SHOPPE BLACK

Black Owned Businesses in Minnesota That Need Your Support

2 mins read

Damn. As if COVID related shutdowns weren’t enough, Black owned businesses in Minnesota are now bearing the brunt of protests taking place due to the senseless and preventable murder of George Floyd.

In response, we’re creating a list of Black owned businesses in Minnesota that need your support now, post Rona, post protest, and going forward.

I’m torn because I know why the legitimate protests are happening, but my heart also goes out to the entrepreneurs whose livelihood is being affected right now.

Black Owned Businesses in Minnesota

Please note that while some of these businesses are closed temporarily for a few obvious reasons, others are still operating online and offer delivery services.

This is a working list so let me know which ones we’ve missed.

Black Owned Businesses in Minnesota

Restaurants

Afro Deli

Black Owned Businesses in Minnesota
Afro Deli

Breaking Bread Cafe

Black Owned Businesses in Minnesota
Breaking Bread

Dragon Wok 

Dragon Wok

Daughters and Sons Bakery

Sammy’s Avenue Eatery

Black Owned Businesses in Minnesota
Sammy’s Avenue Eatery

Smoke in the Pit 

Smoke In The Pit

Thigh Times Birdhouse 

Ted Cook’s 19th Hole BBQ

Soul Bowl

Soul Bowl

Trio Plant-Based

The Red Sea Restaurant & Bar 

Tommie’s Pizza

Tommie’s Pizza

Pimento Jamaican Kitchen

PJ Murphy’s Bakery

 

Online Bookstore

Strive Publishing

Co-Working Space

New Rules 

Performing Arts

Penumbra Theater 

New Dawn Theatre

New Dawn Theatre

Retail

Queen Anna House of Fashion

Queen Anna House of Fashion

Angie’s Hats 

Arway 

Omari Brow Studio

Chef Flo-K Foods 

Brewery

One Fermentary & Taproom

ONE Fermentary & Taproom

Du Nord Craft Spirits

Du Nord Craft Spirits

 

-Tony O. Lawson


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How Hoodoo Saved This Woman’s Life: The Black Gold Lenormand Deck

21 mins read

There’s no denying that African Tradition Religions and African Diasporic Spiritual practices are experiencing a reawakening as more people, particularly Black millennials, become disillusioned by Judeo-Christian institutions and dogma. Within that framework, Black Americans are also increasingly finding their way back to Hoodoo, which has finally been afforded the same status as a formal African Diasporic religious system alongside more well-known systems such as Candomble, Haitian Vodou, Santeria, and Lukumi. Within that framework, a variety of traditional European divination tools have also been reworked and reimagined by Black creatives. The Black Gold Lenormand created by Tea is one of them.

My first experience working with a Lenormand deck was several months ago while my family and I were staying at the home of some close friends during our home renovation. I was in a difficult place personally, stressed beyond imagination, and facing tough decisions. My acupuncturist asked if she could pull a card for me after one of my sessions and she used a Lenormand deck. It was my first time even hearing about it. My traditional tarot deck was useful (along with of course more formalized support from my godparents and Orisa, I am a Sango priest and Lukumi practitioner after all).

But as it relates to some of my day to day communicating with Spirit, I was looking for some direct answers to a particular situation. In my own practice, some things are so trivial that I wouldn’t even think to go to Orisa with them. Also, I think there’s something to be said about discerning when it’s time to go to Orisa and when it’s time to go to Egun for those of us who are both spiritualists and Lukumi priests. Needless to say, the Lenormand deck was so direct that I was blown.

Many of you like me when my acupuncturist brought it up, are probably wondering what the hell is a Lenormand deck? Similar to tarot, it’s a system of divination that originated in Europe a couple centuries ago. Based on 36 cards with simple imagery, the cards address more tangible issues in a questioner’s life. Named for a French woman, Madame Marie Anne Lenormand, the cards became more famous upon her death.

Also like Tarot, given its origins, most Lenormand decks are Eurocentric which is why I wasn’t surprised when I only found one deck to include in my list of Black created tarot and oracle decks. However, after posting and launching beaucoup hoodoo,  I learned about one more. Someone (who I oddly can’t recall now) suggested that I check out the Kickstarter Campaign for the Black Gold Lenormand Deck. The deck seemed right on time! Spirit also led me to reach out to its creator, Tea, to learn more about the inspiration behind the project, her foray into Hoodoo and ultimately how Hoodoo saved her life.

You can check out Tea’s Kickstarter Campaign and purchase a deck (or a bundle wholesale for your shop or to gift to family and friends HERE.

– Shantrelle P. Lewis, retired curator, Sango Lukumi priest and Hoodooist. You can catch me at @beaucouphoodoo.


What was your entry point into oracle decks and tarot?

My entry point was being a sex worker and an activist living in New York City. Being a part of a marginalized and criminalized community, where I met others who were committed to using every tool we have available to us. There are a lot of Black healers and mediums living and working in the margins. Where folks need the medicine the most, there’s Black spiritual workers, trust.

These were my first encounters with folks who saw not only me but the ancestors around me. Specifically my paternal grandmother. And cards were a way for me to receive these communications, so I could hear their messages more clearly. I didn’t just want to listen to folks relaying messages from my grandmother. I knew I needed to be able to speak directly with her, too.

Hoodoo

On IG, you’ve mentioned that the concept behind your brand was inspired by your grandparents. How have your elders and ancestors inspired your work?

At the time my maternal grandmother was transitioning, I had begun working in a Black-owned apothecary in my hometown. I used my employee discount to buy her plant medicine to help ease her aches and pains. And the last photo I took of her was her hands cupped around a balm lovingly prepared by the woman who owned the apothecary, another sort of grandmother in my community. I turned up at her shop door without a real resume, and after one conversation she hired me in the shop.

The role of these Black matriarchs in my life––from my paternal Granny’s spirit coming to me when I was at my most vulnerable and frightened, to my maternal grandmother who loved me loudly and unconditionally, to this woman running an apothecary who saw me and said I had a gift I needed to share––these women saved my life. Any work I do I owe to them. I am honoring them. And of course, there’s Grandma Baby Suggs of Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’. I read that book after I reached Australia when I was wondering what the hell I was going to do with my life. That novel, too, was a balm. The Grannies I know by blood, the community Granny who adopted me, and even the fictional one in Morrison’s novel. Have 100% inspired me to be where I am today, doing what I’m doing.

Why did you choose to create the Black Gold Lenormand as opposed to any other oracle or tarot deck?

I’m not gonna lie, tarot isn’t exactly my jam. Not by itself. It’s taken me a long time to pick up the language of tarot. There’s hella cards, and some of them are a little redundant. I’m someone for whom less is more. Simple spreads, basic symbols––or my thoughts get disorganized and messy and my mind wanders all over the place. When I discovered Lenormand it just felt so intuitive for me. The symbols, their accessibility, the way my folks speak through them…it clicked. I structure my readings like a highschool essay. I have Lenormand at the top, bringing the main argument, and Akamara tarot on the bottom row, rounding out the argument with some nice details and supportive evidence.

What’s your relationship to Hoodoo?

When I was in college a very traumatic thing happened to me, and I was far away from my family and that support system. That was just how it was. And it was too much to handle on my own. But it became clear to me the people who were around me at that time couldn’t save me and didn’t really see me, so I intuitively began crafting a way to cope. I bought wax for candles, I bought Black dolls and covered my dorm walls with pictures of beautiful Black people. I built a shrine with fairy lights and Black sculptures. I was never someone who smoked or was attracted to smoking but I was absolutely chain-smoking American Spirits.

Up to then, I’d lived about half my life in the church and half resenting any kind of religious institution for the blatant hypocrisy and corruption they facilitated. I didn’t know who the hell I was calling on in my dorm with that altar, or what I was doing. And it probably could have been dangerous, from what I know now about conjuring without discernment. But I remember I made a wax figure I put in an old glass bottle, and on the face of the bottle I put a photo of my paternal grandmother. And I kept that in my room. I kept the names and faces of people who loved me. And years later, when I no longer had that room or those photos or bottles, when I was in New York and sleeping on a mattress on the floor and too depressed to leave my room––she came for me.

So loudly folks could see and hear her around me. My guy at the botanica was handing me my purchases and said, “That’s your grandmother!” My relationship to Hoodoo is by blood and by spirit. I had Hoodoo before I knew Hoodoo had a name. I had it coded into my blood and my spirit, for me to use when I needed it.

How did you find your way to African Traditional Spirituality?

I found my way into this formally by stumbling across an article interviewing real witches for their thoughts on Netflix’s Sabrina series. A Blitch (Black + Witch) called Daizy of ‘The AfroMystic’ mentioned she had a group for Black folks to learn about and discuss our indigenous traditions. So I found that group of Black folks, found valuable resources and community support. A lot of things began to resonate with me. I realized African Traditional Spirituality was something I needed to commit to practicing. Not just dabble in or stumble my way through blindly.

Hoodoo

What struck me most about your deck is the fact that not only did you conceive of the cards, but you are also the artist behind them. Are you a trained artist? What was this process like?

I’m an artist, and I typically work with found objects/materials. When my mom was hyping up Little Fires Everywhere to me, she was like “Kerry Washington is playing YOU!” If you watch her creative process on the show, it’s me but without the weed, haha. I went to art college, and that taught me I was expecting way too much from formal art institutions. I was in an on campus group called B.A.A.D. (Black Artists And Designers) and we were a bunch of kids who became increasingly more disillusioned with the state of the art world. Spoiler: there’s hella racism and theft there.

A non-Black student in my class hanged a dummy from a tree in a Black neighborhood and got the cops called on him. He said the piece had nothing to do with racism. That’s a small taste of the environment a Black artist has to navigate. I didn’t make art for four years after I graduated. I did little graphic design jobs for nonprofits but nothing for myself. I think rekindling my creativity went hand in hand with kindling my spirit. I began this project as one of a few I had finally begun doing for myself. I wanted some cards I could better connect to when communicating with my spirits.

When I started I just couldn’t stop. It became its own thing, and it kind of demanded to be shared. Which is frightening when you’re someone who doesn’t really have a social media presence, who is used to hiding in the margins and making myself invisible in order to survive, and I’m especially private about and protective of my spiritual life. But my spirits were adamant. So after I had tweaked and retooled the deck so many times, and then this pandemic hit, ancestors said, “What do you have to lose? Why continue to wait?”

There was also a great deal of research that give life to the Black Gold Lenormand. Was this research that you were already engaged with prior to conceiving the deck or is something that came after?

It’s probably a mix of both. There’s the Hoodoo history I learned through community with folks who’ve collected the documents, stories and experiences of our people. And then there’s what I learned from the photos I sourced, from the archival notes and the old-timey captions. There’s what I learned from setting the intention to read only Black writers for going on two years now.

If you choose to look at our history, at our stories, and also look back at your own experiences with family and culture––you can see it all coming together to weave a rich tapestry of our beautiful indigenous magic. Our legacy, our history has heavily featured our magic hiding in plain sight. And to be honest, that’s not something you can put into a deck, even though I tried my best.

What advice would you give to someone who has never worked with a tarot or oracle deck about why this form of divination and discernment is so useful as a tool?

When I talk to my ancestors, when I sit at my altar and throw my coins and pull my cards, I’m in a space where I feel so much love and support. I get loving messages from my folks. I know they’ve seen my at every stage of development and every moment of weakness, and I’m given unconditional love by folks who endured centuries of torture and dehumanization for me.

Who else am I gonna talk to? Who else am I gonna call on? Who would you ask for advice? Politicians, celebrities? Why not ask the people who love you and are standing by to work for you? Card divination is the language I knew I needed to learn to speak to my folks directly. If you want to experiment with communicating with ancestors, I recommend giving cards, cartomancy, a shot!

For people who are experienced readers, why should they add your deck to their collection?

I took a photography course, and was blessed to have a professor who set aside an entire lesson about how photography has a built in racial bias and in order to capture Black folks on film you have to be intentional about the way you use light. It’s like code switching but with a camera. Think of these cards like your code switching cards. If you’re going to speak with Black ancestors, wouldn’t you want to use a tool that’s crafted intentionally for it?

Hoodoo

What are some of the spiritual practices, beliefs and rituals that keep you grounded, especially in times like these?

Spiritual hygiene! A spiritual bath, smoke cleansing my space, covering my head, placing protection on all entrances to my home, praying over those same entrances, keeping my altar spaces tidy (okay, I’m not really the best at that part because my altar room is also my studio). Having coffee and breaking fast at the start of the day with my folks. And recently I’ve taken to just spending time in my altar room whenever I feel raggedy and anxious.

Lastly, what are the names of some of your ancestors?

I’ve always heard that altars and whoever you keep on them is private. I could just be a paranoid Scorpio, but just in case…

LOL. Definitely Scorpio-ish sentiments. I respect that response. In keeping with how I’ve been taught, Peace, Light and Progress to their Spirits all the same.


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Black Owned Sunscreen Brand Receives $1 Million Investment

3 mins read

Black Girl Sunscreen (BGS) is a Black owned sunscreen brand based in Van Nuys, CA. The company produces a fragrance-free, melanin reinforcing SPF 30 sunscreen moisturizer using natural ingredients. This month, BGS secured a $1 million dollar investment from a private female funding source.

black owned sunscreen
Shontay Lundy, owner of Black Girl Sunscreen

Despite Black owned businesses typically having the most challenging time raising capital, BGS achieved this milestone with one single anchor product.

Currently, BGS is the only indie Black owned sunscreen brand carried full time in Target’s sun care section. This came after a successful sales and marketing campaign, which focused on the importance of all complexions needing sunscreen. Now over 200 Target stores across the country sell the BGS SPF 30 and BGS Kids SPF 50.

black owned sunscreen

After months of vetting potential partners, owner Shontay partnered with an investor who embodies many of her traits, namely integrity, and business savvy. Black Girl Sunscreen is valued at $5 million, after recently receiving their newest investment.

In the throes of COVID-19, the five-person BGS staff implemented an “all hands-on deck” mentality to ensure the company thrived. Lundy, refused to let the pandemic slow down her progress, stating that, “I told the team we need to change the narrative and be very nimble to survive this.”

The team immediately enhanced their social media strategy, started working longer hours, and increased their marketing efforts. Since the onset of COVD-19, the brand has seen a tremendous uptick in e-commerce orders and will be launching a new product later this year.

Traditionally, businesses with women of color CEOs at the helm, receive less than 1 percent of all VC funding every year. Black women startups and entrepreneurs are leading the pack when it comes to being marginalized, only receiving 0.2% of all funding.

Despite the large funding gap, women of color, especially black women aren’t slowing up anytime with funding new businesses and diving into entrepreneurship, as minority women account for 89% of new businesses opened every day. We sat down with Lundy to speak about her new private investment in Black Girl Sunscreen and where she sees Black Girl Sunscreen going next.

Source: Dominique Fluker for FORBES

 


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Black Owned Tea Brands You Can Purchase Online

1 min read

People all over the world have been drinking tea for thousands of centuries, and for good reason. Numerous studies have shown that a variety of teas may fight off inflammation, boost your immune system, and even ward off cancer and heart disease.

While some brews provide more health benefits than others, there’s plenty of evidence that drinking tea can have a lasting impact on your wellness.

If you can’t visit your local cafe for your tea of choice, don’t worry, these Black owned tea brands will deliver herbal goodness right to your doorstep.

Black Owned Tea Brands

Adjourn Tea House

Brooklyn Tea

Ivy’s Tea Co. 

Sip Tea Shop 

black owned tea

Hands of Sage

black owned tea

Teas With Meaning

black owned tea

Bea’s Wellness Teas

True Serenity Tea

Black Owned Tea

Jayida Ché

Kim Bees

black owned tea

Orange Street Storehouse

black owned tea

INI Sips

black owned tea

Just Add Honey

black owned tea

Steep & Sip Teas

black owned tea

Teas Please

black owned tea

Elle’s Elixirs

black owned tea

Lady Rose Specialty Teas 

BrickHouse Gourmet Coffee & Tea Co.

black owned tea

Bunka

black owned tea

MoreFya Herbal Tea and Smoke Blends

Cup of Té

The Black Leaf Tea & Culture Shop

Drink Our Hi-G

Just Be Tea

Deeply Rooted

Flora’s Tea Company

Tranquilo Teas

ZABICO Life

Oat Straw Tea Company

Angry Black Tea

 

-Tony O. Lawson


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Critically Acclaimed Black Composer Contemplates Touring Post-Pandemic

18 mins read

New York City, seen as the financial capital of the world, came to a screeching halt in mid-March. The announcement of school closures was followed by a 100% economic shutdown of nonessential businesses. This happened as an official State of Emergency was declared in the U.S., and many borders around the world began closing for the foreseeable future. My thoughts turned toward the many artist friends who depend on travel, both domestic and international, in order to make a sustainable living as professional creatives.

The same day that the White House declared a travel ban on Europe, I watched several musicians post across social media that they were still touring on the other side of the world. Immediate logistics were sorted for those returning stateside to quarantine post-tour, or face being stuck (perhaps preferably) in other countries. Every one of those artists faced last-minute changes that included cancellations of all current and future gigs. Lives were unforeseeably impacted, if not forever changed. 

Two months have passed since the ability to earn income as a touring artist has completely fizzled out as an option. In the aftermath, I spoke with critically acclaimed jazz musician and composer George Burton to discuss the implications of what the Coronavirus pandemic has meant for his career.

black composer
George Burton

On February 21, 2020, Burton independently released his sophomore studio album “Reciprocity.” According to the press release: “Reciprocity” is a kaleidoscopic work that flows forward and back in time, a meta dialogue between generations of jazz artists. Opening with a fragment of a conversation with legendary Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader Marshall Allen, whose commentary…is interspersed throughout the album, Burton compresses and collapses history in a series of compact configurations to create a narrative that is a meditation on the very nature of jazz.

As we caught up via FaceTime, Burton was in the backyard of his garden level brownstone apartment in Bed-Stuy, grilling jerk chicken for his family. It was a beautiful late spring afternoon, and his daughters were boisterous while building their imaginary fort without a care in the world. This was in stark contrast to the weight of the world on George’s shoulders as he shared his worries and concerns about the inability to work in his chosen field. 

black composer
George Burton

Mai Perkins for Shoppe Black: Since touring has come to a complete halt, how do you earn a living?

George Burton: Right now, I still have teaching. As a musician, you always have teaching, tours, and other things going on that contribute to earning income. I teach online lessons. That’s all I’ve got. I used to book other cats that play, but no one can go out on tour now.

You used to go to Europe, make a chunk, and live off of that money for the next few months. The ability to just bounce whenever you need to work is no longer an option. The borders are closed, so how do we start planning for that. No one knows when they will reopen, or how to plan ahead. 

What are your thoughts, overall, on the economic shutdown?

The economic downturn is serious. As time goes on, though… We as working artists sometimes plan 6 to 8 months in advance, so it can become brutal. Economically, I’m okay right now. But 6, 7, 8 months down the line… I can’t see saying the same thing. I am an entrepreneur to a certain extent. Every musician is an entrepreneur. I am my own business person because I run my own career in terms of bookings, hiring support, and everything towards putting out an album then selling it.

Tell me about the new album, “Reciprocity,” that came out in February. 

The new album got trampled by Coronavirus. It was like, “I’m in The New York Times!” and then it was like, “Nope, Corona is here…” It’s my second album. It did very well for a lot of publications. It has dialogue by Marshall Allen who is the last member of the original Sun Ra Arkestra. He’s been running the band for the last 25 years. It’s an album about reciprocity, exchanging ideas. A lot of people say, “Do you want it to be about the music or about You (the artist)?” I’ve never looked at music as an individual thing.

I’m used to playing behind people. But this album is about people working together. There are always two voices talking to one another. “Reciprocity” has done well in the press. NYT picked up the video, which was done by stop motion artist Sigmund Washington. He’s a brilliant Black artist out of Bed-Stuy who uses paper, watercolor, and markers to create each image. 12 to 24 frames per second.

It takes months to do. NPR Music liked it. JazzIz did a spotlight. But as far as the larger music publications, Jazz Times or Downbeat did not cover it. I think it’s a little different conceptually than any album that’s out today. So, you would think it would’ve done better in the jazz publications. 

Tell me about your life touring. How often would you go out?

Most of my tours are in Europe. I’ve been to London, Paris and France more times than I can remember. Western Europe, Central Europe, Serbia, and Croatia. Also, in South Africa, Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Morocco. Asia. All up and down the East and West coast, Chicago and Detroit. I’ve been everywhere except South America and Central America. Every year, I’m on the road. Every month between March and November are busy seasons for touring musicians. Basically, right now, I would be gone with Sun Ra or Odean Pope, whoever calls.

So what does it feel like to be grounded?

It feels terrible. Absolutely terrible. Like, “What do you mean I can’t go anywhere??? What do you mean there’s no touring?” Everything is set 8 to 10 months in advance. It’s a lot because so much depends on conditions that are undetermined until we have this situation under control. Fall 2021 is the earliest we’re hearing that touring could resume, once there’s a vaccine or treatment. And that’s not even for everyone.

Prior to this have you considered leaving NYC? Talk to me about this idea of envisioning life outside of New York, permanently.

I’ve been living in Brooklyn for 17 years, and own my piano studio. I’ve worked and put in the time and dedication to become critically acclaimed. I’m just trying to be a real musician in New York. I have absolutely no idea where to go. Corona is everywhere. Plus, I’ve been here so long that I just have no idea. There are different spaces I can consider moving to.

But the reason why I actually moved here is because the jazz scene in the city where I’m from had become small. Growing up in Philly when Black Lily at the Five Spot was going on, there was a jazz scene and a lot more clubs. When I left after 9/11, a lot of the scene in Philly had died.

So I came here to get more out of my career as a jazz artist. But, I get that same feeling about New York right now. I think opportunity has dried up here, to a certain degree. You kind of needed to be in New York in order to be seen and heard back then, but this was pre-YouTube.

So you had thoughts of leaving NYC before all of this?

When the pandemic first started and it seemed like a week or month thing, I tried to think past it like, “What will happen, and how does that affect what I do?” Before the pandemic hit, I had been thinking about relocating for a long time because NYC is no longer affordable for a person who does what I do for a living. The pandemic exposes a lot of things that I was already considering but did not think it would come this fast.

New York hasn’t been the same affordable, creative town for a long time, and that has contributed to my thinking about leaving. The lack of clubs and venues to play. The music business has changed, but not for the better. I don’t really need to be in NY to do what I do, honestly, even though I’ve made a name for myself. So, it’s not just the pandemic that makes my feeling about the decision what it is.

Does this make you feel like you need to go back to the drawing board?

Yes, I do. It’s weird to say, but this doesn’t happen. To hear that an entire industry on all levels has been turned off makes you think that when this does get turned back on, you’re going to lose whoever went by the wayside. Even in teaching… I have to go back to the drawing board about how I approach seeing students in person.

What are the necessary steps to take when it does happen? Nobody knows anything because six months, or a year and a half from now, everything will have changed. I need to start from scratch but I don’t know how to get to scratch because the whole playing field has been altered for everyone. 

What else do you find relevant to this issue for Black artists and musicians?

It’s crazy because you’re literally on pause. There are other industries where jobs will either be there, or not be there. What type of situation will I go back to playing in? There are a lot of layers involved for independent Black artists. We’re always fighting to get anything in the first place! So now that you don’t even know what you’re fighting for…? The short term is causing anxiety from generally not knowing anything.

A year from now, under normal circumstances, I’ll have a potential gig. But now, a year from now in this climate, we don’t know what a year from now will even present. It’s so many layers. You can’t sell a music program at a university if you can’t sell students on the idea that they will have a career moving forward. How do you sell a college program about music when there’s no music? What are you paying for?

How do you convince them that they can make a career in music after spending $100,000 on tuition? You risk losing faculty because you can’t afford to pay them once the program is downsized. New York is about to become a whole other thing, and figuring out that thing is what I need to determine.

That’s an interesting theory you have about university students in music programs, but it makes sense. Any final thoughts?

Also, the schools determine who lives in the city and goes to the jazz clubs, like Smalls and Fat Cat. If NYU students potentially aren’t there in the fall, with the lifestyle habits that support many musicians (i.e. regularly coming to jazz sets), if they’re not here, then what?

Plus, jazz clubs need to be full to operate. You have to pack the joint to pay rent. So, the idea of social distancing in the clubs with 25-50% capacity to remain safe means that you may not be able to see some of the iconic venues reopen and survive. All of this literally can kill off the small number of black full-time artists that are here living in Brooklyn or in the city if things don’t pan out favorably.

But it’s tricky. I mean, how many Black artists do you know in jazz that live in New York City? The numbers are interesting. What comes after the coronavirus is over? Does gentrification continue full steam ahead with more money and less access? Does it finish us off? We hope not. I’m praying not. 

– Contributed by Mai Perkins

black composer
Mai Perkins (Photo by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn)

Mai Perkins is a Cali girl in a Bed-Stuy world who has created several online platforms including African Highaspora, Uberlicious NYC, and MaiOnTheMove.com. She’s also a contributing writer for Black-Owned Brooklyn, as well as the music publication Pop-Mag.com, Relevant and Bust Magazine.

With an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and an MA in International Affairs from The New School, she reps her beloved alma mater, Howard University, every chance she gets. As a poet and a non-fiction writer, she has just published her first manuscript, The Walking Nerve-Ending, available now on Amazon & Kindle.

 

Also by Mai Perkins: Black Women Directs First Ever Romantic Comedy About Black Muslim Life

 

This Black Woman Owned Firearm Training Business is Teaching Responsible Gun Ownership

4 mins read

The coronavirus pandemic has driven record-breaking numbers of gun sales in the United States. Many of the millions of guns sold have gone to first-time gun buyers.

In response, gun rights advocates are focusing on safety training to make sure new gun owners understand how to operate their firearms.

We reached out to My Sister’s Keeper Defense, a Black woman owned firearms training business owned by Marchelle “Tig” Washington to find out more about her business and her thoughts on gun ownership.

How did you become interested in becoming a gun owner?

I was in the Army National guard and got comfortable with the idea of carrying a handgun everyday while I was deployed. I didn’t take start consistently practicing on my own until 2015 when I started working at a gun range in Atlanta.

I’m a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. Carrying and shooting firearms is my therapy. I’m comforted knowing that I don’t have to be a victim anymore because I know I can defend myself.

black woman owned

What inspired you to start a firearms training business?

While working at the gun range, women would come ask me to train them. I taught a ton of private lessons and group classes. I wanted the ability to create my own curriculum and market my own classes so I quit the range and started my business.

What is the question you get the most from your trainees?

Most of my students ask me what firearm they should buy. I explain to them that there’s no such thing as a “girl gun” or a gun that’s good for new shooters. Any person can learn how to operate any firearm.

I want us to get away from associating genders to firearms. Choosing a firearm is like choosing a car, it really just depends on your preferences. The only way to decide what you prefer in a firearm is to take a class and then shoot different firearms.

(AP Photo/Lisa Marie Pane)

What are some of the biggest myths about gun owners?

The biggest myth is that we’re all Republican, Christian, NRA supporters. I’m none of those things and neither are the majority of my students. That might have been true 20-30 years ago but in 2020 gun ownership and self defense is for everyone.

black woman owned

What is your advice for someone who is interested in becoming a gun owner?

Don’t buy a firearm you’ve never shot and continue to practice shooting as often as you can. Owning a firearm is a big responsibility and a lifestyle change. It’s irresponsible to buy a firearm intended for self defense if you’re not going to continue practicing and taking classes.

black woman owned

Going to the range, purchasing ammunition, and buying firearms accessories can get pretty expensive but how much is your life worth?

How has your business been affected in the past few months due to the coronavirus epidemic?

My business hasn’t been affected at all. I’m teaching classes ever few weeks.

-Tony O. Lawson


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This Black Owned Vintage Clothing Business Offers Cool ’90s Nostalgia

5 mins read

The ’90s were the best years of my life. I remember my obsession with all things Hip Hop, RnB, Black sitcoms, and the best Black movies.

That’s why I was excited to discover a Black owned vintage clothing business that specializes in ’90s-era paraphernalia and other cool items. We caught up with Eric Brown Jr, the owner of Backtrack Vintage to find out more about his business.

black owned vintage
Eric Brown Jr, the owner of Backtrack Vintage

What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve always had an appreciation for great retail experiences and, initially when I decided to go into the business full time, I wanted to build an amazing brick and mortar location for people to get their vintage clothing fix. Unfortunately, I couldn’t land a retail location no matter what I did or where I looked.

So after months of searching and hearing about seven “no’s” from different landlords around the city, I decided to bet on myself and build my store inside an old school bus.

I spent about 5 weeks from sunrise and sunset building the inside of the bus and I took it to the streets in April of 2019.

How do you find the items you sell?

During the early days, I would basically spend an entire day inside different thrift stores, flea markets, and weekend garage sales. Now we have a great network of sellers who we source high-quality vintage garments from, as well as sourcing from some of the best vintage rag houses in Los Angeles.

In addition to those items being mindfully hand-picked to be a piece of nostalgia, we also go above and beyond to find items that are like new and restore items as needed.

What is it about the ’90s era that appeals to you?

Not only were the ’90s the era of my childhood, but it also represented a time in American history where there was a lot of abundance. For a young person during that era there was no shortage of wearable merch from movies, tv shows, and sports teams.
Plus the vast majority of garments were made here in the USA and that higher level of quality when it comes to manufacturing has really helped these vintage items last almost 30 years later. Not to mention brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren emerged as the trendsetters in what we would call “streetwear”.

How has business been during the past few months and what are you doing to adapt?

Initially, we were definitely anxious during the beginning stages of Safer at Home Orders, and, much like most businesses, we’ve shifted to being strictly online. We’ve doubled down on the customer experience and branding, showcasing the uniqueness of our company.
Obviously getting your retail fix in an old school bus is an amazing shopping experience and we didn’t want the online Backtrack experience to be underwhelming.
Our goal is to make receiving an order from us a complete experience, from the artwork on the outside of the bag to the items they’ve purchased within it.


If you could wake up tomorrow as an expert in any area of business, which would it be and why?

I’d have to say “communication.” In all aspects of running a business, communication is key. Whether it’s with customers, vendors, or employees if you can effectively communicate you will be effective at getting your desired outcome.

It’s something that I’ve forced myself to become better at over the years and it’s definitely paying off.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

The best advice I can give would be to realize that you don’t have to be better than the next person, but you do need to be different. Nobody likes a copycat.
You should try and figure out at least 10 things that make you different than the other businesses in your field, otherwise, you’re just another person selling the same old thing.
-Tony O. Lawson 

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Magic Johnson’s Insurance Company To Fund $100 Million For Black Owned Businesses

3 mins read

The Magic Johnson company EquiTrust Life Insurance Co, will be reportedly providing $100 million for Black-owned businesses. EquiTrust Life Insurance Co will fund the money via the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) PayCheck Protection Program, as they believe minor businesses are being ‘overlooked’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. EquiTrust Life Insurance Co is majority-owned by the Magic Johnson enterprises.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Magic Johnson company owned by Magic Johnson enterprises will be teaming up with MBE Capital Partners to provide PayCheck Protection Program loans. MBE Capital Partners is a non-bank lender that focuses on funding women-owned and minority businesses. While talking to the Wall Street Journal, Johnson stated that their initiative is important as small businesses cannot walk into a bank and ask for a loan.

Johnson added that he became aware of the problems faced by these businesses through news reports. MBE Capital’s chief executive Rafael Martinez also noticed that people applying for the PPPP were facing problems as they were reportedly favoring companies with previous relationships. After Martinez started receiving calls to help, their collaboration with the Magic Johnson company took place.

Many big companies, including Johnson’s former NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, received the funding as they have less than 500 employees. However, they returned the funding after facing public criticism. The Magic Johnson company was aware of the reason behind small businesses not receiving the funds, especially when larger companies had good relationships with banks.

MBE and the Magic Johnson company finalized their deal this month. They were brought together by the National Action Network, which is a civil rights organization.

According to Martinez, Johnson’s $100 million will be promptly forwarded to the 5000 PayCheck Protection Program’s loans that MBE Capital had approved with the Small Business Administration. 80% of the minority-owned businesses have reportedly asked for around $25,000 owing to their small size. Their companies are apparently choosing people no one else is willing to help.

The government had reportedly instructed SBA to guide lenders in helping the small businesses. However, they reportedly failed to do so.

Magic Johnson is also looking for different ways to help minority communities, as per the Wall Street Journal. This includes raising money to help give meals to inner cities while looking to extend their deal with MBE Capital. During his interview, Johnson stated that priority will be minority communities. As per Johnson, this is a ‘life and death’ matter for many business owners and they will help them as they have ‘nowhere else to turn’.

Tony O. Lawson

Related: Black Owned Health products brand receives investment from Magic Johnson


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These Brands Are Still Tapping Into Nostalgia for Slavery, Whether You Realize It or Not

8 mins read

Some of the most egregious examples using a cultural stereotype as a mascot are the ones rooted in nostalgia for slavery. A few examples are the mascots representing the Aunt Jemima, Cream of Wheat, and Uncle Ben brands that all emerged between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Act.

Aunt Jemima

brands and slavery

Aunt Jemima dates back to 1889, making it the oldest of these brands with problematic mascots. According to AuntJemima.com, the character was first portrayed in 1890 by Nancy Green, described by the brand as “a storyteller, cook and missionary worker.” (It doesn’t mention that she was born a slave in Kentucky in 1834.)

Aunt Jemima was later portrayed by another woman, Anna Robinson. Her backstory is unclear, but the brand notes that after traveling the country to promote Aunt Jemima starting in 1933, Robinson “is able to make enough money to provide for her children and buy a 22-room house, where she rents rooms to boarders.”

Other women followed. Actress Aylene Lewis was the last, portraying Aunt Jemima at a branded restaurant within Disneyland from 1957 to 1964, where she “[served] pancakes and [posed] for photos with guests.”

blog post from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture explains that stereotypes about African Americans grew after the 1857 Supreme Court decision in the case of Dred Scott v. John Sandford, in which Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote that people of African descent were not U.S. citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.

According to the post, this legal precedent spurred caricatures of African Americans in popular culture, including the Mammy stereotype of the nurturing African American housekeeper, with which Aunt Jemima is now synonymous. It was first popularized in minstrel shows after the Civil War—in fact, Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, author of the book Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Rastus: Blacks in Advertising, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, wrote that Aunt Jemima hails from a song in a minstrel show that one of the brand’s founding partners saw in 1889.

Quaker Oats, which has owned Aunt Jemima since 1926, did not respond to interview requests.

Mrs. Butterworth’s

Another that potentially falls under this umbrella is syrup brand Mrs. Butterworth’s, which was founded by CPG giant Unilever in 1961 and more recently came under the purview of packaged foods company Conagra. In an email, Dan Skinner, manager of brand communications, said, “We have never discussed Mrs. Butterworth’s race, religion or ethnicity, other than to say that she is ‘motherly’ and known the world over for her delicious syrup.”

She has, however, been compared to the Mammy stereotype—and actress Butterfly McQueen, who played the maid Prissy in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, was reportedly the model for the original bottle. (Skinner said Conagra has nothing in its records that verifies McQueen’s role.)

Cream of Wheat

brands and slavery

Just a few years after Aunt Jemima, a hot cereal brand called Cream of Wheat started using a similar image.

Holding company B&G Foods, which has owned Cream of Wheat since 2007, says the brand dates back to 1893. B&G and Cream of Wheat do not offer any information about the man on their boxes, although his image appears in a number of ads in a slideshow dubbed “Our Favorite Memories.”

In a blog post, Kirsten Delegard, co-director of the Mapping Prejudice Project at the University of Minnesota, said Cream of Wheat founder Emery Mapes designed the packaging with a former slave he called “Rastus” after the characters depicted in the Uncle Remus books of African American folk tales, first published in 1880.

According to a December 2000 essay by David Pilgrim, professor of sociology at Ferris State University, Mapes, a former printer, found the image of a black chef among his old printing blocks. This logo was used until the 1920s, when Mapes paid a Chicago waiter $5 to pose as the new chef.

“The image of this unknown man has appeared, with only slight modifications, on Cream of Wheat boxes for almost 90 years,” Pilgrim wrote.

B&G Foods did not respond to interview requests.

The Cream of Wheat chef is arguably the most enduring example of the Uncle Tom stereotype in marketing. The pervasive caricature hails from the 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, as The Smithsonian writes: “The stereotype of Uncle Tom is innately submissive, obedient and in constant desire of white approval.”

In his essay, Pilgrim writes that the Tom caricature, like Mammy, was born in antebellum America in defense of slavery.

“How could slavery be wrong, argued its proponents, if black servants, males (Toms) and females (Mammies), were contented and loyal?” Pilgrim wrote.

And it’s this imagery—in which Pilgrim notes “the toothy, well-dressed black chef happily serves breakfast to a nation”—that Cream of Wheat has used for 127 years.

Uncle Ben

brands and slavery

According to Uncle Ben’s, the name “Uncle Ben” was adopted in 1946. That’s four years after Forrest Mars—son of Frank Mars, founder of the food conglomerate that bears their name—acquired the rights to an easy-to-cook rice initially called Converted Brand Rice.

“Who is Uncle Ben? Actually, he was two people!” according to the brand’s website. “The name comes from a black Texan farmer—known as Uncle Ben—who grew rice so well, people compared Converted Brand Rice to his standard of excellence. The proud and dignified gentleman on our boxes, who has come to personify the brand, was a beloved Chicago chef and waiter named Frank Brown.”

In his paper, Racial Etiquette: The Racial Customs and Rules of Racial Behaviour in Jim Crow America, Ronald L. F. Davis, a professor at California State University, Northridge, noted that black men were called “Boy,” “Uncle,” and “Old Man” to denote inferiority during the Jim Crow era, a period of segregation and discrimination following the Civil War that lasted roughly until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Beyond the brand name, the New York Times said the depiction of Uncle Ben with a bow tie was “evocative of servants and Pullman porters,” the African-American men—many of them former slaves—who served white passengers on railroad sleeping cars from the 1860s to the 1960s.

Sara Schulte, external communications manager for Uncle Ben’s parent company Mars Food North America, declined Adweek’s request for an interview.

Source: Ad Week

Black Owned Coffee Brands You Can Purchase Online

1 min read

Last year, we created a viral post about Black owned Alternatives to Starbucks. Unfortunately since then, some of the businesses we listed have gone out of business or are closed temporarily due to the COVID related shutdown.

However, coffee lovers are still in luck since there are several Black owned coffee brands that you can purchase from online and enjoy at home!

Black Owned Coffee Brands

Russell’s Gourmet Coffee

black owned coffee

Signature Blends By Kim Fields 

black owned coffee

Peter’s Brew Coffee 

Blk & Bold

black owned coffee

2 Bros Coffee Co.

Boon Boona Coffee

black owned coffee

Sailor’s Brew Coffee

black owned coffee

Dope Coffee 

black owned coffee

Not So Urban Coffee & Roastery 

black owned coffee

Northwest Coffee Roasting Company

INI Sips

black owned coffee

BrickHouse Gourmet Coffee & Tea Co.

Historic Noir Coffee

black owned coffee

L A Grind Coffee & Tea Bar

Calvine’s Coffee

Kahawa 1893

MochaBox Coffee Company

Happy Beans Roaster

Bad Beans Coffee Co.

Red Bay Coffee

black owned coffee

 

-Tony O. Lawson

 


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