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Kevin Hart is one step closer to fulfilling his plant-based dreams. He is readying his first location of Hart House to officially open its doors in the city of Los Angeles, CA, by the end of the month. As previously reported by AfroTech, the restaurant is an entirely plant-based concept that will feature menu items that include burg’rs, chick’n sandwiches, salads, tenders, fries, tots, and milkshakes. All items are made without the normal antibiotics, artificial colors, hormones, preservatives, and high-fructose corn syrup found at traditional fast-food restaurants. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real)
After a years-long fight for justice, the descendants of a Black-owned beach located in California will now regain their family’s land decades after it was wrongfully stripped away from them. According to CNN, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors made the decision in a unanimous vote on Tuesday (June 28). The property, known as Bruce’s Beach, was purchased by Charles and Willa Bruce for $1,225 in 1912. It was a safe space for Black families to enjoy the California sunshine and on it, the Bruces built several facilities including a cafe and changing rooms. During that time period, much like it still is today, white people began to shake in their boots — simply from seeing Black people enjoy the qualities of life. As previously reported by AfroTech, the property was stripped from the Bruce family in 1924 after the city claimed eminent domain, paying the couple only a fraction of what they asked for. That, coupled, with harassment from white neighbors and the Klu Klux Klan took...
If you’re a sneakerhead, you might want to listen up for this one. According to a press release, one of the oldest and most successful e-commerce websites known on the Internet has just launched a flagship store in Los Angeles that rewards avid sneaker wearers for sporting their kicks. As one of the places to go when on the hunt for both new and pre-owned sneakers, eBay now wants to reward people who not only purchase shoes from their new store but for leaving out with them on their feet. For the forthcoming holiday, the Wear ‘Em Out store will become home to some of the most exclusive, top-notch sneakers available to sneaker lovers outside of eBay’s normal online platform. “Most people can identify with that feeling of getting a new pair of shoes that you love so much, you just HAVE to wear them out of the store,” said Garry Thaniel, GM of Sneakers at eBay. “The Wear ‘Em Out Store celebrates a love of sneakers while acknowledging that sneakerheads are often balancing what they wear...
It’s no secret that Nipsey Hussle was a huge fan of Master P and the movement that he started with No Limit Records, but the respect that he had for the icon ran even deeper than that. Prior to his untimely passing, Nipsey Hussle spoke on the relationship that he had with the New Orleans native during an interview with Billboard. “Master P was an innovator in so many different ways,” the late Nipsey Hussle once told the outlet. “Puff gets his credit. Dame and Jay get their credit. Ruff Ryders, Irv Gotti and Chris Gotti, they get their credit. P don’t get his credit, man.” When asked, “Why do you think that is?” Nipsey Hussle responded: “This is my opinion and I could be dead wrong: He got so successful in music. He was the first to do it the way he did it. He put his kids on — he put Romeo on. He turned into a businessman. He did films. He burned the game out. He maxed out.” It seems as though Master P’s sentiments about the West Coast rapper are one and the same, because, during...
When passion exuded by investors matches that of the founders, it could be a win-win situation. On the latest episode of AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money (BTGM), Blavity COO Aaron Samuels is joined by Slauson & Co. founders Austin Clements and Ajay Relan to discuss all things venture capital, which includes sharing their expertise on the world of investing. As an early-stage venture capital firm, Slauson & Co. invests in the tools and platforms of people to grow and expand small businesses. Their belief is rooted in the power of entrepreneurship with a focus on empowering founders regardless of their proximity to the traditional venture capital ecosystem. They truly believe that intentionality and inclusivity will take investors a long way when it comes to finding the best pool of founders to partner with. “There are a lot of diversity funds popping up, or a lot of people that are going after those markets and the question that comes with that is — ‘Is it too crowded or too niche...
Ball may be life but so is business! From early days of playing basketball to now acting as partners on a new rideshare venture that will bring innovation to the states like never before, Ray Young and Khalid Taylor alongside former NBA player turned entrepreneur, Matt Barnes, are here to change the way you catch a ride from here on out. According to a press release provided to AfroTech, HOPP — the first geosocial ride matchmaking app — offers an added layer of comfort to drivers that it claims the competition does not. The app allows users to book rides based on a personality profile set up within the platform that matches them with people whose interests they align with the most. While the partners stress that you can make money just like you would when driving for Uber and Lyft, that is not the driving factor with the new app, which was founded by co-founders Antoine Allain, Eve Mitchell, and Fabrice Allain. “This is a ‘help you’ service. So, if I’m going in a certain direction,...
Black women run the world. However, now it is time for us to be fully compensated for the work that we put in! Autumn Breon uses the words “artist,” “freedom-seeker,” and “curious” when asked to describe herself, yet those just aren’t enough to showcase the talent of a woman who pays homage to all of the Black women who came before her in this revolutionary space. Breon is the mastermind behind (Don’t) Use Me, the first iteration of the Frieze Art Fair located in Los Angeles, CA. It’s centered around the pay disparity surrounding Black women and their white counterparts. “I want freedom for Black women and I want to be free,” said Breon in an interview with AfroTech. “And a part of the freedom that I imagine for us is financial freedom and it’s really hard for us to reach that kind of freedom when the realities of pay inequity are what we have to live with. I knew that Black women are paid, on average, about 63 cents on the dollar, but when I was researching and kind of like...
Sometimes all it takes is a couple of dope creatives to help elevate your style. Personal styling service Stitch Fix launched Elevate back in October 2020 to promote a more diverse and equitable retail landscape for the next generation of entrepreneurs reflecting the audiences that they serve. In its second year , Elevate grantees will receive a $25,000 cash grant, access to the brand’s Algorithms team, and personalized advisory support from leadership across the business. To top it all off, they will also be offered a mentorship session with the brand’s CEO Elizabeth Spaulding as well as the program’s partner, Harlem’s Fashion Row, CEO and founder Brandice Daniel. With brands that are exciting and bold, as well as inclusive, sustainable, and versatile, this year’s Elevate recipients will share their stories while introducing their products to Stitch Fix’s pool of close to 4.2 million clients. Recipients of this year’s program include the following brands: Taylor Jay, Megan Renee...
To support the community, one must actually be immersed within the community. Over the years, Nike has managed to not only be fully committed to the areas that they serve, but it goes far beyond just the storefront. Since the inception of its Blue Ribbon Sports store in 1967, the leading athletic brand has been a destination for product, expert advice, and most importantly, community. “We think about everyone that has touched or experienced Nike,” Vanessa Garcia-Brito, VP of North America Communications at Nike told AfroTech in regards to what community means to the brand. “I think about family, people, our neighborhoods.” Continuing on its Black Community Commitment, Nike , alongside Converse, the Jordan Brand and Micheal Jordan, will keep investing in local organizations that are dedicated to advancing equality throughout several U.S. cities, especially the place where it all started nearly 50 years ago — Los Angeles, CA. As the brand commemorates 50 years in the LA community,...
Plug In South LA has announced its third tech accelerator program focused on Black and Latinx communities. In a press release announcement, it was revealed that they are looking for startup founders focused on healthcare tech, c limate and sustainability, digital media, and educational technology. The benefits of the tech accelerator will include potential grants of up to $40,000 as well as possible seed investments and pilot partnerships. Mentors in the program will include leaders and executives from the California Health Care Foundation, Courtside Ventures, RareBreed Ventures, and Zeal Capital Partners, among others. “We are keen to help Founders secure capital and investment plus help them leverage the LA start ecosystem to develop traction and momentum around their company,” notes Derek Smith, founder of Plug In South LA, in the press release announcement. In addition to the new tech accelerator, Plug In South LA is known for Urban Tech Connect, a prominent annual business...
A new esports center will be on the way for the Los Angeles community. According to a press release, Riot Games has pledged $2 million to SoLa Impact ’s I CAN Foundation . The commitment will support the completion of SoLa’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center . The center will provide free technology education to the future generation of Black and brown leaders, entrepreneurs, game developers, and more in South Los Angeles. In addition, students will have an opportunity to build career readiness and skills, according to the company’s website. S oLa’s esports center can be expected to open in early 2022 at SoLa’s Beehive campus. Los Angeles students will have the opportunity to further their lifelong passions with access to “coding, animation, graphic design, digital content creation, esports development, entrepreneurship, and practical life and job skills,” a press release revealed. “Over the last few years, Riot has made a commitment to increase representation in the gaming...
Even though Dwight Howard has been in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nearly two decades, he’s carving out a legacy more meaningful than basketball. To continue his legacy after he crosses the finish line of his basketball career, Howard plans to make an impact in the Los Angeles community. To help in that mission, Howard has inked a $500,000 multi-year sponsorship deal with Arrowhead Water. Arrowhead will commit $75,000 toward Dwight Howard’s Grand Champions Foundation. K.C. Blinn, Blue Triton Brands Vice President of Marketing, affirms Dwight Howard’s efforts in community building served as the leading factor to pursue a relationship with the Lakers center. “What was different about Dwight and his team was that they came with a community first and give back direction to it,” Blinn said, according to Forbes. “They really wanted to be a part of leaving a legacy here in Los Angeles.”
The famed STAPLES Center in Downtown Los Angeles, CA — home to the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, the NHL’s Kings and the WNBA’s Sparks — is taking on a new face. The historic sports and entertainment center, which has over 20,000 seats, will be renamed Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 25, 2021, according to arena owner AEG, ESPN reports. The Singapore-based cryptocurrency brokerage will pay $700 million over the next 20 years to AEG, the management company for the building. “This partnership is about the future,” AEG President Dan Beckerman said in a statement, according to the Washington Post. “AEG and Crypto.com not only share a vision about innovation and the future of sports and entertainment, but we also have a shared commitment to our communities where we work and live.” Founded in 2016, Crypto.com is a cryptocurrency platform with reportedly over 10 million users worldwide. Since its inception, it has bolstered its efforts to expand throughout the sports industry landing impressive...
On October 29, Josephine & Billie’s opened its flagship Los Angeles location, priding itself on being a safe space for women of color, especially Black women, to shop and be educated on cannabis. “Most stores are designed and built by white people with one perspective. And women of color rarely get the opportunity to feel comfortable in those spaces,” said COO Ebony Anderson in a press release. “But Josephine & Billie’s was designed and built by, and for, women of color with that in mind.” AfroTech got the opportunity to attend the grand opening of Josephine & Billie’s to meet with the owners and check out what the space had to offer. Located at 1535 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, this Black-women owned dispensary is the first-of-its-kind speakeasy-style cannabis concept and is inspired by ‘tea pads’ that once thrived in Black communities during the 1920s and 30s. Photo Credit: Stephanie Ogbogu for AfroTech Photo Credit: Stephanie Ogbogu for AfroTech “So many people have asked me,...