Macy’s to hold month-long donation campaign to benefit United Negro College Fund

By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer

To celebrate Black History Month, Macy’s on Feb. 1 will launch Black History. Black Brilliance., a month-long donation campaign in stores and online to support the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which provides scholarships to AfricanAmerican students and funding to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The retail giant will also highlight Blackowned brands through its social purpose platform, Mission Every One, and organize online shopping events to encourage customers to buy Black.

“This Black History Month, we’re furthering Macy’s mission of building a brighter future with bold representation for our colleagues, customers and communities by spotlighting and celebrating the history, accomplishments and resilience of Black Americans throughout our stores and across our bands,” said Shawn

Outler, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Macy’s.

“Through Mission Every One, we work with our communities and UNCF to raise critical funding that will empower the next generation of leaders, enabling growth and leadership through HBCU educational opportunities.”

Throughout the month of February, customers have the opportunity to engage in a round-up campaign to support scholarships for students across the nation who plan to attend HBCUs and who are already enrolled in HBCUs.

Customers can donate online, or they can round-up their in-store purchases and contribute the extra change to fund Macy’s Brighter Futures Scholarship Fund.

As part of Black History. Black Business., several Black brands will be promoted in stores and online, including Harlem Candle Co., a luxury home fragrance line by Teri Johnson; OMA The Label, a jewelry brand by Neumi Anekhe; and

Healthy Roots, a toy company created by Yelitsa Jean-Charles that teaches natural hair care with Black dolls.

The brands will also be featured during two virtual Macy’s Live shopping events on Feb. 8 and Feb. 17.

Since 2021, Macy’s has given nearly $2 million to benefit the mission of UNCF. Last spring, the department store also announced that Mission Every One would deploy $5 billion by 2025 to build a more equitable and sustainable future.

The initiative’s commitments included raising Macy’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, providing grant funding to advance human rights and social justice efforts, investing in underrepresented brands and designers, supporting scholarship for underrepresented youth in fashion and using more sustainable materials for Macy’s products.

Megan Sayles is a Report for America corps member.

Nicole Lynn becomes first Black woman agent to represent an NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl

by Abu Mubarik, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Nicole Lynn has become the first Black woman to represent an NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl. She is agent to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday while the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a 23-20 victory to reach the finals. The two will face off at Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.

For the first time in the Super Bowl, two Black starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, will feature.

Although this is not the first time Black quarterbacks have featured and won the Super Bowl, at no point in history have there been two Black quarterbacks starting for each side.

When the Eagles face the Chiefs, Lynn’s name will go down in history as the first Black woman to represent a quarterback in the prestigious faceoff.

“I’ve seen that now with tons of different women in my life that are hustlers,” she shared. “Athletes, coaches, women in the business world of sports. I see it all the time. And they deserve their flowers too. So if me saying something about it brings more attention to it, then I’m all for that.”

Lynn and Hurts’ relationship started after the former sent him a direct message asking to be his agent. After impressing Hurt and his father with her management career that spans several NCAA players, she was appointed an agent.

“I know the agent world in the NFL, and all sports, is very male-dominated,” Hurts told Sports Illustrated. “But Nicole was really on top of her stuff. She was prepared. She knew what she was talking about. She was hungry. And she was determined. And I feel that determination like that never rests. Once you come across such a determined individual, that just hits me a little different.”

The decision to make her an agent is historic also because the field is dominated by men, specifically white men. Data from Zippia shows that Whites make up 68.6% of all sports agents. Also, women make up just 23% of U.S. NFL agents. Of that, only 10.4% are Black.