Why Some Black LGBTQIA+ Folks Are Done 'Coming Out'

David Johns’ issue with how society frames “coming out” stories stems from who we expect to tell them—and who we don’t.

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Rutgers women’s basketball coach sends condolences to Don Imus’ family

Vivian Stringer, Rutgers women’s Hall of Fame basketball coach, is letting bygones be bygones by offering up prayers to the family of radio shock jock, Don Imus.

“The Rutgers family has found peace through the years, and we are proud of our response to the hateful words that he had years ago,” Stringer told the media Tuesday following Rutgers’ loss to Indiana, reading from prepared remarks. “As African-American women, we don’t feel that we should be treated ― or anyone else should be treated ― like that.”

Read More: Racist radio host Don Imus dies in infamy

Imus, who died from lung cancer last week, created a firestorm in 2007 when he called the Black players on the Scarlet Knights team “nappy-headed hos.” The comment was made after Rutgers was defeated by Tennessee in that year’s NCAA championship game. As a result of his comment, Imus was fired from his radio show and MSNBC.

Stringer said she hasn’t thought about the remarks in recent years, but that she feels Imus, 79, was remorseful. Imus requested a meeting with Stringer and the team to apologize for the things that he said on his show about them. It was then that he admitted that his words were “completely inappropriate,” “thoughtless and stupid,” according to media outlets.

Stringer said she also recalls Imus telling a reporter at that meeting that he “didn’t come to save my job, I came to save my soul.”

“He genuinely felt, I think, remorse for the words he said,” Stringer said, according to The New York Daily News. “Everybody makes mistakes and says things that they shouldn’t say. I think that our players learned a lot from that, and I’m proud of them and our basketball team.”

Read More: Rutgers team won’t be defined by ‘nappy headed hoes’ Imus smear 5 years later

Stringer pointed out that this doesn’t mean that Imus’ words didn’t cut deep. “To say that it didn’t hurt is not true,” she said. However, she said her team chose to forgive Imus and that they send their condolences to his family.

“We accept it,” Stringer said. “And we move forward.”

The post Rutgers women’s basketball coach sends condolences to Don Imus’ family appeared first on theGrio.

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Stick To Your New Year's Resolution and Save Up to 30% On Energy and Workout Essentials

Energy, Diet and Workout Essentials Gold Box | Amazon

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This Woman is a C-suite Exec of the First Equity and Debt Crowdfunding Platform in Illinois

When Florence Hardy started helping business owners obtain licenses as a business consultant for the City of Chicago, she noticed that many were struggling in two main areas: legal and fundraising.

This inspired Hardy to enroll in law school so she would be able to answer her clients’ most pressing legal questions. After navigating the legal environment, Hardy’s next step was finding a solution to the funding dilemma that left people who were seeking $10K–$100K in capital stranded on the sidelines.  

Well, the timing was perfect. President Obama had just signed the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act into law in 2012. This expanded funding opportunities for small businesses by allowing more individuals to invest in private companies. Previously, these rights were restricted to accredited investors— individuals who have at least $1 million net worth (excluding the value of the personal residence) or individuals who have over $200K net income or couples with over $300K net income for the last two years.

As Hardy increased her knowledge of funding opportunities for small business owners, The CROWDFUND ACT or Title II of the JOBS ACT, went into effect into 2013 allowing crowdfunding platforms to serve as a resource for startups and small businesses who were seeking non-traditional funding. Capital could now be obtained from non-accredited investors via debt or equity stakes in their businesses.

This new law provided Hardy with the perfect opportunity to cater to a market of business owners who were overlooked by venture capitalists and become the chief equity officer at truCrowd Illinois. Black Enterprise sat down with Hardy to discuss her rise and how crowdfunding works.

How did you become the chief equity officer of the first crowdfunding platform in Illinois?

When the JOBS Act passed in 2012, it opened doors for more people to invest and get funding. I started doing more research to start my own platform when I came across truCrowd. I researched the founder and after meeting with him, we thought it would be great if I joined the team. For the first two years, I volunteered with the company and did all the speaking engagements and pitch competitions. In 2017, he said ‘You’re doing great work. Why don’t you take over Illinois and see what you can do with it?’ That’s how I got into this.

How does your crowdfunding platform work?

The platform facilitates transactions but I always tell my business owners ‘we don’t find you funding but we provide a mechanism by which if you have a good idea and are looking for funding, you can find potential investors and facilitate the transactions so you can actually get the money from them.’ It can be an expensive endeavor to transfer the funds from one person to a business so we make that process easier.

When someone comes on our platform, they need to decide if they are going to be an investor or business owner or launch a campaign. There are some limitations to what a campaign can raise although those limitations are high in Illinois. For example, a campaign can raise up to $4 million in a 12-month period. On average, we’re seeing that $250,000 is the maximum amount raised so far but that’s only because it’s a new concept. People don’t know it exists and we are trying to build trust in the process.

On the other side, investors do have limitations on how much they can invest. In Illinois, that limitation is $5,000 per company. Crowdfunding platforms really provide an opportunity for individuals who have money available for investing to hold a substantial stake in a startup.

How do you help individuals get comfortable with the risk associated with investing in start-ups?

We try to disclose all the possible risks so that people who are investing have a complete story about what might happen with these funds once the business gets started. This is a risky process as is all investing so we highlight what those risks may be.

We also make sure business owners who are raising money are transparent about their processes. We try to put processes in place where business owners are very communicative about what’s happening with the company. We are not in a position to mandate but we do suggest that business owners who are raising funds contact investors at least once a month with good or bad news because they have a fiduciary duty to those investors. We encourage regular engagement to counteract these risks that are inherently a part of investing in a startup.

 

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/35fU1wD

This Woman is a C-suite Exec of the First Equity and Debt Crowdfunding Platform in Illinois

When Florence Hardy started helping business owners obtain licenses as a business consultant for the City of Chicago, she noticed that many were struggling in two main areas: legal and fundraising.

This inspired Hardy to enroll in law school so she would be able to answer her clients’ most pressing legal questions. After navigating the legal environment, Hardy’s next step was finding a solution to the funding dilemma that left people who were seeking $10K–$100K in capital stranded on the sidelines.  

Well, the timing was perfect. President Obama had just signed the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act into law in 2012. This expanded funding opportunities for small businesses by allowing more individuals to invest in private companies. Previously, these rights were restricted to accredited investors— individuals who have at least $1 million net worth (excluding the value of the personal residence) or individuals who have over $200K net income or couples with over $300K net income for the last two years.

As Hardy increased her knowledge of funding opportunities for small business owners, The CROWDFUND ACT or Title II of the JOBS ACT, went into effect into 2013 allowing crowdfunding platforms to serve as a resource for startups and small businesses who were seeking non-traditional funding. Capital could now be obtained from non-accredited investors via debt or equity stakes in their businesses.

This new law provided Hardy with the perfect opportunity to cater to a market of business owners who were overlooked by venture capitalists and become the chief equity officer at truCrowd Illinois. Black Enterprise sat down with Hardy to discuss her rise and how crowdfunding works.

How did you become the chief equity officer of the first crowdfunding platform in Illinois?

When the JOBS Act passed in 2012, it opened doors for more people to invest and get funding. I started doing more research to start my own platform when I came across truCrowd. I researched the founder and after meeting with him, we thought it would be great if I joined the team. For the first two years, I volunteered with the company and did all the speaking engagements and pitch competitions. In 2017, he said ‘You’re doing great work. Why don’t you take over Illinois and see what you can do with it?’ That’s how I got into this.

How does your crowdfunding platform work?

The platform facilitates transactions but I always tell my business owners ‘we don’t find you funding but we provide a mechanism by which if you have a good idea and are looking for funding, you can find potential investors and facilitate the transactions so you can actually get the money from them.’ It can be an expensive endeavor to transfer the funds from one person to a business so we make that process easier.

When someone comes on our platform, they need to decide if they are going to be an investor or business owner or launch a campaign. There are some limitations to what a campaign can raise although those limitations are high in Illinois. For example, a campaign can raise up to $4 million in a 12-month period. On average, we’re seeing that $250,000 is the maximum amount raised so far but that’s only because it’s a new concept. People don’t know it exists and we are trying to build trust in the process.

On the other side, investors do have limitations on how much they can invest. In Illinois, that limitation is $5,000 per company. Crowdfunding platforms really provide an opportunity for individuals who have money available for investing to hold a substantial stake in a startup.

How do you help individuals get comfortable with the risk associated with investing in start-ups?

We try to disclose all the possible risks so that people who are investing have a complete story about what might happen with these funds once the business gets started. This is a risky process as is all investing so we highlight what those risks may be.

We also make sure business owners who are raising money are transparent about their processes. We try to put processes in place where business owners are very communicative about what’s happening with the company. We are not in a position to mandate but we do suggest that business owners who are raising funds contact investors at least once a month with good or bad news because they have a fiduciary duty to those investors. We encourage regular engagement to counteract these risks that are inherently a part of investing in a startup.

 

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/35fU1wD