There’s an exodus of women leaving the workforce right now — and we’ve got more about that in “The Moment” below, but in Detroit, entrepreneurs and community leaders have formed Black Leaders Detroit and raised more than $325,000 for Black-led businesses. It’s cooperative economics at work and you oughta know about it.

Also, just in time for the holiday season, we’ve got a gift guide prepared for Detroit shoppers to support Black-owned businesses, just down the block.

In other news across the country, fashion trailblazer Virgil Abloh has died, Meherry Medical College gifted each of its students $10K, Netflix moved 2% of its holdings to Black banks, there’s an affordable luxury spa founded by a Black woman in Arizona for all of us, and so much more — including “Our Brown Boy Joy” created by a 9-year-old Ohio native.

TGIF!

-Billy and the team at BLAC

Best of the Rest is a roundup of things you may not have known that you needed to know. Yet here we are. To get the Best of the Rest in your inbox every Friday. Subscribe to BLAC Friday’s. Your inbox will thank you. 

1THE BEST OF REST for December 3rd 2021

2Virgil Abloh has died

Trailblazing fashion designer and entrepreneur Virgil Abloh diedSunday at the age of 41. His passing sent shockwaves across the globe when it was revealed that he had privately battled cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the heart, for the past two years. Abloh rose to prominence after several creative ventures with Kanye West, followed by the founding of his own high-end streetwear line, “Off-White,” and finally becoming the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear ready wear line—the first Black person to do so. (NYT, Revolt, CNN)

3Nine year old starts doll business to promote positive image of Black boys

Demetrius Maurice Davis, Jr., a nine-year-old living in Twinsburg, Ohio, founded “Our Brown Boy Joy” with his mother’s help to honor the lives of Black boys who have been killed by police or racial violence. The idea is that the dolls promote a positive image of young Black boys and push for social justice. The dolls resemble Davis himself and are dressed in hoodies and Timberland boots like Trayvon Martin. (Cleveland.com, Black Enterprise, The Root)

4Meherry Medical College gifts $10K to students just before Thanksgiving break

Meherry Medical College kicked off the holiday season to its students with a no-strings-attached gift of $10,000 “to use as they choose.” College president Dr. James Hildreth strongly encouraged students to use the funds on needs related to education and training. The money was provided from Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds as part of the CARES Act. (Tennessean, Nashville Channel 5)

5Netflix follows through on commitment to support Black-led financial institutions

After making a promise in 2020 to place 2% of its holdings with Black-led financial institutions, Netflix has made good on its word. Days ago, the streaming giant announced that it moved roughly $100 million into Black-led banks and institutions across the country in an effort to address the undercapitalization of Black banks and credit unions. In a statement posted online, Netflix said that the funds are intended to support Black homeownership and Black entrepreneurship among other needs in Black communities. (TheGrio, Netflix)

6Help for Black caregivers in California

Black caregivers tend to be younger and more isolated than their white and Asian counterparts, according to a solutions journalism report by Minority Reporter. This article speaks to that, in addition to the ways that local churches in California have formed support groups and networks to help Black caregivers navigate the responsibility. (Minority Reporter)

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