During Covid, many Black-owned businesses were disproportionately affected among other ethnic groups and forced to close. Observing the statistics impacting the Black community during the pandemic sparked a desire to make supporting essential Black businesses easier.
Maryland natives and founders of Prosperity Market, Carmen Dianne and Kara Still, are long-time friends who reconnected after moving to Los Angeles individually. Dianne was a makeup artist and still was a fashion designer, but they both shared an interest in giving back. They didn’t imagine they could create a business that would lead them to a full-fledged shift in career fields.
Prosperity Market is an LA-based mobile farmers market that promotes Black farmers and other food producers by hosting pop-up events. They also provide a virtual market for buyers that can’t shop in person.
The name “Prosperity” was inspired by a friend of Dianne’s who told her to close her eyes and envision what she wanted the market to be.
“Instantly, immediately. I was just like, prosperity. [It was] the first thing that came and it stuck,” Dianne said.
June 2020 is when the idea for the market began. The first six months of expanding on the concept were nothing but research. According to Dianne, there was a wealth of information to learn since they were new to the food space.
“The literal first thing I Googled was Black farmers markets and Black farmers in LA, and the first thing that popped up was Freedom Farmers market which is in the Bay [Area] and it’s ran by Farms to Grow, which is a nonprofit that helps Black farmers,” Dianne said.
One of Farms to Grow co-founders, Dr. Gail Myers, was the first person Dianne emailed about their market idea. Myers replied and continues to advise Dianne and Still to this day.
Dianne and Still wanted to showcase nourishments as well as supplementary items and were able to base their curations on products they felt drawn to.
“In the agricultural space, it’s so small that people either know or know of each other. So they kind of pushed us in different directions, “Still said.
Dianne and Still got to try and taste many different creations based on referrals to decide what was the right fit for their market.
They had to redefine what farming in LA could look like for Prosperity Market. Urban farmers and community gardens could take a nontraditional space and grow enough to feed and provide for the community but needed the outlet to do so, according to Still.
“California grows the most food in the country, but also LA has the largest population of food insecure people. So we grow food but export a lot of it,” Still said.
Their first official market pop-up was in February 2021 in Inglewood, where they brought high-quality Black-owned vendors to the community.
Lauren Kell, creator and owner of Vanity Room, met Dianne and Still during a Garden Tour in the summer of 2022. She had been keeping up with them over social media and was excited about their goals.
“Being a vendor at one of their markets is like being a part of a family. The way Kara and Carmen rally the community to bring in food accessibility and goods from vendors is beautiful. My business has grown and so have I,” Kell said.
Kell said she made many connections in the community and gained loyal customers since working with them.
She credits them for displaying how to take risks and unapologetically take up space.
Regarding how they approach setting their business aesthetic, Still believes that her and Dianne’s creative backgrounds aid them. They don’t feel bound to the typical expectations of farmers’ markets and want their version to be “fun, pretty, and colorful.”
“We wanted to make sure that when we show up, it always feels good. It always feels like an experience you want and that you deserve,” Still said.
Founder of Tranquilitea, Nikkia Johnson, also started working with Prosperity Market last summer at their Juneteenth event at the California African American Museum in LA. Johnson feels that her business’s exposure has grown immensely since then due to the support of Dianne and Still.
“They [ Dianne and Still] really put in extra effort to make sure that their vendors are happy and successful.
From offering to help with our setup to hosting workshops to improve our skills as entrepreneurs and small business owners,” Johnson said.
It has been exhilarating for Still and Dianne to see their customers and supporters go from strangers to being on a first-name basis. Seeing them at every pop-up market is amazing and eye-opening, according to Still.
Prosperity Market’s next pop-up will be at Hollywood Park on Aug. 27, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to Still, it is the grand finale of their third annual Black Business Scavenger Hunt, where almost 90 businesses are participating, from Pasadena to Long Beach.
There will be farmers, food, music, and family activities. They are also doing a collaborative market in the spirit of Black Business Month, featuring Come Up LA, a Black-owned marketplace.
“This whole journey [with Prosperity Market] is very God-given, it was a seed that was planted, and I think that’s why we’ve been able to excel in the way that we have.
That’s what makes us keep going on the days when it’s not easy,” Dianne said.
All Chill: A Hip-Hop Ice Cream Shop is now open in Leimert Park, and the L.A. Watts Times sat down with owners Genelle and Julian Petty to discuss their journey in launching this new business.
Being proud Howard University alums, the Pettys have intersected their love for ice cream with community and hip-hop, giving the L.A. Watts Times insight on their thought process in developing this multifaceted business.
With hip-hop being such a stronghold of the Black community, the Pettys noted, “The grand gesture of All Chill is helping the community, economic development, and having a safe space. All Chill is an ice cream shop, but it is also our museum.
“It is a cultural institution and opens a discussion about our culture, our language, our fashion and the artists’ expression and we get to explore through that with joy, which is ice cream. Ice cream is a connector. It is multigenerational and we are bringing it to an area we think needs it. It is educational and it is history.”
Julian Petty’s love for hip-hop not only stretches into All Chill’s culture, but also into his professional world as an entertainment lawyer.
After he and Genelle got married post-Howard, they wanted to find a way to continue to integrate his passion for hip-hop into his life.
Being in the music industry, Julian has become an avid collector of hip-hop memorabilia and artifacts, from records to clothing, books, flyers, and rare photos.
With such special items, Genelle came up with the idea of opening a hip-hop ice cream shop to find a place for his collection to be seen and celebrated.
Describing the hip-hop influence as an ode to his New York upbringing, Julian recalled, “Growing up, where I lived was heavily influenced by hip-hop, and in Long Island, we had De La Soul, Public Enemy, Rakim and I got to see and interact with many of them as a child, so I was super ingratiated in hip-hop culture and I just kept that with me.”
With Genelle’s roots in the View Park/Baldwin Hills area, she as well as Julian have created an even closer relationship to the Leimert Park community since opening the shop. An interior design extraordinaire, she has her own interior design business - BPC Interior Design.
She noted, “We’ve made connections with everybody in the community, and I have been a designer in people’s homes and businesses, shaping their homes and environments for 13 years and none of that has connected me more than I have as having an ice cream shop.”
The Pettys commitment to fostering community stretches across many areas, especially around collaborating with other local businesses in the neighborhood.
They ensure that they are doing research about who they are sourcing ingredients from, who they hire, and allowing other vendors space in the store to be introduced to wider audiences.
All Chill’s ice cream is made from the highest quality ingredients, and they make what they believe Black bodies deserve.
Having organic products available for the community to enjoy is important to the enterprising couple.
“We operate to serve our community, and to be something we want here, the support has been awesome, and I never thought something like ice cream would connect me to so many people from every walk of life and it has. It is rewarding,” said Genelle.
All Chill strives to create more ways for the community to really engage in discourse about hip-hop culture with book signings, salons and panels held at the shop.
The Pettys aim to use their entrepreneurial knowledge to open more shops in the future and cultivate more ways for the community to learn and connect through hip-hop culture while reveling in the joy of ice cream.
All Chill is now open four days a week, Thursday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Visit the shop at 3415 W. 43rd Pl., in Los Angeles and their website at https://www.allchillinc.com/.
Sourcing information has drastically changed courtesy of the digital age. Entertainment and news outlets have created a strong online presence where people can consume content tailored to their interests. Blogging and social media have also made an impact on how information is sought out and received.
Los Angeles native Bijon Bates embraced the cyber shift more than 10 years ago after co-founding hip-hop blog “WebSideStory” (WSS) from 2012-2016. Fast forward to 2022, he has since interviewed esteemed producer D.J. Battlecat, Pro Image designer A. Brims, and local artists like Niko G4, Mani Coolin’, Jay Ward, and more. On the last day of Black Music Month, Bates sat down with the L.A. Sentinel to share his perspective on hip-hop’s journey with the internet.
With his experience as a blogger in the blog era to present day, Bates created Projects & Politics (PxP), an Instagram and YouTube platform that supports positive content surrounding hip-hop and its newest artists. He has expanded his reach and tapped into his passion with concise and consistent posts. When asked about how he was introduced to blogging, Bates credits his cousin Taylor Smith for ushering him into the industry.
“My cousin Taylor started the WSS blog and reached out to me because of my love for music and how much of a historian I am. Shoutout to her because I don’t think I would’ve known it was an option. I grew up watching documentaries and movies about music, and reading magazines, so it [blogging] came natural and ended up being a perfect fit. We were familiar with the material but now in a digital form.”
Bates remembers after drafting and designing the abbreviated logo, he was able to settle on the full title Projects & Politics based on the brand’s versatility and mission to advance the culture, display talent, and reintroduce integrity.
“Post WSS I was floating around working with other artists, and the name came to me because I felt like I could apply it not only to music but in life. The project is your work aspect of life,” he noted.
“If you skip any steps in your process you can mess up your whole project, so you have to follow along step by step to make sure you execute correctly. Politics are people; you have to politic with everybody to have relationships and advance in this world. Projects & Politics is your work-life and your social-life.”
Bates is staying persistent and taking his time with developing the layers of PxP. His goals of expanding into business and merchandise has kept the blog centered around its core mission.
Bates shared, “Consumers are looking for somewhere to go to just get the music. Rather than reading on who’s cheating on who, some people genuinely want to be updated on their entertainment, that’s what I’m here for. The goal is to become a publication company with integrity, building other brands and sub-businesses under the umbrella of PxP.”
Adding interviews to PxP has been a highlight for Bates. Last year, he spoke with D.J. Battlecat about his opinion on Westcoast hip-hop, the generational gap in music, and working as a D.J. and producer.
When talking about his most memorable interviews, Bates recalled, “My very first interview was D.J. Battlecat and my most grateful, that was amazing. I grew up on Battlecat, people that don’t even they grew up on Battlecat grew up on Battlecat.
“My interview with Blxst’s manager Victor Burnett was very insightful, and my most recent interview with my friend, producer, and engineer Josh Gray, was the most natural and organic conversation. My favorite interview has been an artist named Bale, he’s from L.A. as well,” he noted.
“No matter what, I’m a Black man from L.A., that’s always going to be me. I never wanted to limit myself to being an L.A. blog, it’s so much bigger than that. Posting L.A. content is organic as these are my peers and we work closely with each other; the product is there,” insisted Bates.
“L.A. has a bunch of talent. I’m tired of hearing the narrative that L.A. music is outdated. When I look around, I see so many successful people from L.A. in different lifestyles and representing different views.
I have the opportunity to shed light on that.
It’s a blessing that I definitely take advantage of especially when I know there’s certain people who all they need is a look.”
As blogging continues to become more popular, Bates believes the trend is here to stay, predicting, “Too much of anything will get played out.
I do think its [blogging] here to stay as the new regular and people should get used to it.
“Album promotion is now intertwined with streaming. A lot of artists can go on a streaming tour and go to different live streams, podcasts, and interviews because that content is direct to the consumer. The blogging wave is the wave, I love the space we’re in.”
Bates encourages up and coming bloggers and artists to stay consistent and work with integrity and passion. With such an influx of content on a 24-hour cycle, the algorithm is always changing. Staying consistent has allowed Bates the time and focus to continue to make his imprint.
For the newest drops in music follow Bijon Bates and Projects & Politics on Instagram at Bates (@bates_focus) and Projects & Politics (@projectsxpolitics). All PxP interviews are available on YouTube at Projects & Politics.
Throughout her career, Sade Elhawary has shown undeniable leadership. Decades of her effort reflect her devotion to positive change and future growth.
Multiple pillars of the community confirmed that Elhawary would be a strong advocate for the 57th District.
Los Angeles Sentinel had an exclusive interview Elhawary to discuss the growth in the 57th District.
Noted public servants that recognize Elhawary’s talent and support her running for the seat include State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, current 57th District Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, L.A. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor.
Elhawary dedicates her energy to justice and uplifting the next generation. As a foster mother, college counselor, youth organizer and high school teacher, Elhawary has felt first-hand the pains and frustration as a concerned parent and the duality of faculty maneuvering through institutionalized youth programs. She holds the experience and comprehension to work both sides of the educational spectrum, creating a sense of unity.
“My experience and history have been focused on young people,” said Elhawary as she described her life patterns that led her to have a hand in shaping the future. “Young people are truly the next generation of leaders. And how we invest in our next generation - especially when we think about areas like South Central and Watts—how do we make sure that our folks have quality services to thrive in our neighborhood?”
To address that issue, Elhawary aims to develop a range of projects including youth career leadership programs, entrepreneurship for young people of color and pathways that invests in their growth. She looks to support the youth of the community throughout different seasons and stages of their life.
Elhawary understands the astronomical impact that takes place when one focuses on nurturing future generations. She wants to protect and elevate local youth through more after school programs and creating spaces that feel like safe havens; a place to prevent and avoid violent environments. She gained experience in this field while directing youth engagement for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass throughout her campaign season.
“The Karen Bass campaign was centered around organizing, but also engagement strategies—like how you would get the youth’s voice involved within this process,” Elhawary said.
Elhawary does the work with no fear. When her focus was on the Community Coalition, she exercised her deep-rooted persistence and worked with the Community Coalition team to raise $12 million that supported the construction of a center for like-minded social activists.
As a woman with the genetic makeup that includes Black, Egyptian and Guatemalan— Elhawary calls for justice and liberation through her presence.
She has dedicated 15 years to facing racially charged issues head on.
Elhawary continues to face the eyes of the unsheltered, looking directly at the overcasting crisis happening in L.A., she has aligned her future initiatives to the ingenuity Mayor Bass has already demonstrated.
Recognizing the synergy that circulates between the mayor’s office and the L.A. County Supervisors, Elhawary said, “We have to be really, really bold and innovative with solutions and work closely with local government.”
She spoke with a tone of understanding in the importance of all parts of public service to push for change.
In addition to advocating for more of an aggressive approach to solve the unsheltered crisis, Elhawary intends to support to groups that have been on the frontlines assisting people who are experiencing homelessness.
She outlined the concept that homelessness is a multi-layered issue that includes the extremities of mental health and government regulations.
When it comes to prosperity in the community and providing more job opportunities, Elhawary is focused on creating apprenticeship programs for unions and she complimented the expansive opportunities that different unions offer.
Additionally, she is leaning heavily into introducing proactive measures for community safety. “We have to be thoughtful around community safety and prevention programs that really work in our community.
I’m really invested in being able to provide stronger opportunities, pay and benefits for gang intervention,” Elhawary stated.
Elhawary closed with the following issue that holds a massive space in her heart by stating, “We have to solve the housing crisis—and knowing that it’s going to take bold solutions, in particular, attacking the root causes.”
She continued, “Mental health is a huge reason why folks are on the streets, so if we don’t actually think about how we are going to increase and make mental health treatment better, the housing crisis doesn’t go away, substance abuse treatment as well - how do we make sure that the providers have what they need, how do we make sure to expand access to those things, and even beyond that.
“We are in Black and Brown communities, where mental health is often seen as a stigma.
If we aren’t actively providing more treatment for folks around mental health, then we also see more folks on the streets or more folks that don’t have the support that they need.” Elhawary is also addressing this thread of mental health that is caught within the mind of youths as well.
An alum of UCLA and Harvard, Elhawary has been attracted to public service since being elected student body president in elementary school.
Her desire to serve others and her deep commitment to community make Elhawary a strong candidate to represent the 57th Assembly District.
To learn more, visit sadeforassembly.com.