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Dexter and Marilyn Meadows are not only united in marriage but in business too. Love Story The couple of 52 years grew up in a small town in Tuskegee, AL, attending the same church and high school. They would establish a steady friendship and begin dating when they attended Tuskegee Institute, now known as the Tuskegee University. By their junior year of college, the two officially tied the knot. Upon graduating in 1972, they packed their bags and moved to the University of Michigan so Dexter could advance his education in landscape architecture. “All we had with us was our ambition to succeed and a few hundred dollars,” Marilyn, a biology graduate with a minor in chemistry and mathematics, told AFROTECH. Dexter would ultimately obtain another degree and land a job offer at the Forest Service in Southern California. Marilyn recalls working several jobs at the time, which included a role at a Steward Pharmaceuticals in quality assurance and as a substitute teacher in math and science...
When Shonda Rhimes gave us the critically acclaimed “Scandal,” Thursday nights were never the same. The brilliance of the show’s characters kept viewers captivated, all led by Olivia Pope, as portrayed by Kerry Washington. Washington made the world feel like Olivia Pope could do just about anything. She was the proverbial cousin in most people’s heads and the “fixer” many people wish they had in real life. Although Washington’s role in “Scandal” was noteworthy, it wasn’t the first nor would it be the last time she’d make her mark on the culture. Kerry Washington is a New York native with early roots in the acting industry. During her early teen years, she was a part of New York’s TADA! Youth Theater. Her work with the theater would prove beneficial as Washington went on to appear in hit television shows and films including “Ray” and “Little Fires Everywhere.” The 46-year-old actress is also known for her work behind the camera as a producer and director for shows such as the hit HBO...
Some people hit the scene and almost immediately make their imprint on culture. Whether it is a hit song, a breakout role, or sex appeal – some people just have that it factor. And with his inclusion in a previous version of People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful People” list, Boris Kodjoe has been making his impact in that way for some time now. Born in Vienna, Austria, Kodjoe is a German-Ghanaian actor and model whose career in the entertainment industry has spanned a few decades. Before he became a household name, Kodjoe earned a marketing degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1996. According to ESPN, Kodjoe was a four-year letterman athlete winning 75 career singles while on the tennis team at VCU. However, he suffered a back injury that prevented him from pursuing the sport professionally. Instead, Kodjoe decided to focus on and pursue modeling and acting. The star appeared in the 1995 recording of TLC’s video for “Red Light Special.” He would go on to get his...
Norland James and Dr. Amina Gilyard James are taking the words “power couple” to the next level! According to Black Enterprise, the pair have become owners of a newly acquired Quality Inn in Memphis, TN. The 70-room property was purchased by the couple for $3.85 million, and it’s reportedly thanks to a cohort of first-time Black hotel investors.
While developer Meka Knepley is married to Pete Knepley, Principal Programmer at Epic Games — one of the creators of Fortnite Battle Royale — she set out on her own, looking for a way to improve the world during the height of the pandemic. As the world witnessed massive shutdowns disproportionately impacting small businesses, Knepley conjured an idea to develop a frictionless shopping experience to connect consumers with businesses. ReUp is a byproduct of Knepley’s efforts and the platform welcomes brands and shoppers to join its growing community. “I was talking to my friends, like ‘How can I make the difference?’ Some of my friends were like, ‘I’m going to go on protest’… ‘I’m going to write a paper about it’…and with me, I was like ‘I need to help people.’ ‘How can I help the community?’ And then I felt like, you can’t get to Maslow’s Hierarchy if you’re still worried about your job. So, if we can get you to a higher platform where you have your own business and you’re...
Ice Cube has certainly come a long way from his time in the groundbreaking, and seminal, Hip-Hop group NWA. Now considered an “elder statesman” of the genre, the man born O’Shea Jackson has lived several lifetimes over the course of his illustrious career. He is said to be a pioneer of so-called “gangsta rap” to an acclaimed film and television producer — responsible for the hit “Barbershop” and “Friday” series of films, and television shows like “Are We There Yet,” per his IMDb page — to, now, an investor in several businesses, Ice Cube is a living, breathing legend. AfroTech has previously reported on Cube’s different investments, including his most recent sports investment in the Big3 basketball league. Plus, Snoop Dogg has a minority stake in the company. And this is to say nothing of his investments in cannabis, and his “Contract with Black America.” All told, this illustrious career has netted him a $160 million net worth, per Celebrity Net Worth. But throughout the evolution...
Restaurant owners, Robyn and Zak Wallace have officially made history with the first Black-owned food truck to operate at Walt Disney World, per reports from Travel Noire. The pair, who is a husband and wife duo that took their Local Green restaurant to the food truck industry initially launched their business to take their health into more consideration after losing family members. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Local Green (@thelocalgreen)
Draya Michele — model, swimwear designer, actress, and frequent Twitter trending topic — has some questions, and we’re here to answer them. In a tweet, Michele called out her “scamming scammers” and asked about the steps to paying back an SBA (Small Business Association) loan, under which falls other loan types like the aforementioned PPP loans. Hey I got a question for my little scamming scammers. Lol. If you get a SBA loan and it’s under a business name what are the steps to paying it back and if it is under the business name and you go into default does it go under your personal credit? — Draya Michele (@drayamichele) March 17, 2022 As one might imagine, the comments did not go over well, with one alleged former employee of the SBA summing up the answer as succinctly as the social platform would allow. I worked for SBA for 3 years. With a question like this, you giving them every reason to look at you and they will — The Cowboy Isley (@HankorJefe) March 17, 2022 Fortunately...
If you’re a sneakerhead, EBkicks isn’t just a luxury — it’s a requirement. Made of all-natural and biodegradable materials, EBkicks — helmed by the husband-and-wife team of Kenny and Elin Berbick — is safe for all shoe materials. The Las Vegas-based duo has achieved exponential success as a family-centered lifestyle brand. As life and business partners, Elin and Kenny Berbick, pride themselves on being the original sneakerheads. The duo’s passion for sneakers inspired them to put their hard-earned money to develop low-cost top-tier biodegradable sneaker cleaning products. EB and Kenny have even become influencers in their own right with over 180,000 followers on Instagram and over 365,000 followers on TikTok, amassing nearly 5 million likes on the latter platform. What’s more, the solution can keep your expensive shoes lasting a lot longer — and looking a lot better in the process. The product was also recently featured in GQ, when popular sneaker influencers Miguel and Grace...