Me listening to #Fergie like pic.twitter.com/hpGEPncFJN
— Handsome Rob (@hnsmrob42) February 19, 2018
He was like “GIRL WHAT WAS YOU DOING!!!??”
You can check out the video below.
https://youtu.be/Hi4ASQ_Golc
Called Network 2 Net Worth, the series will target black professionals, especially graduates of historically black colleges.
Read more from our partners over at Black Enterprise:Hampton University Grad And Black Panther’s Costume Designer On Being Inspired By Ancient African Tribes
At Accenture, we’re working to increase the diversity of our workforce at all levels and across all backgrounds, and to create a workplace where everyone feels comfortable to be their true authentic selves,” says Chantel Soverall, North America ethnicity recruiting leader at Accenture. “We are thrilled to partner with HBCU 20×20 to create this unique experience for our people and communities, and to help underrepresented professionals achieve greater career opportunity.”
In an innovative twist, Network 2 Net Worth shifts the business connection to a more social setting. Instead of speed dating, there will be speed networking, during which professionals will have three to five minutes to pitch their résumés to recruiters from Accenture. They will also learn more about the company and hear from its leadership.
Attendees will also learn about other tech companies that value diversity. In a more relaxed setting, they will meet business leaders and network with like-minded professional peers.
“When we created HBCU 20×20, we knew we wanted to create innovative ways to improve the recruitment of people of color to companies, especially for graduates and alumni from HBCUs,” says Nicole Tinson-Johnson, president and CEO of Jobs R 4 U. “Our goal for HBCU 20×20 and Network 2 Net Worth is simple—to directly connect HBCU graduates and underrepresented talent to companies and develop a talent pipeline. Our Network 2 Net Worth series provides attendees with an opportunity to meet and interact with recruiters while enjoying music, hors d’oeuvres, and a drink or two after work. It’s truly a win for all parties involved.”
The first event takes place Feb. 22 in Atlanta at Suite Food Lounge; subsequent events will be held in Seattle, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York.
Sign up here. For more information about HBCU 20×20, visit www.hbcu20x20.org. To learn more about careers at Accenture, visit www.accenture.com/careers.
https://instagram.com/p/BeGHm5bgV1j/
This story was written by Robin White Goode, the Editor of Black Enterprise, where it originally published. This story is published here with permission.
“A faithful wife (Henson) tired of standing by her devious husband (Lyriq Bent) is enraged when it becomes clear she has been betrayed,” reads the film’s storyline.
The title of the film is Acrimony and Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studies are scheduling for a release in theaters March 30.
Check out the footage below.
https://youtu.be/wlpunOUxYSo
“Morehouse College Mourns the Loss of Iconic Journalist Lerone Bennett Jr., former executive editor of Ebony and Acclaimed Historian,” wrote Morehouse on Twitter. “He honed his journalistic talent at Morehouse, where he developed a passion for writing, research, and intellectual debate.”
“Bennett served as an apprentice on the Maroon Tiger school newspaper in the 1940s,” the black college continued. “He was on staff when early writings by Martin Luther King Jr.’48 were published in the Maroon Tiger. Bennett also served as an editor for the newspaper.”
Morehouse College Mourns the Loss of Iconic Journalist Lerone Bennett Jr., former executive editor of Ebony and Acclaimed Historian. He honed his journalistic talent at Morehouse, where he developed a passion for writing, research, and intellectual debate. pic.twitter.com/xm3qlt5Nkb
— Morehouse College (@Morehouse) February 15, 2018
Head over to Morehouse.edu to learn more about Bennett’s life at Morehouse and after. – bit.ly/2GdCgSD
“Dear kids: I’m a Baby Boomer. We are getting old,” wrote Sommers in a Twitter post. “But at least we had sex, drugs and rock & roll. Seems like millennials have moral panics, workshops, and grievance circles. Time to rebel! xx mom.”
In response, Lawal argued that baby boomers like Sommers should learn to use iPhone applications including texting and FaceTime instead of constantly complaining about things it seems to be irrevelant.
“Dear Parents: I’m a Millennial. We are young,” wrote Lawal in response. “But at least we take risks, tech savvy and more politically informed. Seems like baby boomers just complain about texting/facetime, your day job and trump. Time to catch up!”
https://twitter.com/lukelawal/status/964406729776640002
In an interview with HBCU Buzz, Reshad Favors shared how Mosaic Law Firm which is an all-black owned law firm was started by these three black college grads back in November 2017. You can see the entire interview below.
According to Mosaic Law, while the firm’s primary focus areas are Personal Injury, Family Law, Landlord-Tenant, and Criminal Defense, the attorneys at Mosaic Law have extensive experience in many other areas of practice. Mosaic Law sets itself apart from other firms in three ways: client first, affordable solutions, and their attorneys, the website says.
Favors was also recognized as an HBCU Buzz “Top 30 Under 30 recipient back in 2014. “Mosaic Law Firm is an all-black owned law firm started by myself and two co-founders in November 2017,” Favors explained through email. “We met as law students at Florida A&M College of Law. We feel our story should be told on your platform not only because of our start and composition, but also because our plans for growth. Orlando, Erica and I came together to build a thriving atmosphere for black attorneys.”
He added:
“Each of us have experienced working for majority white law firms, both large and small. The implicit pressures of being accepted in such environments is something all black professionals inevitably face because of a lack of black owned and majority black employed businesses. We plan to eliminate these pressures for lawyers that look like us. We plan to not only provide an environment for “us” but to also demonstrate the necessity, power and influence of black owned and employed businesses. Our law firm is intended to reflect the community in which we serve.”
Despite the many opportunities for young black entrepreneurs to climb the ladder or the lack thereof, Mosaic intends to do just that. “Unfortunately, our community has not been exposed to entrepreneurship as much as our non-black counterparts,” he says. “We intend to use our success and future growth as a model for other young black entrepreneurs in all industries. Being that we have only been in operation for three months, we have yet to meet our full potential.”
He continued, “However, we feel that our story and goals should be told today to begin planting the seeds of entrepreneurialism in other black professional minds.”
Here are some more fun facts to know about Mosaic.
“Attending a HBCU gave me a familial feeling that I never had in school growing up . There were so many diverse invidivuals yet with so many similarities that it felt like we knew each other our entire lives.” – Orlando Sheppard, Esq.
“I had an opportunity to attend a PWI and a HBCU and the experiences were night and day. Sharing lived experiences with indivuals who had shared interests gave us a special bond. I met some of my best friends at Florida A&M College of Law. To see students and an administration who lived and embodied the school’s mission statement was certainly a breath of fresh air and something that was needed at such a pivotal moment in my life.” – Reshad Favors, Esq.
“As black attorneys, we represent less than 5% of the attorney population. Black male attorneys represent less than 1%. It is important to tell our story to your readers to let them know that we exist. Not only do Mosaic exist, but we thrive. Starting our firm was a statement to people who look like us that they can break the mold. Our firm is designed specifically for people like your readers; to serve them, employ them and fellowship with them. Mosaic believes that the readers of HBCU Buzz are the target audience who would like to know that they too can thrive and break molds.”
“The 5-10 year plan is to be the largest black/HBCU-owned firm in the nation. Mosaic want to accomplish this by branching out to different areas of the nation and to truly connect with the communities in which we serve. Currently, Mosaic serves in Florida and Washington, DC but the plan is to have attorneys who are barred in multiple states. Ultimately, we want to be the go-to firm for folks who look like us for all of their legal needs. We want to change the narrative surrounding black attorneys in our community. We want our brand to become synonymous with black excellence.”
But some say — and no matter how long it might take one to graduate from college — a degree is still a degree.
Central State University graduate Malik Perkins offered some words of advice for many students that aren’t prepared for life at a 4-year college and in particular the 107 historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, in the nation.
“Unfortunately, many black high school students come from struggling school districts that don’t adequately prepare them for college,” said Perkins, commenting on the alarming news through text. “HBCUs are gracious enough to accept them, but it’s still an uphill battle.”
He continued, “Also, students from poor districts often lack the economic and family support to complete their education in a timely matter. This forces them to take semesters off or go part-time.”
“HBCUs are still needed but those issues have been straining them for years,” Perkins added.
This is a great observation because these colleges are like second chance schools. However, HBCUs continue to graduate students who probably would have never received the incredible opportunity to go to college otherwise.
“But they really can’t afford to do that and at high numbers,” Perkins argued. “Students who aren’t ready to go to college need to go to a community college first and catch up.”
“Its actually doing black colleges a disservice when we sell them a dream knowing the lack the skills. Some make it, but many of them don’t graduate and end up back at home with debt. It’s a tough problem to fix,” he said.
The definition of a desert by Wikipedia is:
“A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life.” The application of this definition in many ways can be applied to under-served communities across this nation that suffer from lack of educational materials promoting reading.
Even though there are books in schools, libraries and community centers conditions may not be motivating for children in under-served communities.
Looking at the Twitter tags #BookDeserts, #BookDesert, #ReadingDeserts, there is a serious discussion promoting literacy
in communities. When there are children that love to read it can be challenging to find materials that excite them and their passion to learn about the areas they love.
Stated by Derrick Young (Mahogany Books in Washington, D.C.) about book deserts, “A book desert isn’t a community-created
situation.” Derek Young states, “It’s because other people have decided not to invest into these communities. It’s not because these communities aren’t readers.”
As an educator and two children attending universities I understand that education is an investment that has long term
applications, people living in distressed areas are on survival mode and not seeing long term events because they are surviving from day to day. Aida a mother and grandmother understands
the value and importance of reading. She taught her children that reading is a foundation to educational success.
As an inner city Title 1 teacher over 20 years I have seen students attention directed to just living, not worrying about where the next book will be coming from.
So books may not be available to inspire reading. Studies in 2015 and 2016 have shown that book deserts exist when there is a rise in income segregation, lack of infrastructure investment or financial stability is affected by job loss, incarceration and even when a school receives a failing grade on state assessments and funds are cut.
Negatively impacting a family’s and community’s capability to provide reading material. The focus changes and diminishes the chances of academic success. The impact on adults is big as well,
children do not see their parents reading the newspaper or books so they do not have role models or engagement to talk
about the news and current events.
Even neighborhood libraries face challenges because their materials maybe old, outdated and not culturally relevant. If a child does not see themselves in a book they may not want to read it if there is no previous exposure. Jacksonville Public Libraries often work within communities to provide resources and materials that broaden the vision of children and create a welcoming environment for Black, Latina, White, Asian, etc. There are still some parents that do not access the resources because of their lack of reading skills or past experiences.
In Jacksonville, Florida there are book stores “Chamblin” that have books bursting out of the walls to be purchased and can even be returned in exchange at a lower cost for other books. Teachers can even have accounts setup for their classrooms so students can purchase books and the teacher can pay for all or part of the book.
In this digital age where information sharing, collaboration and knowledge-based application is important. Reading is an essential skill that transcends generations, genders, lifestyles and cultures. Communities of color sometimes lack the educational investments necessary to inspire children, youth, teens and young adults to read, but parents do guide their children to educational success
and movement, parents are the first role models by modeling.
Too often the societal perception and even the media has the idea that people in challenged or poor neighborhoods don’t care about the achievement of their children. This is further from the truth, parents in under-served neighborhoods want the best for their children, because of circumstances in finances, educational lacking, and other social issues do not have the means to provide proper and lasting resources.
Bookstores like “Chamblin” and Jacksonville Public Libraries fill the gap in book deserts so long as there is proper investment and a vision for growth and success to meet the needs of diverse communities.
Parents make 2018 the year of engagement with your children to get them to enjoy reading. Make it a part of your and their life every day. Over 200 Books for and about People of Color and Culture.
https://youtu.be/Uo6UDfrJgqk
Carter is no stranger to recreating representations of blacks in films—she’s also the creative mastermind behind some of the most iconic black films in history—School Daze, Malcolm X, Amistad, Do the Right Thing, Roots (2016) and Selma, to name a few. Below she shares her design process and inspiration behind the film’s costumes.
Ruth E. Carter on working with the film production team and planning for the design process.
Marvel Studios gave me a blueprint. They had a lot of plans for the costumes, whether it was visual effects, special effects, or photo doubles. So they told me the elements the costume needed to have. From rich saturated colors and beautiful prints to textures—these things were rooted in African culture.
So we researched all of these wonderful different ancient tribes from the continent of Africa such as the Xhosa, Zula, Himba, and Maasai, and learned about their secrets and the reason behind doing things a certain way. For instance, when The Himba Tribe used this beautiful red clay that they put all over their bodies (including, jewelry hands, and hair) it was for the desert dwellers to have moisturizer. It also made your skin and hair really soft. It even had Shea butter—it was also so colorful and intense. It could even be bottled and sold today as a moisturizer.
On the other hand, the Maasai Tribe was known for all of this beautiful beadwork—so we wanted to direct the costumes towards that look. The stacked rings are a very prominent visual jewelry and were worn by ancient African tribes—that was also part of the framework that Marvel said we would like to have. I hired a jewelry designer who does African-inspired jewelry. She created rings, and necklaces—featuring a hand-tooled element that really pulled the looks together. We also pulled inspiration for the costumes from the draped robe attire that you often see in the Nigerian culture.
This story was written by Kandia Johnson, a contributor to Black Enterprise, where it originally published. This story is published here with permission.
Meet Judge Khalil. Judge Khalil is an animated series about a boy who aspires to be a Judge. The series discuss topics such as the importance of entrepreneurship and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, equality for all races and embracing different cultural backgrounds.
Judge Khalil is a modern day, coming-of-age story about a boy that dreams of becoming a judge. With the encouragement from his family, friends, and favorite teacher, Khalil works his way to his dreams while maneuvering middle school. Our new series will not only reinforce positive images to young people of color, but will also chart new territory in exploring varying career options that aren’t frequently highlighted, specifically for children of color.
From equality and race to friendship and classroom politics, Judge Khalil will bring a fresh take on the timeless story of maturation. Khalil and the rest of the characters will find themselves navigating new journeys that reflect today’s issues while focusing on the importance of following one’s dreams.
As Khalil chases his dreams, we are asking that you help us chase ours! When you decide to support us, you are supporting a company that is committed to improving, uplifting, and reconstructing the image of people of color across the globe.
Judge Khalil is necessary because young people of color need more positive images of themselves in media. With the increased accessibility of televised police brutality and the lack of uplifting roles for persons of color, the media has the ability to tarnish a young person’s mentality and vision of self worth and importance. With Khalil wanting to become a Judge, there is potential to inspire minority children to explore law and other different career fields that differ from the traditional paths of Lawyer, Judge, and Doctor.
You can view the trailer below. Check out and donate to the Judge Khalil crowdfunding page. You can also follow the creation of the series on Instagram @JudgeKhalil.
https://vimeo.com/238829933
Rev. Al Sharpton sits down with the creator of the #BlackPantherChallenge and philanthropist Frederick T. Joseph, to discuss the importance of Black Panther and black superheroes. Also joining him in discussing black excellence, the creators of Spokehub App, Robert Hartsfield Jr and John York to discuss the importance of black owned businesses.
Last year, TanaRocks and his song #ThisIzFaDemHeaux featuring partner in crime Rxkstxr basically went viral across social media, thanks to much love and support by students at Central State and beyond. But real fans of TanaRocks know better, because he definitely never stops digging for gold.
Central State official DJ Ad recently spun the record at a Marauders basketball game and the song had everybody going dummy.
🎥🎥🚨🚨Central State Be Going So Crazy when they play my brudda @SantanaRxcks song “THISISFADEMHEAUX”!!! @IamDjAd on the spins! @HBCUPrideNation @HBCUBuzz @csu2live_ @GO_MARAUDERS shot on #iPhoneX 🚨🚨🎥🎥 pic.twitter.com/lKkXIyCf13
— Tequila Papi 🥃 (@juice_finesse) February 9, 2018
You can listen to the song, and more on SoundCloud below.
https://soundcloud.com/tanarocks/sets/intoxicated-america
Davis has owned the franchise for about five years. But three years ago, when a succession plan was launched, he began giving his son more control over daily operations. “’He has worked hard and studied this industry,” Davis says. “He will make our family business into a great generational business.”
Grooming the Next Generation
In the grooming process, Davis taught Pratt about matters such as working with the franchisor to receive ongoing support to keep the franchise running. Davis also instructed his son in the importance of customer service and treating employees well.
“To see how he’s grown and helped us since starting has been incredible,” Davis says.
Yet, that father is different than many of his peers when turning over a business to a newer generation. Some three in five small businesses do not have a business succession plan in place, a Nationwide Small Business Survey shows. An online Harris Poll survey that included 502 U.S. business owners with less than 300 employees also revealed that 47% don’t believe a succession plan is necessary.
Succession Planning Should Be High on Priority List for Black Small Business Owners
But with the business being the No. 1 asset for many small business owners, succession planning should rank as important as finding new customers or strategically creating ways to keep growing, experts say. Succession planning should be a top concern because a company’s continuity can rely on it. Such planning is of particular importance for small black business owners as it is key in building generational wealth.
Davis suggests entrepreneurs contemplating succession should form close relationships early with lawyers and accountants who can help with that process. “I have a team of people in my network who offer me professional services that I’ve been working with for a long time who will help him [Pratt] too.”
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs don’t contemplate succession planning until tragedy hits—a debilitating illness, permanent disability, or the death of a key employee.
Davis says franchisor Image One has been very dependable and provided the family business continued support, something he is confident will be ongoing.
“You can get all the information to be a good business owner,” Davis says of the franchisor. “The main reason I’m not concerned is that I know when he needs help they’ll be there to provide it for him.”
Davis has been involved in many ventures prior to becoming an Image One franchisee. He operated other cleaning companies for 10 years. He was a Chicago police officer for 27 years and ran two restaurants. In college, he was captain of the famous University of Houston “Phi Slama Jamma” team that included NBA Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.
His initial investment into Image One was about $15,000, including purchasing equipment and acquiring an established customer base. The franchise makes most of its money by cleaning banks, sports venues, and small manufacturing facilities with Davis estimating 2017 revenues totaled about $250,000. That’s a long way from the $30,000 in revenue after the first full year of business.
“We’ve been able to grow revenues largely by retaining customers, attracting new ones, and referrals from existing clients.”
Davis says the business has given him the flexibility to help his family and others. He plans to retire later this year to continue running The BASE, a nonprofit that uses sports and education to help at-risk Chicago youth grow academically.
Meanwhile, Davis wants to keep the franchise in his family and create a legacy. He wants to pass the torch to his son. “It would be incredible if one day I saw my grandson running this business.”
Here are some tips from Eric Davis and Black Enterprise on small business owners creating a plan to hand over the business to the next generation:
-Do your homework; figure out how much money it will take to keep the business operating. Where will this money come from?
-Determine who will be in charge of making sure the succession plan is carried out properly.
-Figure out what strategy will be used to groom someone to take over the business.
-For family businesses, Davis suggests making sure you select the right person to run the business. The reason, he says, is that all of your children, for example, may not be interested in taking over the business.
-Don’t wait until the last minute to plan a succession. Some experts suggest business owners establish one several years before beginning the process.
-Make sure the business is strong financially and know where the money is.
-Find out from your accountant if the business has a lot of debt or tax liabilities before doing the succession.
Finally, teach the new owner the importance of giving back to the community through donations and employment opportunities.
This story was written by Jeffrey McKinney, a contributor to Black Enterprise, where it originally published. This story is published here with permission.
From The Root:
“For perspective, the 2015 national average for all colleges’ six-year graduation rates was 59 percent. According to the AJC, a “handful” of HBCUs are graduating half of their new freshmen within six years.
Leading the list in terms of 2015 graduation rates was Spelman College, with a six-year graduation rate of 76 percent. This was considerably higher than Morehouse’s rate, at 51 percent, and neighboring Georgia State, where black students make up the largest share of the school’s population, with 58 percent.
But Spelman fell behind the University of Georgia, which, at 86 percent, graduated about 4 out of 5 freshmen within six years.”
Head over to The Root to read more.
Recently rapper Common shared a photo on Instragram explaining that he got a black eye playing basketball. But songstress Erykah Badu, who Common says was his first experience with true love, isn’t here for it and she’s not buying his story at all. Insert heart emoji.
“I got my eye blackened playin 🏀 today,” wrote the rapper on Instgram. “However, the fight must go on!”
“Look like a fisss print to me,” commented Badu in response.
People were like “facts tho.”
“When your friends know the truth,” wrote one Instragram user.
What do you think? Did Common really blackened his eye playing basketball or is there more than meets the eye? Let us know and drop your comment below!
As if anyone actually cared, but anyway.
According to the Shade Room, Omarosa spilled some droplets of tea about working with President Trump.
“Now you definitely have to watch the show to get the full tea, but in a short clip Omarosa is talking to another housemate about why she even took the job, to begin with,” wrote the Shade Room’s Tanya P on Instragram. “She said she took the job as Director of Communication because she was “serving her country, not him…””
You can watch the short clip below.
https://instagram.com/p/Be8lOwWFPcx/
