By Amy Lukau

Twelve black professionals are putting group economics to work. Creating the Miami Millennial Investment Firm, these Miami-Dade professionals seek to get black people to invest in gentrifying neighborhoods of Brownsville, Liberty City, Overtown, Gladeview and Little Haiti.

“We decided we wanted to make this a black project,” one of the group’s founders, Fabiola Fleuranvil told WLRN.

“People were saying, ‘How are you going to find young professionals who can put that type of money on the table?’ And we were able to find it without a problem.”

The firm’s inaugural investment was raised by finding 12 individuals with $10,000 each.

Miami Millennial Investment Firm is a closed group although they are in talks to create subgroups for future investors.

The firm has purchased two single families homes thus far planning to add commercial and industrial properties to their portfolio.

Fleuranvil said “We see the opportunity, but we don’t want to sit back as bystanders. We’re coming in to do it.”

Fleuranvil said when she looked at who was coming in on the cusp of neighborhoods changing in Miami and buying properties and then making large sums from profit it was foreign investors, big-name national and local developers. However, young black professionals were absent from the equation.

Steven Osakue one of  the firm’s investors said other groups have been strategic in South Florida when it comes to ownership in their own communities but in predominantly black enclaves black professionals do not  always see the potential in staying and investing.

“I think it’s been systemic for many generations that we haven’t been taught what to do with our money as much as other communities have,” Osakue said.

Firm members understand that black investors need to be creative and build a collective that pools money together if they are going to be successful in combating gentrification in the twenty first century.

Had she remained in the Deep South, Mary Ellen Pleasant could have possibly received as much–if not more–recognition for her contributions as Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, and Rosa Parks…to name a few. Ms. Pleasant’s story was unique in comparison with many Blacks who were enslaved in the Antebellum South: Born in Augusta, GA in the early 1800s, she was born as the illegitimate daughter of the son of then-Virginia governor and a Haitian voodoo priestess, who was enslaved  as well.

As a child, Pleasant was taken out of slavery by an unknown family. As a young woman, Pleasant married a wealthy Mulatto abolitionist by James Smith sometime in the 1840’s. After her husband’s untimely death, Pleasant inherited his substantial fortune.

Moving to New Orleans shortly after this turn of events, she connected with a woman named Queen Marie Laveau–also known as one of the greatest voodoo priestesses to reside in the “Crescent City”. It was said that Pleasant studied under Laveau to learn the science of voodoo as a means of empowering her people. In spite of her selfless acts of service to her fellow Melanoid people in New Orleans, it was a short matter of time before she would be on the move again — this time to San Francisco.

In April of 1852, Mary Ellen Pleasant arrived in the Bay Area’s largest city. Once she got there, she had to take on two identities, due to California’s Fugitive Slave Act of 1852 –in order to avoid being captured by slave hunters. Under her two identities, she lived a double life — One as “Mrs. Ellen Smith” (her married name), and the other as “Mrs. Pleasants”, who operated as a businesswoman and abolitionist. Under the “Ellen Smith” moniker, she worked as a white boardinghouse steward and cook. With a job in the service sector, she was often in the midst of a sizable number of wealthy white businessmen in ‘Frisco, who she served as she worked. She was well-liked by many of the men, but she used their admiration for her as leverage to have them hire Black people, and give them benefits they were previously denied access to. It was because of her personal brand of power brokering that many people in her circle nicknamed her “The Black City Hall”.

With a secret business partner, Pleasant eventually amassed a fortune worth over $30 million. She used much of that fortune to challenge the white supremacist status quo that’s always plagued this country, with her most notable deed being that she financially backed the storied abolitionist, John Brown.

For more on the story of Mary Ellen Pleasant, follow this link.

B. Clark

]]> https://www.melanoidnation.org/mary-ellen-pleasant-the-30-million-dollar-mother-of-civil-rights-in-california/feed/ 121 https://www.melanoidnation.org/web-directories-that-list-black-owned-businesses/ https://www.melanoidnation.org/web-directories-that-list-black-owned-businesses/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2015 17:58:42 +0000 http://melanoidnation.org/?p=272 There are many Melanoid people who have the good intentions on patronizing and/or promoting Black-owned businesses, yet they feel a sense of helplessness when it comes time to doing so. The reasoning for this is because locating a Black owned and operated business can sometimes be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, the onset of the Internet has made finding such businesses a little easier. Here is a list of online directories that list Black-owned businesses for the convenience of the potential Black clientele.

1. iZania.com

Founded by former IBM employee named Roger Nelson, this site was created by him to be a “virtual Black community” that embraces  strong African principles, and aims to unite the global Black Family via group economics.

2. HBCU Money’s 2015 Black-Owned Directory of Banks

Perhaps one of the most sought after Black-owned businesses when it comes to Black Society, this directory will serve as a guide for your future Black banking needs. Let the dollar circulate…this time in the hands of Black bankers.

3. We Buy Black

This site is prime location for practical products (and cool miscellaneous items alike) that can be utilized by Black consumers on an everyday basis.

4. Melanoid Nation

To some, this entry might come off as being a shameless plug, but to those in the know, our organization has promoted Black economic empowerment since our inception in 2014. From featured stories on up-and-coming businesses, to young aspiring entrepreneurs, we will continue championing the resurgence of Black businesses (as well as Black entrepreneurs).

As listed above, these are just a few more ways that you as the Black customer can keep your money in Black hands as much as possible by supporting Black owned businesses. Stay tuned for future stories that will continue to show you who and what to support so long as it leads to the uplifting of Black businesses.

B. Clark

In fact, the lion’s share of Black people’s ability to combat the systemic evils of racism/white supremacy are deeply rooted in building a thriving and respectable economic base. In doing so, we in Black Society are not only enabling ourselves to experience individual financial  success, but we also position ourselves to do business with other like-minded and thorough Black business owners, thus building a thriving Black Community in the process..reminiscent of the grandiose vision of Black economic empowerment originally spearheaded by Black leaders such as the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

One man lives by the economic-centered principles of Garvey–a man by the name of Delxino Wilson de Briano. In August of 1994, Delxino and his wife Debbie Wilson de Briano founded TAG TEAM Marketing in Atlanta, GA. Even though the company’s title includes the word “Marketing”, there is no need for alarm–which is justifiable based on consumers’ long-held suspicions with companies that operate with such a moniker.

According to TAG TEAM Marketing’s website,TAG TEAM Marketing is a “Black-owned and operated marketing company that specializes in marketing the products and services of Black-owned businesses to Black consumers.” In a nutshell, this means that if you are a Black entrepreneur with a quality product or service to offer prospective customers, the the platform that TAG TEAM Marketing has provided is the perfect place for you to “set up shop” online.

As you can see by following this link, TAG TEAM Marketing’s online store offers a plethora of products that are Black owned, operated, and manufactured. From cleaning supplies to financial services, this virtual store for all things Black appears to be well on its way to becoming a one-stop shop for Blacks who possess the good intentions of spending their hard earned Black dollars with other Melanoid people.

For more on the founders of TAG TEAM Marketing, follow this link.

B. Clark

Gwen Jimmere is the CEO and Founder of NATURALICIOUS, a natural hair care company that refers to themselves as a “beauty innovation company”, according to the company’s website. After what started out as a passion project, Ms. Jimmere has grown her company exponentially, with her products now on the shelves of major retailers such as Whole Foods Markets throughout the U.S., Trinidad, Indonesia, and she’s looking to have distribution in South Africa. If that wasn’t enough, she owns the patent on her collection of products.

With a background in marketing and communications, she wanted to create something that “to ensure ownership, as well as a legacy for my company” she said in a recent interview that she had with Black Enterprise. In addition to being the CEO of her own company, she also co-owns Pitch Proof, a program where she coaches coaches and trains small business owners on how to prepare for, enter and win business pitch competitions, as well as how to successfully attract equity investment opportunities. She also she consults entrepreneurs on business strategy, marketing, advertising and distribution.

Gwen Jimmere has taken her destiny into her own hands by taking the initiative to pursue ownership of a collection of products that she has created.

B. Clark