Page 38 - Florida Sentinel 4-2-21

National
Mom And Two Daughters Build Empire With 13 McDonald's Franchises
Jacob Blake Files Excessive Force Lawsuit Against Officer Who Shot Him In The Back 7 Times
For Patricia Williams, owning McDonald's franchises runs in the family. More than 30 years ago, Williams was in- spired by a family member who owned McDonald's franchises to take a chance and go through the certification process of be- coming a McDonald's owner.
She and her husband cashed out their retirement plans and took out a small business loan to support their next career move. Their first McDonald's location in Compton was a success, and they purchased a second loca- tion. After she and her husband parted ways, Williams bought his shares in the company and continued to work on improving customer service and increasing revenue. In 1995, Williams made a boss move by selling her two McDonald's locations and buying five more.
Although she didn't plan it, Williams' two daughters, Nicole Enearu and Kerri Harper-Howie, eventually be- came involved in the McDon- ald's franchises.
In the early 2000s, Enearu went through the McDonald's certification process for owners and purchased her own store. She later became the first female
PATRICIA WILLIAMS AND DAUGHTERS
African American Chair for the McDonald’s Southern California Regional Leadership Council.
As a lawyer, Harper-Howie started out by providing legal and HR assistance for her mother's franchises. She soon went on the Next Generation training program for children of McDonald's owners.
Together, the three women have built an empire and now own 13 McDonald's franchises. They provide employment for more than 700 people in their community and generate almost $50 million in annual revenue. Williams and her daughters also give back to the community through scholarships for local students and funding for local and national charities.
Jacob Blake, a Kenosha, Wisconsin, Black man who was paralyzed after he was shot in the back by a white of- ficer last summer, filed a civil lawsuit Thursday accusing the officer of excessive force.
Blake will be represented by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump along with attorneys Patrick A. Salvi and B’Ivory LaMarr.
Blake was shot by officer Rusten Sheskey, after offi- cers were called to respond to a domestic dispute during a birthday party for one of Blake’s sons on August 23. Sheskey and two other offi- cers approached Blake at- tempting to question and detain him over an outstand- ing warrant. A physical shuffle ensued where Blake dropped a pocket knife and attempted
JACOB BLAKE
to pick it up. As he opened the door of his SUV, the officer fired, striking him in the back seven times.
The shooting, captured on cell phone by a bystander, oc- curred at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement,
reinvigorated after the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Bre- onna Taylor and George Floyd.
In the suit Blake asks for unspecified damages and con- tends Sheskey acted with “malice, willfulness, and reck- less indifference” to Blake’s rights. The 18-page complaint also states that Sheskey placed Blake’s children in danger, firing the shots within feet of innocent bystanders and Blake’s children who were waiting for their father in his SUV.
After the shooting Sheskey claimed that he acted out of fear of being stabbed. In Janu- ary, a Wisconsin prosecutor declined to file charges against Sheskey, siding with Sheskey that evidence proved he acted in self-defense.
Formerly Incarcerated Mom Wins
$10,000 Grant From Beyoncé For
Children’s Underwear Line
Beyoncé is a talented singer, mother, and businesswoman who is highly visible in the entertain- ment world, and blessing small businesses with $10,000 grants during the pandemic. The Bey- GOOD Black-Owned Small Busi- ness Impact Fund has had a significant impact on small busi- ness owners.
BeyGood partnered with the NAACP to help business owners like Yolanda Perkins. She’s one of the fortunate business owners who received one of the grants. Undies by BlendiTone celebrates diversity by offering characters who may be relatable to youth who would like to wear undergar- ments who look more like them.
According to Black News, Perkins, a mother, noticed that there was a lack of diversity in the undergarments industry when she went on shopping trips with her children in major retail stores. Her idea to start Undies by BlendiTone was sparked in 2019. At that time, her 6-year-old daughter’s comment made her take notice.
“She said ‘I want something that looks like me on it. None of
Yolanda Perkins (l.) shows off baby undies
these characters look like me,” and she was right,” Perkins stated.
The former inmate who em- braced the liberation of becoming self-employed decided to take big leaps of faith. After conducting market research, she reportedly tested underwear sales through Facebook and Instagram. Perkins mentioned that she was surprised how quickly she sold out. Her start-up company’s suc- cess created more need for invest- ment in production and marketing.
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