, and deep-fried Oreos.

Catering with Care

Catering with Care is family-owned and operated, proudly serving homestyle cooking, with many southern favorites such as Chicken & Waffles, Shrimp & Grits, Fried or Grilled Catfish, and more. The restaurant also features an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch, whether you want breakfast or lunch.

Big Easy Snowballs

Located in the heart of Midtown Tallahassee, Big Easy Snowballs offers the perfect frozen refreshment to chill your buds on a hot summer day. The New Orleans original snowballs come in 75 flavors, including traditional ice flavors such as blue Hawaiian and pink champagne to decadent combinations stuffed with soft-serve such as root beet float and gator in a blender.

• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Derek Major

April 27, 2022

The Body Of National Guard Member Bishop Evans Has Been Found Three Days After He Tried To Pull Migrants From The Rio Grande River

---

The body of Spc. Bishop Evans, the Texas Army National Guard member who went missing three days ago, was found and identified Monday morning.

Last Friday, Evans attempted to rescue two migrants who were crossing the Rio Grande River as part of Operation Lone Star, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott‘s effort to combat migrants crossing the Southern border.

“This young soldier made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of protecting and serving our country. He will never be forgotten,” U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales told CNN.

According to the Texas Military Department (TMD), Evans, 22, was an artilleryman from Arlington and served in the National Guard for almost two years. He was also deployed to Kuwait with assignments in Iraq as part of Operation Spartan Shield.

According to local authorities, Evans attempted to help a pair of migrants as they crossed the border by Eagle’s Pass, Texas. The migrants are suspected of being “involved in illicit transnational narcotics trafficking” and are in the custody of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

In a statement, Abbott said Evans heroically served his state and country.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the death of SPC Bishop E. Evans who was reported missing in Eagle Pass on Friday,” said Abbott.

“Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way SPC Evans heroically served his state and country. I thank the members of the Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Border Patrol, and local law enforcement for working around the clock to locate this soldier. The Texas Military Department will continue to provide more updates to the public as they become available. I ask that Texans join Cecilia and me in praying for the family and friends of SPC Evans as they grieve this heartbreaking loss.”

• Business

by Black Enterprise Shop

April 27, 2022

Learn From Business Pros Without The Cost of Business School with this MBA Bundle

---

These days, starting a business or launching your company isn’t only reserved for those who’ve graduated from the nation’s leading business schools.

Today, there are a number of ways to carve out your financial niche, and the beauty of them all is you don’t have to fork over a small fortune in business school to do so.

The 2022 MBA for Entrepreneurs Startup Bundle teaches how to build your brand, network, and more through 12 information-packed courses. For a limited time, it’s available for just $39.99. That’s a savings of 96% from its MSRP ($1,188).

Twelve courses spanning 36 lessons are included in this bundle. Individually, each course costs $99. Nearly every aspect of launching and seeing the sustained success of a business is included.

For those looking to test the market, the “Networking the Most Effective Way” is a great primer. You’ll learn just how essential networking is to grow your business and the successful ways to do it. Everything from business dining to networking by phone and email to making the correct use of business cards is covered in this course.

Piggybacking off of the networking course, the “The Secrets of Effective Pitching” is a great follow-up. Learn how to set both timelines and goals, know what specialist platforms to use, refine ways to edit and polish your pitch, and more.

The “Successful Business Management” course covers everything from the intricacies of financial terms, the big picture of marketing, sales and branding, and other tools and tips to successfully manage a business.

With this bundle’s “Environmental Sustainability” course, you’ll be able to explore ways to develop an environmental management system that allows you to reach objectives that might have been mandated by your local government.

With so much available information, creating your own business has never been easier to navigate. This 12-course bundle offers beneficial information that can help you begin your journey to business owner.

Prices subject to change.

Comedian Kevin Hart has merged his two entertainment companies, HartBeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud, to form HARTBEAT, allowing him to raise $100 million.

The entrepreneur describes HARTBEAT as a global, multi-platform media company creating entertainment at the intersection of comedy and culture with a mission to keep the world laughing together.

HARTBEAT is launching with a $100 million investment from private equity firm Abry Partners, giving it a minority stake. Abry Partners partner Nicolas Massard is taking a seat on the HARTBEAT board. Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, which already had an equity stake in Laugh Out Loud in 2020, will remain a shareholder.

“The creation of HARTBEAT and our capital raise with Abry represent a new era in comedy. This all started out with a mission to keep the world laughing together and I’m so proud our teams have delivered on that, putting in the hard work to build the most innovative and inclusive comedic storytelling company,” Hart said in a written statement. “In an industry that loves to say no and close doors, I’ve been bullish about forging our own path and using our success to open doors for others. With this merger and funding, we’re taking the new blueprint we’ve built-in entertainment to the next level and creating opportunities for a new generation of comedic talent. I can’t wait to bring the world more comedians, experiences, and stories with humor and heart.”

The existing leadership team from HartBeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud will continue to oversee day-to-day operations. Hart will serve as chairman of the new company as Thai Randolph, who helped raise the capital and held positions as president and COO of Laugh Out Loud and COO of HartBeat Productions, is now CEO of HARTBEAT.

Hartbeat Productions’ Bryan Smiley will move to president and chief content officer; Laugh Out Loud’s Jeff Clanagan becomes president and chief distribution officer. HartBeat Productions co-founder Leland Wigington will lead a new production banner under HARTBEAT.

HARTBEAT operates under three divisions:

• HARTBEAT Studios, led by Smiley, will finance, develop and produce film, TV,  content at the intersection of comedy and culture

• HARTBEAT Media, led by Clanagan, plans to connect with consumers worldwide through events, gaming, music publishing, Web3 initiatives, and an expansive distribution network

• PULSE, the company’s branded entertainment studio, will serve as a creative and cultural consultancy to brands such as P&G, Lyft, Sam’s Club, Chase, and Verizon.

• Lifestyle

by Atiya Jordan

April 26, 2022

Reclaiming Her Creative Genius: Black Interior Designer Opens Studio After Work Was Stolen

---

From creating department store environments and styling mannequins, Marissa Nelums discovered the passion that would ignite her journey as an interior designer. But when an interior design firm stole her work, Nelums was determined to pursue entrepreneurship full-time.

On Saturday, Nelums celebrated the opening of her first brick-and-mortar showroom, Glasshouse Interior Design, on the South Side of Chicago in Armour Square, Block Club Chicago reported. The location of the studio was intentional. Nelums feels it was to inspire more Black Chicagoans to pursue the interior design.

With her design studio, Nelums aims to “impart excellent service and build genuine relationships with each client” while also providing more affordable services, according to its website.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Marissa Of Glasshouse Interior (@glasshouseinterior)

“I always wanted to keep my community at the forefront of how we structure things,” Nelums told Block Club Chiago. “I started this because there wasn’t a lot of representation for people who look like me in design. We’re extremely proud to reach more than just the people who can afford design services.”

Just 2 percent of interior designers in the United States. are Black, according to the job search company Zippia.

Nelums began to pour into interior design after her father died. What started as a healthy outlet turned into her career when she was hit with another studio stealing photos of an apartment she had decorated.

“I thought, ‘If I’m good enough to steal from, maybe there’s something to this. Maybe this is something I can do long-term,’” said Nelums.

Glasshouse Interior Design specializes in any design, including modern and industrial. Nelums, who is often referred to as the queen of glam, said she loves “contemporary furniture pieces mixed with high fashion accessories” and “mixing textures and patterns to create cohesive monochromatic spaces.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Marissa Of Glasshouse Interior (@glasshouseinterior)

“From bold colors to neutrals I like to style every space like an outfit, each piece is stylish and complementary to the rest of the room,” she added. Her work has been seen in Architectural Digest and Coming Home magazines.

In addition to her glam brainchild, Nelums also launched a home furnishings line to cater to those with smaller budgets. The collection includes private label drapery, artwork, and furniture.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 26, 2022

Judge Rejects Attempt to Block Bruce Beach From Being Transferred Back to Black Owners

---

A Superior Court judge has rejected a legal attempt to block Los Angeles’ Bruce Beach from being transferred back to the descendants of the land’s Black owners.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff rejected a complaint filed by Joseph Ryan, an attorney from Palos Verdes Estates, on April 14, Easy Reader News reports. Beckloff ruled that returning the land to the Bruces was to right a past government wrong to remedy racial discrimination that serves a public purpose.

Ryan filed a complaint with the court in November 2021, arguing that the land transfer does not serve a public purpose and the recently enacted state law, S.B. 796, was unconstitutional under California law. But after Beckloff’s ruling, the Bruces are expected to take ownership of Bruce Beach within months.

“Righting a government wrong perpetrated in breach of our core and fundamental constitutional principles works to strengthen governmental integrity, represents accountability in government, and works to eliminate structural racism and bias,” Beckloff wrote.

“The government’s act of rectifying a prior egregious wrong based on racism fosters trust and respect in government.”

Ryan filed his petition to stop the transfer one month after Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a state law that would allow Los Angeles County to transfer the property to the Bruce family, Spectrum News reports. Ryan attempted to argue that transferring the land back to the Bruces would be a gift to the family, which is illegal under state law.

He also claimed the transfer would violate federal law, including the eminent domain ruling preventing the county’s decision to transfer the property. But the court disagreed with Ryan’s arguments saying the state law supports the land being transferred back to the rightful owners, and it is in the best public interest.

“As argued by (the county) during its hearing, redressing past acts of discrimination as well as preventing such acts in the future benefits the whole of the community and its general welfare,” Beckloff’s ruling read.

Now, after more than a century, Bruce Beach will be returned to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce, the original landowners who purchased the plot back in 1912.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 26, 2022

The Longest-Tenured Black CEO Among S&P 500 Companies Steps Down At Carnival — The Number of Black CEOs Continues to Dwindle

---

On Tuesday, Carnival Corp. promoted Josh Weinstein to chief executive officer. The promotion goes into effect on Aug. 1.

Weinstein is set to succeed Arnold Donald, the longest-tenured Black CEO among S&P 500 companies, Bloomberg reports. Donald will serve as Carnival’s vice chair and a member of the board.

However, the leadership change will leave just five Black CEOs in the S&P 500: Marvin Ellison at Lowe’s Cos., Craig Arnold at Eaton Corp., Roz Brewer at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Rene Jones at M&T Bank Corp. and Frank Clyburn at International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.

Donald served in the CEO role for nearly 10 years. His start in 2013 helped add to the much-needed diversity in the S&P 500. But in recent years, the number of Black CEOs has dwindled as Black CEOs often depart at the same rate they get appointed.

Brewer’s transition to CEO at Walgreens in January 2021 came after she served in the COO role at Starbucks, Fortune reports. Her addition to Walgreens was met with enthusiasm with Brewer being one of two Black women running a Fortune 500 company (Thasunda Brown Duckett is the CEO of TIAA).

The number of Black Fortune 500 CEOs dropped to four last March when Roger Ferguson Jr. stepped down as chief executive of pension fund TIAA. The number has stalled since its highest rate of 6 in 2012.

The lack of Black CEOs is a direct reflection of the workforce. With more Black staffers serving in assistant roles rather than at the executive level, the lack of diversity becomes grimmer on the higher level.

“The tracks that lead to the CEO jobs are primarily P&Ls,” says Michael Hyter, former chief diversity officer at consulting firm Korn Ferry and president and CEO of The Executive Leadership Counsel.

“There are a lot of people of color in support roles [accounting, marketing]—lots. That’s not what gets you into the CEO job.”

Since Fortune 500’s 1955 inception, there have been only 19 Black CEOs out of 1,800 chiefs. Many factors are taken into account including education and the schools where big corporations recruit from, with most of them being traditionally elite schools with predominantly white student bodies.

Diversifying the executive board has become more of a priority following the social unrest of 2020. But there is still a ton of work to be done.

Ebony Thomas, an executive at Bank of America encourages major companies to improve diversity within their recruitment and retention sectors, NPR reports.

“I mean, progress is progress, and it’s slow,” Thomas said. “But we still have to recognize progress.”

• News

by Derek Major

April 26, 2022

Top Biden Administration Aide Cedric Richmond Set to Resign

---

Cedric Richmond, a top aide to President Joe Biden, plans to resign to become a senior advisor with Democratic National Committee (DNC) next month.

NBC News reports Richmond, director of the office of public engagement, would be the highest-ranking Biden official to leave the White House since he took office.

“Richmond will travel the country to help the DNC team raise the additional resources we need to do even more and act as a national surrogate to help communicate our message on behalf of the Democratic National Committee, the president and vice president,” a White House official told NBC.

The Morehouse College and Tulane University graduate will take over several responsibilities from DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison.

“We look forward to having Cedric join our already strong team as we continue to work in close partnership with the White House, and our sister committees to protect and expand our Democratic majorities,” Harrison said in a statement. “There are few people more capable of helping us continue to build on our successes and deliver our message as we head into the midterm elections.”

According to multiple reports, Richmond has been considering an exit from the White House for several months as he wants to spend more time with his family in New Orleans and is looking to earn more than the $180,000 salary cap for White House employees.

Before joining the White House, Richmond was a U.S. Representative serving Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional district, he was also on the House and Ways Committee and has been very active as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Additionally, Richmond was one of Biden’s earliest supporters.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) the House Majority Whip, who has served as a mentor to Richmond, called Richmond’s news post “an exciting and important move” ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Dr. Moogega “Moo” Cooper of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) appeared on Google Talks to explain her work as a real-life “Guardian of the Galaxy.”

Dr. Moo is one of a few Black women at NASA and serves in a male-dominated role that is integral to the ongoing mission of determining if life on Mars is possible. As part of JPL, Cooper helped in the Mars Perseverance Rover’s successful Mars landing in February 2021.

Cooper’s work as a planetary protection engineer has her combatting challenges that protect the human race and our future in the universe. Her work can best be compared to the popular Marvel characters in the box-office hit Guardians of the Galaxy starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel.

“The first part is, when we’re sending out spacecraft, rovers, orbiters, whatever it may be, beyond our own planet to another either planet, moon, asteroid that may harbor life, it’s my goal and the team’s goal to make sure that we don’t send our Earth germs to those locations, especially when we’re trying to search for life,” Dr. Cooper explained.

Dr. Moo touched on the leadership lessons she’s learned from her rise to the top of a male-dominated field and how diversity has strengthened the JPL team.

“I didn’t expect to see other women,” Dr. Moo admitted. “Especially women of color. Especially Black women.”

Having graduated from high school at the age of 16, Cooper obtained a bachelor’s in physics before receiving a master’s degree and earning her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering by the time she was 24 years old. Dr. Moo’s dissertation was on spacecraft materials.

But growing up immersed in science, Cooper noticed early on that the field she wanted to pursue didn’t have many members who looked like her.

“It was actually normal when I was growing up, especially going through the NASA pipeline. I started my journey at NASA Langley Research Center and there were definitely less people that looked like me in positions of power,” she said.

“I didn’t really take the as a deterrence,” she said. “I knew that one day I was going to be that change.”

Dr. Moo takes pride in serving as a  role model for women in science and technology. She lends her talents by appearing on shows like Because Space and Bill Nye Saves the World where she works to introduce more people to STEAM, including encouraging boys and girls from underrepresented communities to join the field.

• Money

by Bertrand H. Ngampa

April 26, 2022

7 Actionable Steps I Took to Get Out of Debt, Save $10K, and Get My Credit Score Over 700

---

Being in debt is not fun. I would put being in debt in the same category as low self-esteem, hating on yourself, cheating on your partner and lying. I was drowning in $20,000 of debt with only $5.08 in my bank account.

I was a hard worker, but my bank account did not reflect that. I was putting in 16 and even 20 hours. Yet, I had nothing to show for it at the end of the month.

So after seeing my bank account, I finally got upset and ashamed and decided to take control of my money. Here are seven actionable steps I took to get out of consumer debt, save $10,000, and get my credit to over 700 in less than six months.

I got honest with myself and took massive self-accountability

God was not going to save me. Prayer was not going to save me. No one was coming to save me. I stopped waiting for “God to open doors” until I got a better job to care for myself. I got ruthlessly honest about my money and where I was financial.

The reality is society has us believe that money is not essential. If you care about making a lot of money, you are some demon. So I accepted my new identity as a demon within society. Like everyone else, I also thought that being broke and living paycheck to paycheck was normal and OK. I decided that I did not just want to be normal and OK anymore.

This step took one minute to complete.

I consumed nothing but “Get Out of Debt” and money content for 30 days

I started to read, listen, and drown myself in money content. I heard and read all the bestselling books about paying off debt. I did notice not many people talked about the importance of saving money, so I prioritized saving $25,000.

However, before focusing on saving, I had to get out of consumer debt. That meant paying off all debt besides my student loans. For me, that was almost $30,000.

This took 30 days to complete, for about one hour a day.

I made two lists and a plan: my income list, my debt list, my essential budget, and an action plan

After devouring all the books, podcasts, and articles about paying off debt and money, I decided no dates, no sex, no drinking, and no going out at all. I started to make my plan to get out of debt. I got a piece of paper and calculated my net income and monthly expenses.

I made a list of only my essential expenses that must get paid each month. Then I cut all non-essential items. As a result, I realized I unknowingly spent about $1000-$1500 on non-essential items. My biggest vice was investing in dates, coaching, and online courses.

I made a list of all my debts as well. I chose the debt snowball as my method to pay off my bills. You start with the lowest debt amount and then roll it up to the following debt amount. I also made sure that I paid myself $200 a week to build my savings account.

After paying off my bills, any extra money would also go to my savings. I also invested in debt coaching one-time consultations to ensure that I was on the right track with my thinking and plan.

This took four hours to complete.

I got a six-figure job

After devouring all the “get out of debt” and money content. I knew the only way to speed up the process was to make more money. You can only budget or cut back until you literally cannot cut anymore.

Making more money has no cap.

I hired my friend Delicia Riddle of JDF Career Management Consulting, which does resume writing and interview prep training, to help me get a new job. With her help, I had offers coming in. I had to get better at interviewing. People started side hustles and businesses in many of the stories I read, but I wanted  to maximize my job income potential.

I already had a job making $60,000 a year, so I upgraded to another job, making exactly $100,000 a year. I happen to be in the IT field and working in project management, a sub-niche that has a high-income potential.

This took 30 days to complete.

I got a night job

Getting that $100,000 job was not enough for me. I still had the afternoon and night time to make money. So I decided to find a second job that could help me accelerate my debt payoff time. I got an overnight job that covered my essentials and helped to destroy my debt quickly.

I was supposed to work until all my consumer debt was paid off; however, that did not happen. That job was hard on my health, but I knew it was for a short period. It took me to a gross of $156,000 yearly. So I doubled my gross yearly salary in less than three months.

This took three months to complete.

I tracked my numbers weekly

To this day, I have an Excel sheet that I update weekly on Sunday with how much money I have in my checking account, savings account, the debt I owe and credit score. Tracking this number weekly helps me always stay honest about where I am with my money.

This takes less than one hour a day to complete.

I stayed the course and celebrated the small wins

Getting out of debt was an eye-opening experience for me. So many people are OK with being a victim of debt. They might even try to sway you not to pay your debt off. Don’t let their reality come down on your vision and bank account.

You must do whatever you must to stay grounded in your plan. Remember to celebrate the small wins and own your money journey regardless of what anyone might say.

I put it all together

As I look in my bank accounts today, I see four and five figures. I live and move differently because of the new choices and sacrifices I made. The key takeaway is that making more money and tracking your money is the surest fastest way to pay off your debt.

In addition, you must maximize your earning potential at your job and with your time. Once you have money saved, you can start a business. No matter what happens, stick with your plan, and your future self will thank you.

Bertrand Ngampa is the founder of The 1% Man and the host of “The 1% Man Podcast.” He is a best-selling author, high-performance coach, business strategist, speaker, consultant, and Army veteran.