January 2020

Embracing A New Decade

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Contents

Black Business News…January 2020 5 6

About the Black Business News Group…

Publisher's Message

Government 8 9

10

Kamala Harris to Donald Trump: see you at trial!

Jovita Carranza Pledges to Create More Opportunities for Women, Underserved, and Veteran Entrepreneurs No One, Not Even the President, is Above the Law.

Entertainment 26 33

BBN Show Biz Buzz Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Director Victoria Mahoney Is Making History

New Decade Strategies 50 51 52 56 59 60

Here's How to Start a Business in 2020 The Nature of Marketing in 2020 10X Your Profitability and Impact Through SaaS & AIaaS 20 Metatrends for the 2020s Want to Start Your Own Business? Here's One Great Way to Do It Five Technology Trends in 2020 that Will Affect Your Business

Business 36 38 40

27 11

11 12

14

16

18 19

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar Tweets Fake Photo of Obama Shaking Hands with Iranian President Bid on USTDA-Funded Projects!

Poor People's Campaign Calls on United Nations to Hold Trump/U.S. Accountable for War Crimes - Sign the Petition House Passes Key Defense Legislation Establishing Space Force and Paid Parental Leave U.S. CyberCom Contemplates Information Warfare to Counter Russian Interference in the 2020 Election Earthshot Prize: William and Kate Launch Prize to 'Repair the Earth' Apple Responds "No" to Request to Unlock Pensacola Shooter's Phone

42 46 48 64 78

How to Chart the Right Course for Your Company's Transformation 12 African Startups to Watch in 2020 Seven Tips to Keep Your TV (and Other Devices) from Spying on You Big Sister is Listening – Here's How to Stop Her Black Business Owners with 750+ Credit Scores are Rejected for Loans The Groundtruth Project - Report for America Mariya Russell, the First Black Woman to Command a Michelin-starred Kitchen 8 Ways Entrepreneurs Lose the Attention of Investors (Customers) Within 1 Minute of Meeting

Community/Public Interest 82 84

CBCF Honors the Life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early Childhood Education Initiative to

Editorials/Perspectives 73 76

New Year Wishes and Work: Pursuing and Practicing Peace The Spirit of the Emancipation Proclamation is Under Attack Again Today 4  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

6

About

ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS GROUP‌ The mission of The Black Business News (BBN) is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity news, the publications of the Black Business News Group (a division of the Black Business Association) impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news aecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management eďŹƒciencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include: •

promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.

•

oering business growth enhancing information on education, exhibitioning, international trading, technology, industry trends, and more.

•

exploring major public and private sector contracting methods to educate black-owned and operated enterprises.

•

providing an aďŹƒrmative influence for emerging entrepreneurs by sharing innovative design and creative cultural content that exposes them to the history of black enterprises and urges them to participate in the USA’s future.

•

advocating and promoting on behalf of g black-owned businesses by promoting the need for expanding an economicc d foundation that supports an unfettered h and self-sustained urban society with USA job creation and economic op-d portunity, where blacks work, live and operate viable business enterprises.

View back issues at: https://issuu.com/ blackbusinessnews Click on FOLLOW to receive all new issues.

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Prices Up Cargill Invests Over $113 Million in Ghana, Ivory Coast Akon Created His Own City in Senegal called 'Akon City'

Columns 66 98 106 167 173 175

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African Stock Exchanges Shopping Gallery Books to Consider...

Resource Vault BBA 2020 Master Planner

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Publisher's Message

“BBA - 50 YEARS OF VALUED SERVICE”

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II Pubisher/Editor-In-Chief

A

s the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the Black Business News Group publications and the President of the Black Business Association (BBA), I am pleased to say that the BBA has kicked off the 3rd decade of the new millennium with our yearlong celebration of the work of the Black Business Association. The BBA is celebrating 50 years of service to the Black Business community, locally, nationally and internationally (page 22).

Established in 1970 in Los Angeles, California to ensure that the gains of the Civil Rights Movement Years were applied to the Black Business community, the BBA embarked on their work as advocates on behalf of inclusion and to place Black Businesses before local, national and federal government agencies and before corporate America for consideration for contract opportunities.

Advocacy efforts expanded to include education efforts. Black businesses needed to be coached on bid preparation, on how govenment works and on how to successfully service a contract when you win. And many Black businesses won contracts due to the work of the Black Business Association.

The BBA also tackled the task of educating corporate and government contract administrators. The staff and board members had to be prodded into postures of recognizing that the times were changing and that their standard practices had to be changed.

The diversity challenge still exists. Black businesses still do not win as many bids for government and

corporate contracts as they should, business loans are still denied even successful businesses (see page 46), and diversity on corporate boards is still not what is should be.

The Black Business Association is still at work, along with other adovocacy organizations. They have added more tools to their work chest - print and digital publications, education and fund raising events, training programs and international and national trade missions.

The BBA is preparing to make more use of the digital and internet tools to keep us all better informed when it comes to new opportunities for propelling business growth, expanding employment and career options, and encouraging the entrepreneur community to keep on creating new businesses and new products.

The Black Business News Group, a creation of the BBA, will be publishing stories from the 50 year history of the BBAthroughout 2020. Watch this space! 

Speaking of Bidding on Gov Contracts

T

ake a look at the opportunity notice on page 11.

There has been a change in the manner in which the Federal government is announcing some contracting opportunities. USTDA's grant-based feasibility studies and technical assistance bids are only available on their website (https://ustda.gov/business-opportunities).

If this classification of business opportunity fits your profile, get the update-to-date news. 

6  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

SBA Has a New Administrator

J

ovita Carranza now serves as the 26th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Ms. Carranza pledges to "…put particular emphasis on opening more doors for women and for entrepreneurs in underserved communities, including military families and veterans. And I intend to prioritize disaster preparedness.”. See page 9. 

Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA 1-323-291-7819 Fax: 1-323-298-5064

www.bbala.org

Welcome to a New Decade

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

W

e acknowledge the new decade - 2020s - by aggregating a set of articles that we hope will give you a boost into this decade.

Starting on page 50 and ending on page 61, this series of articles offer information and insights that we believe can assist our readers as we all take a long look at how do we sustain our businesses and well as grow our businesses in this new, very digital and tech laden decade.

The articles address marketing in the new age, being more profitable, trends to be aware of and especially ensuring that we move forward into this decade with our Core Business Values in tact. Let's all be successful. 

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Donald Byers, Jr.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Sarah Harris  Dean L. Jones

ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Linda Ware

PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Africa Enters the new Decade, too

Bene Uche Linda Ware Ralph D. Sutton Timothy Lester, Jr. Veronica Hendrix Giavanna Foster Aman Williams Daniella Masterson LaSandra Stratton

T

wo nations are working together to retake control of one of the continent's prime comodoties - Cocoa (page 99). The new Chocolate Cartel is, hopefully, the start of a more aggressive approach to altering the manner of conducting business on the continent. Let's see if this becomes a trend for the 2020s. 

Doing Business During this Annual Historic Time of Year

GRAPHIC DESIGN

J

anuary through March is a period for intensive marketing based on shared heritage and history. While this mode of business conduct starts in the end of the year from Thanksgiving, Christmas and o Kwanzaa, it continues into the start of the year K w with Dr. King and Civil Rights in January and B Black History Month in February. For some businesses, Women's History Month is also a b kkey marketing opportunity.

We suggest that our readers continue to visit tthe Shopping Gallery which starts on page 106. We add new businesses from time to time 1 b but even to be reminded of the wide variety of options we have to select from as a Black community to express our love of heritage and reverance for our history. 

Acknowledging the Life & Death of Kobe Bryant We are saddened by the sudden death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and friends in the deadly crash on Sunday, January 26h. Our commemorative on one of our heroes, Kobe Bryant, will be published in the February 2020 issue of the Black Business News. We invite you to submit commentary on how Kobe's life impacted yours by visiting the BBA website at www.bbala.org.  www.bbala.org Image credits: iStock

Sarah Harris Tia Robinson

STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg Jennifer Marie Hamilton

PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx Sabir Narishima Osei

CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton

LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2020

by Black Business News All Rights Reserved.

The posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.  Cover image: postermywall.

com

7  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - Impeachment

Kamala Harris to Donald Trump: see you at trial!

By Bill Palmer

Senator Kamala Harris Fox News

S

enator Kamala Harris dropped out of the 2020 Democratic primary race. This prompted Donald Trump to gloat about it on Twitter like an idiot.

But suffice it to say that Kamala got the last word, and she just hinted about what she thinks his fate is going to end up being.

Donald Trump sarcastically tweeted “Too bad. We will miss you Kamala!” In response, Kamala Harris said “Don’t worry, Mr. President. I’ll see you at your trial.” Here’s the kicker. Trump is definitely about to be on impeachment trial in the Senate, where Kamala Harris has a powerful presence. But that’s not the only trial he’s going to end up facing.

After Kamala Harris dropped out, there was quite a bit of speculation across social media that a Democratic president could choose her to be U.S. Attorney General. This is for good reason, as Harris has already

proven herself as the former Attorney General of California. She’d be the perfect person to clean up the Department of Justice, after what Donald Trump and Bill Barr have done to it. That would also mean that Harris would be the one bringing federal criminal charges against Trump; she’d be the one responsible for putting him on criminal trial.

So you can read into Kamala Harris’ tweet however you like. She’s obviously referring primarily to Donald Trump’s upcoming Senate impeachment trial. But is she also referring to his inevitable post-presidency federal criminal trial? Did she just subtly throw her hat in the ring for Attorney General? We’ll see; we know we haven’t heard the last from her.  www.palmerreport.com/analysis/kamala-harris-to-donaldtrump-see-you-at-trial/23376/

8  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - New SBA Administrator

Jovita Carranza Pledges to Create More Opportunities for Women, Underserved, and Veteran Entrepreneurs Received Broad Bipartisan Support During U.S. Senate Confirmation as New SBA Administrator

J

ovita Carranza now serves as the 26th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Administrator Carranza will lead the only federal agency exclusively dedicated to assisting small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting, growing, and expanding their businesses.

Additionally, the SBA provides targeted recovery support in the event of a declared disaster. This is Administrator Carranza’s second tenure at the SBA. She served in the George W. Bush Administration as Deputy Administrator, from 2006-2009. The President nominated Administrator Carranza to lead the SBA while she was serving as the 44th Treasurer of the United States. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a strong bipartisan vote of 88-5.

“I want to thank the President for his confidence in me to be an advocate in the Cabinet for our country’s 30 million small businesses, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to the U.S. Senate for confirming me in a bipartisan fashion,” Administrator Carranza said. “I look forward to helping elevate female entrepreneurs and our military veterans, expanding access to SBA resources among entrepreneurs in disadvantaged communities, and continuing to prioritize disaster relief.”

“I would like to thank former Administrator Linda McMahon for her leadership at the SBA, and the dedicated professionals at the Agency during this transition,” said Administrator Carranza.

Administrator Carranza’s experience includes a remarkable 30-year career with United Parcel Service, where she began as an hourly dock worker, rose to oversee operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, and ultimately retired as the highestranking Latina in the company’s history.

In testimony on December 11, 2019, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Administrator Carranza discussed her hands-on experience in the private sector, public service and the life-changing potential of entrepreneurship: “Throughout my life – as a young girl in a workingclass community, as an executive leader at a global company, and as a government official – I’ve seen the transformative power entrepreneurship can have on individuals, communities, and the global economy.”

Administrator Carranza pledged to preside over an Agency focused on creating more opportunities for women and historically underrepresented entrepreneurs while ensuring the SBA remains prepared to assist displaced homeowners and small businesses impacted by disaster: “Members of this Committee, whatever success I achieved in life has been a function of not only hard work, but also opportunity, guidance and advocacy I received from others. … I will leverage the power of this agency to continue to provide the same kind of support that I received, to entrepreneurs who need it most.

I intend to put particular emphasis on opening more doors for women and for entrepreneurs in underserved communities, including military families and veterans. And I intend to prioritize disaster preparedness.”

Administrator Carranza earned her MBA from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and received executive, governance, management and financial training at the INSEAD Business School in Paris, France; Michigan State University; and the University of Chicago. 

9  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - Impeachment

No One, Not Even the President, is Above the Law.

By Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP

T

he NAACP appreciates the courage and dedication of the U.S. House of Representatives in voting to impeach President Trump on two articles: Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress.

These votes were cast after extensive investigation and reflection, and we thank the Representatives who

showed the courage of their convictions to stand up for the Constitution and place our rule of law above the interests and actions of a single individual.

This past July, at our annual convention, NAACP members unanimously supported impeaching Donald Trump. Not only because of his abuses of power, but also because of his racist actions and rhetoric that have long shown us how unfit he is to serve as our president.

As the process moves to the Senate, the NAACP is calling on senators to discharge their constitutional obligations to conduct a fair and impartial trial, and treat this national crisis with the gravity it deserves.

The NAACP was at the forefront of pushing for Trump’s impeachment, and we’ll continue to lead the way because we’ll always stand on the right side of history—the side that’s defending and fighting for the rights of Black people. 

10  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

www.naacp.org

Government - Fake News Alert!!!

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar Tweets Fake Photo of Obama Shaking Hands with Iranian President

By Igor Derysh

R

ep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., tweeted a fake photograph of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. In reality, Obama never met Rouhani.

"The world is a better place without these guys in power," Gosar wrote alongside the altered photo, which appeared to depict Obama with two thumbs.

Obama had never met in person with Rouhani, who remains in power despite Gosar’s claim.

CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski pointed out that the image was actually from photoshopped from Obama’s 2011 meeting with then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While Obama never actually met Rouhani, Gosar’s tweet also ignored the fact that President Donald Trump offered to meet with Rouhani “anytime they want” without any preconditions.

“I’ll meet with anybody,” he said in 2018. “I believe in meeting . . . There’s nothing wrong with meeting.”

The same fake image tweeted by Gosar was previously used by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in an ad criticizing the Iran nuclear deal, BuzzFeed News reported. 

FAKE PHOTO

www.salon.com/2020/01/07/gop-rep-paul-gosar-tweetsfake-photo-of-obama-shaking-hands-with-iranian-president/

source: firstpost

Bid on USTDA-Funded Projects!

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!

O

pportunities to bid on USTDA's grant-based feasibility studies and technical assistance are now only available on our website (https://ustda.gov/business-opportunities). The Federal Business Opportunities website is now defunct, and the System for Award Management website will no longer post information about USTDA's many grant-funded opportunities available to U.S. companies.

Also follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/ustda) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/USTDA/) for everything you need about our procurement opportunities!  11  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - Invitation to Petition

Poor People's Campaign Calls on United Nations to Hold Trump/U.S. Accountable for War Crimes - Sign the Petition Human Rights c/o Craig Mokhiber, Director, OHCHR New York Dear Commissioner Bachelet,

Petition Target: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is gravely disturbed, indeed outraged, by the death that is occurring because of our President’s rogue actions in the Middle East. We join with faith leaders and moral advocates across the country in requesting that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights hold our government accountable for violating the UN Charter and escalating us toward war with Iran.

The lives of people in the Middle East and around the globe hang in the balance. The lives of those we represent — among the 140 million poor and low wealth in the United States, 43% of the U.S. population — also hang in the balance as the world teeters on the precipice of a devastating war.

Petition Content: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

We write gravely disturbed, indeed outraged, by the death that is occurring because of our President’s rogue actions in the Middle East. His willingness to bypass congressional approval, violate international law, pardon convicted war criminals, implement harsher sanctions and abandon existing peace deals, sets a dangerous precedent that can have continued lethal and destabilizing results.

The U.S. President's order to carry out a lethal drone strike violated the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force. The assassination of General Qassim Suleimani represented an act of war against a country with whom the United States was not at war. Trump’s claim of imminent danger from Suleimani is unfounded and must be investigated.

The threat to add new sanctions to Iran, and to involve the NATO military alliance, all indicate that the threat of war remains very real. Furthermore, we know that the majority of impact from these sanctions will be on the poor.

We will not be silent as our president publicly announces willingness to commit a minimum of 52 violations of international law and war crimes — attacking civilian and cultural centers, including churches, museums, mosques and libraries in Iran.

Further, Trump has said he would do it once again without authorization from Congress. Indeed, these are disturbing, world-altering actions which, if allowed, will bring war that could escalate to world-wide proportions.

As U.S. moral advocates and faith leaders who understand our collective accountability to human rights for all around the world, we are requesting your immediate intervention in the present moral crisis. The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, threatens international peace and security. The United Nations, beginning with

12  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II President, Repairers of the Breach Co-Chair Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis Executive Director, Kairos Center Co-Chair Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival [Following in alphabetical order] Joyce Ajlouny, General

its human rights system, must respond to its violations of human rights, its violations of international law and the UN Charter, and its violations of the laws of war.

The lives of people in the Middle East and around the globe hang in the balance. The lives of those we represent — among the 140 million poor and low wealth in the United States, 43% of the U.S. population — also hang in the balance as the world teeters on the precipice of a devastating war.

Dr. Martin Luther King taught us that “war is the enemy of the poor.” War is a crime against the poor civilians of Iran, Iraq, and the whole Middle East region, who pay for U.S. wars with the destruction of their lives, their health, their homes and their country’s environment. It’s a crime against the poor of the U.S. as well who pay with their tax dollars going to the Pentagon instead of to jobs, health care and a green new deal. And who pay with their lives and health through disproportionate service in the military.

As a nation, we cannot seek goodness and peace while at the same time pursuing the evils of war. We cannot uproot systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, and the false moral narrative while embracing militarism and the war economy.

We believe that the international community, through the United Nations, alongside mobilized social movements of poor and marginalized and committed people, must respond to these violations of human rights, the violations of international law, the threats of more war crimes to come.

It is with profound humility and careful moral discernment that we are urging you to help hold our government accountable for making war on the Middle East and on its own people.

Respectfully submitted,

Secretary, American Friends Service Committee Sr. Dottie Almoney, ELCA Deaconess Community Rev. Traci D. Blackmon, Associate General Minister, Justice & Local Church Ministries, The United Church of Christ Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies Bishop Yvette Flunder, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries Imam Khalid Griggs, Vice President, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Roshi Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins, Director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Reverend Dr. Alvin O’Neal Jackson, Executive Director Mass Poor People’s Assembly and Moral March on Washington

Valarie Kaur, Sikh activist, Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project The Rev. Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderator, 223rd General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Rev. Dr. John Mendez, Pastor Emeritus of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Progressive National Baptist Convention Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, President/CEO Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Sister Noreen Stevens, ELCA Deaconess Community Rev. Dr. Robin Tanner, National Director for Religious Affairs, Repairers of the Breach, Minister, Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, New Jersey Rabbi Arthur Waskow, PhD, The Shalom Center Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, Executive Director, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Min. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, School for Conversion

Petition Support: Sign the petition here - www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/faith-leaders-moraladvocates-iran-letter  www.poorpeoplescampaign.org Image credits: WordPress, CNN

13  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - Establishing the U.S. Space Force

House Passes Key Defense Legislation Establishing Space Force and Paid Parental Leave

By Elizabeth McLaughlin and Conor Finnegan

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he House passed a key defense bill that includes the establishment of the Space Force, 12 weeks of paid parental leave for civil servant and reforms for privatized military housing.

The agreement on the contents of the bill have been hailed as a moment of bipartisanship amid the contentious impeachment debate currently embroiling Capitol Hill.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 passed in a 377-48 vote in the House, setting it up for a vote in the Senate before the bill moves to the president's desk for signature.

However, a separate spending bill will be required to fund the policy items listed in the NDAA. President Donald Trump touted the bill as a success on Wednesday ahead of the House vote, tweeting that he would sign it "immediately."

Here are some of the items included in this year's NDAA:

Space Force The NDAA will establish the U.S. Space Force as the sixth armed service, joining the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. It will be housed under the Air Force in a similar manner as to how the Marine Corps is a part of the Navy.

A congressional logjam on the bill was removed late last week after Democrats secured an agreement for paid leave in return for support for the creation of Space Force, a key initiative of the Trump administration.

Paid parental leave The defense bill will provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal civilian employees in the event of birth or adoption of a child.

“Including paid family leave is a victory for all workers because it will help push more employers in the right direction and ensure more workers get paid family leave," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., in a statement on

Monday. "Expanding access to paid family leave helps the health and economic well-being of individuals who have it and strengthens the ability of employers to retain their workers.”

Military housing reforms The NDAA implements reforms to privatized military housing, the most substantial overhaul to the system since it was created in 1996.

"These reforms address the considerable gaps in oversight and accountability seen at all levels of housing management from ineffective housing offices, to substandard property management, to underengaged military leadership," a summary of the NDAA conference agreement said.

The state of privatized military housing was thrust into the spotlight following news reports that revealed issues with mold, lead paint and vermin at military installations across the country.

The NDAA also requires that the services establish a Tenant Bill of Rights.

More military aid to Ukriane The NDAA increased security assistance funding to Ukraine to $300 million to include lethal defense weapons.

The $250 million in aid authorized last year became the center of the impeachment proceedings against the president after it was revealed that the White House had blocked the flow of aid in order to pressure the Ukrainian government into opening a probe into former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 presidential candidate, and his son Hunter.

What else is included in the NDAA? The NDAA includes $5.3 billion in emergency disaster recovery funding to help military installations affected by extreme weather and natural disasters, the re-authorization of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program and a prohibition on the use of firefighting

14  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) after October 2024.

It also has legislation named after Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died after being held in North Korean custody, that expands mandatory sanctions on foreign banks and companies facilitating illicit transactions with Pyongyang. Warmbier's family had actively lobbied for the legislation.

What's not in the NDAA? The NDAA did not include an amendment that would have ended the Trump administration's ban on transgender service members. The amendment, which was approved by the House in a 242 to 187 vote, also would have codified non-discrimination in the armed forces.

The bill also excludes two key foreign policy provisions that the House had passed to push back against the president's fierce defense of Saudi Arabia.

Trump has repeatedly insisted on U.S. support for the Saudi and United Arab Emirates coalition's fight against Houthi rebels in Yemen -- vetoing both a series of resolutions to block arms sales to the two countries and a historic War Powers resolution to withdraw U.S. military support for the coalition.

In the face of those vetoes, the House passed a measure to block futures arms sales to the coalition.

But during negotiations on the final text, it was

stripped from the NDAA, prompting some progressive lawmakers to call for the bill to be vetoed, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

The final legislation also waters down a measure passed overwhelmingly by the House in a 405 to 7 vote to require the Director of National Intelligence to issue a report on which Saudi officials are responsible for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and issue sanctions.

The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that likely includes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS -- something the Trump administration has so far denied.

(MORE: Newly released transcripts tell last, gruesome moments of columnist Jamal Khashoggi) Instead, the bill will only require the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to issue a report, leaving it in the administration's hands to take action afterwards. This is something they have refused to do thus far, beyond adopting the Saudi narrative of a rogue operation and punishing nearly all the same officials that the Saudis have.

"Congress clearly bent to the will of the White House in dropping NDAA provisions that would have sanctioned Khashoggi's murderers and limited support to Saudi Arabia's air war in Yemen," said Rob Berschinski, senior vice president of Human Rights First. "After talking a strong game, Congress essentially allowed MBS a free pass. The reason, it seems, is that Congressional Republicans ultimately don’t want to run afoul of Trump, and Trump supports MBS categorically."  https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-strikes-dealwhite-house-passing-key-defense/story?id=67663735 Image credit: John Hain, Pixabay

15  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - Cyber Warfare to Protect U.S. Elections Nakasone told a defense forum earlier this month. “We can’t let up. This is something we cannot be episodic about. The defense of our nation, the defense of our elections, is something that will be every single day for as long as I can see into the future.”

The options being considered build on an operation Cybercom undertook last fall in the run-up to the midterm elections. Beginning in October 2018, Cybercom used emails, pop-ups and texts to target Russian Internet “trolls” who were seeding disinformation on U.S. social media platforms. The trolls worked for the Internet Research Agency (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Internet_Research_Agency), a private entity controlled by a Russian oligarch close to Putin. Cybercom also messaged hackers working for Russian military intelligence, indicating that their identities were known and could be publicized. Although the command did not sign its messages, the Americans knew there would be no mistaking who had sent them, officials said at the time.

When the trolls persisted, Cybercom, beginning on Election Day and for at least two days afterward, knocked their servers offline, The Washington Post previously reported. The Americans also sent messages aimed at spreading confusion and discord among research agency operatives, including computer system administrators. Some workers were so perturbed that they launched an internal investigation to root out what they thought were insiders leaking personnel information, according to U.S. officials.

The new options contemplate targeting key leaders in the security services and the military and potentially some oligarchs. The messaging would be accompanied by a limited cyber-operation that demonstrates the Americans’ access to a particular system or account and the capability to inflict a cost, said individuals familiar with the matter. The message would implicitly warn the target that if the election interference did not cease, there would be consequences.

The options do not envision any attempt to influence Russian society at large, which officials saw as having limited success given Putin’s control of the country, including much of the media.

Some see the new options as potentially effective at altering a key official’s decision-making calculus without being hugely escalatory because they do not seek to foment a popular uprising, which is Putin’s big fear, analysts note.

Another possibility involves disinformation aimed at exploiting rivalries within the Russian government and power elites. In 2016, National

U.S. CyberCom Contemplates Information Warfare to Counter Russian Interference in the 2020 Election

T

he military has long used psychological operations — dropping hundreds of thousands of leaflets in Iraq, for instance, to persuade Iraqi soldiers to surrender to the U.S.-led coalition during the Gulf War. But the Internet, social media and smartphones have vastly extended the reach and precision of such tactics.

The development comes as numerous agencies within the Trump administration seek to ensure that the United States is shielded against foreign efforts to disrupt the 2020 elections, even as President Trump has cast doubt on or belittled his own intelligence community’s finding of Russian interference in 2016.

The intelligence community last month issued a classified update — a “national intelligence estimate” — asserting that Russia’s main goal in the 2020 campaign continues to be to sow discord. “It’s always been about exacerbating fault lines in our society,” one senior U.S. official said.

In the past year, Congress and the Trump administration have eased restraints on the military’s use of cyber-operations to thwart foreign adversaries.

The push is part of a move by military officials such as Gen. Paul Nakasone, who heads both Cybercom (www.cybercom.mil) and the National Security Agency (www.nsa.gov), the government’s powerful electronic surveillance arm, to weave cyber-offensive capabilities into military operations.

The 10-year-old command’s foray into influence operations reflects an evolution in thinking. “It’s a really big deal because we have not done a good job in the past of integrating traditional information warfare with cyber-operations,” Chesney said. “But as Russia has demonstrated, these two are increasingly inseparable in practice.”

While other military organizations, such as Joint Special Operations Command (www. americanspecialops.com/jsoc), also have cyber and information warfare capabilities, Cybercom is the first to turn such powers toward combating election interference.

“In 332 days, our nation is going to elect a president,”

16  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Security Council aides in the Obama administration developed cyber options against Russia similar to those being contemplated

by Cybercom now, but “no one had an appetite for it,” a former senior official said.

“There is a night-and-day difference between 2016 and this,” said a second former U.S. official, who said that Cybercom’s thinking several years ago was much more limited and conventional.

Any operation would be reviewed by other agencies, including the State Department and CIA, and require the defense secretary’s approval. It would be aligned with other potential U.S. efforts, such as sanctions or indictments, officials said.

Cyber-operations alone are usually not sufficient to transform an adversary’s behavior. “It can serve a useful message of ‘We’re watching and be careful not to go further,’ ” said Michael Carpenter, a former senior defense policy official in the Obama administration. But generally, he said, it is likely to be more effective when used with other tools such as sanctions — especially those also backed by allies.

Cyber Command got a boost in August 2018 when Congress clarified that cyber actions that fall below the use of force — what practitioners call “the gray zone” — can be conducted as “traditional military activities” as distinct from covert action. That was a key change that meant that clandestine operations such as the research agency takedown last fall, for instance, would not get delayed by disputes about whether they were covert operations.

Also enhancing Cybercom’s flexibility was Trump’s signing the following month of a national security presidential memorandum that revised the process by which cyber-operations are vetted and approved, leaving the final decision with the defense secretary even if other agencies object.

No single office within the Defense Department oversees cyber, electronic warfare and psychological operations. So this month, Congress created a Senate-confirmed position of principal information

Newsy operations adviser to coordinate strategy and policy in this area across the Pentagon and with other agencies.

Other former U.S. officials are wary of Cybercom’s move into information operations. “I’m not a big fan of the Department of Defense doing messaging operations,” said Richard Stengel, a former undersecretary of state for public diplomacy in the Obama administration.

“I’m even skeptical of the State Department doing messaging operations. . . . I just don’t think that’s something we’re good at.”

Meanwhile, the Marine Corps has created a position of Deputy Commandant for Information to build information warfare capability. Army Cyber Command has integrated cyber, electronic warfare and information operations into its mission. The 16th Air Force cyber unit is doing the same.

Among the things that cyber officials are discussing are operations that expose adversaries’ malign behavior.

The United States already has experimented with such disclosures, in 2014 releasing satellite images and other sensitive intelligence that showed Moscow had trained and equipped pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine responsible for shooting down a Malaysian airliner, killing 298 civilians. Such efforts could be expanded, officials say, to educate a broader audience about the actions of adversaries.

“Basically, it’s a war of strategic narrative,” said Sean McFate, a foreign policy expert and author of “The New Rules of War” (www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062843583 ?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2 &creativeASIN=0062843583). “We need to get into that

domain.  https://hagerstownairport.org/2019/12/25/u-s-cybercomcontemplates-information-warfare-to-counter-russian-interferencein-the-2020-election/

17  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Government - Earthshot Prize

Earthshot Prize:

William and Kate Launch Prize to 'Repair the Earth'

By Jonny Dymond

F

ive winners will receive the Earthshot Prize @EarthshotPrize) every year between 2021 and 2030.

The cash prize will be for individuals or organisations who come up with solutions to environmental problems.

Prince William said the world faces a "stark choice" to continue "irreparably" damaging the planet or "lead, innovate and problem-solve".

The announcement was made in a video narrated by Sir David Attenborough posted on social media (www. instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?utm_source=ig_embed).

The veteran broadcaster and naturalist said the prize would go to "visionaries rewarded over the next decade for responding to the great challenges of our time".

The prize is set to launch officially later in 2020 - a year that will also see the Convention on Biodiversity in China in February and the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.

A series of challenges will be announced, aimed at finding at least 50 solutions to the "world's greatest problems" including climate change and air pollution.

More than 60 organisations and experts were consulted in the development the prize.

It will initially be run by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but could become an independent organisation.

Kensington Palace said it would be supported by philanthropists and organisations.

The challenges will be rolled out in 2020 and will then renew each year, for a decade - to stimulate the spirit of the race to the moon, but this time in service of the earth. (www.earthshotprize.org

The prize's name is inspired by former US President John F Kennedy's "Moonshot" - when he set a goal in 1961 to land American astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade.

The duke said: "The earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve."

There will be announcements on new details throughout 2020. If you want to be the first to hear about updates on The Earthshot Prize, submit your email address in the contact section of the Earthshot Prize website: https://earthshotprize.org. ď &#x192; www.bbc.com/news/uk-50958960

Government - Apple Resistance law enforcement and routinely work with police across the country on their investigations. When law enforcement requests our assistance, our teams work around the clock to provide them with the information we have.

We reject the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance in the Pensacola investigation. Our responses to their many requests since the attack have been timely, thorough and are ongoing.

Within hours of the FBI’s first request on December 6th, we produced a wide variety of information associated with the investigation. From December 7th through the 14th, we received six additional legal requests and in response provided information including iCloud backups, account information and transactional data for multiple accounts.

We responded to each request promptly, often within hours, sharing information with FBI offices in Jacksonville, Pensacola and New York. The queries resulted in many gigabytes of information that we turned over to investigators. In every instance, we responded with all of the information that we had.

The FBI only notified us on January 6th that they needed additional assistance — a month after the attack occurred. Only then did we learn about the existence of a second iPhone associated with the investigation and the FBI's inability to access either iPhone. It was not until January 8th that we received a subpoena for information related to the second iPhone, which we responded to within hours. Early outreach is critical to accessing information and finding additional options.

We are continuing to work with the FBI, and our engineering teams recently had a call to provide additional technical assistance. Apple has great respect for the Bureau’s work, and we will work tirelessly to help them investigate this tragic attack on our nation.

We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers.

Today, law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations. We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users' data. 

Apple Responds "No" to Request to Unlock Pensacola Shooter's Phone

By Joshua Topolsky and Raymond Wong

A

ttorney General William Barr called on Apple to unlock the alleged phone of the Pensacola shooter — a man who murdered three people and injured eight others on a Naval base in Florida in December. Apple has responded by essentially saying: "no."

"We reject the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance in the Pensacola investigation," the company said. "It was not until January 8th that we

received a subpoena for information related to the second iPhone, which we responded to within hours," Apple added, countering Barr's characterization of the company being slow in its approach to the FBI's needs.

However, it ends the statement in no uncertain terms: "We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys."

Despite pressure from the government, Apple has long held that giving anyone the keys to users' data or a backdoor to their phones — even in cases where terrorism or violence was involved — would compromise every user. The company is clearly standing by those principles. Apple sent its strongly worded statement on Barr to Input, which you can read in its entirety below: We were devastated to learn of the tragic terrorist attack on members of the US armed services at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida on December 6th. We have the greatest respect for

www.inputmag.com/culture/apple-responds-to-ag-barr-read-thefull-statement-here/amp?__twitter_impression=true Image credits: OS X Daily, Tickle The Wire,

19  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Announcing ACCESS NIGERIA

Exhibition & Conference

%# – 2, 2020

Lagos, Nigeria USA FAIR 2020 will present American manufacturers, suppliers and service providers with product showcase opportunities in the largest and most dynamic market on the African continent!

EXHIBITION FEE & BENEFITS Participation Fee:

$2000 which covers the following:

• • • •

3x3m booth space for 3 days of exhibition Complimentary coffee/tea and lunch daily Reception hosted by the US Consul General Extra meeting space for choice 1-on-1 meetings

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

• Ambrose Thomas Ambrose.Thomas@trade.gov

(+234-1-4603749)

• Benedicta Nkwoh Benedicta.Nkwoh@trade.gov

Early Bird Registration: 10% discount until Nov. 30, 2019

(+234-1-4603520)

Follow us on Twitter: @USCSNigeria

Optional Services: Exhibitors can also sign up for optional Single Company Presentation slot at $800 OR request a Gold Key service for up to 3 targeted meetings at $700.

ORGANIZED BY:

Announcing ACCESS NIGERIA

Exhibition & Conference

%# – 2, 2020

Lagos, Nigeria USA FAIR 2020 will present American manufacturers, suppliers and service providers with product showcase opportunities in the largest and most dynamic market on the African continent!

COST & BENEFITS Event Participation fee is $2000 which covers the following: • • • •

3x3m booth space for 3 days ofexhibition Extra meeting space for 1 on 1 meetings Complimentary coffee/tea and lunchdaily Business networking reception hosted by the US Consul General

• Each Exhibitor may also choose to add SCP and GKS at additionalcosts FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Early Bird • Ambrose Thomas Registration: Ambrose.Thomas@trade.gov (+234-1-4603749) 10% discount until

• Benedicta Nkwoh

Benedicta.Nkwoh@trade.gov

Nov. 30, 2019 (+234-1-4603520)

Follow us on Twitter: @USCSNigeria

ORGANIZED BY:

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23 ï&#x201A;± January 2020 ï&#x201A;± Black Business News ï&#x201A;± www.bbala.org ï&#x201A;± 1-323-291-7819

Government - International Trade

A

ccess Africa (https://ustda.gov/access-africa) is a partnership between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and U.S. industry leaders to support the development of quality Information and Communication Technology infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa. Working with public and private sectors across the continent, Access Africa brings together critical stakeholders and designs targeted programming to advance inclusive, secure, and sustainable connectivity.

By partnering with USTDA through Access Africa, U.S. industry will have enhanced exposure to key stakeholders in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

USTDA will work to align its programming to support the technical, regulatory, institutional, and procurement priorities of Access Africa partners, which will also benefit public and private sector entities in the region.

Partners will have the opportunity to directly contribute to USTDA’s Access Africa programming: • Access Africa partners will be invited to host or meet with relevant reverse trade mission delegations to showcase their technologies and equipment, participate in business briefings, or participate in an Access Africa partners roundtable with the delegation • Partners will be invited to advise on the content and attend relevant USTDA workshops and conferences in SSA. Partners will have the opportunity to support workshops and conferences by engaging with USTDA to provide training or other relevant programming • Partners are encouraged to submit project proposals to USTDA for funding consideration Click

here

(https://ustda.gov/sites/default/files/ Access%20Africa%20Brief%20Final.pdf) to learn more

about USTDA's Access Africa initiative. To learn more about becoming an Access Africa partner, email AccessAfrica@ustda.gov.

Here is our list of Access Africa partners:

24  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

A

re you a Small Business interested in selling your product or services to Metro or to Prime Contractors that do business with Metro? Would you like to learn how to win contracts as a Prime Contractor through SB Prime, Metro's exciting set-aside initiative? If so, we invite you to come grow with us and learn about Metro Connect.

Start now and register for a How to Do Business with Metro Workshop. Metro staďŹ&#x20AC; will show you how to take advantage of the vast array of products, services and transportation related opportunities projected over the coming weeks, months and year. As an added bonus, Metro's procurement staďŹ&#x20AC; will host informal interviews with firms before the workshop, starting at 9:00 a.m.

Tuesday, February 11, 2019 8:30 a.m.: Registration 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

One-on-One with Contract Administrators and Continental Breakfast 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Program

Metro Headquarters 3rd Floor, Board Room, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Topics: Highway Project Update, Procurement Update, Certification Update, Small Business Prime Update, LA SAFE/511 Next Generation Update To learn more about how Metro Connect's Small and Disadvantaged Business Certifications can help open the door to contracting opportunities with Metro visit Metro Vendor Portal.

For further questions, please contact Marisela Villar at VillarM@metro.net or via phone at 213.922.2235.

BBN Show Biz Buzz

By Linda Ware

2019 Golden Globe Nominations

T

he 77th Golden Globes takes place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 5, 2020 and will air at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Billy Porter on "Pose" Macall Poley/FX Nominations include: • Best motion picture — musical or comedy: "Dolemite Is My Name" • Best actor in a motion picture — musical or comedy: Eddie Murphy, "Dolemite Is My Name" • Best performance by an actor in a TV series — drama: Billy Porter, "Pose"  www.insider.com/golden-globes-2020-nominations-winnerslist-2019-12

important stories by Black Indigenous People of Color [BIPOC] writers are for BIPOC readers.” Victoria Mahoney is making history this year as the first Black woman to serve as a director on a Star Wars film with The Rise of Skywalker, which hit theaters on December 20, 2019.

(See story on page xx) Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY film distribution company and Charles D. King’s MACRO also have POC-centric sci-fi films under development.

The success of Nigerian American scribe Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, about the decimation of a people born with magic abilities, scored the writer a seven-figure book and movie contract. Adeyemi’s worldbuilding consists of a reimagined West Africa, with characters who worship gods indigenous to the region.

Another adaptation is in development for NK Jemisin, the first Black woman to receive a Hugo Award and the first-ever writer (period) to win a Hugo Award for best novel three times in a row. TNT is turning Fifth Season, from Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, into a television show. Nalo Hopkinson, a Jamaican-born sci-fi and fantasy icon., recently took on the mantle of writing for The Sandman, a landmark DC Comics series.

Also look for Eve Ewing's Marvel comic Ironheart that centers on Riri Williams, a young Black woman from the South Side of Chicago.

The success of Black Panther really opened people’s eyes because of course, it’s always a money thing.  Edited by BBN https://zora.medium.com/the-empire-strikes-black8d6293f397cf

More Sci-Fi "in color" Coming in 2020

L

ooking ahead to 2020 there are a handful of enlightened publishers and film distributors catering to a large and growing audience of color notes. From a Black director and a Native American writer for Star Wars to the pro-Black centeredness of HBO’s Watchmen, we are finally decolonizing all facets of sci-fi. “I don’t think people realize how

Image credit: projectfandom.com

Roc Nation / NFL Partner

R

oc Nation has entered into a long-term partnership with the National Football League.

As the Live Music Entertainment Strategist, Roc Nation will advise on the selection of artists

26  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

for NFL event related perfromances such as the Super Bowl, assist with the production and promotion of new music and be involved in culture- and cause-focused programs. (www.nfl.com/ The NFL's Inspire Change inspirechange) platform of programs which includes Education and Economic Advancement, Improving Police-Community Relations, Criminal Justice Reform and other issues of concern to NFL players will be a major focus of Roc Nation's efforts.

Roc Nation will also consult and collaborate on aspects of production, promotion, marketing and communications for live music events which may include endeavors such as artist and league podcasts, Songs of the Season and a Pro Bowl Community Concert. 

mystery style story.

April brings us the transition of one 007 to the next in "No Time To Die." The big news is that the new 007 is a black women portrayed by British actor Lashana Lynch.

In June look for "Tenet" which stars John David Washington. Later in the year comes "The Witches" featuring Octavia Spencer and Chris Rock. Then in November we have "The Eternals" from Marvel/Disney featuring Brian Tyree Henry as Asbestos.

So keep checking the announcements and please support our actors, directors, technicians, producers and more. Audience volumn is important. 

www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/08/14/nfl-jay-z/

Movies Coming Our Way in 2020

"Flyin Brian" Training for Winter Olympics

T

he BBN Show Biz Buzz listing of 2020 movies is not complete by any means but it does give us a glimpse of what's coming and what to look out for.

The 3rd installment of the Bad Boys saga, set for midJanuary release, has Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated "Bad Boys for Life".

February offers "Birds of Prey" featuring Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez as members of a group of Gotham City heroines who join forces to defeat the narcissistic crime lord known as Black Mask. Also in February is "The Invisible Man." Aldis Hodge is featured in this

A

t onl only ly 1 14-years 4 years old, old ld Brian Briian ‘Flyin ‘Fllyiin B ‘F Brian’ rian’ i ’ Ri Rice J Jr., r is on track to become the first Black man to qualify for the U.S. snowboarding team in the upcoming Winter Olympics. After going on to compete and win the all-around title of a major competition, Brain Jr. was asked to come train in Switzerland with other Olympic hopefuls. The Detroit-based teen has lots of support from not only his family and friends but the Jim

27  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

see page 28

BBN Show Biz Buzz from BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 27

Dandy Ski Club (www.jimdandyskiclub.com) — which is said to be the country’s oldest Black skiing club.  https://travelnoire.com/14-year-old-first-black-us-snowboarderolympics Image credit: legacy.travelnoire.com

Some of the TV-Cable Shows Coming Our Way in 2020

RuPaul Charles

netflix

AJ AND THE QUEEN (Netflix) This Netflix comedy, stars RuPaul Charles as a drag queen who travels the country with an 11-yearold sidekick. And with nearly two dozen former Drag Race contestants making appearances throughout the 10-episode first season, the cast is basically a who’s who of Halleloo! - Premiere: Friday, January 10th CHEER (Netflix) The six-episode docuseries about the impressive competitive cheerleading team at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, is like a hardcore Bring It On. As the group trains to defend their 14-time national champs title, the stunts will make you gasp, the injuries will make you wince and the backstories will make you cry.

- Premiere: Wednesday, January 8th THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (Disney+) Will this series chronicle Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) official transition into the role of Captain America? Whatever the case, throw in Sharon Carter and an overdue haircut for Bucky, and what’s not to love? - Premiere: Fall 2020 FARGO (FX) Season 4, which boasts an intriguing set-up — two

warring Kansas City crime families in 1950 — and a ridiculously loaded cast led by Chris Rock, Ben Whishaw, Jason Schwartzman, Jack Huston and more.

- Pemiere: Spring 2020 FOR LIFE (ABC) Exec-produced by Power player Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and inspired by the life of Isaac Wright Jr., this prison/legal/family drama stars Counterpart‘s oh-sogood Nicholas Pinnock as a prisoner who becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. - Premiere: Tuesday, Feb. 11th HIGH FIDELITY (Hulu) This gender-flipped take on the 2000 John Cusack comedy (based on the Nick Hornby book) looks charming enough to be worth a binge. Big Little Lies‘ Zoë Kravitz gets a much-deserved starring role here as a Brooklyn music snob who’s as serious about ranking her failed romantic encounters as her all-time favorite albums. - Premiere: Friday, Feb. 14th KATY KEENE (The CW) Oozing fun, fashion and ferocity, the drama scratches a very specific itch that isn’t currently being addressed by any other show on The CW. Besides, it’s about time Josie McCoy finally got her big break. - Premiere: Thursday, Feb. 6th LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE (Hulu) The source material alone is reason enough to anticipate this show: Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller is a rich, complex family drama full of compelling twists. But when you add powerhouses like Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington as the wildly different moms at the heart of this story, we have no choice but to put Little Fires on our must-watch list. - Premiere: Wednesday, Feb. 18th  www.msn.com/en-us/tv/topnews/tv-shows-were-excited-forin-2020/ss-BBYuVzP?ocid=spartandhp#image=3

Golden Globe Award Nominees 2020

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everal African Americans and African American projects were nominated for award consideration but none won an award. Nominees were:

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Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Dolemite is My Name Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name) Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series Billy Porter (Pose)  https://promotocross.com/2019/05/17/james-stewart-retiresImage credit: netflixcenter.com

Lifetime Achievement Award for Eddie Murphy

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fter being part of the Hollywood industry for more than three decades, Eddie Murphy is all set to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday, January 12th at 7 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. According to a press release issued by the organization, the 58-year-old actor will be given this

right now and the way he has carried himself in the movie industry is really commendable.

The statement further added that he is one of the few superstars who have constantly given box-office hits and most of his movies have crossed the $100 million mark at the box office. The movies included on the list were “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Shrek,” “The Nutty Professor” and many more.

“Eddie Murphy is the most commercially successful African-American actor in the history of the motion picture business and is one of the industry’s top-five box office performers overall,” the statement read.

The “Coming To America” actor started his career in 1982 with “48 Hrs” and immediately grabbed all the attention with his impeccable acting skills. The actor was nominated for a Golden Globe for the movie and there was no turning back for the esteemed star since then.

He gave back to back hits like “Beverly Hills Cop I and II” and “Trading Places” in 1983 and 84. Murphy was nominated for the Best Actor (Comedy) trophy for the first part of the “Beverly Hills Cop” series and “Trading Places.”

Even after 35 years, the star is still creating awardworthy content. His latest movie “Dolemite Is My Name” is considered to be a frontrunner in getting a Best Picture nod at the upcoming Academy Awards.

The film has already been recognized as one of the top 10 movies of 2019 by the National Board of Review (NBR). It also won three awards at the AfricanAmerican Film Critics Association (AAFCA) awards earlier this year, including Best Actor for Murphy.

“Dolemite Is My Name” is up for four Critics’ Choice Awards and has also been nominated at the 2020 Golden Globes in two categories, including Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).  www.ibtimes.com/eddie-murphy-receive-criticschoice-lifetime-achievement-award-2894198

Pan African Film and Arts Festival

Actor Eddie Murphy is pictured Nov. 6, 2019.

Photo: AFP/Angela Weiss

prestigious accolade for his contribution to the field of cinema. The press release also stated that he is one of the most popular African-American actors in the world

T

he largest Black film festival in America returns to Los Angeles for it’s 28th year! The Pan African Film Festival and ArtFest (PAFF) presents the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help destroy negative stereotypes.

Every year PAFF-LA showcases hundreds of quality new and old films and hundreds of fine artists and

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unique craft persons from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live action and animation short films. USA Today selected PAFF as #3 in their 2015 list of 10 Best Film Festivals in the U.S. Each year PAFF-LA presents awards of recognition to key industry players and rising stars who have soared in the film industry.

ArtFest Over 100 established and emerging fine artists and quality craftspeople from the US and the world over whose artistic aesthetic is rooted in Africa and its Diaspora present their creative works using oil on canvas, watercolor and pastels, acrylic paper, glass, ceramics, metal, cloth, plastic, wax, wire, leather, stone and more. The art show brings out over 100,000+ visitors from Los Angeles, across the country and around the world. Artists will present fine art and photography, oneof-a-kind craft art, designer and traditional fashions, jewelry, home decor, fashion accessories.  www.paff.org

51st NAACP Image Awards You Get to Vote!

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he nominees for the 51st NAACP Image Awards have been announced in preparation for the twohour live televised awards show airing on BET on February 22nd at 8 PM ET/PT. The Image Awards honors the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of TV, music, literature, and film and also recognizes individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

Voting is now open to the public to determine winners.

Here’s a short list of nominees to get the voting starting. You can view the full array of nominees at: https://deadline.com/2020/01/naacp-image-awardsnominees-list-2020-nominations-1202825419 and you can vote by registering at: https://vote.naacpimageawards. net/Register.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Angela Basset; Billy Porter; Lizzo; Regina King; Tyler Perry

MOTION PICTURE Outstanding Motion Picture “Dolemite is My Name” (Netflix); “Harriet” (Focus Features); “Just Mercy” (Warner Bros. Pictures); “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures); “Us” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Chadwick Boseman – “21 Bridges” (STX Films); Daniel Kaluuya – “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures); Eddie Murphy – “Dolemite is My Name” (Netflix); Michael B. Jordan – “Just Mercy” (Warner Bros.

Pictures); Winston Duke – “Us” (Universal Pictures) Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Alfre Woodard – “Clemency” (Neon); Cynthia Erivo – “Harriet” (Focus Features); Jodie Turner-Smith – “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures); Lupita Nyong’o – “Us” (Universal Pictures); Naomie Harris – “Black and Blue” (Screen Gems/Sony Pictures) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Jamie Foxx – “Just Mercy” (Warner Bros. Pictures), Leslie Odom, Jr. – “Harriet” (Focus Features), Sterling K. Brown – “Waves” (A24); Tituss Burgess – “Dolemite Is My Name” (Netflix); Wesley Snipes – “Dolemite Is My Name” (Netflix) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “Dolemite is My Name”

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(Netflix); Janelle Monáe – “Harriet” (Focus Features); Jennifer Lopez – “Hustlers” (STX Films); Marsai Martin – “Little” (Universal Pictures); Octavia Spencer – “Luce” (Neon)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in Motion Picture Cynthia Erivo – “Harriet” (Focus Features); Jodie Turner-Smith – “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures); Marsai Martin – “Little” (Universal Pictures); Rob Morgan – “Just Mercy” (Warner Bros. Pictures); Shahadi Wright Joseph – “Us” (Universal Pictures) Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture “Dolemite is My Name” (Netflix); “Harriet” (Focus Features); “Just Mercy” (Warner Bros. Pictures); “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures); “Us” (Universal Pictures) Outstanding Independent Motion Picture “Clemency” (Neon); “Dolemite is My Name” (Netflix); “Luce” (Neon); “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures); “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” (Netflix) Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film) Alfre Woodard – “The Lion King” (Walt Disney Studios); Donald Glover – “The Lion King” (Walt Disney Studios); James Earl Jones – “The Lion King”

Idris Elba (Luther) YouTube (Walt Disney Studios); Lupita Nyong’o – “Serengeti” (Discovery Channel); Sterling K. Brown – “Frozen II” (Walt Disney Studios)

TELEVISION Outstanding Comedy Series “Ballers” (HBO); “Black-ish” (ABC); “Dear White People” (Netflix); “Grown-ish” (Freeform); “The Neighborhood” (CBS) Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson – “black-ish” (ABC); Cedric The Entertainer – “the Neighborhood” (CBS); Don Cheadle – “Black Monday” (Showtime); Dwayne Johnson – “Ballers” (HBO); Tracy Morgan – “The Last O.G.” (TBS) Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Logan Browning – “Dear White People” (Netflix); Jill Scott – “First Wives Club” (BET+); Tiffany Haddish – “The Last O.G.” (TBS); Tracee Ellis Ross – “Blackish ” (ABC); Yara Shahidi – “Grown-ish” (Freeform) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Andre Braugher – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (NBC); Deon Cole – “Black-ish” (ABC); Laurence Fishburne – “Black-ish” (ABC); Terry Crews – “Brooklyn NineNine” (NBC); Tituss Burgess – “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Halle Bailey – “Grown-ish” (Freeform); Loretta Devine – “Family Reunion” (Netflix); Marsai Martin – “Black-ish” (ABC); Regina Hall – “Black Monday” (Showtime); Tichina Arnold – “The Neighborhood” (CBS)

Outstanding Drama Series “Godfather of Harlem” (EPIX); “Greenleaf” (OWN); “Queen Sugar” (OWN); “The Chi” (Showtime); “Watchmen” (HBO) Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Billy Porter – “Pose” (FX Networks); Forest Whitaker – “Godfather of Harlem” (EPIX); Kofi Siriboe – “Queen Sugar” (OWN); Omari Hardwick – “Power” (Starz); Sterling K. Brown – “This Is Us” (NBC) Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Angela Bassett – “9-1-1” (FOX); Regina King – “Watchmen” (HBO); Rutina Wesley – “Queen Sugar” (OWN); Simone Missick – “All Rise” (CBS); Viola Davis – “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Delroy Lindo – “The Good Fight” (CBS All Access); Giancarlo Esposito – “Godfather of Harlem” (EPIX); Harold Perrineau – “Claws” (TNT); Nigél Thatch – “Godfather of Harlem” (EPIX); Wendell Pierce – “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” (Prime Video) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder – “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS); Lynn Whitfield – “Greenleaf” (OWN); Lyric Ross – “This Is Us” (NBC); Susan Kelechi Watson – “This Is Us” (NBC); Tina Lifford – “Queen Sugar” (OWN) Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special “American Son” (Netflix); “Being Mary Jane” (BET Networks); “Native Son” (HBO); “True Detective”

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(HBO); “When They See Us” (Netflix) 

Oscar Nominations for 2020

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he Oscar nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards have been announced.

One site for viewing the entire list is: www.thewrap.

com/oscar-nominations-2020the-complete-list. This year’s

Oscars ceremony, which Cynthia Erivo blackfilm.com takes place the earliest ever in awards season, is on Sunday, Feb. 9. And for the second year in a row, the ceremony will have no host.

Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet” Best Original Song: “Stand Up” from “Harriet” Best Documentary Feature: American Factory Best Animated Short Film: Matthew A. Cherry, Karen Rupert Toliver "Hair Love"  www.thewrap.com/oscar-nominations-2020-the-complete-lis

Spike Lee First Black Prez on Cannes Film Festival Jury

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pike Lee will lead the jury of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival as the first Black president, according to Page Six. Aside from his extensive resume and being an advocate for the culture, the famed director was chosen to “shake things up” at the prestigious event.

“When I got the call … I was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time,” Spike said of this new career milestone.

Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman won a big W at the film festival last year, and his projects have been screened at the event in the past. ”Lee’s perspective is more valuable than ever. Cannes is a natural homeland and a global sounding board for those who (re)awaken minds and question our stances and fixed ideas,” the festival stated.

“I’m honoured to be the first person of the African diaspora (USA) to be named president of the Cannes jury and of a main film festival,” Spike Lee said. “To me, the Cannes film festival (besides being the most

Spike Lee Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

important film festival in the world – no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career.

You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema.”  https://thesource.com/2020/01/15/spike-lee-cannes-film-festiva l

'Binti' is Being Developed into a TV Series at Hulu

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inti, the acclaimed book by award-winning Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor, is being adapted into a TV series, set to premiere on Hulu. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news.

The three-part, science fiction novella will be adapted for screen under the studio Media Res. The script is being written by both Okorafor and writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour, who has previously written for Watchmen and The Nnedi Okorafor KCUR Morning Show amongst others.

The book is the recipient of both a Hugo and Nebula award for Best Novella, which are awarded to standout books in the genre of science fiction.

Last year, Okorafor announced the name of her new production company - Africanfuturism Productions, Inc. The company will be focusing exclusively on television projects for the time being.  www.insider.com/golden-globes-2020-nominations-winners-list-2019-12

32  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - Directoral Breakthrough

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Director Victoria Mahoney Is Making History

By Iana Murray ost people probably don’t think twice about a movie’s second unit, the crew entrusted with filming the supplementary shots we take for granted. But for the Star Wars franchise, that team’s a big deal. When J.J. Abrams was on the lookout for a second unit director to work with him on The Rise of Skywalker, he turned to Ava DuVernay for a list of people who could step up to the demanding task. She responded with one name: Victoria Mahoney.

Now, the filmmaker is making history as the first woman to direct a Star Wars movie, and if you think that sounds like a depressing statistic, Mahoney agrees. Having worked on sets for almost 30 years, she is keenly aware of the snail’s pace at which the industry is progressing for women. She began her career as an actress before picking up the camera to helm her semi-autobiographical drama, Yelling to the Sky. But most of her work can be found on television— she directed the best episode of You’s first season, and it was DuVernay who gave Mahoney her big break

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theaters on December 20, 2019, the director takes us through the day she received the job offer of a lifetime.

GQ: You got your start as an actor. What made you want to move into directing?

Victoria Mahoney: I probably would've started with directing if I saw more people who resembled me. But I didn't see anyone so I didn't know it was possible to potentially be able to make a living or have the resources equal to my male peers. I think it was just a natural, organic progression coming out of theater—I was a diehard theater rat in New York, I did off-offBroadway. I ended up doing TV shows and films, and then at some point I was not entirely gratified by the creative challenges. So I turned a corner and fought to make my films, because I realized [in order to tell] the stories I want to tell, I have to jump start that path for myself.

GQ: Do you think your work in Star Wars is signaling a change in Hollywood hiring practices?

I know that J.J. Abrams is very cognizant in sounding

with Queen Sugar.

With her biggest project ever having arrived in

the gong with what he and Katie McGrath at Bad

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Robot are doing. When you walk into their office, it's like no other experience. Bad Robot is one of the most special places in all of Hollywood and anyone that walks through those doors will tell you that—and I mean anyone. A UPS person will tell you that. They make very wide awake choices regarding inclusion— it's almost natural and effortless for them. They just believe that's what you're supposed to be doing and they don't realize it's unique to some degree.

When J.J. called me, he knew what it meant, and that's why he went out of his way to find someone like me. He could've sat and made a comfortable [decision] based on the list that he was handed, and instead he went out of his comfort zone, knowing that if he was getting a homogenized list, other people were receiving the same list. He was in a position where he could really do something differently in his hiring practices. But with that said, no other director at that franchise level has hired a second unit director like me. He did that, but it's not like a whole bunch of people have changed course and thought, hey, let me open up the net.

What was that call like when you were asked to direct The Rise of Skywalker?

What’s great is that [J.J.] didn’t just start with that. He started with: “This is what I’m doing. Would you like to come in and have a discussion?” So we sat down 72 hours after he called me. And what’s great about J.J. is that he’s very personable. I sat in his office and we just chatted like filmmakers and there was no emphasis on me being a woman or person of color. We found we had a lot of similarities in what we value about storytelling. And the reason Ava gave him my name was everyone who knew me knew that [Star Wars] was very important to me, and that I wanted to swing long and hard in that realm. It wasn’t a favor—she knew I drove people crazy with how much I talked about the chance to play at that level. It was an ache in me that wasn’t going to go to sleep.

As a Star Wars fan, did you feel pressure to meet your own expectations as much as the expectations of fans?

For me and for most outliers, we're pretty aware that everywhere we go, our behavior dictates space for someone else like us. So when I take the job, I know what it means to be the first one there and the last one to go home at night; to come in wildly prepared and have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D. Obviously sometimes I have to step into a genre that I don't have experience in, but I know my job as far as directing goes.

Yes, I feel the pressure of knowing I represent a

bunch of individuals that the person across from me has never engaged with. There's an old school saying: wherever you go, you represent all of us, and can’t do us wrong. And I've had great people in my life that are older than me who have marched for civil rights on the ground—these really amazing women who did a lot of heavy lifting so that I could be this crazy dreamer. I am indebted to them and I welcome that. I enjoy that part of my responsibility when I go to work every day.

Don’t you find it frustrating as a black woman that it’s kind of impossible for you to make a mistake because of the burden of representation and the pressure of being the first?

Most women of color will have countless stories of stepping on a set and a crew person decides that they're there as a diversity hire and they don't know anything. So what happens is, you're interacting with an individual who has unconscious bias. They could be the nicest person on the planet, but when they talk to you as an outlier, they don't even know that they're speaking to you as if you have a low IQ. They don't regard that you have been on set as long as them, if not longer, because in my case I've been on sets since 1991. They may know something we're doing on the day that you don't have experience in, but it doesn't diminish that I have absolute clarity in filmmaking. I’ve shadowed for 12 years, so I've watched people treat someone who was not prepared. You would hear crew who were like, "Yes sir, whatever you need." And then you'll see a woman of color come in and [the crew] will try to explain things in a really shocking manner. If you ask a question about a lens, they'll tell you how glass is made. Even after you have proved your merit, they will still continue. Every time you reset the camera, they go back.

I tell the young filmmakers that I mentor that the most important aspect of the job is to protect your love of the game. It sucks sometimes because we have to carry grown-ups who diminish your value and they don’t know it. I’ll tell you what: often when that happens and we point it out, other crew will try to [back them up.]

Yeah, but he’s so nice or he means well. These two things can co-exist. He can be really nice, and he can speak to a woman of color in a way that he never would with a male director in a million years.

Did you ever go through that experience of being devalued and having your point of view questioned on The Rise of Skywalker? Or did J.J. promote a more positive atmosphere on set?

I feel wildly protective of him because he presented himself as a certain type of human. When we met, I got a sense of who he was. From that point until now, he’s never changed. There was never a moment where

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it's so special. And then they were professional components when you go to work and you have to put the Star Wars thing behind you and you have to do the job. You're just thinking about getting a truthful shot and sustaining the quality of J.J.'s vision.

You’ve mentioned Ava DuVernay.

I was really frustrated when the Golden Globes completely shut out When They See Us. We think we’re making progress but then something like that happens and it feels like we’re stuck.

I don't want to give it more power 2nd Unit Director Victoria Mahoney with J.J. Abrams on location for "The Rise of than it deserves. It is institutionalized, Skywalker" John Wilson/LucasFilm Ltd. it is long-running. When you see that Regina King wasn’t nominated, when you see that Lupita [Nyong'o] wasn’t nominated, it's he pulled up a mask and turned into some other guy. highly offensive for 1000 reasons. And what we all More importantly, I can tell you without reservation that one of the people who has my back is J.J. He was an know, especially when you look at that first and last advocate and an ally, and when I was confused about episode of When They See Us, is you cannot dispute something, we were learning as a unit because it was the craft. What I love is Ava didn't need it. I believe she's talked about this publicly: her wish was to service all brand-new.

No matter how busy his brain was or how many people those five individuals. That was her priority and she has were asking him questions, he had this faculty where sustained that. And nothing about her needed a gold he was able to compartmentalize and differentiate. statue from that organization to make her feel better Where someone else might have been frustrated or about any part of herself as a storyteller. It's inspiring forgotten, he was so aware and that has to do with who to see that and I think that's going to impact young he is and how he learned when he came up. Between filmmakers more than if she had been nominated. Her Ava and J.J., the way I feel about walking this path is self worth isn't contingent upon some statue that some completely different, knowing that they have my back people would or would not give her.

The other thing though is that it brought forward this no matter what. immense discussion that we're all exhausted by. People It sounds like Star Wars was one of the best keep thinking because a few of us are working that the experiences you’ve had as a filmmaker.

Without a doubt. The first amazing experience I whole world has changed, but we're still asking who had was my feature film [Yelling to the Sky]. It was an is actually getting hired on big budget franchises and indie film, but it was my way. I used to play that Frank pilots. If [the snub] ended up not happening, everyone Sinatra song all the time. No matter what happened, wouldn't be discussing how much work the industry still it was my way. We could've used more resources and has to do and how closed off it is.

I have a lighter question to end on: What are your support, but I didn't betray myself as a director or a thoughts on Baby Yoda? writer in that. And I can say the same about when Ava [Laughs.]

Oh my gosh! I have this tiny belief that Baby called me to work on Queen Sugar. I felt an immense Yoda is the thing that unites us all. We’re all reduced sense of respect and freedom. She trusted me in a way that was the precedent for the rest of my working to mush. I think the amount of affinity is exciting. I'm an audience member first so I still love stories, sitting at experience in television.

Obviously, when you factor being a child and what A home with a bag of popcorn, going to a movie theater, New Hope meant to me as a kid and how that impacted watching the curtain open and be moved. When Baby me as a dreamer, the scale of my imagination soared. Yoda came on I thought about all these kids... it's really To then stand on set, to be a part of that mythology fun and exciting.  and what that means to people. Going to work and knowing how many young kids would receive this and the impact of it on their on their dreamscape,

www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/star-wars-rise-skywalkerdirector-160439458.html Image credits: geeksofcolor.com

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Business - Transformation Index

How to Chart the Right Course for Your Company's Transformation

By Hank Prybylski, EY Americas Vice Chair – Advisory John de Yonge, EY Global Markets EYQ Global Insights Director

By answering just 10 questions, the Transformative Index can determine where your company stands—and help it get to the next level: www.ey.com/en_gl/transformative-index.

W

e are at a pivotal moment. Disruptions are creating opportunities with unprecedented speed, from those close at hand — super consumers, behavioral design, health reimagined and the future of work — to those on the horizon, such as human augmentation, engaged aging, superfluid markets and quantum computing. Yet while the possibilities seem endless, so do the challenges.

Can purpose inspire new ways of working and thinking? Can constant reinvention lead to continued relevance? How do you make customers co-creators?

And how do you leverage the value of intangibles that are more valuable than assets?

To help leaders navigate an age that could unlock both value and human potential, we have developed the Transformative Index — a 10-question survey to determine where their companies stand in their transformation journey, the challenges they face and what they should do next (www.ey.com/en_gl/ transformative-index). The intent is to use the index and its recommendations as the basis for fostering a transformative organizational mindset that engages and inspires innovation among a wide range of stakeholders, from customers to co-workers to society at large. It should also spur leading through future-back innovation: driving priorities and immediate action by looking at what’s beyond the horizon.

The Transformative Index The Transformative Index stems from a recent multi-part research study undertaken by EYQ (www. ey.com), the global think tank generating futurelooking insights with diverse perspectives (www. ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-how-can-you-be-boththe-disruptor-and-the-disrupted/$FILE/ey-how-can-you-

be-both-the-disruptor-and-the-disrupted.pdf). The study

explored the dynamics of disruptive challenge and transformation, with more than 100 CEOs from the world’s 5,000 largest companies revealing how ready they believed their organizations were to seize the upside of emerging opportunities. Our research uncovered important distinctions in terms of disruption awareness, sense of urgency and transformation.

Using the most pressing themes related to disruption readiness — leadership, culture and innovation — a Transformative Index score out of 100 ranks organizations as either a caterpillar, chrysalis or butterfly. Caterpillar companies focus on exploiting existing success without taking transformative steps.

Becoming leaders requires these companies to consider how to become skilled at both initiating and responding to disruption. Chrysalis companies are aware of the impact the forces of disruption have on their business and are taking steps toward creating a strong culture of innovation as they begin to undergo their transformation. Butterfly companies are the most innovative. Their next step to reach full potential is to maintain a transformative mindset across the extended enterprise and successfully execute.

The results of the Transformative Index and the corresponding maturity level of organizations helps determine potential actions companies can consider in moving to the next stage of transformation. Here are examples for companies in the caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly stages.

Maturity level: Caterpillar Companies that focus on exploiting existing success without taking transformative steps Now: Drive

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a cross-organization discussion on responding to disruption, working to instil a sense of urgency to overcome inertia.

Next: Align the C-suite and board of directors to a shared ambition to guide the needed investment, culture change, governance, link to purpose and message to shareholders. Companies can also set a leadership example of experimentation and risk-taking — that is, “walk the talk.”

Beyond: Engage with key investors to discuss disruption and assess appetite and attitude toward investing in innovation.

Maturity level: Chrysalis

Companies that are aware of the impact the forces of disruption have on their business and are taking steps toward creating a strong culture of innovation Now: Identify key gaps. It’s also important to recognize your approach to disruption readiness isn’t merely a project, but an organizational transformation touching fundamental aspects of culture, purpose, operations and your current business model.

Next: Consider aligning rewards, metrics and governance to support innovation objectives. Also make sure the CEO owns the disruption agenda and the board pays frequent attention to determining what’s really threatening or disruptive.

Beyond: Find the change champions within your company, bringing them together to set them free to drive transformation, whether as dedicated teams or embedded in key functions. Think about using talent transformation to drive culture change, recruiting for diversity of thinking and disruptive mindsets.

Maturity level: Butterfly Companies that are the most inovative and maintain a transformative mindset across the extended enterprise to successfully execute Now: Plan for now, next and beyond (www.ey.com/

en_gl/innovation-realized/now-next-beyond-if-you-dontplan-in-three-dimensions-will-you-be-left-behind). As a

leader, you can take the opportunity to harness digital b by embedding it across the entire value chain, from sstrategy and design, through to execution and risk m management.

Next: Work to develop ecosystems, networks and iinnovative formats for collaboration, not only within tthe organization, but from the outside in. You’ll want to cconsider identifying their exponential opportunities and h how you can scale fast to seize them.

Beyond: Ask yourself: What part of my business is already dead? Act on the answer to free up resources a ffor fresh innovation. You’ll also want to “re-strategize” — frequently revisit your plan, redesign the future and rrepilot concepts.

Companies face a choice in today’s dynamic environment: activate disruption readiness first as chrysalises, then as butterflies, or remain caterpillars, putting both market leadership and market capitalization at risk. Understanding how mature an organization is in its ability to meet the disruptive challenges now, next and beyond allows leaders to confidently chart a course that takes them to the next level in their transformation journey and seizes competitive advantage in the Transformative Age.

Summary The Transformative Index allows companies to assess where they are on their transformation journey, to help them chart the right course of action to succeed in the Transformative Age. Get your company's evaluation by taking the test at: www.ey.com/en_gl/transformative-index. There may be a cost but it may be worth it.  www.ey.com/en_gl/advisory/how-to-chart-theright-course-for-your-transformation?WT.mc_ id=10300420&AA.tsrc=advertising

37  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Image credits: Facepop

Business - Women Entrepreneurs

12 African Startups to Watch in 2020

By Gabriella Mulligan

F

or the Disrupt Africa team, it has been another fascinating year of conversations and meetings with many hundreds of inspiring, innovative African tech startups. Here is our picks of the top 12 African startups to watch out for in 2020.

NORTH AFRICA Trella: Egyptian trucking marketplace Trella (www. trella.app) is our first rising star of 2019, having raised more than US$600,000 in a pre-seed funding round; selected for Silicon Valley-based accelerator Y Combinator; and concluding the year by acquiring local competitor Trukt.

Founded last year, Trella operates a B2B trucking marketplace, connecting shippers with carriers in realtime, with the goal of making the entire supply chain faster and more reliable while reducing slack and exceptions.

This team told Disrupt Africa they are taking growth “step-by-step”, and not making any hasty moves – so we’re eagerly anticipating the next set of well-planned moves the startup makes.

Eksab: Also from Egypt, we’re betting fantasy sports platform Eksab will keep up its winning streak in 2020.

Eksab (www.yallaeksab.com) is looking to tap into the MENA region’s love for football by providing users with exciting and engaging mobile games, with the aim of becoming the leading fantasy sports site in the region.

In its first year, the startup processed more than five million predictions, and in June secured a six-figure seed investment from 500 Startups to help it scale its product across the region.

We’ll be keeping a keen eye on Eksab over the coming months.

Kaoun: Tunisian fintech Kaoun (www.kaoun.com/en) is tackling the epic question of financial inclusion. The company’s first product, Flouci, is a mobile and web app that allows users to create free bank accounts remotely; facilitating the process through an innovative Know Your Customer (KYC) system via smartphone.

A critical component to any startup’s success, the team behind Kaoun is top-notch: co-founders Nebras Jemel, Anis Kallel, and Rostom Bouazizi put their studies in the United States – at Harvard University, University of Rochester, and Columbia University

respectively – on hold to come back to Tunisia and build a fintech startup.

Launched in 2018, Kaoun has already raised funding from two angel investors, and secured key partnerships with two Tunisian banks and the country’s National Digital Certification Agency.

EAST AFRICA Exuus: Rwandan fintech Exuus (www.exuus.com) has had an exciting year; in particular, it has been busy honing its pitch to perfection.

The startup is taking traditional savings groups online in a bid to smooth processes and help low income communities become more financially resilient.

In February, Exuus was one of 10 startups selected to pitch live to an audience of over 600 attendees at the annual Africa Startup Summit, held in Kigali; picked from more than 100 applicants from around the continent.

The startup was also named winner of Seedstars’ Rwandan event, securing a place in the global final, at which Exuus will pitch for up to US$500,000 in equity investment.

MPost: Launched in 2015, it has taken Kenya’s MPost (https://mpost.co.ke/mpost) a while to get going, but recently things have really started hotting up.

Simple but effective, MPost has developed a platform that enables the conversion of mobile numbers into official virtual addresses, which allows notifications to be sent to clients whenever they get mail through their postal addresses.

The startup participated in the Startupbootcamp AfriTech programme held in Cape Town in late 2018; and this year raised a US$1.9 million Series A funding round to finance its expansion and further development of its proprietary platform.

RideSafe: Take motorbike taxis, affordable emergency response, and blockchain – mix them together with a bucket of innovation and you get (www.ridesafeafrica.com). The Kenyan RideSafe startup offers an emergency response service for

38  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

public motorcycle taxis, that utilises a micro-insurance financing model running on a decentralised blockchain application.

The startup has had quite the year – having raised US$100,000 in funding from æternity Ventures after taking part in the Bulgaria-based æternity Starfleet Incubator for blockchain startups; as well as being selected to pitch at the Africa Startup Summit in Rwanda in February.

SOUTHERN AFRICA FlexClub: Here at Disrupt Africa, we’re interested to see how FlexClub (https://flexclub.co.za/en/invest) fares in 2020, after a solid start since launching last year.

The South African startup allows users to purchase vehicles which are then matched with Uber drivers who pay a weekly rental charge to the investor.

With a solid founding team – including two former Uber employees; the startup raised US$1.2 million in a seed round led by CRE Venture Capital and also featuring Montegray Capital and Savannah Fund in March, amidst plans to grow its team and expand into new geographies.

Intergreatme: Regtech startup Intergreatme (www. intergreatme.com) can be credited as one of the first crowdfunding successes of Southern Africa; securing a whirlwind ZAR32.436 million (US$2.19 million) from 406 investors via the Uprise.Africa platform in May. Within six days it had already raised ZAR28.5 million (US$1.98m), with the startup limiting the raise to ZAR32 million which it managed in 2 weeks. The raise was marred slightly by the fact the startup later decided to reject a bulk of it after some investors failed compliance processes.

The fact still stands the startup is an attractive proposition, however, and we get what all the hype is about. Intergreatme has developed a web and app platform that digitises verified personal information for over 25 million credit-active South Africans; for streamlined use across businesses and other organisations.

Pineapple: Insurtech startup Pineapple (www. pineapple.co.za) is the third South African venture to make our watch list for 2020.

Founded in 2017, Pineapple allows users to get quotes and insurance on items with just the snap of a picture.

The startup has been going from strength to strength since launching, raising seed funding, and taking part in Google’s Launchpad Africa accelerator and the US-based Hartford Insurtech Hub’s accelerator.

Then in 2019, it won the single biggest prize at the annual VentureClash challenge in the United States (US), securing US$1.5 million from a US$5 million prize fund.

WEST AFRICA OKO Finance: It’s not every day a startup from Mali makes the list of the continent’s top 12 startups to watch – but OKO Finance (www.oko.finance) has.

Founded in 2017, OKO develops affordable mobilebased crop insurance products to provide smallholder farmers with the financial security they need, regardless of unstable climate trends.

The startup raised pre-seed funding of US$300,000; but is now looking to raise US$1.5 million in order to grow more quickly. We feel confident they’ll get the backing, and we’re looking forward to seeing them scale their solution to more farmers and more markets in 2020.

Yobante Express: At Disrupt Africa, we’re really excited about Senegalese startup Yobante Express (www.yobanteexpress.com/#/accueil), which has developed an innovative relay-based way of tackling last-mile deliveries.

Founded in November 2018, Yobante Express is an online marketplace that connects local couriers with local commerce; combining the gig economy and machine learning, to optimise domestic, cross-border and last mile delivery.

Already delivering over delivering 8,000 parcels and generating more than US$50,000 every month, Yobante Express expanded to South Africa in November.

54Gene: Nigeria’s 54Gene (www.54gene.com) means serious business: it is building the first African DNA biobank.

Just six months old, 54gene is a product of Stack Dx, which raised funding from early-stage VC firm Microtraction to develop the platform in January.

Since then it has been selected to take part in the Y Combinator and Google Launchpad Africa accelerator programmes, and in July, raised a US$4.5 million seed round.

The startup is now positioned to build the largest database of genomic and phenotypic consented data of Africans. And for us, there’s no doubt that this startup merits a spot on our must-watch list for 2020.  https://disrupt-africa.com/2020/01/12-african-startups-to-watch-in2020/?utm_medium=40digest.7days3.20200101.carousel&utm_ source=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=campaign Image credit: mtsholdings.co.za

39  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - Internet Privacy Issues

Seven Tips to Keep Your TV (and Other Devices) from Spying on You

By Dana Sanchez hey see you when you're sleeping...Or at least they could.

"They," in this sense, refers to hackers.

I'm referring to the latest fear-mongering headlines about hackers. This time, the warning comes straight from the FBI. The Bureau announced earlier this week that hackers can access your smart TV. These hackers

T

Friday shopping weekend, lots of folks might face this new threat. But the chances of this happening are low, especially compared to other devices that hackers could target. However, it's a possibility you should know about and take steps to protect yourself. You might remember that I already warned you about how your smartphone listens to you and keeps logs of your voice.

will likely just mess around by changing the channel or shutting it off while you're watching. But some more nefarious folks could access the TV's camera and watch you.

With the popularity of smart TVs over the Black

(Read it again, here: https://healthandwealthbulletin.com/ four-ways-to-keep-your-phone-from-spying-on-you.)

With the growth of more devices "plugged in" to the Internet, it's not surprising to see more of these hacks.

We can control everything from our thermostats to

40  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

the deadbolts on our front doors with the push of a button on our smartphones. You might have seen ads for the popular Nest system or Verizon's Smart Home systems.

But that convenience poses a real threat to our security.

An exposé by the Canadian Broadcasting Company found websites that streamed people's unsecured security-camera footage. That means anyone on the Internet could tune in and watch these folks living their lives, blissfully unaware they were being watched by strangers.

Here's the scary part: Once hackers access one connected device, they can get into your entire network. That means everything from photos to sensitive banking information could be compromised.

Case in point... in 2018, hackers targeted a casino.

The CEO of cybersecurity firm Darktrace reported that hackers found an unsecured smart thermostat the casino used to measure temperature of an aquarium.

Once they gained access, they pulled up the customer database... and downloaded all of the information on the casino's high-rollers.

Here's what you can do...

1. Stay on top of updates. Any smart device you buy will have a manufacturer's website. Check it often and download any and all software updates. That can include important security patches.

2. Choose a device (particularly cameras) that encrypts its data. Look for ones that stream with SSL or TLS for maximum security. Just as you would with safeguarding access to your e-mail accounts, encrypting data keeps it away from prying eyes. You can find a great how-to guide right here (https://reolink. com/how-to-secure-your-wifi-enabled-home-camera).

3. Set your router to be secure. You'll need to configure it to use WPA2 or WPA3 encryption.

Consumer Reports ranked the best wireless routers out there and included these security features in their considerations. Their top pick – Asus AC3100, which uses a WPA2 encryption. Lifehacker has a guide on how to secure your router here (https:// lifehacker.com/how-to-make-your-wifi-router-as-secure-aspossible-1827695547).

LastPass – give you the option of using two-factor authentication, as do many banks, brokerages, and credit card companies. And we just found out that Amazon has recently started using this as well. Perfect timing for Cyber Monday.

PC Magazine also has a guide on how to set up two-factor authentication on some websites. You can read it here (www.pcmag.com/feature/358289/two-factorauthentication-who-has-it-and-how-to-set-it-up).

5. Use a decentralized network. As we wrote above, it's important to look into a VPN or a web "proxy". I recommend looking into the options and finding what works best for you. You can start here for a good, basic primer (www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-a-vpn-toprotect-your-internet-privacy).

If you want to set up a smart device like a security camera or smart thermometer, be sure to immediately change both the username AND password.

Don't use any identifiers in your network name either.

It makes it much easier for hackers to find your network if it's named after you or your address.

6. Don't advertise. It's tempting to post photos of Christmas morning with all the gifts on display but resist the urge to share any of those online. You wouldn't keep these things out in plain sight with the curtains open for thieves to see from the street. So why make it easier for them by posting it online?

In fact, according to one survey of convicted burglars, an estimated 75% of burglars use social media to find potential targets.

7. Keep electronics out of the bedroom. It sounds simple, but so many folks don't follow this important rule of sleep hygiene. I've told readers for years that electronics emit blue light which interferes with our sleep cycles. So get that TV (and cellphone, and tablet, and computer) out of the bedroom. You'll sleep better in more ways than one.

Following these rules will give you some muchneeded peace of mind around this time of year. But it's important to keep up with them throughout the year as well.  www.healthandwealthbulletin.com Image credits: PC World. Private Internet Access

4. Guard your password: Some websites now offer something called "two-factor authentication." Twofactor authentication requires your password plus another piece of information – like a code sent to your e-mail or mobile device associated with your account – to log in to a website. I love using this feature.

Many companies – including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and password-manager services like

41  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - Internet Privacy Issues

Big Sister is Listening – Here's How to Stop Her

By Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team

T

his is a warning about sacrificing your privacy for the sake of a popular Christmas gift.

Popular media outlets like USA Today, Business Insider, and the Today Show all rank this as one of the hottest gifts of the 2019 season. Chances are you've already purchased one (or more) for yourself or your family. But it's also an intrusive visitor...

I'm talking about Amazon's popular Echo products.

The smart speaker has a user interface named Alexa.

You can use your voice to ask Alexa to do everything – you can have her play "Jingle Bells," order pizza, remind you to pick up your dry cleaning, even update you on a stock's performance.

I know a few people who got sucked in with Amazon's latest offer to get the Dot – a mini version – for just $0.99 (after paying for at least one month of Amazon Music Unlimited for an additional $9.99).

That's a fantastic deal, but before you hook up any of the Echo products (the original, the Dot, the Echo

Show, the Auto, and more), there's something you should keep in mind: Alexa is always listening.

Your Echo device doesn't have the power to compute what you're asking right there. It has to transcribe what you ask, send it to the server in the cloud, and then relay a response. But because everyone is so different, Alexa has to "learn" speech patterns and questions.

So, snips of your conversations – even ones you didn't know Alexa was recording – are sent to a team at Amazon to analyze.

And there's no way to make it anonymous.

That's why I want to urge you to use caution before setting up these devices.

I know that it might sound like I'm pounding the table on this issue. But the truth is that with the explosion of the Internet of Things, everything around us is connected... and recording. Privacy these days is a myth.

You can't control everything around you, but we want you to be aware of what you can control. So, we've

42  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

put together three main points for smart speaker privacy. We're going to focus on Amazon due to the popularity, but these tips apply to all of these kinds of products, including Google Home, Sonos One, Apple HomePod and others.

1. Delete your voice logs.

Just like with your smartphone, you need to make sure you're taking care of your voice logs. Your smart speaker doesn't "listen" – it records and then processes your request. But those recordings don't just disappear.

You need to delete them yourself.

This is particularly important since Amazon says Echo products can have three false starts a day. In other words, it can turn on and "listen" even if you don't say the wake-up command – and it can do that up to three times a day. That means sensitive conversations may be recorded and sent to the Amazon cloud.

You'll need to go to the Alexa app. In there is a "Privacy" screen. From here you can access your voice history, can listen to recordings, and delete the ones you want... or simply delete them all (which is what we recommend).

2. Check skill permissions.

Alexa's functions are called "skills." You'll want to see what permissions you're granting for each one. For instance, you might have your street address shared because you have an Uber skill on there.

You'll need to figure out how much you want shared and with which skills. That includes your address, phone number, and e-mail address.

3. Be wary of third-party skills.

Amazon does have requirements for any developers who create programs that people can download as skills on their devices. But each one has different rules for what data they collect and what they can do with it.

It might seem boring but take a few minutes to review those privacy policies to understand what's at stake.

If that isn't enough, know this: Some third-party skill developers add malware that will keep listening to and keep recording your conversations – and will send them back to the developers. They may even create "phishing" attempts, asking you to say your password or enter other information that hackers can then use to access your accounts.

So be sure any third-party skill you download is from a reputable source that you recognize and has excellent reviews.

In addition to these three tips, we urge you to follow our common-sense rules for all Internet privacy, including securing your Internet connection.

Finally, consider one last, easy step – simply turn off the microphone. If you aren't using the device, simply hit the microphone button on top. If it's red, it's off and won't record or respond to you.

We agree these devices are useful, but don't get carried away to the point of being careless. Review these steps and share them with friends and family this season.  www.stansberryresearch.com Image credits: TechHive

Th C The Constant t tC Contact t t 2020 Marketing Calendar is Ready!

Download the Free 2020 Online Marketing Calendar A little bit of planning goes a long way when it comes to marketing your business or organization online. Our printable PDF calendar includes all the major holidays you should be thinking about when planning your marketing campaigns.

Let us make your 2020 planning a little easier with our free 2020 online marketing calendar!

Download the Calendar Here: https://blogs.constantcontact.com/online-marketing-calendar 43  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

ALL ANCESTRY TEST KITS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL Don't be fooled by other ancestry test kits pushing highly discounted prices this holiday season. Over the years, countless people have called us disappointed with the lack of specificity from other ancestry test kits.

Get the results you want, the first time.

Order today!

Get the results you want, the first time.

Order at https://shop.africanancestry.com www.facebook.com/africanancestry/videos/363773494403533/

Sincerely, Gina Paige President, African Ancestry Maternal Country of Ancestry: Nigeria Maternal Tribe of Ancestry: Fulani

www.africanancestry.com

45  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - Editorial - Banks Still Denying Loans to Blacks

Black Business Owners with 750+ Credit Scores are Rejected for Loans

T

he release of the 2019 Federal Reserve Bank Report, and the recent Black Enterprise Magazine article reveal the fact that Black business owners with a 750+ credit score being denied access to business loans: "In this futuristic year of 2020, it is shameful that Black Americans are still being denied access to business loans. The facts outlined in the 2019 Federal Reserve Bank report demonstrate that American banking institutions are still systemically discriminatory and racist. Reasons why we must make it a daily intention to buy from Black-owned businesses. And when we notice a short-coming of a Black-owned business, know it's not due to lack of business acumen. It's often due to lack of resources, considering studies prove most Blackowned businesses are funding their business literally out of their own pockets, while all other nonblack business owners have the luxury of business loans to rely on.”

According to the Black Enterprise article, Black business owners are being denied business loans from banks despite having good credit scores and showing consistent annual profits.

Most recent data available from the U.S. Federal

Reserve, indicates that Black business owners are denied loans by banks more frequently than any other racial group, reported St. Louis Public Radio.

An example of this is St. Louis-based “sauce man” Freddie Lee James, Jr. and his wife Deborah. The couple says despite bringing in $200,000 annually in profit, banks will not give them a loan. “We have 750760 credit score. … We pay all our debts. We don’t have no problems with that. But they were saying that the sauce business is not generating enough capital to meet their standards,” James said.

The BBA will be using this report from the Federal Reserve and other studies to educate financial institutes on how to enhance their lending in our communities of color, specifically amongst black businesses.  Footnotes Federal Reserve Report, Access to Financial Services Matters to Small Businesses, November 2019. www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2019-novemberconsumer-community-context.htm Black Enterprise Magazine, Black Business OwnersS with 750+ Credit Scores are Rejected for Loans, January 13, 2020 www.blackenterprise.com/black-business-owners-with750-credit-scores-are-rejected-for-loans Image credits: The Washington Post

46  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

(323) 868-2621

Business - No Fake News

The Groundtruth Project - Report for America

T

he crisis in journalism has become a crisis for our democracy. We are calling on a new generation of journalists to serve in community news organizations across the country. Report for America is a partnership between The GroundTruth Project and Google News Lab with additional support from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Knight Foundation, Galloway Family Foundation, Center for Investigative Reporting, Solutions Journalism Network and other leading organizations focused on the future of journalism.

Report for America (RFA) is a call to service at a time of crisis for the profession. Co-founded by GroundTruth executive director Charles Sennott and veteran journalist and social entrepreneur Steven Waldman, RFA is rooted in the best practices of public service and offers an innovative model that strengthens America’s free press. RFA will pilot reporting corps positions across the country starting in early 2018 at news organizations that serve under-covered areas.

GroundTruth opportunities and resources.

The GroundTruth Project’s mission is to support a new generation of journalists, through opportunities, mentorship, training and support.

Reporting Fellowships: Fellowships include safety training, funding for reporting time and expenses, and editorial support and mentorship to produce a reporting project, which is typically published by a prominent media partner, as well as on the GroundTruth website. (https://thegroundtruthproject.org/fellowships)

Report for America: This initiative places emerging journalists into host newsrooms across the country for a year of service. In addition to working as a reporter, corps members also do a service project, such as helping a local high school with its student newspaper. https://thegroundtruthproject.org/projects/report-foramerica/

Emerging Photographers: This program curates the work of talented photographers with less than five years of experience who have not yet had their work widely distributed. https://thegroundtruthproject.org/projects/emergingphotographers/

Help restore local journalism. Apply for Report for America https://thegroundtruthproject.org/help-restore-localjournalism-apply-report-america GroundTruth Podcast Incubator: This program provides emerging audio reporters and producers with the support they need to create an audio documentary for the award-winning GroundTruth podcast. https://thegroundtruthproject.org/pitch-audio-storygroundtruth-podcast-incubator

Resources Navigator newsletter: This newsletter from The GroundTruth Project delivers practical advice and a list of opportunities for early-career journalists. It arrives in your inbox every other Tuesday. Sign-up here (https:// thegroundtruthproject.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u= 70fb4e8cc3417f44a37246429&id=154e6ed2ca) or check out past columns here (https://thegroundtruthproject.org/ projects/navigator).

GroundTruth newsletter: Keep up with new programs and initiatives at The GroundTruth Project, as well as award-winning work by emerging journalists, with this weekly newsletter. Sign up here (https://us6. list-manage.com/subscribe?u=70fb4e8cc3417f44a3724642 9&id=9afb6f4318)

The GroundTruth Field Guide: This field guide is meant to help foreign correspondents stay safe and carry wisdoms from veteran journalists with them.

Download or read more: https://d3oj2y7irryo5z.cloudfront. net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FieldGuide_January2017. pdf

GroundTruth Field Guide, 2018 edition for Report for America: This is a special version of our field guide focused on reporting in the United States. Download https://d3oj2y7irryo5z.cloudfront.net/wp-content/ here: uploads/2017/11/GroundTruth-Field-Guide-2018-EditionReport-for-America.pdf

Learn more about Report for America at www. reportforamerica.org.  https://thegroundtruthproject.org/projects/report-for-america

48  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Take Note

Welcome to More.

Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago's First Black Banker

by Don Hayner

B

inga is the definitive full-length biography of Jesse Binga, the first black banker in Chicago.

Born into a large family in Detroit, Binga arrived in Chicago in 1892 in his late twenties with virtually nothing. Through his wits and resourcefulness, he rose to wealth and influence as a real estate broker, and in 1908 he founded the Binga Bank, the first black-owned bank in the city. But his achievements were followed by an equally notable downfall. Binga recounts this g gripping pp g storyy about race, history, politics, and finance. fin The Black Belt, where T Binga’s bank was located, was Bi a segregated neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side—a burgeoning city within a city— b and its growth can be traced a through the arc of Binga’s th career.

He preached and c embodied an American gospel e of o self-help and accrued wealth while expanding w housing options and business h opportunities for blacks.

Devout Roman Catholics, he and his wife supported church activities and d hi if Eudora E d various cultural and artistic organizations; their annual Christmas party was the Black Belt’s social event of the year.

But Binga’s success came at the price of a vicious backlash. After he moved his family into a white neighborhood in 1917, their house was bombed multiple times, his offices were attacked twice, and he became a lightning rod for the worst race riots in Chicago history, which took place in 1919. Binga persevered, but, starting with the stock market crash of October 1929, a string of reversals cost him his bank, his property, and his fortune.

A quintessentially Chicago story, Binga tells the history of racial change in one of the most segregated cities in America and how an extraordinary man stood as a symbol of hope in a community isolated by racial animosity. 

Open the door to a hotel you don’t just visit. You own it.

Choice Hotels® is committed to achieving more diversity in hospitality with exclusive incentive programs designed to reduce up front costs and provide more support to minority hotel developers.

And our commitment doesn’t stop there. Choice Hotels promotes and pursues diversity at all levels, ranging from our workforce to our hotel guests, from our suppliers to entrepreneurs looking to create wealth. Like you.

Open the door to hotel ownership opportunities with Choice Hotels. Because you’re not in business for less. You’re in it for more. www.choicehotelsdevelopment. com/#&panel1-2

www.amazon.com/Binga-Chicagos-Banker-ChicagoStories/dp/081014090X 49  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - New Decade Strategies

Here's How to Start a Business in 2020

By Robert Glazer

R

ight before I started my own business, a friend offered me an opportunity to move to California for a great role at his company. He also shared that he thought I was becoming "unemployable."

He meant it as a compliment, knowing I was an entrepreneur at heart and wouldn't be happy continuing work for others for much longer.

If you aren't satisfied professionally, maybe time to become unemployable as well in 2020. Here are three strategies to do exactly that.

Be proactive.

Often the most powerful force encountered when considering the entrepreneurial path is inertia. It's always tempting to avoid the effort and uncertainty of pursuing a new opportunity.

As a personal example, in 2005, I was working at a startup with leadership that was demotivating. I wasn't happy, but was staying in the job because I wanted to get a few years of consistent employment on my resume.

I may have done just that had I not gotten profound advice from a friend, Al Chase. While having lunch with him, I shared my dissatisfaction, but noted I was afraid of being labeled as a job hopper.

He listened to my story, looked me in the eye, and said, "My friend, I give you permission to leave. You have got to do what's right for you."

That advice changed my career. Though I didn't realize it at the time, Al showed me that I needed to get out of my comfort zone and proactively pursue work that would be more fulfilling. Staying would have been a waste of time.

Within a year, I had started two businesses, one of which became Acceleration Partners.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, you can't wait around for somebody else to start a business for you.

It's vital to do the legwork.

Network the right way.

Once you've decided to explore the entrepreneurial avenue, your first instinct might be to open your contact list and reach out to everybody you know. You may want advice on what is the best way to proceed, or to

forge potentially valuable partnerships.

That's not the best strategy. I am often contacted by people I barely know seeking, "just 15 minutes," to ask for advice or help. While many leaders enjoy helping others, most of them are wary about doing so for people they barely know, who are only connecting when they need something.

If you think you want to make a move in the future, catch up with people now when you don't need anything from them. Instead, ask if you can help them on their path; it's a great way to earn goodwill.

If you are ready to launch a venture, use your time and energy to network strategically. Think about who knows you well and will advocate for you to potential investors, clients or vendors. When you meet these contacts, be prepared to give them everything they'll need to help with targeted introductions or referrals.

Don't expect them to do the work for you.

When someone in my network asks me for a specific intro and sends me a great template to forward along, I am happy to help. When they expect me do everything for them, it's a turnoff.

Consult your core values.

Your core values are the principles that are most important to you. Consciously or unconsciously, they

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drive the important choices you make in your life--who you spend the most time with, where you live, even where you work.

If you are thinking of jumping into entrepreneurship, but are unsure, consider if your current work serves your core values and your strengths. Then, look for opportunities more aligned with what you value most.

If you don't know your core values and how they relate to your professional life, take time to reflect.

Do you end the average workday feeling drained and frustrated? When you wake up, do you dread going to the office?

If the answer to these questions is yes, there's a decent chance that your company or role doesn't align with your core values. Shifting to a situation where

you work for yourself, focus on something you are professional passionate about and build something new may be more fulfilling.

It's hard to know if you're ready to start your entrepreneurial journey. But with 2020 here, now is as good a time as any to check your values, get out of your comfort zone and chase a new vision.  www.inc.com/robert-glazer/dont-spend-another-year-ina-job-you-hate-heres-how-to-start-a-business-in-2020. html?utm_medium=40digest.7days3.20191218. carousel&utm_source=email&utm_content=&utm_ campaign=campaign Image credit: http://motivationalmoments-vwo.blogspot. com/2013/09/leadership-tuesdays-what-are-your-values. html

The Nature of Marketing in 2020

By Matt Treacey Community-based Promotion Back in January 2019, the fantastic blog Grow and Convert listed a prediction for “community-based marketing” being a trend for the coming year. With the year now almost over, I realize I never saw this idea echoed elsewhere online (https:// growandconvert.com/content-marketing/content-promotiontactics).

I feel this trend has only just started to roll out in the latter half of 2019 — and it should continue. The proliferation of small communities forming in Discord servers, Telegram groups, subreddits, Slack channels, and Facebook Groups seems to support this.

As platforms continue to dominate and compete, their internal components are fragmenting. Marketers can take advantage of increasingly niche communities by being prominent in the places their perfect customer resides. While not avoiding the platforms directly, diversifying across several platforms could help decrease risk and create more stable traffic.

Email Marketing Email is still underutilized and often completely overlooked. While the “information empires” have created platforms that monopolize usage of the web, it’s limited to that technology — the HTTP protocol.

Email protocols are still relatively open by comparison and promise amazing returns for entrepreneurs.

Email is still the only way to build an audience that you “own”. Twitter and Instagram followers, Facebook group members, or LinkedIn connections can all be taken away from you without a moment’s notice. Building an email list is the only way to ensure you have a direct connection with your market from interested individuals who have granted you permission to contact them.

Email also offers consistently strong engagement.

While platform-dependent marketers bemoan “algorithm changes” that upset their reach and effectiveness, email is immune. SendGrid’s annual 2019 Email Benchmark and Engagement Study shows consistent engagement across all metrics over the last four years alone.

As Campaign Monitor puts it, “Statistics show that email is still king”. With 3.9 billion active email users (more than any social network), an average of 2.5 hours each day spent inside their inboxes, and an estimated ROI of 38:1, it’s incredible to think it’s still underutilized by so many businesses.

There isn’t another platform that allows you to model and influence your customer journey, get such consistent engagement, and build a more valuable business than email.  https://medium.com/better-marketing/the-nature-ofmarketing-in-2020-adbda085cb1d Image credit: notagrouch.com

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Business - New Decade Strategies

10X Your Profitability and Impact Through SaaS & AIaaS

By Peter Diamandis

I

n 2020, how do you 10X your business? How do you go from a linear ‘old-school’ company to an ‘Exponential Organization’? Today, there is a clear strategy…

An Exponential Organization is one whose impact (or output) is disproportionately large—at least 10X larger—compared to its peers because of the use of new organizational techniques that leverage exponential technologies.

In this blog, I’m exploring how any company, small or large, must be using Software as a service (SaaS) and Artificial Intelligence as a service (AIaaS) across every aspect of its business.

As entrepreneurs, we no longer have a choice. This is an imperative. If you are not fully committed, then please read this blog for the motivation and the mindset you need to enter 2020 with conviction!

Let’s dive in….

WHO, Not How...

Dan Sullivan, my coach (and the creator of Strategic Coach) teaches a concept called “WHO, Not How.” When facing a new challenge or business opportunity, master entrepreneurs don’t figure out how to solve the problem, they identify WHO is best for the job.

Choosing the right “who” frees you to focus on creative problem-solving, new innovations on or within your business model, and what you do best as an entrepreneur. It’s a critical strategy for leveraging yourself at scale.

Historically, a “Who” was always a person on your team, a consultant, an outside company.

But today’s key to SCALE—to creating an Exponential Organization—is a new generation of WHOs: software, and more specifically, AI. As an entrepreneur, you no longer need to build out staff and own all the components of your company (or the layers of your stack).

Key Point >>> An explosion of collaborative and always improving “Software as a Service (SaaS)” and “AI as a Service (AIaaS)” providers will deliver what you need, cheaper, faster and better — allowing you to operate as an exponential organization.

And by outsourcing to an externally hosted SaaS product as your new WHO, your capabilities will constantly get better and cheaper, benefiting from the n e t w o r k externalities that result from others utilizing the same software.

(See: Benefits of SaaS below.)

Welcome to an era wherein nearly any business problem has a corresponding software or AI "WHO" that costs you next to nothing, allows you to scale indefinitely, and transforms you from a linear business into an exponential force.

My friend and entrepreneurial author Gino Wickman smartly stated it as follows… “Systemize the predictable, so you can humanize the exceptional.”

Even in the case of highly complex business processes—manufacturing, client services, HR, hiring, writing marketing copy—rather than building out fullfledged divisions and teams inside your company, it is easier than ever to identify an AIaaS or SaaS platform that will deliver a constantly improving, centrally hosted, YoY strategy (Year-over-Year) without any additional overhead.

Today, more than ever, SMEs can gain a technological advantage over larger competitors in part because of their size, and more importantly, their reliance on the right software WHOs. Using a call center or help desk SaaS application, for instance, can significantly improve customer loyalty and interactions, thereby boosting revenues.

According to a Zendesk study, for instance, 42%

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of B2C customers purchase more after a good customer service experience, whereas a bad customer service interaction results in 52% of customers not buying. An even larger percentage, 59% of shoppers who experience personalization think it has a considerable influence on their purchase decision.

Putting these figures to the test, Amazon’s Personalize recommendation system drove a 29% increase in sales.

What’s powerful about AI WHOs is that they allow any entrepreneur with a business of any size to scale on top of an always improving software stack. In success, AI is now your collaborator, not your displacement, allowing you to grow indefinitely without adding headcount and overhead.

So what exactly is SaaS? (some basic background) A cloud-based service (and subset of cloud computing), a SaaS platform is a centrally hosted application that allows for multiple ‘tenants’ (i.e. business clients) to run software over an internet browser on their own business data and operations.

The beauty of SaaS is that, instead of downloading software to your business network or building it from the ground up with an in-house team, any business (from 5 employees to 500,000) can have access to an iteratively improving, always-learning software application, backed by a full company (the vendor) of software engineers.

Already, SaaS technologies are on track to hit US$85 billion in revenue by year’s end, according to Gartner, marking a 17.8% increase from previous years.

Yet SaaS is only a piece of the puzzle ( a l b e i t constituting a majority) when it comes to public cloud services

as a whole. Projected to reach a market valuation of US$411 billion by 2020, cloud computing also includes Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service.

In general, cloud computing comprises on-demand use of shared computing resources, accessed via a network by multiple clients. And under this umbrella fall three delivery models: • Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): A domain for system administrators (SysAdmins), IaaS products allow clients to outsource physical or hardware infrastructure to the cloud. Think: data storage and virtualization, remote servers, outsourced networking and firewall services.

• Platform as a service (PaaS): Whereas IaaS provides the sheer hardware infrastructure for companies to scale their data stores and access remote servers, PaaS is a domain for software developers. Typically consisting of operating systems (OS) and developer tools, PaaS products help software engineers build, test, deploy, maintain, and manage every step of the development lifecycle of web applications.

• Software as a service (SaaS): Lastly, SaaS is a domain for end users (or business clients). Offering on-demand, pay-per-use service of an application, SaaS products are accessible anywhere, and entirely platform-independent. As all computing resources responsible for delivering SaaS are managed by the vendor, users can thereby run the program on their own business data to replicate software-driven processes (whether in analytics, decision-making, optimization problems, etc.). As a result, brand new startups and large corporations alike are saved precious human capital and the costly, time-consuming development of in-house software. Source: PHD Ventures.

Ranging from accounting solutions to inter-team collaboration, SaaS is likely something you’re already familiar with. In fact, you probably use SaaS all the time.

Think of something as basic as email. Today, it would make zero sense for you to build your own email client software, store your own email data, and maintain the infrastructure to send and receive information over the internet.

Instead, you probably connect to Google Mail, for instance, using either Google’s interface or a SaaS layer (think: smart email clients like Superhuman). In turn, that entire application is hosted by Google—the cloud service provider—such that we have no concern about developing the email software or maintaining the see page 54

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Business - New Decade Strategies from page 53

infrastructure. We just use it.

Believe it or not, this counts as an example of SaaS, and perhaps one of the most rudimentary.

Other SaaS platforms you’ve likely used include storage applications like Dropbox, Microsoft’s OneDrive, and Google Drive. Or the usual CRM suspects, like HubSpot, SalesForce, and Zoho. Or maybe you use collaboration-promoting SaaS products like Slack and Cisco’s Webex.

But these constitute less than 1% of today’s SaaS universe.

And for pretty much any business of any size, if you want to get up and running right now, SaaS is an inevitable and near-indispensable part of the process.

Benefits of SaaS Cost: As most SaaS platforms involve a pay-as-yougo or pay-per-user (PPU) subscription model, clients can pay only for services they need without the high upfront costs of investing in hardware infrastructure. Relative to the price of hiring a team of top AI engineers and investing in new software infrastructure, outsourcing to SaaS costs you next to nothing. This makes SaaS particularly attractive for small businesses, now free to compete with far bigger competitors in existing markets.

Speed: The time it takes to build processes and train employees to solve your business problems manually is exorbitant. But why hire in-house software engineers, develop training sets and manual workflows, when you can just outsource these tasks in a fraction of the time? With SaaS (and particularly AIaaS), corporations and SMEs alike can get the use of a sophisticated application in a matter of days or weeks (rather than years).

Particularly as we witness a surge in bandwidth with the rise of 5G, satellite constellations and balloons, SaaS also boasts far faster processing power and scalable data analysis. This significantly reduces the time necessary to complete a project.

Access anywhere: Working remotely? Not near company servers? Want to set up a company with zero physical corporate offices on a virtual campus (think: VirBELA)? No problem! SaaS, MLaaS and soon-tocome convergences with AR and 5G are ushering in an era of entirely dematerialized companies that can scale like nobody’s business. Unencumbered by physical constraints or hardware infrastructure, companies built on the backs of SaaS products are granted total geographic freedom to scale, wherever, at whatever speeds, and with remotely hosted operations and workflows.

Positive Network Externalities: One massive benefit of SaaS is that these platforms are characterized by “multi-tenancy.” If we think of SaaS as a leased product, it is technically rented by multiple tenants (business clients), each benefitting from pooled resources at a far lower cost than if each tenant were to build its own “home,” so to speak. In this way, each tenant benefits from the data, insights, and constructive critical feedback of other tenants in the SaaS platform network.

These positive externalities result from multiple use cases and applications, not to mention the suggested improvements from a SaaS vendor’s individual business clients. The developer, in turn, pushes out software updates across the board far more frequently, iteratively, and holistically, benefiting everyone as a result.

Scalability: With a scalable service delivery infrastructure, SaaS platforms allow business clients to adapt their requirements and constraints seamlessly as their product suites, consumer bases, and revenue streams grow.

Security: Just as you no longer need to hire a huge IT department because you can outsource it, the same applies to security. While some might misperceive SaaS as a source of exposure, countless businesses adopt SaaS products precisely because they are more secure. Why hire a cybersecurity team when you can outsource that to a software WHO too?

Always Improving: The most successful SaaS and MLaaS companies are constantly improving their services, reducing their cost, amping up speed, and augmenting new features. And if your SaaS and AIaaS WHOs are always improving, so are you.

The growing ubiquity of SaaS technology has made it mobile, highly scalable, ultra-cheap, and enterpriseready.

But SaaS itself is old news.

Today, an emerging army of AI WHOs is exploding onto the scene, and entrepreneurs that adopt an automation mindset to leverage these WHOs will be the fastest to scale….

Rise of AI as a Service (AIaaS) & Case Studies…

In the next decade, SaaS is expanding far beyond even today’s most sophisticated automation tools, soon allowing industrial designers, big pharma players, EdTech companies, and engineers to adopt new AI collaborators in the invention of better auto parts, optimal drug candidates, effective educational tools, and even better algorithms.

SaaS clients’ business intelligence will reach unprecedented insights, enabling any company to

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make highly individualized predictions about each and every customer, personalizing content, products and the like through AIaaS. And as AIaaS products help determine best business practices and optimized workflows, a new generation of AI collaborators will even help augment your human capital and intra-company teamwork.

Take the story of American footwear and accessories brand KEEN (www.keenfootwear.com), which sought out a SaaS solution for customer personalization.

Faced with the challenge of making content relevant to consumers and targeting buyers, KEEN adopted Amazon Personalize (https://aws.amazon.com/ personalize).

A prime example of MLaaS, Amazon Personalize enables business clients to create individualized recommendations for consumers. By processing and examining company data, it identifies meaningful insights, selects the right algorithms, and trains a personalization model customized to your data.

Perhaps one of the most powerful tools for any B2C company, machine learning for increased customer engagement, product personalization, and targeted content is now at the fingertips of any entrepreneur.

Whether you’re a startup of 12 employees or a traditional corporation struggling to sift through hoards of consumer data, products like Amazon Personalize allow you to apply one of today’s most abundantly data-fueled AI powerhouses to your data without any prior machine learning experience.

For KEEN, this newfound pay-as-you-use capability made a world of difference: after integrating Amazon Personalize, KEEN saw its email click-through rate (CTR) grow a whopping 67% over controlled messaging, while recipients’ opt-out rate plunged an equally impressive 36%.

But revenue growth figures speak for themselves.

Almost immediately, test emails demonstrated a 12.5% increase in revenue (versus a messaging control group).

And in terms of revenue generated by purchases from KEEN’s Amazon Personalizedriven campaign, per thousand users messaged, the footwear company saw a 49% growth.

Or take Observe.ai, (www. observe.ai) a SaaS product designed to augment human customer care workers.

Through natural language processing (NLP), this burgeoning AIaaS company analyzes conversations between human agents and customers. After transcribing each call, Observe’s platform runs sentiment analysis, draws correlations between the support agent’s verbal and behavioral data and the customer’s happiness level, and ultimately determines customer satisfaction.

This data is then used to benchmark top performers and find best practices across teams. Results can even be applied to other discrete use cases, like monitoring compliance in healthcare, where conversations involve sensitive and often legally protected information.

And while the use of sophisticated AI WHOs in creative collaborative roles might seem far off, Autodesk’s Generative Design (www.autodesk.com/Store/Autodesk) (alongside other companies, such as ParaMatters (https://paramatters.com)) is already cutting to the chase.

Helping age-old manufacturers invent unexpected new mechanical designs, Autodesk’s AI WHO has already managed to successfully cut material resources by up to 25% for one of its prime clients, manufacturing firm Claudius Peters (www.claudiuspeters.com).

Soon to become an indispensable tool in your company’s transition to exponential growth, today’s MLaaS and tomorrow’s AI WHOs are vital and ready to implement right now.

Part of the near-ubiquitous adoption of cloud computing, SaaS and AIaaS tools absorb complexity, dematerialize a tremendous range of business solutions, assist and collaborate with your human capital, and allow your teams to do what they do best: the uniquely human tasks that require critical thinking, creativity, and bold ideas.  peter@diamandis.com Image creddits: WordPress, baystateherald.com, Dreamstime.com

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Business - New Decade Strategies

20 Metatrends for the 2020s

By Peter Diamandis

In the decade ahead, waves of exponential technological advancements are stacking atop one another, eclipsing decades of breakthroughs in scale and impact.

Emerging from these waves are 20 “Metatrends,” likely to revolutionize entire industries (old and new), redefine tomorrow's generation of businesses and contemporary challenges, and transform our livelihoods from the bottom-up. Consider how your business will be effected or what new enterprise you might envision.

(1) Continued increase in global abundance: The number of individuals in extreme poverty continues to drop, as the middle-income population continues to rise. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of high-bandwidth and low-cost communication, ubiquitous AI on the cloud, growing access to AIaided education and AI-driven healthcare. Everyday goods and services (finance, insurance, education and entertainment) are being digitized and becoming fully demonetized, available to the rising billion on mobile devices.

(2) Global gigabit connectivity will connect everyone and everything, everywhere, at ultra-low cost: The deployment of both licensed and unlicensed 5G, plus the launch of a multitude of global satellite networks (OneWeb, Starlink, etc.), allow for ubiquitous, low-cost communications for everyone, everywhere–– not to mention the connection of trillions of devices.

And today’s skyrocketing connectivity is bringing online to an additional 3 billion individuals, driving tens of trillions of dollars into the global economy.

This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: lowcost space launches, hardware advancements, 5G networks, artificial intelligence, materials science, and surging computing power.

(3) The average human healthspan will increase by 10+ years: A dozen game-changing biotech and pharmaceutical solutions (currently in Phase 1, 2, or 3 clinical trials) will reach consumers this decade, adding an additional decade to the human healthspan. Technologies include stem cell supply restoration, wnt pathway manipulation, Senolytic Medicines, a new generation of Endo-Vaccines, GDF11, supplementation of NMD/NAD+, among several others. And as machine learning continues to mature,

AI is set to unleash countless new drug candidates, ready for clinical trials. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: genome sequencing, CRISPR technologies, AI, quantum computing, and cellular medicine.

(4) An age of capital abundance will see increasing access to capital everywhere: From 2016 - 2019, humanity hit all-time highs in the global flow of seed capital, venture capital and sovereign wealth fund investments. While this trend will witness some ups and downs in the wake of future recessions, it is expected to continue its overall upward trajectory.

Capital abundance leads to the funding and testing of ‘crazy’ entrepreneurial ideas, which in turn accelerate innovation. Already, $300 billion in crowdfunding is anticipated by 2025, democratizing capital access for entrepreneurs worldwide. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: global connectivity, dematerialization, demonetization and democratization.

(5) Augmented Reality and the Spatial Web will achieve ubiquitous deployment: The combination of Augmented Reality (yielding Web 3.0, or the Spatial Web) and 5G networks (offering 100Mb/s - 10Gb/s connection speeds) will transform how we live our everyday lives, impacting every industry from retail and advertising, to education and entertainment.

Consumers will play, learn and shop throughout the day in a newly intelligent, virtually overlaid world.

This metatrend will be driven by the convergence of: hardware advancements, 5G networks, artificial intelligence, materials science, and surging computing power.

(6) Everything is smart, embedded with intelligence: The price of specialized machine learning chips is dropping rapidly with a rise in global demand.

Combined with the explosion of low-cost microscopic sensors and the deployment of high-bandwidth networks, we’re heading into a decade wherein every device becomes intelligent. Your child’s toy remembers her face and name. Your kids’ drone safely and diligently follows and videos all the children at the birthday party.

Appliances respond to voice commands and anticipate your needs.

(7) AI will achieve human-level intelligence: As predicted by technologist and futurist Ray Kurzweil, artificial intelligence will reach human-level performance this decade (by 2030). Through the

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2020s, AI algorithms and machine learning tools will be increasingly made open source, available on the cloud, allowing any individual with an internet connection to supplement their cognitive ability, augment their problem-solving capacity, and build new ventures at a fraction of the current cost. This metatrend will be driven by the convergence of: global high-bandwidth connectivity, neural networks, and cloud computing.

Every industry, spanning industrial design, healthcare, education, and entertainment, will be impacted.

(8) AI-Human Collaboration will skyrocket across all professions: The rise of “AI as a Service” (AIaaS) platforms will enable humans to partner with AI in every aspect of their work, at every level, in every industry.

AIs will become entrenched in everyday business operations, serving as cognitive collaborators to employees — supporting creative tasks, generating new ideas, and tackling previously unattainable innovations. In some fields, partnership with AI will even become a requirement. For example: in the future, making certain diagnoses without the consultation of AI may be deemed malpractice.

(9) Most individuals adapt a JARVIS-like “software shell” to improve their quality of life: As services like Alexa, Google Home and Apple Homepod expand in functionality, such services will eventually travel beyond the home and become your cognitive prosthetic 24/7.

Imagine a secure JARVIS-like software shell that you give permission to listen to all your conversations, read your email, monitor your blood chemistry, etc. With access to such data, these AI-enabled software shells will learn your preferences, anticipate your needs and behavior, shop for you, monitor your health, and help you problem-solve in support of your mid- and longterm goals.

(10) Globally abundant, cheap renewable energy: Continued advancements in solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, nuclear and localized grids will drive humanity towards cheap, abundant, and ubiquitous renewable energy. The price per kilowatt-hour will drop below 1 cent per kilowatt-hour for renewables, just as storage drops below a mere 3 cents per kilowatt-hour, resulting in the majority displacement of fossil fuels globally. And as the world’s poorest countries are also the world’s sunniest, the democratization of both new and traditional storage technologies will grant energy abundance to those already bathed in sunlight.

(11) The insurance industry transforms from “recovery after risk” to “prevention of risk:” Today, fire insurance pays you after your house burns down; life insurance pays your next-of-kin after you die; and health insurance (which is really sick insurance) pays only after you get sick. This next decade, a new generation of insurance providers will leverage the convergence of machine learning, ubiquitous sensors, low-cost genome sequencing and robotics to detect risk, prevent disaster, and guarantee safety before any costs are incurred.

(12) Autonomous vehicles and flying cars will redefine human travel (soon to be far faster and cheaper): Fully autonomous vehicles, car-as-a-service fleets, and aerial ride-sharing (flying cars) will be fully operational in most major metropolitan cities in the coming decade. The cost of transportation will plummet 3-4X, transforming real estate, finance, insurance, the materials economy, and urban planning. Where you live and work, and how you spend your time, will all be fundamentally reshaped by this future of human travel. Your kids and elderly parents will never drive.

This metatrend will be driven by the convergence of: machine learning, sensors, materials science, battery storage improvements, and ubiquitous gigabit connections.

(13) On-demand production and on-demand delivery will birth an “instant economy of things:” Urban dwellers will learn to expect “instant fulfillment” of their retail orders as drone and robotic last-mile delivery services carry products from local supply depots directly to your doorstep. Further riding the deployment of regional on-demand digital manufacturing (3D printing

farms), individualized products can be obtained within hours, anywhere, anytime. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: networks, 3D printing, robotics and artificial intelligence.

(14) Ability to sense and know anything, anytime,

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see page 58

Business - New Decade Strategies from page 57

anywhere: We’re rapidly approaching the era wherein 100 billion sensors (the Internet of Everything) is monitoring and sensing (imaging, listening, measuring) every facet of our environments, all the time. Global imaging satellites, drones, autonomous car LIDARs, and forward-looking augmented reality (AR) headset cameras are all part of a global sensor matrix, together allowing us to know anything, anytime, anywhere. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: terrestrial, atmospheric and space-based sensors, vast data networks, and machine learning. In this future, it’s not “what you know,” but rather “the quality of the questions you ask” that will be most important.

(15) Disruption of advertising: As AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, your custom AI will soon understand what you want better than you do. In turn, we will begin to both trust and rely upon our AIs to make most of our buying decisions, turning over shopping to AI-enabled personal assistants. Your AI might make purchases based upon your past desires, current shortages, conversations you’ve allowed your AI to listen to, or by tracking where your pupils focus on a virtual interface (i.e. what catches your attention). As a result, the advertising industry—which normally competes for your attention (whether at the Superbowl or through search engines)—will have a hard time influencing your AI. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: machine learning, sensors, augmented reality, and 5G/networks.

(16) Cellular agriculture moves from the lab into inner cities, providing high-quality protein that is cheaper and healthier: This next decade will

witness the birth of the most ethical, nutritious, and environmentally sustainable protein production system devised by humankind. Stem cell-based ‘cellular agriculture’ will allow the production of beef, chicken and fish anywhere, on-demand, with far higher nutritional content, and a vastly lower environmental footprint than traditional livestock options. This metatrend is enabled by the convergence of: biotechnology, materials science, machine learning, and AgTech.

(17) High-bandwidth Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) will come online for public use: Technologist and futurist Ray Kurzweil has predicted that in the mid2030s, we will begin connecting the human neocortex to the cloud. This next decade will see tremendous progress in that direction, first serving those with spinal cord injuries, whereby patients will regain both sensory capacity and motor control. Yet beyond assisting those with motor function loss, several BCI pioneers are now attempting to supplement their baseline cognitive abilities, a pursuit with the potential to increase their sensorium, memory and even intelligence. This metatrend is fueled by the convergence of: materials science, machine learning, and robotics.

(18) High-resolution VR will transform both retail and real estate shopping: High-resolution, lightweight virtual reality headsets will allow individuals at home to shop for everything from clothing to real estate from the convenience of their living room. Need a new outfit? Your AI knows your detailed body measurements and can whip up a fashion show featuring your avatar wearing the latest 20 designs on a runway. Want to see how your furniture might look inside a house you’re viewing online? No problem! Your AI can populate the property with your virtualized inventory and give you a guided tour. This metatrend is enabled by the convergence of: VR, machine learning, and high-bandwidth networks.

(19) Increased focus on sustainability and the environment: An increase in global environmental awareness and concern over global warming will drive companies to invest in sustainability, both from a necessity standpoint and for marketing purposes.

Breakthroughs in materials science, enabled by AI, will allow companies to drive tremendous reductions in waste and environmental contamination. One company’s waste will become another company’s profit center. This metatrend is enabled by the convergence of: materials science, artificial intelligence, and broadband networks.

(20) CRISPR and gene therapies will minimize disease: A vast range of infectious diseases, ranging from AIDS to Ebola, are now curable. In addition, geneediting technologies continue to advance in precision and ease of use, allowing families to treat and ultimately cure hundreds of inheritable genetic diseases. This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: various biotechnologies (CRISPR, Gene Therapy), genome sequencing, and artificial intelligence.  www.diamandis.com/blog/20-metatrends-2020s?utm_campaign=Tech%20 Blog&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_ content=81495916&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8aKXes1jNtHO9kq-RTE3eOAJ-_CI BQxzlsns4WJ7cxQwoNztIgQWEyWH0SbV4avgoRzfM7lEjYIn0_3fMLO3o nTuc16We_BvQFAYHWjq2W7bpR86Y&_hsmi=81495916 Image credits: thehungrydogblog.com, jaguarfueling.com, 3ders.org, friedmansprout.com

58  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - New Decade Strategies

Want to Start Your Own Business?

Here's One Great Way to Do It

By Erik Sherman

T

echnology often walks a line between amazing capabilities and utter hype. Like 3-D printing.

If you've been watching 3-D printing over the years, you've seen it go from being a curiosity to technology that can manufacture prototypes and even create a limited run of final products. Now, hype aside, it's up to a scale in which entrepreneurs, particularly those with design skills (or who can access those who do) and unique ideas, can make products with compelling appeal to niche markets. Working with a modest investment, you can test concepts, get feedback, incrementally improve, and build a business that might eventually scale up.

It helps to start with some knowledge of how 3-D printing works. Reading design files, a 3-D printer deposits small amounts of material in exact locations, building an item up a bit at a time. That is why unlike some standard forms of manufacturing that are reductive--removing plastic, metal, wood, or other substances--3-D printing is called additive.

The range of materials you can use, depending on whether the equipment is consumer or industrial, is impressive. There are the printers that use plastics or resins of various sorts. Others melt bits of metal from stock rods. Still others also use intense heat applied at a point but fuse powdered metals.

Users can choose deposit technologies, materials, and sizes to do many jobs. You can own your own printer or job out work to a facility with the specific type you need.

Recently I heard from an old family friend who, among other things, is an expert in electronics and ham radio.

He noticed a problem with a common radio and began manufacturing parts that would correct the issue at a reasonable cost. It's a sideline for him, but something that, once set up, only requires him to crank up the printer and form another piece to mail out.

The other week, my wife brought up an example.

Someone online was using a 3-D printer to produce custom cookie cutters--created to look like a picture of the customer's pet. Quite an ingenious twist. One more formalized company builds actual rocket engines with some parts so convoluted in shape that the only practical way to form them is with 3-D printers.

You can find many other examples. Search Google using "3D projects" or visit sites like Thingiverse to

YouTube Indizonedotnet .Channel see what is being done by the Maker community.

Have big ideas search for 3D construction projects using "3D printing construction."

Some of the project examples are campy. Others, clever. Others daunting. Find the right projects and places to market and you might be on your way to a business.

There are things you should take into consideration: 1. Start with thinking. Forget items that can be easily duplicated by anyone with a printer, especially if the plans are readily available. You advance your business if there are fewer people who can copy what you do.

2. Experiment. Try different materials and design variations. Make the best product you possibly can, as customer goodwill is always critical.

3. Set up a good returns policy. When you sell products, expect to need a good returns policy.

Help people trust you.

4. Get liability insurance. Secure whatever that might be warranted. There are people who will make mistakes and then decide that you're the person who can make them wealthy.

5. Think of packaging. Apple is a master of presenting its product in ways to enhance its perceived value. Sales is about experience.

Provide a good one.

6. Welcome feedback. Use it to help improve designs.

7. Keep an eye out for particularly popular items.

There may come a time when it makes sense to expand into more traditional retail outlets with mass-produced items.

8. Try new items regularly. Because the startup costs of manufacturing with a 3-D printer are so low with zero custom tooling, broaden your offerings and look for the ones that do well.

And remember to have some fun. There will be drudgery (like printing out one after another of the same item), but plenty in the business won't be.  www.inc.com/erik-sherman/want-to-start-your-own-business-heresone-great-way-to-do-it.html?utm_medium=40digest.7days3.20200108. carousel&utm_source=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=campaign

59  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - More Trend Projections

Five Technology Trends in 2020 that Will Affect Your Business

By Wayne Rash

B

y now you’ve seen a lot of predictions for the wonderful things that will happen in the year 2020. This is partly because we’ve reached the point where technology changes are compounding by building on each other. But it’s also partly because the idea of “2020” grabs the imagination because it sounds cool. The challenge is knowing which prediction is which.

For example, and I know this will be a crushing disappointment, we’re not going to see flying cars in 2020. Like many things that won’t happen in 2020, flying cars depend on more than just the technology.

They also depend on government regulators. To get an idea how that affects progress, just look at how long it’s taken to get drone regulations figured out.

In fact, government regulation may be the most important new development to come in 2020--which brings us to the first big thing to look out for …

Privacy Regulations The California Consumer Privacy Act went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. It was inspired by Europe’s

General Data Protection Regulation, and it governs how entities doing business in California handle consumer privacy. About half of the states in the U.S. are in the process of enacting their own privacy

laws, and as you’d expect, there’s little commonality among them. And of course the federal government is considering privacy legislation.

As you would expect in this age of heightened partisanship in Congress, there are two bills--one of which from the Republicans, which is actually more strict than the California law--and which overrides state provisions. The Democrats in Congress have their own bill, which is somewhat different from the Republican bill and which does not override state laws. With the bill the Democrats are proposing, you’d have to comply with the federal bill and with all of the different state laws where you do business.

5G The longawaited 5G expansion will finally take hold in 2020, but it may not be the 5G you were expecting.

T- M o b i l e kicked off the expansion in December 2019, and AT&T followed suit by announcing that it will launch widespread 5G early in 2020. But in both cases these are low-band 5G deployments. T-Mobile launched its nationwide 5G in the 600 MHz band, and AT&T is launching in the 850 MHz band.

Both carriers are able to cover large areas with these relatively low frequencies, but those blazing speeds you’ve heard about for 5G won’t be there. That highspeed communications will have to wait for widespread millimeter wave signals, and because of the vast number of cells required, won’t appear for at least five years. Meanwhile, carriers will begin implementing mid-band 5G, but that won’t really be under way in

60  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

2020.

Autonomous Devices You’ve heard a lot about autonomous cars, and you’ll hear more as some moron kills himself or someone else while sleeping in his Tesla as it plows through a construction zone or blows past a school bus. But there’s more to autonomy than self-driving cars. What

simply not matter. You will see more of what’s called distributed clouds, where the computing power for public clouds aren’t limited to the cloud provider’s data center. You will also see more emphasis on edge computing with the processing power located near to where the work is being done.

While the main data centers of the cloud providers will still be there, the distributed cloud will be located elsewhere, including at the edge. This will enable edge computing and cloud computing to realize the speed and reduced latency that today’s platforms require, while still supporting the services that are critical to the success of cloud services.

AI as a Service

ill matter tt more to t your business b i t will are autonomous trucks and delivery vehicles. Autonomous tractortrailers are already being routinely tested on public highways in Virginia with good success, as are autonomous buses.

It’s in handling routine driving tasks, whether it’s between trucking terminals, on shuttle bus routes or whether it’s handling delivery of materials from the warehouse to production where autonomy shines.

Municipalities are already being asked to approve autonomous shuttle busses, and state highway departments are seeing the first requests for commercial autonomous trucks. This is a trend that will accelerate during 2020, because it presents a clear business case and a solution that’s already available.

Edge Computing The differences between the edge and the cloud will begin to fade away. Computing power will be placed where it makes the most sense, and because of improvements in networking, such differences will

Artificial intelligence has become a looming possibility to futurists who worry that the machines will take over. However, in real life, AI and machine learning will become critical to the handling of ever-increasing complexity in IT. AI is already starting to become a major factor in dealing with security because it can link widely disparate events to determine trends. But AI can go far beyond that.

IBM, Microsoft and Google are already providing access to AI in their cloud services and are continually adding features and capabilities to make their AI services more useful to their respective customers. As IT becomes m o r e complex, AI will become m o r e important.

But for 2020 at least, it will grow mostly in the cloud, because providing the resources to support AI development will be beyond the capabilities of most companies.

Of course, there are a lot of other things that will happen in 2020 that we’re not covering here. There will be new display technologies that will knock your socks off, assuming the human eye can discern them. Passwords will start being phased out as biometrics improve. Encryption might be declared illegal while also being required.  www.eweek.com/innovation/five-technology-trends-in-2020that-will-affect-your-business Image credits: workplaceprivacyreport.com, Forbes India, Ars Technica, Systweak, Chatbots Magazine

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62  February 2019  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business - Michelin Star Awardee

Mariya Russell, the First Black Woman to Command a Michelin-starred Kitchen

By Angela Burke

T

o enter Chicago’s omakase destination Kikko, you must first pass through its sister bar and restaurant, Kumiko, then cascade down stairs to where one might expect to find a hidden-away speakeasy. Luxe, moody hues warmed by natural elements — wood and fire from candlelights throughout — reveal a bar with just 10 seats. But this is a dining room. And in true omakase fashion, the experience ahead is special and intimate, something that Mariya Russell, chef de cuisine of both Kumiko and Kikko, likens to a dinner party with friends.

In this space, a next-level open kitchen of sorts, the chef and guests are no farther apart than arm’s length as Russell prepares and serves every dish on the sevencourse tasting menu. Diners not only get to indulge in Russell’s menu, refined and complex in flavor, and get to witness her use of Japanese technique, but they can also interact with the chef in this ecosystem where engagement is encouraged. All of which underlines Russell’s mastery of both culinary and hospitality as the mark of a true artisan.

In September 2019, Russell became the first African-American female chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Russell received the news awarding Kikko one star on a Thursday, and her very first call was to her mother, who was left breathless by her youngest

daughter’s historic achievement. “You work so hard for 13 years, and then you get to this point and you’re like, ‘Oh, wow. All of that was for something.’ And being this person, doing this is really cool,” says Russell, who hit another milestone just two days after the Michelin announcement — she turned 30. “It’s very scary at the same time,” she says. “It’s a lot of pressure — not that there wasn’t that pressure before, but it’s a different kind of pressure now.”

What Russell is describing is the inherent pressure of running a celebrated restaurant as a black woman, in an industry that systematically undervalues African Americans and women. And now, the added layer of responsibilities and opportunities that come with her new world as, what Shonda Rhimes calls, an “F.O.D.” (First Only Different). Russell recalls thinking, “Whoa.

My life just changed.”

Family is paramount to Russell’s success. She grew up in Springfield, Ohio in a large, tightly knit family with her parents and four sisters. “I had the best childhood ever. My parents worked really hard for us to be able to go on vacation,” Russell says. “Even though we were still kind of struggling, they didn’t let us know that.”

After high school, she moved to Chicago to attend culinary school. While building her career, Russell serendipitously expanded her family with some of the people that she worked with: notably, her husband, Garrett Russell, who is a sous chef at Kumiko; and her mentor Noah Sandoval, chef-partner of tasting menu juggernaut Oriole, Kumiko, and Kikko, who Russell calls her “big brother.”

Russell points to her family as the major influence in her work; and with equal measure, also the loss of family. In 2016, Russell’s father died. “Losing my father has been one of the hugest things that I’ve ever

64  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

dealt with. It’s very, very, very prominent and that has changed a lot of things in my life,” Russell begins, but no words hold enough weight to capture such a loss.

“Being in this space…” her voice trails off as she silently surveys Kikko, taking it all in. Bittersweet.

Early on, Russell cultivated an impressive breadth of experience in lauded Chicago kitchens — vegetablefocused pioneer Green Zebra, the Bristol, Nellcôte, and Sandoval’s Senza. With a seemingly set path, Russell decided to take a detour. In 2013, Russell and her husband relocated to Charleston, South Carolina in search of slower-paced, warm-weather living. But idyllic settings and positions at top restaurants like Tristan and 492 weren’t enough to keep them there.

After three years and experiencing multiple incidences of overt racism, Russell and her husband moved back to Chicago. Mariya’s homecoming would also become her turning point.

It was at the two-Michelin-starred Oriole where Russell reunited with Sandoval, taking the only available position — back server. Working front-of-thehouse was a bold move for Russell, who had always called the kitchen home. But taking the new role was more of a personal challenge than anything else, an attempt to find a remedy for the anxiousness she felt when talking to new people. Nearly a year later, Russell transitioned back to the kitchen as Oriole’s sous chef, then chef de cuisine. Soon, preparation met opportunity and Sandoval hand-picked Russell to run his next endeavor — Kumiko and Kikko. “That experience allowed me to be able to do something like this, because I learned how to interact with guests,” Russell says. “I try to break the ice [at Kikko] because it’s bar full of people who don’t know each other most of the time, and I want them to ask questions, relax and have a good time.”

Mixologist Julia Momose, Kumiko and Kikko’s creative director and partner, notes that “It’s really incredible for the guest to be able to see Mariya making [their food] right in front of them and to be able to ask those questions. People rarely get that from a chef. There’s this hope that people will trust us, and that’s really where ‘omakase’ comes from.” Momose, a 2016 Eater Young Gun, was born and raised in Japan, and she has garnered well-deserved praise for her thoughtful approach to cocktails while at places like the Aviary and GreenRiver. At Kumiko and Kikko, Momose takes guests on a journey with cocktails and spirit-free drinks that are in harmony with Russell’s dishes. “It’s trust in the sense of letting things go, and letting the master take control.”

Kumiko and Kikko are located in Chicago's West Loop, a neighborhood that was once home to the iconic

Harpo Studios beginning in the late ’80s. It was Oprah Winfrey who blazed a trail for some of the world’s best restaurateurs and chefs to set up shop in West Loop, making it the dining epicenter it is today.

Japanese cuisine isn’t anything new for Russell. She has been primed for it her entire career. “Many of the chefs that I’ve worked for have had small Japanese influences in their cooking and thought processes,” she says. Purity and simplicity, pillars of Japanese cuisine, inform Russell’s work, but her creations are her own.

At Kumiko, diners can roam free with à la carte small bites like shio koji-aged kampachi nigiri topped with white sturgeon caviar; sweetbread katsu; and confit short rib gyudon with sushi rice, black garlic xo sauce, and enoki. And at Kikko, diners smartly place themselves in the hands of the chef. A standout dish on the tasting menu is Russell’s house-made agedashi tofu served in a bowl with tofu puree, truffle, puffed wheat berries, and five-spice. “I taught myself how to make tofu,” says Russell. “The dashi that I make has kombu, bonito flakes, and then I season it with soy and palm sugar. It’s warm, it’s small. I really like that dish a lot.” And while dessert is often nothing more than an afterthought at some restaurants, here, the dessert — Japanese milk bread — is so good, it’s offered on both menus.

“There’s a sense of accomplishment when you see someone take that first sip or that first bite of a dish or drink that you made for them and you see that look on their face, whether it’s surprise, or joy, or thoughtful — being able to see that is a special part of the experience,” says Momose. The vantage points of Russell and Momose overlap in strikingly similar ways. And when Momose, who also has broken through barriers in the industry, considers Russell’s place in history, her sentiment echoes that of many. “That’s absolutely insane,” Momose says of the Michelin distinction. “It’s insane that it’s 2019 and that’s only happening now.

But it’s also insanely amazing that it’s Mariya because I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”

Looking back, Russell remembers the jitters she felt on Kikko’s opening night as she bared her soul to the world. “I was like, ‘This is all my food and people could just hate it,’” she recalls. “It’s meant a lot to me that it’s working. But I couldn’t do it without the people here. I’m very grateful for the path that I’ve taken to get here. It’s worked out in a great way.  www.eater.com/young-guns-risingstars/2019/12/18/21021179/chef-mariya-russellkumiko-kikko-chicago-running-michelin-starredkitchen Image credit: Nick Fochtman

65  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - Technology / Take A Look!

Technology:

Take A Look!

Supplier Diversity Program

T

he Supplier Diversity Program at Viacom provides an online portal to ensure that minority, women, veteran, disabled and LGBTQowned companies of all sizes have equal access to compete for business opportunities at the corporation.

Detailed information about the Supplier Diversity Program may be requested via email at: supplierdiversity@viacom.com. Information about Viacom's Diversity and Inclusion inititatives may be requested via email at: globalinclusion@viacom. com.

Here is the four-step process to follow to present your company to the Viacom system: Step 1: Register at https://viacom.myconnixion.com Step 2: Be evaluated by the Supplier Diversity Program operators Step 3: Get notified upon acceptance Step 4: Get ready to partner as opportunities arise.

The Viacom corporation includes companies such as: Awesomeness, Bellator, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount, PLUTO, TVLAND and VH1.  www.viacom.com Image credit: diversityinmediaawards.com

ClickUrban - Directory of Black-Owned Businesses

I

t can be difficult to find Black-owned businesses which is why Lynn Graham created ClickUrban (www.theclickurban.com/home), an online directory of Black-owned products and services.

Visitors to ClickUrban will have access to quickly locate a business or specialty including, Black attorneys, realtors, banks, fashion boutiques, and

more through the online platform.

Dubbed as “the new Black Angie’s List,” Graham said the goal of the platform is dedicated to nurturing diversity and the style, culture, and taste of all things Blacks and beautiful.

ClickUrban’s business partners (you, when you register your business) can use the platform to market their business even if they don’t have a website presence of their own.

Consumers can search for products and services by location and by category. ClickUrban also offers a free newsletter.

Become part of the ClickUrban community as a business owner and a consumer at www. theclickurban.com/home.  https://travelnoire.com/click-urban-platform-black-ownedbusinesses Image credits: andro4all.com

Yahoo Links with Google Assistant

C

onnect your Yahoo account to Google Assistant for an easy way to stay up-to-date. Just say, “Hey Google, talk to Yahoo” to link your account and get updates from Yahoo Mail, your Yahoo Finance portfolio, and more!

What can you do?

Yahoo Mail: • - Find, read, and reply to emails • - Ask about upcoming flight information • - Easily find coupons, bills, and package information Yahoo Finance: • - Updates from your Yahoo Finance portfolio • - Market updates • - Yahoo Finance Market Minute Podcast Yahoo Sports: • - Coming soon!

BE AWARE: Supplemental Terms for Voice Service: By clicking "Send to My Device" and linking your Yahoo Mail account for use with Google Assistant, you agree to share your interactions, including spoken

66  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

voice commands as well as the content of your emails, with Google subject to Google's Terms of Service (https://policies.google.com/terms) and Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy), which are outside the control of Yahoo. Other users of your Google Assistant-enabled device(s) may be able to access your emails through the voice interface, and the device may also capture interactions between others who are located within the vicinity of your device. 

analytics capabilities, allowing managers to connect and engage with employees and customers across the globe with live, interactive video. Coupled with video messaging, enterprise podcasting and vodcasting and collaborative VOD spaces, Kaltura brings a series of communication options to any organization (https:// corp.kaltura.com/products/video-for-business/webcastinglive-streaming).

http://em.eweek.com/kN1Ut0T00OR03YYqjj02g0M

https://assistant.google.com/services/a/ uid/00000087ded63b80

Lore Training Platform PortaPow 3rd Gen USB Data Blocker

I

f you use public USB ports (airports, coffee shops, etc.) you may need this secure device charging tool. The PortaPow 3rd Gen USB Data Blocker plugs in between a standard USB connector and the charger to block data transfer out and the transfer of malware in. www.amazon.com/PortaPow-3rd-Gen-Data-Blocker/ dp/B00QRRZ2QM/?tag=zdnet-deals-20

Kaltura Brings New Options to Webcast Platform

W

ith streaming video becoming more and more strategic in B2B and B2C user experiences, new-gen video platform provider Kaltura announced that it is expanding the capabilities of its webcasting platform, which enables users to broadcast reliable and scalable webcasts of any size, to any device, both within and outside of an organization. It does this through configurable video delivery solutions that optimize network performance and use of bandwidth.

These new capabilities enable any user to become a broadcaster straight from a desktop. The platform includes a central Events Hub and real-time

L

ore (https://lore.online) training provides a path into the many, many institutions and organizations that offer college courses, personal training courses around the world. Lore expands to opportunities for all of us to find courses and classes not available to us in our neighborhood. Compete with and learn with people from around the world in your area of interest.

The Lore diverse team includes teachers, consultants, technologists, learning and development specialists, designers, developers, project managers and HR professionals with experience working in India, APAC, US, and Europe.

We have found that individuals were seeking insights into non-traditional learning and skill building options but either unaware of the options available or had no decision framework to choose one.

The Lore team is building upon our expertise in advising students and young professionals, and experience in building consumer-focused technology products, we are developing tech-enabled tools to help learners identify best fit learning options, regardless of mode of delivery.  https://lore.online

Curatted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.

67  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Jane e Reese-Wilkins s & Associates s e Black k Business s Association n Memberr off the Will assist you with your FREE Covered California Enrollment for No Cost! We assist with the quote, plan selection and enrollment. Depending on your situation, you may receive Premium Assistance. Dental and vision coverage is available at the time of enrollment. We represent the following plans:

Please call for your NO COST consultation, (626) 372-9097 janereesewilkins@yahoo.com www.coveredcaliforniamedicare.com #0C54211

68  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

contesting state lawmakers' attempt to circumvent the will of the voters by weakening Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to certain categories of formerly incarcerated persons.

On to the 2020 Decade

J

ust as we were ringing in the New Year, we received great news on a legal case filed by several NAACP branches in North Carolina.

A judge blocked the state's voter ID law citing a "sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression."

2019 was a pivotal year for civil rights

(www.naacp.org/latest/2019-year-review/?emci=f3e199cc412c-ea11-a601-2818784d6d68&emdi=80e8efe1-dd2cea11-a601-2818784d6d68&ceid=1669408).

And

you

were with us every step of the way.

Whether we are the plaintiffs bringing a case forward or the legal counsel arguing the case, we continue to fight for our rights in the courts: • Connecticut - We are challenging the statewide practice of counting incarcerated people as residents of the legislative districts where they are held, rather than in their home districts. Our lawsuit is the first in the nation that challenges this practice.

• Georgia - We won a lawsuit challenging the state's decision not to process 53,000 voter registration applications, the majority of which belonged to African Americans.

• Tennessee - Our state conference was the lead plaintiff in a case that challenged a Tennessee law that wanted to make it more difficult to register people to vote.

• Indiana - We won an injunction against the state's use of the "Cross-Check System" to purge voters from the rolls without first seeking to contact the purged voter via mail notification as required.

• Florida - We are plaintiff in a case

In communities across the country, NAACP members and supporters are on the frontlines of activism and advocacy. We share in these victories as we prepare for the challenges we will face in 2020.

This is just the beginning.

Become a 2020 recurring donor today and help ensure that the NAACP is never behind in the fight.

Let's get to work.

Thank you.

Fighting forward, Derrick Johnson @DerrickNAACP President & CEO NAACP

69  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Commentary - Celebrating Kwanzaa

New Year Wishes and Work: Pursuing and Practicing Peace

By Dr. Maulana Karenga IN THIS TIME OF WARMONGERING, WEAPON brandishing and the waging of war of various kinds against the vulnerable, revisiting this Kawaida stance and statement on the importance and essential good of peace is both needed and reaffirming.

T

he end and beginning of the years always find us in a critical period of transition in which, responding to the mandates of our moral tradition and the human urgencies of our history as African people, we are compelled to continue forward and turn our best New Year wishes into our most committed work. And we must continue to move forward with our work and struggle, without surrendering the achieved good of our past, misreading the meaning and tasks of our present or sacrificing the possibilities and promise of our future.

In the tradition of the ancestors, we must engage in a reaffirming and re-enforcing process and practice of remembrance, rem reflection and refle recommitment rec to our central m i s s i o n bring, to increase and inc sustain good su in the world and enjoy the an peace and pe prosperity ce central to this. Indeed, th the Odu Ifa th says, we sa must “Think m d e e p l y a b o u t things, cultivate c character, acqu ac quiire wisdom a acquire and come forth and sacrifice so that you may have peace inside and out.”

Thus, as we reflect deeply on the awesome tasks before us during the coming year, the pursuit and

practice of peace must remain a central and ongoing goal. This is so, not only because of the good of peace in and of itself, but also because real peace requires and presupposes the presence and practice of other vital goods, i.e., justice, freedom, security and well-being— personal, collective and material. Affirming this conception, the Husia praises an official Dr. for his Maatian, i.e., righteous behavior, saying “He has done good justice. He has made and practiced peace for the one who loves and wills it for its goodness.” Moreover, even on the battlefield, Ramesses II’s assembled soldiers counsel him to practice peace saying, “Exceedingly good is the presence of peace and there is no blame in peace for those who practice it.”

Thus, the pursuit and practice of peace is a millenniaold moral emphasis and obligation in the sacred texts and social teachings of African people and is posed as an indispensable social goal and human good, indeed vital to the well-being of the world. For as the Odu Ifa says, “War ruins the world.” And whether in New Year reaffirmations and recommitments or in the daily longing and practices in the lives of everyday people, peace has always had a center place in the goods wished and worked for in the interest of our people, humanity and the world as a whole.

So, we wish a good and lasting peace for our people everywhere and for all the people of the world as well.

Especially, do we wish peace for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Somalia, Southern Sudan, Western Sahara and Zimbabwe; for the people of Haiti and the Rohingya of Miramar, the Uighurs of China, and for the people of Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever else war and waste, disease, deprivation, death, devastation and oppression are daily and persistent realities of life. And we wish for them, not the brutal peace of the homegrown or imposed tyrant or the criminal peace of the invading army and apartheid occupier, or the peace of corporate plunderers with their private armies and pilfered public funds, destroying lives and livelihoods, fields and forests as an act of progress, security or some other well-tailored and media-manipulated lie. Nor do we wish the imposed peace of the self-anointed overseas

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Mau

ulana

savior, pretending humanitarian aims of saving the people from themselves, while relentlessly destroying their lives, robbing them of their vital resources, violating their rights and dignity, and structu ing chaos, dependency and countless other manufactured reasons Karenga to remain or return in still more brutal forms.

On the contrary, we wish for them a peace undergirded by justice, inclusive of freedom, material, physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing, security of persons and peoples, power of peoples over their own destiny and daily lives, and conditions for ongoing human development. Here, it is important to remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s distinction between a “negative peace” which strives for the mere absence of tension and a “positive peace” which requires the presence of justice. In a word, he says, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension, but it is the presence of justice and brotherhood.”

King offers here an echo of ethical concern and focus put forth by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who stated that her life’s vision, work and service have been dedicated to a “paradise of peace”, progress and plenty, achieved and assessed by “the great measuring rod of justice and fellowship.” Both Bethune and King, who follows her along this path and pursuit of peace, insist on justice as an indispensable element in any true and real concept of peace. But they are also concerned with the quality of human relations—what King calls “brotherhood” and Bethune calls “fellowship,” a sense of human relatedness and respect that leads to human solidarity and cooperation for common good.

Here it is important to understand and act on the sobering reality that peace must be practiced at home as well as abroad, in our personal, family and communal relations, as well as our societal and world relations.

And so, we wish peace for every heart and home, for every family and community and for this society as a whole. For it is difficult, if not impossible, to be at peace in our homes if we fear and are oppressed through vigilante or official violence, if society is hostile to us and uses its police power to profile, harass, imprison and suppress us.

ot And we cannot n be at peace in our families if we cannot walk freelyy in the streets or m feel secure from the intrusion of m violence from outside in ourr homes. Likewise,, we cannot feel secure in ourr mes, unless each h member memb mber ber families and homes, renounces and rejects violence as a way to relate to each other and we all hold each other accountable.

Thus, to talk of peace is first and foremost to talk about the end of violence in relationships, especially violence against children, women, the disabled, elderly, and other vulnerable persons and groups of various kinds.

SEBA PTAHHOTEP TELLS US IN THE HUSIA that the violence we do will return to haunt and harm us and can never yield a good and lasting end. Thus, he admonishes against use of terror and violence to steal, rob and suppress, and says to us “consider then living in peace (with others) and what they would give will come of itself.” Likewise, the Odu Ifa teaches us that “anyone who does good does it for themselves and anyone who does evil does it against themselves”.

Thus, we wish for all of us to be able to say, in the words of the Husia, “I spent a lifetime in perfect peace”.

Indeed, “my heart taught me peace and guided me to excellence. For I spoke truthfully and acted justly” in and for the world and my Maatian (righteous) work, striving and struggling to bring peace and other good in the world have been and are my essential witness and unwavering way forward.  www.amazon.com/Odu-Ifa-Teachings-Maulana-Karenga/dp/0943412226 www.amazon.com/Selections-Husia-Sacred-Wisdom-Ancient/ dp/0943412064/ref=sr_1_1 Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies, California State University-Long Beach; Executive Director, African American Cultural Center (Us); Creator of Kwanzaa; and author of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture and Essays on Struggle: Position and Analysis, www.AfricanAmericanCulturalCenter-LA. org; www.OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org; www.MaulanaKarenga.org.

73  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Commentary - Voting Rights Under Attack Again

December 30, 2019

The Spirit of the Emancipation Proclamation is Under Attack Again Today

W

ednesday, January 1, begins the new year. It also marks the anniversary of a new America.

On Jan. 1, 1863, as the Civil War, the bloodiest of America’s wars, approached the end of its second year, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are and henceforward shall be free.”

The Proclamation was limited to fit wartime necessities. It applied only to the states that had seceded from and were at war with the United States, leaving slavery untouched in loyal border states. It also exempted the parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. And, of course, the freedom it promised depended on the victory of the North.

Yet, the Proclamation’s effect was far more expansive than its terms.

It transformed the war into a war of freedom. As the U.S. Archives summarizes, “Every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom.” And of course, it dramatically aided the Union cause, with nearly 200,000 black soldiers and sailors fighting for the Union.

The Proclamation on was the beginning. g.

Upon victory, ry, ed Congress passed ts three amendments to the Constitution — the 13th, 14th and d 15th Amendments s o — designed to finish the job of transforming the e country that was,, in the words off Abraham Lincoln,, “half slave and halff free” to one in which h all were guaranteed — under the Constitution — the ”blessings of liberty.”

The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude; the 14th began to define the rights of citizens and guaranteed equal protection under the law; the 15th prohibited discrimination ation in the right to vote on the basis of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

(Ironically, the Constitution still does not guarantee the right to vote to all).

The amendments, forced upon

76  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

is on the rise.

African Americans, Latinos, Jews, Muslims, gays, women — all once more feel the rise of resentment and often of hate. The Supreme Court has gutted a critical part of the Voting Rights Act. States under reactionary governors are inventing new ways to restrict access to the vote.

Will this reaction

9

t the defeated Southern states as a condition for re-entry into the Union, launched the reconstruction U tthat sought for a few short years tto bring the country together.

Newly empowered blacks joined N with progressive whites to build w ccoalitions that transformed state cconstitutions, guaranteeing the rright to education, launching programs to provide more equal p justice under the law. ju Sadly, Reconstruction met with fierce reaction across the South.

Segregation masters succeeded S tthe slave masters. The Ku Klux Klan, formed by the elites of K Southern communities, terrorized S newly freed blacks. The right to n vvote was sabotaged by various ttricks and traps, from the poll tax to unequally administered tests on the u Constitution, to simple threat and C tterror. In 1896, the Supreme Court tto its shame ruled that apartheid — the mythic “separate but equal” sstandard — was legal in the United States. By the turn of the century, S segregation was the law of the land.

It took 100 years and the historic civil rights movement to overturn

that reaction, and to begin to reclaim the promise of equal justice under the law and the revive the right to vote. The civil rights struggle, which united the movement of courageous citizens on the ground with the force of Lyndon Johnson in the White House, produced, among other legislation, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act that brought America closer to its promise.

Today, we once more see the stirrings of reaction against that reconstruction. Racial division, stoked cynically from the highest offices in the land, once more

be as successful as that which undermined the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation?

America, I believe, is better than that. Our democracy is stronger than it was then. We can mobilize and vote in large numbers to keep expanding the domain of freedom.

On this Jan. 1, let us remember the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by the greatest of our presidents, a Republican, and devote ourselves to redeeming its promise.  www.rainbowpush.org Image credits: blogspot.com, Jacobin, The Conversation

77  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Business - Meeting Customers & Investors

8 Ways Entrepreneurs Lose the Attention of Investors (Customers) Within 1 Minute of Meeting

By Martin Zwilling

A

s an aspiring or established entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable elevator pitch, to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers.

As a startup adviser and potential investor, I've heard too many pitches that are heavy on emotion but light on quantifiable value and impact.

In that critical first minute, no one needs to hear that you have a passionate dream of changing the world, new disruptive technology, or a product with more features than competitors'. What they want to hear is quantified value to them.

If you find people's eyes glazing over in the first minute of your pitch, take a hard look for the following errors and fix them:

until the investor or customer understands the problem, the solution, and the potential impact on them.

Save the story for a later meeting, after the context and value have been driven home.

2. Leading with your best marketing pitch and conviction Of course, it's always good to speak with conviction, but marketing terms such as "improved productivity" or "lower cost" won't make your offering memorable.

Focus on quantifiable and relevant specifics, such as "reduces your cost by 40%" or "increases productivity by 50%."

3. Saving your best "grabber" for the ending big close It's better to start with a hook than to assume that people will stay with you to hear it at the end. The best hook for snagging an investor is a succinct definition of a real problem, followed by your unique solution.

For example, "I have patented a new tire that will double the wear mileage at half the cost."

4. Describing technology and features, not competitiveness Customers think about alternatives, and investors worry about competitors. Too much technology and too many features can scare off both. You should be highlighting your unique advantages, added value, market sensitivities, competitor limitations, and intellectual property.

5. Highlighting the solution more than the team

1. Trying to paint an interesting background first No matter how amazing your efforts and insights have been to get you to this point, the journey is irrelevant

Customers still buy from people, and investors invest in you and your team more than the solution.

They need to know why you are the best "horse to ride" in this race, based on all unique qualifications and any previous track record. If you don't yet have a team, it may be necessary to build one first.

6. Tending to overstay your welcome and

78  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

talking too fast The attention span for elevator pitches is usually limited to 30 to 60 seconds, and only 150 to 250 words.

Doubling or tripling the message length will only ensure a bad first impression or, at best, that key elements of the message will be lost.

Stay highly focused and look for time-limit cues.

7. Forgetting to identify and ask for the next step You shouldn't expect to get an investment commitment in the elevator, or close a customer deal in the first minute.

Thus your last key element of every elevator pitch must outline and request the follow-up session needed to fill in details and answer questions. Always solicit specifics for this session.

8. Assuming your words are the only necessary takeaway For reinforcement and later questions, you should always be prepared to provide physical takeaways.

For investors, an executive summary of your plan is appropriate. For customers, a sample, demo device, or at least a brochure will solidify the message and your readiness to deliver.

• • • •

embedded in the homepage of your website, the introduction section of your business plan, the heart of your executive summary, and the first slide of your investor pitch.

You should also deliver it at the beginning of every networking opportunity, and train your team to do the same.

Don't forget to update it with feedback from customers and investors, and as your solution gathers momentum in the marketplace. Remember, the key here is not to hide behind too many words, or assume you can stretch the ever-decreasing attention span of key people today.

Check yourself by taking a few sample rides in the nearest high building to see if you can beat the elevator to the top.  www.inc.com/martin-zwilling/8-ways-entrepreneurslose-attention-of-investors-within-1-minute-of-meeting. html?utm_medium=40digest.7days3.20200113.carousel&utm_ source=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=campaign Image credits: Monster.com, smallbizla.org

More Recommendations I recommend that a good elevator pitch be not just for riding with someone in an elevator. It should be: 79  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

FOR

King Day

OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION

Community/Public Interest - Remembering Dr. King

CBCF Honors the Life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. Some 15 years later in 1983, the measure was passed by both chambers of Congress and signed into law.

“In honoring Dr. King, we also honor the efforts of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who work tirelessly each day to represent Dr. King’s vision of honesty, integrity and fairness to the In the presence of Coretta Scott King (2nd from left), President Ronald Reagan more than 80 million people across the United States signs a bill making Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. whom they represent.

“I encourage you to take he Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, time today to reflect on the significance of this holiday Inc. (CBCF) President & CEO David A. Hinson and the legacy of Dr. King. I also challenge you to ask released the following statement in recognition yourself, ‘how will my actions today and tomorrow advance the black community in America and around of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday: “Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived and died the world?’ In the words of Dr. King, ‘The job ahead fighting for the advancement of the black community. must be massive and positive.’ We must all contribute His steadfast commitment to achieving social and to our collective success.”  economic equality not only inspired generations to Learn more about the legislative history behind the continue toward this goal, but Dr. King also served as Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.(http:// a mentor, supporter and friend of the Congressional avoiceonline.org/mlk/timeline.html) Black Caucus (CBC) founders.

‘You are demonstrating that we can stick together. www.cbcfinc.org/cbcf-president-ceo-honors-the-life-ofYou are demonstrating that we are all tied in a single rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/ garment of destiny,’ King told a group of civil rights leaders in March 1968, a few weeks before his ABOUT CBCF Established in 1976, the Congressional Black Caucus assassination.

“CBC founders, including the late Congressman Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is a non-partisan, nonprofit, John Conyers, the longest serving African American public policy, research and educational institute legislator in congressional history, resolved to preserve committed to advancing the global black community by King’s work and legacy. Within weeks of his death, developing leaders, informing policy and educating the Congressman Conyers introduced legislation to public. For more information, visit cbcfinc.org.

T

82  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Image credit: https://spicyessence.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/a-tribute-martin-luther-king-jr/, kids-magazine-news. cricketmedia.com

Community/Public Interest - Culture

Early Childhood Education Initiative to Develop Healthy Racial Identity

T

he Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has announced the expansion of its Early Childhood Education Initiative (ECEI) with a $1.5 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Structured to be joyous and fun, this museum-based curriculum is designed to help young children of all backgrounds develop healthy racial identities and other social skills. Bridging the fields of early childhood education, human development, museum education and developmental psychology, ECEI programming encourages young children to be comfortable with human diversity, recognize unfairness and develop the capacity to stand against prejudice. In addition to the on-site programming, the grant funds national outreach efforts and digital instructions and resources for research-based publications, adults, educators and young children from birth to 8 years old.

“Early childhood education has the power to change the future,” said Spencer Crew, interim director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “To begin the process of racial reconciliation and healing, we must have meaningful and intentional conversations with children about racial identity and promote anti-bias values from birth.” Crew concluded, “With an appreciation for differences in early childhood, young children can develop into adults who actively challenge bias, stereotyping and various forms of discrimination.”

The Kellogg Foundation’s Thriving Children initiative funds efforts like ECEI that support quality learning experiences for all children, including the promotion of racial equity in early childhood education.

“In this way, the goals of the museum and the mission of the foundation are perfectly aligned,” said Carla D. Thompson, vice president for program strategy at the Kellogg Foundation. “This is an excellent match.”

The programming operates from the premise that young children need adults to provide accurate language for identifying racial identity and racial bias. Young children even need guidance to develop their concepts of fairness, which is the first stage in challenging racial prejudice and discrimination.

“Children are remarkably good observers who pay

close attention to human behavior,” said Esther J. Washington, director of education at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

“There is a common misconception that young children are ‘color blind’ and untouched by prejudice. Research shows that from infancy, children are developing mental maps that lead to their baseline racialized identity and social status before the age of 6. Early childhood education has the power to guide racial and social identities to a healthy place.”

All ECEI programs are tailored to the different ages and developmental stages of early childhood (birth to 8 years old). Programming themes and projects change each month—there is always something new for children.

Early Childhood Programming at the Museum Cultural Cuddles: Cultural Cuddles programs invite children from birth to 12 months of age to bond, play and discover color. Alongside their favorite grownups, children can explore art materials using different colors. A 6-month-old baby recognizes skin color and notices when a color is familiar or unfamiliar. Talking to a baby about colors, including skin colors, can create a comfort level to later discuss racial identity.

Toddling Treasures: Toddling Treasures are programs created for children 13–35 months of age. Toddlers by the age of 2 are able to use racial categories to reason about people’s behavior. Talking to children about how everyone is the same but also different, enhances critical thinking skills and allows children to see others as unique individuals.

Cultural Kids: Cultural Kids is for children ages 3–5 years old. In this program, children listen to stories and create artwork that engage the senses. Because children at this age are able to begin to understand the complex social construct of race, the program introduces skin color with parents and explains how children get their color from their parents. The goal is to show how every person’s skin is different, every family

84  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Childhood Education Initiative is available on the museum's website (https://nmaahc.si.edu/ A early-childhood-education). schedule of upcoming events at the museum, some of which require pre-registration, is on the events page. ECEI’s programming is often most suitable for small classes and fills quickly.

About the National Museum of African American History and Culture

is unique and there is beauty in diversity.

Friends for Freedom: Friends for Freedom are programs created for early elementary students, children 6 to 8 years old. With an adult, children look at museum objects, read a featured picture book and have guided conversations and to explore personal meaning and fairness. Because children ages 6 to 8 years old are able to have conversations about injustice and unfair treatment based on identities like race and gender, this program centers on the differences among people and teaches children to respect and embrace differences. This programming helps children prepare to act against bias and unfairness.

Pop-up Programs: In addition to the regular scheduled programming mentioned above, the museum offers “pop-up” versions of these programs in the galleries and classrooms on the second floor.

The pop-up schedule is available at the museum’s information desk.

Signature Programs: Sing-alongs, concerts and story times for children and workshops and panel discussions for the adults invested in early childhood education are offered quarterly, and the schedule is available on the museum’s website (https://nmaahc. si.edu/events/upcoming). Interested participants should check the website frequently for updates.

More information about the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Early

Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed nearly 6 million visitors. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast entrepreneur and innovator, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have equal opportunities to thrive, WKKF works to create conditions in underresourced communities for children can realize their full potential in school, work and life. The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the U.S. and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is made on priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans, and internationally in Mexico and Haiti.  https://nmaahc.si.edu/about/news/early-childhoodeducation-initiative-develop-healthy-racial-identity

85  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - College Students

Michelle Obama Launches Instagram Video Series

By Sara Fischer

F

ormer First Lady Michelle Obama is partnering with the digital media company ATTN: to launch a video series on IGTV, Instagram's video platform.

“A Year of Firsts” shows inspiring stories about students navigating their first year through college.

Why it matters: The Obamas have maintained a strong media presence through civic media projects on newer tech platforms.

Details: The show will be produced by ATTN:, a media company that focuses on millennial video, in partnership with Reach Higher (https://obamawhitehouse.archives. gov/reach-higher), an initiative founded by Obama during her time at the White House to inspire and support students to pursue higher education.

The first episode of the six-episode series will premiere exclusively on IGTV in mid-January. The last will appear in June.

ATTN: is working with the students directly to document their first year as they explore issues like the academic stress of college, making new friends, college affordability, and physical and mental health while in college.

“This series will meet many students where they

live — on Instagram — and share candid perspectives about how to overcome barriers," says ATTN: cofounder Matthew Segal.

The big picture: This isn't ATTN:'s first video series with a prominent political figure.

ATTN: launched (https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/ joe-biden-attn-political-issues-series-igtv-1202934694) an exclusive video series with former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the 2018 midterms called “Here’s the Deal.” At the time, it was the first IGTV series to be hosted by a national U.S. politician.

The bottom line: The hope for Reach Higher is that the series will inspire other first-year college students who may find common ground and community among the first-year students being elevated in the series.

"By sharing their stories, they’re helping others see that the ups and downs of the first year of college are something everyone goes through — and they’re creating a supportive community for others facing similar challenges,” Obama said in a statement.  https://www.axios.com/michelle-obama-instagram-videoseries-attn-f7985b5f-874c-49e5-b81e-78c2709705df.html

86  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Image Credits: ATTN:

Community/Public Interest - Exceptional Award

US Navy Aircraft Carrier to Honour Black Sailor

By Sara Fischer

T

he US Navy is to name its new aircraft carrier after a black sailor who fought in World War II. Doris Miller earned the Navy Cross for his actions during the Japanese attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor in 1941. Naming the ship to be launched in 2028 after the heroic sailor comes more than 78 years after the events that made his name.

Murals, news reports and rights groups hailed Miller as one of the first US heroes of the war Getty Images At the time, the US military was strictly segregated on racial grounds. Miller became an icon for black Americans in the conflict.

It will be the first time an aircraft carrier has been named after an African American. Until now, they have been named after famous battles, military leaders and US presidents.

The official announcement is scheduled for Monday, January 20th - Martin Luther King Jr's birthday - at Pearl Harbor. The bay is the site of a massive US naval station and the base of the country's Pacific Fleet.

Who was Doris Miller?

Miller was born in 1919 in Texas, the third of four sons.

He was named Doris but often went by the nickname "Dorie".

Jim Crow laws - a system of policies that denied black Americans their rights and segregated them from their white neighbours - dominated in the south at the time. After dropping out of high school and struggling to find work, Miller joined the Navy in 1939 at age 20.

"Navy policy at that time limited blacks to those duties

that were manual, that they thought didn't require a whole lot of intellect," historian Regina Akers told CBS News.

After training, Miller was made a mess attendant someone who took care of the white officers - and in 1940 was assigned to the battleship West Virginia.

He was sorting laundry on the ship the morning that a Japanese torpedo slammed into the vessel. It was the first of nine torpedoes which would hit and sink the West Virginia on 7 December 1941. The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor killed more than 2,300 people and brought the US into World War II Miller ran to help his fellow sailors. He first moved his mortally wounded captain to shelter, before manning an anti-aircraft gun - strictly against regulations, as a black sailor - and firing back at the hundreds of Japanese aircraft overhead. "It wasn't hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine," he said afterwards, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website.

He fired until he ran out of ammunition, before helping his wounded shipmates. He abandoned ship with the survivors as the West Virginia sank to the bottom of the harbour In January 1942, the US Navy announced a list of commendations for US servicemen on Pearl Harbor including one for an unnamed black man. Two months later, the Pittsburgh Courier revealed the sailor to be Doris Miller. "No longer is his name unknown," the report read.

Soon after, a senator and a congressman launched separate bills in both houses of Congress calling for Miller to receive the Medal of Honor - the highest military honour in the US. African American rights groups also campaigned for Miller to get an award for his actions, while the media hailed him as one of the "first US heroes" of the war. Other groups however campaigned against any recognition for Miller on the grounds of his race.

In May that year, President Franklin Roosevelt ignored the controversy and awarded him the Navy Cross - at the time the third highest honour awarded by the US Navy.

Miller returned to sea aboard the aircraft carrier Liscombe Bay. He was killed when the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine in the Battle of Makin in November 1943.

But his legacy has lived on as one of the first African American heroes of World War II. Cuba Gooding Jr played the role of Doris Miller in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor, while Waco unveiled a statue of Miller in 2017.

Now a new aircraft carrier will be built and eventually launched in 2028 bearing Miller's name.  www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51168798

87  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - New Museum

New Hip-Hop Museum in the Bronx

By Parker Diakite

T

he State of New York has awarded a $3.5 million capital grant to help build the world’s first museum dedicated to hip-hop music and culture, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced.

The projected $80 million Universal Hip Hop Museum is anticipated to open in South Bronx in 2023.

Why the Bronx? Also known as the “Boogie Down,” the Bronx is considered to be the birthplace of hip-hop among music enthusiasts and hip-hop circles.

Currently, the museum is open in a temporary space located at 610 Exterior Street in the Bronx Terminal Market.

Similar to Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Hip Hop Museum is said to generate tourism and tax revenues for both the Bronx and New York State.

“The museum is part of the renaissance of the Bronx,” Ricky Bucano, the museum’s director told the New York Post. “The Bronx is coming back but the museum

will be of the people and for the people.”

In addition to receiving a grant from the state, Bucano said that the museum received $6.5 million in additional funds from New York City.

The Universal Hip Hop Museum will occupy 50,000 square feet in Bronx Point, the residential and retail project by L+M Development Partners that will be constructed north of the 145th street bridge along the Harlem River in the Bronx.

This museum would be the first in its kind in the five boroughs that focuses solely on celebrating, preserving, and exploring hip hop culture. The museum will provide visitors with an immersive experience through virtual reality exhibits, holograms, interactive documentaries, vintage photos, and more.

The development’s official groundbreaking is set to happen over the summer.  https://travelnoire.com/grantto-build-hip-hop-museum

88  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

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93  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest - Obituary/Memorial

Cliff Hall, an Inventor who Photographed Los Angeles High Society, Dies at 94

By Laura J. NelsonStaff Writer

Cliff Hall with the prototype of his Corwin Getaway sports car at the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994.(Frances Gardler / Los Angeles Times)

W

hen Cliff Hall wasn’t documenting lavish parties in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills, the society photographer dreamed of ways to solve Los Angeles’ most stubborn problems.

He believed that his most famous invention, a sports car, could have addressed two issues in L.A. — making driving more fun, and building wealth for black residents — had it only been mass produced.

Hall, an inveterate inventor and ideas man who documented black and white society in mid-century Los Angeles, died Sunday in Loma

Linda, said his friend Ed Boyer. Hall was 94.

A native Angeleno, Hall was a fixture on the Southern California social circuit. He documented glitzy dinners, bar mitzvahs and weddings in L.A.'s toniest neighborhoods — including some with housing covenants that barred black people from buying homes.

On many nights, Boyer said, Hall “might have been the only African American guy in the room, along with the other hired help.”

Hall worked for more than a quarter-century at the Los Angeles Sentinel, documenting the

successes of the black community during an era of racial tensions and the rise of the black middle class.

One edition of the Sentinel from October 1955 featured stories on Emmett Till, who had been lynched in Mississippi two months earlier; a lawsuit seeking to block the racial integration of the Los Angeles Fire Department; and Hall’s photos of an award ceremony at the jet-age Statler Hotel in downtown, honoring a post office clerk as the city’s “leading citizen.”

Hall hired and mentored Howard Bingham, later known for his intimate photos of Muhammad Ali.

94  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Hall also opened a photo studio on 48th and Western avenues with Lamonte McLemore, one of the founding members of The 5th Dimension.

Hall dreamed of replicating the wealth of Bel-Air and Beverly Hills in L.A.'s black neighborhoods, driven by stable, high-paying jobs.

He envisioned a factory that would produce a car of his own design, “made by black hands in the black community,” his website said.

“I wanted to build industry so I could have control,” including hiring more black and Latino workers and paying them a living wage, said Hall in a 2015 documentary. His goal, he told The Times in 1994, was to become the “Martin Luther King Jr. of industry.”

Louis Corwin, a Beverly Hills

businessman, invested $100,000 in Hall’s idea: a fun, zippy car that the average worker could afford. Hall named the sports car the Corwin Getaway.

Finished in 1969, the prototype was 43 inches high. The mid-engine layout, twin seats and square headlights looked radically different from the boxy sedans on the market, but resembled other sports cars — including the Pontiac Fiero and the Fiat X1/9 — that were produced more than a decade later.

After appearing at the 1970 Los Angeles auto show, the Getaway was photographed with Ali and Sidney Poitier, next to the Wilshire Colonnade building, and in front of USC’s Tommy Trojan.

Hall never found the money to move the car into mass production.

He recalled one bank manager who rejected his business plan in the lobby, next to the teller window, rather than invite him into an office.

“Me being a brother, too, that didn’t help a thing,” Hall said. If the manager had taken the meeting seriously, he later said, “he’d be a billionaire today, and I’d be a multibillionaire.”

The Getaway prototype languished in storage until the Petersen Automotive Museum acquired it in the 1990s. The car was restored last year and is part of the Petersen’s permanent collection.  www.latimes.com/california/ story/2020-01-05/cliff-hall-inventorcar-designer-corwin-photographerlos-angeles-black-communitydead-at-94

95  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

International

For information: www.frasernet.com, gfraser@frasernet.com, mary@ctoinc.com

International

African Stock Exchanges • Bolsa de Valores of Cape Verde - www.bvc.cv (in Portuguese) • Bolsa Valores de Mocambique - www. bolsadevalores.co.mz • Bond Exchange of South Africa - www. bondexchange.co.za • Botswana Stock Exchange - www.bse.co.bw • Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres UEMOA (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) - www.brvm.org • Casablanca Stock Exchange (Morocco) - www. casablanca-bourse.com/bourseweb/index.aspx • Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (Tanzania) - www. dse.co.tz • Douala Stock Exchange (Cameroon) - www. douala-stock-exchange.com/index_us.php • The Egyptian Exchange - www.egx.com.eg/ English/homepage.aspx • Ethiopia Commodity Exchange - www.ecx.com.et • Ghana Stock Exchange - www.gse.com.gh • Johannesburg Stock Exchange (South Africa) www.jse.co.za/Home.aspx • Khartoum Stock Exchange (Sudan, in Arabic) -

•

• • • • • • • • • •

www.kse.com.sd Libyan Stock Market - www.lsm.ly/_layouts/ membership/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fEnglish%2fP ages%2fdefault.aspx Lusaka Stock Exchange (Zambia) - www.luse. co.zm Nairobi Stock Exchange (Kenya) - www.luse. co.zm Malawi Stock Exchange - www.mse.co.mw Namibian Stock Exchange - www.nsx.com.na Nigerian Stock Exchange - www.nse.com.ng/ Pages/default.aspx Rwanda Stock Exchange - www.rse.rw/ Stock Exchange of Mauritius - www. stockexchangeofmauritius.com Swaziland Stock Exchange - www.ssx.org.sz Tunisia Stock Exchange - www.bvmt.com.tn Uganda Securities Exchange - www.use.or.ug

Read the lastest issue of The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke/media-center/e-communique/exchangemagazine/category/50-free-version.html

98  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

International - eCommerce

Could the Cost of Chocolate Soon be on the Rise? A Reported 'Cocoa Cartel' Could Drive Prices Up

A

new report from The Wall Street Journal says two countries, that control more than 60% of the world's cocoa supply, could soon drive up costs for chocolate lovers everywhere.

Dubbed the 'cocoa cartel,' Ivory Coast and Ghana have come together to charge an additional $400 per metric ton of cocoa, according to the report. The WSJ says cocoa is currently trading around $2,500 per metric ton. The $400 hike is equal to a 16% jump in the price of cocoa. The changes are expected to be in place by October.

The plan is set to be the biggest overhaul of the world's cocoa market in decades, according to the outlet.

“You’re talking about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa,” Jonathan Parkman told the paper.

Parkman is the co-head of agricultural trading at the London-based brokerage Marex Spectron.

“The world cannot do without that cocoa,” he added.

“Who’s paying the bill for this? Ultimately, it’ll be the consumers."

Several of the world's largest chocolate companies say they welcome Ghana and Ivory Coast's decision because it will benefit the livelihoods of farmers who p rovide the cocoa.

“Cocoa farmers should be able to support their families and earn a decent standard of living, and we support the goal of raising farmer incomes,” Hershey spokesman Jeff Beckman told the newspaper.

“Mars believes boosting the income of cocoa farmers while ensuring cocoa is grown sustainably is key to a thriving cocoa sector,” said Mars spokesperson Joseph Gerbino. www.mynbc5.com/article/could-the-cost-ofchocolate-soon-be-on-the-rise-a-reported-cocoacartel-could-drive-prices-up/30417981

Cargill Invests Over $113 Million in Ghana, Ivory Coast

G

lobal commodities trader Cargill says it is investing more than $113 million to expand its cocoa processing facilities in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, creating 85 direct and hundreds of indirect jobs.

Cargill, one of the world’s largest agricultural traders, said it was also investing $12.3 million to expand sustainability and supply chain tracing programmes in the West African nations.

“We aim to shift a greater share of our global grinding activities to the countries of origin, so we can support the establishment of a broader, local agri-food industry,” Lionel Soulard, managing director Cargill West-Africa, said in a statement.

Going up the value chain by expanding cocoa

processing is a major objective for the Ivory Coast and Ghana governments, as selling processed or semi-processed cocoa products is more lucrative than exporting the raw material.  www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/%EF%BB%BFcargill-investsover-113-million-in-ghana-ivory-coast-cocoa-sector

99  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

International - Investment Opportunity

Akon Created His Own City in Senegal called 'Akon City'

By Amir Vera, CNN

I

t's official, Akon has his own city in Senegal.

Known as "Akon City," the rapper and entrepreneur tweeted Monday, January 13th, that he had finalized the agreement for the new city.

"Looking forward to hosting you there in the future," his tweet read.

Akon, who is of Senegalese decent, originally announced plans for the futuristic "Crypto City" in 2018 saying that the city would be built on a 2,000acre land gifted to him by the President of Senegal, Macky Sall. The new city would also trade exclusively in his own digital cash currency called AKoin, he said.

The official website for the city said at the time it would be a five-minute drive from the West African state's new

international airport.

'I really want to make the biggest impact in Africa' Akon was born in Senegal before moving to Union City, New Jersey, at 7, according to his website.

Known for songs like "Locked Up," AKoin "Lonely" and "Oh Africa," the Grammy-nominated rapper is more orecognized as a business man than a musician these days.

His most recent venture is Akon Lighting Africa (www.facebook.com/AkonLightingAfrica) which is providing solar power to African countries.

"I really want to make the biggest impact in Africa for sure," Akon said during a 2013 interview with CNN. "If I could have my way, Africa would be the United States of Africa."  www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/akon-createdhis-own-city-in-senegal-called-akon-city/ar-BBYVHrL Image credits: realestate.com.au, Complex, naijavibes.com

100  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

T

his visualization was prepared by HowMuch. net, (https://howmuch.net/articles/distributionworlds-wealth-2019) and it shows all of the world’s wealth in one place, sorted by country.

Total Wealth by Region In 2019, total world wealth grew by $9.1 trillion to $360.6 trillion, which amounts to a 2.6% increase over the previous year.

Last year, growth in global wealth exceeded that of the population, incrementally increasing wealth per adult to $70,850, a 1.2% bump and an all-time high.

That said, it’s worth mentioning that Credit Suisse,

the authors of the Global Wealth Report 2019 and the source of all this data, notes that the 1.2% increase has not been adjusted for inflation.

The 15 wealthiest nations combine for 84.3% of global wealth. Leading the pack is the United States, which holds $106.0 trillion of the world’s wealth — equal to a 29.4% share of the global total.

Behind the U.S. is China, the only other country with a double-digit share of global wealth, equal to 17.7% of wealth or $63.8 trillion.  www.visualcapitalist.com/all-of-the-worlds-wealth-inone-visualization/

101  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

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Groupon for Black-Owned Businesses and Black Shoppers

By Leah Freeman-Haskin

A

new way to support black-owned businesses has emerged in the marketplace. Black Business Boom (https://blackbusinessboom. com), created by Danielle McGee, is a movement dedicated to driving customers and revenue to small black-owned businesses by offering coupons on their web-based platform.

“I started Black Business Boom because blackowned businesses typically have less access to funding, which consequently limits their ability to spend money on marketing,” said McGee to blacknews.com. “Our platform is an affordable way for small business owners to generate revenue while attracting loyal customers.”

Via the website and mobile app available on iOS and Android phones, business owners will have the chance to grow their business through exposure and sales by offering coupons and other incentives to customers across the country.

“We must create actionable ways to dispel the myths and bridge the gap between black-owned businesses and consumers, in order for blackowned businesses to truly thrive and grow,” said McGee. According to Blacknews.com, the app features businesses that operate in various industries such as food, health, beauty, home, auto, and lifestyle.

Customers can also earn rewards with customized loyalty programs.

“It’s not enough to motivate consumers to support black-owned businesses through social movements,” said McGee. “It’s critical that black business owners understand how to retain customers and have access to resources that will help them excel in today’s marketplace.” https://travelnoire.com/groupon-for-black-ownedbusinesses/

https://blackbusinessboom.com 107  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

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We started this company after becoming increasingly frustrated with the very limited & poorly represented range of Afrocentric products that the major high street & online stores were carrying at the time.

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"Queens of Africa Dolls" These unique dolls represent diďŹ&#x20AC;erent ethnic groups in West Africa like the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa ethnic groups. Unlike other fashion dolls that merely darken the molds of Caucasian dolls, Queens of Africa dolls use specially designed molds with sub-Saharan facial features like high cheek bones, full lips and nose, curly hair and more.

They come with a book series that features historic African queens and women leaders.

Check out our gift sets at QueensOfAfricaDolls.com. sold and exclusively distributed by C.A.K.E (Culture of Africa for Kids Everywhere) Inc.

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ur Deluxe Boxed-Set Edition is a great gift! We’ve gone the extra mile to provide an embossed UV package with a magnetic hinged lid and a black satin puller ribbon. Inside you will find a Hardback version of “Hey A.J. It’s Bedtime” with a midnight blue glitter cloth and glossy blue foil blocking with debossing. With everything perfectly sealed in a dust jacket that has gloss lamination and aqueous varnishing, this is the perfect gift for any occasion – whether it’s bedtime or party time!  www.theimaginationagency.com/ shop-categories/books/hey-aj-itsbedtime/#

T

his is a gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another—from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.

This is the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.

We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it.  www.amazon.com/I-Am-Enough-Grace-Byers/ dp/0062667122  www.amazon.com/I-Am-Enough-Grace-Byers/ dp/0062667122

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eaturing forty trailblazing black women in American history, Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of breaking boundaries and achieving beyond expectations. Illuminating text paired with irresistible illustrations bring to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of Black history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash.

Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things - bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn't always accept them.

The leaders in this book may be little, but they all did something big and amazing, inspiring generations to come. www.amazon.com/dp/B072V4QDCF/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_ encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

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It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.

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earing the call of her ancestors, ten-year-old Ahmyah embarks on a voyage of self-discovery as she reconnects with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a host of cousins and other family and friends from halfway around the world, in Ghana, West Africa.

As Ahmyah travels and explores, she

ulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family.

She is darker than anyone in her school.

Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.

In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty. www.amazon.com/Sulwe-Lupita-Nyongo/ dp/1534425365

learns about her heritage and is filled with love from her family while finding joy in this new adventure. www.thesankofajourney.com/book/

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Zumo Learning System with Tablet The Zumo Learning System provides an accessible learning environment for children of all abilities. Zumo helps children fall in love with STEM. • Includes a 7 Tablet, Math Games and a Wireless Smart Toy, named Zumo • Unique technology maps physical movements to touch screen gestures • A suite of apps are included that are specially designed to enable tactile-based learning • Designed for K-3rd graders for learning in the home or classroom • Apps are customizable to the special needs of each child • Zumo offers many different play experiences through apps already available on iTunes www.zyrobotics.com info@zyrobotics.com

Board Game Brothas www.boardgamebrothas.com www.facebook.com/BGBrothas/ So much of hip hop is about who we are and where we come from. We decided that had to be in this game. As part of the game’s design, we came up with close to 500 “life events” that could happen to an artist going through their career.

We have cards like, “Winning a talent show,” “Selling 35 CDs out of your trunk,” or “West coast tour.” When the game ends you can see exactly how you went from nothing to something.

That to us is what hip hop is all about.

All the games we are working on are clearly related to hip hop culture and black culture.

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Beyoncé's New Adidas Collection

I

f you're in need of cool workout gear or comfy athleisure to lounge around in, who better to design it for you than the Queen B herself?

Beyoncé and Adidas have announced that they're teaming up on a signature collection that includes footwear and apparel.

The best news? Beyoncé will also be relaunching her athleisure line, Ivy Park, with the brand.

According to a press release from Adidas, she will be a creative partner for the brand and work with them to design performance and lifestyle products.

"This is the partnership of a lifetime for me," Beyoncé said in the press release. "Adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries. We share a philosophy that puts creativity, growth and social responsibility at the forefront of business. I look forward to relaunching and expanding Ivy Park on a truly global scale with a proven, dynamic leader."

Ivy Park was first introduced in 2016 and was previously sold at Topshop, but after allegations of sexual harassment and bullying surfaced against Topshop chairman Sir Philip Green, Beyoncé ended her partnership with the businessman and bought back her athleisure line from the brand. It's unclear if she did so because of the allegations, but either way, we're about to see Ivy Park in stores again soon.

"Beyoncé is an iconic creator but also a proven business leader, and together, we have the ability to inspire change and empower the next generation of creators," Eric Liedtke, executive board member at Adidas, said in a statement.

No word yet on when the collection is due to drop, but we'll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of Beyoncé x Adidas.  www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/heres-whatwe-know-about-beyoncés-new-adidas-collection/arBVCQFl?ocid=spartandhp

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Black-Owned Watch Brands You Should Make Your Brands MG Media, TBTNEWS

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hile timepieces or watches are usually a luxury for most, there are several Blackowned brands that create and market high-quality watches that won't break the bank... and they are definitely worth taking time to look at! Here are seven Black-owned watch brands that you should support:

Youngblood Timepieces: Launched in 2006, this brand of high-end signature watches continues to be one of the most sought-after Black-owned watch brands. Its co-founders Paul Youngblood and Patrick Martin created the brand to oďŹ&#x20AC;er both accessory and apparel products for savvy shoppers who sought to maximize their value without compromising on quality. https://youngbloodworldwide.com/collections/menswristwatches

Talley & Twine: Started with just a few sketches and no previous knowledge of the watch industry, Robert Williams designed his first watch that eventually became a successful luxury watch brand. Since then, they aimed to create quality, detailed, attention-grabbing timepieces that are reasonably priced and resist the status quo.

Seventeenth Watches: Owned and operated by an army veteran, Chris Johnson, who is also Black, this brand creates watches that are a perfect union between simplicity and class. Their styles are usually unisex and minimalist that makes it a timeless piece that would seem to still be in trend even in the next decades. www.seventeenth-watches.com/ Benson Watch: Established on the principle that "time should be spent doing what you love," its founder, Marcel Benson, wanted to encourage people to take charge of their time and live life on their terms. Additionally, this brand produces exclusive collection watches that are available for limited time only and will not be replicated anymore. https://www.bensonwatch.com/ SPGBK Watches: Founded by two African-American fraternity brothers from Fayetteville, North Carolina, this brand aims to create original culturally-inspired watches that are inspired by diversity and inclusion.

The name is an abbreviation of "Springbreak" as the two founders, who were both HBCU graduates, wanted the company to be collegethemed. www.springbreakwatches.com/

https://store.talleyandtwine.com/

Enbois by Maxim: Named after the French word which means "wooden," this brand's watches are designed with the finest sustainable materials. Also, an acronym for Each New Bead OďŹ&#x20AC;ers Its Support, its founder Maxim Thuriere sought a way to give back to his country of heritage, Haiti, where a portion of each transaction is donated to help improve educational opportunities as well as reforest Haiti. http://enbois-originals.com/

Vitae London: Based in London, England, this brand features watches that are made of either a high-quality genuine leather band or a stainless steel mesh band with scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass that are stylish, elegant, and built to last.

What's more, for every watch sold, the company supports an underprivileged child in South Africa through education. https://vitaelondon.com/

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American Southern Cuisine

Virtue has quickly become one of the best new restaurants in Chicago, earning a threestar review from this criƟc in January (www. chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-virtue-restaurant-review0109-story.html).

The accolades didn’t end there; in July 2019, Eater named Virtue one of the best new restaurants in the country, and the New York Times profiled Chef Williams in a story Ɵtled “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America.” The Chicago Tribune’s Food & Dining Game Changer Award is presented annually to a chef, restaurateur or other industry figure whose work has brought significant, posiƟve change to the restaurant industry as a whole, and to the Chicago dining scene, in parƟcular. The 2019 awardee is Chef Eric Williams for Virtue Restaurant (www.chicagotribune.com/dining/phil-veƩel/

ct-food-game-changer-award-williams-0813-20190813oq6arm7hbbh2xfp23iyhjoorzi-story.html).

Image: Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Boulevard, Suite A150, Los Angeles, CA www.shaquilles.com ï&#x201A;³ 213-746-7427(SHAQ)

21720 Avalon Blvd.

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@DarrowsNewOrleansGrill Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks Eat-In, Take Out, Catering

www.rapsnacks.net

Shop for all of the NoMu products at: https://shop.nomu.co.za and www.amazon.com

www.amazon.com/Pattie-Labelle-Sweet-Potato-Family/dp/B07KFXM2QV/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1543253889&sr=8-2-fkmr0&k eywords=patty+labelle+pies Image credits: nbcbayarea.com, popsugar.com, cbs4indy.com, www.amittenfullofsavings.com/patti-labelles-banana-pudding/

Parker House Sausage (www.parkerhousesausage.com) was started by Chicago entrepreneur, Judge H. Parker who came to Chicago from Montgomery County, Tennessee with little more than the conviction that there was a potential market for homemade sausage products prepared according to his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recipes. By 1919 Judge Parker began selling his unique blend of herbs and spices mixed with flavorful, savory sausage from a horse drawn cart on a retail basis.

Recognized as one of the oldest family owned businesses in the U.S. In 2014 Parker House expanded its product line to include chicken products including breakfast sausage, hot links, and smoked sausage.

LOOK FOR US IN THE FROZEN FOODS SECTION!

SHOP ONLINE! //shop.parkerhousesausage. com

We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence.

Need a dinner idea. Go to the Recipe Page on our website. Thanks for visiting!

S

ince people from all walks of life really enjoy Down South cooking, NFL Pro Reggie Kelly thought, why not bring a piece of the South to their homes. Reggie and his wife founded KYVAN® FOODS.

KYVAN® Foods is a supplier to great customers like Kroger, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Firehouse Subs, Performance Foodservice, Hot Shots Distributing and more. As stated by Reggie, “It’s my goal to pass down to my kids (Kyla & Kavan) and to everyone the gift passed down to me… An Appreciation Of Good Food.”

Thanks and God Bless!

Website: http://kyvan82.com Shop Online: http://kyvan82.com/store Store Locator: http://kyvan82.com/storelocator

Delicious Southern Flavors At Home!

Whether you’re north or south of the Mason-Dixon line, east or west of the Mississippi, Grandma Maud’s gives you a taste of the South in your own kitchen.

Try our Recipes: //grandmamauds. com/recipes

You’ll find our Bean Meals, Southern Seasonings and Pie Fixin’s in supermarkets throughout the U.S.A. (Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Safeway and Kroger Stores) – and online at: (hƩps://eyelevellink.com/collecƟons/ vendors?q=Grandma%20Mauds) or call us at: 1-773-493-5353!

Not Just Cookies

NJC is a cookie company providing, natural desserts superior in quality and taste. Our cookies and pies are made with the finest ingredients.We offer select gluten free and vegan desserts that are rich in taste. Not Just Cookies is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) founded by Johnathon Bush.

We can cater for any event or party.We offer custom packaging for all of our cookies and pies to suit any need. Corporate ggifts, company parties, restaurants looking to ooutsource pastries, we're here for you. es.com for online shopping, store locations, sshipping and catering details. Talk to us by ccalling: 1-800-833-4541 or send NJC an inquiry aat: info@notjustcookies.net.

W

hen our daughter began to exhibit food allergies naturally, I set out to find the healthy, allergy-friendly snacks we'd need to fuel our family's active lifestyle. I came away from the stores frustrated and mystified. Nothing on the shelves met our dietary needs and my healthy standards. So I set out to create my own. Making allergy-friendly, healthy snacks (from scratch) for my daughter was hard work, but I refused to give up or give in â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and Partake Foods was born. Our products are deliciously made for just about everyone from those with restrictions to those who simply want to eat more healthfully. Find out more about our family and our products at: https://partakefoods.com. Our products are also available via Amazon.com (www.amazon. com partake foods).

Enjoy.

Denise,

Founder of Partake Foods

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Now available at Whole Foods!

Ma's Best is a bakery specializing in the production of home-style yeast rolls and baked products. www.facebook.com/masbestrolls/#!/masbestrolls/?tab=page_info#!/masbestrolls/info

Try all 3 flavors!

In your local grocery store or shop online for syrups, recipes, and books. Learn about our special projects and join the recipe contest.

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www.blackmommavodka.com www.blackmommateas.com/black

Coffees of Cameroon www.BamendaCoffee.com

https://kivunoir.coffee/pages/buy-online

Eso Won Books

African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard, Leimert Park, Los Angeles

Give the Gift of Books and Music Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books, and games!

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www.esowonbookstore.com ď&#x192;&#x201D; //esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events

Books to Consider

Books to Consider...

Such a Fun Age

By Kiley Reid

A

lix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping twoyear-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated.

Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is Kiley Reid aimless, broke, and wary thegreenespace.org of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family," the complicated reality of being a grown up, and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.  https://www.amazon.com/Such-Fun-Age-Kiley-Reid/ dp/052554190X

A New Day One: Trauma, Grace, and a Young Man's Journey from Foster Care to Yale

by Rodney J. Walker

N

o one can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Rodney faced incredible hardships in the foster c a r e system a n d coping w i t h family drug problems and violence. But through sheer determination and the support of some key mentors, Rodney was able to reach for Rodney J. Walker new heights as an entrepreneur The Press-Enterprise and a Yale University graduate.

A New Day One is Rodney’s story of triumph over adversity, filled with valuable principles and life lessons that are sure to inspire you into action. Whether you’re an inner-city youth or a high-networth businessman, there’s something to be learned from Rodney’s incredible story  www.amazon.com/New-Day-One-Trauma-Journey/ dp/159932699X

Keeping Hope Alive: Sermons and Speeches of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

by Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. (Afterword) Here, for the first time in print: a powerful

167  January 2020  July 2019  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

selection of sermons and speeches by one of America's most unforgettable orators and champions of human rights.

F

or over fifty years, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., a Baptist minister, activist, and organizer, has worked for civil rights, peace, and the promise of true democracy. From his years in the Civil Rights movement, his work as founder of the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition, and as an international ambassador for human rights, he has left an indelible impression on the history of our time.

These speeches and sermons, delivered both to the downtrodden and the powerful, from Senegal and Bangkok to Chicago include the famous speeches he delivered at the Democratic Party d 1988 following f ll i hi historic hi t i conventions of 1984 and his campaigns for the presidential nomination.

In a moving epilogue, Rev. Jackson reflects, "After all these years, what remains for me, is God is a source of mystery and wonder. Scripture holds up. The righteous are not forsaken. We've come a long way since slavery time. But we're not finished yet. Running for freedom is a long distance race."  www.amazon.com/Keeping-Hope-Alive-SermonsSpeeches/dp/1626983593/

I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon

by Touré

D

rawing on new research and enlivened by Touré’s unique popcultural fluency, I Would

Touré

AALBC.com

Die 4 U relies on surprising and indepth interviews with Prince’s band members, former girlfriends, musicologists, and even Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist’s life and work.

Prince’s baby boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of generation X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presents a very traditional conception of religion and God in his music. He was an MTV megastar and a religious evangelist, using images of sex and profanity to invite us into a musical conversation about the healing power of God. By demystifying the man and his music, I Would Die 4 U shows us how Prince defined a generation.  www.amazon.com/Would-Die-Prince-BecameIcon/dp/1476705496/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_ encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Hot Comb

by Ebony Flowers

H

ot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into black women’s lives and coming-of-age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn.

The titular “Hot Comb” is about a young girl’s first perm―a doomed ploy to look cool and stop seeming “too white” in the allblack neighborhood her family has just

168  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Books to Consider moved into. In “Virgin Hair,” taunts of “tenderheaded” sting as much as the perm itself. “My Lil Sister Lena” shows the stress of being the only black player on a white softball team.

Lena’s hair is the team curio, an object to be touched, a subject to be discussed and debated at the will of her teammates, leading Lena to develop an anxiety disorder of pulling her own hair out.

Throughout Hot Comb, Ebony Flowers reEbony Flowers creates classic magazine Drawn ane Quarterly ads idealizing women’s need for hair relaxers and products. “Change your hair form to fit your life form” and “Kinks and Koils Forever” call customers from the page.

Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through these stories and ads, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking. Flowers began drawing comics while earning her Ph.D., and her early mastery of sequential storytelling is nothing short of sublime. Hot Comb is a propitious display of talent from a new cartoonist who has already made her mark.  www.amazon.com/Hot-Comb-Ebony-Flowers/ dp/1770463488

History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times

by Dr. Mary Frances Berry Despair and mourning after the election of an antagonistic or polarizing president, such as Donald Trump, is part of the push-pull of American politics.

But in this incisive book, historian Mary Frances Berry shows that resistance to presidential administrations has led to positive change and the defeat of outrageous

proposals, even in challenging times.

Noting that all presidents, including ones considered progressive, sometimes require massive organization to affect policy decisions, Berry cites Indigenous peoples’ protests against the Dakota pipeline during Barack Obama’s administration as a modern example of successful resistance built on earlier actions.

Beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Berry discusses that president’s refusal to prevent race discrimination in the defense industry during World War II and the subsequent March on Washington movement. She analyzes Lyndon Johnson, the war in Vietnam, and the antiwar movement and then examines Ronald Reagan’s two terms, which offer stories of opposition to reactionary policies, such as ignoring the AIDS crisis and retreating on racial progress, to show how resistance can succeed.

The prochoice protests during the George H. W. Bush administration and the opposition to Dr. Mary Frances Berry Bill Clinton’s Fisk University “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, as well as his budget cuts and welfare reform, are also discussed, as are protests against the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act during George W. Bush’s presidency. Throughout these varied examples, Berry underscores that even when resistance doesn’t achieve all the goals of a particular movement, it often plants a seed that comes to fruition later.

Berry also shares experiences from her six decades as an activist in various movements, including protesting the Vietnam War and advocating for the Free South Africa and civil rights movements, which

169  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

provides an additional layer of insight from someone who was there. And as a result of having served in five presidential administrations, Berry brings an insiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge of government.

History Teaches Us to Resist is an essential book for our times which attests to the power of resistance. It

proves to us through myriad historical examples that protest is an essential ingredient of politics, and that progressive movements can and will flourish, even in perilous times. ď &#x192; www.amazon.com/History-Teaches-Resist-ProgressiveChallenging/dp/0807005460

172  July 2018  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Resource Vault Information Africa is a Country -- www.africasacountry.com\ Africa World Press Books -www.africaworldpressbooks.com Because Of Them We Can -www.becauseofthemwecan.com Black Children's Books and Authors -http://blackchildrensbooksandauthors.tumblr. com BlackPast.org -- www.blackpost.org Black Then -- https://blackthen.com Digital Assets Repository -http://dar.bibalex.org/webpages/dar.jsf Elders (The) -- https://theelders.org GhanaWeb -- www.ghanaweb.com iAfrica -- www.iafrica.com Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) -www.youtube.com/user/marquesbrownlee WikiHow -- www.wikihow.com World Library -- www.worldlibrary.org

Media APO (Africa Wire®/MENA Wire®) -www.apo-opa.com Africa Business Communities -https://africabusinesscommunities.com Africa Interactive Multimedia Press/Content \ Agency in Africa -www.africa-interactive.com Africa News & Stories -- http://africatodaytv.com Africa Newsroom -- www.africa-newsroom.com Africa World Now Project -www.africaworldnowproject.org Africanews. -- www.africanews.com The Africapitalist -www.tonyelumelufoundation.org/africapitalisminstitute/africapitalist-magazine AfricaFocus -- www.africafocus.org The African World -- www.theafricanworld.tv African American Reports -www.africanamericanreports.com Afrikdiasponews -- www.afridiasponews.com www.facebook.com/Afrik-DiaspoNews-690569017737725 Afritorial -- www.afritorial.com www.facebook.com/Afritorial AllAfrica (news) -- http://allafrica.com Bibi-Writes -- https://bibiwrites.com Black Business Directory & Blog -www.blackbusiness.org BlackNews.com -- www.blacknews.com

Black Press USA -- www.blackpressusa.com Blavity Inc. -- www.blavity.com The Chocolate Voice -www.thechocolatevoice.com Crisis Magazine (NAACP) -www.thecrisismagazine.com Cybrary -- www.cybrary.it Dogon Village -- www.dogonvillage.com Expat Divas -- www.expatdivas.com Face2Face Africa -- https://face2faceafrica.com The Immigrant Magazine -www.immigrantmagazine.com Informaza - www.infomaza.com Macauhub -- www.facebook.com/Macauhub N'Digo -- https://ndigo.com ReachTV -- www.reachtv.com Red Media Africa -www.facebook.com/RedMedi aAfrica Rock Me Africa -- //rockmeafrica.com Roland Martin Unfiltered -#RolandMartinUnfiltered Savoy -- www.savoynetwork.com Second Opinion Publications Ltd (The) -www.facebook.com/thesecondopinion TONL -- https://tonl.co/ United Nations -- http://webtv.un.org

Media/Podcasts, Streams 2 Dope Queens -- www.wnycstudios.org/shows/ dopequeens African Literary Podcast -- www.jamesmurua.com/ category/african-literary-podcast Africast TV -- www.africast.tv Cape Up with Jonathan Capehart -- https://itunes. apple.com/us/podcast/cape-up-with-jonathancapehart/id1143265842?mt=2 Demand Africa -- www.demandafrica.com DiasporaVoice -www.blogtalkradio.com/diasporavoice Focus On Africa -- https://theafricachannel.com/ shows/bbc-focus-on-africa James Murua's Literary Blog -www.jamesmurua.com KweliTV -- www.facebook.com/kwelitv Paychecks and Balances -- https://paychecksand balances.com Point Noir -- www.instagram.com/pointnoirshow Popcorn Finance Podcast -https://popcornfinance.com/podcast Talking Africa -- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/pod

173  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

see page 174

cast/talking-africa/id1232541405?mt=2 UN Video -- https://videos.un.org/en YouTube Educational Channels -- http://teacherswithapps.com/197-educational-youtube-channels-know

Media/Publications African Trade Magazine -www.africantrademagazine.com African Vibes Magazine -- www.africanvibes.com Black Business News Group -www.issuu.com/blackbusinessnews Black Wall Street Times -- http://bwstimes.com BridesNoir -- www.bridesnoir.com CuisineNoir -- www.cuisinenoirmag.com MahoganyBooks -http://blog.mahoganybooks.com/ New Black Magazine (The) -www.thenewblackmagazine.com Publish Africa -- http://wow.gm/publishafrica

Culture/Arts Asako Afrikan Combat Capoeira -www.abibifahodie.com Africa Center (The) -- www.theafricacenter.org African Networks -http://afn.bibalex.org/MainPart/About_.aspx African Origins -- www.african-origins.org Almasi Arts -- www.almasiarts.org Because of Them We Can -www.becauseofthemwecan.com Black Cultural Events -www.blackculturalevents.com Cultural Events/Content -- www.okayafrica.com Fashion For All -- www.fashionforallnyc.org Freedom Park -- www.freedompark.co.za Hungry Black Man -https://thehungryblackman.com Infocus247 -- https://infocus247.com Information for Africa -http://bibalex.org/baifa/en/home/index Library of Alexandria -www.bibalex.org/en/default NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art -www.nkajournal.org Pan African Film Festival -- www.paff.org Paradigm Grey -- www.paradigmgrey.com Shadow & Act -- //shadowandact.com/about-us Travel Noire -- https://travelnoire.com W.E.B. DuBois in Accra -https://webduboiscentreaccra.ghana-net.com

Commerce/Entrepreneurship 50 Million African Women Speak --

www.womenconnect.org #IAMWANDA -www.facebook.com/IamWANDAorg African Success Stories -- www.risingafrica.org African Technology Foundation -www.thea25n.com Afrochampions Initiative -http://afrochampions.com BBurb -- https://bburb.com Black CEO Tribe -- www.blackceotribe.com Black Female Founders -www.blackfemalefounders.org Black People Eats -- www.blackpeopleeats.com Black Wall Street -- www.blackwallstreet.org Black Wealth 2020 -- www.blackwealth2020.com ClickUrban -- www.theclickurban.com iBuyBlack.org -- www.ibuyblack.org Jumia -- https://group.jumia.com www.jumia.com.ng Nigeria (Africa) financial news -- //nairametrics.com She Leads Africa -- http://sheleadsafrica.org Shoppe Black -- https://shoppeblack.us

Organizations 25 Black Women in Beauty -- www.25bwb.org Africa's Brain Bank -- www.facebook.com/ AFRICASBRAINBANK / African Leadership Forum -http://afrialeadership.org African Union -- www.au.int/en Africans in Boston (AiB) -- //africansinboston.org Black Business Association -- www.bbala.org Black Emergency Managers Association International -www.blackemergmanagersassociation.org CauseCast -- www.causecast.com www.causecastfornonprofits.com Color of Change -- www.colorofchange.org Colorintech -- www.colorintech.org Community Healing Network -www.communityhealingnet.org Love Our Girls -- http://logpledge.org/ National Black Marathoners Association -http://blackmarathoners.org StayWoke -- www.staywoke.org TimesUp -- www.timesupnow.com United African Organization -http://uniteafricans.org Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce -www.zambiausachamber.org

Investment/Development Africa Reports -- www.africareports.com African Development Bank -- www.afdb.org African Export-Import Bank --

174  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

Resource Vault from page 174

//afreximbank.com/afrexim/en AfrigadgetTV -- www.afrigadget.com Breaux Capital -- www.breauxcapital. com Disrupt Africa -- http://disrupt-africa.com/ Exchange Magazine (The) -- www.nse.co.ke Harlem Capital -- http://harlem.capital Silicon Harlem -- http://event.siliconharlem.net Ventures -- www.ventures-africa.com

General Explore ideas -- https://ideas.ted.com

The Undefeated -- https://theundefeated.com

U.S. Government Commerce Department -- www.doc.gov International Trade Administration -- http://trade. gov Minority Business Development Agency -- www. mbda.gov Power Africa -- www.usaid.gov/powerafrica Prosper Africa -- www.trade.gov/prosperafrica Small Business Administration -- www.sba.gov State Department -- www.dos.gov Trade Africa -- www.usaid.gov/tradeafrica White House -- www.whitehouse.gov

BBA 2020 Master Planner 2020 Black Business Association Events Annual Awards Dinner February

Salute to Black Women March

Salute to Black Music June

50th Anniversary Gala September

Veterans Procurement & Business Conference November

Black Business News Group Publications Black Business News Black Business News International Black Business News Travel Africa www.bbala.org for details 175  January 2020  Black Business News  www.bbala.org  1-323-291-7819

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