Belk and Amazon spotlight NC Black-owned businesses and inclusive products

Catherine Muccigrosso

Retailers like Belk and Amazon are casting the spotlight on Black History Month by highlighting some North Carolina businesses and colleges.

Charlotte-based department store Belk opened its Culture Shop boutique online featuring underrepresented communities. The site will remain active year-round.

Belk is celebrating Black culture this month by highlighting beauty and cosmetic products that offer an assortment of shades for a variety of skin tones, plus T-shirts and apparel for historically Black colleges and universities.

That includes North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro and North Carolina Central University in Durham, Belk spokeswoman Jenny Anderson said. Anderson said more products will be added over the next few weeks, including expanding the list of colleges and universities.

“It’s important now, more than ever, to step up and be intentional about inclusion,” said Belk CEO Lisa Harper said in a statement. “The Culture Shop is an opportunity to better reflect the unique customers and communities we serve.”

The shop was created by Belk’s Black business resource group.

The collections will rotate to celebrate various cultural observances throughout the year, like Women’s History Month and LGBTQ Pride Month.

Belk department store based in Charlotte is celebrating Black culture this month highlighting apparel for historically Black colleges and universities.
Belk department store based in Charlotte is celebrating Black culture this month highlighting apparel for historically Black colleges and universities.

Amazon’s online storefront

E-commerce giant Amazon is celebrating thousands of Black-owned small businesses with an online storefront called “Buy Black” to support Black-owned businesses, artists and products in one place, including two from North Carolina.

Darlyng & Co. in Greensboro was founded by husband and wife team, Carl and Tara Darnley. They created a teething mitten in response to their own children’s needs, and now have a line of toys, oral and body care, and affirmation cards.

The Cut Buddy, a men’s hair grooming tool, was invented by Joshua Esnard of Pittsboro and featured on the TV series “Shark Tank.”

Belk department store based in Charlotte is celebrating Black culture this month highlighting beauty and cosmetic products that offer an assortment of shades.
Belk department store based in Charlotte is celebrating Black culture this month highlighting beauty and cosmetic products that offer an assortment of shades.

Charlotte connection

Soon to be added to the Amazon storefront is Playtime Edventures game-themed bedding by Kevin Gatlin of Charlotte.

Gatlin joined Amazon’s Launchpad program in January. The program is designed to help products and businesses get discovered. He said he’s already seen a 60% jump in sales.

The latest creation from Playtime Edventures is this four-piece set of children’s bed sheets colorfully printed with educational games.
The latest creation from Playtime Edventures is this four-piece set of children’s bed sheets colorfully printed with educational games.

Gatlin created colorful game bedding and other educational games for children in 2014, inspired after visiting a friend’s child in the hospital. He wanted to find a way to lift children’s spirits and keep them engaged. His bedding is in 22 hospitals across the country, including, he said, in Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

Kevin Gatlin
Kevin Gatlin

But his hospital-focused business came to a halt because of lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic. So he added retail sales with Amazon, which he said has helped boost sales and awareness.

He applauds companies like Amazon for helping small and minority-owned businesses. “Amazon stepping up with culture social responsibility is fantastic,” Gatlin said.

Latest Stories

  • Nancy Mace humiliated on MSNBC after being called out for parroting incorrect impeachment claim

    Mace claims Trump was not president when he was impeached, which is false

  • Officials: Chauvin was ready to plead to 3rd-degree murder

    Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was prepared to plead guilty to third-degree murder in George Floyd's death before then-Attorney General William Barr personally blocked the plea deal last year, officials said. The deal would have averted any potential federal charges, including a civil rights offense, as part of an effort to quickly resolve the case to avoid more protests after protests and riots damaged a swath of south Minneapolis, according to two law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the talks. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.

  • White House Responds to Recent Wave of Violence Against Elderly Asian Americans

    President Joe Biden's Administration has expressed concern over the disturbing uptick in violence toward Asian Americans in recent weeks. Several disturbing videos have emerged showing unprovoked attacks on elderly Asian Americans, including at least three in the Bay Area within the last two weeks, as NextShark previously reported. During a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked by a reporter how the Biden administration would address the issue, and whether the President had seen the videos.

  • Freed Saudi activist had electrodes fixed on her head during phone calls with relatives, family says

    A detained Saudi women’s rights activist had electrodes fixed to her head during phone calls with her family to prevent her speaking of the torture she suffered in prison, her sister said on Thursday after her release. Loujain al-Hathoul was released to her family’s home in Riyadh on Wednesday after 1,001 days in prison on charges related to her activism. Under her probation she is unable to travel, use social media or speak to the media. Her sisters, who live abroad, announced Thursday that Ms al-Hathoul will seek legal redress in Saudi Arabia for torture she said she suffered in detention. “She was tortured and she cannot forget this,” her sister Lina said, during an online press conference. The family have previously claimed Ms al-Hathoul was tortured – which Saudi authorities deny – but gave new details Thursday, including that the threat of electrocution stopped her speaking out. “If I complained about anything they were ready to electrocute me,” Lina said her sister told the family on Wednesday of her early months in detention. “It was months later that we found out about the torture” when Ms al-Hathoul was moved to another prison, Lina said. Ms al-Hathoul has identified one of her torturers as Saud Al Qahtani, a top adviser to the Saudi crown prince until he was sanctioned by the US over his role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “He’s the only person that we know the name of who was present at the torture sessions,” Lina said. Mr Qahtani is notorious in Saudi Arabia, sometimes called the “lord of the flies” for his army of Twitter trolls used for attacking dissidents. “Loujain recognised him, he’s a public figure,” said her older sister Alia. Ms al-Hathoul now hopes to use the Saudi justice system to prove she was tortured and seek justice. “The torturers must be sentenced,” Lina said. In December, Ms al-Hathoul was sentenced to nearly six years imprisonment over her activism, which included demanding the right for women to drive and calling for the abolition of Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system. The decades old driving ban was lifted weeks after her arrest, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman eager to claim the credit for the reform. The 35-year-old prince muscled his way to become next in line to the throne in 2015, partly by projecting an image as a dynamic young reformer who could modernise the conservative kingdom. But the sisters believe that any reforms under Mohammed bin Salman are illusory. “MBS is far from being a reformer, he’s an oppressor,” said Lina, referring to him by his initials. “Women’s empowerment is a lie in Saudi Arabia, there are no real reforms,” she said. Lina said she was choosing her words carefully to avoid further negative repercussions for her family still in Saudi Arabia: “There’s really an atmosphere of fear under MBS.” The family believe Ms al-Hathoul’s early release was timed by the Saudi government to impress new US President Joe Biden, who has promised closer scrutiny of his close ally’s human rights record. “Saudi Arabia’s situation is tightly connected with what’s going on in the US,” Alia said. “The Biden administration made clear that they care about human rights.”

  • ‘We are dying.’ 911 call about migrants trapped in tanker has Texas police searching

    State and federal officials are searching for a white tanker.

  • Murkowski says after seeing 'pretty damning' evidence, she doesn't think Trump could ever be re-elected

    Previously unreleased footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot shown during Wednesday's impeachment proceedings left Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) "angry," "disturbed," and "sad," she told reporters Wednesday night. The video and audio showcased the brutality of some members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol. In one clip, an officer was shown getting crushed in a doorway, while other videos showed officers getting shoved as they tried to keep rioters back. "I don't see how after the American public sees the whole story laid out here ... how Donald Trump could be re-elected to the presidency," Murkowski told reporters. The House impeachment managers put together a timeline detailing where the rioters were at the Capitol, Trump's messages to the mob, and pleas lawmakers made to Trump in an attempt to get his supporters to leave the complex. The managers are trying to prove that Trump incited an insurrection, and they are making "a strong case," Murkowski said. "The evidence that has been presented thus far is pretty damning." More stories from theweek.comThe most important person in the impeachment trial is missing. It isn't Trump.Trump publicly attacked Pence during the Capitol riot knowing Pence was in trouble, GOP senator suggestsWould the Capitol mob have killed Mike Pence?

  • Wisconsin judge denies request to re-arrest Kyle Rittenhouse, hike bond

    Prosecutors had accused Rittenhouse, 18, of violating his $2 million bond by not informing the court of his address. Rittenhouse's lawyers argued that safety concerns necessitated a move to a "safe house" and for him to conceal his whereabouts. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder said concerns for Rittenhouse's safety were legitimate and that he wanted to avoid the risk of further unrest in the region.

  • Josh Hawley's wife pens Fox News editorial detailing protests, death threats over husband's election response

    Ms Hawley called the protest 'an assault' on her home, though there was no damage and no violence occurred

  • Biden in call with China's Xi raises human rights, trade

    Joe Biden on Wednesday held his first call as president with Xi Jinping, pressing the Chinese leader about trade and Beijing's crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong as well as other human rights concerns. The two leaders spoke just hours after Biden announced plans for a Pentagon task force to review U.S. national security strategy in China and after the new U.S. president announced he was levying sanctions against Myanmar's military regime following this month's coup in the southeast Asian country. A White House statement said Biden raised concerns about Beijing’s “coercive and unfair economic practices."

  • 5 dead in 'mass casualty incident' on icy Texas freeway

    Fort Worth firefighters are calling the pileup on Interstate 35 a "mass casualty incident."

  • Prison's 'segregation order' allowed only white officers to interact with Derek Chauvin after George Floyd's death

    Eight US prison guards have filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination after they were barred from working on the floor where a former police officer charged over George Floyd's death was being held. The eight guards, who identify as African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander American and multiracial, say they were segregated and prevented from doing their jobs at the Ramsey County jail in Minnesota solely because of the colour of their skin. They say their supervisor believed they could not be trusted to professionally perform their duties around Derek Chauvin, the white Minneapolis officer who pressed his knee on the neck of Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who was pleading for air. Floyd's death on May 25 sparked protests in Minneapolis and beyond, and led to a nationwide reckoning on race. Chauvin was arrested on May 29 and brought to the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center, before he was transferred to a state prison. He is now out on bail and scheduled to go to trial in March on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. "Segregation has no place in society or the workplace and on May 29, 2020, eight Ramsey County correctional officers experienced blatant discrimination based on their race and skin colour," said Lucas Kaster, an lawyer for the guards.

  • How to Add a Little Extra Luxury to Your Bath Time

    If not a lot of luxuryOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • CNN reporter: Fox News cut away from impeachment coverage to keep 'its audience from seeing the truth'

    Viewers who tuned into MSNBC and CNN at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday were able to watch as House impeachment managers presented new, harrowing footage of the Capitol rioters. Meanwhile, on Fox News, the network cut away from the proceedings to air The Five, which included a guest appearance by Judge Jeanine Pirro, who ranted that Democrats are "trying to tarnish Donald Trump so he can never run again." CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju tweeted about Fox News' decision to stop airing the trial, and his colleague Abby Phillip, CNN's senior political correspondent, responded, "Fox will do anything to prevent its audience from seeing the truth." It wasn't just Pirro slamming the impeachment trial; The Five host Greg Gutfield called it "emotional political theater," while over at the conservative Newsmax network, host Chris Salcedo sneered that the proceedings were "a bipartisan betrayal of the American people," adding, "let's watch the dagger plunge even further into the backs of we the people and this country." Newsmax host begins the 5 PM hour: "We have continuing coverage of a bipartisan betrayal of the American people...Let's watch the dagger plunge even further into the backs of we the people and this country" pic.twitter.com/vij8i9Biyy — Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) February 10, 2021 More stories from theweek.comThe most important person in the impeachment trial is missing. It isn't Trump.Trump publicly attacked Pence during the Capitol riot knowing Pence was in trouble, GOP senator suggestsWould the Capitol mob have killed Mike Pence?

  • Warnock Under Investigation for Role in Stacey Abrams’ Voter Registration Org

    Senator Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) is under investigation for his involvement in the New Georgia Project, a voter registration organization founded by Stacey Abrams, which officials say failed to follow state election deadlines in 2019. The Georgia State Election Board voted 3-0 Wednesday to launch an investigation into Warnock’s time as chairman of the board for the New Georgia Project in 2019, when officials say the group violated state election rules that require voting registration organizations to submit completed voter application within ten days after they are received from the voter. Officials say the New Georgia Project submitted 1,268 applications to the Gwinnett County elections office after the ten-day deadline in 2019. The board will refer the investigation to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican. The only Democrat on the board, as well as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, abstained from the vote. Nse Ufot, the CEO of New Georgia Project, pushed back against the claims in a statement, saying the board meeting was “the first time we heard about the allegations regarding NGP’s important voter registration work from 2019.” “We have not received any information on this matter from the Secretary or any other Georgia official,” Ufot said. In December, Raffensperger announced an investigation into the New Georgia Project and other voter registration groups, alleging that they had “sought to register ineligible, out-of-state, or deceased voters.” Warnock resigned from the New Georgia Project on January 28, 2020. Abrams founded the organization in 2014 and later made an unsuccessful bid for Georgia governor, losing by roughly 55,000 votes to Governor Brian Kemp. She claimed that Kemp, who was then- Georgia secretary of state, had won thanks to voter suppression efforts he implemented during his time in office, such as purging voter roles.

  • In memorial service, U.S. ambassador calls killing of Lebanese activist Slim unforgivable

    The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon paid a rare visit to a quarter of Beirut that is a Hezbollah stronghold on Thursday to attend the memorial service for political researcher and activist Lokman Slim. He was shot dead and found in his car last Thursday in south Lebanon - the first killing of a high-profile activist in years. "This was a barbaric act, unforgivable and unacceptable," Dorothy Shea said in a speech at the service, which was held at the Slim family home in Beirut's Dahiya quarter.

  • China bans BBC World News from broadcasting

    China has criticised the BBC for its reports on coronavirus and persecution of the Uighurs.

  • Asian Man Beaten and Robbed of ‘Around $15K’ at Bank in the Bay Area

    In the latest of a new surge in anti-Asian attacks, a man was assaulted and robbed while trying to deposit “large sums of money” at a bank in San Leandro, California this week. The incident, which left the victim with minor injuries, occurred at the Bank of America branch at 1925 Marina Boulevard around 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday. Witnesses tell me this older Asian man was making a deposit at the Bank of America along Marina in San Leandro & was attacked & robbed.

  • Four years into voyage and close to land, tanker crew still stuck aboard

    Nearly four years into their odyssey at sea, the five-member crew of oil tanker MT Iba is tantalizingly close to shore, yet still unable to set foot on dry land.

  • Fox abruptly cuts off impeachment manager during testimony

    Fox News Channel cut off an impeachment manager in mid-sentence Wednesday as he was presenting dramatic video footage of the mob attacking the U.S. Capitol last month and government leaders running for safety. “The political math doesn't add up,” Fox's Jesse Watters said. The incident was a dramatic illustration of the tightrope walked by programmers at television networks that appeal to fans of former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.

  • Kim Jong-un admits North Korea facing 'worst ever' crisis amid sanctions, Covid and natural disasters

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered tougher legal supervision to support his development plans, state media said Thursday, as he works to salvage an economy battered by the pandemic and other challenges. Kim faces what appears to be the toughest crisis of his nine-year rule as the already-troubled economy is hit by pandemic-related border closings that have sharply reduced the North's external trade, a spate of natural disasters last summer and persistent U.S.-led sanctions. During the party congress, Kim described the difficulties as the "worst-ever." Kim spoke Wednesday during a ruling Workers' Party meeting this week convened to follow up on decisions made at the ruling party's congress in January, where he admitted previous economic plans had failed and announced a new five-year development plan. Kim "stressed the importance to strengthen legal supervision and control over the establishment and executive process of the national economic plan," the official Korean Central News Agency said.