#smartbrownvoices - Learning From Diversity

Hey guys. It's been a while. As you may have heard, Mr. Mike Street passed away on March, 10th 2022. To honor him, we are releasing some of the episodes of Smart Brown Voices, starting with this one. You will hear a new voice at the start of the episode. That is Mr. Everett Street, better known as Ev, who is the new owner and host of this show. Yay. Thank you all for hanging in there as we figure this thing out. We are here for the ride and we hope that you come along with us.  Enjoy.

A personal look at why I had to take 2019 off and get myself together.

Founder and CEO of Fueled by Culture Marcus Damas chats with us on Smart Brown Voices! Fueled by Culture is a NY-based marketing agency that specializes in connecting and empowering brands with influencers through innovative content and experiential event programming. 

The annual National Urban Technology Center Gala Awards Dinner – co-hosted by award winning journalist Alicia Quarles – will take place in New York City on June 13th at The Pierre Hotel. This year’s honorees are private equity firm Founder & CEO of Grain Management, David J. Grain and wife Dr. Lisa Grain - who has dedicated her career to healthcare, education, and mentorship and currently sits on the board of trustees at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital - along with honorary chair Vernon E. Jordan Jr., who is the Senior Managing Director of Lazard. The evening’s program, which will highlight Urban Tech’s commitment to help provide a proactive approach in preventing bullying in schools, will entail a silent auction with seats for three different phenomenal Broadway shows up for bid: Hamilton, Boys In The Band and Iceman Cometh.

In a post-Obama era where Blacks in America are still proclaiming "Black as the new Black," it's continuously surprising to see Black-owned businesses shy away from serving their own people. What European brands do so intently and without apology by showcasing imagery of only European models - Black businesses steer clear of such displays for fear of "limiting themselves." Storyteller Amber Williams is at the forefront of the move to dispel this myth of limitation by pushing Black businesses towards more sophisticated-unapologetic branding. Her platform Punky Flair is a brand storytelling agency that teaches Founders and CEOs how to improve their sales through stories built around their true customers. Amber has crafted brand language for Armani, CVS, The U.S Olympics and now she uses her talents to service black owned startups such as Camille Rose Naturals, Heat Free Hair, and Shea Radiance. Amber's aim is to shift the idea of merely "buying Black" to "serving Black.”

Black Butterfly Beautiful, is a subscription box created by 17-year-old Journi Prewitt to empower, uplift, and encourage young people of color to embrace who they are. These boxes are sent monthly and curated based on subscriber age, gender and the month’s theme featuring books and other accessories from black-owned brands to help address underrepresentation, uncover black history, and provide inspiration. You can review past subscription boxes here https://blackbutterflybeautiful.com/pages/past-boxes-1 Journi D'Khaos Prewitt is a Memphis-based teen entrepreneur working to empower black youth by helping them realize their potential. At the age of 16, she noticed the lack of interest many black kids and teens have in reading, the overwhelming under-representation of African Americans, and the self-esteem issues rooted in not realizing their value and rich history, so she set out to develop a solution to these problems with Black Butterfly Beautiful.

Jon Robinson, PhD is CEO of Cents, a new platform, that helps people get out of debt years faster and save thousands in interest. Cents takes your spare change and applies it each month to either a student loan, credit card, mortgage and more. Jon also has a unique background having gone from a Human Genetics PhD to software developer and serial entrepreneur. Visit http:///centsapp.io to sign up.

In this episode of SmartBrownVoices, Mike Street chats with JaNaè Taylor, founder of MindingMyBlackBusiness.com. Minding My BLACK Business is a movement and podcast dedicated to the mental health of Black Entrepreneurs. The goal is to engage, inform, and support other Black Entrepreneurs as they manage the business of work!

In this episode, Mike Street chat with Micah B. Lewis. Micah is the founder of My Bag Check Inc, a luggage pickup, storage, and delivery service. A few people aside from of his mother have called him “a genius”. He grew up in Northern Florida and after graduating from the University of Central Florida he decided to pursue advanced degrees in Law and Criminal Justice. While attending school full time he successfully generated millions of dollars of revenue as a sales consultant for companies such as Apple Inc, SuccessFactors, and TriNet. Micah has a deep affinity for travel and exploring new diverse cultures. In the last few years he has visited more than 30+ countries spanning 6 continents while exploring the pains of being a frequent internationally traveler. While traveling he found a problem in trekking around with luggage after landing and late flights after hotel checkout. Thus, the inspiration for My Bag Check was born. You can download the app on the iOS store and visit the webs

A message from Mike Street

  This week on “Will It Black” Mike Street and Everett Street discuss the recent Black Panther movie and its importance to the world of diversity.

Yann ilunga is a polyglot speaking Italian, English, French, German and some Finnish. A web entrepreneur originally from Locarno, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, now living in Helsinki, Finland. After getting his master’s degree in social sciences with a major in Media & Global Communication from the University of Helsinki he decided to take the leap and become a web entrepreneur. “Simply put, I’m an entrepreneur, podcaster and podcasting consultant who helps coaches, authors, entrepreneurs and marketers with podcasting. Whether you need help with the technical side of podcasting, with planning and launching of your show or its grow and marketing, I’m here to help. And I do so with this website, as well as through coaching services and my membership site and community dedicated to podcasting: the Podcast Success Academy.”

Ofo Ezeugwu is the CEO & Chieftain of WhoseYourLandlord. He graduated from Temple University (shout out to N. Philly!), where he was the VP of the student body and also the university’s youngest alumni convocation speaker in the school’s history. He’s a Techstars’ Risingstar, one of BET’s #30Under30, a Black Enterprise: Modern Man, and his work has been featured in Newsweek, TechCrunch, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer MSNBC, and more. Ofo is based in NYC/PHL and is also a professional actor and model who’s walked in NYFW, been featured on the Today Show six times, and worked with Nike, ESPN, and Alfani. Ofo is also very actively plugged into the community and speaks with local high schools and middle schools on leadership, college planning, entrepreneurship, and life skills. He’s a Big in the Big Brothers Big Sisters entrepreneurial program. And, he’s also spoken on tech – entrepreneurship – and lead

Mario Starks is a Design Technologist and Creative Consultant. He has led the development of engaging online media projects for progressive media organizations including The New York Times/T Brand Studios, Washingtonian Magazine, TV One, and the Orlando Sentinel. In 2017, Mario founded and created Soul Sense Box (soulsensebox.com)—a personal care package and e-commerce gift shop that promotes mindfulness and creativity. Additionally, Mario facilitates Mental Magic Mastermind—a group coaching & skills development practice for creative entrepreneurs. In his spare time, he enjoys reciting mantras, biking Central Park, and making it rain. LINKS

Single & Anxious is an up and coming black drama series about five college students in a triangle of love, lies, and crime. It is ‘Girlfriends meets Different World’ and adopts ‘The Wire’. Christina Faith is a young black female director, producer, and writer who has built the project from the ground up with fresh talent from Philadelphia, where the city plays a big influence on the drama. @christinafaith (Twitter/ IG) @singleandanxious (IG) facebook.com/singleandanxious facebook.com/MrsChristinaFaith S&A stands out with its ability to portray complex real-life issues of African American 20 something college students. Our main initiative is to write and produce stories about people of color and culture, and with S&A, Christina Faith has done just that and holds the best interests for the viewer at all tim

In this new podcast from SmartBrownVoices, Mike Street and Everett Street go boldly into the world of Black Movies. In the first episode, they explore the cult classic “The Wiz” and ask the question, WILL IT BLACK!

An interview with Tyrone Farley, one of this year’s honorees at the Master Pioneer Awards taking place on Saturday, September 30. Tyrone is also the producer of the Menswear fashion show taking place during the awards ceremony. He discusses the event, his point of view on African American visibility in fashion and the power of fashion to affect change. Listen to more episodes from the Business of Style hosted by Tresa Chambers here: http://businessofstyle.libsyn.com/

Educated Hustle is dedicated to the people who bring their dreams to fruition. Each week’s show is filled with thought provoking guests who decided to take a leap of faith into living their hustle. Tweets by Educated_Hustle

We chat with Gerard ‘PK’ Kersey of That Suits You. TSY is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization That Accepts Gently Worn Professional Attire & Provides Them Free of Charge To Qualified Men For Work & H.S Seniors For Graduation And Prom. Gerard ‘PK’ Kersey Jr. Bio: I have been married for over 20 years and have twin boys. I also have been an employee in NYS for over 20 years. I founded a nonprofit organization called www.THATSUITSYOU.org, where we accept new and gently worn professional attire and provide them to qualified job trained men entering the workforce. We also work with HS seniors for prom and graduation. TSY also provides training, presentations and overall assistance with several certified job programs throughout NYC and beyond. We also work with NYC schools where we teach, train and motivate young people to prepare them for their future. I also have founded

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to a proud Nigerian family, Muoyo Okome has started, grown, and sold app businesses achieving 11M+ downloads across 100+ countries worldwide.   Through the Daily Spark Podcast and the Daily Spark Entrepreneur Community, founded in 2016, he reaches a growing audience of over 75,000 entrepreneurs & aspiring entrepreneurs each day, empowering them through education, inspiration & support.  Website http://dailyspark.co Itunes