• Entrepreneurship

by Jeffrey McKinney

March 24, 2023

Positioning Dayo Women for Comfortable Growth in The Loungewear Industry

---

Yolanda White boldly became her own boss as a business owner.

The founder and CEO of apparel company Dayo Women gained the courage to make the audacious transition after working for more than 20 years as a leading executive managing billion-dollar brands across the cosmetics, automotive, food, and beverage industries.

White launched the loungewear and leisurewear company Dayo Women after being unable to find what she desired in the space. “I created Dayo for women who wanted to find themselves at home in comfort and style that could be achieved with ease.” White is leveraging her vast professional experience to change the game for women in loungewear.

In reimagining the loungewear category, White rolled out the Dayo Women line in 2018. The Atlanta-based company sells roughly 40 different styles in several distinct colors and sizes, including wrap tops, pant sets, robe dresses, ponchos, mini dresses, bra bands, and accessories like scarves and belts. She focuses on providing customers with innovative styles and affordable pricing, with items ranging from $25–$200.

Creating a niche to uplift women

“With Dayo, you get great value because you can wear your styles many ways for multiple occasions, including entertaining at home, working remotely, for vacations, and on the go,” White maintains.

Moreover, she launched her business to inspire women and deepen their self-love. White says she will raise brand awareness by serving as a featured vendor for Amazon’s women-owned business storefront during Women’s History Month. When speaking of her partnership with the online retailer, she says: “I have truly enjoyed working with the Amazon team, and the commitment that they have had over the last year has allowed Dayo to grow from zero sales to selling product almost daily.”

Now, White is taking steps to position Dayo Women for expansion within the nearly $6 billion U.S. loungewear sector, which is expected to double in size by 2030. She offers women additional support through self-love tools, including a blog, journal, and cards.

Conquering challenges while seeking new investment

Getting Dayo Women on the racks came with myriad obstacles. Although the fearless entrepreneur has been able to innovate design in the loungewear segment, she was forced to bootstrap her business with a $350,000 initial investment of her own funds.

“I still encounter the same challenges of other women-owned businesses as it relates to obtaining capital and distribution opportunities to effectively scale the business,” she adds. To achieve scale, White seeks seed money to expand her team, add digital capabilities, and increase inventory to supply more retailers. She maintains: “This growth will allow us to continue to expand our distribution model with more local boutiques, deepen our product offerings with Amazon, and continue to grow with more department stores.”

With revenue of $300,000, White says most of Dayo Women’s annual growth has been organic since its inception. Maintains White: “The growth has come from many areas. They include increasing customer demand to buy loungewear, greater distribution, and over 40% of sales coming from repeat customers. Women love the brand, and Black women have been a huge support of our growth.”

Capitalizing on the value of branding expertise

Her strong corporate background serving in several management positions at soft drink giant Coca-Cola has proven extremely helpful in her entrepreneurial pursuits. Having been recognized in 2011 by BLACK ENTERPRISE as one of the nation’s top Black executives in advertising and marketing when she served as vice president of brand management for Powerade (Coca-Cola), White says her experiences taught her how to take an idea and build a brand—a skill that enabled her to make strategic choices for her company in key areas such as product portfolio, creative development, forecasting, consumer targeting, and “where to play and invest.”

Flourishing with Amazon

So, what marketing approach will White take to sustain growth? She plans to lure more customers this year by buying digital ads, launching email and text campaigns, boosting social media content, and offering as many as six activations.

Uniting with Amazon has provided Dayo Women an incremental revenue stream as it introduces its entry-level product for the brand to a new set of customers, White says. “We focus on foundation items and self-love products to introduce the premise of the brand to Prime shoppers.”

White emphasized that Amazon has been “an amazing partner,” providing her company with the opportunity to broaden Dayo Women’s national brand exposure and reach.

She also benefits from participating in Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator (BBA), a $150 million program commitment over four years geared to help build sustainable growth opportunities for Black-owned businesses. “The program has made it easier for us to become a viable vendor in Amazon’s store.”

White says her five-year growth plan calls for increasing annual revenue to $5 million. She aims to achieve that goal by strategically focusing on expanding product offerings sold directly to consumers as she bolsters collaborations with Amazon, wholesalers, and retailers. “We know more than women love our styles, so there are new consumer segments to reach while doubling down on our core consumer base of women to offer more styles, colors, and sizes to extend the occasion of lounge and leisurewear, she says. “We are optimistic about the future of Dayo given the growth that our small and mighty team has been able to achieve while overcoming economic challenges like COVID-19 in a small amount of time.”

• Legal

by Stacy Jackson

March 24, 2023

Virginia Officer Fired After Bodycam Details Fatal Encounter With Timothy Johnson

---

Police released fire and ended up in the hot seat.

Bodycam video footage revealed the fatal incident involving 37-year-old Timothy Johnson and the Virginia officer who responded to the reported theft at Tysons Corner Center mall on Feb. 22.

According to NBC News, after reviewing the footage, a police spokesperson said Sgt. Wesley Shifflett, who fired the shot that killed Johnson, has been served with an “administrative separation” for “failure to live up to” the expectations of his department.

Last month, Fairfax County police were called to an alleged shoplifting incident in Nordstrom, where a suspect stole sunglasses. The mall’s loss prevention officers guided officer James Sadler and Sgt. Shifflett to Johnson, when he reportedly fled, leading the officers to chase him out of the mall and into a small wooded area nearby. The footage shows that one officer wasn’t dressed in uniform and wore ordinary clothing during the encounter.

The bodycam footage shows an officer demanding Johnson to “stop reaching” and “get on the ground.” Chief Kevin Davis said something happened, causing the officers to release fire. The sound of the shots was picked up in the audio, where one officer shot twice and the other shot once. Johnson died at the hospital after being shot in the chest once.

“It doesn’t show the officer faced any danger, imminent or otherwise,” Carl Crews, the attorney for the Johnson family said at a news conference after viewing the footage with the family on Wednesday night. “Justice delayed is justice denied. Crews added that this officer should not have his freedom at this point, describing Johnson’s death as an “execution.”

Reportedly, criminal and administrative investigations are still active. The reason for the officers firing their weapons remains unknown.

Sadler has been employed with the Fairfax County Police Department for eight years, while Shifflett served with the department for seven.

• Sports

by Iman Milner

March 24, 2023

LeBron James and Uninterrupted Are Bringing Carl Lewis’s Story To Life In New Documentary

---

Olympian Carl Lewis is getting the documentary treatment thanks to LeBron James’ and Maverick Carter’s Emmy-winning athlete empowerment platform, Uninterrupted, and Noah Media Group, a London-based production house.

The feature-length film will explore the storied 18-year career of the athlete and the unconventional path he took on his way to winning nine Olympic gold medals. Lewis—who was once voted Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee—will take center stage alongside his family, closest friends, and never-before-seen vast archive. “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Carl to tell his timely and important story,” said the film’s director and Noah Media Group Co-founder, Gabriel Clarke. “The aim has always been to capture the true scale of his sporting and cultural impact, making LeBron, Maverick, and the brilliant UNINTERRUPTED team the ideal production team-mates.”

The former Sports Illustrated “Olympian of the Century,” now 61, had this to say at this week’s Indian Sports Honours, “The greatest thing about sport is that the basics will never change. It is hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. And that sacrifice is practicing day in and day out. Maybe, you can’t go to places…[or be in] relationships. Everyone that has success has the same message—hard work, focus, dedication, and sacrifice. We want to tell the young people that, hey, it works. Everybody told me that, and now I am telling them that.”

Though Lewis is sometimes left out of conversations about all-time great athletes for other names, he is an undisputed icon in American sports whose story and career have opened many doors for those who came after him. Currently, Uninterrupted is back with the sixth season of its HBO series, The Shop, which features conversations with some of the world’s most interesting athletes, entertainers, and cultural leaders.

Sports are tightening up on the rules for some athletes.

World Athletics has set new rules regarding athletes that will ban transgender women from competing in female track and field events, and prohibiting any transgender women who have experienced male puberty from competing in the female categories.

According to Aljazeera, the rules of the global track and field federation will stand regardless of testosterone levels. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the majority of stakeholders which includes 40 national federations, the International Olympic Committee, and trans groups agreed that transgender athletes should not be competing in female sports.

“Many believe there is insufficient evidence that transwomen do not retain advantage over biological women and want more evidence that any physical advantages have been ameliorated before they are willing to consider an option for inclusion into the female category,” Coe said. “The judgment we took … was, I believe, in the best interests of our sport.”

Above all other considerations, maintaining fairness for female athletes is the focus for adjusting the rules. In the time being, a transgender -led group is in the works to further monitor scientific developments.

“We’re not saying ‘no’ forever,” Coe said. “We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage, which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.”

“There are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics and consequently no athletics-specific evidence of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female competition in athletics,” the World Athletics Council said in a statement. “In these circumstances, the Council decided to prioritize fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion.”

Additionally, the council voted to reinforce new regulations on athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD). In order to compete in the female category, DSD athletes will be required to reduce blood testosterone below 2.5 nanomoles per liter, maintaining the level for two years as opposed to one.

• Arts and Culture

by Iman Milner

March 24, 2023

It’s All Love: Questlove Launches Publishing Company, ‘Auwa Books’

---

Academy Award-winner and founding member of the legendary The Roots band, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, has a new venture in the works.

Named after Prince’s iconic squeal, AUWA Books will publish fiction and nonfiction on varying topics. Questlove will act as the imprint’s publisher and editor-in-chief. The newly minted lovechild will release its first work, a memoir by Sly Stone entitled Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), on Oct. 17, 2023.

“I have been writing books for over a decade,” said the Roots drummer in a statement, “so it seemed like a natural step to publish them too. I’m very excited about AUWA Books, from the books we have lined up to the books we haven’t discovered yet. Let’s take it to the page.”

Stone uttered similar sentiments about the excitement surrounding his upcoming biography and the chance to tell his story on his own terms. “For as long as I can remember, folks have been asking me to tell my story,” says Stone. “I wasn’t ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It’s been a wild ride, and hopefully, my fans enjoy it too.”

Mitzi Angel, president and publisher at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, the parent company of AUWA, shared her hopes for the promising collaboration: “We are embarking on this new imprint with Questlove with great excitement. Questlove’s vision and many talents will add tremendously to our list, and we can’t wait to publish our first book on the AUWA imprint with Questlove this fall…”

Fans of Questlove should find the news in line with the diverse portfolio of projects the musician has had his hands in. Along with taking home the Oscar for his documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), the Philadelphia native has published several titles, including Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, and Music Is History, which became a New York Times best-seller. His first children’s book, The Rhythm of Time, will be released this spring.

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 24, 2023

Three Officers Charged In the Tyre Nichols’ Case Decertified By The Tennessee Training Commission

---

Three police officers involved in the Tyre Nichols’ case will have no chance of getting another job, thanks to a new ruling.

CNN reports Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith have officially been decertified by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission—meaning they will no longer be allowed to work in law enforcement anywhere in the state. The vote came unanimously from the Commission, which is responsible for training and enforcing standards for all local police departments in Tennessee.

Haley, Martin, and Smith have been charged with second-degree murder for brutally beating Nichols in January. Investigators recommended the disgraced officers be decertified. Memphis Police Department investigator Monique Williams told the Commission Haley “was found to be in violation of personal conduct, truthfulness, neglect of duty, excessive unnecessary force, compliance with regulations to with body-worn camera, and information concerning police business.”

Martin and Smith were tagged with similar offenses, adding one more, as they were “found to be in violation of duty to intervene and reporting improper conduct during an internal investigation.” According to The New York Times, decertification was also sought for Dewayne M. Smith, the police lieutenant who retired before being disciplined for his involvement.

A sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, who is white and has not been charged, has not had a hearing scheduled with the Commission.

Legal counsel for the three officers asked the Commission to place their decertification in pending status. After an agreement was met, the Commission says the attorneys must appear in person at the official hearing.

The five Black officers making headlines in the case have all pleaded not guilty despite video capturing images of the officers beating and kicking Nichols, hitting him with a baton, spraying him with pepper spray, and firing a stun gun at Nichols following a traffic stop.

With only 5% of the nation’s lawyers identifying as Black, Spencer Jones is ready to make his mark as a future civil rights attorney. A senior majoring in Urban Studies and Public Policy at Dillard University, one of the nation’s roughly 100 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Jones has benefitted from financial support from UNCF, the nation’s largest higher-education assistance provider for HBCUs and minority students.

“UNCF doesn’t just provide transactional scholarships, but they provide transformational scholarships,” Jones said, recalling this advice UNCF CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax shared with him. “UNCF helped me financially but also empowered me to do well in class, be a leader on campus, and get out to make the world a better place.”

Jones credits UNCF and Dillard with aiding him in pursuing his degree, and UNCF credits the support of corporations as one of its major investors in HBCU students’ success. While corporate support of HBCUs has dramatically increased since 2020, particularly in the wake of George Floyd’s death, more can be done by companies to meaningfully engage with HBCUs. That’s according to a new white paper by Justice Informed and sponsored by Hyatt, CDW, and Travel Weekly.

“Corporate engagement is very important to the success of our fundraising efforts,” said Therese Badon, UNCF senior vice president of Development, Southern and Special Events Divisions. “It also gives corporations the opportunity to showcase themselves and their products so the community can see that they believe, as we do, that ‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.®’”

 Evolving Corporate Engagement with HBCUs

At UNCF, development leaders say that while most of their annual giving comes from individuals, more than 70% of event-based giving at galas comes from corporations. In his 22 years working with UNCF, Fred D. Mitchell, UNCF vice president of Development of the Midwest/Mid-Atlantic Regions, has seen a wide range of corporate support—from sponsorship and scholarships to internships and fellowships—and said the most important thing for companies to realize is that HBCUs can provide a pipeline of diverse talent for hire. Corporate support now is critical to the future existence of HBCUs.

“It’s important for companies to support HBCUs to be sure they’ll be able to survive,” said Mitchell, an alumnus of HBCU Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University. “If they’re committed to diversity, particularly of African Americans, HBCUs can help them build that pipeline if they build relationships with the schools.”

According to the white paper, companies face increased pressure to diversify their staff. Justice Informed suggests corporate workspaces diversify their points of contact within HBCUs and Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs) beyond career services offices to include staff and professors “to gain a more direct line with students.” Other key recommendations from the white paper suggest that companies should:

• Audit their internal hiring and pipeline practices to align with the various capacities of HBCUs and PBIs;
• Create organizational accountability through a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy;
• Have a consistent mechanism for evaluating if their relationships with HBCUs and PBIs are genuinely mutually beneficial;
• And support Black students long before they step foot on a college campus, beginning with K–12 ed.

“Since opening our doors 65 years ago, we’ve remained committed to creating inclusive environments where colleagues and guests all feel welcome, cared for, and like they belong,” said Tyronne Stoudemire, senior vice president of DE&I, Hyatt. “Hospitality is a career with few barriers to entry and many possibilities for growth, which is why we are honored to collaborate with HBCU leaders so that students are empowered to start and thrive in the hospitality industry. Over the last decade, Hyatt has collaborated with partner HBCU schools to help educate aspiring students on future careers in hospitality and tourism, including providing hands-on, interactive, and invigorating programs to forge a clear path for HBCU students to establish long-term careers in the industry.”

The paper also recommends that HBCUs better communicate their needs for funding and partnerships as annual reports. Scores of these institutions “are not providing the information that financial and partnership decision-makers need to make informed decisions about philanthropic or other forms of support.” The paper suggests that HBCUs and PBIs must increase the transparency of their budget and strategic vision for student and infrastructural spending.

Hyatt’s Support of HBCUs

Hyatt Hotels Corp., a global hospitality company, has a longstanding commitment to supporting HBCUs. Hyatt has hosted UNCF fundraising galas in Chicago for more than 15 years, and in other cities, including Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, according to Mitchell. In The Big Easy, the UNCF New Orleans Mayor’s Masked Ball will celebrate its 10^th year on March 25, where Hyatt is the presenting sponsor, and Hyatt Regency New Orleans General Manager Michael O. Smith—an HBCU grad—is event co-chair.

According to officials, the UNCF New Orleans Mayor’s Masked Ball event has generated more than $11 million over nine years in support of local HBCUs and scholarships.

“Here in New Orleans, Hyatt has their hands in so many local projects, and they continue to grow them,” said Badon. “We would not be in the position to offer as many scholarships as we have in our community without the support of Hyatt.”

As the presenting sponsor, Smith and Hyatt bring resources to the table and additional partners to UNCF, says Badon, who adds that this is a way Hyatt shows they not only believe in HBCUs, but they’re investing in them.

In addition to supporting HBCUs through UNCF, Hyatt is presenting sponsor—with American Airlines as host—of the annual BE Smart Hackathon, a tech-based competition and mentor program for dozens of students from more than 30 HBCUs. Hyatt gifted complimentary Globalist status in its loyalty program for one year to 2020–2021 Morehouse School of Medicine graduates. And last year, Stoudemire hosted a roundtable of women HBCU presidents at Hyatt’s headquarters in Chicago.

“We are always thinking of how we can advance our efforts even further,” Stoudemire shared. “Through Hyatt’s Change Starts Here commitments, we are working towards actionable DE&I efforts by 2025 across three key areas: 1) Who we employ, develop, and advance, 2) Who we support, and 3) Who we buy from and work with. Our collaboration with HBCUs is critical in our “Who we support” commitment, helping to support HBCU students with career development opportunities.”

Such support is critical to Jones, elected as “Mr. Dillard,” and selected as a 2021 White House HBCU Initiative Scholar, and a student honoree at the UNCF New Orleans Mayor’s Masked Ball this year. Because he’s received financial support, he’s planning to create a scholarship fund on campus, as he sees the “life-changing possibilities that scholarships create for HBCU students.”

The things people have to encounter throughout their lives are sometimes surprising. One such case is actress Sheryl Lee Ralph admitting to having to deal with being approached by a “famous TV judge” who “rammed his nasty-ass tongue down” her throat earlier in her career.

The Abbott Elementary actor appeared earlier this week on Angela Yee’s radio show, Way Up With Angela Yee, recalling a situation that mortified her—sharing her experience with an unwanted advance that studio executives witnessed. She did not go into detail about who, when, or where the incident took place. She did make sure to state that the judge she was referring to was not Judge Greg Mathis.

“I’m at a very public place. I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network. This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around, and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat,” Ralph alleges. “And everybody at the network saw it.”

She also stated that she reached out to the then-mayor of New Orleans, Marc Morial, and he suggested calling the police, but a network executive stopped her.

“Somebody at the network tapped me on the shoulder; they said, ‘Please don’t,’” Ralph recalled. “Do you know that they did not want any bad press around their show and did not care what had just happened to me?”

As she continued speaking about the incident, she said the executives told her it “wasn’t really that bad.”

“That’s the kind of stuff that happens. That’s what happens; that’s what makes it hard for women to speak up about these things.”

She advises women to stay alert and, if someone invites them to their hotel room in the middle of the night, to not go. But, she did admit that she went against her own advice with one particular professional basketball player. She stated that she was invited to Michael Jordan’s hotel room late one night and went. But, instead of any sexual activity, she said they played backgammon and talked about their families, and a good friendship developed out of that. She reiterated that they didn’t have sex.

You’re a little too late if you didn’t get your hands on Beyonce’s Ivy Park clothing line.

Hollywood Reporter reports Queen Bey and Adidas have mutually parted ways, ending the Ivy Park activewear line.

News of the split shouldn’t shock fans, as Black Enterprise reported in February that sales for Ivy Park dropped drastically by 50%. Compared to bringing in $93 million in 2021, the brand only brought in $40 million last year. “In five of the last six Ivy Park releases, roughly half of the merchandise that was produced went unsold,” an outlet reported. The clothing and sneaker line was “losing money for Adidas.”

Sources say much of the blame was due to Beyoncé’s team and Adidas not seeing eye to eye creatively. During the collaboration, both “disagreed over how to label and market the products, with Adidas pushing for more of its own branding,” sources say.

There is still hope for Beyonce’s clothing career as she’s looking to “reclaim her brand, chart her own path, and maintain creative freedom,” according to Hollywood Reporter. In the meantime, she did debut the brand’s newest collection, Park Trail, while she was in Dubai for a private concert in January—her first live show in four years. According to Page Six, the collection featured bright orange, blue, and camouflage pieces for kids, men, and women. Rapper Ice Spice is rumored to appear in the line’s campaign.

Ivy Park’s first home was with Top Shop in 2016. However, the 32-time Grammy winner acquired 100% of the brand from the Philip Green-owned company after he faced sexual harassment, bullying, and racism allegations. Once Adidas came on board, things started to look up, and the 41-year-old was excited to work with the athletic brand. “This new line is fun and lends itself to creativity, the ultimate power,” she said in 2020. “I appreciate the beauty of gender-neutral clothing and breaking the so-called fashion rules.”

Hopefully, fans will see more of the latest Ivy Park collection during her highly-anticipated Renaissance World Tour, kicking off in Europe in May.

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 24, 2023

Uninvited Guest Appears at Rihanna’s House Looking to Propose to Her

---

It looks like A$AP Rocky has some competition!

According to TMZ, a potential suitor of one of the world’s wealthiest singers showed up at her property intending to propose. Law enforcement sources told the media outlet that a man approached the home of Rihanna on Thursday and was stopped by security as they summoned police officers to intercept the young admirer.