Business
As “Shop Black Week” 2020 is Primed to Make History, TikTok, Shopify, Amazon and Walmart Are Now Jumping on the Bandwagon

ATLANTA, Nov. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — “Shop Black Week” began years ago as a meeting of the minds that included determined Black business owners and community organizers as a campaign to promote Black economic empowerment that soon escalated and became a world-wide movement. The idea of Shop Black Week (SBW) was to encourage consumers to simply add “shopping with a Black-owned business” to their to-do-list. The Official Shop Black Week 2020 campaign has over 200 organizations involved, which represents over 1.5 million members, subscribers and followers who will share and hashtag #shopblackweek to encourage mass participation. The SBW campaign simply asks every American to make at least one purchase from a Black-owned business from November 20-27th and into the holiday season.
Systemic economic disparities are not new; however, the COVID-19 pandemic brought this to the forefront. Recently, an overwhelming amount of attention has been placed on the disparities and injustices within the Black community. Because the SBW organizers are Black business owners themselves, they were more than aware of these disparities and even more than aware that nothing short of a major movement would be necessary to address this issue knowing that many small businesses suffered and had to shut down.
As Black business-owners, the SBW campaign began as a S.O.S. (Save Our-Selves) call to action. However, it seems that others want in on the Black movement because it is in fashion these days. Recently, TikTok, Wal-Mart, Amazon and Shopify (all non-Black owned entities) have launched Black initiatives, and specifically TikTok has termed their “new initiative,” unbelievably, “Shop Black Week” too. According to the organizers of the Official Shop Black Week, in an attempt to preempt the Official Shop Black Week campaign, the corporate giant has created a new start date, one week before the official grassroots campaign launches. “Google ‘shop black week,’ to see hundreds of results displayed; visit the website to see all of our participating organizations and partners. As the true Official ‘Shop Black Week,’ we are concerned that these large corporate giants have not responded to our request for partnership, but instead, they are attempting seemingly to capitalize off Black consumers and business owners,” said Carla Tillman, PhD, Shop Black Week’s National Director.
The copycat shop-black-week promoters indicated that they have hand-picked and pre-selected some Black-owned vendors to feature. “That’s great!” says Sharon S. Gordon, media partner of SBW, “however, organizers of the Official Shop Black Week campaign welcome all types of Black-owned businesses who would be able to keep 100% of the proceeds from their products and services.” A qualified business simply has to register and pass the vetting process by signing up at shopblackweek.org. Organizers of the Official SBW forecast an average of 30,000 daily website visitors who will be searching to find quality Black-owned businesses to support.
Everyone making a purchase from a Black-owned business during Shop Black Week November 20-27th should hashtag #shopblackweek and let everyone know about any purchases including business names, locations, dates and photos.
Press Contact, Latoya Meshell, (833) 991-0911 or 258334@email4pr.com
Business
San Antonio Airport to Set Record for Travel During Memorial Day Weekend

More people are packing their suitcases for trips in and out of San Antonio International Airport (SAT) than ever before. SAT will see a record-breaking number of travelers – close to 190,000 total – from Thursday to Memorial Day. During that 5-day period, there’s an estimated 14% increase in scheduled seats to and from SAT compared to 2019 and a 19% increase since last year.
“We’re expecting the busiest Memorial Day weekend travel in our airport’s history,” said Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports, San Antonio Airport System. “People want to fly and it’s getting more affordable to do so. We are seeing more competitive fares with the addition of Spirit Airlines over the last year – and that’s helping our travelers find better deals on flights that are too good to pass up. We’re also expecting our busiest summer ever, but right now we’re focused on making sure everyone has a smooth experience in the days ahead.”
According to the Transportation Security Administration, here’s a day-by-day breakdown of how many passengers are expected to fly in and out of SAT:
- Thursday: 38,514
- Friday: 38,600
- Saturday: 34,000
- Sunday: 38,100
- Memorial Day: 37,700
Fly Away Valet has also set records recently. Earlier this month, the company reported a gigantic increase in parking spaces at SAT since the service began in 2020. The service started with 80 spaces and now has 500.
Last week, valet operations were consolidated to the Short-Term Parking Garage for both pick-up and drop-off of vehicles.
For more information and to watch a video showing how to valet park at SAT, please visit the airport’s website.
Business
Job Fest 2023

Mark your calendars for JobFest 2023, happening on Thursday, June 1 from 4 -7 p.m. at the ATT Center. Whether you’re a recent graduate, looking for a summer internship, or seeking professional development opportunities, JobFest is the place to be!
We are seeking youth looking for Internships, part-time, and full-time positions. This is a no-cost, in-person event at the AT&T Center. Register today and connect with local employers with various positions in high-demand, high growth careers! To reserve your spot, go here.
Open to Youth 16-24 and the General Public
Opportunities include:
✅Internships
✅Part-Time Positions
✅Full-Time Positions
✅ Resume & Interview Skills
This is a partnership event from Texas State House Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, in collaboration with Bexar County, City of San Antonio, Ready To Work, Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and Workforce Solutions Alamo.
JOB FAIR TIPS FOR YOUR SUCCESS:
✔️Come dressed professionally
✔️Bring your updated Resume
If you would like help updating your resume, please visit any Workforce Solution Alamo Career Center location before the event or call (210) 224-4357 to make an appointment.
Business
Bexar County Couple Offers Counseling & Mentorship Program

Community-based counseling is happening at Ken-Lyn Consultants and Associates, a vision Dr. Kenneth Brown and Dr. Lynda Brown had years ago. The couple is now considered a family counselor and life coach duo.
Ken-Lyn has been serving Bexar County since 2017 and has grown almost immediately from serving 3-5 clients weekly to serving 50-70 globally. One of their greatest accomplishments is their continuous “5-Star” ratings. Amazingly, of the thousands of clients that have chosen to write a review, they all have shared the same sentiment.
Dr. Lynda Brown is a product of the East Side, where her father, Dr. Walter Duncan, served as one of the leading dentists to Black clients. Her mom, Dr. Joan Duncan, spent 40 years as an educator and professor. Dr. Kenneth Brown’s mom was an office manager, church leader, and pianist in Southern Maryland.
The Brown’s services have taken them to faraway places such as Australia, Dubai, Italy, Hawaii, and Alaska. They travel to perform workshops and officiate weddings all over the country. The Brown’s business partner, Tiana Hill, is an Air Force veteran like Dr. Kenneth Brown. A University of Texas at San Antonio graduate, Hill develops all website and software programming, mentors the youth, and is also a parent in the program. Ken-Lyn’s associates and partners are specialists in their fields, such as nurse practitioners, military human resources, special education professionals, attorneys, doctors, pharmacists, information technology specialists, movers, mechanics, realtors, credit recovery, insurance brokers, and many more.
Ken-Lyn’s vast array of services is “everything family.” Their youngest client is four years old, and their oldest is 86. They have assisted over 110 students to get into four-year universities, helping them earn over $5.2 million in scholarships. Their clientele is diverse, from local families simply trying to keep their child in school to West Coast entertainers, East Coast politicians, doctors, lawyers, police officers, active military and veterans. They also serve as educational advocates during 504/IEP meetings from the school conference room to the Texas Education Agency and the Office of Civil Rights as needed.
Ken-Lyn Consultants and Associates has been where undergraduate psychology students come to “cut their teeth” and learn how to run a practice and market their services. As of spring 2023, 80% of their undergraduate interns have come from UTSA. Interns serve in the tradition of “camp counselors” as they aid students within the Ken-Lyn mentorship program.
They say, “We monitor grades. We aid them with everything from hygiene, makeup application, grooming, and college prep to cleaning and organizing backpacks. We help our mentees to discover themselves, despite the possible odds and misunderstandings they may face daily.”
This spring, Ken-Lyn has a busy community schedule while serving clients daily:
- Their office has recently expanded, and on March 23 at 6:30 pm, they will host a brief “Business Blessing Ceremony.” Dr. Otis Mitchell, pastor of Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, will officiate.
- On Thursday, March 30, the six-week “12 Steps Toward Communicating Better” workshop will conclude at the Windmill Ice House at 2769 Nacogdoches Rd, featuring artist Elizabeth Holmes and the Ken-Lyn Communicators Band.
- Their mentorship program will host female and minority pilots at the Boerne Stage Field, 100 Boerne Stage Airfield, on Sunday, March 26 at 5 pm.
- Other mentorship guest speakers this semester will include professionals in tech fields, professors, and adults who have turned their lives around for themselves and their families.
- Every semester, students in their program will tour at least two colleges. This semester, they will visit Our Lady of the Lake University and Texas A&M University at College Station.
To learn more about Ken-Lyn’s services, visit (KenLynConsultants.com) or call 210-761-4345.
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