Creative Artist Jesse Forte Is Heading To Space, Making Music & Inspiring Young Black Galactic Dreamers
A creative visionary is on a mission to space, and as he embarks on his journey, he has a message to spread.
Jesse Forte, known as Jforte, is an emerging artist, author, analog astronaut, and creative research officer at Space Is More. The multitalented creative had a dream at a young age to reach “Infinity and Beyond,” inspired by Buzz Lightyear.
As of July 2021, Jforte gets closer to his dream as part of the Lunares Research team in Poland, where he was able to conduct research in Oral Care, Music, Phlebotomy, the study of DNA, EVA missions (Space Walks), and much more.
Now, Jforte is preparing for his second analog training and hopes to set out for space within the next 18 to 20 months, according to Afro Tech. While doing so, the ambitious space enthusiast is eager to inspire the young Black community who strive to contribute to space exploration.
“Letting the young kids from around the world—especially little Black girls and boys that look like me—see that it’s possible for a brother with melanin dripping from his veins with dreads and gold chains to go to space. I want them to say ‘If he can do it, I can too,’” Jforte told the news outlet.
The anticipated embarkment has ignited in Jforte his love for music. The aspiring “first emcee of NASA” will be fusing a new musical project with his upcoming mission. Inspired by his previous astronaut training for the Sensoria X Mission, an album entitled “Lunares | M4” will be released. The music chronicles the stories of music, love, life, and science with blends of indie rock, hip-hop, lo-fi, rap, and Jazz. The album received support and help from the All-American Analog astronaut team.
“I was able to gain approval to pursue the 11-12 song album while also working within the means of the mission! I had full creative control over this process and it was a literal dream come true to pursue my creative endeavors while in the midst of training,” Forte said.
Through his music and training, Jforte hopes to bridge the gap between creativity and the STEM fields. As a galactic dreamer, this multitalented artist is pursuing the desire that space is for everyone, no matter the discipline or experience.
“There are so many architects, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and other types of academia that are involved with NASA and becoming astronauts…. But there aren’t any creatives. I want to be the creative mind that challenges that and spreads the message that space is for everyone,” said Jforte, according to a press release.
Aretha Franklin’s Granddaughter Auditions for ‘American Idol’ & Causes Friction Between Judges
Auditions for the talent competition show American Idol have started, and a line in the sand has already been drawn between judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie who disagreed about the talents of the granddaughter of the Queen of Soul.
According to Entertainment Weekly, things heated up when the granddaughter of legendary soul singer Aretha Franklinshowed up at the tryouts. Grace Franklin, who shares the genes of one of the world’s best vocalists in history, emerged in front of the American Idol judges.
CNN reported that Franklin, who is just 15-years-old, appeared in the Sunday episode of American Idol and belted out two songs for the judges. She did a rendition of The Fugees’ Lauryn Hill-led version of Roberta Flack’s song, “Killing Me Softly,” and also sang one of her grandmother’s hits, “Ain’t No Way.”
According to Franklin, being kin to a singing legend leads to high expectations.
“I got to see her all the time. I used to travel with her a lot,” Grace said. “I don’t think I could fully grasp the fact that she was known worldwide because, to me, she was always just grandma. I feel like people expect me to sing exactly like her, but I’m my own artist and I have my own voice.”
After performing, the three judges, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, andLionel Richie, voted on whether Franklin should be allowed to get to the next round. As Bryan decided against it, Perry was all for her advancing, so Richie, as the deciding vote, went with Bryan in denying Franklin entry, following in her grandmother’s footsteps.
Richie gave Franklin some friendly advice to advance her career.
“Go back and get a running start and come back at this again,” Richie said. As the Hello singer was getting the side-eye from Perry, he turned to her and said, “Are you putting pressure on me?”
To which she responds, “She’s got stardust. Give her a shot. Give her a chance. I’m sure Aretha wasn’t Aretha when she walked into the room, but somebody said, ‘Yes, I want to work with you, I want to develop you, you’ve got something.’ “
As Richie gave the young singer some sound advice, encouraging her not to give up, in a fit of frustration, Perry protests, and states, “I will lay down on the ground. I quit this show. I’m going to the bar,” and walked off the stage.
Richie gave her more words of wisdom as he embraced her: “Grace, you know how I feel about your family and you, but I don’t want this to be a crash and burn,” he said. “It’s gonna be a ‘no’ from me this time, but an optimistic, ‘Come back and see us,’ OK? Make that work, OK?”
Do you think Richie should have given the young hopeful a shot?
Serena Williams’ Venture Capital Firm Raises $111 Million
Tennis superstar Serena Williams has just announced that her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, has raised $111 million dollars in an inaugural fund.
Serena Ventures invests in founders who “solve everyday problems through unconventional thinking and diverse points of view.” For the past nine years, it has managed a portfolio of more than 60 angel investments, using Williams’ own money.
“As an angel investor, you can only do so much,” the world-class athlete, businesswoman, and philanthropist told BLACK ENTERPRISE exclusively. “I knew that I wanted to do a fund, but I worked backward, by using my own capital and then creating a track record and getting to know everyone.”
Now, with funding from limited partners including Norwest, CapitalG, Kapor Foundation, and LionTree, among others, Serena Ventures will be able to take its investments to the next level.
“The ability to write bigger checks and the ability to lead seed rounds really enables us to deliver on our mission and to unlock value for our investors and open doors for founders,” Williams says.
A passion for investing
Williams first started investing a little over nine years ago because of what she calls a “natural draw” to technology and a desire to be involved with all of the startups she was seeing pop up in the space.
Always ready for a new challenge, she started out by asking a lot of questions, then investing in a fund, and then becoming an angel investor.
“This isn’t new for me,” she says. “This is something I’ve been doing for a really, really, really long time and it’s something that I absolutely love and I’m super passionate about.”
Despite her busy schedule, Williams spends six or seven hours a day on her investing work: “I love looking at new companies, I love talking to founders, I absolutely love passing on the knowledge that I’ve been able to get and being able to impact other people.”
Breaking up the boys club
As she learned more about the world of funding, Williams was shocked by the inequities.
“I was at a conference and Caryn Seidman-Becker, the founder of CLEAR, was on stage and she said less than 2% of all VC money goes to women. I legit thought she misspoke because 98% is a huge number,” Williams says. “When I’m serving, I don’t serve at 98%. Like that’s not even possible, that’s near perfect.”
“I couldn’t wrap my mind around basically almost 100% of money is going to the men.”
And that’s when Williams’ investing mission was formed: “I wanted to really bring diversity to VC in the way that I could. And the only way to change those numbers was to be the person writing the big checks.”
That was about four years ago, when Williams hired Alison Rapaport Stillman as general partner and they began building a team—which just happens to be all women.
“One of my favorite parts about my job is the people I get to work with every day and how much I get to learn from Serena and from the team around us,” Rapaport Stillman says. “A team that’s all women and from very different backgrounds, we see the world differently. We don’t fit the mold of venture.”
Alison Rapaport Stillman, General Partner, Serena Ventures (Image: Courtesy of Serena Ventures)
For Williams, surrounding herself with other smart women was a no-brainer.
“It’s been proven that the more diverse your team, the better you do, and companies are now starting to realize that,” she says.
“And also, it’s very authentic. I just want people that believe in our mission and that want to be a part of something really amazing. When it comes to our team, that’s what everyone is on board for and they’re really excited to help founders have an opportunity that they probably wouldn’t have had before.”
Diversifying venture capital
The firm’s approach is to build a more inclusive future by investing in “overlooked, underestimated, and fledgling markets.”
“We want to make sure that we don’t necessarily neatly check a box. Just to be clear, you don’t have to be a person of color or a woman to be in our fund,” Williams says.
“Impact can take many forms,” she continues. “We are focusing not just on the people, but on the market. We really believe that we can make the most by finding companies that solve bigger consumer problems, especially for people who have been ignored by the traditional players in the game.”
Still, 76% of Serena Ventures’ portfolio founders come from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Williams understands firsthand the plight of founders of color. Even with her success and her privilege, she knows she’s held to a different standard as a Black woman.
“Sadly this is why I wanted to build a track record, because, quite frankly I knew that above other people I needed to have something that could speak for itself,” she says. “That’s just the way of the land. Let’s just be honest, you know I couldn’t just say ‘Oh I’m going to do this and have fun with it.'”
Just like on the court, Williams is all about performance: “I really wanted to spend time in creating something for that very reason, so when questions are asked it’s like, not only do we have answers, but we have exits and we have unicorns. Like, look at what we have done.”
Rockstar Energy and Cortez Bryant Give the Blueprint for Atlanta Creatives
Rockstar Energy announced it has teamed up with Cortez Bryant, long-time talent manager who has worked with stars like Drake and Nicki Minaj and co-CEO of the record label Blueprint Group, to launch Atlanta’s newest space for Black artists — Rockstar Culture Labs.
Given Atlanta’s status as an epicenter of hip-hop and “mecca” for music, entertainment and creative communities, the launch is set to empower the next generation of local Black artists with direction from other key figures including Al Branch, CMO/partner at BPG Records and Blueprint/Maverick Artist Management and Ashaunna Ayars, founder of The Ayars Agency and chair of the Advisory Board for Rockstar Culture Labs.
“We’re proud to be launching The Rockstar Culture Labs, to provide space and resources that empower Black artists here in one of the country’s epicenters of creative culture,” said Chauncey Hamlett, VP/CMO Pepsi Beverages North America (South Division).
“With this platform, we want to highlight and elevate the ‘Real Rockstars’ of Atlanta, those who are hustling and putting in the work to pursue their dreams.”
Funded by Rockstar Energy, the co-branded space will open in a 4-story building located in the Atlanta University Center in April, providing:
— A platform and resources including fully equipped music production studios and sound stages, event and co-working spaces and ongoing networking opportunities
— The Rockstar Internship Program, a joint effort that builds on Blueprint Group’s history of developing education platforms and Rockstar Energy’s goal of driving purpose around creativity in youth culture
— Event programming curated by Rockstar Energy including showcases, fireside chats, podcasts and more
“The Rockstar Culture Labs is an exciting next step for Blueprint Group, which has been dedicated to educating, supporting, and amplifying the next generation of creative artists,” said Cortez Bryant, co-CEO of Blueprint Group.
“Partnering with Rockstar Energy to open this space in one of the country’s most happening music communities gives us another platform to create incredible opportunities for Atlanta’s Black artists.”
Anthony Mays Is Using His Experience As A Black Tech Employee To Help Others Thrive
When Google first released its diversity numbers for the first time, Anthony Mays, who joined the tech giant in 2013 knew they’d be low, just not how low.
The report revealed only one percent of Google’s tech roles included Black people. When Mays saw that he knew things needed to change. However, in the years since there has been little progression. That led Mays to branch out on his own and start a consulting firm that helps both companies and employees reach and retain minority tech employees.
In order to help the effort, Mays began sharing his story of overcoming an abusive home in Compton, Calif to working for Google. Mays not only shared his story with Buzzfeed titled “My Unlikely Path To Becoming The 1% At Google,” which has more than 5 million views but also wrote a piece for the Huffington Post.
“I talk about how I had a good experience, but there are no guarantees, and I want us to be honest about that,” Mays told CNBC. “There are people who’ve had horrible experiences, and I want to remind people that as much as I’ve enjoyed being at Google, things might go differently for you.”
Mays told CNBC he was surprised and humbled by the responses he received, including emails from Google employees he’d never met.
Mays’ experience is not unlike other Black employees in the tech industry. Even after pledges made by large tech companies including Apple, Amazon and Google in the aftermath of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, Black representation in tech is still lacking.
Mays tried to continue working for Google while trying to grow Black representation in tech, but last year switched to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work in tech full-time, launching Morgan Latimer Consulting, which he named after Black inventors Garrett A. Morgan and Lewis H. Latimer.
Mays’ consulting group has two main goals: helping underrepresented people get jobs in tech and helping companies hire and retain minority workers. In order, to do this Mays has had to have some tough conversations with tech companies about how minority talent views them.
“Most companies either don’t know or don’t understand why there is a lack of trust, they usually just see the side effects like lack of participation,” Mays told CNBC. “We have this expectation that if we throw money at this, we’ll have progress, but it’s more complicated than that.”
Mays isn’t the only one working to boost diversity numbers in tech. Black Girls Code, the Black Tech Pipeline and DevColor are also working to eliminate barriers holding Black and Latino tech enthusiasts through partnerships, training, and college-to career pipelines.
$2 Million In Small Business Grants Awarded To More Than 200 Black Women-Owned Small Businesses
Reimagine Main Street today announced 200+ Black women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs have won Backing Black Business cash grants, ranging from $5,000-$50,000. The grants, which will fuel the growth aspirations and boost the trajectory of these Black women-led small businesses, include:
$50,000 cash grants awarded to the top three pitch competition winners
$25,000 cash grants awarded to four pitch competition finalists
$10,000 cash grants awarded to 150 businesses that launched pre-COVID-19
$5,000 cash grants awarded to 50 businesses that launched during COVID-19
The Backing Black Business: Small Business Grant Program winners either launched during the COVID-19 pandemic or successfully navigated their businesses through the pandemic. They include women entrepreneurs competing in 10 industries – retail, beauty, health and caregiving, maintenance and repair, transport and logistics, professional services, food and leisure, technology, education and training, hailing from communities across the entire U.S. =
The announcement comes at the culmination of Black History Month and on the heels of seven finalists receiving coaching and then competing in a pitch competition streamed online earlier this month. Participants who received the most votes during the voting period that followed the pitch competition, received the top cash grant awards.
Winner Ashley Redwood started Trap Cardio, her business in Richmond, VA that offers dance fitness classes that mix strength training with cardio, in 2018. In 2020, she started to offer free classes on YouTube as Americans were looking for a fitness outlet while quarantined during Covid. Trap Cardio’s popularity rose quickly.
“My upbringing consisted of living in areas with food deserts with limited knowledge of nutrition and fitness,” said Mrs. Redwood, in explaining why she started her business. “It was hard to follow fitness enthusiasts who didn’t come from the same background or relate to my weight struggles.”
Today, with 132,000 YouTube subscribers and thousands of Instagram followers, Redwood has opened a nutritional club serving protein shakes and supplements, sells merchandise worldwide and hosts in-person classes in a 10,000 square foot studio. The Backing Black Business grant will allow her to upgrade her recording and sound equipment, expand merchandising, and provide outreach to the community, including health screenings and fitness workshops.
Armed with an Industrial & Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, winner Jeannell Darden started her own beauty brand, Moisture Love, to help women who have natural, highly textured hair have moisture that lasts for three or more days and reactivates with a steamy shower!
“We work with a local business in Atlanta, that I also own, which manufactures all of our hair products,” said Jeannell. “That company hires women and college students in the community to provide them a living working wage to care for themselves and their families.”
The Backing Black Business $50,000 grant will be integral to funding marketing and social media advertising to continue growing Moisture Love.
The other five entrepreneurs to win top grant prizes are:
“Black women entrepreneurs are vital contributors to our national and local economies, innovating products and services to meet customer demand and creating jobs,” said Tammy Halevy, Co-lead of Reimagine Main Street. “By providing cash grants and other valuable support and resources, we can help these entrepreneurs and their businesses thrive and grow as we emerge from the economic effects of the pandemic.”
“This grant program could change the trajectory of some of the 207 amazing businesses led by Black women entrepreneurs across the U.S. who are the largest segment of new and emerging businesses,” said Renee Johnson, Co-lead of Reimagine Main Street. “Our $2 million commitment to Black-owned small businesses is unique in its support for not just women who had businesses prior to the pandemic, but also those who were blessed and able to launch their businesses during COVID-19.”
Reimagine Main Street partnered with more than a dozen organizations in its national network to market and produce the Backing Black Business program. Meta provided financial support through its Black Owned Small Business Grants program. The $2 million in cash grants will be reinvested back into Main Streets across America and bear fruit for many years to come.
Pedal Toward Your Fitness Goals With This Smart Cycle
Over the past couple years, the prevalence of the coronavirus has caused a paradigm shift when it comes to attitudes about the gym. Once gyms closed their doors in response to the pandemic, many people decided not to return. While staying away from brick-and-mortar gyms has offered some protection from infection, it’s also prevented some people from keeping up with their fitness goals.
What if you could bring the gym equipment home with you? Well, the Echelon EX-3 Smart Connect Fitness Bike allows you to do just that. For a limited time, you can purchase this technologically advanced fitness bike that normally sells for $799 for just $599 by entering the code ECHELON at checkout.
Echelon offers studio-quality fitness that will handle any task thrown in its direction. Thirty-two resistance levels allow full control of the intensity of your workouts through an easy-to-use resistance knob. An accompanying Echelon Fit app is optional. Membership entitles users to more than 40 daily live classes, more than 3,000 on-demand workouts, more than one million song and artist options, and more than 60 world-class instructors.
This bike weighs 104 pounds and has a weight limit of 300 pounds. You won’t have to worry about it not being sturdy enough to handle your rides. Its flywheel checks in at 28 pounds and its bullhorn-style handlebars can be adjusted to your height.
Two dual-sided SPD compatible pedals are fitted with toe cages, and it has a vented competition-style seat. A built-in device holder is perfect for your mobile phone or tablet.
“The Echelon Connect EX-3 bike offers a balanced, varied, and challenging workout, regardless of your fitness level. Furthermore, the bike features a sturdy, durable design to support intense workouts, as well as a rotating tablet holder for off-bike routines,” Healthline writes in its review.
Just because your routine in the gym might have changed doesn’t mean you still can’t achieve your fitness and health goals. Purchase this studio-style smart fitness cycle today for $599 with promo code ECHELON and begin pedaling.
Diddy’s Son Quincy Says a Jet Blue Pilot Put Hands On Him – Grabbed and Dragged Him Off Plane
Quincy Brown took to Instagram on Monday to put a Jet Blue pilot on blast for grabbing him and dragging him off a flight over an oversized bag.
Brown who is the son of Diddy’s ex Kim Porterand singer Al. B Sure, but who music mogul Sean Diddy Combs has claimed as his own, shared details about the encounter to his fans, Radar Onlinereports.
The 30-year-old Star actor said he was boarding the plane with his carry-on items but was eventually ejected after a dispute over its size.
Here’s how he explains it all went down.
“I’m gonna keep this thing short…,” Brown began. “The pilot put his hands on me.”
“My bag fits in my pocket damn near,” he explained saying that his assistant was carrying the bag to bring onboard. “They claimed it didn’t fit. My assistant had my bag. I was on the plane already. They wouldn’t let him bring it on. He gets on the plane, I let him know I need my bag. That’s not a bag to check. It has my [anxiety] medication, it has my personal, it has my jewelry, literally everything that has my personal belongings. Nothing is in my pocket,” he continued.
Brown explained that the pilot demanded he get his “fucking diabetic medication out” of the bag and insisted that it could not remain on the plane, citing its size.
Brown said when he objected to that request he was grabbed and dragged off the plane.
“That’s when I got my phone out, I didn’t knock him out, and everything was just uncalled for,” Brown said. “I ain’t never had no pilot put no hands on me. I don’t know what you went through before that. I don’t care, but the severity of me just trying to get my bag for personal belongings became a situation to where a pilot put his hands on me.”
Brown named Todd Papesh as the pilot who assaulted him.
All we have to say is somebody is about to lose their job because Diddy is not going to stand for this.
Jet Blue has not released a statement about the incident.
Black Women Are Finding Success And Revenue In Spiritually Inspired Businesses
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the uncertainty around it along with the stock market falling and millions of overnight job losses caused people to seek hope in religion and spirituality, resulting in significant industry growth.
Black women including have carved out a space in the spiritual wellness industry including Shontel Anestasia, who launched the Urban Gurvi Mama Shop in 2017.
Anestasia told CNBC when the pandemic hit, she witnessed people going “back to their roots.”
“For the last two years, there has been a surge of people wanting to go back to their roots. Last year, I did just as well being self-employed at my shop as I did working in corporate America,” Anestasia said.
The spiritual wellness industry, which involves everything from healing crystals and candles to tarot card readings, has seen significant growth and revenue since the pandemic reaching more than $2 billion collectively. The industry is also expected to continue to grow, hitting beyond $2.5 billion by 2026.
Many Black women are finding their entrepreneurial dreams in the spiritual wellness industry and going beyond religion in doing so.
“The resurgence of spirituality has created a market for people to want to purchase supplies that will allow them to create prosperity, to promote health, to bring in love, and to bring in all the good things that they want to attract to themselves by supporting people that look just like them,” Shantrelle Lewis, the Co-Founder of Shoppe Black said.
Even outside of the spiritual wellness industry, Black women have been experiencing a small business boom selling everything from beauty and hair care products to athleisure as they’ve taken their financial freedom into their own hands.
Recent studies show Black women have been at the forefront of creating new businesses. After the number of Black-owned businesses took a hit by 40% in April 2020, women of color were among the largest group starting new businesses during the height of the pandemic.
Even before the pandemic hit, Black women were already surpassing Black men and women in general in the number of new businesses being launched. A 2019 Wells Fargo report found that 35% of Black-owned businesses were owned by women, over 10% more than the number of female-owned businesses in the U.S. economy.
Spelman College Partners with SMASH to Diversify Tech Industry
SMASH, a STEM racial justice nonprofit focused on addressing inequities in education, and the nationally renowned HBCU Spelman College, announced a partnership to offer programming and support to young women of color interested in academic and professional careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The partnership builds on a strong bedrock of efforts by SMASH, which has operated in Atlanta for over five years at Spelman College’s esteemed institutional neighbor, Morehouse College. With an expanded offering that now includes support for young women of color, SMASH is well positioned to lead on growing the thriving pool of tech talent behind Atlanta’s exceedingly diverse and rapidly expanding tech ecosystem, according to a press release.
The inaugural SMASH x Spelman cohort will comprise 25 female high school students, who will have the opportunity to participate in multi-year immersive educational programming focused on preparing them to drive social change at-scale, using technology. This includes building computer science skills, accessing career mentorship, completing college preparatory workshops, and more for the full duration of their high school career in SMASH Academy.
This July the scholars jumpstart their SMASH experience with a three-week summer program that includes a two-week residency at Spelman College. Scholars will be provided time to explore the campus and learn about subjects including introductory coding languages and design thinking from a diverse set of instructors. The program will also take part in Spelman’s The Future is Intersectional initiative, which explores the critical role of Black women in technological advancement through a series of lectures by leading academics centering the value an intersectional lens brings to the development and utilization of technology in our society.
“As a proud Spelman College Alumna and graduate of the Dual-Degree Engineering Program from Georgia Tech, I know the power of being immersed in Black excellence for a young Black woman, particularly in STEM, and it is a privilege to partner with the country’s leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” explains Danielle Rose, CEO of SMASH.
“As we see a worsening racial divide in terms of education quality and access across the U.S., creating spaces that prioritize identity, community impact and culturally relevant coursework are critical to systemically diversifying the STEM fields.”
With this partnership, Spelman College joins a network of several universities around the country, in addition to Atlanta’sMorehouse College, that offer programming through SMASH to historically underrepresented groups in STEM, including students of color and low-income and first-generation students. SMASH impact data shows over 99% of SMASH alumni graduate high school and 85% graduate college within five years of matriculation, which is significantly higher than the national average (55%). Similarly, 79% of SMASH alumni graduate with a degree specifically in STEM, as compared to 35% of their peers nationally.
“SMASH x Spelman is coming to fruition at just the right time. As technology becomes ubiquitous across all aspects of our society, the voices, experiences, and expertise of Black women are critical to the creation of a more equitable future. A future where technology is leveraged for the empowerment of all. Programs like SMASH x Spelman will remind our young people that they are the ones creating that future and equip them with the tools to do so with compassion” says Tamara Pearson, director of the Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM at Spelman College.
Interested applicants who are entering the ninth grade as of Fall 2022 and meet the program criteria can apply to the program now by visiting smash.org/apply. The deadline for applications is Mar. 1, 2022.
