The annual National Urban Technology Center Gala Awards Dinner – co-hosted by award winning journalist Alicia Quarles – will take place in New York City on June 13th at The Pierre Hotel. This year’s honorees are private equity firm Founder & CEO of Grain Management, David J. Grain and wife Dr. Lisa Grain - who has dedicated her career to healthcare, education, and mentorship and currently sits on the board of trustees at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital - along with honorary chair Vernon E. Jordan Jr., who is the Senior Managing Director of Lazard. The evening’s program, which will highlight Urban Tech’s commitment to help provide a proactive approach in preventing bullying in schools, will entail a silent auction with seats for three different phenomenal Broadway shows up for bid: Hamilton, Boys In The Band and Iceman Cometh.

In a post-Obama era where Blacks in America are still proclaiming "Black as the new Black," it's continuously surprising to see Black-owned businesses shy away from serving their own people. What European brands do so intently and without apology by showcasing imagery of only European models - Black businesses steer clear of such displays for fear of "limiting themselves."

Storyteller Amber Williams is at the forefront of the move to dispel this myth of limitation by pushing Black businesses towards more sophisticated-unapologetic branding. Her platform Punky Flair is a brand storytelling agency that teaches Founders and CEOs how to improve their sales through stories built around their true customers. Amber has crafted brand language for Armani, CVS, The U.S Olympics and now she uses her talents to service black owned startups such as Camille Rose Naturals, Heat Free Hair, and Shea Radiance.

Amber's aim is to shift the idea of merely "buying Black" to "serving Black.”

Black Butterfly Beautiful, is a subscription box created by 17-year-old Journi Prewitt to empower, uplift, and encourage young people of color to embrace who they are. These boxes are sent monthly and curated based on subscriber age, gender and the month’s theme featuring books and other accessories from black-owned brands to help address underrepresentation, uncover black history, and provide inspiration.

You can review past subscription boxes here https://blackbutterflybeautiful.com/pages/past-boxes-1

Journi D'Khaos Prewitt is a Memphis-based teen entrepreneur working to empower black youth by helping them realize their potential. At the age of 16, she noticed the lack of interest many black kids and teens have in reading, the overwhelming under-representation of African Americans, and the self-esteem issues rooted in not realizing their value and rich history, so she set out to develop a solution to these problems with Black Butterfly Beautiful.

Jon Robinson, PhD is CEO of Cents, a new platform, that helps people get out of debt years faster and save thousands in interest. Cents takes your spare change and applies it each month to either a student loan, credit card, mortgage and more. Jon also has a unique background having gone from a Human Genetics PhD to software developer and serial entrepreneur. Visit http:///centsapp.io to sign up.

In this episode of SmartBrownVoices, Mike Street chats with JaNaè Taylor, founder of MindingMyBlackBusiness.com. Minding My BLACK Business is a movement and podcast dedicated to the mental health of Black Entrepreneurs. The goal is to engage, inform, and support other Black Entrepreneurs as they manage the business of work!

In this episode, Mike Street chat with Micah B. Lewis. Micah is the founder of My Bag Check Inc, a luggage pickup, storage, and delivery service. A few people aside from of his mother have called him “a genius”. He grew up in Northern Florida and after graduating from the University of Central Florida he decided to pursue advanced degrees in Law and Criminal Justice. While attending school full time he successfully generated millions of dollars of revenue as a sales consultant for companies such as Apple Inc, SuccessFactors, and TriNet. Micah has a deep affinity for travel and exploring new diverse cultures. In the last few years he has visited more than 30+ countries spanning 6 continents while exploring the pains of being a frequent internationally traveler. While traveling he found a problem in trekking around with luggage after landing and late flights after hotel checkout. Thus, the inspiration for My Bag Check was born. You can download the app on the iOS store and visit the webs

A message from Mike Street