• Lifestyle

by Julaiza Alvarez

February 9, 2022

Here are 12 podcasts creating safe spaces for Black Women

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It’s February! So, In honor of this year’s Black history month, I decided to put together a list of 12 amazing podcasts created for Black Women by Black Women. That means as of this month, it is important to prioritize self in a new way with a community of women learning how to do the same. Whether it is dating & friendship advice, self-care tips, Business coaching, or acknowledging the contemporary struggles of Black Women. These Podcasts are empowering women to celebrate themselves in every season of their journey.

1. To My Sisters The Podcast 

Hosted by Cambridge University alumna and CEO of CDB London, Courtney Daniella Boateng and a two-time graduate of Harvard University and Oxford Alumna, and digital creator, Renee Kapuku. The “To My Sisters Podcast” is created for women seeking genuine support and sisterhood. These online sisters are giving women the tools to have fulfilling friendships, disciplined lifestyles, fruitful relationships, and healed transformative lives.

2. Slay Girl Slay 

Hosted by Northern Illinois University Alumna, former recruiting coordinator, and driven entrepreneur, Ashley Leggs. The “Slay Girl Slay Podcast” is truly a conversation from one homegirl to another. This podcast is created to celebrate individuality and encourage the dream chaser, and together create the joyful life you want to live.

3. The Love Letter Project 

Hosted by creative coach, artist, and digital creator Alecia Renece. “The Love Letter Project” is a dedicated heartfelt tribute to Black Women. She advocates for the reassurance, peace, and self-awareness of Black people through soulful conversation. 

4. Women Evolve 

Hosted by bestselling author, businesswoman, pastor, and media personality Sarah Jakes Roberts. The “Woman Evolve Podcast” is a safe space for healing, guidance, and wisdom. Through her personal experiences and special guest appearances, this podcast is made for women going through transitional periods of life.

5. NWAffirmations 

NWAffirmations audio is reprograming the way Black women and men internalize trauma and self-identity through positive messaging. Whether you are starting your day or ending it, NWAffirmations is teaching Black people how to affirm and love themselves.

6. CockTales: Dirty Discussions 

Hosted by reality tv star and digital creator Medinah Monroe and serial entrepreneur and media personality Kiara “KiKi” Alexandra. The “CockTales Podcast” is delivering unfiltered conversations on hot topics like dating and sex with humor.

7. Relationsh*t With Kamie Crawford 

Hosted by tv personality and co-host on MTV’s popular tv show Catfish, Kamie Crawford. The “Relationsh*t Podcast” is based on her personal experiences mixed with expert advice from time to time. Her mission is to guide women on how to navigate the ups and downs of relationships, dating tips, and a path to self-awareness through meaningful lighthearted conversations.

8. Pepp Talk Podcast 

Hosted by speaker, transformation coach, and digital creator Breeny Lee. “The Pepp Talk Podcast” is helping women live happy and whole lives. Her honesty and insightful advice are teaching women the importance of prioritizing their mental health, setting healthy boundaries, and how to navigate the dating scene.

9. Mahogany Pink 

Mahogany Pink is a collective of video essays on YouTube exploring topics like colorism, featurism, the complexity of dating culture, and the subconscious exceptions forced on Black women. This channel provides a complete cultural reset focused on the empowerment and self-care of all Black women.

10. Chrissie

Hosted by digital creator and intellectual Chrissie. This platform is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of dark-skinned Black women. Whether it is colorism, dating, corrective promotion, or femininity advice. Chrissie provides introspective commentary on the contemporary struggles Black women face in every social medium.

11. For Harriet

Hosted by Harvard alumna, writer, and recognized cultural critic Kimberly N. Foster. “For Harriet” is a multi-platform digital community created for Black women. This podcast analyzes and explores the complexity of Black womanhood in media, Black feminism, toxic masculinity in the Black community, and much more.

12. Side Hustle Pro

Hosted By two-time graduate from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and seasoned entrepreneur, Nicaila Matthews Okome. The “Side Hustle Pro” podcast is helping Black women reevaluate the way they understand business. From the corporate office to full-time podcaster, Nicaila is using her own professional experience to spotlight and coach Black women on how to become successful women in business.

• Women

by Derek Major

February 9, 2022

CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams is an Example of Black Leadership

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Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Jacqie McWilliams has a résumé that most people can only dream about.

McWilliams was a two-sport athlete in basketball and volleyball at Hampton University. In 1988, her first year at Hampton, she helped guide the Pirates to a Division II National Championship. She was also named Conference Freshman of the Year in women’s basketball. In 1990 she was named Conference Player of the Year in volleyball.

She also shined academically, getting a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in sports management and administration from Temple University. She was the first female coach for the Virginia Union University men’s basketball team, serving as an assistant, and has worked at Norfolk State University and Morgan State University before working for the NCAA itself.

McWilliams has done so much in her life and career, and she believes it was all part of the plan.

“I think God planned me to do all this. I just have some great favor and great support over my life,” McWilliams told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “As a little girl, my mom had me involved in all kinds of sports, skating, badminton, you name it, but really figuring out where my talents lie helped me and having the chance to use sports to get me through college really helped me stay focused.”

McWilliams is currently in her ninth year as CIAA Commissioner and the first Black woman to serve in the role for the conference. As a Black woman in a leadership role, McWilliams knows she’s held to a higher standard and has less room for error but has a team she can rely on.

“It has not been an easy road; you deal with the ism’s obviously as a Black woman in a leadership role,” She told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “You deal with it in your own culture, and you deal with it outside of your culture, but being part of the women leaders in college sports and being the president of that organization, those things give you confidence and really feels great to have people around you to make sure that you’re successful, and the person I can give the most gratitude to is God.

“I spend a lot of time making sure that the people around me are supported and can support me. You don’t win a national championship without the right players that are disciplined, focused, controlled, and compliment each other well, and that takes a lot of work to get there.”

In her role, McWilliams has managed both the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournaments, which continues to be among the most celebrated and highly attended events in intercollegiate athletics. She also mentors student-athletes that play in the conference.

The motivational speaker also served on several NCAA boards, including the Women Leaders in College Sports, where she served as president last year, and the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force, which she currently serves on.

McWilliams knows she wouldn’t be where she is without the help of many, including her husband Shaun Parker, daughter Samone, and her mentor Judy Fleet, but as a woman of faith, McWilliams also wanted to thank God. 

“I have my ups and downs; there are times where it’s really hard and where it goes past you, and you’re just like OK, we got through it,” McWilliams said. “This was my dream job. I’ve worked in the CIAA before; I’m a product of the conference. Working at the NCAA and some Division 1 institutions really helped mold and shape my preparation to be in a leadership role.

“I’m a woman of faith, so I don’t think anything that’s happened in my life was by mistake. I think every role that I’ve had he has put me in a position to do good work.”

• Lifestyle

by Jasmine Jackson

February 9, 2022

Meet the Founders of the Six-Figure Digital Detox Program, I Am Surviving Vegan

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Orisha Oshun and Grizzy Tha God say they made their first million in 2020 amid the pandemic by transforming the health of over 100,000 Black families globally through their family-run company I Am Surviving Vegan.

During the outbreak of the COVID crisis, the co-founders saw an immediate need to build immunity to COVID-19 within the Black community.

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Orisha and Grizzy Tha God about the importance of I Am Surviving Vegan in the Black community.

Why is I Am Surviving Vegan important for the community?

Orisha: I Am Surviving Vegan is important for the community because we challenge individuals to see the connection between the way they eat and their unhealed emotional traumas. Our vision is to make people who are transitioning to healthier living feel elite, luxurious, and triumphant as they discover new depths to their true selves. Surviving veganism is not about Black people eating vegan burgers every day – although that’s a common transition—it’s about surviving the highs and lows of your holistic healing journey. It’s a mind, body, and soul transformation! That’s what the community needs to know…surviving and breaking generational health disparities takes time. We want our community to know that we are a resource for their journeys. Whether through our “edutainment” content, detoxes, Surviving Vegan Academy, or our vegan cookbooks.

What insight would you give to people wanting to go vegan but are skeptical of going all-in?

Orisha: I became a carb-o-holic. I dropped all the meat and left everything else on my plate. From our personal vegan transition, we built the “T.N.T. formula,” which stands for taste and texture. People can be skeptical about transitioning to veganism because most are worried that what they cook won’t taste better or have the right texture for their enjoyment. That’s why all of our recipes include both! More importantly, people need to understand that the transition to veganism is not just about the food we eat; it’s about our spiritual and mental wellbeing.

Be ready to conduct your own research, read the ingredients on the back of everything, hold yourself accountable, manifest more clearly, and don’t allow others to be stewards over your health. Be open to the entire wellness journey because we have learned it is not a destination. You may get discouraged and want to give up, but don’t. Trust us, the journey is beautiful, transformative, and so worth it! There are endless benefits to transitioning to veganism for the mind, body, and spirit alignment. You will experience body harmony, healing, peace, transformation, and weight loss. It will decrease the chances of health problems and increase manifestation and focus. Just know, even if something along the way doesn’t happen the way you intend for it to, there is always room for improvement, so don’t be so hard on yourself.

How do you balance business with family?

Orisha: We actually have five kids now. Our children are growing up with the company. The same principles we teach our community, we teach them. We’ve turned our daily vegan parenting routines into educational content—like family meal preps, homeschooling, raising Black vegan kids, having a vegan pregnancy, teaching kids to take herbal remedies, getting kids to drink more water, better communication styles, etc.

That’s how we balance it. So when we say we are a family-run business, we truly are! You’ll see our kids, family, and friends in our content, on Zoom meetings, in skits, etc. This is how we show the community that what they see is actually genuine.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs facing challenges due to COVID-19?

Grizzy Tha God: Our advice…serve in the digital space! Entrepreneurs need to understand how to serve with heavier value and lower overhead. Social media has saved the cost of most business or product expenses. That’s why all of our products are completely digital. I’d advise that business owners take advantage of the shift.

Another piece of advice: learn to solve the biggest problem at the time. During the pandemic, most of the Black community wanted more holistic remedies to build better immunity. That was the need that we solved. We focused all of our content and products on providing tips and tricks for a healthier body.

“Once people recognized that our information was valuable and consistent, they became our tribe,” added Orisha.

How would you like to see the business expand in the future?

Orisha: We’ve helped over 100,000 people detox or transition their lives holistically. We’d like to help millions more! We’d also like to see how we can create virtual holistic worlds inside the metaverse.

We are also in the transition of making I Am Surviving Vegan a people’s brand. This is our fifth year of business, and we’ve already trained over 2,00 people to be I Am Surviving Vegan wellness coaches. Our coaches will help us reach a million more lives!

The Black, family-owned business in Miami helped over 20,000 women and men lose up to 20 pounds of waste with their first plant-based detox, #SurvivingVeganDetoxChallenge. Ancient skincare and colon detoxes are also offered. With 1,100 community members, the four-week Surviving Vegan Academy teaches holistic counselors to the next generation. I Am Surviving Vegan provides 100% digital products to over 90,000 members through its online platform. The Surviving Vegan Soulfood Cooking guide shares recipes for the holidays and transitioning vegans.

I Am Surviving Vegan provides resources for building wealth and health in the Black community.

• Career

by Black Enterprise Shop

February 9, 2022

Master Finance And Accounting With This Eight-Course Bundle

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If we’re being honest, the best time for financial literacy – both for personal and professional use – was yesterday. The second-best time is today. Proper money management and accounting skills can go a long way in the immediate future, and they can make the distant future far less stressful in terms of retirement.

Learning the ins and outs of finance and accounting can be beneficial professionally. With the proper qualifications, you’ll have a skill that will always be in high demand. The 2022 Ultimate Finance & Accounting Certification Bundle is the perfect crash course for those charting a career in money management along with those who seek better practices and ways to manage their financials.

For a limited time, it’s available for $29.99. That’s a savings of 98% from its MSPR ($1,600). This bundle includes eight courses. Individually, each course costs $200.

Nearly every important aspect of solid financial planning is covered by this bundle. For starters, there are three courses centered solely on personal finance. The first revolves around goals, planning, and the time value of money; the second around financial statements and budgeting; the third in the series focuses on financial services and bank reconciliation. Forty hours of instruction alone are included in these three courses.

For the career-minded, the “Basics of Accounting” and “Cost Management” courses dig deep into the fundamentals of accounting. While the former teaches accounting concepts and principles for beginners, the latter delves into more intricate fundamentals.

There’s even something for business owners and those in corporate accounting positions. Learn how to protect and increase your bottom line with courses on “Corporate Finance and Investment Decisions,” “Financial Statement and Decision Analysis,” and “Financial Budgeting & Forecasting for Business.”

Knowledge is power. Mastering your personal finances or mastering the field of finance can lead to lucrative results. Purchase this eight-bundle finance masterclass today for $29.99.

Prices subject to change.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 8, 2022

Trevor Noah Digs into Joe Rogan For Using the N-Word and Making ‘Racist’ Jokes

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The Daily Show host Trevor Noah has thrown his hat into the ring in calling out Joe Rogan after old footage of him making racially insensitive comments and using the N-word recently resurfaced on the Internet.

On Noah’s Monday episode, the late-night host played a clip from India Arie’s recent video message explaining why she was removing her music from Spotify due to Rogan’s comfortability with using the N-word. Noah also played a clip of Rogan referring to Black people as “Planet of The Apes” in an old joke.

“If there’s ever a video of you saying the N-word that many times, you better pray one of two things: either you’re a Black person, or you’re a dead man from history,” Noah said.

On Saturday, Rogan released a video apology where he called his past N-word use “the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly” but argued it was being taken out of context. Referencing Rogan’s “context” excuse, Noah decided to rip apart Rogan’s “bullsh*t apology.”

“Maybe you’re a professor teaching history, maybe you’re a news anchor reporting on a story about Joe Rogan, maybe you’re in a Quentin Tarantino movie, and you have to use the N-word, because if you don’t, the movie has no dialogue,” Noah jokingly said.

“But for the most part, as a white person, you never need to use the N-word.”

“Here’s a life hack for white people: saying the actual N-word puts you in unnecessary trouble, especially if you’re not racist,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter the context. Because Black people don’t have the time to sit down and sort out the racist who says the N-word 70 times with the non-racist who says the N-word 70 times. Black people are dealing with too much sh*t!”

During his apology, Rogan addressed his old racist joke where he referred to Black people as “Planet of The Apes.” In his video statement, Rogan claimed he “did not, nor would I ever, say that Black people are apes, but it sure fuckin’ sounded like that.”

But Noah wasn’t letting him off that easy.

“First of all, he said he would never say Black people are apes, but he said that. That’s literally what he said,” Noah responded. “You did say it, which is racist. And it’s not just racist. Let’s be honest – that’s like OG racism. That’s like the original, old-school racism. Like that’s on the Mount Rushmore of racism.”

Noah also highlighted the “particularly illuminating” part of Rogan’s apology where he claimed that he wasn’t being racist with the story, just entertaining.

“No, Joe, I think you were using racism to be entertaining,” Noah said. “I’m not saying you were trying to offend Black people, by the way, but you knew that offending Black people would get a laugh out of those white friends who you were with.”

Noah noted that Spotify has chosen to stand by Rogan and decided to delete the controversial episodes. Spotify CEO says he doesn’t believe “silencing” Rogan is the answer.

A sizeable Black population and local government and private efforts that inspire Black entrepreneurship make the “Mid-Atlantic pocket” a hot spot for those businesses.

Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware were cited as notably advantageous for Black businesses as they respectively landed the No. 1, 2,  and 5 spots with the best climate for such firms to flourish.

Those findings came from the Best States For Black Entrepreneurs. In 2022, a study by Merchant Maverick. The firm describes itself as a “comparison site that reviews small business software and services.”

Based on UC Santa Cruz research, the report also showed that Black-owned businesses rose a stunning 38% between February 2020 and August 2021. That growth reportedly occurred amid COVID-19, and societal obstacles came as white and Asian companies dropped by 3% and 2%, respectively.

The lack of Black Americans participating in the stock market increases the post-pandemic wealth gap and leaves Black men and women behind.

According to CNBC, just 34% of Black American households own equity investments compared with 61% of white families. The average value of stocks held by Black Americans is just $14,400. Meanwhile, white Americans average more than $50,000.

“Because Black households are less likely to be invested in the stock market and on every level less likely to be engaged in the financial system, they not only entered the pandemic with large gaps, the likelihood is that we are going to see some of these gaps widen coming out of the pandemic,” John Lettieri, the Economic Innovation Group’s president and CEO told CNBC.

The most common way Americans build wealth and invest is through retirement plans. However, many Black Americans hold occupations where employers are unlikely to offer employer-sponsored retirement plans.

The Federal Reserve survey noted just 44% of Black Americans have retirement savings accounts with a typical balance around $20,000. Sixty-five percent of white Americans have retirement savings accounts with an average balance of $50,000.

The stock market crash of 2020 was more significant than previous cases, including the Great Depression and the housing crisis of 2008. The market rebounded faster than many thought, with the government injecting trillions of dollars into the economy through COVID relief spending. That included checks sent directly to households and government loan programs for businesses.

Institutional racism also plays a significant part in why Black Americans are less involved in the stock market and are less educated about money in general.

Black Americans tend to be less educated regarding money, including the stock market itself. Also, Black Americans have less access to credit, and many still face barriers when it comes to money. Even something as simple as opening a bank account can be a struggle.

• News

by Derek Major

February 8, 2022

BET Founder Robert Johnson: Build Back Better Plan Should Fund Black Businesses

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BET founder Robert Johnson told CNBC the Biden administration’s Build Back Better bill needs additional steps to tackle the wealth gap.

“What I look at is, what can you do to increase Black wealth? And that means you got to put more capital at the disposal of Black businessmen and women who want to create jobs, create wealth, create growth opportunities,” Johnson said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “That’s what was missing in the Build Back Better Act.”

Johnson, America’s first Black billionaire, said Biden’s $1.75 trillion bill does not include cost-free provisions that would help Black Americans accumulate savings and wealth. Johnson added the bill also doesn’t address the racial wealth gap.

The BBB stalled late last year as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) opposed the bill despite his constituents begging him to support it. Johnson is also urging Congress to pass Rep. Rashida Talib’s (D-Mich.) BOOST Act, which will provide $30 billion to companies that invest in businesses owned by people of color and provide relief for low- and moderate-income households by introducing a new tax credit for working-class individuals and families. The BET founder called the BOOST Act the “most significant way to direct capital to Black businesses.”

This isn’t the first time Johnson has called out the political establishment and its inability to truly help Black Americans. Last year, the entrepreneur touted a $14 trillion proposal that he believes will close the racial wealth gap. During the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Johnson also suggested Black Americans form their own political party.

The racial wealth gap is growing further apart, and the idea of closing it is still being labeled as a dream of progressive Democrats. According to the Bay State Banner, closing the racial wealth gap would create almost 2 million jobs and add an additional $350-$400 billion to the economy.

“Closing the Black wealth gap is not a job. It’s not giving us more consumption money to spend. It’s giving us more access to wealth sustainability,” Johnson said.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 8, 2022

Black FedEx Driver Shot at By Two White Men in Pickup Truck in Mississippi

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In an incident that parallels the tragic killing of unarmed Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery, two white men in a pickup truck chased and shot at a Black man delivering packages for FedEx in Mississippi.

According to the Mississippi Free Press, on Jan. 24, a Black driver for FedEx said he was delivering packages in Brookhaven when two white men attacked and fired shots at him. The bullets missed him but were embedded in his delivery vehicle.

D’Monterrio Gibson, who is 24 years old and from Utica, Mississippi, told the Mississippi Free Press that he had just dropped off a package around 7 p.m. on Jan. 24. He noticed a white pickup truck driving toward him from a nearby residence near the property he delivered the package to.

“In my mind, I’m thinking (the driver) is leaving to go to the store or something like that, but then they get extremely close to me and start blowing their horn,” Gibson said. “I proceed to leave the driveway. As I’m leaving the driveway, he starts driving in the grass trying to cut me off. My instincts kick in, I swerve around him, and I start hitting the gas trying to get out of the neighborhood because I don’t know what his intentions are.

“I drive down about two or three houses. There’s another guy standing in the middle of the street pointing a gun at my windows and signaling to me to stop with his hands, as well as mouthing the word, ‘Stop.’ I shake my head no, I hide behind the steering wheel, and I swerve around him as well. As I swerve around him, he starts firing shots into my vehicle.”

The Clarion-Ledger reported that the two white men were arrested last week and identified as Gregory Case and his son Brandon Case. They were arrested, charged, and then released on bond Tuesday for the alleged attack. Gregory was charged with one count of conspiracy, while his son was charged with shooting into a motor vehicle.

Gibson said he felt that the police officers did not take him seriously initially and his attorneys feel that both suspects have been “undercharged” and should be facing charges of attempted murder for their actions.

Police Chief Kenny Collins, who is Black, does not want to blame racism for the actions of the Cases. He told The Daily Leader that “Brookhaven is not a racist, prejudiced town. You can’t judge a town by the actions of two individuals.”

In midst of the shakeup created by the lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores against the National Football League (NFL) for racial discrimination, another Black executive was hired in upper management.

According to a press release from the Baltimore Ravens, Sashi Brown has been hired as the next president of the NFL team. This makes Brown the second Black man to become president of the football team. Brown is also the second Black president of an NFL team, joining the Washinton Commanders’ Jason Wright.