• Lifestyle

by michelr

March 2, 2020

Former Ballerina Wants to Expose African Americans to Dance

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Aesha Ash, a former professional ballerina, is bringing her passion for dance to low-income communities to show underprivileged children that they can pursue careers in the performing arts, according to indy100.com.

After retiring in 2008, Ash set out on a mission to use her platform to drive social impact. In 2011, she founded the Swan Dreams Project which aims to combat racial and socioeconomic barriers that hinder individuals from pursuing ballet.

“I want to help change the demoralized, objectified and caricatured images of African-American women by showing the world that beauty is not reserved for any particular race or socio-economic background,” Ash said.  According to Data USA, 79.1 percent of dancers and choreographers are white.

Many factors contribute to ballet’s lack of diversity: economic inequality, because ballet training is notoriously expensive; a lack of role models for aspiring dancers to emulate; a failure on the part of schools and companies to provide support for young dancers of color on the uphill road to professional success. Another factor looms large in the discussion: Many believe a thread of racism still runs through the ballet world, according to pointemagazine.com. “There are people who define ballet in a very specific and historic sense and think it should look like the Mariinsky in 1950,” said American Ballet Theatre executive director Rachel Moore.

Representation means something, it is important for little girls of color to know that they can grow up to be the next Misty Copeland, Raven Wilkinson, or Carmen de Lavallade.

Several other organizations throughout the country have been working to change the narrative and expose youth of color to dance. Among some of the organizations: Brown Girls Do Ballet, Kids Dance Outreach, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and the American Dance Movement.

“While exposing more African American communities to the ballet, I also hope to promote greater involvement and increase patronage to this beautiful art form,” Ash said.

• Uncategorized

by michelr

February 29, 2020

Is Debra Lee Considering Launching A Tech Fund to Back Women of Color?

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Debra Lee, the former CEO of BET, recently hinted at the idea of starting a black women tech fund at the Upfront Summit in Pasadena, CA, according to Yahoo! Finance.

Lee was first asked by reporter Julia Boorstin about California’s mandate that boards of directors overseeing public companies include women; a law that passed in late 2018 that is being considered in numerous other states. Boorstin then asked about Goldman Sachs’s announcement from Davos that beginning in July, it won’t take public any company that doesn’t have at least one “diverse” board member, with a particular focus on women.

The initiative would have cost Goldman up to $101 million in underwriting fees from as many as 18 U.S. IPOs had the policy been effective in 2019, according to a new analysis by Bloomberg Law. That’s an estimated one-third of the $318.68 million that Goldman earned in advisory fees from the 59 U.S. IPOs it underwrote last year.

“I mean, we’ve been talking about this for so long that I understand why they did it,” Lee answered. “I think both initiatives are a good thing, because the companies aren’t going to do it. We’ve been talking about it for 30 years, and for a company to have a board now with no women or no people of color, they should be truly embarrassed. But there’s still a lot out there . . . it’s sad to see that we have to implement either, you know–California, Goldman–but we really have to hold these companies’ feet to the fire.”

The former BET chairman also hinted that she and others of her powerful friends are talking about creating a fund that would support women of color in tech.  Boorstin then took the opportunity to joke around with Lee. “So if you do create a fund, perhaps there’s some potential LPs [you could talk with here].”

“I would love that,” said Lee. “If you all know of anyone…”

by michelr

February 28, 2020

Former NFL Player Calls Donald Trump ‘First Black President’ at White House Event

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Former NFL player Jack Brewer called President Donald Trump “the first black president,” during a Black History Month roundtable in the White House Cabinet Room on Thursday, according to Fox News.

Brewer, a former NFL safety who played in college at Southern Methodist University before having a five-year pro career, is also an ordained minister, a professor at Fordham University, and an avid Trump supporter on social media. As the event was coming to an end he stated “I’ve got to say this because it’s Black History Month. Man, you’re the first black president.”

Brewer also took to his Twitter account and tweeted “Blacks in America have listened to presidents campaign on empty promises for over 50 years, now Donald Trump has delivered real policies that are bringing people out of poverty and freeing our black sons and fathers from mass incarceration. The Black Awakening is happening.”

Also seated at the roundtable were pro-Trump online personalities Diamond and Silk, Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece Alveda King, and a few others. Silk had told the president she sees it as imperative that black voters, only 8% of whom supported Trump in 2016, vote Trump in 2020. “You did ask four years ago, ‘what the hell do we have to lose?'” she said, citing Trump’s 2016 campaign pitch to African Americans. “But if we don’t vote right this time, we’re going to have a hell of a whole lot to lose.” Silk continued, repeating a line she and Diamond use in their online videos: “Make sure you vote right so you won’t get left.”

The “Black Voices for Trump Community Centers” opened by the Trump campaign are part of a larger “Black Voices for Trump” initiative meant to encourage “the black community to re-elect President Donald J. Trump by sharing experiences and successes of everyday Americans as a result of the Trump administration,” according to iotwreport.com.

• Lifestyle

by michelr

February 28, 2020

Rapper 50 Cent Hints at Becoming The New CEO of Def Jam Recordings

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Rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, hinted that he may be taking the vacant chairman/CEO position of Def Jam Recordings.

The business mogul took to his Twitter account and tweeted “I have decided to take the job at Def Jam, somebody gotta do it, who better than me.”

Paul Rosenberg, who previously held the position, recently decided to step down after 25 months. According to a press release, Rosenberg instead will launch a new joint venture with Universal Music Group (UMG) called Goliath Records. However, he’ll continue to serve as a consultant to Def Jam for its legacy artists, while also remaining the principal of Goliath Artists Inc.

There has been no word yet if 50 Cent was officially offered the position or if he was just trolling the record company on social media but one thing’s for certain—he’s pretty much successful at everything he touches. Aside from his own illustrious career, he also formed G-unit, a rap group whose members all went gold or platinum in album sales. Jackson has a knack for finding talent, which would be a necessity for running a record label.

Jackson is also a successful businessman with ventures in footwear and apparel, fragrance, video games, publishing, headphones, Vodka, health drinks, and supplements. Power, a show in which he was an actor/producer, was one of Starz highest-rated series, according to SideReel.com.

Until the position is filled, Def Jam announced Senior Vice President of A&R at Universal Music Group Naim McNair “will expand his responsibilities with the added title of Senior Vice President, A&R at Def Jam Recordings, bringing significant experience and creative leadership to the label.” While UMG is on the search for a new Def Jam CEO, UMG’s General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs Jeffrey Harleston will oversee Def Jam in the interim.

• Entrepreneurship

by michelr

February 27, 2020

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Lingerie Line is Taking Over, While Victoria’s Secret Tanks

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Rihanna has leveraged her social media power to quickly grow her lingerie brand to an estimated annual revenue of $150 million, according to moguldum.com. Today, Savage x Fenty’s assortment features more than 800 styles ranging in price from $10 to $100. Shipping is offered to 210 countries on the brand’s website, but the company has also partnered with online wholesalers Asos and Zalando, where its styles sell out within a month on average, according to fashionunited.com.

Rihanna’s attention to diversity, catering to women of all shapes and sizes, is why many experts say her brand is flourishing and why it could be poised to become a front-runner in the global lingerie market, expected to be worth $325 billion by 2025. Victoria’s Secret is a different, sadder story.

Savage X Fenty has been steadily gaining in sales since its launch in May 2018. Over the same time, Victoria’s Secret’s sales have been declining, with stores that were open at least a year falling 10% during Q4 last year, according to theguardian.com. In fact, VS has been suffering from such a decline in sales that the majority of the legacy company is being sold off.

The final blow came when Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, L Brands (NYSE: LB), sold a controlling stake in the company to a private-equity firm at a dismal $1.1 billion valuation. The company reached a $525 million deal to sell 55% of the brand to Sycamore Partners. L Brands will hold onto the remaining 45%, which includes the logo-heavy Pink chain, in efforts to calm investors’ fears. Shares of L Brands have been down as much as 50% in the past two years. Considering that Victoria’s Secret reported $7.37 billion in sales during its fiscal 2018, to be sold for only around 15% of that is abysmal.

Although Victoria’s Secret is still the biggest lingerie brand in the U.S. with 24% of market share, its share is down from 32% in 2013, according to data from Euromonitor.

• Entrepreneurship

by michelr

February 27, 2020

Black Cannabis Entrepreneurs Are Cashing In On The $75 Billion Market

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Black celebrities are venturing into the legal marijuana industry, and cannabis is proving to be very lucrative for them.

Though the federal government still deems it illegal, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in 10 states and the District of Columbia; another 21 states broadly legalized medical marijuana, according to marketwatch.com. Rappers, led by Snoop Dogg, are tapping into all aspects of the industry from venture capital funds to dispensaries and even creating their own lines of cannabis items. The regulated cannabis industry is expected to soar to $85 billion by 2030, according to marketrealist.com.

Snoop Dogg launched his own line of marijuana flower and cannabis products in 2016 called “Leafs by Snoop,” making the multiplatinum emcee the first A-list celebrity to the market with a full, self-branded line of commercialized cannabis, according to thecannabist.com. Rapper and philanthropist Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter further established a partnership with California cannabis brand Caliva by becoming its chief brand strategist. This came after a $75 million funding round in April 2019; Jay-Z plans to expand operations and include a workforce training program.

That kind of program can help people of color tap into an emerging market. U.S. cannabis sales surged by 20% in 2018 and jumped another 36% last year, according to Arcview Market Research. Pittsburgh Rapper Wiz Khalifa has already released a line of “Khalifa Kush” cannabis strains in partnership with Colorado-based RiverRock Cannabis. Drake also launched his More Life Growth Company under the Canopy Growth banner. Drake will have a 60% stake in the Toronto-based company.

Marijuana is now becoming more globally accepted. The rise in legalization of marijuana in various countries is one of the key factors driving the market growth, according to grandviewresearch.com.  The legal marijuana business is creating jobs and opportunities. There are around 9,397 licenses in the U.S., including cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries, and deliverers and labs  Cannabiz Media reports.

Georgia is the best state for black entrepreneurship–with Texas, Florida, California, and North Carolina rounding out the top five–according to FitSmallBusiness.com, which recently compiled the list.

The study found that the top-ranking states had high numbers of African American-owned businesses as well as fair average corporate tax rates. With black-owned businesses steadily increasing, these states offer assets to black entrepreneurs. States were ranked according to social and financial equality, black-owned business success, economic health, and startup climate and opportunity.

According to research done by the Kaufman Foundation, blacks between the ages of 24-35 are 50% are more likely than whites to engage in entrepreneurial activities. In other words, the most active group of entrepreneurs in America is black men and women. Black entrepreneurship is on the rise in general, but particularly for black women. The number of businesses owned by African American women grew 322% since 1997, making black females the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S.

Overall, the number of women-owned businesses grew by 74% between 1997 and 2015—a rate that’s 1.5 times the national average, according to the “2015 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report,” commissioned by American Express Open. Women now own 30% of all businesses in the U.S., accounting for some 9.4 million firms. African American women control 14% of these companies, an estimated 1.3 million businesses, according to Fortune.com.

FitSmallBusiness.com also polled over 1,300 adults in the U.S. about their opinions regarding black entrepreneurship. Roughly 39% agreed that the economy would be in a better position if black entrepreneurs had more opportunities.

“With this being the inaugural study, our goal was to focus on the data that paints an overall picture of what the African American entrepreneur faces in the business world. While we weren’t surprised by certain findings, some of the state rankings told an interesting story of the unique journeys that African American entrepreneurs have to traverse,” said Michael De Medeiros, FitSmallBusiness.com’s special project editor, said in a press release.

• Lifestyle

by michelr

February 25, 2020

Dwyane Wade Has Miami Street Named After Him

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Former basketball star Dwyane Wade now has a street named after him in Miami.

This prestigious honor was given to the 3X NBA champion on February 24 when the mayor of the city, Francis Suarez, announced that the Northeast 7th Street that runs near the American Airlines Arena was officially renamed “Dwyane Wade Boulevard,” according to BET.com. Mayor Suarez, who also gave the retired NBA star the key to the city, took to his Twitter account to wrap up Wade’s commemorative weekend celebrating the retirement of his Heat jersey.

“Miami has always been Wade County but, today, it’s official. After giving Dwyane Wade the Key to the City, we’re now designating the street fronting Biscayne Blvd as Dwyane Wade Blvd. This solidifies D. Wade not only as a Miami Heat hero, but a City of Miami hero” he said. Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history in 2006 and also has been a pillar in the community. His organization, Wade’s World Foundation, provides support to community-based organizations that promote education, health, and social skills for children in at-risk situations.

The idea of designating a street after the 13x All-star had been championed since August 2018 by 790-The Ticket morning radio host Brendan Tobin, who along the way had reached out to several Heat personalities to assist in his campaign.

“Give Dwyane Biscayne, now,” former Heat center and current team executive Alonzo Mourning said in a Tobin promotional video.

“Let’s pay homage,” Wade’s former Heat teammate Caron Butler said.

“Give Dwyane Biscayne,” Heat guard Goran Dragic said.

Wade joins a list of other decorated athletes who also have a street named after them.  Robert Griffin III, Muhammad Ali, Roger Federer, Larry Bird, and John Elway are just a few examples of athletes who have a street named in their honor. Wade now has a county after him, a day named after him and a street named after him; all of which are well deserved.

Charles Daniels and his wife, Samantha Fils-Daniels, started Fathers’ Uplift eight years ago, a program that works to assist fathers in overcoming financial, oppressive, emotional, traumatic and addiction-based barriers that prevent them from remaining engaged in their children’s lives. They also provide mentoring, cultural outings, and counseling to children who are growing up without their fathers.

Fathers uplift strengthens families nationwide through service, love, and encouragement, Good Morning America reports. The organization also provides safe transportation home and mental health and mentoring plans to get them back on their feet — a service that is greatly needed especially in the black community. There are more than 800,000 incarcerated parents in federal and state prisons and 92% of them are fathers, according to the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, a federally funded resource for dads.

“We see there’s a misconception that fathers behind bars don’t care about their kids. We know that they do care,” he said. “When they held their child for the first time, they did not imagine living a life without them.” Daniels says.

When people are released from prison, they usually get a plastic bag of their belongings and leave wearing the same clothes in which they came into prison.  This sparked an idea for Daniels to create a “bags for dad” program through Fathers’ Uplift.  A simple duffel bag filled with essentials like toothpaste, deodorant, clothes, and a blanket are bare essentials for someone who was previously incarcerated and have next to nothing.

Currently, Fathers Uplift consists of a team of around 30 employees that help not just dads in prisons but dads who may be divorced, having financial difficulties or who simply don’t know how to be a father because they didn’t have a role model in their own life. To date, the organization is nearing 3,000 fathers helped and overseeing a new institute that trains social workers and psychologists to help fathers, particularly fathers of color.

Nursesbnb allows people to house healthcare workers who need special accommodations because of their odd work schedules, according to webuyblack.com.  This new innovative platform was created by Keisha Manning, who is a nurse, after realizing there was a need for housing for traveling nurses.

There is a significant nursing shortage in the United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.1 million new registered nurses will be needed by 2022 to prevent the shortage. Travel nursing has emerged as a response to that shortage, today there are an estimated 25,000 travel nurses in the U.S. alone. Travel nurses usually take short-term assignments at hospitals, ranging from a few weeks to a full year.  A typical shift for a traveling nurse might be from 7 PM to 7 AM. Hotels and Airbnb hosts simply can’t accommodate such schedules because they generally cater to tourists.

Manning recalls an experience she had with another nurse who was recruited for an assignment at the hospital she was working for in 2019. The new nurse began his shift that night without knowing where he would go at the end of his shift, at 7 a.m. He called several hotels in the surrounding area and checked with several Airbnb hosts. Keisha saw him the next night and asked where he stayed after he finished his shift. His answer was shocking; he said he was forced to sleep in his car. Hotels weren’t willing to adjust their check-in or check-out times and after a 12-hour shift, he had no other option. Manning recognized there was a real issue but also an opportunity and thus Nursesbnb was born.

With the urgent need for a place to stay for traveling nurses and hospitals being everywhere, Nursesbnb can become the next billion-dollar tech startup, much like the Airbnb business. Airbnb, which is now valued well into the billions, has helped homeowners across the globe become mini-hoteliers, allowing guests to stay overnight in an extra room or take over their home for a set period of time. To date, the company has helped book more than 160 million guests for its more than three million listings in 190 countries. According to Priceonomics, hosts on Airbnb are earning more than anyone else in the gig economy and are raking in an average of $924 a month.