Black Business District

The Best Soap for Your Skin!

www.herbneden.com

The “PERFECT” moment DOES NOT EXIST. Take it from me. THE TIME IS NOW! Don’t wait another second. Don’t wait another minute! Whatever it is?? The TIME IS NOW! Do your big one! Don’t be afraid to switch it up, and don’t be afraid to GO ALL IN for whatever it is your HEART desires ❤️. #love #peace #business #teamwork #music

This one’s for anyone who’s dealt with a gaslighter. You know the type… They lie. They twist the story. Then try to make you question yourself. Yeah… not anymore. Go gaslight someone else. Grab yours for $15.

Black-owned bag unboxing and this handmade leather bag is So gorgeous

The craftsmanship?? The quality?? The luxury feel??

Unmatched... Black-owned brands never disappoint

@chuupulleather

The Black Founders Who BOUGHT Their Brands Back

Four Black-owned beauty brands came home. Taraji P. Henson bought TPH back, Lisa Price returned to Carol's Daughter as owner and president, and two Chicago women reclaimed Fashion Fair and Black Opal.

We've spent a month following the money one direction — our brands getting bought by L'Oréal, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble while the founder's face stays on the jar. And the comments kept asking the same question: does anybody ever get their company back? Today the answer is yes. Here is every brand that made the round trip — founded, sold, reclaimed — what each one costs per ounce, and the 10-second two-search ownership check you can run on any brand in the aisle.

THE RECLAIMED FOUR:

• TPH by Taraji — launched 2020 with incubator Maesa; Taraji P. Henson bought it back in April 2025 for 100% sole ownership. Buy direct: https://tphbytaraji.com

• Carol's Daughter — Lisa Price sold to L'Oréal in October 2014; in March 2025 L'Oréal sold the brand to a partnership of entrepreneur Joe Wong and Lisa Price, who returned as an equity owner and president. Independent again, with a relaunched direct store. Buy direct: https://www.carolsdaughter.com

• Fashion Fair — bought out of the Johnson Publishing bankruptcy in November 2019 for $1.85 million by Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, who hold majority ownership today. At Sephora and https://www.fashionfair.com

• Black Opal — acquired by the same duo in 2019, making it Black-owned for the first time in its history. Buy direct: https://www.blackopalbeauty.com

THE PRECEDENT: Johnson Products — Ultra Sheen, Afro Sheen, the first Black-owned company listed on a major American stock exchange — was bought back out of Procter & Gamble by a Black investor group in March 2009.

THE ONES THAT DIDN'T COME BACK: Bevel is still a Procter & Gamble brand — the circulating "Tristan Walker bought it back" story has no press release, no trade story, no filing. The Madam C.J. Walker name is a Unilever asset (it came with Sundial in 2017). The Mane Choice has belonged to private equity firm Nexus Capital since December 2023.

The habit: search the brand name plus "acquired" — then the brand name plus "bought back" or "divested." Ten seconds, and you have the current answer instead of a 2019 headline. Then flip the bottle and divide the price by the ounces.

Everything in these videos is ownership and price — public records, filings, and the companies' own announcements. Nothing here is a claim about what any product does.

SOURCES:

• L'Oréal USA sells Carol's Daughter — WWD, Mar 3 2025: https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/...

• L'Oréal divests Carol's Daughter (Joe Wong's acquisition history) — Beauty Independent, Mar 2025: https://www.beautyindependent.com/lor...

• Newly independent Carol's Daughter relaunches direct-to-consumer — PRNewswire, Nov 2025: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...

• Taraji P. Henson buys TPH from Maesa — BeautyMatter, Apr 9 2025: https://beautymatter.com/articles/tar...

• Desiree Rogers buys Fashion Fair — Crain's Chicago Business, Nov 2019: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/retai...

• Fashion Fair comes back at Sephora — WWD, 2021: https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/... • Rogers and McKissack buy Black Opal — WWD, 2019: https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/...

• Johnson Products bought back from P&G — TheGrio, Jul 16 2009: https://thegrio.com/2009/07/16/johnso...

• P&G acquires Walker & Company (Bevel) — TechCrunch, Dec 12 2018: https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/12/pro...

• MAV Beauty Brands completes sale of assets to Nexus Capital — Newswire, Dec 8 2023: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases...

Be careful

Master Herbalist Herbal Brotherton operates Body-N-Plant, a premier wellness and health food store located in Houston, Texas. Famous for his holistic healing products, the shop specializes in custom herbal blends, sea moss, raw honey, and detox remedies.

1434 Cypress Creek Pkwy, Houston, TX 77090

Open Tuesday through Sunday (varies by day, typically afternoon hours)

View products and store info directly on the Body-N-Plant platform or stay updated via the Body-N-Plant Facebook Page.

His signature line crafted for natural body healing and detoxification.

Freshly ground herbs and sea moss available by the bag or gallon.

Some stories belong in history books.

Others continue to inspire us every day.

The Heritage Journal features a few of the trailblazers whose courage, determination, talent, and vision helped shape generations.

From Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks to Madam C.J. Walker, Thurgood Marshall, Muhammad Ali, and Misty Copeland, their stories remind us that one person can make a lasting impact.

Which icon inspires you most?

Based in Atlanta, BPE Air @bpeair has become a growing force in private aviation, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue while expanding its services nationwide.

Founder Aldrew Crowe believes business success carries a responsibility to create opportunities for others.

That’s why BPE Air is investing in mentorship, flight training, and scholarship programs designed to help more Black and Brown students pursue careers in aviation.

If more successful businesses invested in the next generation, how different would our communities look?

She Opened Her Dream Business In Thailand | Lounge & Villa Tour

Jordan left San Diego, California, and moved to Phuket, Thailand, where she created Elevated Hype—a lounge, restaurant, and community space located in the hills overlooking the island.

In this episode of Our Life Abroad, Jordan gives us a tour of the business she operates downstairs and the private residence where she lives upstairs. She also explains how she obtained her business licenses, visa, and work permit, and how the U.S.–Thailand Treaty of Amity allows her to maintain 100% ownership of her company.

Before moving abroad, Jordan earned a master’s degree in homeland security and worked in cybersecurity supporting the U.S. government. Today, she balances remote work with operating Elevated Hype, hosting events, and running a private catering company for villas, yachts, and parties throughout Phuket.

We discuss the challenges of relocating alone, building a community in Thailand, learning the local culture, and creating a better work-life balance abroad.

📍 Elevated Hype — Phuket, Thailand

🎥 Hosted by YoungDmark

Have you heard of True Detergent?

The Black-owned laundry detergent brand, @thetrueproducts, is celebrating 13 years of success. Renowned for its exceptional quality, the brand has attracted over 100,000 loyal customers and continues to grow! Let’s pave the way for the next generation to be more familiar with True rather than the brands of the past. True detergent is 4x concentrated, meaning a single bag can last the average user up to a year, even when washing at least two loads per week! Support True Products as if you’re supporting yourself!

Natasha Brown Wainwright feared she was going to have to close her Baltimore café, @cafeatbmoremadewithpride - until Mob the Block came knocking on her door. And today, that hope was our people.

Grateful for the love and visibility. Thank you @cookiesfablife (Apollo Theater Board of Directors) for amplifying our mission and helping us push this movement forward. Mob The Block is just getting started.

When you amplify us, you amplify every Black-owned business fighting to stay seen, supported, and standing. If you believe in this mission and want to help us continue this work:

📢 Donate. Share. Join the MOB. (link in bio) Every dollar, every repost, and every person who joins this movement creates real impact.

🌐 www.mobtheblock.org Let’s make sure Black businesses are SEEN.

@mobtheblockorg

‘IS IT WORTH IT ANYMORE?”-I never imagined that growing food, caring for animals, and serving my community would become the fight of my life. While some people see a farm, I wake up every day carrying the weight of protecting my land, my freedom, and a mission I refuse to abandon.

This is the hardest season I have ever faced. Every day feels like a fight just to survive. I’m exhausted, not because farming is too hard, but because I’m trying to keep this ranch alive, care for our animals, feed our community, and carry the weight of fighting against relentless hate and a lawless sheriff who has allowed violence, harassment and intimidation against me. No farmer should have to live or work like this I’m already battling wildfires, drought & inflation.

Some days I ask myself, “Is it worth it anymore?” Then I remember why we started. I remember the families who depend on local farmers, the veterans, the children, and every person we’ve been blessed to serve. This mission has never been about us. It has always been about something bigger...access to fresh food for my community.

Freedom Acres Ranch was built on sacrifice, faith, and the belief that Farmers Save Lives. Every meal we provide is proof that love is stronger than hate, purpose is stronger than fear, and hope is stronger than despair.

To everyone who has prayed for us, stood beside us, shared our story, volunteered, donated, or believed in this mission—thank you. You are the reason we keep getting back up. If you’d like to help, please visit, volunteer, share our story, pray, place an order, or donate at www.freedomacresranch.com.

This is more than a farm. This is our home. This is our life’s work. This is our fight. As long as we have breath, we will keep planting, keep feeding people, and keep choosing love over hate, light over darkness, and faith over fear.

Two of the nation’s oldest Black-owned banks are set to merge in a historic deal that would create the largest Black-owned bank in the United States by total assets.

South Carolina-based Optus Financial Corporation, the parent company of Optus Bank, and North Carolina-based M&F Bancorp, the parent company of Mechanics & Farmers Bank, announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Once completed, the combined institution will hold approximately $1.27 billion in assets.

The merger unites more than 220 years of banking history. Mechanics & Farmers Bank, founded in 1907, is North Carolina’s oldest Black-owned bank, while Optus Bank traces its roots back to 1921. Together, the new organization is expected to operate 10 branches across North and South Carolina while continuing to focus on increasing access to homeownership, small business lending, and financial services in underserved communities.

As part of the agreement, M&F Bancorp shareholders will receive cash for their shares in a transaction valued at more than $105 million. M&F Bancorp President and CEO James H. Sills III is expected to lead the combined company as CEO, while Optus Chairman Paul Mitchell will continue serving as chairman.