Browsing: Feature

     In April 2016, then-President Barack Obama announced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Obama wanted the release of the new bill to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment in 2020 that gave women the right to vote.

“The gesture carried symbolic weight as the history-making former president prepared to watch Harris make some of her own.”

In December 2020, during an Instagram Live Plating Change session catered to giving away $100,000 to small businesses, Lemonis assisted Jerk Machine restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, FL with a $35,200 order to feed community members in need. During the live chat, Jerk Machine mentioned how the downturned economy fueled by the Coronavirus pandemic has caused them to lose revenue and struggle to keep their doors open. With the funds Lemonis gave for the large catering order, Jerk Machine will be partnering with local organizations in the community to fulfill this order, including the CARES Organization of Miami and Aiding-Aids, Inc.

      For America, 2020 was a tumultuous year. Adding to the stress of the year and the coronavirus epidemic, America dealt with the Presidency of Donald Trump. As the world watched as President and Vice President Elect Joe Biden Kamala Harris were sworn in, many were wondering where was Donald Trump? Well, he did what many people do when they retire from a job. Move to Florida. Floridians are rejoicing that Trump is out of the White House, but they are not too happy about him being our next door neighbor.

Jacob Blake Sr., son Jacob Jr. was shot seven times in the back in a residential area of Kenosha by police officer Rusten Sheskey. The shooting left the younger Blake, whose three young children witnessed the incident, was left partially paralyzed as a result. Blake Sr., his brother Justin, and Bianca Austin (the aunt of Breonna Taylor), traveled to Washington, D.C., during the week of the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The three told NNPA Newswire that they were there to finalize a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). “We hope that there will be federal charges against the officer,” Blake Sr. interjected.

     “The quickest thing we need to do if we really want to help the American people is getting this economy turned back on — get people back to work, get kids back in school, get ourselves some herd immunity, get the vaccine distributed as quickly as we can and get the uptake rate up. That’s why I’d be willing to accept a $1,400 stimulus check if people are willing to take the vaccine.” he continued.

     Whoever did the shooting escaped the scene and is still missing. Miami police seemingly combed the scene for evidence, and took a vehicle with bullet holes in it for evidence. Police are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to a suspect.

     “We know that for too long in too many parts of our country, Black families were blocked from burying their loved ones in white cemeteries,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) remarked. “These men and women were freed slaves, civil rights champions, veterans, mothers, fathers, workers in communities. We need to act now before these sites are lost to the ravages of time or development,” Brown concluded.

     “A range of structural inequities and systemic barriers make it much more likely that Hispanic and Black families will experience not just a single, temporary stressor, but an accumulation of multiple hardships—particularly during a period of economic instability like the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report said in part. 

2021 is the year to start planning for your future and diversify your assets. We have compiled a list of a few of our favorite Black-owned, high growth companies that are gaining traction. Minimum investment amounts for these companies range from $250 – $20,000 so regardless of your income level, you too can be an early stage start-up investor.