• Money

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 24, 2022

HBCU Grad Whose Program Teaches Black and Brown Youth How to Invest Receives $250K in Funding

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Ruby “Sunshine” Taylor, a graduate of Howard University and the founder of Financial Joy School based in Baltimore, Maryland is proud to introduce Project 10,000, an initiative geared towards providing essential financial education to black and brown youth and families through the financial literacy card game, LEGACY! Card Game. The initiative is supported by a $250,000 cash grant via a partnership with Wells Fargo Small Business Growth Philanthropy and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center.

Growing up in the Bronx, New York, Ruby, a Howard University and VUU alumna, was not privy to the world of investing or what it meant to make your money work for you, no matter how hard her family worked. Because of financial trauma and systemic racism, the racial wealth gap continues to adversely impact black and brown families.

With her life and professional experience in understanding the impact of financial challenges, Ruby founded Project 10,000 as a way to create a fun and welcoming introduction to investing and generational wealth building for black and brown youth and families.

Ruby believes, “We can create a world in which financial equity is a reality for us all. First, step reducing barriers to investing education, financial literacy and investment cash. Project 10,000 will do that and so much more.”

Financial Joy School and Project 10,000 is on a mission to support black and brown youth and families to build generational wealth through long-term investing with joyful and practical wealth-building tools. We cannot reverse the history and current oppression of black and brown people, but we can help create a better future — one card game and financial education tool at a time. Recognizing the disproportionate generational wealth-building within this demographic, Financial Joy School decided to take up the mantle of arming Black youth and families with investment and financial literacy.

The initiative takes complex financial concepts and breaks them into bite-sized nuggets of information. It is presented in an exciting and engaging five rounds of fun in a pick-and-play card game. While having fun, black children and families will have the opportunity to win investment cash.

The Financial Joy School prides itself on championing the vital cause of being the catalyst of Black generational wealth. In a bid to guarantee that the LEGACY! Card Game decks are disseminated wide and far, the company has secured twelve distribution partners around the United States.

The following schools and organizations will receive free LEGACY! Card Games because of the support of Wells Fargo Small Business Growth Philanthropy and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center:

Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, Mich.; Lancaster Teenage Girls Summit, Lancaster, Pa.; Black Girls Smile, Washington, D.C.; Portfolios with Purpose NYC, NY; Mount Washington Middle School Baltimore, MD; The Artest Foundation Queensbridge, N.Y.; The Mix (Community Center) Lancaster, Pa.; Dent Education Baltimore, Md.; Harlem Academy New York City, N.Y.; Black Fathers Foundation, Atlanta, Ga.; Open Hands, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and the African Diaspora Alliance, Baltimore, Md.

Each location will all receive its decks beginning February 2022 in honor of Black History Month.

When asked what prompted her organization to join the initiative, Lauren Carson, executive director of Black Girls Smile, Inc., proclaimed, “Black Girls Smile is proud to be a Distribution Partner for the LEGACY! Financial empowerment card decks because we know that Black youth and their families often experience a disproportionately negative impact related to a long history of financial stress and trauma. This type of stress and trauma impacts mental health and wellbeing. We believe that interventions like the LEGACY! cards help to increase the financial literacy and agency of Black communities, and we are very excited to distribute them to our community of Black girls and their caregivers.”

In addition to Project 10,000, the Financial Joy School will be hosting the Financial Family Reunion Summit on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The conference is breaking ground as the first financial conference geared towards fostering Black wealth and legacy by enabling Black and Brown youth and families to learn, grow and empower themselves to create generational wealth and, most importantly, joy.

At the Financial Family Reunion Summit, one family will win $10,000 investing cash and twenty other families will win $150 to $1,000 investment cash. Registration for the event is free, and the event’s coordinators are encouraging individuals to sign up early so that they can have a greater chance of winning a prize.

This article first appeared on Blacknews.com. 

• Entrepreneurship

by Atiya Jordan

February 24, 2022

Sabrina and Idris Elba Launch Wellness Brand, S’Able Labs; Skincare Line On The Way

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Sabrina and Idris Elba have teamed up to exemplify the power of partnerships with their Audible podcast Coupledom and now with the launch of a capsule collection of genderless skincare.

During the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns, conversations about wellness and self-care became important for the celebrity couple.

“It began during a conversation Idris and I had at a time in which we felt disconnected from our community,” Sabrina told Vogue. “It opened up the idea of wellbeing and self-care that we hadn’t really thought of before—looking at wellness from the outside in, in terms of your community and who’s around you. That’s when it clicked.”

S’Able Labs, Elbas’ spelled backward, is a multifaceted wellbeing brand catering to people of all ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds. The skincare products, set to launch this summer, will be formulated with sustainable ingredients from Africa to address concerns from hyperpigmentation to inflammation.

 

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“When you are happier, doing good just comes naturally,” Sabrina said. “That’s why self-care is such an important thing in partnerships and relationships—when you’re feeling really good about yourself, you’re able to share that with other people and it’s infectious. I feel like we’ve forgotten about that because we’ve been so isolated. We want to remind people to share that good energy.”

The husband and wife quickly realized the need for community care without the heavily gender-focused products. With this new venture, they aim to provide the resources necessary to bring the community together in the wellness space. The wellbeing brand will also take on events and partnerships.

“We think that self-care can only be fully realized through community care,” Sabrina said in a statement, according to Stylecaster. “They are interdependent concepts. We’re trying to educate and help but we also want to learn from the conversation we’re having with our growing community.”

“I want there to be a dialogue around looking after each other. How we look and feel actually feeds into how we maintain our partnerships,” Idris added. “We’re all part of this world, so if we can help each other, that’s going to save a lot of lives and livelihoods.”

The Elbas are actively spreading the word about the power of partnerships while continuing their own personal and business journey.

“As our business relationship grows, our personal one grows alongside it,” Sabrina told Vogue. “And Idris is really new to the skin-care journey, so it’s great to be able to share amazing skincare with him—he finally gets it!”

• Women

by Derek Major

February 24, 2022

Pamela Culpepper Becomes First Black Woman On The Board Of Directors For Prada

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Another Black woman has made history as Pamela Culpepper becomes the first Black woman on the luxury fashion brand Prada’s board of directors.

According to a Prada press release, Culpepper has been appointed as an independent non-exclusive director of Prada S.p.A. along with Anna Maria Rugarli. The latter has also been tapped for Prada’s board.

The pair were selected based on their professional backgrounds in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and will provide the luxury brand’s board members with sustainability assessments and any decisions based on the three courses of action.

Culpepper is the co-founder of Have her Back L.L.C., a female-owned and led culture consultancy focused on advancing equity for all. She also served as the chief human resources officer at Cboe global markets, one of the world’s largest exchange holding companies.

“People who know me and know what Prada stands for, quickly see what connects us—status quo is simply not an option,” Culpepper told Essence. “I’m proud to be a part of that challenge. One of Prada’s principles is to go where the risk is. Prada has stepped out front to lead the industry in ESG. It would be easier to fast follow, but that would be counter to both of our instincts. Prada is at the intersection of authentically connecting their values and purpose with the needs and will of their key stakeholders. My role is to help strategically navigate that intersection.”

Since being accused of racism in 2018, Prada has made several moves to increase diversity within its ranks. In 2019, the brand formed its Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, and its council co-chair, Theaster Gates, created design labs in marketplaces such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, highlighting where diverse designers and artists hail from.

The luxury brand also brought on Ava DuVernay as diversity and inclusion advisory chair. Prada also provides diverse communities opportunities through its create internship and apprenticeship programs.

• Women

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 24, 2022

24-Year Old to Make History as Youngest Black Female Pilot For Commercial Airlines

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Miracle Izuchukwu, who is from New York City, will soon break barriers when she officially becomes part of the 1% of Black female pilots for major commercial airlines around the world.

Now 24-years old, she is currently in training to become a Commercial Airline Pilot and continues to inspire other people with her story.

Miracle, whose parents are Nigerian, says that she grew up in a very discouraging environment. She said her ambitions were often looked down on because of her gender, but she did not let it stop her from dreaming big.

She initially joined the aviation industry when she became a flight attendant with American Airlines. She had always wanted to become a pilot since when she first encountered one while she was still working as a customer service representative.

Excited, Miracle told her father about her plan but she said he told her that “if he gets on a plane and sees a woman as the pilot, he would get off the plane.”

Despite that, she believed that she will make it. She used that discouragement as fuel to keep her going. Indeed, she earned her Private Pilots License in 2021.

“Whoever it is praying for me, don’t stop, it’s working. I joined the elite group of 7% of females and 1% of black female pilots in the world. It’s an exhilarating, yet surreal feeling to introduce myself to the world as a Pilot,” Miracle wrote on her Instagram post.

Currently, she is in training to become a Commercial Airline pilot, and she shares tips about pilot training as well as encouraging stories about her journey on her social media pages.

This article first appeared on Blacknews.com. 

• News

by Atiya Jordan

February 24, 2022

GRAPHIC Video: Police Dog Bites, Rips Off Black Woman’s Scalp and Braids, Lawsuit Filed

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Warning: Viewer discretion advised. This story has disturbing visual elements. 

In a brutal 2020 incident, Talmika Bates, then 24, had her scalp ripped off by a Brentwood (CA) Police K-9, a video obtained by KTVU shows. The incident occurred after she was suspected of stealing several thousands of dollars worth of cosmetic products from a nearby mall.

Bates now 26, has filed a lawsuit citing police negligence and violation of policy.

On the afternoon of Feb. 10, 2020, an Ulta employee contacted the police to report three young women who had shoplifted $10,000 worth of products, including Channel perfume from the store, according to a Facebook post.

Following the call, Brentwood police searched the neighborhood for the women. Officer Ryan Rezentes discovered Bates hiding behind some bushes in a field along Empire Way.

As seen in the body cam video, Bates is screaming and sobbing in pain, while the skin on the top of her head was mauled and bloody.

WARNING: GRAPHIC

“Help me! The dog is biting me,” she screams. “My whole brain is bleeding!”

Although the video is shaky, audio clarifies Bates’ screams calling off Marco, while Rezentes’ German commands to “heel” were ignored by the K-9 twice.

As Bates cried for medical attention, the officers on scene demanded she exit the bushes. Rezentes was propelled to physically remove Marco from the severely hurt young woman.

Her civil rights attorneys, Adante Pointer and Patrick Buelna, filed a federal lawsuit late Tuesday night. The lawsuit claims that Rezentes, who is still currently employed, violated his training and instructed Marco, a German Shepherd police dog, to go after the woman “without providing any warning or a reasonable opportunity to surrender.”

“This unbridled use of an apparent blood-thirsty dog to track, hunt, and then attack an unarmed fleeing woman as she lay in a set of bushes harkens back to the days of slavery and slave catchers,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit is also focusing on the officer’s police report, in which, he “conspicuously fails to mention the fact that he permitted Marco to needlessly maul Ms. Bates or that he lost control of Marco as Marco attacked and seriously injured Ms. Bates.”

Two years later, Bates is a student who lives in Oakland. She describes the painful memory as “traumatizing” and “sad.” She was rushed to John Muir Health hospital in Walnut Creek after the incident, where her scalp was sewed back on. However, her hair still doesn’t grow around her wounds.

“I feel ugly,” she said. “I get miserable I get depressed. I’m not happy with myself. I don’t even feel cute.”

In the shoplifting case, Bates pled guilty for felony grand theft and spent 120 days in jail and is on probation for a year, according to Fox 5 Atlta.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 24, 2022

Accused Killer of Jam Master Jay Filmed Music Video in Front of DJ’s Memorial Mural

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Prosecutors say the man accused of killing Run-DMC’s legendary DJ Jam Master Jay recorded a music video in front of a mural painted for the legend after his death.

According to the Associated Press, defense attorneys for Karl Jordan Jr., who is suspected of killing Jam Master Jay in his studio in 2002, are trying to get their client released on bail. In court papers, prosecutors have stated they are against the move.

The video is one of the examples the attorneys used to prove Jordan is a danger to the community. In the song “Silver Spoon,” the suspect openly touted his prowess in dealing drugs and owning guns as he rapped in front of the mural painted for Jam Master Jay in Queens, NY.

They used his own lyrics against him

“I wasn’t born with no silver spoon…I had to grind, grind and get it out the pot…and get it off the block…get it off the rock.” In the next verse, Jordan said that he “hustles hard, like the mob, a dealer serving hands like they cards.”

Prosecutors filed the paperwork earlier this week in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

Jordan’s defense attorneys are asking the court to release him on a $1 million bond. They claim there are “credible witnesses who will testify that he was at their home at the same time as the alleged murder.” They are also petitioning for his release as health issues put him at high risk for contracting COVID-19.

Prosecutors say the would-be alibi witnesses aren’t credible. They also said that Jordan is “a healthy 39-year-old man…who remains unvaccinated, despite widespread availability of the vaccine“ at a federal jail.

If convicted of killing Jam Master Jay, Jordan faces a minimum of 25 years in prison.

Jam Maser Jay was one-third of Run-DMC, which helped catapult rap into the mainstream with an array of hits in the mid-1980s, including “Walk this Way,” “It’s Tricky,” “Peter Piper,” and “Rock Box.”

• Lifestyle

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 24, 2022

We are SHOOK! Denzel Washington Reveals We’ve Been Saying His Name All Wrong

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The accomplished Academy Award-winning powerhouse actor that we’ve come to know as DEN-ZEL Washington just turned the internet on his head when a re-surfaced video interview went viral correcting the pronunciation of his name.

Washington appeared on the Graham Norton show back in 2013, but the video is just now making the rounds and causing an uproar on social media, appearing on several high-profile social media pages with many reacting with shock and amazement to the Training Day actor’s explanation.

Washington says that while we pronounce his name like it’s spelled as DenZEL, it’s actually Denzil.

Here’s his explanation:

And here is what popular comedian Kev on Stage had to say.

 

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Many online were equally shocked by Washington’s take on his name.

First it was RihANNA correcting us, and now it’s DenZIL 🤦🏾‍♀️anyone else?

— alex (@alex_is_HER) February 24, 2022

“His mama named him Denzel…I’m gonna call him Denzel” pic.twitter.com/Lv9ntEd52I

— Derek with a M (@mdg0421) February 24, 2022

No way he has let Hollywood and all of America call him out his name all this time. No way!

— RandomThoughts (@thewayICittoday) February 24, 2022

No matter what his name is, Washington respectfully is one of the greatest actors of all time, and gained his first Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in Cry Freedom in 1987 and then won his first Oscar after being nominated for his supporting role in Glory in 1989.

The multi-faceted entertainer received his first nomination for a starring role when he played the iconic civil rights leader in the Spike Lee-directed Malcolm X in 1992.

After getting an additional nomination for his leading role as the wrongly accused and jailed Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter in The Hurricane in 1999, he finally won his first Academy Award as a leading actor for Training Day in 2001, directed by frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua. His leading roles in Flight (2012), Fences (2016) and Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) led to more Oscar nominations.

We’ll just call him the GOAT from now on!

• Amazon Small Business Superheroes

by Jeffrey McKinney

February 24, 2022

Founded By Twin Brothers Looking For Healthy Options, Elite Sweets Is Serving Up Healthy Revenues

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After seeing alternative products for ice cream, cookies, and brownies packaged with protein, Amin Bahari and his twin brother, Amir, found that they could not find the same option for donuts, their go-to late-night snack.

That void—also triggered by a weight loss goal in which the brothers shed a combined 240 pounds in high school by adopting a ketogenic (“keto”) lifestyle—led to a business epiphany. But years later, in college, that success was jeopardized when as broke college kids on a tight budget, they often ate cheap, traditional donuts that were not good for them, late at night.

Along with two college football friends, they wondered why their sweet indulgence could not be turned into a healthy snack. They did just that in 2017 by launching Elite Sweets.

The minority-owned firm is the owner and creator of The Elite Donut. Amin calls the treat a protein-packed, low-sugar donut, and it’s keto-friendly–fitting within the low carb, high-fat diet intended to help trigger weight loss. He says patrons include college athletes, bodybuilders, and others hungry for a healthy alternative that tastes good but isn’t loaded with ingredients that promote sicknesses like diabetes and obesity.

Making Waves At Amazon

In late 2020, Elite Sweets launched its products in Amazon’s store to help the brand grow. Amin says Elite Sweets leverages Amazon for distribution, elevating exposure, and providing the firm with new strategies to scale. And it’s working. The Elite Donut, which comes in a variety of flavors, including chocolate, birthday cake, and cinnamon sugar, is listed as a “best seller” on Amazon.com

Amin says, “when you can tell them you’re the No. 1 selling donut product in Amazon’s store, that holds weight in any conversation.”

Amin is Elite Sweet’s CEO. He founded the online business with his brother Amir, and two college football friends, Caleb Bluiett and Timothy Cole Jr. The foursome first thought of the concept as students at the University of Texas at Austin. “What we really saw was an opportunity to be the first in the donut market to offer this,” Amin says.

But it was not an easy feat in the beginning. Amin says entrepreneurial inexperience and raising capital were the greatest challenges in getting the venture off the ground. He maintains that the partners overcame the first obstacle by researching, asking customers what they wanted, working with vendors, and learning about recipe development from scratch. They also created a business plan focused on product innovation, distribution, and building an experienced team.

Amin says the partners raised $560,000 primarily through elevator pitches and joining business accelerators. “If we had not been successful [at raising funds], we probably would not be here today,” he reflects.

In 2021, the company raised $2 million in its first round of seed funding led by venture capital firm Siddhi Capital, according to Amin. He says Elite Sweets is using the money largely for growth capital, research investment and development, boosting marketing, and expanding distribution. Amin says he and his brother started producing the donuts from their kitchen at home and expanded to a commercial kitchen where they could increase capacity to “thousands” of pastries. To move to the next level of production and keep pace with orders, they contracted with a food products manufacturer in June 2019.

Seeing Sweet Success

Now, Amin says the firm expects to sell one million donuts this year, up from about 50,000 in 2019. As such, the audacious entrepreneur anticipates sweet revenues for the company of more than $2 million in 2022, a 42% jump over 2020’s revenue. “We’ve gone from doing one pallet to filling up 18-wheeler trucks,” he says.

The company is looking to expand its relationship with Amazon to sustain that growth. For instance, he says his firm’s donuts are now sold at roughly 100 physical locations nationwide, including nutrition shops and convenience stores. And in a new development, his firm expects to begin selling donuts in Amazon Go convenience stores this March which could increase their physical stores footprint to 1,500 by 2023. “Over the next three years, I’d like to think we can get millions of customers [through] Amazon,” he says.

Elite Sweets has also benefitted from participating in Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator (BBA). The company launched this $150 million, four-year effort last year, providing access to capital, strategic guidance, mentorship, marketing, and more to help Black entrepreneurs with physical, consumer products grow their companies and maximize selling opportunities in Amazon’s store.

Amin notes that the program has assisted Elite Sweets by helping the company expand its base and reach new customers who may not have discovered their tasty offerings from its website.

Overall, he believes that selling in Amazon’s store will be a big part of Elite Sweets’ business for years to come.

“It has really been helpful to Elite Sweets to work with [an account manager] inside Amazon who can offer insight on what we should be doing or adjustments we should be making to reach more customers,” he says.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 24, 2022

Kyle Rittenhouse Intends to Sue Whoopi Goldberg for Calling him a ‘Murderer’

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Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two men and wounded another but avoided conviction for his acts has stated he plans to sue The View‘s Whoopi Goldberg and others for labeling him a murderer.

According to Yahoo, Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of all charges against him in the shooting deaths of two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., stated his intentions when he appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight earlier this week.

He wants to sue several people and some media outlets for their coverage of him which he felt was negative. Rittenhouse went to Kenosha armed with an assault-style rifle where he shot and killed two protesters in the summer of 2020.

“Right now we’re looking at quite a few,” Rittenhouse said on the Fox News program Monday night. “Politicians, celebrities, athletes. Whoopi Goldberg’s on the list. She called me a murderer after I was acquitted by a jury of my peers. She went on to still say that. And there’s others. Don’t forget about Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks. He called me a murderer before the verdict and continues to call me a murderer.”

The teenager from Illinois also said that he and his team have decided to launch the Media Accountability Project. He explains that this project will be used as a tool to help raise money and hold the media accountable for lies that the outlets and the people who appear on them say and deal with them in court.

“We are going to hold everybody who’s lied about me accountable,” Rittenhouse said. “Such as…everybody’s who’s lied, called me a white supremacist. They’re all gonna be held accountable and we’re going to handle them in a courtroom.”

The Journal Times reported some legal experts have stated that Rittenhouse’s chances of winning any lawsuits are basically zero.

• Lifestyle

by Jeffrey McKinney

February 24, 2022

48% of Americans Want To Improve Their Credit Score This Year — Here Are Ways To Do It

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As such, a new report shows 48% of Americans want to increase their credit score this year. A credit score shows if you’re a trustworthy borrower or a potential credit risk. Say you want to buy a home or get a credit card, your approval chances are greater with a higher credit score.