SHOPPE BLACK, Author at SHOPPE BLACK

Philanthropists Eddie and Sylvia Brown donate $3.5 million to the Baltimore Museum of Art

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019

3 mins read

The Baltimore Museum of Art announced Friday that philanthropists Eddie and Sylvia Brown are giving the organization $3.5 million to endow the position of chief curator.

The couple’s gift will provide a new way of paying for the post of the museum’s chief curator, the person responsible for overseeing the BMA’s 95,000-item collection and for supervising the museum’s curators, conservators and registrars. The position replaces the former job of deputy director of curatorial affairs role that was held until last summer by Jay Fisher.

Amy Sherald’s Planes, rockets, and the spaces in between (2018)

Asma Naeem, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, was appointed chief curator last August. Before coming to the BMA, Naeem was a curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery. Fisher is now director of Matisse studies at the museum.

Now that the chief curator position is endowed, the funds previously allocated to paying Naeem’s salary and other expenses of that job can be freed for other operating expenses, according to a museum spokeswoman.

The Browns previously have given major gifts to other Baltimore-area cultural institutions, including to the Maryland Institute, College of Art, where the media studies building bears their name.

Eddie Brown founded Brown Capital Management, a Baltimore investment firm with more than $8 billion in assets under management. With his wife, Sylvia, he established a foundation in their names that focuses on improving lives in inner-city Baltimore.

In a museum news release, the couple said their most recent gift was inspired by museum director Christopher Bedford’s efforts to make the BMA more diverse and inclusive.

“In recent years, the museum’s commitment to excellence has been joined with a vision to examine and present a more fulsome picture of art history, giving a platform to those artists that have previously been underrepresented or left entirely out of our cultural dialogues,” the Browns said in a joint statement.

“With the appointment of Dr. Naeem … this seemed the perfect moment to expand our support for the museum.”

Source: The Baltimore Sun

What Happened To All The Black Jockeys?

February 8, 2019March 3, 2023

5 mins read

Justify won the Triple Crown on Saturday, making him only the 13th horse since 1919 to win the Triple Crown (and only the second since 1978). And for one day, horse racing might have been the biggest horse story in America.

But after this past weekend, the attention of sports fans will quickly move on to other sports. So perhaps while attention lingers on horse racing, this is a good time to briefly review some history in the sport.

Once upon a time, horse racing was huge. In fact, in the latter part of the 19th century, horse racing was likely the biggest sport in America. And after the horses (of course), the sports stars were the jockeys.

Isaac Burns Murphy was one of these early stars. Murphy won the Kentucky Derby in 1884, 1890 and 1891 — the first jockey to win this race three times. Murphy’s success led to a yearly salary between $15,000 and $20,000, or nearly $1 million in today’s dollars.

Joe Drape, author of “Black Maestro,” told CNN: “Murphy was the first millionaire black athlete. He even had a white valet.”

Murphy was not the only Black jockey in that era. In fact, African-American jockeys at this time were quite common. Economists Michael Leeds and Hugh Rockoff recently explored this time in a working academic paper. Their paper — “Jim Crow in the Saddle: The Expulsion of African American Jockeys from American Racing” — begins by noting that in 1875, of the 15 horses in the Kentucky Derby, 13 were ridden by African-Americans.

Across the next quarter-century, Leeds and Rockoff noted, African-Americans continued to play a prominent role in horse racing. From 1875 to 1902, African-Americans rode 15 Kentucky Derby winners, with Jimmy Winkfield riding the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby in both 1901 and 1902. But Winkfield remains the last African-American to win this race.

Katherine Mooney noted that from 1921 to 2000, no black jockeys rode a horse in the Kentucky Derby. In addition, a few years ago, Sheena McKenzie of CNN noted that of the 750 members of the national Jockey’s Guild, only 30 — or 4% — were black.

What led to the disappearance of the African-American jockey?

Leeds and Rockoff argue that the high pay of stars like Murphy led more and more white jockeys to enter the field.

We find that African-American jockeys were displaced when the reward was higher. This had echoes about 75 years later, when women who coached women’s sports in American colleges were displaced by men after the passage of Title IX made coaching women’s sports more prestigious and lucrative.

How did white jockeys take away the jobs from African-Americans? Leeds and Rockoff state:

Beginning in about 1900 … white jockeys began a concerted and successful effort to force African American jockeys out of racing. Their method was violence. African-American jockeys were boxed out, run into the rail, hit with riding crops, and so on. Soon after the attack on the African-American jockeys began, they could not get rides. Owners, at the very least, gave their tacit consent to the expulsion of the African-American jockeys. It was another example of the wave of racism that engulfed America at the end of the 19th century and ended in Jim Crow.

In the end, the story of the African-American jockey is essentially the opposite of the story we often hear when we think about race and sports in America.

As Olivia Waxman observed: In many sports, the professional athletes who broke through the boundaries placed around them for being African-American — like Jackie Robinson or Jesse Owens — have remained famous figures of American history decades after their physical feats first made headlines. But when it comes to horse racing, the story has been somewhat reversed.

Today, jockeys tend to be from rural areas in Latin America. But when horse racing was king in the late 19th century, many of the top athletes were African-Americans. In essence, it was these jockeys who were the first dominant African-American athletes in United States history. And it is a sad legacy of Jim Crow that these athletes were forced out of competition and likely forgotten by most sports fans today.

Source: Forbes

Teachers around the country are decking out their doors for Black History Month

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019

4 mins read

To both inspire and inform their students about Black History Month, various teachers around the country are decorating their classroom doors — but they’re taking their decorations to the next level.

The paper and fabric-based designs are larger-than-life, depicting faces of famous black figures throughout history and boasting vibrant colors. One teacher created a door dedicated to Ruby Bridges, the first African-American student to desegregate an all-white school district in 1960, with the message: “We are brave like Ruby.”

Here are a few of the most awe-inspiring doors shared on Instagram and Twitter for this year’s Black History Month.

This teacher at Lake Alfred Elementary School in Florida created an amazing portrait for her classroom door

A post shared by Chanique Davis (@takachanique)

She titled it Black History Month, and the art club at her school helped her create the character’s lifelike hair.

This first grade dual language teacher explains the story of Ruby Bridges through her intricate door artwork

In her photo’s caption, Instagram user isapartycreations says she always kicks off Black History Month by sharing Ruby Bridges’ story, and asks her students to write about bravery.

Bridges was the first African-American student to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana, when she was only 6 years old in 1960. She has since become a civil rights activist and speaker.

A New Jersey teacher did a “guess who” door, challenging students to see if they could figure out whose portrait this was

Spoiler: It’s the face of Kenya Moore Daly, the second black woman to be crowned Miss USA in 1993.

Other teachers used collages, vibrant colors, and inspirational quotes for their doors

The quote “Who are you not to be?” can be found in the background of this door decoration, toward the left side.

The question is from a poem by Marianne Williamson called “Our Deepest Fear,” in which she writes, “We ask ourselves/Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?/Actually, who are you not to be?”

Brooklyn teacher Hollie Tubbs created this larger-than-life design for her special education students

Special education teacher Hollie Tubbs teaches in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and made waves after creating this larger-than-life door for Black History Month. Its design was purposefully layered and tactile, so that her autistic students could interact with the display.

Tubbs told the New York Daily News, “I wanted it to be a black woman’s face. I wanted her to pay homage to all the other African-Americans who were successful in their own right in various fields.”

The project took her over five hours. People were in awe of the realistic portrait, and it has since racked up nearly 90,000 likes on Twitter.

And this teacher recreated her school photo from eighth grade, showing her students that they can be their own inspiration

She wrote in her caption: “My 8yr old self is the person I admire the most … at such a young age I knew my trials and tribulations were only temporary and here I am today! One day I hope I’ll get a call from one of my students expressing how I inspired them!”

Mrs. Berlotto from Ludlow Middle School in Philadelphia depicted singer Diana Ross on her door

A giant portrait of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick hangs on this elementary school teacher’s door

Source: Insider

11 year old Jonah Larson is a Crocheting Prodigy

February 6, 2019December 28, 2020

3 mins read

Jonah Larson taught himself how to crochet at age 5 by watching YouTube videos. Now 11, he has been described as a “crocheting prodigy.” He has his own crochet business, called Jonah’s Hands, based out of his home in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Jonah Larson

Crocheting has also made him a social media star — but he doesn’t do it for fame. Jonah has more than 46,000 followers on Instagram, where he sells his goods.

“After a very hard, busy, chaotic day in this busy world with school, it’s just nice to know that I can come home and crochet in my little corner of the house while sitting by the one I love most: my mom,” Jonah tells NPR.

He tells NPR his most difficult design was crocheting a blanket with 800 plush flowers on it.

Jonah regularly donates some of his goods and money to the Ethiopian orphanage from which he was adopted as an infant.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jonah’s Hands (@jonahhands)

His mother, Jennifer Larson, doesn’t crochet, but she does run his Instagram account and has joined a few Facebook crocheting groups on his behalf. It’s up to Jonah, she says, to decide what he does with the profits.

“I don’t buy his yarn for him. He buys his own yarn from the profits he makes from selling,” she says. “He saves some money, he’s investing some money and he donates as well. So those are things I think are important in life for adults to do, and I’m glad that he can learn that at an early age.”

The crocheting community has responded positively as well, and a few people even sent him custom hooks.

“I hope people gain from seeing my work is it makes them happy too,” Jonah says. “When I see my crochet work when it’s done, it blows my mind to know that I, an 11-year-old with a tiny hook and a ball of yarn, made this amazing afghan, scarf, cowl, you name it.”

Jonah Larson

After an article was published about him in a local paper last month, his story went viral. Jonah now has over 2,500 orders and has temporarily stopped taking new requests.

His next goals: attending a crochet summer camp, attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and then becoming a surgeon.

Source: NPR

You can visit Jonah’s website here.

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Black Owned Food Stamp Startup to Deliver Food To Affected Govt Workers

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019

2 mins read

mRelief, a startup focused on helping people access food stamps. has partnered with on-demand food delivery startup DoorDash. As federal workers — especially low-wage workers like janitors, cooks and security guards — recover from the 35-day partial government shutdown, mRelief and DoorDash and are teaming up to offer DoorDash credit to those eligible for food stamps in San Francisco.

mRelief Co-Founder and Executive Director Rose Afriyie (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch)

In San Francisco, about one in four people struggle with hunger, according to the SF-Marin Food Bank. Meanwhile, $13 billion in food stamps benefits are unclaimed every year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because of the government shutdown, those low-wage workers are likely now eligible for food stamps, mRelief says.

“Our work at mRelief is about bringing the simplicity of technology typically used to provide on-demand services, to things that are critical needs,” mRelief co-founders Rose Afriyie (pictured above) and Genevieve Nielsen told TechCrunch via email.

Through startup mRelief, people with low incomes can easily figure out if they qualify for resources like food stamps, as well as other much-needed social services. Last January, mRelief launched an end-to-end process for people to enroll in the food stamp program in San Francisco. Once people complete the sign-up, qualified applicants can receive up to $35 in DoorDash credit as part of the collaboration.

“The value is that we are also trying to learn how this initiative might positively impact the process of applying for food assistance,” DoorDash Social Impact Manager Sueli Shaw said in a statement to TechCrunch.

First launched in 2014 as part of Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator, mRelief has helped people receive $65 million worth of food stamps across the nation.

Source: TechCrunch

Pastor Blends Faith and Farms to end Food Insecurity in Black Churches

February 4, 2019

7 mins read

Several years ago, Rev. Heber Brown III decided he needed to do more than pray. The now 38-year-old pastor at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland, noticed more members of his congregation were suffering from diet-related illnesses.

In Baltimore City, one in three residents is obese and 12 percent has Type 2 diabetes — two conditions that disproportionately affect black Americans.

Additionally, 34 percent of black residents in Baltimore live in food deserts (compared to 8 percent of white residents) and don’t have regular access to fresh, healthy and affordable foods.

So Brown turned to seeds, in addition to scripture, and started a garden on a 1,500-square-foot plot of land in front of the church. Today, that garden grows everything from summer squash to kale, and yields 1,100 pounds of produce — all to feed the community that meets weekly to worship.

“It was amazing,” said Brown, who, in addition to starting the garden, partnered with black farmers in the area to bring pop-up markets to the church after Sunday service.

Rev. Heber Brown III and Aleya Fraser, co-founder of Black Dirt Farm, hold up produce from the farm.

“We saw attendance bump up in our worship, we saw a great energy … and it went so [well] here, that I wondered what would happen if we could spread it through other churches and create a network of churches that do the same thing.”

In 2015, Brown launched The Black Church Food Security Network — a grassroots initiative that empowers black churches to establish a sustainable food system to combat the systemic injustices and disparities that plague black Americans, who, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sicker and poorer than non-black Americans.

The network currently operates at more than 10 congregations in Baltimore, most of which are located in the city’s “food priority areas.” There are also participating churches and farms in D.C., Virginia and North Carolina — and the list is growing.

“We have people contacting us from all over — different religions, different parts of the city. The phone is always ringing, the emails are always coming in from churches saying, ‘Hey, we want in,’” said Brown, who added that he also receives interest from people of different races.

“They see it as important, they recognize that farmers markets are great, but there are gaps that farmers markets are not filling, and African American farmers, in particular, have unique struggles.”

His goal is to meet a need on both ends of the spectrum by supplying under-served communities with the food they need, while moving and marketing the food produced.

Merging faith and food may seem unconventional to some, but Brown said every time he talks about connecting churches with agriculture, he gets “ready amens and strong head nods.”

Church members tending to the Black Food Security Network garden at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church.

“It just makes sense,” said Brown, who finds inspiration for his work from visionaries such as Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative in 1967, and Vernon Johns.

“Spirituality and agriculture have a deep relationship that is outlined in sacred scripture and that is practiced in weekly gatherings in worship spaces, and so I have no problem getting people to buy into this vision.”

These days, Brown does less digging and harvesting and focuses more on connecting communities with farmers and matching volunteers with various church gardens. He also helps churches figure out how to make use of the space they already own — classrooms, kitchens and land — most of which are only utilized once a week.

“And I think that’s a gross waste of resources,” Brown said.

“If your Monday through Saturday approach can include agriculture initiatives — farming or gardening or supporting a local farmer — that’s a big-time plus.”

It’s also an empowering and sustainable model when it comes to fighting hunger. Too often, food insecure communities receive charity, which is great in emergency situations, but is not a long-term fix.

“And I think solutions for the long haul have to spring from those who are most directly affected by the issue,” Brown said.

“Food is always going to be a priority for our communities. And churches and faith-based organizations, I got a strong hunch, will always be here.”

Brown sees The Black Church Food Security Network “going far into the future,” one community at a time. He dreams of a day when churches across the country have markets where “people can come and praise and worship and sing and get a good chunk of the groceries they need for their household at the same time.”

And for those outside of the black church who want to help, Brown said supporting, not leading, is the most productive strategy.

“If you come in with the mentality that I cannot be fully free until everybody is fully free, it makes for better partners,” he said.

“And if we are strategic in being courageous subversives for each other, then I think the world that our children will inherit will be better than the one that we’re in right now.”

Source: WTOP

Meet The Founder of the Company that is Changing the African Travel Narrative

February 4, 2019

5 mins read

Cheraé Robinson is the founder of Tastemakers Africa, a travel company that curates and arranges local experiences in cities across the continent.

Due to a reignited interest in traveling to African countries, we caught up with her to find out what her thoughts are and how this affects her business.

What is the biggest misconception people have about Africa.

I think we have sort of the stereotypes that have been well documented (poverty, war, conflict, corruption) but I honestly think the bigger issue once we get past that is that people haven’t thought about it at all. We’ve been fed that Paris is paradise or that the Caribbean is the only affordable destination for us. So ignorance is at this point the biggest issue.

You sold out your Ghana 2019 trip in 48hrs. Would you say this year will be a game changer for travel to Africa?

I wouldn’t say the year is a game changer in and of itself but this year is a harvest so to speak. Over the last five years there has been a concerted effort by creatives, companies like my own, entrepreneurs, and others to really show people a more dynamic view of the continent.

I think we saw this hit fever pitch, particularly in Ghana with Bozoma Saint John’s Full Circle Festival bringing nearly 100 people from the entertainment world to Ghana. I think this says a lot about the impact that illustrating the ties that bind via shared culture can have on transforming perception.

Quick story, I landed back in NYC on Jan 1st this year from Ghana and had to run to T-Mobile the next day. Somehow I mentioned that I was just back from Ghana and the T mobile employees were HYPE! Meanwhile this is in EAST NEW YORK.

So these weren’t necessarily your intellectual pan africans so to speak, these were young kids from Brooklyn who wanted to go to Ghana because it looked poppin on the gram. That to me is how we can see the transformation, like this is true change.

In the past 5 years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life?

Two things: the concept of “run your own race” and really understanding that most people are literally trying to win themselves, hanging on to slights, real or perceived doesn’t benefit you so it’s best to accept people as other humans trying to do the best they can with our time here. Those two things have been incredibly freeing.

How do you feel tourism is linked to Black economic empowerment on the continent and in the Diaspora?

Tourism is a significant percentage of GDP in many countries and it’s often undercounted due to the blurry lines between tourism related dining, retail, and transport.

When you think about tourism and black people, it serves the BEE agenda on a few fronts:

Intercultural monetary exchange (black travelers with USD supporting black businesses on the continent)
Longer term economic plays, tourism is an entry point to understanding investment and business opportunities in new markets, this is even more true for the African market. A trip is often the best way to spot opportunities and make valuable connections which are required to do business in a country. If we can leap forward from this point and marry capital, skills, knowledge and access in a two way mechanism, that is transformational at a generational level.

Where do you see the company 5 years from now?

I see Tastemakers as sort of an AirBnB x Vice Magazine hybrid providing end to end inspiration and connection points to millions of people across Africa and its diaspora around the world.

-Tony Oluwatoyin Lawson (IG @thebusyafrican)

W. E. B. Du Bois and The Year of Return for African Diaspora

February 2, 2019

8 mins read

In the heart of Accra, Ghana’s capital, just a few meters from the United States embassy, lie the tombs of W. E. B. Du Bois, a great African-American civil rights leader, and his wife, Shirley.

The founder of the US-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People moved to Accra in 1961, settling in the city’s serene residential area of Labone and living there until his death in August 1963.

President Kwame Nkrumah along with WEB Dubois and Shirley Graham Dubois in Ghana, 1960.

Du Bois’s journey to Ghana may have signaled the emergence of a profound desire among Africans in the diaspora to retrace their roots and return to the continent. Ghana was a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

The W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Center for Pan African Culture

In Washington, D.C., in September 2018, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo declared and formally launched the “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” for Africans in the Diaspora, giving fresh impetus to the quest to unite Africans on the continent with their brothers and sisters in the diaspora.

At that event, President Akufo-Addo said, “We know of the extraordinary achievements and contributions they [Africans in the diaspora] made to the lives of the Americans, and it is important that this symbolic year—400 years later—we commemorate their existence and their sacrifices.”

W. E. B. Du Bois during the ceremony in which he received an honorary degree from the University of Ghana on his 95th birthday, February 23, 1963. Credit: Digital Commonwealth

200 years since the abolition of slavery

US Congress members Gwen Moore of Wisconsin and Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, diplomats and leading figures from the African-American community, attended the event.

Representative Jackson Lee linked the Ghanaian government’s initiative with the passage in Congress in 2017 of the 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act.

Provisions in the act include the setting up of a history commission to carry out and provide funding for activities marking the 400th anniversary of the “arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619.”

Since independence in 1957, successive Ghanaian leaders have initiated policies to attract Africans abroad back to Ghana.

In his maiden independence address, then–Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah sought to frame Africa’s liberation around the concept of Africans all over the world coming back to Africa.

“Nkrumah saw the American Negro as the vanguard of the African people,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr., Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard, who first traveled to Ghana when he was 20 and fresh out of Harvard, afire with Nkrumah’s spirit.

“He wanted to be able to utilize the services and skills of African-Americans as Ghana made the transition from colonialism to independence.”

Ghana’s parliament passed a Citizenship Act in 2000 to make provision for dual citizenship, meaning that people of Ghanaian origin who have acquired citizenships abroad can take up Ghanaian citizenship if they so desire.

That same year the country enacted the Immigration Act, which provides for a “Right of Abode” for any “Person of African descent in the Diaspora” to travel to and from the country “without hindrance.”

Du Bois (center) at his 95th birthday party in 1963 in Ghana, with President of the Republic of Ghana Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (right) and First Lady Fathia Nkrumah.

The Joseph Project

In 2007, in its 50th year of independence, the government initiated the Joseph Project to commemorate 200 years since the abolition of slavery and to encourage Africans abroad to return.

Similar to Israel’s policy of reaching out to Jews across Europe and beyond following the Holocaust, the Joseph Project is named for the Biblical Joseph who was sold into slavery in Egypt but would later reunite with his family and rule Egypt.

The African-American community is excited about President Akufo-Addo’s latest initiative. In social media posts, many expressed interest in visiting Africa for the first time.

Among them is Amber Walker, a media practitioner who says that 2019 is the time to visit her ancestral home.

“The paradox of being an African-American is that we occupy spaces where we are not being considered as citizens. So I love the idea of Ghana taking the lead to kind of help African-Americans claim their ancestral space,” she told Africa Renewal. “It is a step in the right direction.

“It is definitely comforting because that kind of red carpet has not been rolled out by our oppressors in the Western world,” she added.

In making the announcement, President Akufo-Addo said: “Together on both sides of the Atlantic, we’ll work to make sure that never again will we allow a handful of people with superior technology to walk into Africa, seize their people and sell them into slavery. That must be our resolution, that never again, never again!”

But Walker took issue with Akufo-Addo for appearing to downplay the actions of some Africans in the slave trade.

“In the president’s [Akufo-Addo’s] statement, he sounds like the entire blame is placed on white people coming in with weapons and taking black people away, but that’s not necessarily the history. So I think that needs to be acknowledged,” she said.

She suggested a form of reconciliation such as took place in post-apartheid South Africa—a truth and reconciliation process that will satisfy the millions of Africans whose forefathers were sold into slavery.

In 2013 the United Nations declared 2015–2024 the International Decade for People of African Descent to “promote respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent.”

The theme for the ten-year celebration is “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.”

The “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” will coincide with the biennial Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (Panafest), which is held in Cape Coast, home of Cape Coast Castle and neighbouring Elmina Castle—two notable edifices recognized by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as World Heritage Sites of the slave era.

Source: IPS News

Cover image: by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast

Meet the Owner of Slutty Vegan, Atlanta’s Hottest Vegan Spot

January 31, 2019May 9, 2022

5 mins read

What do you get when you mix the growing popularity of vegan food with brilliant marketing and a great product? A line of people, several blocks deep, outside your business on opening day. This is the “problem” that Atlanta’s newest vegan eatery, Slutty Vegan had when it opened on January 14th.

We reached out to owner Pinky Cole to find out more about her and her business.

What inspired you to start Slutty Vegan?

Slutty vegan was created summer of 2018 in my small two-bedroom apartment. I was lying in bed late in the evening and had a serious hankering for vegan junk food.

At the time, there was no place here in Atlanta at had what I needed. I figured it was time to satisfy that need. Boom! Slutty Vegan came to life.

What has been the most challenging and the most gratifying thing about owning a business thus far?

Since its creation, like all businesses, Slutty Vegan has run into its fair share of challenges. Most challenging, surprisingly, has been keeping up with the demand from the city.

Because of our sensational growth, we have had to learn how to grow at an exponential rate while making sure we have excellent customer service and every customer is satisfied.

Crazy lines on opening day (Credit:Westview Atlanta)

However great this difficulty, we appreciate and love the community support. Interestingly enough, that challenge has been one of the most gratifying aspects. Imagine me, a young single mom from Baltimore jump-starting the vegan movement here in Atlanta!

Tha crazy growth has been nothing short of inspiring and the pleasure I get knowing the culture and health shift I’m at the forefront of is so humbling. I am so thankful for the opportunity and pressure.

In the past 5 years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

Having faith and striving to attain goals that previously, I would have been afraid would have failed. In the past 5 years, my prayer life has shifted my outlook, perspective, and approach to life. Prayer has removed said fear and I can step out of faith regardless of imminent outcome. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t shoot.”

What is one thing about you that may surprise most people?

I think it surprises people that I’m truly an HBCU ride or die regular or maybe not so regular girl.

I attended Clark Atlanta University where I pledged, pageanted, and excelled. Atlanta has truly adopted me, and most would even think I’m from here; sometimes it even feels like that.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

If I had to give any advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, it would be to write every idea and thought down and to stay consistent and persistent. Most small businesses take years to see a profit and the millennial generation is microwave and expects overnight success.

Generally, this won’t happen, and successful businesses are grown from “long game thinking.” Understanding and planning for long term success and preparing yourself to be persistent on the journey there will make the difference.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

In 5 years, I see Slutty vegan country-wide providing vegan experiences in communities where they would have otherwise never had that opportunity. We are here for the community.

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Celebrate Love with These Black Owned Wedding Planners and Florists

January 29, 2019February 1, 2023

1 min read

Weddings are one of the most important events in a couple’s life, and finding the right vendors to bring their vision to life can be a challenge.

Often, for us, finding wedding vendors who understand our cultural and aesthetic preferences can be even more difficult. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive list of Black-owned wedding planners and florists who bring their unique perspectives and creativity to every celebration.

From stunning floral arrangements to expert event planning, these talented individuals are dedicated to helping couples make their big day truly unforgettable.