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Several Philadelphia, PA , businesses have been passed down through generations, including Paul Beale’s Florist. According to our sister site, Travel Noire, the florist shop, founded by Paul and Altermese Beale in 1971, has spent nearly five decades cultivating a loyal customer base. For Paulette Beale Harris, the second-generation owner, carrying on the family’s legacy isn’t a responsibility she takes lightly. She emphasized that she doesn’t want her parents’ hard work and sacrifices to be “in vain.” In honor of Black History Month , Visit Philadelphia has launched a four-part video series titled “Legacy & Love.” The series highlights Black-owned businesses that span generations and the families behind them, as well as businesses launched to honor loved ones, Travel Noire highlighted. The videos, available on visitphilly.com , feature the stories of the Beale family, Lori Thomson and her mother, Vera Doyle from Vera Doyle Boutique, Yvonne Blake and her granddaughter Alana Rambera...
Amazon is pulling the plug on its remote work policy and reinstating a full-time office presence, reverting to pre-COVID operational norms. CEO Andy Jassy shared the news on Monday, letting employees know to prepare to return to the office full-time starting on Jan. 2, 2025, as the world’s largest online retailer works to strengthen its culture and teams. In a memo to employees , Jassy stated, “When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant.” He asserted that the last 15 months of hybrid work have only strengthened this belief, noting that “collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective” when teams are physically present. According to Fox Business, Amazon shifted from a remote work model to a mandatory three-day-in-office policy in May of last year. The retail giant’s CEO reflected on the pre-pandemic work culture in his memo, explaining, “Before the pandemic, not...
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hopes to inspire people to look into the skies and to their communities. Recently, Black individuals in NASA’s workforce took social media by storm after sharing their headshots from the independent agency. The heartwarming posts reminded everyone of the importance of representation and fostering inclusivity, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Joining #BlackAtNASA . After 15 years this is my headshot. pic.twitter.com/qDTMbGprZ2 — K Renee Horton,PhD (@Reneehortonphd) March 17, 2024 Despite the fleeting nature of viral moments, NASA’s efforts for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are far more than just a snapshot. In 2023, the agency released an equity action plan supporting a presidential executive order focused on dismantling “inequitable barriers and challenges facing underserved communities.” “We at NASA, as an administrator, never tell our story,” Shahra Lambert, NASA’s...
The Black dollar has consistently proved its power. From the impact of the historic community in Tulsa, OK, to the current cultural impact on the economy – there is no doubt that the Black dollar is a powerful and influential tool. This power is leveraged even more with the uptick in Black and minority entrepreneurship. Kwame Egerton II, the co-founder of Black Currency, understands this concept and partnered with venture capital company, Neotribe to create a pitch competition that would ultimately support minority-owned businesses. The Black Currency x Neotribe Virtual Pitch Competition will award participants a total of $6,000 in prize money. The aim is to create a space that cultivates growth in an environment where it’s difficult to raise funding due to macroeconomic conditions. “The Black Currency is happy to partner with Neotribe Venture Capital to help bring our virtual pitch competition for small minority-owned businesses to life. As a small business owner myself, I...
With the mission of improving equity in venture capital funding and providing support for compelling and representative Alexa applications, Amazon Alexa Fund , Alexa Startups , and BLAVITY are excited to announce the Black Founders Build with Alexa Program . This four-month, remote program seeks 10 Black-founded startups located in North America that are driving innovation in voice, artificial intelligence, and ambient computing. The selected startups will have an opportunity to receive a $100,000 investment from the Alexa Fund and individualized technology support from the Alexa Startups team. The goal of Black Founders Build with Alexa is to combat the lack of inclusiveness and underrepresentation of entrepreneurs of color in the tech industry. According to the Alexa Startups team, this initiative will lead to more diverse perspectives, bigger thinking, and ultimately better products and services for Alexa customers. Interested in applying? Here’s what you need to know. What Is...
Facebook is cashing out on small businesses owned by women and minorities! According to CNBC, the social media network has announced that it will purchase $100 million worth of unpaid invoices from 30,000 small businesses through the Facebook Invoice Fast Track program. It’s the company’s latest effort to build relationships with the businesses that look to the platform as a place to help their businesses thrive. Facebook first launched a version of the program in 2020. After learning the hardships businesses were facing, they wanted to do more than just feature them on the platform. “We just heard first-hand the financial hardships that these suppliers were facing, and it was created really quickly and brought up as an idea and pitched to our CFO to say, ‘Hey, would we be able to help our suppliers with this?” said Rich Rao, Facebook’s vice president of small business. “It was a very small pilot, but we did see that be very successful.” Today, they have expanded that original...
Brooklyn Nets owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai are trying something ground-breaking that’ll change the game for Black business-owners looking for financial assistance. According to CNBC, as part of their $50 million commitment to help minority communities, the sports owners have launched “EXCELerate,” a $2.5 million Black business loan program to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds for the program will come from the Tsai foundation’s Social Justice Fund — which was started last year to help resolve economic inequities in Black communities. “We know that there is no social justice without economic opportunity,” Tsai said in a statement, “which is why we are so excited to launch the Brooklyn EXCELerate Loan Program aimed at elevating Brooklyn’s BIPOC [Black, indigenous, and other people of color] business owners post-pandemic and doing our small part to overcome barriers this community faces in accessing capital.” What’s unique about the program is that instead of...
New research into the racial equity inequality gap shows bad news — and good news. According to research conducted by the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC), it will take 333 years to close the racial equity inequality gap if growth continues at its current rate. “This research makes it crystal clear that the current path is one we cannot continue if we wish to achieve economic equity for people of color in our lifetimes,” said Michelle Sourie Robinson, president, and CEO of the MMSDC, in a statement provided in the research. There were other key discoveries in the research pertaining to the racial equity inequality gap. For example: Minority-business enterprises (MBEs) drove 14.2 percent of new jobs from 2014-2018 but collected only 7.2 percent of revenue growth during that same period. During the pandemic, minority businesses were impacted more severely, with Black-owned businesses do wn 41 percent, Latinx-owned businesses down 32 percent, and Asian-owned...
Profile Full Name: Carl “CJ” Johnson Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Gender: Male Race: Black or African American Hair/Eye Color: Black/Dark brown Height/Weight: 6’1/(varied based on fitness) Family: Father: Unknown Mother: Beverly Johnson Brothers: Sweet Johnson, Brian Johnson Sister: Kendl Johnson Profession: Underboss in Grove Street Families Residence: Los Santos, San Andreas Based on (and Voiced by): Young Maylay Signature Look: White undershirt, blue jeans, black sneakers Background Carl “CJ” Johnson is the main protagonist in the seventh title in the ultra-popular action-adventure video game series by Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto (GTA). In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you reside in a fictional state based on southern California and Nevada in the 1990s, amid the turmoil that hit Los Angeles in the 90s. From the crack epidemic and gang wars to the relations with the cops, the infamous riots had a strong influence on the game. CJ’s story begins as he returns to...
Black and minority-owned businesses nationwide are finally get the support they deserve. The latest region to join in the efforts to bolster Black and brown businesses is Stonecrest, GA, which just announced the development of a new shopping, dining and entertainment center called New Black Wall Street Marketplace, AJC reports. This new development has aims to feature over 100 businesses with a focus on minority owners, and looks to imitate itself after the business model that made Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market such a success. The finished product of the property will also include restaurants, grocery stores, art galleries, music venues and theatrical stages in an effort to provide more opportunities for Black, minority, and women-owned businesses. According to the AJC, the city’s past attempts to make Dekalb County a hotbed for minority-owned businesses hasn’t proved to be very successful, but they’re hopeful for their latest ambitious project. “This is something that’s...
In keeping up with the times, and continuing to close the gap between white and non-white business funding, four community banks in Virginia and West Virginia have launched an initiative to cater to the growing Black community of business owners . In a press release announcement, Fauquier Bankshares, Inc. and its principal subsidiary, The Fauquier Bank, have announced that they’ve launched a minority business fund designed to help and develop local communities. Fauquier is teaming up with BCT- The Community’s Bank, Bank of Clarke County, and First Bank to launch the initiative. This unique minority business fund will release $1 million in interest-free loans to aid both startup and existing minority-owned small businesses within the sponsoring community banks’ markets. There are two loan programs: one for startups and one for existing businesses. Beneficiaries of the fund must meet certain qualifying guidelines, of course. For example, the businesses must be for-profit only (no...
Young entrepreneurs are disproportionately suffering in the U.S. industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. LendingTree researchers found that 45% of businesses with owners younger than 25 years old are in industries with unemployment rates higher than the national average of 13% in May. That figure jumps to nearly 47% for business owners between the ages of 25 and 34. These hardest-hit sectors make up 40% of all businesses in the U.S. Many of these nonessential businesses closed their doors at some point in recent months to obey government mandates meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Most are reopening — as of this writing, about eight in 10 businesses in the U.S. are fully or partially open as local authorities ease restrictions. Key findings Young business owners operate in high-risk industries Asian business owners vulnerable to pandemic effects Methodology Key findings Across every industry, the majority of business owners are white and male — 85% of business...
The overwhelming support for the Black Lives Matter movement and Black businesses has grown significantly over the past month. While more initiatives arise, companies continue to step up to collaboratively uplift the movement and the Black community. As part of a new plan proposed by the National Minority Supplier Development Council ( NMSDC), 30 blue-chip companies have pledged to raise at least $1 billion over the next 12 to 18 months from corporate donors in order to “support minority business development, economic inclusion, and growth,” reports Black Enterprise . According to the NMSDC, the In This Together Campaign was created as a means to help its certified minority firms and other minority-led businesses tackle the blows brought on by COVID-19. “Prior to the pandemic and social injustice events, NMSDC was working strategically to close the economic gap between Black and minority businesses; now, the gap has widened due to the unprecedented activities that changed the...
Lowe’s CEO, Marvin Ellison, announced that the home improvement company will do its part in helping reboot the American economy by allocating $25 million in grants to small businesses owned by people of color. The fund aims to assist in the re-opening of businesses owned by people of color that were affected by the COVID-19 shutdown. “These are going to be minority businesses and other businesses that are now starting to reopen,” Ellison told CNBC’s Mad Money . “So we just want to continue to not only run a good business but also be a great corporate citizen in all of the communities that we operate in.” Earlier this year, Lowe’s also provided a $25 million fund to aid in the fight against the pandemic in which $10 million went to providing medical frontline workers with Person Protective Equipment (PPE). According to Black Enterprise , Ellison became CEO of Lowe’s in 2018 making him one of only four Black CEOs of a Fortune 500 company. Ellison believes in the small businesses of...
Business tycoon, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, will allocate $100 million in federal loans via his insurance company, EquiTrust , to businesses owned by women and people of color as part of the governmental Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to Black Enterprise (BE), Johnson was inspired to participate in the PPP after reading about Black-owned small businesses being unfairly passed over for PPP funds and several major organizations such as the Los Angeles Lakers returning their PPP funds to the federal government. “We knew why the money was gone and couldn’t trickle down to small businesses, especially small minority businesses, because they didn’t have those great relationships with the banks. So this was easy for us to understand,” Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. Johnson is the owner of the nation’s largest minority-owned insurance company, according to BE. The insurance company will collaborate with the Latino-owned company, MBE Capital Partners, in order to allocate...