Gov. Ron DeSantis met with Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday and speaking to reporters afterward, Pence praised the governor. “It’s not an either or choice,” Pence said. “The economic comeback that’s underway is a demonstration that we don’t have to choose between opening America and the health of our people. We can do both.”
According to The Tampa Bay Times, Pence said, “We really do believe that because we’re in such a better place today … the people of Florida can rest easy.”
Florida was among the earliest states to begin reopening after the nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic was declared. The state rolled out phase one of its plan in late April. Since then, the virus has continued to surge across the state.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen during a press conference in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)
In speaking to reporters, DeSantis has said that he thinks Floridians “became complacent,” after the virus was no longer the top story in the news. However, Democrats believe that DeSantis should have shut the state down sooner and should have stayed shut longer.
“We needed at the beginning to hit this virus with a hammer, to starve it all the way down,” Democratic U.S. Rep Donna Shalala told NPR. “We didn’t do the right thing in the beginning, and now we’re trying to play catch-up.”
DeSantis has refused to mandate mask-wearing across the state leaving the decision to local leadership. Jacksonville, where the Republican National Convention is set to take place in August, recently enacted mandatory face-coverings.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménezannounced a countywide daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice. He said, “We are also rolling the opening of entertainment venues effective July 3.” The rollback includes movie theaters, arcades, casinos, adult entertainment, concert houses, and bowling alleys.
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Otero started her entrepreneurial journey as a hair stylist, getting her license right out of high school and eventually having her own salon.
“And then the market crash hit. I thought, man what am I going to do now that I’m no longer behind the chair in this particular brick and mortar space?”
After the Great Recession, Otero lost almost everything—her salon, her car, her home. “It was sort of like a rebirthing, honestly,” she says. “That journey was one of the toughest things that I ever had to face.”
Otero sees the parallels between the rough time she went through and the challenges so many women entrepreneurs are facing right now as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and the fight for racial justice.
“We’re seeing so much loss around us. It puts you in a place where things that you relied on are no longer available, people you relied on are no longer available,” she says. But the upside is that it “really allows you to see what defines you—who are you, what you really need. Things I thought I needed, I didn’t.”
And, she says, it forces you to discover what you’re made of: “None of us have ever seen anything like this. It’s going to rock you to your core, and you’re going to realize, either I’ve got some work to do but I’m able, I’m equipped to walk through this season. Or you’re going to find out, man I really don’t have the faith I thought I had. I really ain’t the boss like I thought I was.”
Now she looks back on losing her salon and says, “The day we closed, I tell people that was the best day of my life.”
Otero’s comeback started with the internet. She was able to connect with potential customers in new ways, eventually become a stylist who traveled with clients or worked on projects such as photo shoots or book covers.
“Social media really changed the way we did business,” she says. “It allowed my business to grow further after the salon closed.”
Social media also gave her her tribe. In 2012, she started a Facebook group to foster the kinds of conversations she was interested in having with fellow women entrepreneurs.
“One of my favorite scriptures is ‘My people perish for a lack of knowledge,'” Otero says. “I don’t have all the answers but I’m one that will continue to knock.”
In 2015 that group turned into CEO Chick, which now offers online courses, live events, and group coaching to its community of 1,000 women entrepreneurs.
This month, Otero is expanding that virtual education beyond the network with a Master Class Mondays series that is affordable—$20—and open to the public. Topics will include how to secure funds for your business, how to use technology to scale, and how to become a household brand name, with experts such as Amazon Web Services’ Jillian Blackwell and Sassy Jones Boutique CEO Charis Jones.
Otero chose the format to “bring different industry leaders to share the information that these women need to be successful in business, because you can’t get that on social media alone. You get a lot of hype and not ‘how-to.'”
“We want to make sure that they are running not just brands that are popular online and cute online,” she says. “They need the depth, they need cash flow. They need to understand investing, they need to understand diversifying. They need to understand how to work on their business, not just in it. Running a business, it’s not just Instagram.”
CEO Chick will also have a giveaway every week this month for Black women entrepreneurs, worth $5,000 in products and services, including $500 cash.
Even though the CEO Chick network is diverse, the giveaway is targeting Black women specifically because, as Otero says, “we are still, unfortunately, not bringing in the revenue that we need to. Black women in business lead in being the last to lead. We’ve got to do something about that.”
“The ultimate goal is that we help women stay in business,” through these challenging times, Otero says. “It’s possible. It’s doable. You can take your brand and your business to another level online and see the financial rewards. Don’t give up.”
She says that season one of the show was supposed to wrap on June 5, but that she fought to have it extended until June 25. “I fought to have the extension of the season to June 25.” Hall said that her “creative team was paid through the pandemic and through that extension because I wanted to keep pushing and keep putting out stories that matter to you.”
Hall says that “Like any other show, like any other product, people make changes and we did after the season had wrapped. Not during, not while. So this notion that I ran off securing bags, it’s not true. It is absolutely not and the notion that I’ve abandoned people, it’s not.”
She states that there have been changes made to make the show better. “I have a right, and every person who runs a company, owns a company, has anything that is yours, you have a right to make it better.”
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for New York Magazine)
The criticism came from a Daily Mail article that reported that “Around 20 people lost their jobs yesterday at TheTamron Hall Show. It was a giant blood bath,” production sources allegedly told the media outlet. “[Tamron] is living her best life on her personal Instagram while people are losing their livelihoods.”
The Tamron Hall Show debuted in late 2019 on ABC. Midway through its first season, the coronavirus pandemic struck the nation, and the show moved into remote production.
Hall also shared a letter that she wrote to her employees at the height of the pandemic where she responded to an anonymous email that circulated throughout her staff.
Hall said that she understood the frustration of her staff moving to a work from home phase, “everyone is stressed out and feeling anxious but to say the ‘confusion on the show has run more rampant than the coronavirus’ was a gut punch that I could not ignore.” Hall wrote that “the success of this show will never erase my humanity.”
The Tamron Hall Show was renewed for a second season in December of 2019.
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Several polls are indicating that Democratic voters think Senator Kamala Harris or Senator Elizabeth Warren would be the best picks for a running mate for Joe Biden.
At the top of June, Yahoo News/YouGov chose Warren over Harris by at least 30%. The most recent Today/YouGov poll has it flipped, picking Harris over Warren for the last two weeks by a few percentage points. A Monmouth University poll, comprised of older, New England voters, chose Harris by 28%.
Former Georgia Gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams continues to be popular with poll respondents as well. She came in third in several polls.
A USA Today poll found that 70% of voters think it’s “very important” that Biden choose a woman of color as a running mate. “It definitely needs to be a woman of color to be representative of what’s happening right now,” said Dawn Newman, 56, a Democrat from Minnesota told USA Today. She said either Harris or Abrams would be a “strong, effective” choice.“
Former Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams and former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris. (Photo: Getty Images)
According to the poll, nominating a woman of color was more important to white Americans than Black Americans. Seventy-five percent of white Americans said it was very or somewhat important to them. It was very or somewhat important to 60% of Black voters, and 81% of Hispanics.
The poll found that Sen. Harris generated the most excitement among the 345 Democratic respondents. She was followed by Abrams, and then Warren. The name recognition that Harris carries may be a big part of the enthusiasm that voters have for her.
Former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms are also seen as “exciting” choices.
Historically, the vice-presidential choice hasn’t been as important of a choice as one would think. A 2016 article by Politico suggests that “in order for a running mate to help a candidate on a national scale, he or she must be exceedingly popular,” or exceedingly unpopular to truly hurt a campaign.
However, given Joe Biden’s advanced age, he will turn 78 two weeks after the election, the vice-presidential choice in this race is facing extensive scrutiny.
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Diversifying the Academy won’t change Hollywood overnight, but it will ensure that more perspectives are taken into account when naming the best art of our time.
Fashion isn’t the easiest industry to break into. One boy was not only able to beat the odds and launch his own clothing brand but he also was able to catch the eye of music and fashion mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Philadelphia native Trey Brown is the 14-year-old owner of SPERGO, a boutique fashion collection that includes sweatsuits, hoodies, boxer briefs, and accessories for both genders as well as children. The clothing company has already garnered a loyal celebrity following with people like rapper DaBaby, Meek Mill, and others spotted wearing his clothes.
On a recent appearance on Ellen, Brown discussed how Diddy was one of his biggest inspirations and fueled his desire to open a business at an early age. “When I started, I looked at Mr. Sean for inspiration,” he said on the show according to AfroTech. “He’s from New York. He’s a hustler, just like me.” The host of the popular show then revealed that she had arranged for Brown to meet his idol and presented him with a business grant to expand his company.
“This kid would call me every single day. I don’t know how he got my number. And he didn’t regular-call me neither,” Diddy said on the show before presenting Brown with a $25,000 check.
“He would FaceTime me and I was just blown away by his tenacity, by his focus, the quality of his manufacturing, you are a prime example of who we are going to be giving out Black Excellence Entrepreneurial grants to.”
Eight-year-old Nolan Davis led a march for hundreds of children in his Kirkwood, Missouri community on last Saturday, June 27.
“I’m worried about Black people, like me, getting hurt. Some skin is like chocolate. Some is like vanilla. Some is mixed together like mine. But we’re all people,” Davis said through a megaphone according to CNN.
Davis, who is Black, is adopted along with his five-year-old sister, Caroline. Their parents, Kristin and Ryan Davis, have been participating in rallies in the St. Louis area since the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Nolan joined his parents at some of those rallies and had the idea to plan one just for children.
Kristin Davis told The Washington Post that she began seriously thinking about race after adopting Nolan eight years ago. Now, she said she co-chairs the racial equity committee at her children’s school, and takes cues from Black parents about how to raise her children.
She said that it is difficult to explain to her children the greater issues of systemic racism in America that contribute to police killings. However, her once her son had an understanding of some of what was going on, he “wanted to speak out more for the rights of people who look like him.”
The rally brought out over 700 people, including children and their parents. They marched from a local park to a neighboring shopping district with the support of the police in the community.
Today’s Black Lives Matter march in Kirkwood was amazing. We are very proud of Keysor kid Nolan Davis for using his voice and organizing the march. This is what community looks like! pic.twitter.com/R2T5lZVxAN
Upon returning to the park, the children drew hopeful messages on the ground in chalk.
Talking to children about the Black Lives Matter movement can be challenging. A United Kingdom website published a 20-page guide called, “A Parent’s Guide to Black Lives Matter.”
On Saturday, June 6, CNN and Sesame Street aired, Coming Together: Standing up to Racism. The beloved children’s characters explained the peaceful protests taking place around the country. In it, Elmo’s dad made his debut where he explained, “Not all streets are like Sesame Street.”
As the necessary shelter in place restrictions continue, we’re joined by WIRED’s Alan Henry and Adrienne So to talk about the technologies helping us pass the time.
The Atlanta Hawks have announced a partnership with Fulton County to transform the State Farm Arena into Georgia’s largest-ever voting precinct for next month’s runoff and this November’s upcoming general elections.
With a runoff election already planned for later this summer, people will be allowed to take part in the political process starting with early voting on July 20 for the Georgia General Primary Runoff Election on Aug. 11. This partnership will allow tens of thousands of voters to cast their ballots for the upcoming elections. The size of the arena will allow voters to maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended social distancing requirements at the state-of-the-art facility. Fulton County Registration & Elections will also be able to conduct other election support operations at the site, including absentee ballot processing and more.
Starting on July 20, we will become Georgia’s largest-ever voting precinct.
We are proud to partner with Fulton County to give all registered Fulton County residents the ability to vote early at our arena.
“Fulton County is grateful to the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for being an outstanding partner,” said Chairman Robb Pitts in a written statement. “Tony Ressler, Steve Koonin, and their organization have once again demonstrated that the Hawks are True to Atlanta.”
“When our ownership group purchased the Hawks & State Farm Arena five years ago, we were clear that we felt it was our responsibility to make sure the organization was an important civic asset to the city of Atlanta. Utilizing State Farm Arena and our incredible staff to make the arena an accessible and vital polling site in an important election year is a fulfillment on that promise,” said Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena Principal Owner Tony Ressler.
“State Farm Arena is an ideal solution to help us serve thousands of voters while maintaining social distancing requirements,” said Mary Carole Cooney, Chairperson of the Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections. “We appreciate the Hawks for coming to us with this creative solution.”
The Hawks Foundation will also be providing free parking to people coming to the venue to vote. More than 1,500 parking spots surrounding the arena will provide complimentary parking.
Jay-Z and his Team Roc organization are calling for the prosecution of the Wisconsin officer who fatally shot 3 Black men.
OfficerJoseph Mensahhas come under fireafter his third killing of a man of color in the city. The first shooting occurred in 2015, about six months after he was hired by the department,Milwaukee Journal Sentinelreports.
In 2015, Antonio Gonzalesdied after Mensha pumped eight bullets into him, six shots killed Jay Anderson in 2016, and he fired five to kill Alvin Cole in February 2020, per theWall Street Journal,
In response, three activist groups: Team ROC, Until Freedom and Gathering for Justice,called out District Attorney John Chisholm in a full-page ad in theMilwaukee Journal Sentinelon July 2.
JAY-Z's Team Roc calls for the prosecution of police officer who has killed 3 men of color
The social justice sector of Roc Nation wrote an open letter in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to Milwaukee DA @DAJohnChisholm,calling for the firing & prosecution of officer Joseph Mensah pic.twitter.com/RvDfh7jSCV
“How many more people must die at the hands of Officer Joseph Mensah?” the ad says. “Since joining the Wauwatosa Police Department in 2015, Mensah has shot and killed THREE men of colour — Alvin Cole, Antonio Gonzales and Jay Anderson — with an excessive total of NINETEEN fired shots. His actions demonstrate an utter disregard for the lives of these young men.”
Calls for Officer Mensah’s firing have increased in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. In the weeks since his death, nationwide protests have over police reform and social injustices have dominated the news cycle.
“If you fail to prosecute Mensah, you’re doing a disservice to the legacies of Alvin Cole, Antonio Gonzales and Jay Anderson, ignoring the lives of black, brown and LGBTQ citizens in your county and essentially allowing for the possibility of a future catastrophe,” said the advertisement in the Journal Sentinel.
The ad demands Mensah’s immediate termination and that he be prosecuted “to ensure he never kills anyone again.”
The activists also call on Chisholm to mandate body cams for all police officers.
Jay-Z published a similar adfollowing the death of George FloydinNew York Times,theLos Angeles Times, theChicago Tribuneand thePhiladelphia Inquirer.
The ad included a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 address in Selma, Alabama.
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Herman Cainhas been hospitalized with COVID-19 at an Atlanta-area hospital, where he is reportedly “alert” and doing well.
The2012 Republican presidential candidate tested positive for the virus on Monday,less than two weeks after attending PresidentDonald Trump’scampaign rally in Tulsa, Daily Mail reports.
He tweeted a photo of himself in the stands showing he was not wearing a mask and not social distancing. The image was captioned: “Here’s just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonight’s rally! Having a fantastic time!”
At 74-years-old, Cain is in the high-risk group for contracting the deadly contagion. He is also a cancer survivor.
The politician reportedly did not meet with the president at the Tulsa rally, but eight members of Trump’s advance team have also tested positive for the coronavirus, Washington Postreports.
We are sorry to announce that Herman Cain has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently receiving treatment in an Atlanta-area hospital.
Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers.
Cainwas hospitalized Wednesday after developing “serious” symptoms but is “awake and alert,” according to a statement on his official Twitter account.
“There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted thecoronavirus, but we do know he is a fighter who has beaten Stage 4 cancer,” the statement says.
Ironically, less than 24 hours ago, Cainpostedthat “masks will not be mandatory” at Trump’s upcoming Mount Rushmore rally in South Dakota and that “People Are Fed Up” with social distancing.
Cain wrote an op-ed about his experience in Tulsa, which saw only a little more than 6,000 people fill an arena that holds 19,000.
“The atmosphere was electric, and the president’s words were inspiring,” hewrote in the Western Journal. “He presented a vision for uniting the country, overcoming the remaining effects of the pandemic and reinvigorating an economy he had going strong before the coronavirus showed up.”
Trump’s campaign spokesperson,Tim Murtaugh, insists that Cain did not meet with the president at the event, or any other senior campaign or administration officials.
Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!https://t.co/Oykdz4xThD
Murtaugh noted that “contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals.”
“We honestly have no idea where he contracted it. I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking,” said Dan Calabrese, editor of HermanCain.com, said Thursday in apost on Cain’s website.
“I don’t think there’s any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. We’ll never know,” he added.
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In an effort to highlight the victims of police brutality, the NFL will play “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — considered the Black National Anthem — before each game in Week 1 of the upcoming season.
An insider spilled to The Undefeated on Thursday that the song will be performed live or played before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” ESPN reports.
Award-winning journalist Jemele Hill reacted to the news on Twitter, writing “I can’t wait until the NFL figures out nobody black knows the second verse of Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
An earlier report published on theGRIO noted that many of us are able to hum at least the first stanza from memory, but not many know the background of the “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (or “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”).
I can’t wait until the NFL figures out nobody black knows the second verse of Lift Every Voice and Sing
The song started as a poem. It was first recited in the year 1900 by 500 schoolchildren at the all black Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, as a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
James Weldon Johnson, a civil rights activist, lawyer, and principal of the Stanton School, wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to introduce famed educator Booker T. Washington, who was visiting the school at the time. Johnson’s brother, John Rosamond Johnson put the poem to music and it officially became a song.
In 1919, the NAACP adopted the song as its official “Negro national anthem” and it enjoyed widespread distribution and celebration. The song experienced a resurgence during the civil rights movement.
In addition to the song being played before every game in Week 1 of the NFL season, the Players Association is working with the league to allow the names of victims of police brutality on the back of player’s jerseys instead of their last name.
“People are saying that social justice will be off of everybody’s mind in Orlando,” Thunder point guard Chris Paul toldESPN’s Marc Spears. “With these jerseys, it doesn’t go away.”
Paul said players who want to participate can promote other causes and charities not related to social injustice.
“The guys I talked to were definitely excited,” Paul told Spears. “The reason I’m passionate and excited about it is that it gives a voice to the voiceless.”
According to the report, the back of the jersey could feature the name of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor or phrases like “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
The NFL’s season opener kicks off Sept. 10, with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans.
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The death of Floyd George and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement has led to calls to remove monuments and rename buildings in honor of racist white men. J. Edgar Hoover, the infamous head of the FBI, is the latest person worthy of condemnation.
Hoover’s name should have been removed from the FBI headquarters a long time ago, though he should not have been honored in the first place. He was a consummate enemy of Black America who protected the Klansmen who bombed the Black church in Birmingham, Alabama and killed four little girls. His time is up.
John Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), American criminologist and government official. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
On Sept. 15, 1963, four African American girls — Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11 — were murdered when a bomb ripped through the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in a barbaric act of white domestic terror. Say their names. Addie Mae’s sister, Sarah, was also blinded and lost an eye.
It was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. The FBI knew the identities of the men who bombed the church, and yet it took nearly 40 years to bring all of them to justice. This is because Hoover withheld evidence in the case, and refused to share information with prosecutors because “the chance of successful prosecution in State or Federal Court is very remote” and he did not believe an Alabama jury would convict white men for the murder of Black children.
Robert Chambliss was convicted of murder in 1977, and Thomas Blanton, Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry were convicted and imprisoned in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Chambliss died behind bars in 1985, Cherry died in 2004, and Blanton died Friday.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies lead Thomas Blanton Jr., center, out of the courtroom in handcuffs after a jury convicted him of murder in Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday, May 1, 2001. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Leaving behind a five-decade legacy of violence, racial terror and an undermining of justice and the rule of law, Hoover was an enemy of the people, of Black people, and the destroyer of popular social justice movements in the U.S. Hoover was destroying Black leaders since Marcus Garvey, whom he called a “notorious negro agitator.”
The Black nationalist leader of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) was a target of Hoover since 1917. The bureau monitored Garvey and planted spies in his organization, undermined his Black-owned shipping company known as the Black Star Line, arrested him on trumped-up mail fraud charges and deported him.
But Hoover did not stop there. Hoover cut his teeth with Garvey, honing his skills in the disruption of Black leadership, and applying his experience with Garvey to eliminate a new generation of civil rights and Black Power movement activists.
It is no hyperbole or conspiracy theory to say that Hoover plotted to destroy Black America, its movements for freedom and self-determination, and its leaders. With his COINTELPRO Program (Counterintelligence Program), Hoover waged a war on Black people and “the Left,” and broke the law to do it through covert means — illegal wiretaps, forgery, false rumors, blackmail and other means.
The goal of COINTELPRO was to “Prevent the RISE OF A ‘MESSIAH’ who could unify, and electrify the militant Black nationalist movement.
Malcolm X might have been such a ‘messiah;’ he is the martyr of the movement today,” according to an FBI memo:
“Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael and Elijah Muhammed all aspire to this position. Elijah Muhammed is less of a threat because of his age. King could be a very real contender for this position should he abandon his supposed ‘obedience’ to ‘white, liberal doctrines’ (nonviolence) and embrace black nationalism. Carmichael has the necessary charisma to be a real threat in this way.”
circa 1962: American political activist and radical civil rights leader, Malcolm X (1925 – 1965) standing at a podium during a rally of African-American Muslims held in a Washington, DC arena. (Photo by Richard Saunders/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The program also sought to prevent violence on the part of Black organizations, and prevent them from forming coalitions, gaining respectability and growing long-term among young people. In reality, a Black organization did not have to be radical or violent to merit surveillance from the FBI. Just being Black was enough.
The infiltration, surveillance, disruption and neutralization of Black organizations also led to the assassination of beloved Black leaders. Malcolm X, gone. Dr. King, gone. Hoover didn’t pull the trigger, but he had blood on his hands nonetheless.
American civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) lying in state in Memphis, Tennessee, as his colleagues pay their respects to him (right to left); Andrew Young, Bernard Lee and Reverend Ralph Abernathy (1926 – 1990). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
A problematic agency whose racist founder wielded power ruthlessly, unchecked and without accountability, the FBI remains an overwhelmingly white-male organization. The bureau was slow to classify white supremacists as domestic terrorists, even as it invented from whole cloth the term “Black Identity Extremists” in an effort to criminalize the Black Lives Matter movement.
If Black lives truly matter, then the name Hoover must be struck from the FBI building and any other building in America. We have reached a point where racial violence and state repression against Black people will no longer be tolerated, and the frontmen for white supremacy must be toppled.
Just as Princeton announced that it will removeWoodrow Wilson’s name, and Mississippi has divested itself of the Confederate flag, Hoover’s time has come. Take his name down.
The curly hair revolution has taken over the hair industry.
According to the Healthy Roots Doll website, 65% percent of the world’s population is said to have curly or wavy hair and now there is more of a push to show that in media representation for young children. Toys can impact how children think, act, and perceive others and themselves. For one black woman, her journey in finding self-confidence led to a new business opportunity for little girls with big curls.
Yelitsa Jean-Charles is the founder of Healthy Root Dolls, a company that allows customers to create custom dolls for their young girls. Jean-Charles says she got the idea after reimagining one of the Disney princesses for a class project while she was in school. “While I was at the Rhode Island School of Design, one of my class assignments was to redesign a fairytale character. I reimagined Rapunzel as a young Black girl with beautiful natural hair to show that we could be princesses too,” said Charles in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“After a few of my classmates mentioned my project looked like a doll, I discovered that many of us never had dolls that looked like us growing up. Reflecting on my own experiences growing up, I wanted to do more than paint a doll brown. I wanted to design a doll with hair girls could wash and style so they could learn to love their natural hair. I created Healthy Roots Dolls because no one should feel less than because of the kink of their curl or color of their skin.”
Zoe is the name of Charles’ first doll to be released. She hopes the doll can help other girls feel confident about their curls. In her TED Talk, she talks about the value of children and young adults seeing representation of themselves across media, hoping her dolls will leave a positive impact. “Zoe is the first and only doll with hair full of curl power that can be washed and styled with products like real hair. Healthy Roots Dolls provides an educational experience around hair play teaching kids how to care for their own hair by practicing on Zoe’s,” she explained.
“Providing children with dolls that represent the diversity of the world can help children to celebrate our differences. It also helps parent’s unpack the issues that we have in our culture about race and identity by exposing them to the people they will interact with in the world. I’m so happy that Healthy Roots Dolls is playing a role in conversations about diversity and equity.”
The company is set to launch this September but is currently taking pre-orders on its website.
Sometimes things don’t work out the way you anticipate, but that doesn’t mean that you failed. In some cases, being veered away from your original plan can actually put you in a better position. That was the case for Rushion McDonald.
As McDonald is still proving, nothing can stop a person when ambition and work ethic is by your side. Mix that with great business sense and you have no choice but to end up with success. The busy entrepreneur took time to speak toBLACK ENTERPRISEabout how his work ethic and drive have led him to be in a position to change in ways that keep him relevant.
I started my career as a stand-up comedian. Showtime named me one of the top 50 funniest people in America three years in a row. But I’ve always enjoyed writing and producing, which led me to manageSteve Harvey from 2000-2016. That period did not provide me an opportunity to be in from of the camera. My job titles were writer, producer, and manager. I co-created and executive produced the Steve Harvey Morning Radio Show, created and executive produced the Hoodie Awards/Neighborhood from 2001-2016. I consulted and relaunched the syndicated Family Feud series with Steve Harvey as the host, marketed and branded three consecutive No. 1 New York Times best-sellers. Executive produced two blockbuster movies, Think Like A Man and Think Like A Man Too, and launched and executive produced the Steve Harvey daytime talk show from 2012-2016. So, when I stopped managing Steve Harvey, I realized I did not have a brand, except as his manager and needed a platform to build my legacy, so I launched Money Making Conversations in 2017.
I am using my relationships to provide the consumer and business owner access to celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and influencers. I want to stop people from tripping over small challenges and prepare them to rise above the more significant obstacles that they will face in life. The Money Making Conversations interviews provide relatable information to the listener about career and financial planning, entrepreneurship, motivation, leadership, overcoming the odds, and how to live a balanced life.
What do you think are the most important characteristics and/or attributes to become a successful entrepreneur and what is/was yours that helped you succeed?
I firmly believe that a person’s level of success is based on work ethic. Consistency, eliminating harmful habits, staying focused, and multitasking effectively is some of the lessons I share on my podcast. Most of all, you must set your high standards, not simply let other people set standards for you. Mentors are important because you should not seek advice from people who cannot understand or relate to your dreams, business, or career aspirations.
How do you balance your workload?
I understand the value of multitasking and preparation. There are 24 hours in a clock, and you have to learn to take advantage of each hour. You cannot be afraid to take time off because you are scared that you might miss an opportunity. You can never be afraid of change or missed opportunity. And don’t allow lack of experience to stop you from reaching your dreams either. That is why it is important to have mentors in your life. Surround yourself with smart people who you can trust, and maintain a leadership balance in your business that does not undermine your authority. As I often say: “Hope is not a plan; a written plan is a plan.”
What can we expect from you in the near future?
I am a business manager toStephen A. Smith; we are executive producing and developing television projects. I am producing and marketing the 2020 HBCUWeek platform in Wilmington, Delaware. Last year, nearly $4 million was awarded to incoming HBCU students. I am developing another HBCU platform that recognizes the positive impact of HBCUs, institutions: churches, barbershops, and beauty salons, and influencers on the African American culture in business, entertainment, and education. I am buying an office building in Atlanta to create and produce shows under my 3815 Media company.
What type of advice would you give to anyone who is pursuing a career in the entertainment industry and wants to become an entrepreneur?
When pursuing a career in entertainment or entrepreneurship, always be prepared for change. Regardless of age or stage in your success, don’t let the changes in life that are happening around you become a shock to your career. Always keep evolving, keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zones, and keep surprises at a minimum, “Always stay ahead of Ignorance.”
Having Mr. Sean Combs @diddy as my mentor and meeting Mr. Corey @coreysjacobs is one of my greatest blessings. ——- I sent Mr. Sean a message July 2018, he posted my video August 2018. That day my website sold out of EVERYTHING. Got my first wholesale deal. 
I’ve always admired Mr. Sean and Biggie since I was little and loving music. So to meet him was a dream come true and have him as a mentor is out of this world amazing! 
DRIP 
