News — black american

Shaquille O’Neal is arguably one of the best things to happen in the NBA. The 7′ 1″, 325-pound giant, grew up in a low-income household situated in the ‘Projects’ of Newark, New Jersey.

Often called “Shaq’ or “The Big Aristotle”, the NBA legend was only an infant when his father was jailed on drug charges in Kentucky. When his father was eventually released from prison, he left his son’s life. And so he grew up with his mother and stepfather Phillip Harrison.

In high school, he helped his school to win the state championship. He subsequently went to LSU to study business and play basketball under head coach Dale Brown.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Shaq was a two-time All-American, two-time SEC player of the year, and became the NCAA men’s basketball player of the year in 1991. Also, he was named the college player of the year by the AP and UPI in 1991.

By 1992, Shaq had emerged as the No 1 overall draft pick in the 1992 NBA draft class. He became the first pick by the Orlando Magic and would spend 19 years in the NBA. He was not just an ordinary NBA player, he became one of the best centers in the league.

In the year 1992-93, Shaq won Rookie of the Year and led the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals. He moved to the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. At Los Angeles Lakers, he helped the team to win three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. He won his fourth NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 and also played for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics before retiring in 2011.

Despite being one of the best players in NBA history, at the twilight of his professional career, he had his eyes fixed on his retirement. He often recounts a meeting that changed how he handled money.

“I met a gentleman one time and he had a piece of paper,” O’Neal told the Wall Street Journal. “He said, ‘This is $100.’ He then ripped the paper in half and then said, ‘Smart people invest this $50, and then they have $50 left. But the wealthy people take half of that $50 … [and] put that away.’ So I started doing that.” 

According to him, this was after he blew $1 million within 30 minutes after signing with the Orlando Magic. He also credited his late stepfather, whom he calls “dad,” for using scare tactics to get him disciplined with money. “Even when I was making a lot of money playing basketball, I would come home and see my father,” he told CNBC in 2018.

“And [he’d] be like, ‘Yeah, but what are you doing with your money?’ “Every time an athlete would do something crazy, I would get in trouble for it. So my father did a very great job using scare tactics.”

In his 19-year-old NBA career, he accrued wealth through contracts totaling $300 million. Now Shaq earns more than he did in his playing years. He now makes $20-$25 million per year. He makes his money from endorsement deals with companies such as Icy Hot, Gold Bond, Buick, Zales, and others. Also, he is the joint owner of 155 Five Guys Burgers restaurants, 17 Auntie Annie’s Pretzels restaurants,150 car washes, 40 24-hour fitness centers, a shopping center, a movie theater, and several Las Vegas nightclubs, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The former NBA star is reportedly worth $400 million.

One added advantage for Shaq through his NBA career and his entrepreneurial journey is his education. Despite all the fame and money he enjoyed, he ensured he pursued education to the highest level. Shaq returned to college to complete his Bachelor’s after retiring from NBA. He subsequently earned an MBA and most recently earned Ed.D.

His business degree, no doubt, helped him navigate the turbulence in the business world.

Janelle Jones, 36, was born in North Dakota and raised in Lorain, Ohio. At a very young age, she fell in love with numbers. Mathematics became part of her upbringing as her dad would usually come home with mathematics books for her to study.

Jones would later leave Ohio for Spelman College, a historically Black women’s school in Atlanta. While in school, she got encouraged by her professor to study economics. After graduation, Jones volunteered for a nonprofit organization in Sacramento for a year.

She later went to Illinois State University for her master’s in applied economics. Afterward, Jones worked with artisans to market and sell their goods, and taught English as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Lunahuaná, Peru for two years.

A new life chapter opened for her after years of volunteer service. She landed a job as a research associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. In fact, she spent some 10 years in the think tank field.

Now Jones is in Washington’s circle of power, serving as President Joe Biden’s chief economist at the Department of Labour, the first African-American woman to be appointed into that position. In her new role, she would be expected to fix the U.S. labor market.

Although Jones’ position is little known, she influences the future of millions of Americans. She comes into the position at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has affected many businesses, particularly Black-led firms, in various sectors of the economy.

Also, figures from the Department of Labour show that 10 million Americans are unemployed and according to The Washington Post, the unemployment numbers are higher than the worst point of the Great Recession.

“There’s a lot of work to be done to make sure that we don’t just restore workers to where they were in January 2020 or four years ago,” Jones told Bloomberg. “We’ve seen workers take a huge hit over the past generation.”

Jones has for more than a decade focused on finding out why Black people perform poorly in the labor market during her days in government and research institutions. She came up with an economic ideology called “Black Women Best” to shed light on these issues and possible solutions while centering Black women in U.S. economic policy.

“If history has taught us anything, it’s that Black people, particularly Black women, are among the last to recover from economic recessions, and the last to reap economic benefits during periods of recovery or growth,” she writes. “In some cases, as in the early 1980s recession, Black women had an unemployment rate double that of white men.”

“Among demographic groups, Black women experienced the steepest drop in labor force participation and have had the slowest job recovery since January 2020. … We can course correct one of the worst economic downturns in U.S history for all by deliberately improving the economic outcomes of traditionally marginalized groups. We can’t resort back to business as usual.”

She tells BlackHer that if Black women are economically secure and have the dignity and space to lead their lives the way they want to, then everyone else is doing well. 

The U.S. economy is projected to make full recovery in four to five years’ time due to COVID-19. For Jones, that would mean 10 to 12 years for Black workers. “My role here will be to think about those sorts of things, to give a lens to union workers, low-wage workers, different types of workers who aren’t usually centered,” she tells Bloomberg.

A Black F-22 stealth fighter pilot and the great-nephew of a distinguished Tuskegee Airman recently revealed he had to quit the United States Air Force because of racial bias and discrimination.

In an interview with David Martin on CBS’ 60 Minutes, Major Daniel Walker said he had always felt relegated to the background because of his skin color during his 11-year service as an Air Force officer. Walker alleged his fellow White officers weren’t treated with the hostility that he received.

“The way you stand, the way you walk, the way you sit, the way you speak. In what is supposed to be an objective field, [they] are subjectively rating you to others in the sort of unofficial grapevine of evaluation,” he said.

Walker alleged he and other people of his race in the military have had to check their demeanor to mitigate the way they’re perceived by their fellow White officers, telling 60 Minutes that the unspoken perception that got into his head is: “You’re big, you’re Black, with a deep voice. You’re intimidating.”

Walker said that even before heading to pilot training after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, he was warned by Black veterans about the reception he’ll receive once there.

“They’re going to treat you poorly. When you wash out, they’re probably not going to keep you in the Air Force,” he recalled on what the Black veterans told him.

And though Walker said he persevered and performed impressively during his time at flight school, he was still viewed in a certain way because he was lively. “I got feedback at the end of this course, however, that it was very evident that I was having a good time, and maybe I shouldn’t have been. Or [that] I talked too much…,” he said.

Walker was eventually assigned to an F-22 squadron in Virginia after graduating flight school. Initially feeling welcome, Walker said he later started experiencing an ironic but similar reception because he was a bit more reserved as compared to flight school.

“He’s too quiet. It seems like he thinks he’s too good to be here or too good for this place,” he said about his Air Force counterparts’ sentiments.

Walker decided he had had enough and quit. There are currently less than 50 Black pilots in the U.S. Air Force, according to 60 Minutes.

Bias despite integration?

The United States Armed Forces may have been integrated over 70 years ago, but allegations of racial bias by African-American officers remain strife as they claim their White counterparts climb up the promotional rank faster than them, 60 Minutes reported.

A report conducted by the U.S. Air Force Inspector General on racial disparity revealed “2 out of every 5 [African Americans in the Air Force] do not trust their chain of command to address racism, bias and unequal opportunities” and “3 out of every five [Black Air Force service members] … believe they do not… receive the same benefit of the doubt as their White peers if they get in trouble.”

Dante Brooks, the 18-year-old son of acclaimed Jamaican dancehall musician, Mavado, was on Friday sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the gruesome killing of a man he and his co-accusers were at odds with in 2018.

Brooks, who was 16 at the time of the incident, also received an additional 20-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm and a 15-year sentence for arson, local news outlet The Gleaner reported. All the sentences will run concurrently.

Brooks was implicated alongside four others for fatally shooting Lorenzo “Israel” Thomas at his Cassava Piece residence in the Parish of St. Andrew before setting the property ablaze. Thomas’ father, a witness to the incident, managed to flee. Prior to setting the house on fire, Brooks and his co-accusers allegedly tried to behead Thomas but stopped because the machete they were using was too blunt.

Prior to his involvement in the killing of Thomas, Brooks was already out on bail for one of two pending charges, Jamaica Observer reported. When handing out his sentence, Supreme Court Judge Justice Leighton Pusey said Brooks partaking in the murder knowing very well he had to answer for two pending offenses meant he had a “scant regard for the system of justice.”

“Being before the court is supposed to be a caution, and you would need to govern yourself accordingly…whether or not the matter for which he was before the court was an act of violence it would mean he would need to behave himself; it shows his character…it is showing a pattern which is ‘It’s not my fault, I didn’t do anything and I will continue to do as I please,’” Justice Pusey said.

Though the Justice admitted Brooks was a juvenile at the time of the murder, he justified the sentence on the grounds that that is what the law prescribes. He also based the sentence on key pieces of evidence including the crime being a “gun murder”, a “deliberate act, a home invasion for the express purpose of killing” as well as a “case where not just the body but the house itself was burnt.”

Justice Pusey also pointed to Brooks not taking responsibility after he was implicated for his involvement in the killing despite one of his co-accusers, Andre Hines, apologizing for the manner by which the deceased died though he pleaded not guilty, Jamaica Observer reported.

“I note when he was asked about the impact, Mr Hinds said he was sorry. Mr Brooks said he was not guilty and the impact on the community and relatives was not a fault of his,” the justice said.

“That, for me, was a theme throughout his social enquiry report,” he continued, adding that Brooks had the privilege of attending “a very outstanding preparatory school [and] went to one of the oldest high schools, and yet in all these circumstances this is where we find him [before a court of law].

“He is not taking responsibility,” Justice Pusey reiterated, mentioning that Brooks even told his co-accusers Thomas was dead after the killing and also went ahead to remind them that “somebody want the head”.

“Even though he was not the main actor, he was crucial, not a mere bystander; he was crucial to this.”

Brooks, who was found guilty of the crime in January, will only be eligible for parole after serving 22 years of his sentence.

Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., has thanked Justin Bieber for his support of the King Centre charity in the midst of backlash over the singer’s use of speeches from the civil rights icon on his new album. The King Centre, established in 1968 in memory of King, Jr. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of King. It is now operated by King’s daughter, Bernice.

Bieber, ahead of his album’s release on Friday, announced a campaign to raise awareness for social justice organizations, listing those he would be supporting himself. The King Center was among the organizations listed. Bernice on Thursday thanked the singer on Twitter, writing: “Each of us, including artists and entertainers, can do something.”

“Thank you, @justinbieber, for your support, in honor of #Justice, of @TheKingCenter’s work and of our #BeLove campaign, which is part of our global movement for justice,” she added.

Bernice’s message of support comes amid controversy on Twitter over Bieber’s 16-track “Justice” album released Friday. Listeners have criticized the singer over some of the tracks that featured clips of King’s speeches. The first song on the album, “2 Much,” opens with a clip of King saying “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” before the pop star goes ahead to sing about love and romance. The track “MLK Interlude” also features samples from King’s 1967 sermon “But If Not”.

“Justin Bieber has an ‘MLK interlude’ on his album. Then, an 80s inspired pop song about dying for love comes on next,” wrote a Twitter user.

“Justin bieber really wrote another collection of love songs to his wife, threw in a little one minute MLK speech and called the whole album ‘justice’ PLSs,” another user wrote.

“I’m confused why this whole justin bieber album is called justice and has a whole mlk sit if it’s just about how in love he is wirth hailey bieber [his wife],” one listener added.

Bieber’s “Justice” comes a year after his “Changes” album. Chance the Rapper, Burna Boy, Khalid and Giveon made vocal appearances aside from King.

Not everyone is a fan of the new National Geographic historical docuseries Genius: Aretha and this crowd surprisingly includes some from the demographic you would think were jumping at the chance to see the Queen of Soul brought back to life.

A myriad of reasons has been attributed to what effectively counts as a boycott of the series by many African-Americans. Many of them have registered their displeasure with the fact that Franklin was played by a non-American Black woman, Cynthia Erivo. The 37-year-old actress is a Nigerian-British actress who has won acclaim and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony, and two Oscar nominations.

This is not the first time Erivo, cast in the role of a cherished African-American figure has been greeted with contempt by Black Americans. In 2019, Erivo appeared in only her third movie (she has spent most of her acting career on stage) as Harriet Tubman in Harriet. She won nominations for Golden Globe and Academy Awards’ Best Actress slots for her portrayal of the heroine of the Underground Railroad. But the question that was asked was if producers could not secure a Black American descendant of a slave.

When Harriet came out, it was also revealed that Erivo in 2013 had tweeted a mockery of how many African-Americans talk, calling it the “ghetto accent”. The tweet, which she apologized for, was interpreted as not only a dislike for African-Americans but hatred for her Black identity.

At the premiere of Harriet at the Toronto International Fim Festival, Erivo was forced to respond to the backlash generated by the tweet: “As for the tweets, taken out of context without giving me the room to tell you what it meant–and it wasn’t mocking anyone, really. It wasn’t for that purpose at all. It was to celebrate a song I had wrote when I was 16.”

Calls by Black people in America to have historical Black figures, as well as American Black characters played by African-Americans, have been ongoing for the last few years. When the Oscar-nominated Judas And The Black Messiah was released in late 2020, it was met with the same sort of outrage because the role of Fred Hampton was portrayed by Uganda-British actor Daniel Kaluuya.

But with Genius: Aretha, the problems are not simply because Erivo is on screen. Kecalf Cunningham, a son of the singer posted on his Instagram page in February that producers of Genius “pushed through without [the family’s] consent”. He also said the family held no ill-feelings towards the actors who were just “doing their jobs” but “if you are a true fan [of Franklin’s] please do not support [Genius: Aretha]“.

Cunningham’s call was reiterated on Twitter before the first episode of the series was broadcast on Sunday. It continues to gather moss as more and more on the social media platform are tweeting their support for the family.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was founded by Fawn Weaver to honor the memory of Nearest Green, an enslaved African American who helped Jack Daniel to start his distillery.

The 270-acre distillery became the first in U.S. history to honor an African-American whiskey maker, and one of the few distilleries in the country owned and operated by a Black, female lead. 

Today, the whiskey brand has become the best-selling African-American-owned and founded spirit brand in the U.S. after selling nearly 1.5 million bottles of its sought-after super-premium whiskey.

“The spirits industry has never seen anything like this in all the years that data has been tracked through the three major data collection agencies for the industry,” according to Donn Bichsel, creator of 3 Tier Beverages, a spirits data collection and analysis company.

“No African American founded and led spirit brand has ever come close to what the Uncle Nearest brand and the team have done. We analyzed every piece of credible data and Uncle Nearest is undoubtedly the top seller of all time, with the rest of the top 10 being so far behind, that they barely registered.”

The whisky brand, which debuted in 2017, is available in more than 21,000 locations and at least 50 states across the world. “Built on its knack for sourcing the best of Tennessee Whiskeys and Bourbons, the whiskey is made using a non- temperature-controlled aging process and a unique post-aging double filtration method, which is then blended to perfection by fifth-generation Nearest Green descendant and Uncle Nearest’s master blender, Victoria Eady Butle,” PRNewswire said.

From New York Times bestselling author to whiskey connoisseur, Weaver said this project ends when she is satisfied that Nearest Green is known anywhere around the world she visits.

“As I began working on this, I realized the significance of the story of Nearest Green. I didn’t really truly understand the significance until I began digging in. He wasn’t just the first African American distiller on record in the United States. He to this day remains the only one of any major brands — period,” she told Essence.

“And we’re not just talking about whiskey, we’re talking about of any spirit. When I learned that there was no African American ever that had been commemorated on the bottle that was crazy to me because we were apart of this industry from the very beginning.”

Despite the effect of COVID-19 on many businesses, particularly Black businesses, Weaver weathered the storm to top the chart of bestselling African-American-owned whiskey brands. “Our bottling and distilling partner did an incredible job of ensuring every area of the distillery was socially distanced and followed the strictest COVID-19 guidelines, which meant we could only move so quickly and had to cap our third full year at 120,000 cases sold,” said Weaver.

Nearest Green is on track to sell 250,000 cases this year, all things being equal. What is more gratifying about the spirit brand is the fact that it is the only major whiskey with an all-female executive team.

Generational wealth and bridging the racial wealth gap have been topics discussed heavily throughout the past year as a result of the protests over racial injustice. Since then, numerous organizations have made new pledges to do their part to help the Black community create more wealth for their families. One Black woman used her finance background to create a platform to teach Black consumers how to generate wealth through the stock market.

Tiffany James is the founder of the Modern Black Girl, a digital platform designed to help newcomers learn to use the stock market and other resources on wealth-building and managing a stock portfolio. James says she was inspired to start her business after learning about stocks in her free time driven by her curiosity and sought to create a platform where users can learn the basics.

“The stock market is 80% psychology 20% technical,” said James in an email interview. “Not only do you learn wealth-building tips and how to manage your money but you also learn patience, confidence, critical thinking skills, and leadership.”

James has also been using the audio social app Clubhouse to help provide resources and engaging panels through the app that has helped her reach a new audience.

“When Clubhouse started I would join the guy’s stock rooms and in most cases be the only women in the conversation,” she said. “After a few rooms with the guys, a lot of women begged me to start my own platform back in November. Three months later, we are here with over 94,000 members [who are] primarily women of color.”

The platform also hosts a Teen University for younger people to learn the basics about the stock markets in addition to classes for adults.

The release of the Fenty fashion label made Rihanna the first Black woman to create a Luxury Brand with Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH). Per WWD, the luxury fashion brand and the ‘Work’ singer are putting production on hold for her fashion line after barely two years of its launch in anticipation of better conditions.

It was the first time Chief Executive Officer of LVMH Bernard Arnault launched a brand under the parent company of Louis Vuitton from scratch since Christian Lacroix in 1987.

The luxury fashion industry was badly impacted by the coronavirus. However, the LVMH’s investment fund will continue to support the Savage x Fenty lingerie brand and the Fenty Beauty cosmetics line.

“LVMH and Rihanna reaffirm their ambition to concentrate on the growth and the long-term development of Fenty ecosystem focusing on cosmetics, skincare and lingerie,” the luxury goods company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Fashion analysts believe that the prices may have been too steep for consumers despite Rihanna’s huge following. “Celebrity-originated brands can be very popular very quickly, but their staying power is questionable,” Luca Solca, analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said. “The risk is that they end up being a flash in the pan.”

However, there is no other celebrity to make the Black Girl Magic spell more compelling than Robyn Rihanna Fenty who has dominated the entertainment and fashion industry for several years.

She was recently certified by Forbes as the richest female musician in the world.

Following her hit song “Work” in 2016, the famous musician has evolved into a serial entrepreneur. Her source of wealth, according to Forbes, comes from music, cosmetics and her clothing lines.

Rihanna has sold more than 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks, according to her label, Roc Nation. This places her as the second best-selling digital artiste globally.

The Barbadian singer is regarded by Forbes as one of the most publicly charitable celebrities. She was named Harvard Humanitarian of the Year in 2017 for her work supporting education and health care in the Caribbean and developing countries.

She recently donated $5 million to various organizations assisting with coronavirus relief efforts. Other charitable works by her include giving $1 million to New York’s needy, $2.1 million to abuse victims in LA and $5 million to other charities through the Clara Lionel Foundation.

Natalia Bryant is officially an IMG model, the agency announced earlier this week. The 18-year-old, who is the eldest daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, will finally get to live out her childhood dreams of modeling and she could be hitting the runway soon.

The renowned modeling agency, which has the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Osaka, Selena Gomez, Gisele Bündchen and Chrissy Teigen on its roster, posted on its Instagram account the news with a caption statement from Natalia.

She expressed her love for the industry and is eager to learn the ropes and pour her creativity into her new gig, WWD reported.

“I have always been interested in fashion since a very young age,” Natalia said in a statement released on the modeling agency’s Instagram account.

“I have a love for the industry, and ever since I can remember, I wanted to model. There is a lot to learn, but I feel this is a great opportunity for me to learn and express myself creatively.” 

Thrilled about the news, the new IMG signee also shared the post on her timeline, saying it was an honor to join the IMG family.

Her mother, Vanessa, like every mother would be, is also very proud of Natalia as she also reposted the Black and White photo of her daughter on her page, congratulating her.

Ciara, Lucy Hale, and other IMG models like Asley Graham and Gigi Hadid congratulated Natalia, welcoming her to the IMG family.

“We’re honored to partner with Natalia in shaping her career in fashion and beauty,” IMG senior vice president Maja Chiesi told WWD about the signing. “We look forward to connecting her with fresh, exciting opportunities that showcase her multifaceted personality and look.”

IMG is building up its model portfolio, with this announcement being the third of its recent signings. Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, 21, and inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, 22, joined the family this year.

Gorman made history on January 20 when she became the youngest poet to recite an original poem at a presidential inauguration. She was also the sixth poet to perform at an inauguration following in the footsteps of other greats like Maya Angelou and Robert Frost.

Across America, Black representation in the media space is quite limited, thereby affecting Black voices in national political discourse as well as in their cultural thoughts. And so the stories of Blacks, when it comes to their culture, challenges worldviews and political persuasions as told by powerful media channels mainly owned by white people.

A new platform is seeking to change this position and let Blacks tell their own stories. The platform, known as Umoja Radio App, is a joint effort by the owners of five Black-owned radio stations – WUVS 103.7, WHPB 98.5, WUGM 106.1, WVBH 105.3, and WQID 105.3. The platform represents the latest chapter of excellence in Black media.

The founders of the app decided to create their own after iHeartRadio refused to allow their stations on its platform. What is particularly unique about Umoja Radio is that the development of this app embodies African liberation from the limitation of traditional media, traditional media platforms, and traditional gatekeepers.

The developers of the app chose the name Umoja, Swahili for unity. Through the platform, they strive to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and the human race. The app features over 45 independent Black-owned community-based radio station with a mission of Black empowerment.

The uniqueness of the platform is also to meet the demand for an urban outlet with engaging, educational, entertaining content, whereas other platforms lack diversity and inclusion.

“It comes at a time when society demands more inclusive content and we have the potential to deliver that and so much more,” the founders say. “Our mission is to grow into the world’s largest collective of unapologetically conscious media, podcasts, and syndicated radio stations. We hope you are able to join us on this wonderful and revolutionary journey.”

Umoja is hoping to achieve instant hit as uncensored podcasts and digital streaming platforms have largely overtaken spaces previously dominated by traditionally radio, record labels, and television.

“We now have an opportunity to fill a void with Umoja Radio App and provide content with inclusion. Black content creators not only steer popular culture, but can now do it from independent platforms, and in spaces, that we own,” according to the founders.

The founding of Umoja comes on the heels of Black History Month and a campaign by Yahoo to “Make Space for Black Voices” campaign to honor Black History Month.

“The programming includes a celebratory Yahoo logo in partnership with creative artist Janel Young, as well as new video series and on-air interviews celebrating Black change-makers, and a special livestream event featuring different industry leaders,” Yahoo said.

Internationally acclaimed French luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton appears to have completely goofed with its latest menswear sweater after initially claiming it was inspired by the Jamaican national flag when it actually got the colors wrong.

Describing the $1,340 “Jamaican Stripe Sweater” on its website, the fashion brand had initially said the pullover – which is colored in green, yellow and red – channeled “the collection’s Jamaican Parade theme, with a striped design inspired by the Caribbean island’s national flag.” The Jamaican national flag, however, does not feature a red color. The Caribbean nation’s flag colors include green, yellow and black.

Per the Jamaica Information Service: “Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural beauty of the sunlight and the wealth of the country; and Green signifies hope and agricultural resources.”

The apparent mistake was highlighted by a Twitter user by the name @pam_boy who shared screenshots of the product and its description as well as the Jamaican national flag, Pop Sugar reported. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement diversity as a value and not a symbol within fashion companies,” the user posted.

The apparent mistake was highlighted by a Twitter user by the name @pam_boy who shared screenshots of the product and its description as well as the Jamaican national flag, Pop Sugar reported. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement diversity as a value and not a symbol within fashion companies,” the user posted.