{"id":178216,"date":"2021-02-14T17:40:35","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T14:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/"},"modified":"2021-02-14T17:40:35","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T14:40:35","slug":"black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"#Black entrepreneurs raise awareness as they look to the future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a412a89ef931\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a412a89ef931\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/#Create_dialogue\" >Create dialogue<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/#Dont_take_no_for_an_answer\" >Don\u2019t take no for an answer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/#Have_a_voice\" >Have a voice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/#Document_your_world\" >Document your world<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Black entrepreneurs raise awareness as they look to the future<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>During Black History Month, a time to honor pivotal moments large and small, these local, prominent entrepreneurs reflect on how they forge their successful paths.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Create_dialogue\"><\/span>Create dialogue <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.onepeloton.com\/\">Peloton<\/a> riders need no introduction to Chelsea resident Ally Love. The wildly popular indoor-cycling instructor is also the in-arena host of the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. Her passion for empowering women, nonbinary and gender-fluid individuals led her to create the motivational Web site Love Squad, \u201ca space where real conversations and real change can occur through moderated panels and open discussions.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cChange comes through conversation,\u201d said Love.<\/p>\n<p>Much of her inspiration comes from American abolitionist and women\u2019s rights activist Sojourner Truth, whom she learned about as a girl in school. \u201cI remember telling my mother, \u2018I want to be Sojourner Truth,\u2019\u200a\u201d she said. Truth\u2019s perseverance in fighting for racial equality and women\u2019s rights were especially alluring. \u201cShe symbolized everything I thought a woman was,\u201d said Love.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Love has sought to align herself with organizations whose thinking lines up with her own, such as Peloton, which donated $500,000 to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naacpldf.org\/\">NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund <\/a>last year in support of their racial justice initiatives. Not only that, \u201cat Peloton, we celebrate diversity in the music we choose, in the faces of our instructors and in our thoughts,\u201d Love said.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the kind of thing that she believes will extend elsewhere. \u201cIn 2020, we began to recognize systemic injustice. As more internal work is done, we will begin to have epiphanies and realize that the system is broken and needs to be rebuilt.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dont_take_no_for_an_answer\"><\/span>Don\u2019t take no for an answer <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"Sunny Anderson, who co-starred in Food Network\u2019s Emmy-nominated show \u201cThe Kitchen,\u201d says \u201ckeep walking back into the room,\u201d when it comes to seeking opportunities.\" class=\"wp-image-17313088 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sunny Anderson, who co-starred in Food Network\u2019s Emmy-nominated show \u201cThe Kitchen,\u201d says \u201ckeep walking back into the room,\u201d when it comes to seeking opportunities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When Sunny Anderson has a good idea, be prepared to open a door, come along for the ride, or move out of the way.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from co-starring in Food Network\u2019s Emmy-nominated show \u201cThe Kitchen,\u201d the host was a senior airman in the US Air Force, a radio personality, a caterer, a best-selling cookbook author, inventor of the Infladium inflatable snack stadium featured at Party City, and will soon be master of ceremonies on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/fn-dish\/shows\/sunny-anderson-to-host-easter-basket-challenge\">Food Network\u2019s \u201cEaster Basket Challenge.\u201d<\/a> All by age 45.<br \/>\nAnderson doesn\u2019t let the color of her skin be a barrier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re a black female, you have to deal with stereotypes, whether you\u2019re pitching an idea or you\u2019re the first black woman someone has ever worked for,\u201d she said. If someone puts up an obstacle, \u201cit\u2019s hard to know if it\u2019s because they don\u2019t like you, your idea, or if it\u2019s something else.\u201d Her advice? Don\u2019t take no for an answer, and \u201ckeep walking back into the room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is something Anderson saw her father do. He was one of two black students in his medical school class, and in the minority again years later when he decided to become a radiologist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did my homework sitting beside my dad as he did his homework. It was empowering,\u201d she said. \u201cThe reason that I can get so many things done is that I saw it h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening in my family. But, if I had seen a black woman become vice president of the United States when I was younger, just imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Have_a_voice\"><\/span>Have a voice <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Hampton Water co-founder Ali Thomas was the first black player on the University of Notre Dame\u2019s hockey team.&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-17313474 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork4.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork4.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork4.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork4.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork4.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Hampton Water co-founder Ali Thomas was the first black player on the University of Notre Dame\u2019s hockey team.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Leander Capuozzo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ali Thomas comes from a family of firsts. His grandfather, Franklin A. Thomas, was the first African-American to captain an Ivy League basketball team at Columbia University, and the first black president of the Ford Foundation. Ali followed in the family footsteps as the first New York City resident and the first black player on the University of Notre Dame\u2019s hockey team.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas said he never felt uncomfortable in a white world. \u201cMy parents taught me to be comfortable everywhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Now 26, Thomas is the co-founder of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hamptonwaterwine.com\/\">Hampton Water<\/a>, the wine company he started with Jesse Bongiovi, Jon Bon Jovi\u2019s son. They produce a blend of ros\u00e9 using French grapes, which Wine Spectator called a standout.<\/p>\n<p>However, it wasn\u2019t until the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis last May that Thomas realized he had been \u201cnumb\u201d to some of the prejudices and injustices that people of color encounter all too frequently. \u201cI had always let things slide,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He began to look more closely at the harmful things that were happening. The realization led to soul-searching and deep conversations with his family as they marched together in Black Lives Matter protests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI now know how important it is for the voices of all black and brown people to be heard. They can no longer be ignored,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Document_your_world\"><\/span>Document your world <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Dominick Lewis, who owns camera shop Photodom in Bushwick, says \u201cBeing an artist doesn\u2019t make you a businessman.\u201d &#10;\" class=\"wp-image-17313563 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Dominick Lewis, who owns camera shop Photodom in Bushwick, says \u201cBeing an artist doesn\u2019t make you a businessman.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Gianluca Caputto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Brooklyn resident Dominick Lewis has always been passionate about photography. Documenting the world around him through a camera lens brings him alive, but walking into camera stores often hurt his soul. \u201cBlacks are mostly not welcome in them. [Store employees] give you crazy looks, they follow you around, there\u2019s no space to ask questions. They want you to buy something or leave,\u201d said the 26-year-old.<\/p>\n<p>Lewis figured that the best way to make a change was to open a store that catered to the next generation of photographers, so in 2015, he set up shop in Florida. But the business failed after eight months. \u201cBeing an artist doesn\u2019t make you a businessman,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lewis went back to taking pictures and making Web sites to pay his bills, while Brooklyn, Lewis\u2019 birthplace, called out to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel so connected to this place, and it\u2019s changing now. I want to document it while it\u2019s still here,\u201d he said. Lewis relocated and landed a job in a camera shop.<\/p>\n<p>Last summer, he decided to try opening a camera shop again. He created a GoFundMe campaign, raising $25,000, and four months ago, he opened <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/photodom.shop\/\">Photodom <\/a>in Bushwick.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, as he maintains <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>-distancing in the store, there are often more than 100 people waiting to walk through the door. Lewis appreciates that, not only because it\u2019s key to running a sustainable business, but also because it provides his customers with the products and services they need to tell their stories.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on Black History Month, Lewis quoted photographer Gordon Parks, one of his heroes, who said: \u201cI picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapon against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty. I could have just as easily picked up a knife or a gun, like many of my childhood friends did\u2009.\u2009.\u2009. but I chose not to go that way.\u201d\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/02\/14\/black-entrepreneurs-raise-awareness-as-they-look-to-the-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Black entrepreneurs raise awareness as they look to the future&#8221; During Black History Month, a time to honor pivotal moments large and small, these local, prominent entrepreneurs reflect on how they forge their successful paths. Create dialogue Peloton riders need no introduction to Chelsea resident Ally Love. The wildly popular indoor-cycling instructor is also the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":178217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/02\/AtWork3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[93270,72859,71736,74234,71737,72201,67820],"class_list":["post-178216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2-14-21","tag-african-americans","tag-at-work","tag-black-history-month","tag-career-advice","tag-peloton","tag-photography"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}