Articles of Outstanding Achievers
Here's to the community of achievers of our time. "It always seems impossible until it's done." Mandela
Black Girl Ventures Reveals Plans for Nike’s $500,000 Investment
​
Expanding the NIKE, Inc. Black Community Commitment to support organizations focused on social justice, education and economic opportunity for Black Americans, Nike announces a new partner focused on economic empowerment, Black Girl Ventures. The $500,000 investment from NIKE, Inc. will support Black Girl Ventures in its efforts to provide Black and Brown women-identifying founders with access to community, capital and capacity-building to support entrepreneurship. This contribution builds on the commitments to Black Girls CODE, NAACP Empowerment Programs and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) announced in July 2020.
“Nike’s funding will help us grow our reach through new chapter development, increase our technology infrastructure to better serve Black and Brown leaders through our proprietary crowdfunding platform and increase our brand visibility through storytelling campaigns curated by Black and Brown women,” says Shelly Bell, founder and CEO, Black Girl Ventures.
NIKE, Inc. will expand its focus to local investments in 2021 that drive action and impact in partnership with the Black community. Starting this year, the Black Community Commitment will support a series of grants that will total $1.75 million to organizations working on behalf of Black communities in seven U.S. cities: Boston, Memphis, St. Louis, Portland, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.
Black Women lead initiative to raise $100M for Black girls and women in the South
Community organizer, cultural activist and non-profit executive Margo Miller is another accomplished Black woman. The Tennessee native is the executive director of the Appalachian Community Fund, a non-profit seeking to counter poverty and improve the lives of residents of Central Appalachia, which includes East Tennessee, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and all of West Virginia.
​
The consortium has given itself the ambitious task of raising $100 million for Black women and girls over the next decade. They’ve already raised $10 million of that total and are in the progress of raising more. Some of those funds have already been distributed to community organizations in the form of grants. In just one example, two young women in Lowndes County, Georgia used a $250 grant to fund a drive-in screening of Black Panther to provide a safe entertainment alternative for their community as the pandemic continued.
Empowering Others to Operate in Greatness
Passionate about women-led businesses, Phyllis Newhouse teaches aspiring entrepreneurs to recognize and capitalize on their leadership skills and empowers others
to operate in greatness.
​
"Your Greatest Power will come when you begin to Operate in your Greatness." ~ Phyllis W. Newhouse
​
LITalks, brings to the comfort of your home or headphones, the endless energy and unique style of Phyllis Newhouse in a series of vibrant podcasts featuring personalities, celebrities and experts talking about subjects that matter most to you.
​
​
​