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,”