September 2020

Home  /  2020  /  September

For the first time in history, the Super Bowl Halftime Show will be headed by a Black producer. Emmy-nominated Jesse Collins will produce the 2021 show. Collins, founder and CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, has previously worked on the BET Awards and Grammys. “It is an honor to be part of such an iconic show at such an important time in our history,” Collins said in a statement, via Sports Business. “I am grateful to Jay-Z, [Roc Nation chief operating officer] Desiree Perez, the entire Roc Nation family,

By Kyona McGhee In a day and age where genius ideas, heart-tugging art, and groundbreaking business concepts are flooding our timelines every second of the day, it is more important than ever for creatives, and entrepreneurs alike to protect their intellectual property. Unfortunately, most creatives and entrepreneurs don’t realize the importance of protecting their stuff until they’re hit with a cease and desist letter themselves, or a bigger influencer has copied their idea and cashing in on it. Let’s change this now. The most common misconception among young

By Racquel Coral, Chicago Defender After recognizing the high unemployment gap amongst millennials in Kenya, educator, HBCU, and Harvard University graduate, Chandell Stone, founded Stone Solutions. In its second year, Stone Solutions has successfully leveraged talent across Africa to provide the United States and Europe with virtual assistance and consulting services. Racquel Coral (RC): What was the motivation behind Stone Solutions, and how did you get started? Chandell Stone (CS): Stone Solutions was born out of this desire to support the African diaspora in a way that extends beyond just bringing in donations

Black entrepreneur Christelyn Karazin has launched a digital empire with her online courses developed specifically for the empowerment and advancement of black women. Her series of digital courses, The Pink Pill, has surpassed $1 million in sales revenue less than two years into the launch of her original flagship course. The Pink Pill, The Pink Pill For College and The Pink Pill For Business are comprehensive online courses developed by Christelyn Karazin and a team of advisory experts that leverage digital platforms, providing guidance on how to succeed, whether a woman is

NASHVILLE—Black-owned brands are suddenly in demand, and serial entrepreneur Jason Ridgel is in high spirits after sales of Guidance, a whiskey brand he owns, skyrocketed in recent months. Guidance is making a name for itself as one of the few black-owned premium craft small-batch whiskey brands available for purchase online and in stores in Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia and California. It’s part of a growing black-owned spirits movement. Since launching in 2018, Guidance Whiskey has made its product available for purchase online in 43 states. The company recently inked a

NNPA NEWSWIRE—Georgette “Gigi” Dixon has been named Wells Fargo’s new head of External Relations, which is part of the bank’s Government Relations and Public Policy team. Dixon, who currently serves as senior director of External Relations for National Constituents, has been responsible for leading engagement with major national nonprofits, advocacy organizations and other key stakeholders. She’s also a key adviser to executives for diversity and inclusion issues, according to a Wells Fargo press release. “The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) representing the Black Press of America, especially salutes Wells Fargo

Fifth Third announced an exciting new $1.2 million program called Innovation meets Main Street: Boosting Black Women-Owned Businesses, a partnership between AEO and LISC powered by Fifth Third Bank. The program is made possible by grants from the Fifth Third Foundation to Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the Association of Enterprise Opportunity’s (AEO) MainStreet RISE program. The funds are part of the $8.75 million Fifth Third pledged to support small businesses and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifth Third’s Senior Vice President and Chief Enterprise Responsibility Officer Byna Elliott said,

Detroit-native and former Motown Records Business and Legal Affairs Executive Darrell Thompson is shaking up the music tech industry as co-founder & COO of the music data company, Deepr®. It is a Black-owned tech start-up that has developed a music discovery app for consumers and a data insights platform for creators, the music industry, and the film and television industry. Like Shazam, the Deepr® app utilizes audio recognition and manual search inputs to provide everything you could know about who was involved in making the songs you enjoy.

Did you know you can see your work history online all the way back to your first job?  Your earnings history is a record of your progress toward your Social Security benefits. Social Security keeps track of your earnings so they can pay you the benefits you’ve earned over your lifetime.  This is why reviewing your Social Security earnings record is so important. If an employer didn’t properly report just one year of your earnings to us, your future benefit payments could be less than they should be.

The pandemic has forced Americans to take a critical look in the mirror, many of whom were not satisfied with what they saw. From that arose a stronger sense of commitment to creating lasting change beginning in local communities. The Michigan Chronicle’s latest virtual Pancakes & Politics focuses on improving access to better living for all. The forum will spotlight change agents such as Capital Impact Partners CEO Ellis Carr, Develop Detroit CEO Sonya Mays, and Avanath Capital Founder/CEO Daryl Carter. Building from the previous forum centered on