THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK (TAAN)

- Nation’s largest annual consumer event celebrates 25 th  Anniversary during Fourth of July weekend - - 80+ of the world’s most talented and creative artists gather for a 3-day, can’t-miss musical “homecoming” - - Special performances celebrate two of music’s most seminal albums – Mary J. Blige’s ‘My Life’ and NAS’ ‘Illmatic’ – marking 25-year anniversaries in 2019 - Hosted by  LONI LOVE  and Music by  D-NICE - July 4-7,  New Orleans, LA The ESSENCE Festival®, the world’s largest entertainment and cultural experience, celebrates its 25 th  anniversary during Fourth of July weekend in New Orleans and today unveiled part one of its epic 25 th  anniversary performance line-up.  The impressive schedule currently features more than 80 of the most talented and creative artists from across the globe.  More acts will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2019 ESSENCE Festival’s three-night concert series at the Louisiana Superdome includes Missy Elliott,

Author, fashion designer, actress and now a perfume ambassador, teenage mogul Essynce Moore has now released her line of fragrances for girls (Generation Z). Formulated with 100% natural ingredients, the perfumes are described as "holistic candy". Essynce Moore, 16-year old founder of Essynce Couture Essynce Moore is a precocious teen. Being business savvy from a young age, she has already undertaken many successful business endeavors by the age of 16. Having designed her own lines of children's clothing and written three successful books till date, she has also worked as an actress and motivational speaker. Essynce has now launched her breakthrough collection of 100% natural perfumes for girls. These perfumes are easy for girls to keep close at all times; small enough for book bags, pocketbooks, and/or their pockets. With more fragrances to be announced in the near future, two fragrances have now been released. Titled "Jungle Juice" and "Mother Na

  Sanya Gragg and her bookcover It is known as "The Talk", a conversation nearly all African-American parents have with their children; more specifically their sons. Sanya Whittaker Gragg has written a book to help facilitate that very important conversation. Momma, Did You Hear the News?  is centered around 10-year old Avery who is disturbed by yet another unarmed black man being shot. This prompts his parents to sit down with him and his brother to talk about what to do if approached by police officers. Their Dad references a catchy chant taught to him by his mother to help remember the five things to do to "come home ALIVE". A to the L to the I-V-E! Come home ALIVE... That is the key! Gragg says her past experience working with kids taught her that when you add music or song and dance to a lesson, young people are more likely to engage; and more importantly, they are more likely to remember. Each letter corresponds with a reminder. For example, "V&q

Founder and CEO Quintel Sumrall is on a mission to empower African Americans to repair their credit and raise their scores! Quintel Sumrall, founder of Credit Dispute Cloud, LLC Quintel Sumrall knows what it's like to have low credit scores delay or increase the cost of purchasing a car or a home. After many years of being held down by bad credit and poor financial management, Sumrall learned the skills he needed to turn his financial situation around. Seven years later, Sumrall founded Credit Dispute Cloud, LLC (CDC). An entirely new model of "credit repair" - CDC is a cloud-based software application that empowers individuals to get a handle on, repair and maintain good credit - WITHOUT a middleman or hefty fees. The vast majority of African Americans are in debt and having increasing difficulty paying their bills. Sumrall wants to change that. Credit Dispute Cloud is an "on-time solution" that is quick and easy to setup and it's affordable. Individua

* The Ford HBC-You Mobility Challenge invites Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to submit innovative proposals on smart mobility * The winning proposal will receive a one-time grant of up to $25,000 for their school toward program implementation. Deadline to submit entries is March 31, 2019 * Program launches as part of Ford Fund's Black History Month Ford Goes Further in OUR Community Campaign Past HBCU Challenge winners from Clark Atlanta University celebrate a Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. TAAN  Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, is offering an opportunity for college students, alumni, faculty and administrators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to submit an innovative proposal that addresses a mobility need on campus or in their community. The HBC-You Mobility Challenge is officially open and details regarding the program can be found at  http://fgb.life . The last day to s

  A.D. Largie, founder of Kemet Kids Publishing, with his 4-year old son A.D. Largie, author and founder of Kemet Kids Publishing, is a renowned independent children's content creator and publisher. The New York-based company is best known for  Astronauts: A Kids Guide , it's biographies for a kids book series that features titles on living icons such as Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Lebron James, and Steph Curry. The company has also published  My Amazing Bones and Skeletons  and  My Amazing Skin  from the acclaimed  Human Body For Kids  book series. They are committed to delivering beautifully illustrated educational and diverse media content for kids 0 to 12 years old. See a full book catalog at  www.kemetkidsbooks.com Largie is keenly aware that his children's book come at a time when 86% of all children's book characters are either of Caucasian ethnicity or non-human origins leaving only 14% of all children's book characters to reflect the remaining d

  The founders of Heritage Fare food products From its sweet and savory seasonings to its hot and spicy sauces, Heritage Fare, Ltd. has created a line of convenience foods that capture traditional down-home African American flavors.Their brand, Heritage Fare, targets busy consumers who want authentic African American "soul food" taste. "We take you back home" is their tag line and broadcasts the brand's cultural identity. It is also a reminder of the Southern style tradition of cooking among African Americans. Remember the home-cooked meals that everybody's grandmother prepared? Perfectly seasoned collard greens, hot steamy cornbread, Friday's fried catfish, black-eyed peas and sweet potato pie. In today's fast paced world there never seems to be enough time to prepare or enjoy such delicious dishes. Heritage Fare seasonings and sauces help take the guesswork out of food preparation for inexperienced cooks and saves time for experienced

Nationally recognized speaker and author Matthew Horace brings his speaker tour to Denver for Black History Month While distressed relationships between law enforcement and African Americans are at an all-time high in America,  Matthew Horace  offers an unforgettable account of the racism, crimes, and color lines that permeate America's law enforcement, and lays out an urgent call for change. He will discuss and sign  The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement  during his speaker tour at the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library in the historic Five Points community in Denver, CO on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. Horace was an officer at the federal, state, and local level for 28 years working in every state in the country. Yet it was after seven years of service when Horace found himself face-down on the ground with a gun pointed at his head by a white fellow officer, that he fully understood the racism

A True Reinvention Story, Dr. Geneva J. Williams, Speaks on How to Live a Vibrant Life Over 60   Dr. Geneva J. Williams on the cover of this month's issue of  Speakers Magazine TAAN -- The February issue of  Speakers  Magazine is online and the printed copies will be distributed to all attendees at the Michigan Association for Female Entrepreneurs (MAFE) at the organization's annual Women's Leadership Forum, March 26 at the Hilton Garden Inn Southfield on 26000  American Drive, Southfield, Michigan.Dr. Geneva Williams, who is on this month's cover, is the co-host of the event and will facilitate a panel of powerful women who will share their wisdom, insight, inspirational stories and action-oriented strategies for creating lasting change. In addition,  Speakers  Magazine publisher, Pam Perry, will be onsite doing podcasts, live-stream videos and real-time social media updates. "With this being the Year of the Woman, this year's forum will surely

  Gibran Tariq, founder and CEO of Soul Fire Books TAAN -- For most of his life, he was the guy most wannabee thugs wished they could be. Officially declared a "menace to society", he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role as mastermind of a series of daring bank robberies in the 70's. Two involved shootouts. One with the police. The other with a citizen in a bank parking lot where he narrowly missed being killed. While confined, he took part in an even more daring prison escape. As a boy, he toyed with the alphabets like most kids his age played with marbles, and from the start, there appeared to be a household conspiracy to convert him into a writer. By the time he was ten, he possessed a private library fit for a scholar, a new typewriter, a big desk, and plenty of blank paper. By 11, he had mastered the dictionary, was a whiz at Scrabble, and was an honor roll student in school. At twelve, he had completed his first novel. By his 13th bi

Beverly L. Winstead, ESQ Beverly L. Winstead, ESQ made history when she was appointed as Chair of the Tax Division for the Maryland State Bar Association -- the first Black woman and person of color to hold the position since the organization was founded in 1896. She'll serve her first term through fall 2019. As Tax Chair, the Bowie State University alumna immediately assembled a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to prioritize recruitment and mentoring for diverse attorneys and law students in the tax field. She's also created guidelines for members to prioritize diversity and inclusion initiatives in their workplaces and hiring practices. Additionally, under her leadership, the Tax Section created a statewide tax hotline to assist furloughed federal employees and government contractors during the longest government shutdown in US history. A personal and business tax expert, Attorney Winstead is the managing attorney for the  Law Office of Beverly Winstead, LLC  wh