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Independence Day: Year One Sharing Stories of Black Owned Business
One year ago today, Independence Day 2016, I launched #THECOLOROFINGENUITY. I remember how proud I was to post the first article. I was filled with nervous energy, excitement and a tad bit of fear from the moment I hit “publish” but somehow managed to do it anyway. After all, The Color of Ingenuity was going to be my solution to a problem. The problem? I’d spent the last year, feeling powerless as stories dominated airwaves of African American’s who suffered “death by police” and heartbroken when their murders didn’t result in charges or worse– ended in acquittals. You see, we’ve reached a trillion dollars in buying power and we weren’t…
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The Bath Place: From Necessity to Passion
As a young child, Kimberly Clayton Thigpen, possessed the entrepreneurial spirit. She and a childhood friend spent afternoons in the yard crafting homemade earrings and necklaces out of tree bark. They would round off the edges and drill holes in the center, eventually selling them to neighbors. As a young mother, Thigpen spent her early adult years working in the security that corporate America often provides. That is until 2009 when her husbands eczema prompted her to come up with a solution for his frequent flareups. Thigpen recalls the experience vividly saying, “The first time I made soap, I absolutely fell in love with it.” His need for relief from…