Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-18

Black Excellence
Ayanna Pressley Will Get The Old Office Of Shirley Chisholm, First Black Congresswoman
Coca-Cola Executive G. Scott Uzzell Named President And CEO Of Converse, Inc. By Nike
Nike has named Florida A&M University alumni and FAMU Foundation Board member, G. Scott Uzzell, President and CEO of Con- verse, Inc., the company an- nounced Friday, Dec 21.
According to The AP, Uzzell comes to Converse from The Coca-Cola Com- pany where he most re- cently served as President, Venturing & Emerging Brands Group (VEB).
“Scott’s unique blend of experience driving both strategic business growth and strong brand develop- ment is well-suited to help unlock the full potential of the Converse Brand and lead its next phase of growth globally,” said Michael Spillane, Presi- dent, Categories and Prod- uct, Nike, Inc.
G. SCOTT UZZELL
Uzzell began his career in sales and marketing at various companies, includ- ing Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Nabisco and has held leadership posi- tions at brands such as Mc- Donald’s U. S. Division. Is that’s not impressive enough he reportedly serves on the boards of State Bank
and Trust Co., Fairlife LLC and Suja Juice Co.
As head of Coca-Cola’s VEB Group, Uzzell led the development portfolio of high-growth brands for The Coca-Cola Company, in- cluding Honest Tea, ZICO Coconut Water, Fairlife Milk and Suja Juice, fa- munews.com reports.
AYANNA PRESSLEY SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
Massachusetts Rep.-elect Ayanna Pressley (D), who made history in November as the state’s first black woman elected to Congress, will soon work from the for- mer office of another politi- cal trailblazer: Shirley Chisholm.
Pressley announced Monday that her new con- gressional office will be the same one Chisholm, the first black woman ever elected to Congress, once oc- cupied.
Chisholm was elected in 1968 to represent a district in New York and held the seat until 1983. She also was the first black candidate to run for a major party’s nom- ination for president, run- ning as a Democrat in 1972.
She died in 2005. Chisholm has long been
an inspiration to Pressley, who tweeted out a photo posing under her idol’s por- trait in November.
“Shirley Chisholm has been a shero of mine since I was a girl,” Pressley told HuffPost on Wednesday in a statement. “Her commit- ment to fighting injustice and lifting up the voices of the disenfranchised is an in- spiration and an example I hope to follow.”
“I am humbled to occupy the same space she did on Capitol Hill, and I am deeply thankful to my colleague, Congresswoman-elect Katie Hill of California, for so gra- ciously offering to switch of- fices,” she added.
Shea Moisture Founder Richelieu Dennis To Transform Madam C. J. Walker’s Estate Into Training Center For Black Women Entrepreneurs
In this 100th year anniver- sary of its completion, the historic Villa Lewaro estate of the nation’s first self-made female millionaire and beauty pioneer, Madam C.J. Walker, has been pur- chased.
The New Voices Founda- tion, which helps women of color entrepreneurs achieve their vision through innova- tive leadership initiatives, will spearhead the stabiliza- tion of the structure and planning for future uses. The acquisition was facilitated by the Dennis Family, includ- ing entrepreneur, investor, and social impact innova- tor Richelieu Dennis, who once owned Shea Moisture and currently owns Essence Magazine.
The 28,000 square foot property is a historic resi- dence that embodies the op- timism and perseverance of the American entrepreneur- ial spirit.
“In the one hundred years since Madam Walker built her majestic home, Villa Lewaro, it has served as a landmark both to her own success and to her endeavor to create a space dedicated to
Richelieu Dennis; Villa Lewaro Estate and Madame C. J. Walker.
the achievement and empow- erment of African Ameri- cans,” said Brent Leggs, director of the Na- tional Trust for Historic Preservation’s African Amer- ican Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
Designated a National His- toric Landmark in 1976 for its architectural significance, Madam Walker’s Villa Lewaro estate, named after her daughter A’lelia Walker Robinson, was once a social and cultural
gathering place for notable leaders of the Harlem Ren- aissance, such as James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes.
The home, which Madam Walker called her “dream of dreams,” was designed and completed 100-years ago by the first licensed Black archi- tect in the state of New York and a founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Vertner Tandy.
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