Business
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He Doesn’t Do Politics, He Does Fun: Shaquille O’Neal Joins With Embattled Pizza Pusher, Papa John’s, in New Deal
When we got word Papa John’s Pizza got a new (black) face, Shaquille O’Neal, the crew at The Root had a field day. “Ask Shaq about his obsession with being a cop and if he had trouble finding a cap and cane for his soft shoe routine …,” quipped one. “The same Shaq who just…
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Why #BuyBlack Has Never Been the Path to Black American Economic Empowerment
The slogans “Buy Black” or “Support Black Businesses” have existed for some time as clarion calls for black consumers to patronize black owned (or seemingly black owned) establishments. We see it hashtagged and sprawled across graphics calling for exclusive 30 day “buy black challenges” to spur economic growth in Black communities — often touted as…
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Michelle Obama's Memoir Is Becoming an Instant Bestseller
Well, we can’t say we didn’t see this coming: Only four days after its Nov. 13 release, Penguin Random House announced on Friday that our forever first lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, sold more than 725,000 units in all formats and editions in the United States and Canada on the first day of its publication…
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Steve Stoute Once Again Disrupts the Future With His New UnitedMasters Venture. First Partnership? The NBA
In his myriad years in the music industry, Steve Stoute has proven himself a major player and a game changer, too. Hailed as a marketing genius by some, the man who began his career as road manager for Kid & Play has grown and evolved to become a label exec, an advertising mogul and,…
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Supermarket Mogul Greg Calhoun Dies at 66
Greg Calhoun, the pioneering businessman who became the first black supermarket owner in the South, building it into one of the largest black-owned supermarket chains in the country, has died at 66 years old. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Calhoun’s daughter announced on Facebook that her father died on Thursday at 5:55 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai…
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How in the Hell Are People Paying for Weddings? Vol. 2
In a little over a week, I will be a married man. I’m not entirely sure that I’ve fully grasped what that means yet but I also know that I do not have the time yet to even think about it. If it ain’t this thing that needs to get done, it’s that thing that…
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Am I Being Sensitive? A Discussion About a Business Transaction Gone Wrong
I’ve been saying for years that disrespect, even implied, is the leading cause of death for black men between birth and death. There’s something about the feeling of another man disrespecting you that makes you uneasy, even long after the (potentially perceived) slight took place. This brings me to a situation that occurred on Saturday…
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Uber HR Head Resigns Over Her Handling of Discrimination Complaints; Allegedly Disparaged Black Execs
I guess Uber’s “chief people officer” was not here for all of the people. On Tuesday, Liane Hornsey, who was, for all intents and purposes, the head of the ride-share company’s human resources department (and one of the firm’s top spokespeople on diversity and discrimination issues)—resigned after a news agency contacted the company about an…
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Beyoncé, Buy The Root (and All of GMG and The Onion). It's for Sale
Dear Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Boy, do I have a deal for you! I’d like to present you with the opportunity to own a slightly used, factory-refurbished media organization with more than 100 million visitors per month! On Tuesday, a guy only identified as “Vince” sent a companywide email to employees announcing that Univision has “initiated…
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10 Personal Reflections a Year After Becoming Part of The Root
What a difference a year makes. Just a little over a year ago, Damon and I signed those final signatures to complete the process to transition into becoming part of The Root. Like most things in life, it’s important to reflect on milestone moments. By this point last year, Damon had begun working as a…