Business

Black Business Owners Concerned as Groups Step Up Attacks on Diversity

When the BeyGOOD foundation, led by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, awarded Compton-based entrepreneur Veronica Clanton-Higgins $10,000 in August, the 46-year-old businesswoman says she felt empowered and recognized. Clanton, whose company, VCH Prosperity Consulting provides mental health consulting and socio-emotional wellness services to businesses and organizations, was one of 12 winners in the Los Angeles area who were awarded grants.

Published

2 years ago

October 3, 2023

Oakland Post

Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Foundation Awarded 12 Local BIPOC Businesses at the Black Parade Route Small Business Impact Luncheon during the RENAISSANCE World Tour Stop in Los Angeles. CBM photo by Lila Brown.

By Lila Brown
California Black Media

Clanton, whose company, VCH Prosperity Consulting provides mental health consulting and socio-emotional wellness services to businesses and organizations, was one of 12 winners in the Los Angeles area who were awarded grants.

Clanton is among hundreds of Black individuals and businesses who have benefitted from corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives designed to empower African Americans.

These initiatives have gained momentum since companies intensified their commitment to addressing systemic racism and historical inequities in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that erupted nationwide.

However, if certain conservative groups opposed to DEI initiatives get their way, it would be illegal for companies to specifically allocate funding to Black individuals or Black-owned businesses.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision banning affirmative action in college admissions could potentially pose a risk to corporate affirmative action programs.

Edward Blum, a conservative political strategist whose organization, The Project for Fair Representation, was instrumental in the lawsuits that ended the consideration of race in college admissions.

He is now suing the Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based venture capital fund that supports Black women businessowners with $20,000, accusing it of unlawful racial discrimination.

The nonprofit American Alliance for Equal Rights, also established by Blum, claimed in its federal lawsuit, that the Fearless Fund is violating Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a U.S. law barring racial bias in private business.

Clanton told California Black Media (CBM) she wants to improve the lives of people in her community.

“I will use the grant funding for general operations expenses, to provide programming such as a hygiene drive for youth at a local high school along with day of wellness events and workshops,” she said.

As Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour makes its way around the globe, the BeyGOOD Foundation supports small businesses affected by the global pandemic through a charitable initiative known as the Black Parade Route.

At each tour stop, the foundation hosts business impact luncheons where grant recipients are awarded $10,000 to support their business ventures, most of which are financially disadvantaged.

Both Goldman Sachs and the Fearless Fund are partners with BeyGOOD, which also counts major corporations as sponsors including Adidas, Mastercard, Grameen America, Cisco, Live Nation along with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), an organization that certifies companies as Minority Business Enterprises.

Last week, the Fearless Fund issued a 914-page response to the lawsuit, asserting that the case is baseless; that the plaintiff does not have the right to sue; and that supporting Black women does not harm others, among other claims.

NMSDC’s CEO Ying McGuire issued a statement on the ruling which she said will have significant generational impacts on the business community, particularly for supplier diversity and business diversity programs.

“I am deeply concerned about the ramifications of this decision which poses a direct threat to minority-owned businesses and their economic prosperity,” she said.

In July, the attorney generals of 13 states penned a letter to the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies warning them to “refrain from discriminating on the basis of race.”

“Racial discrimination in employment and contracting is all too common among Fortune 100 companies and other large businesses,” the letter reads. “In an inversion of odious discriminatory practices of the distant past, today’s major companies adopt explicitly race-based initiatives which are similarly illegal.”

Corporate social responsibility programs like the Black Parade Route, J.P. Morgan Chase’s Advancing Black Wealth Tour, and Goldman Sach’s One Million Black Women specifically focus on empowering Black entrepreneurs.

Other corporations have launched Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs that aim to increase the representation of Blacks and other minorities at all levels of their corporate structures, while others have focused on Supplier Diversity Programs in procurement.

The J.P. Morgan Chase’s Black Wealth Tour was also established in response to the national reckoning that followed the death of George Floyd. The roadshow is part of a broader initiative that promotes equity and inclusion for the Black community.

This year’s tour features Golden State Warriors star and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry.

At the Oakland stop in August, Curry shared his experience as a venture capitalist with over 300 attendees.

“Generational wealth is about possibilities and about rectifying 400 years of disadvantages since the system was designed to disadvantage Black people around the country,” Curry said.

Although Proposition 209, enacted in California in 1996, prohibited the consideration of race in college admissions and state contracting, advocates say DEI programs still benefit Black businesses in the state.

“I am not surprised by these attacks on diversity. America is in denial about our history – our treatment of minorities, especially Blacks,” said Jay King, president and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce. “We have to come together as Americans of all races and fight for the humanity of each other or we are doomed. That is how we live up to our desire to fix historical wrongs and be truly inclusive.”

Earlier this year, there was a sudden exodus of Black women executives in Hollywood leading DEI initiatives, including Karen Horne, senior vice president of North America DEI at Warner Bros. Discovery; Jeanell English, executive vice president of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; Vernā Myers, Netflix’s first head of inclusion; and LaTondra Newton, Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president.

Additionally, Terra Potts, executive VP of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros., left the studio after 13 years.

Launching her National “Fight for Our Freedoms” College Tour at Hampton University last week, Vice President Kamala Harris characterized those opposing DEI initiatives as “extreme.”

“If we want equal outcomes, we must take into account that not everyone starts out on the same base,” noted Harris.

Antonio Ray Harvey contributed to this article.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

3 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Lu Lu’s House is Not Just Toying Around with the Community

Wilson and Lambert will be partnering with Mayor Barbara Lee on a toy giveaway on Dec. 20. Young people, like Dremont Wilkes, age 15, will help give away toys and encourage young people to stay in school and out of trouble. Wilkes wants to go to college and become a specialist in financial aid. Sports agent Aaron Goodwin has committed to giving all eight young people from Lu Lu’s House a fully paid free ride to college, provided they keep a 3.0 grade point average and continue the program. Lu Lu’s House is not toying around.

Published

5 days ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Tania Fuller Bryant, Zirl Wilson, Dremont Wilkes, Tracy Lambert and Dr. Geoffrey Watson. Courtesy Oakland Private Industry

Special to the Post

Lu Lu’s House is a 501c3 organization based in Oakland, founded by Mr. Zirl Wilson and Mr. Tracy Lambert, both previously incarcerated. After their release from jail, they wanted to change things for the better in the community — and wow, have they done that!

The duo developed housing for previously incarcerated people, calling it “Lu Lu’s House,” after Wilson’s wonderful wife. At a time when many young people were robbing, looting, and involved in shootings, Wilson and Lambert took it upon themselves to risk their lives to engage young gang members and teach them about nonviolence, safety, cleanliness, business, education, and the importance of health and longevity.

Lambert sold hats and T-shirts at the Eastmont Mall and was visited by his friend Wilson. At the mall, they witnessed gangs of young people running into the stores, stealing whatever they could get their hands on and then rushing out. Wilson tried to stop them after numerous robberies and finally called the police, who Wilson said, “did not respond.” Having been incarcerated previously, they realized that if the young people were allowed to continue to rob the stores, they could receive multiple criminal counts, which would take their case from misdemeanors to felonies, resulting in incarceration.

Lu Lu’s House traveled to Los Angeles and obtained more than 500 toys
for a Dec. 20 giveaway in partnership with Oakland Mayor Barbara
Lee. Courtesy Oakland Private Industry,

Wilson took it upon himself to follow the young people home and when he arrived at their subsidized homes, he realized the importance of trying to save the young people from violence, drug addiction, lack of self-worth, and incarceration — as well as their families from losing subsidized housing. Lambert and Wilson explained to the young men and women, ages 13-17, that there were positive options which might allow them to make money legally and stay out of jail. Wilson and Lambert decided to teach them how to wash cars and they opened a car wash in East Oakland. Oakland’s Initiative, “Keep the town clean,” involved the young people from Lu Lu’s House participating in more than eight cleanup sessions throughout Oakland. To assist with their infrastructure, Lu Lu’s House has partnered with Oakland’s Private Industry Council.

For the Christmas season, Lu Lu’s House and reformed young people (who were previously robbed) will continue to give back.

Lu Lu’s House traveled to Los Angeles and obtained more than 500 toys.

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Desmond Gumbs — Visionary Founder, Mentor, and Builder of Opportunity

Gumbs’ coaching and leadership journey spans from Bishop O’Dowd High School, Oakland High School, Stellar Prep High School. Over the decades, hundreds of his students have gone on to college, earning academic and athletic scholarships and developing life skills that extend well beyond sports.

Published

5 days ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

NCAA football history was made this year when Head Coach from Mississippi Valley State, Terrell Buckley and Head Coach Desmond Gumbs both had starting kickers that were Women. This picture was taken after the game. Courtesy photo.

Special to the Post

For more than 25 years, Desmond Gumbs has been a cornerstone of Bay Area education and athletics — not simply as a coach, but as a mentor, founder, and architect of opportunity. While recent media narratives have focused narrowly on challenges, they fail to capture the far more important truth: Gumbs’ life’s work has been dedicated to building pathways to college, character, and long-term success for hundreds of young people.

A Career Defined by Impact

One of his most enduring contributions is his role as founder of Stellar Prep High School, a non-traditional, mission-driven institution created to serve students who needed additional structure, belief, and opportunity. Through Stellar Prep numerous students have advanced to college — many with scholarships — demonstrating Gumbs’ deep commitment to education as the foundation for athletic and personal success.

NCAA football history was made this year when Head Coach from
Mississippi Valley State, Terrell Buckley and Head Coach Desmond
Gumbs both had starting kickers that were women. This picture was
taken after the game.

A Personal Testament to the Mission: Addison Gumbs

Perhaps no example better reflects Desmond Gumbs’ philosophy than the journey of his son, Addison Gumbs. Addison became an Army All-American, one of the highest honors in high school football — and notably, the last Army All-Americans produced by the Bay Area, alongside Najee Harris.

Both young men went on to compete at the highest levels of college football — Addison Gumbs at the University of Oklahoma, and Najee Harris at the University of Alabama — representing the Bay Area on a national level.

Building Lincoln University Athletics From the Ground Up

In 2021, Gumbs accepted one of the most difficult challenges in college athletics: launching an entire athletics department at Lincoln University in Oakland from scratch. With no established infrastructure, limited facilities, and eventually the loss of key financial aid resources, he nonetheless built opportunities where none existed.

Under his leadership, Lincoln University introduced:

Football
Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Men’s and Women’s Soccer

Operating as an independent program with no capital and no conference safety net, Gumbs was forced to innovate — finding ways to sustain teams, schedule competition, and keep student-athletes enrolled and progressing toward degrees. The work was never about comfort; it was about access.

Voices That Reflect His Impact

Desmond Gumbs’ philosophy has been consistently reflected in his own published words:

“if you have an idea, you’re 75% there the remaining 25% is actually doing it.”
“This generation doesn’t respect the title — they respect the person.”
“Greatness is a habit, not a moment.”

Former players and community members have echoed similar sentiments in public commentary, crediting Gumbs with teaching them leadership, accountability, confidence, and belief in themselves — lessons that outlast any single season.

Context Matters More Than Headlines

Recent articles critical of Lincoln University athletics focus on logistical and financial hardships while ignoring the reality of building a new program with limited resources in one of the most expensive regions in the country. Such narratives are ultimately harmful and incomplete, failing to recognize the courage it takes to create opportunity instead of walking away when conditions are difficult.

The real story is not about early struggles — it is about vision, resilience, and service.

A Legacy That Endures

From founding Stellar PREP High School, to sending hundreds of students to college, to producing elite athletes like Addison Gumbs, to launching Lincoln University athletics, Desmond Gumbs’ legacy is one of belief in young people and relentless commitment to opportunity.

His work cannot be reduced to headlines or records. It lives on in degrees earned, scholarships secured, leaders developed, and futures changed — across the Bay Area and beyond.