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This Black Owned Coloring Book Series Was Created To Inspire and Relieve Stress

9 mins read
black owned coloring book

Today is National Coloring Book day! This is the perfect day to support a Black owned coloring book business that celebrates Black women and girls!

Entrepreneurs Color Too creates adult coloring books to help creatives and entrepreneurs practice self care. Each book is filled with 24 inspiring illustrations that celebrate the beauty of black women and they are the perfect way to de-stress, relax, and get motivated.

We caught up with founder, Latoya Nicole to find out more about her and her business.

black owned coloring book
Latoya Nicole

What inspired you to start your business?

I was at work a while back and it was a really busy season and we were all frustrated and overwhelmed with the workload. Some of the managers wanted to try and make things better so they were doing “stress relieving” things like providing free coffee, massages and they also brought each of us coloring books to help “take the load off.”

black owned coloring book

To be honest, when I first saw the coloring book I was thinking “What am I gonna do with this?” because I hadn’t used a coloring book since I was a child. But one day I had become frustrated to the max and jokingly said to the guy beside me, “Pass me one of those colored pencils!” Once I started coloring, I noticed that I started feeling calmer!

But, I thought nothing else of it until years later and I was browsing the internet trying to figure out great ideas to put in place so that I could create passive income. I was browsing the internet and asking God what my next move should be when I heard “24 Shades of Business.”

When I hear certain things, especially after I ask, I don’t take them lightly because I’m a believer that I have always been given “witty inventions.” I quickly jotted down the title that I had heard and put it in my journal.

Later, I started putting pieces together and remembered how the coloring book from my job had really helped. I also remembered that the coloring book only had trees, mandalas, and birds for me to color but nothing that I could relate to. I started doing more research and found lots of coloring books but very few that looked like me on the cover.

So, I knew that I had to fill the diversity void and create books celebrating Black women. Now, my company Entrepreneurs Color Too has grown into a series of 5 coloring books aimed to help women relieve stress, practice self care, and release their creativity.

How do you decide what images to use in your coloring books?

I like to create a story with my coloring books. Each book tells a different story. For example, my HBCU coloring book tells the story of an HBCU experience including memories from the culture on the yard to the experiences in the classroom.

black owned coloring book

So, when I‘m creating a new book I start by brainstorming ideas to include everything I already know about the specific topic or niche. Then, I plan out all of the images and types of settings I will want to include.

Next, I take time to research and gather inspiration from little things including people that I see every day along with any trends that I may see that I want to incorporate into my vision.

After I finish jotting down sketches and/or creating all the types of images that I want to add in a particular book, I send my illustrator the list using stick figures, ink pen & pencil drawings as well as pictures that inspired me so that she can make the images come alive and look professional.

What differentiates your products from other coloring books out there?

My coloring books, largely for adults, are focused on black women, black concerns, and my creative vision as a black author who wanted to self-publish images that celebrate, uplift and inspire women and young girls like me, because representation matters.

I will never get tired of hearing words like “I’m 40 years old and this is the first time I have ever seen a coloring book with women that have my features and hairstyles”. It’s good to know that people feel included.

And, it’s so important not only for women but for children to understand the importance of diversity. That’s why I was intentional with the release of my most recent mommy and me coloring book because I wanted to be sure that young girls could also see positive reflections of themselves too.

Where do you see the business in 5 years?

My vision is to continue to expand. I have a lot more books to publish and plan to add other unique and creative things to the brand as well, including a line of journals.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Even during this time, I’ve heard so many success stories, particularly from authors, about how their sales are growing because so many people are looking to support Black Owned Businesses now more than ever. The key is that they were not afraid to start and also not afraid to take calculated risks.

Remember that you are going to need a plan and some traffic in order to sell anything. To start, you should focus on creating something that solves a problem. Then, focus on ways that you will bring traffic to your website to sell that product. This could be from creating an email list to marketing with ads. Ultimately, you need more people to learn about what you do and to become a customer.

Look at what’s working for others. If you follow someone on social media that you like or admire, look at what they’re doing. Of course, do not copy their success, but follow the clues of their success. Whatever they’re doing is working for them and could also work for you.

After you have done your own research, which is extremely important, don’t be afraid to reach out to others who have been successful and done what you want to do. It’s ok to “slide in those DM’s” or email people for advice or even set up a consultation with them. I even offer consultation services and courses at iamlatoyanicole.com teaching others how to start and market their online businesses.

 

-Tony O. Lawson

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Meet the man in charge of over $100M recently donated to Black-Owned Businesses and HBCU’s.

1 min read
lisc

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a non-profit financial institution that provides capital to projects in low-income, disadvantaged, and underserved communities at affordable rates.

LISC supports community development initiatives in 35 cities and across 2,100 rural counties in 44 states. In 2018, they reported grants, loans, and investments totaling US$1.5 billion, leveraging $4.4 billion in total development and supporting over 700 partners across America.

They recently received $60 million from Lowe’s, $40 million from MacKenzie Scott (ex-wife of Jezz Bezos), and $25 million from Netflix.

We caught up with their CEO, Maurice Jones, to discuss what his organization does and what they plan to do with these funds.

 

 

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Tony O. Lawson

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Who wants to be a Millionaire? 5 Questions about Black Wealth Accumulation

10 mins read
Ayesha Selden

Ayesha Selden, also known as EldRich Cleaver, Millie Holiday, Fidel Cashflow, Cicely Titles, and Dr. Julius Earning is a real state investor, coach, mentor, and author of the book “Mud 2 Millions.”

She has garnered a large online following no doubt due to amongst other things, her no holds barred, tough medicine style of preaching her message of “owning sh*t”.

We caught up with her to find out her thoughts on the ways that wealth can be created within the Black community.

What does wealth mean to you?

Wealth is the freedom of not having to trade time for money. Wealth is having the cash flow from performing assets support a life you deem comfortable. Wealth is being able to drop everything on a Tuesday and go spend time with your mom on her birthday.

Has becoming wealthy always been a goal of yours?

I grew up in a poor neighborhood in South Philly during the crack era where the wealthiest people we saw were drug dealers. Not only did I aspire to have wealth, I always knew I’d get there (legally or otherwise lol).

As a kid, I wanted a briefcase more than I wanted dolls. I was entirely fascinated by tall buildings, offices, and movies like Wall Street. My mom used to drive us to Gladwyn, an affluent suburb of Philly, to show us how the wealthy lived.

In stark contrast to the row homes and blight I saw in our neighborhood, our drives to Gladwyn showed me castle looking houses with pool houses larger than the modest home we lived in.

It was important for my mom to show us that there was more out there than just our neighborhood. I am so grateful for those car rides because it let me imagine what was possible.

Ayesha Selden

You are very vocal on social media about all things ownership and wealth building. Why are you so passionate about this topic?

I believe that we are the only solution for our community. Help is not on the way. It is the responsibility of “self-made” black people who came out of poverty to then reach back and teach others how to do the same.

Group economics is our way out but, chile, Black flight is just as real as white flight. We “make it”, head for the hills and never look back at those we have left behind. We then fixate on changing the political landscape, as our solution, and forget how powerful we are as a people.

And it’s easier to look at “voting” as a solution because it doesn’t require us to go back to “the hood”. We get to wear “I Voted” buttons and feel good about ourselves. Every election cycle reminds me of The Great White Hope meets Ground Hog’s Day.

Same promises (from normally some old white guy) and not a damn thing changes. We rely on a government system that has shown us for centuries that it shouldn’t be trusted.

Millions of Black people lived in poverty before we had a Black president and millions of Black people continue to live in poverty after we had a Black president. The government is not the solution for poor people and it amazes me that we think this same system we don’t trust will radically implement public policy to redistribute the wealth.

If we want to see real change in our communities, building an economy that allows the Black dollar to circulate and flip in our community the same way it circulates in the Jewish or Asian communities is where we start.

We then lobby with our capital to get done what we need. We buy a voice in Washington which is the only thing this country understands. Until then, a large percentage of black people will stay in poverty, we will continue to be shot by the police and we will keep marching and singing.

What do you feel is the first step on the path to wealth accumulation?

Let me start by saying that Black people are not at fault for the current state of our wealth as a people. Hell, the fact that we have survived generations of trauma is a testament to our resilience. Our income, wealth, and asset ownership are fractions of white wealth.

Systemic racism and the effects of redlining, mass incarceration of black men, racist hiring policies, etc all have a huge impact on black wealth today. I read a study done by Pew Trust that says even in the year of our Lord 2020, in most states, Black and Hispanic communities are taxed at higher rates than comparable predominantly white communities.

We now know that our communities are paying higher property taxes but also continue to see that our resources (schools, roads, sanitation departments, etc) are inferior to predominantly white communities. We are also overpoliced with our own tax money.

I can point out a million ways the playing field isn’t leveled and has never been. But where do we go from here?

I choose to normalize Black wealth because I don’t believe there is a politician or political party that will change this. The path of wealth accumulation is exactly why I wrote my book Mud 2 Millions. It was my journey to a million by 30.

Ayesha Selden

It sounds cliche but our mindset and our relationship with money are the genesis of wealth creation. We need a collective focus on changing the narrative in our communities. We need middle class and wealthy Blacks to come back and show those left behind how to build businesses and assets.

We also need some self-reflection about our individual relationships with money. Most of us weren’t left a penny of generational wealth. Most of us weren’t taught a thing about how to manage money. Most of what we were taught about money was a lie.

We need to completely deconstruct most of what we know about capital and how we feel about money and reframe with a mindset of building.

Once I change my mindset, where should I start on my wealth journey?

Your net worth builder is in that sweet spot between your income and expenses. We call the amount of money left over after all of your expenses are paid, “discretionary income”.

If you find yourself living paycheck to paycheck, there are generally two ways to tackle this:

Drastically cut expenses or generate additional income through a side hustle after your 9-5 and/or weekends. I prefer a combination of boffum–curbing expenses and a side hustle because I’m trying to get the bag expeditiously.

 It’s important to look at where we are spending our money. Is it on things we need or are we overcompensating for being teased as kids for having trash sneakers?

In my book, I talk about a dozen or so side hustles to generate additional income (vending machines, real estate wholesaling, arbitrage online sales, trucking business, etc.).

If you can earn an extra $500 to $1,000/month in income, that could be all the difference in building wealth and leaving a legacy for generations.

Again, while where we are is not our fault, it is our responsibility to change the narrative for ourselves and future generations.

Why? Because no one else will. Peace.

Ayesha Selden
Ayesha Selden

Read the remaining wealth steps in Ayesha’s book, Mud 2 Millions.

Tony O. Lawson

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This Black Scientist Wants To Increase Diversity in The Biotech Industry

9 mins read
Black Scientist

Since its beginnings in the 1970s, the biotech industry has grown massively and made huge advances. Unfortunately, Black people account for just three percent of this industry.

That’s why we were excited to discover LucasPye BIO, a Black owned biotechnology/biopharmaceutical large-scale manufacturing company. LucasPye BIO is one of only seven biotech companies in the U.S. with capabilities to develop and manufacture Gene/Viral-Based Drug Products.

We spoke to LucasPye BIO Founder & CEO, Tia Lyles-Williams to find out more about her company and what she has in store.

black scientist
Tia Lyles-Williams

What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve been working in the biotech/biopharma industry for 20 years. During that time I noticed three things:

1) There weren’t/aren’t many Black people in Management, Sr. Management or Executive Management Roles.

2) The financial impact of a biotech/biopharma in a community was limitless in regards to opportunities for:

  1. Generate wealth & savings for families
  2. Financially support a large percentage of the local taxes, which resulted in better schools, policing, access to better food sources
  3. Development of a strong and stable middle class community

3) Black people were not being included in human clinical trials for investigational treatment on diseases/viruses that severely impacted our communities the most. Therefore, I wanted to make changes.

More importantly, I wanted to make the biotech/biopharma industry more inclusive, diverse, and accessible to POCs from various skill and education levels.

I believe the biotech/biopharma industry will be similar to the former years of the U.S. Steel Industry; however, it will last a lot longer due to the continuous need for new and improved medical devices and biologic drug products.

Black Scientist

How, if at all, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business plans or strategy?

The COVID-19 Pandemic, unfortunately, has had a positive impact on our business plans. It’s actually helped us to demonstrate a market need for our CDMO Services and prove our business model for:

  • Outsourcing bio-development Services via strategic partnerships to accelerate our customers’ drug products into human clinical trials & the global commercial market
  • Digitizing our business operations with cloud software, e-documentation & proprietary mobile/web applications.
  • Partnering with a commercial co-working / wet lab facility for life science start-ups & virtual biotech companies.

In fact, LucasPye BIO will be the exclusive contract development and manufacturing partner for HelaPlex – Commercial Co-Working for Life Science Start-Ups & Virtual Biotech Companies.

What trends do you foresee in the biotech industry in the near future? 

I foresee that more biotech companies will become virtual by outsourcing their manufacturing operations. This allows a significant reduction in manufacturing costs that can trickle-down to lowering the prescription drug prices for patients.

I foresee a major overhaul on the controlled documentation systems & quality management systems. The biotech industry is one of the “last” industries that insist on using paper documentation.

This is one of the primary areas that causes the extended timelines & high-costs for commercializing a drug product. I predict that the FDA is going to mandate that biotech companies digitize their controlled documentation systems & quality management systems – one that’s inclusive for global corporate collaboration within & outside their respective companies.

I also foresee that the large-scale bioprocessing equipment utilized in our manufacturing operations will become more automated and intuitive with less interface for human interaction.

How is your company uniquely positioned to capitalize on the direction the industry is moving towards? 

LucasPye BIO will be 1 of 7 companies in the U.S. with a Biosafety Level – 2 (BSL-2) and the capabilities to manufacture Gene/Viral Vector-Based Drug Products. The future of drug products to treat diseases and viruses will be Gene Vector-Based & Viral Vector-Based Drugs. We will also be strategically located in underserved communities to help rebuild their local economies.

To be specific, our headquarters will be located in/near Philadelphia, PA.

This allows us to have a more sustainable workforce, and reduce turnover by paying above market rate, financing their education goals, and lower our operations costs by requiring our Mid-Management to Executive Management roles to work from home. We are, and were, already preparing for 40% of our workforce to work from home via our Cloud Software Quality Management System (QMS), E-Documentation Platform and Proprietary Mobile/Web Apps.

The BioProcess Tracker software application allows customers to digitally monitor the manufacturing process for their drug product, receive invoicing real-time for raw materials / consumable equipment utilized in the manufacturing process, and quickly respond to items that require their review/signature in our QMS.

The BioSupply Tracker application allows our supply chain vendors to receive Real-Time Purchases Orders (POs) with payment to restock raw materials / consumable equipment in our warehouse and complete the manufacturing process on behalf of our customers on-time. It also allows more control over the quality that we require from our vendors’ products to ensure we collectively maintain business operations per FDA requirements.

Where do you see the business in 5 years? 

There is a growing trend for DNA Plasmid Drugs (aka DNA Vectors). These drugs will be the “go-to” drugs to correct genetic codes that are “paired incorrectly” or “missing a code” to treat people & animals with immune deficiencies, neurological impairments, and/or treat people with diseases/viruses that were/are considered non-treatable.

In other words, DNA Plasmid Drugs will be the new platform for vaccinations. They are manufactured utilizing bacterial cells, i.e. E.Coli. The U.S. has less than five(5) facilities with the capabilities to manufacture DNA plasmid drugs. The majority of manufacturers with these capabilities are outside the U.S., and LucasPye BIO plans to bring back these operations to the U.S. within the next 5-6 Years.

Our expansion plans are to build an additional 6-7 facilities, including strategically placing some of our new facilities in developing countries and/or underserved communities outside the U.S., i.e. Africa. We aspire to strengthen their local economy and their healthcare system alongside their education infrastructure.

To summarize, our mission is to:

  1. Lower Costs for Biotherapeutic Drugs – including prescription costs for patients.
  2. Accelerate New Drugs into the Commercial Market – including lowering the barrier of entry for new drug discoverers.
  3. Provide High-Quality & High-Pay Jobs to Underserved Communities

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs? 

The road to entrepreneurship is long, lonely, and hard as hell. You have to be strong mentally & physically for the “hater” & “naysayer” aerosols that will be frequently sprayed at you and your entrepreneurial goals. Being an entrepreneur is not all about money.

It’s about the opportunity to make a social impact and prove to the local communities around the globe that there are some “do-gooders” that still care about their problems, interests, and aspirations.

My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to never give up on your divine purpose in life, never give into the naysayers & the haters and never compromise on your mission for your company & professional aspirations.

 

Tony O. Lawson

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This Black Owned 7-Eleven Sold Over 100 Cases of a Black Owned Wine Brand Three Days

3 mins read
Black owned 7- Eleven

Alyson Rae Lawson is the CEO of RaeLawson Enterprise LLC, franchisee/operator of two 7-Eleven convenience stores (with gas stations) located right across from each other in Arlington, TX.

One of her locations recently started stocking the “Black Girl Magic” collection from McBride Sisters, the largest Black owned wine company in the country.

The results have been phenomenal!

Black owned 7- Eleven
Alyson Rae Lawson

“It kind of blew out of the water,” Lawson told Fox 4 News. “I think my last order of the entire McBride collection was 80 cases.”

Robin McBride confirmed Lawson has become the highest volume selling retailer of their brand in the country.

“I don’t know that we’ve seen an account quite like this before,” Robin said. “But her for a 7-Eleven, they brought in 10 cases of Black Girl Magic and they sold out the first day. The next day, they brought in 30 cases and they sold out that day. Then 70 cases and it’s sold out immediately. She said I can’t even keep these in stock.”

“It started with the Black Girl Magic collection and that sold like crazy,” Lawson said. “Then once I bought out all of the warehouses in Texas, I said why don’t I get the rest of the McBride’s in stock until I get more Black Girl Magic.”

Across the miles, the two Black woman-owned companies feel something special helping one another.

“As soon as we’re able to move around, we are going to get on the first thing smoking to go hug her neck and congratulate her,” Robin said.

“It’s really about helping each other,” Lawson said.

Lawson is very social media savvy. That’s how she keeps her customers up-to-date on when they can expect each shipment the McBride Sisters Wine to arrive.

 

Lawson owns both of the 7-Eleven gas stations on the corner of Matlock and I-20. Currently, the McBride Sister’s wine is only stocked at the Shell Station.

RaeHive 7-Eleven
100 E I-20
Arlington, TX 76018
817-233-1635

 

Tony O. Lawson

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Robert E. Lee high school in Virginia to be renamed after late Rep. John Lewis

3 mins read
John Lewis

The Fairfax County School Board voted to rename Robert E. Lee High School after the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis at its business meeting on July 23. The new name will be effective for the 2020-21 school year.

“The Board heard from students, teachers and staff members, families, and the community about the old name,” said School Board Chair Ricardy Anderson.  “It was important for us to be mindful of these comments and to select a name that reflected the diversity and multiculturalism that currently exists at the school and in our community. Rep. Lewis was a champion of the Civil Rights movement, and our Board strongly believes this is an appropriate tribute to an individual who is a true American hero. We will also honor his life’s work by continuing to promote equity, justice, tolerance and service in the work that we do.”

Congressman John Lewis

“The name Robert E. Lee is forever connected to the Confederacy, and Confederate values are ones that do not align with our community,” said Lee District School Board member Tamara Derenak Kaufax, who proposed the name change along with at-large member Karen Keys-Gamarra.  “Our schools must be places where all students, staff, and members of the community feel safe and supported. I believe that John Lewis’ extraordinary life and advocacy for racial justice will serve as an inspiration to our students and community for generations to come.”

Congressman John Lewis

The Board voted to change the name of the school on June 23 and held a one-month period of public comment on possible new names. A virtual town hall meeting was held on July 15 and a public hearing was held on July 22.

Congressman John Lewis represented the state of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representative for 33 years. He was a civil rights leader and one of the original organizers of the 1963 March on Washington to draw attention to inequalities faced by African Americans.

Rep. John Lewis

He also led the Selma to Montgomery march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965. Known as Bloody Sunday, the civil rights demonstrators were marching to the state capital to demand voting rights for African Americans when they were met by armed police who attacked them.

John Lewis

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law later that year and is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history. Congressman Lewis was the recipient of many awards throughout his lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Congressman Lewis died on July 17, 2020.

 

Tony O. Lawson

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Black Owned Vegan Dessert Brand Invests $1.3 Million to Keep Up With Demand

2 mins read
black owned vegan dessert

Freaks of Nature is a Black owned Vegan dessert brand based in the UK. Peter Ahye launched Freaks of Nature in 2016 after identifying a gap in the market for inclusive, delicious tasting vegan and vegetarian snacks.

In January of 2020, the company launched a new chocolate mousse product and the demand far exceeded their expectations. Sales soared by 200% in three weeks and have been strong since then.

black owned vegan dessert
Peter Ahye

The company is now investing £1 million ($1.3 million) to expand its manufacturing capacity due to the growing demand for its vegan desserts. They also have plans to build a second production line and invest in larger, more eco-friendly equipment with the goal of increasing production capacity by 400 percent.

black owned vegan dessert

“This investment is very exciting and marks a significant turning point in our business,” Freaks of Nature founder Peter Ahye told Foodmanufacture UK. “In the first quarter of this year our production volumes were up by 100 percent, despite being held back by COVID-19, and strong indications show they are set to continue.”

black owned vegan dessert

“We had a fantastic year last year developing a number of great new puds, growing our production capacity and attracting some significant new retailers. We also won a number of leading industry accolades including The Grocers Best Start Up award. Following the really positive interest we have already received for our new mousse and the unstoppable rise in veganism we’re seeing here in the UK, I think this next year is going to be an even more exciting one for us!”

black owned vegan dessert

All of Freaks of Nature’s desserts are produced in its purpose-built facility which is British Retail Consortium (BRC) grade A accredited and is the largest factory of its kind in Europe.

 

-Tony O. Lawson

 

Related: Black Owned Snack Brands You Should Know

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Black Owned Credit Unions You Should Know

2 mins read
black owned credit unions

Black-owned credit unions have long been a cornerstone of financial stability and empowerment for the Black community.

Founded in response to systemic discrimination in traditional banking, these institutions have provided access to essential financial services, fostered financial literacy, and promoted economic growth within underserved communities.

Today, Black-owned credit unions continue to serve as a beacon of hope, offering a safe and welcoming space for Black individuals to achieve their financial goals.

Black Owned Credit Unions

FAMU Federal Credit Union (Tallahassee, FL)

black owned credit union

Unity of Eatonville Financial Credit Union (Eatonville, FL)

Credit Union of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Federal Credit Union  (Toccoa, GA) 

black owned credit unions

South Side Community Federal Credit Union  (Chicago, IL) 

Urban Beginnings Choice Federal Credit Union (Fort Wayne, IN)

Southern Teachers & Parents Federal Credit Union (Baton Rouge/Thibodaux, LA) 

 

MECU Credit Union (Baltimore, MD)

Hope Credit Union (Jackson, MS)

St. Louis Community Credit Union  (St. Louis, MO)

Greater Kinston Credit Union  (Kinston, NC)

Concord Federal Credit Union (Brooklyn, NY)

Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union  (Long Island City, NY)

Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union  (Queens, NY)

Faith Community United CU  (Cleveland, OH)

Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union  (Toledo, OH)

Hill District Federal CU  (Pittsburgh, PA)

Faith Cooperative Federal Credit Union  (Dallas, TX) 

Mt Olive Baptist Church FCU  (Arlington, TX)

Oak Cliff Christian Federal Credit Union  (Dallas, TX)

Howard University Employees Federal Credit Union  (Washington, DC)

Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union (Washington, DC)

 

Virginia State University FCU  (Petersburg, VA)

black owned credit unions

The For Members Only (FMO) Federal Credit Union (Digital)

by Tony O. Lawson

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Black Owned Snack Brands That Can Replace Junk Food

3 mins read
black owned snack brands

Black owned snack brands are making a huge impact in the health and wellness industry, offering delicious and nutritious options for snack lovers. We’ve put together a list of some amazing brands that are worth trying.

Black Owned Snack Brands

Major’s Project Pop

Major’s Project Pop offers a fresh take on kettle corn using carefully-selected organic ingredients, including a bold virgin coconut oil that lingers on your palate.

Symphony Chips

Symphony Chips, a harmonious blend of deliciously seasoned chips guaranteed to leave you wanting more. GMO-free | Gluten-free | Guilt-free.

Funky Mello

black owned snack brands

Funky Mello marshmallow cremes are amazingly light and satisfyingly sweet. The vanilla, strawberry, and cookie flavors are delicious and rich.

Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks

Pipcorn offers four lines of ancient grain based (heirloom) snacks, Heirloom Popcorn, Heirloom Cheese Balls, Heirloom Corn Dippers, and Heirloom Crunchies that are whole grain, gluten-free and Non-GMO Project Verified.

Chikas Foods 

Black Owned Snack Brands

Chika’s is on a mission to bring natural ingredients and taste sensations from Africa to both food lovers and the health conscious alike.

Oh Mazing Food

Black Owned Snack Brands

Oh-Mazing! crafts gourmet granola with unique flavors that will make your taste buds sing!

Partake Foods

Partake offers offers delicious, allergy-friendly cookies, baking mixes, and pancake & waffle mixes that are certified gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, and free of the top 9 allergens.

It’s Nola

black owned snack brands

It’s Nola creates chewy granola bites using ordinary ingredients to make an extraordinary snacking experience.

Mawa’s GrainFreeNola

Mawa’s GrainFreeNola offers delicious gluten-free, protein-rich and Vegan GrainFreeNola filled with the highest quality organic nuts and seeds sweetened with Medjool dates.

Cajou Creamery

Cajou Creamery uses a few, responsibly-sourced, nutrient-rich ingredients to churn out flavors into luxurious, creamy, dairy-free ice cream.

Teranga

TERANGA is on a mission to create refreshing and healthy prepared foods, snacks, frozen treats and drinks handcrafted in small batches using baobab and other unique ingredients from around the world.

Azzizah’s Herbal Green Popcorn

Black Owned Snack Brands

Azzizah’s Herbal Green Popcorn is an organic, air-popped snack that is universally tempting, satisfying, nourishing, and of course, tasty and crave-able.

Eat Power Snacks

black owned snack brands

Dad-Made, Kid-Approved. A snack that parents can feel good about their kids eating; Energy With a Crunch. Packed with the nutrients you need.

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Congress Pressed to Rescue Struggling Black Owned businesses

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congress black owned business

Lawmakers negotiating the next small-business rescue package are facing mounting pressure to direct more aid to minority employers who are hurting the most during the pandemic but have struggled to access hundreds of billions of federal dollars unleashed since March.

Business groups and consumer advocates are lobbying Congress to rethink a model that has leaned heavily on distributing funds via private lenders because of concerns that the smallest businesses lack relationships with traditional banks.

A bipartisan proposal by Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — would make $50 billion in grants available to state and local governments for the smallest businesses and nonprofits.

And Senate Small Business Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is floating new ways to aim funds at the hardest-hit businesses. The expected revamp of the Paycheck Protection Program — the $670 billion effort Congress created to rush forgivable loans to millions of small businesses — is likely to still rely on banks. But Rubio has circulated plans to target long-term loans at businesses that make most of their money in low-income communities and to set aside $25 billion for those with 10 or fewer employees.

“It’s not as simple as just keeping the lights on for the PPP forever,” said Thomas Sullivan, vice president of small business policy at the Chamber of Commerce. “There really does need to be an emphasis toward the underbanked.”

The drive has taken on greater urgency in recent weeks as economic data and surveys have revealed that Black business owners in particular have been disproportionately devastated by the coronavirus recession. The trend holds damaging long-term implications for minority communities as the U.S. moves into what is likely to be an uneven economic recovery.

One widely cited economic analysis showed that Black-owned businesses were slammed the most by Covid-19, with the number of owners plunging by 41 percent from February to April. Research by the JPMorgan Chase Institute showed cash balances for Black businesses were down by 26 percent at the end of March from a year earlier, compared with a 12 percent decline for all firms.

Left unaddressed, the ripple effects of a wave of closures would be significant. Black-owned businesses are more likely to hire Black workers, offering a crucial source of jobs for a population whose unemployment rate has historically been roughly double that of white Americans, even in a strong economy.

They are also more likely to be located in majority-Black communities, helping boost property values for homes and businesses there. A disproportionate loss of Black-owned businesses could also widen the already staggering racial wealth gap in the country, where the average white family has 10 times greater net worth than the average Black family.

As a huge proportion of Black-owned businesses are forced to close, “what wealth is there now to transfer on?” said Gary Hoover, editor of the Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy and an economics professor at the University of Oklahoma. “I’ve got a higher unemployment rate in this community. Now I’ve got lower property values in this community. I’ve got less wealth in this community. Things are just continual.”

Advocates argue that the Paycheck Protection Program failed to fully address the problem, in part because it was structured to favor borrowers who have ongoing ties to banks, which businesses owned by people of color are less likely to have.

“We got off to a bad start for the underserved communities,” Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business Committee, said in an interview.

Montee Holland, president and CEO of a high-fashion dress suit brand called the Tayion Collection, said he was initially rejected for a PPP loan and then struggled to get approved for another.

The Michigan-based designer said he has managed to pay his rent and bills by selling the suits he had in stock directly to consumers online. But without assistance or a major change in the retail landscape, he expects to be able to last only six to eight more months.

“To say that it’s been tough is the understatement of the century,” he said.

Congress has tried to close the gaps, but advocates say more can be done.

After overwhelming demand for the Paycheck Protection Program exhausted its initial funding by mid-April, Congress passed a second, $320 billion appropriation that set aside money for the smallest lenders. Some of those funds went to lenders whose mission is working with disadvantaged communities.

In response to calls to target the funding even further, the Trump administration allocated $10 billion for so-called community development financial institutions, which focus on low-income areas.

And just days before the Paycheck Protection Program was set to close to applications — Congress has since agreed to extend it — the Trump administration loosened some restrictions on borrowers with criminal records after facing lawsuits and political pressure from Democrats and Republicans.

The last-minute change gave Altimont Wilks time to secure a loan to help his businesses in Hagerstown, Md. A federal judge last week ordered the Small Business Administration to reserve funding for Wilks once the program shut down. Wilks was initially barred from the program because of a 2004 felony conviction.

“You hear the stories, but to live it, to be that ‘African American disadvantaged minority business owner’ — imagine being that disadvantaged owner with a criminal record, during a time when unemployment is going sky high not just for African Americans but for everyone,” Wilks said in an interview.

Economists have criticized the time it took to make the funds more widely available, saying some minority-owned businesses could not survive long enough even to apply for the second round of aid.

“Just the weeks that went by between those time periods could be the difference between the life and death of a business,” said Henry McKoy, director of entrepreneurship at North Carolina Central University’s business school.

“The really small businesses, the businesses with one employee, the businesses owned by people of color, they need super-small loans,” said Ashley Harrington, director of federal advocacy at the Center for Responsible Lending. “The way the PPP is structured, banks are paid an origination fee based on the size of the loan. The size of the loan is based on the size of the payroll. If we want to incentivize banks to serve the really small businesses and the businesses owned by people of color, the origination fee has to match that.”

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who is sponsoring the legislation that would create a $50 billion grant program for businesses and nonprofits with up to 20 or 50 employees, said the smallest businesses were at high risk of not getting help under the PPP model.

“These are really small businesses for which the machinations of going through loan underwriting and then loan forgiveness are just completely unnecessary,” he said of his legislation with Daines and Booker. “Very often these are women, minority-owned or veteran-owned businesses.”

One problem that Congress faces in targeting the aid is the lack of data provided by the Trump administration on the loans. The SBA has only just agreed to disclose loan recipients to Congress and the public, but the agency did not collect demographic information in the PPP application.

But based on some of the alarming anecdotal information available, lawmakers are near agreement on ways to try to direct funds to the hardest-hit minority businesses.

“We did better as the program went along. What the final result is, we don’t know yet,” Cardin said in an interview. “The good news is both Senator Rubio and I believe we need to target funds to the underbanked and underserved communities.”

Source: Politico

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