Father-Son Duo Start First Black-Owned Athletic Supply Company In History
Courtesy of Black Information Network A father-son duo has made history after launching the first-ever Black-owned athletic supply company, Black Enterprise reports. Oronde Booker and his 14-year-old son Kendall are the founders of Book Dawg Sports, an Atlanta-based sporting goods company. After years of supporting Kendall at sports practices and games, Oronde noticed that all of the equipment used by teams was developed by four major companies, none of which were Black-owned. The father was inspired to create a company with his son that could join the ranks of other major suppliers of athletic products. “When thinking about sports, it’s likely
IN MEMORIAM: Groundbreaking CNN Anchor Bernard Shaw Dies at 82
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Groundbreaking and original CNN anchor Bernard Shaw has died of pneumonia, his family confirmed on Thursday, Sept. 8. Shaw, 82, died a day earlier, the statement said. As CNN’s first chief anchor when the network launched in 1980, Shaw immediately showed why he was the man for the job. When John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady also took a bullet to the head from the would-be assassin. Clamoring to break the news, anchors across the nation and
Black-Owned Asset Management Firm to Make History With Acquisition of Contact Lens Manufacturer
Black Pearl Global Investments – a Black-owned asset management firm focused on reducing health disparities across the globe – has entered into an agreement to acquire Florida-based contact lens manufacturer Hydrogel Vision Corp. (HVC). As a result of the acquisition, HVC will be known as Black Pearl Vision, becoming the only Black-owned and woman-owned contact lens manufacturer in the world. The deal is expected to close by mid-September. “It’s exciting to celebrate this milestone as we close out National Black Business Month,” said Dr. Shante Williams, CEO of Black Pearl
NBA Icon Isiah Thomas Has Quickly Become an Entrepreneurial Legend
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Isiah Thomas played basketball with the tenacity not often seen in today’s game. Whenever a team outscored his Detroit Pistons, it only meant a negative mark in the loss column, but never total defeat for Thomas. An NCAA champion at Indiana, and a two-time NBA champ with the Pistons, much like basketball, Thomas has followed up his on-court success with an almost peerless triumph in the business world. He told the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s live morning show, “Let It Be Known,”
Black Married Couple Empowering Today’s Black Tech Leaders
Candice Matthews Brackeen and Brian Brackeen are General Partners at Lightship Capital, a firm investing in innovators, E-commerce, Artificial Intelligence, Healthtech, and more. They are the leaders behind Black Tech Week which aims to bring together some of the greatest innovators in technological industries. “As Black people we’ve been inventing things for a long time, we been entrepreneurs for a long time,” said Mrs. Matthews Brackeen. “We just want to make sure they all convene in the same space; they build community, they build network, and they do
President Joe Biden Honors Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and Others with Lifetime Achievement Award
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. has received the President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service and Civil Rights. Dr. Chavis received the award during a ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta. “On behalf of the NNPA and the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, as well as on behalf of all my fellow Civil Rights Movement comrades who were present at the President Joe Biden 2022 Lifetime Achievement Awards on the
All-Black Female Crew Observes 100th Anniversary of Bessie Coleman’s First Flight
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia American Airlines celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license – Bessie Coleman accomplished that feat in 1922. With an all-Black female crew, the airlines hosted the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars tour, recognizing how Coleman bravely broke down barriers within the world of aviation and paved the path for many to follow. To help honor Coleman’s legacy, American Airlines hosted Gigi Coleman, Bessie’s great-niece, on a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Phoenix. An all-Black female crew
National Business League (NBL) to Launch Black Economic Freedom Movement to Help Digitize 1 Million Black Businesses by 2028
A campaign that aims to enhance the digital capacity of 1 million Black-owned businesses and grow their revenue by engaging customers through technology is being introduced in Tuskegee at the 122nd anniversary of the National Business League (NBL). A historic announcement will be made Aug. 22 and 23 concerning a project the NBL is spearheading in partnership with sponsor American Express. The goal is to transition 1 million Black-owned businesses into the digital economy by 2028. The five-year campaign, the Black Economic Freedom Movement, will kick off in January 2023 to relaunch the NBL with local
Young Black Americans Dominate the Cryptocurrency Market
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent When considering the current state of the cryptocurrency market, Dr. Tonya Evans couldn’t help but recall the reception banks gave the then-fledgling assets in 2014. “When I think back to 2013 or 2014, the second kind of big crypto was coming on the scene, and banks were really pushing back at the time on discussions surrounding regulating cryptocurrency,” said Evans, a law professor and founder and CEO of Advantage Evans. “Big banks feared [cryptocurrency] would become more legitimate. Back then, banks
Solange Knowles Makes History As First Black Female Composer For NYC Ballet
Multi-hyphenate entertainer Solange Knowles has landed a historic role as a ballet composer. On Monday (August 15), the New York City Ballet announced that Knowles has been tapped to compose the music for its Fall Fashion Gala. It is the first time a Black woman will ever compose a score for a production in the Ballet, NBC News reports. Knowles, 36, shared the groundbreaking news Tuesday (August 6) on Twitter. “Very excited to announce I’ve composed an original score for the New York City Ballet,” Knowles tweeted. Though the title of the production Knowles is composing for remains unknown, it