Get The Scoop On the 10-Year Anniversary of Complete Girlz Inc.

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Complete Girlz, Inc. Celebrates
10 Years of Empowering Girls

Ten years of mentoring. More than 300 girls served. Countless dreams encouraged.

Founded in 2016 by Earlene Lezama-Taylor, Complete Girlz, Inc. is celebrating a decade of educating, motivating, and empowering girls. Based in South Jamaica, Queens, the organization offers virtual and in-person sessions specializing in self-esteem, leadership, and mentoring.

Among a group of 25 Complete Girlz, 23 have graduated—a 92% graduation rate. Their accomplishments reflect the determination of the young women and the support of the families, mentors, and community members who have encouraged them along the way.

Complete Girlz’s community work has received recognition over the years, including a 2018 proclamation from Senator Leroy Comrie, a 2019 proclamation from Alicia Hyndman, a 2019 Gem Among Us Award from Malik Melodies for Community Empowerment, a 2020 citation from Vivian Cook, and a 2022 proclamation from Adrienne Adams.

The organization has also partnered with I.S. 8, Jamaica Library, Rochdale Library, Saratoga Family Shelter, Starbucks on Sutphin Boulevard, and Rochdale Community Center to connect with girls and families throughout the community.

Get The Scoop From Dr. Tara S. Merchant On Why Ownership Matters for Black Creators and Entrepreneurs

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From Ideas to Assets: Why Ownership Matters for Black Creators and Entrepreneurs

"Building wealth is not only about earning income. It is also about understanding, protecting and retaining the value of what you create."

By Dr. Tara S. Merchant, J.D.

Black creativity and entrepreneurship have always played an important role in shaping culture, creating businesses and generating economic opportunity. 

From entrepreneurs and inventors to authors, artists, entertainers, designers, consultants and small business owners, Black professionals continue to turn ideas into products, services, brands and businesses.

But there is an important question that deserves greater attention:

Who owns what you create?

It is easy to focus on earning money from an idea, product or service. It is equally important to understand the rights connected to that work and whether you are building an asset that you can control over time.

Income and ownership are not necessarily the same thing.

You can be paid for your work without owning the intellectual property associated with it. You can build a brand for a company without owning the trademark. You can create content for a business without necessarily retaining the rights to that content. You can develop an idea that becomes commercially successful while someone else controls the underlying asset.

Understanding that distinction can change the way you approach business.

Before signing a contract, accepting an opportunity or entering into a partnership, ask questions about ownership and control.

Who owns the work?

Who owns the intellectual property?

Who has the right to use it?

Is that right exclusive or nonexclusive?

How long does the agreement last?

Can the other party transfer the rights to someone else?

Can the work be modified?

Can it be licensed to another company?

What happens if the relationship ends?

These questions may seem complicated, but they can have long term consequences.

Get The Scoop On Fun and Empowering Events in Southeast Queens the Weekend of October 3rd

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Fun and Empowering Events in
Southeast Queens the
Weekend of October 3rd

Get The Scoop On Where to Meet The Business Lenders

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 Queens Economic Development Corporation Presents

Access to Capital: Queens Lender Fair

Unlocking Growth: Queens Lender Fair
Connects Entrepreneurs with Crucial Capital

Small business owners and entrepreneurs in Southeast Queens will have a major opportunity to secure the financial resources they need to scale their enterprises on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The Access to Capital: Queens Lender Fair, organized by the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), will take place from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), located at 153-10 Jamaica Avenue. [1, 2]

This high-impact, free networking and informational event is specifically tailored for seasoned business owners ready to transition to their next phase of growth. By bridging the gap between local entrepreneurs and mainstream financial systems, the fair addresses one of the most persistent hurdles in modern business development: obtaining reliable, sustainable financing. [1]

+------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+

| Event Attribute  | Details                                                     |
+------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+

| Event Name       | Access to Capital: Queens Lender Fair                       |
| Organizer        | Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC)              |
| Date & Time      | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM              |
| Location         | Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), Jamaica, Queens, NY  |
| Cost             | Free (Registration Required)                                |
| Target Audience  | Entrepreneurs, Startups, and Seasoned Business Owners       |
+------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Direct Access to Financial Ecosystems

For many minority, women, and immigrant-owned businesses in Jamaica and surrounding neighborhoods, traditional commercial loans can often feel out of reach due to strict underwriting metrics or institutional alienation. The Queens Lender Fair combats this by assembling a diverse array of institutional stakeholders under one roof. Attendees will be able to interface directly with representatives from: [1]

Commercial Banks: Traditional institutions offering standard credit facilities, commercial real estate financing, and business lines of credit.
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): Mission-driven lenders like Accompany Capital that focus on economic revitalization by extending credit to underserved markets. [1]
Microlenders & Alternative Funders: Entities specialized in smaller capital injections, alternative collateral rules, and highly flexible repayment models for early-stage or pivoting small businesses. [1]

Rather than navigating opaque online applications, business owners can pitch their business models directly to decision-makers, gaining immediate clarity on loan products, baseline eligibility criteria, and maximum funding amounts. [1]

Get The Scoop on The 192nd Anniversary of The Historic GAC Cathedral of Jamaica, NY

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The Gospel of Brick, Bread, and
Belief: Inside the Social Impact Empire of
Jamaica’s Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

The Gospel of Brick, Bread, and Belief: Inside the Social Impact Empire of Jamaica’s Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

For nearly two centuries, the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York (GAC) in Jamaica, Queens has stood as a monumental pillar of Black spiritual life. Yet, to view this historic institution—which recently celebrated its 192nd anniversary—strictly as a house of Sunday worship is to miss the entire scope of its mission. Under the transformative, five-decade leadership of Pastor Emeriti Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake and Rev. Dr. M. Elaine Flake, GAC pioneered a radical, holistic theology. Their core philosophy? True spiritual salvation must be paired with physical, social, and economic empowerment. Today, led by Pastor Rev. Stephen A. Green, GAC operates not just as a church, but as a multi-million dollar community development ecosystem that anchors Southeast Queens. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Flake Legacy: A Partnership of Faith, Politics, and Community Care

The foundation of GAC’s modern empire lies in the dynamic partnership of the Flakes. Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake famously merged spiritual conviction with public service, serving as a U.S. Congressman from 1987 to 1997. In Washington, he continuously pushed the government to support community-based revitalization. “The only way to address the economic issues of our inner cities is to establish a level of parity by building infrastructure,” Flake once remarked during a congressional hearing on urban development. “We cannot ask people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they do not even have boots.”

Rev. Dr. Floyd Flake

Working hand-in-hand as an equal church leader and visionary minister, his wife, Rev. Dr. M. Elaine Flake, broke barriers within the A.M.E. church. She served as co-pastor and later became GAC's first female senior pastor. Her ministry focused on the vital human infrastructure of the community. In addition to co-founding the Allen Christian School, she spearheaded the Allen Women’s Resource Center, establishing a secure haven and housing pipeline specifically for survivors of domestic violence. Together, the Flakes modeled a dual-leadership approach where the pulpit, the halls of Congress, and local human services combined to fight systemic poverty.

Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake

Get The Scoop On Fun and Empowering Events in Southeast Queens the Weekend of September 25th

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Empowering Events in Southeast Queens the Weekend of September 25th

Your Mind Is Not Public Property Op-Ed By Dr. Tamika Quinn

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Your Mind Is Not Public Property

The Algorithm Isn’t Just Choosing What You See— It’s Shaping How You See the World

By Dr. Tamika Quinn

www.tamikaquinn.com/tamikastake

I’ve noticed something that keeps giving me pause. Some of the people closest to me see completely different things in their newsfeeds, even when we share interests and follow some of the same people. I’ll ask, “Did you see that story about…?” and get a surprised “No.” Meanwhile, I’ve seen it so many times that I assumed everybody knew about it.

That made me wonder: How much of what feels like common knowledge is simply what my feed keeps putting in front of me?

Let me tell you, we can be sitting beside each other on the same couch and scrolling through two very different versions of the world. One person sees community celebrations and business opportunities. Another sees conflict, catastrophe and people arguing. Neither screen is a complete picture, but each can feel convincing when it is what you keep seeing.

We often talk about social media as though we open an app and freely choose what to consume. We do make choices. But we make many of them from a selection already arranged for us.

Meta’s own explanation of Facebook Feed ranking describes using thousands of signals to predict what a person will find valuable. Those predictions help determine which posts appear higher or lower. Following the same accounts does not guarantee that two people will see the same posts in the same order. Personalization is part of the design. [1]

That can be useful. I appreciate discovering information that connects with my interests. As a speaker, author and health advocate, I also understand how valuable these platforms can be for reaching people who might otherwise never encounter my work.

But I want us to ask a harder question: Does what keeps our attention always deserve our attention?