Stefun Darts ate microwave pizza for months on end just to be able to give his grandparents the surprise of their lives. The full time college student and founder of the non-profit Caring Heart Youth presented his grandmother and grandfather with a check on March 20th for $15,000 to pay off their mortgage.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Marilyn Roberts, Stefun’s grandmother said. “To have a grandson like that is truly a blessing.”
For more than 20 years, the Roberts have being paying their mortgage on time every month and were well on their way to paying off their house. However, it would’ve taken another four years to do so, which is when Darts stepped in.
Ann-Marie Campbell of Home Depot (photo via clutchmagonline.com)
article via clutchmagonline.com
She started out as a cashier in 1985 but now Ann-Marie Campbell is at the top of the ladder at Home Depot. On Feb. 1, Campbell became the executive vice president of all of the company’s stores in the United States.
Campbell, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, graduated from Georgia State University and has a degree in philosophy and an MBA. As executive VP, Campbell will serve as president of the southern division, and is in charge of 2,000 stores and most of the company’s nearly 400,000 employees.
Campbell has received accolades from Black Enterprise and was named one of the 75 Most Powerful Women in Business by Black Enterprise, in 2010. She was also named one of Atlanta’s 100 Top Black Women of Influence by the Atlanta Business League in 2012 and in 2014 she was ranked #38 on Fortune‘s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.
Congrats to Campbell!
Lesa Lakin
Today we’ve got gifts we think any teen would appreciate. Yes, that age group can be a little tricky to buy for, but we think we’ve picked some good GOODS. Yes, I will certainly be doing the “gift card” thing… but I like to throw the teenagers off a bit and actually wrap a gift that scores and surprises them.
We’ve compiled a short list of goods they just might like. I’ve certainly got a little perma-teen in me, and I’d love just about any of these…
SKULLCANDY – CRUSHER – $99.99 (some colors on sale 79.99)
We LOVE the way these headphones look and sound. They come in nine stylish color combos. Crusher brings the sound and feeling that you get from sitting front row at a concert. The headphones’ design features a slider to control the bass and customize your music. Dual ear cup articulation and premium materials deliver long-lasting comfort. http://www.skullcandy.com/headphones/CRUSHER.html?cgid=1000&color=Bunny %20Teal#6lZUfLFXFpvBWuzJ.97
NAUGHTY or NICE DECORATIVE PILLOW, 10″ x 14″ – 100% Bloomingdale’s Exclusive – $70.00 (each)
Pharrell Williams (Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images)
Pharrell Williams is trying his hand at real estate.
The Grammy Award winner is partnering with a Detroit housing developer, Alexander Gorlin, who is “noted for his inventive use of space, light and natural materials,” on a potential plan for “prefab housing in Detroit.”
The project is still a work in progress, and Williams and Gorlin have not yet secured the land or permission to move forward. However, it looks like the plan is to create housing out of empty city-owned land using the prefab housing model, meaning parts of the homes will be built in factories and then moved out to the locations.
“I’ve seen some plans that fill up a lot of empty space, with different types of housing, including single unit housing that look like the stuff in Lafayette Park,” said Paul Emery, chairman of the North Corktown Neighborhood Association.
John Roach, a spokesman for Mayor Mike Duggan’s office, said that there is not yet a deal in place for any of the city-owned land or for any development yet.
“The city talks to developers all the time,” Roach said Friday. “As a rule we do not comment on potential development projects unless there is an agreement in place.” article via thegrio.com
Houston is a destination hotspot, to say the least. From the burgeoning culinary scene, to the thriving nightlife, to the city’s main attractions, it’s increasingly becoming one of the top cities to visit in the United States. So much so, that Houston is already setting the stage to host more than 200,000 fans for the 51st edition of the Super Bowl in early 2017 at NRG Stadium, which is also the home of the NFL’s Texans.
The most important decision when planning your visit to Houston (or any city, in fact) is deciding where to lay your head every night. And while hotels are typically the first thought when making accommodations, bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) have been growing in popularity for a number of reasons — namely, cost, comfort, and the family-style environment. These mini-residences combine the chic style of hotels with private rooms and a home-cooked meal.
For those unfamiliar, there are more than 30,000 bed and breakfast establishments in the country, but sadly only about 1% are black-owned. Don’t get it twisted, however — just because the numbers are lacking doesn’t mean that these options aren’t some of the most luxurious, five-star accommodations that you will come across.
Lodging in one of the few, but hailed, African American–owned bed and breakfasts would ensure coverage of all your vacation needs — especially if you’re staying at La Maison in Midtown. Dispelling the notion that “sisters” can’t support and grow with each other, Houston attorney Genora Boykins and her business partner Sharon Owens are the epitome of brilliant, boss women. And they are also the founders of La Maison in Midtown. La Maison In Midtown founders Genora Boykins and Sharon Owens (photo via theempowermag.com)
Inspired by the architecture of New Orleans, the three-story B&B features seven unique and well-appointed guest rooms (all accessible via elevator) that offer amenities like whirlpool tubs, walk-in showers, flat-screen TVs, bathrobes, Wi-Fi, and great views of the downtown skyline. As soon as you walk through the doors, you will understand the “wow” factor of staying at La Maison.
As you continue on your tour, if you head to the second level, there’s also a 310-square-foot conference room available for private business meetings. Downstairs, a parlor, living room, and dining room area lends to the property’s cozy, at-home vibe and plays host to a daily, Southern-style breakfast.
Building your own B&B is no easy feat. Though the property was built in 1999, it was not opened until 2010. Genora Boykins shared, “For the most part, it was about trying to wait until the area was very well developed, and also just figuring out the bed and breakfast industry, since neither of us had that previous experience. We knew exactly what we wanted to do, however.”
“We were very intentional when we created the B&B [La Maison] and the concept that we were trying to achieve. We wanted it to be a place where people would feel very comfortable and cozy, but also wanted the rooms to have a hotel feel, because that’s what people typically don’t like about B&Bs. We wanted to have the same amenities that you would find at a hotel, so that you are able to find the best of both worlds.”
Captain Chipo M. Matimba and Captain Elizabeth Simbi Petros (photo via Facebook) Air Zimbabwe made aviation history with its first all-women flight crew on Saturday. Captain Chipo M. Matimba and Captain Elizabeth Simbi Petros safely flew Flight 737 from Harare To Victoria Falls.
This moment comes right after a Niger woman, Lieutenant Ouma Laouali, became the first female pilot to serve in the country’s Armed Forces.
After the flight, Captain Simbi Petros, wrote on her Facebook page, “Air Zim First:- All Women 737 Flight Deck Crew!!!! Flt to Vic Falls This Morning. Was A pleasure Skipper Chipo Matimba!!!!!!”
The excited captains posted pictures on Facebook of the awesome moment: article by Keyaira Kelly via hellobeautiful.com
Patrice Banks of Girls Auto Clinic (Image: Banks)
With access to capital hard to come by for small black business owners, Patrice Banks is the proud recipient of a $50,000 prize from Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic (K4-MA). The cornerstone of the Keiretsu Forum angel investment network recently announced the winners of its third annual Angel Capital Expo. Girls Auto Clinic is a female-empowerment business, owned and operated by Banks, who is an engineer and technician. The big winner of the coveted $100,000 investment from K4-MA was Tassl, a college-centric social network application for smartphones.
Of the $50,000 investment, $25,000 is an investment from the founders of K4-MA, with $25,000 of which being services in kind from Keiretsu Forum sponsors Drucker & Scaccetti and BakerHostetler. Keiretsu Forum is a global angel investor network with more than 1500 accredited investor members throughout 39 chapters on three continents (accredited investors are individuals who earn at least $200,000 annually and have $1 million net worth). Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic consists of four chapters that function as a single entity – Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. Metro, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Girls Auto Clinic is an organization dedicated to changing the perception of women in the automotive industry through both education and niche marketing. Roughly less than 2% of mechanics and auto technicians are women. Through Banks’ entrepreneurial efforts, Girls Auto Clinic has been able to support the role of women in the automotive environment through trust, education and, ultimately, inclusion by changing the way men look at their female counterparts; both for the better and for all time.
Banks was tired of being a victim of sexist discrimination with auto repairs. She took that frustration and turned it into a business venture. After seeing the glaring neglect of women working in the automotive industry, she made it her personal mission to empower and educate other women car owners with her knowledge. In 2012, she decided to enroll herself in classes to become a certified mechanic. She did so while still juggling her full-time job as an engineer for a year and a half.
For more information about the Girls Auto Clinic, click here. article by Carolyn M. Brown viablackenterprise.com
The Negro Travelers’ Green Book (photo via Schomburg Center Archive)
Before the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 — and decades before the Internet and smart phones existed — black travelers relied on the “Green Book” to find hotels, restaurants and other establishments willing to accept their business.
The travel guide was published between 1936 and 1966 to help black motorists avoid racial harassment, arrest and violence as they traveled through the U.S. during the Jim Crow era.
All but two of those editions — the inaugural edition in 1936 and the one from 1952 — have been digitized and posted online by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, reported DNA Info.
“Carry The Green Book with you. You may need it,” reads the cover of the 1949 edition, followed by a quote from Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice.” Victor Green, a U.S. Postal Service worker, started publishing the books from his New York City apartment after his wife decided they should scout all the black-friendly businesses on the way to visit her family in Virginia.
“The idea crystallized when, not only himself but several friends and acquaintances complained of the difficulties encountered; oftentimes painful embarrassments suffered which ruined a vacation or business trip,” wrote Novera C. Dashiell in the spring 1956 edition.
Green and other mail carriers shared their experiences in racially segregated America, and they helped black travelers avoid “sundown towns,” where they weren’t welcome after dark, and other racist areas or businesses.
“It’s not just which places are clean and which places serve good food — it’s places that you would be welcomed and you would be safe,” said Maira Liriano, associate chief librarian at the Schomburg Center.
The books were immediately popular, and they serve as a fascinating document of mid-century cultural history.
Women from Sistahs on the Reading Edge Book Club who were escorted off Napa Valley Wine Train (Photo via media.nbcbayarea.com)
Remember that group of women whose story went viral a few days ago because they were kicked off of a Napa Valley Train wine tour for laughing? They’re now getting the apology they deserve from the train’s CEO, Anthony “Tony” Giaccio.
The full statement Giaccio wrote to the members of the Sistahs on the Reading Edge Book Club reads as follows:
The Napa Valley Wine Train was 100 percent wrong in its handling of this issue. We accept full responsibility for our failures and for the chain of events that led to this regrettable treatment of our guests. Clearly, we knew in advance when we booked your party that you would be loud, fun-loving and boisterous—because you told us during the booking process that you wanted a place where your Club could enjoy each other’s company. Somehow that vital information never made it to the appropriate channels and we failed to seat your group where you could enjoy yourself properly and alert our train’s staff that they should expect a particularly vibrant group. We were insensitive when we asked you to depart our train by marching you down the aisle past all the other passengers. While that was the safest route for disembarking, it showed a lack of sensitivity on our part that I did not fully conceive of until you explained the humiliation of the experience and how it impacted you and your fellow Book Club members. We also erred by placing an inaccurate post on our Facebook site that was not reflective of what actually occurred. In the haste to respond to criticism and news inquires, we made a bad situation worse by rushing to answer questions on social media. We quickly removed the inaccurate post, but the harm was done by our erroneous post. In summary, we were acutely insensitive to you and the members of the Book Club. Please accept my apologies for our many mistakes and failures. We pride ourselves on our hospitality and our desire to please our guests on the Napa Valley Wine Train. In this instance, we failed in every measure of the meaning of good service, respect and hospitality. I appreciate your recommendation that our staff, which I believe to be among the best, could use additional cultural diversity and sensitivity training. I pledge to make sure that occurs and I plan to participate myself. As I offered in my conversation with you today, please accept my personal apologies for your experience and the experience of the Book Club members. I would like to invite you and other members to return plus 39 other guests (you can fill an entire car of 50) as my personal guests in a reserved car where you can enjoy yourselves as loudly as you desire. I want to conclude again by offering my apologies for your terrible experience.
The story caught attention online when Lisa Johnson, a book club member that was one of the women escorted off of the train on Saturday, shared videos and social media posts documenting the incident. Johnson and her friends in the club were highly embarrassed by the incident. Not only were they escorted off by being forced to walk through six train cars, but they were also greeted by police once they got onto the platform.
Despite this apology, Lisa Johnson told MSNBC‘s Thomas Roberts that she will not patronize the Napa Valley Wine Train again.
“No, we don’t accept the apology… In the course of my conversation with Anthony, he was apologizing. And during the course of that apology he said to me, ‘You know it’s really troubling for us that we’re being painted in the media to be something that we are not. And I had to take that in a moment because I said, ‘That’s exactly what you did to us.’ was paint a picture of us in the media of something that we are not…I will never forget my first and last experience on the Napa Wine Train.”
You can watch Johnson’s full interview in the video by clicking here. original article by Monique John via hellobeautiful.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Jay Ellis and Visual Artist Shanell Martin with “Be Epic, Cure AIDS,” Limited Edition AmfAR towel
My first memory of being directly affected by the death of someone who lost their life to AIDS was when tennis legend Arthur Ashe died. My father broke the news to me. It was one of those unshakeable things — nearly impossible to process and even harder to understand. In a lot of ways it hit my Dad pretty hard. My parents had gone to college at UCLA with Arthur and growing up in our household, they made sure we knew he was way more than an incredible tennis player… he was an activist that paved the way for so many. He was “a great kind guy,” their classmate and hero.
Arthur had certainly had his health challenges… but athletic superheroes weren’t supposed to succumb to an incurable disease at 49. It was unfathomable. The news of his death hit over twenty-two years ago… and sadly we still do not have a cure for a disease that affects the black community (Africans & African- Americans) the most. Statistically, we make up more than forty percent of all new cases… and Jay Ellis (“The Game”) and famed British visual artist, Shantell Martin, know its time to do something about that. Their collaboration with amfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research) and its “Countdown to A Cure for AIDS” initiative is something I can really get behind.
Out of this amfAR collaboration comes a limited edition beach towel. Designed exclusively for amfAR to help raise awareness and find a cure for HIV/AIDS, the towel’s design features Martin’s black & white illustrations and the inscription, “Be Epic, Cure AIDS,” a nod to amfAR’s “Countdown to a Cure for AIDS” initiative, aimed at developing the scientific basis of a cure by 2020.
This summer, I can’t think of a better accessory. This towel is exclusively sold at Scoop NYC locations and on amfAR’s website: http://shop.amfar.org/shantell-martin-amfar-towel.html for $40 with 100% of the proceeds supporting research to find a cure for HIV/AIDS. Let’s all do what we can.
Did you know:
Nearly 37 million people are now living with HIV. 2.6 million are under the age of 15.
In 2014, an estimated 2 million people were newly infected with HIV.
220,000 were under the age of 15.
Every day about 5,600 people contract HIV—more than 230 every hour.
In 2014, 1.2 million people died from AIDS.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 78 million people have contracted HIV and close to 39 million have died of AIDS- related causes.
As of March 2015, around 15 million people living with HIV (41% of the total) had access to antiretroviral therapy.
