#NNPA BlackPress

Unique ‘Urban Unicorn’: Businesswoman Finds a Market for Fantasy

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The “CBS This Morning” television feature on the Afro Unicorn™ brand, which she had been promoting through her online community, all started with a viral video featuring a 4-year-old girl wearing an Afro Unicorn™ t-shirt. That video was shared by numerous celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, King’s BFF.
The post Unique ‘Urban Unicorn’: Businesswoman Finds a Market for Fantasy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

September 14, 2022

admin

By Lisa Fitch | Our Weekly Los Angeles

Born and raised in South L.A., April Showers (yes, that’s her real name) drove herself to the LA County High School for the Arts daily. She credits that environment for her ultimately becoming an entrepreneur and founder of the Afro Unicorn brand.

“We went to school on a college campus,” Showers said. “It gave me a sense of real independence. No one’s really monitoring you. It takes you to a different level of maturity. It definitely prepared me.”

But what could have prepared her to be interviewed by Gale King last month as a guest on “CBS This Morning?”

The television feature on the Afro Unicorn brand, which she had been promoting through her online community, all started with a viral video featuring a 4-year-old girl wearing an Afro Unicorn t-shirt. That video was shared by numerous celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, King’s BFF.

It also caught the attention of a Walmart associate. In June, Walmart launched a curated assortment of Afro Unicorn party supplies and favors. Next month, Target will feature a girls clothing line sporting the colorful cartoons.

“I am the first Black woman to have a licensed brand character in major retail,” Showers said. Her unicorns come in various shades of brown and sport afro-like manes that some children can relate to. “It’s about building confidence. A lot of the parents have told me that because the unicorn has complexion and afro style hair, that gives them an extra sense of confidence.”

The idea started when one of her friends admired her real estate business and her go-to attitude.

“‘You’re a unicorn,’ he always told me,” Showers said, admitting she had to look up exactly what he meant. “I grew up with mud pies, basketball… not unicorns.”

The mythical, magical creature has been featured in a few movies of late. The single-horned horses are so unique and hard to find in those movies, that it is said that the hairs from their tails are used in the cores of magic wands.

After figuring out the metaphor, Showers used the unicorn emoji over and over again in her correspondence.

“I decided I’m Black girl magic,” Showers said.

But one day she noticed something was wrong, even though unicorns seem to be wildly popular, especially for little girls’ products, none of the unicorn dolls or their depictions on clothes or accessories resembled her at all.

“Who determined unicorns were supposed to be white?” she asked, noting that this country has had a European standard for so long – going back to Cinderella and Snow White. “I wanted to be the change I wanted to see.”

Showers now has about 40 licenses and the line features everything needed to throw a unicorn party, including party staples like plates, napkins, balloons, decorations and pinatas. Other highlights from the brand include favors like multi-color faux hair clips, sequin journals and an Afro Unicorn stuffed animal.

“As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart continues to build an inclusive supply chain that reflects our customers and provides products and services that resonate and meet our customers’ needs,” said Laura Rush, senior vice president of entertainment, toys and seasonal at Walmart.

“My main goal for Afro Unicorn is to ensure Black girls and women feel unique, divine, and magical,” said Showers, who added that the brand is more than a line of products. “It’s a movement to make sure Black people are represented and have a seat at the table. I’m grateful Walmart understands how important this is and gave me that seat at the table.”

The post Unique ‘Urban Unicorn’: Businesswoman Finds a Market for Fantasy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

admin

Posts by admin

Up Next

Reporting Conspiracy Threats: A Step Toward Preventing Future Attacks

Don't Miss

Bank of America Offers Zero Down-Payment Mortgages to Black, Latino Borrowers

admin

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

Tiguan’s AI Touchscreen & Gear Shift: VW Just Changed the Game! #2

Explore the Tiguan’s cutting-edge 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice control, and a new AI assistant. See how VW innovatively moved the gear shifter to the steering column, enhancing the center console and navigation system! #AutoNetwork #Tiguan #Infotainment #AppleCarPlay #AndroidAuto #AISystem #NavigationSystem #CarTech #TechReview #CarInnovation #Automotive

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0xUKM6U2Lpc&autoplay=0&cc_lang_pref=en&cc_load_policy=0&color=0&controls=1&fs=1&h1=en&loop=0&rel=0

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

PRESS ROOM: Clyburn on 10th Anniversary of Mother Emanuel AME Church Shooting in Charleston

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) released the following video on X, paying tribute to the 10th anniversary of the shooting that took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

By Congressman James E. Clyburn

WATCH HERE

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) released the following video on X, paying tribute to the 10^th anniversary of the shooting that took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

“Over 6 years ago, the House first passed my Enhanced Background Checks Act to close the Charleston Loophole that allowed a white supremacist to obtain the gun he used to murder nine worshipers at Emanuel AME Church on June 17, 2015.

“I’ll never stop fighting to pass this law.”