Greenwood Launches Greenwood Invest, A Stock Trading and … FinTech Futures
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November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
Month: November 2023
Black Woman’s Line Of Collard Greens And Chitterlings Spice Blends Now Available At Walmart
November 30, 2023
(updated December 4, 2023)
Published by News Feed
Meet Erica Gillespie, the visionary founder of Feisty Spices, a Black-owned line of savory spices and blends inspired by her culinary heritage that stretches from the kitchen of her Alabama grandmother to the cultural rhythms of Ghana. Her most popular products are the Collard Greens and Chitterlings spice blends, and all of her products are available for purchase at Walmart, Amazon, Grocery Outlet, and other local grocery stores.
Based in Atlanta, Erica, who is a distant relative of jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie, began her culinary journey with a simple yet profound observation in her grandmother’s kitchen, where an array of spices transformed meals into unforgettable experiences.
Since its inception in 2020, Feisty Spices has transcended expectations. Starting with a modest $500 and a passionate dream, the brand almost immediately garnered attention and success. Just five months into its launch, Erica received her first $30K purchase order with a major grocery chain committing to distribute the brand to their locations across the U.S.
With a passion for versatility and a commitment to offering her culture something different, Erica launched Feisty Spices, a brand that quickly became a kitchen essential nationwide. Rooted in tradition and innovation, her brand boasts unique blends that can be paired with any dish, setting the brand apart as the only one with access to these exclusive recipes.
“Feisty Spices isn’t just a seasoning; it’s a cultural necessity,” Erica says. She believes that her spice blends are needed for the culture because of health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure that are so prevalent. Several of her blends are low sodium, keto-friendly, and contain no MSG, providing healthier options without compromising on flavor.
Feisty Spices can be purchased from Walmart Marketplace in the U.S. and Mexico, on Amazon Prime, and via its official website at FeistySpices.com
The brand is also available in various stores across Atlanta including Grant Park Market and the Chandler Park Market. It is also distributed within Pic n Sav grocery stores across the state of Alabama.
Erica affirms her commitment to culinary innovation, stating, “I will continue to create unique blends in hopes of providing healthier options for cooks across America that don’t compromise flavor.
Be sure to follow the brand on Instagram @FeistySpices
For press inquiries, please contact erica.gillespie00@gmail.com or 770-280-7555.
Pronghorn Selects The New England Barrel Company As Its Next Seed Investment
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
- Money
by Derek Major
November 30, 2023
Pronghorn selects The New England Barrel Company (NEBCo), a Black-owned whiskey company as the next seed investment
According to a press release shared with Black Enterprise, Pronghorn, a platform revolutionizing how to effectively diversify industries to include underrepresented groups, has selected the New England Barrel Company (NEBCo) as the next seed investment.
NEBCo, a Black-owned brand, features a group of spirits recognized for its rich flavor notes and warm finishes. NEBCo has quickly become a well-recognized brand by critics across the U.S. The brand includes a bevy of two-core batched bourbons and several limited, single-barrel offerings bottled from whiskies sourced from US-based distilleries, both large and small.
“New England Barrel Company, at its foundation, is about building community through a shared interest in great whiskey,” New England Barre Company Founder James Saunders said in a statement. “Our mission each day is to craft and distribute outstanding batched and single barrel releases that are affordable and offer them to the public at reasonable prices.”
The entry into the Pronghorn family arrives on the heels of the New York Spirits Competition, where NEBCo was named the “Best Single Barrel Bourbon up to 10 Years” for the company’s single barrel Select 5-Year Bourbon.
The award further cements the Black-founded brand as one of the leading whiskey brands globally. The investment in NEBCo is another step that Pronghorn is taking to achieve its overall goal of investing in 57 Black-owned spirits brands to generate $2.4 billion in economic value for the Black community by 2032.
Earlier this summer, Pronghorn announced it raised $200 million to invest in 19 Black-owned businesses and started several initiatives to help boost Black men and women in the spirits industry, including its HBCU Innovation Lab and the Pronghorn Spirits Academy.
In August, Pronghorn announced its fourth round of angel investments in three spirits brands: Abisola Whiskey, Los Hermanos Tequila 1978, and Alexander James Whiskey. The investments celebrated the rise of Black entrepreneurs across growing industries across the U.S. in honor of Black Business Month.
“It’s extraordinary to see the ways in which the Pronghorn family continues to grow,” said Pronghorn CEO and Managing Director Jomaree Pinkard.“ We are thrilled to be working with New England Barrel Company to further accelerate their business. Pronghorn’s capital investments and supercharging programs continue to refine its unique replicability to encourage and enable any company to effectively diversify any industry for historically underrepresented communities.”
RELATED CONTENT: PRONGHORN IS PUTTING ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS INVESTING IN 19 BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES RAISING $200M IN CAPITAL
Kinship Cafe Is Creating Transparency And Community Within The KC Coffee Space And We’re Here For It
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
TJ Roberts // Photo by Mar’Che Boggess
Located on the corner of North 6th Street and Ann Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas is Kinship Cafe, the city’s only Black-owned coffee shop.
Formerly home to KC Cupcake Co, owner TJ Roberts has completely redesigned the space and knocked out a few walls.
Roberts started in the KC coffee scene in 2019 while working weekends as a barista at the Roasterie. While there, he learned the ins and outs of the shop and began making his own specialty drinks, inviting regulars to come by and try them. Many are now signature items on Kinship’s menu like the “MLK Way” and “Green Fling.”
Creating a culture of transparency
During that time, he also noticed the lack of transparency about the coffee-making process, noting that while a lot of shops source their coffee from countries like Guatemala and Ethiopia, it isn’t served by people who look like them. With that in mind, he started working towards creating a Black and Brown supply chain.
“For me, I saw an opportunity to really get a chance to learn and then be a catalyst for what I didn’t see,” says Roberts. “We’re picking specific farms that are Black and Brown owned to support, and we’re trying to find better ways to have a good relationship with them but also, you know, just to highlight the culture in such a way. Who better to do that than the people that look like them?”
Kinship’s beans are sourced from Colombia and are directly shipped to the cafe where Roberts roasts and sells them.
For Roberts, that transparency goes far beyond where their coffee is sourced from, he’s also big on educating people of color about how they fit into the history of coffee too.
“Coffee, in the same way as any industry, was built on the hands and knees of minorities, and minorities don’t get the recognition that they’re owed,” says Roberts.
Along with educating customers on the history of coffee, he also strives to change their perception of it, introducing them to drinks that don’t have any cream or sugar, but are instead made with natural sweeteners like honey and agave.
Kinship specialty drink menu // Courtesy photo
“I can’t tell you how many times a Black person tells me ‘I’m not a big coffee drinker.’ And it’s because they don’t know the history of coffee,” says Roberts. “I enlighten them, and they order something like a Milky Way, which is the MLK Way, or they order a Cinnamon Delight, and by the time they leave the shop, that cup is halfway empty.”
For a lot of them, it’s also the first time they’ve actually felt welcome in a coffee shop too.
Setting the tone for the block
With the cafe being located at the furthest northern part of the block, it’s often people’s introduction to the Strawberry Hill neighborhood. Roberts uses this to his advantage, taking the opportunity to highlight other businesses in the area by hosting pop up events on the weekends and having a market of Black owned products within the shop.
“We don’t share any profit with them, they take all the profit. We really want to give the creatives that upper hand when it comes to just being seen, being noticed, and being appreciated,” says Roberts. “When we try to set that tone as a business, it does kind of create that energy for everybody to leave our shop and go out and do the same.”
In addition to pop up events and their Black market, Kinship Cafe also hosts community events like forums with local government officials,
Black artwork at Kinship Cafe // Photo by Mar’Che Boggess
Kinship Cafe is located at 719 North 6th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66101.
UT Law Faculty Highlights 2023 – University Of Tennessee College Of Law
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
Eric Amarante
Associate Professor of Law
Professor Eric Amarante published The Absurdity of Criminalizing Encouraging Words in the Cato Supreme Court Review on September 18, 2023. The Cato Supreme Court Review is the first academic journal to be published after the Court’s term, and is invitation-only. Professor Amarante also played an integral role in founding the Knoxville Latino Bar Association (the “KLBA”), which is the first Latino bar association in East Tennessee and is dedicated to nurturing and empowering a community of Latino attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students in East Tennessee. The highlight of the year was the KLBA’s celebratory launch honoring Judge Hector Sanchez, Tennessee’s first Latino trial court judge. Professor Amarante also played a significant role in planning and organizing the Tennessee Law Review’s symposium Working Toward Justice on Difficult Ground, which honored Professor Emerita Fran Ansley. He provided a short piece on the meaning of Professor Ansley’s work for the symposium. Professor Amarante was a panelist for an ABA Webinar sponsored by ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development, and he also served as a commentator for the Community Economic Development Works-in-Progress session at the 2023 AALS Annual Meeting. Finally, in conjunction with several other organizations, Professor Amarante helped organize the Knoxville Bar Association’s Black-Owned Business Clinic and Legal Advice Clinic, held at the Knoxville Area Urban League on February 16, 2023.
Bradley Areheart
Professor of Law
Professor Brad Areheart’s article with co-author Dave Hall, The Bias Presumption, is forthcoming in the Georgetown Law Journal. He is currently working on a new treatise, Tennessee Employment Law, for Lexis. Earlier in the year, he was added as a co-author to a leading Labor Law textbook, which is published by West Academic. He has spoken widely in 2023 on labor law, labor arbitration, and employment discrimination. He has also presented his current work in progress, The Privilege Gap, several times.
Wendy Bach
Professor of Law
Professor Wendy Bach spent much of 2023 giving talks to a variety of audiences—in Tennessee and across the country—on her book, Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care. Highlights included an author meets reader panel at the Law and Society conference featuring Professor Bach’s book and a new book by Professor Dorothy Roberts; a conversation between Professor Bach and Professor Khiara Bridges, hosted by Pregnancy Justice; an amazing event at Knoxville’s own Union Avenue Book Store; and a symposium on the book sponsored by the Southwestern Law Review. Professor Bach was awarded the University of Tennessee’s Jefferson Prize in recognition of her scholarly contributions. She also launched, along with colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of South Carolina, and Pregnancy Justice, a tracking study documenting pregnancy-related prosecutions in the three years after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. Finally, she received seed funding from the University, along with her colleague Professor Michelle Brown in Sociology, to found the Appalachian Justice Research Center, a trans-disciplinary research and training collaborative dedicated to advancing just and equitable community visions in Appalachia and the Mountain South. She looks forward to the official launch of the Center in the Spring of 2024.
Benjamin Barton
Helen and Charles Lockett Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Ben Barton’s Deborah Rhode In Memoriam: Three Stories and Ten Life Lessons has been published in the Fordham Law Review symposium celebrating the life and legacy of the great Stanford Law Professor and legal ethicist (as well as feminist and lawyers-as-leaders scholar) Deborah Rhode. He co-authored an article entitled Comparative Rights to Counsel and Access to Justice: The American and Brazilian Approaches and Realities with Brazilian judges and law professors Fernanda Antunes Marques Junqueira and Flávio da Costa Higa. On a related note, Ben Barton was invited to present on American Access to Justice Issues to the 12th Judicial District Labor Court Judges in Porto Velho, in the state of Rodonia, Brazil. Professor Barton presented in person on May 31 to roughly 100 judges and staff and was thrilled by the hospitality and the interchange. Professor Barton recently gave a presentation to participants attending the West Point Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Conference. In the presentation, he explained the history of higher education affirmative action cases, as well as the facts, holding, and potential implications for the military of the case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard .
Teri Dobbins Baxter
Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Williford Gragg Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Teri Baxter was appointed to serve as Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Development for the 2023-2024 academic year. Her article Constitutional Demotion was published in the Minnesota Journal of Law and Inequality in January and her article Child Sacrifices: The Precarity of Minors’ Autonomy and Bodily Integrity After Dobbs was accepted for publication in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. In February, Professor Baxter was chosen by student leaders to receive the Harold Warner Outstanding Teacher Award. She has been invited to speak to various audiences, including a Supreme Court update for attorneys from Oak Ridge National Labs and the Department of Energy. In November she will be a panelist for a CLE sponsored by Federal Express and attended by attorneys from corporate and government legal departments and law firms. She and her co-panelists Judge Jeffrey Usman and Professor Regina Lambert Hillman will discuss cases from the last Supreme Court Term. She was also a panelist discussing Property and Privacy at the Washington & Lee University School of Law Lara D. Gass Symposium. She also participated on a panel titled “Deeply Rooted”: Discussing the Aftermath of Dobbs at a symposium sponsored by the Tennessee Journal of Race Gender & Social Justice.
Robert Blitt
Toms Foundation Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Robert Blitt’s publications focused on Russia’s foreign policy, including the fallout from its ongoing war on Ukraine. “Putin-phonia”: Harnessing Russian Orthodoxy to Advance Russia’s Secular Foreign Policy discusses the Moscow Patriarchate’s enhanced role in disseminating Kremlin goals through its own foreign engagements, particularly in the wake of 2020 amendments to Russia’s constitution. His article Justifying Invasion: Russia’s 2020 Constitutional Amendments and the War on Ukraine draws linkages between Russia’s 2020 constitutional amendments and the country’s purported justifications for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Alongside these scholarly contributions, Professor Blitt published two notable op-eds: Russia’s Constitutionalized Civilizational Identity and the Moscow Patriarchate’s War on Ukraine examines the Moscow Patriarchate’s reinforcement of the Kremlin’s new civilizational identity as a tool for justifying war. Putin Constitutionalizes Soviet Mistakes Rather Than Learning from Them calls out the Kremlin’s manipulation of Soviet history to distinguish the invasion of Ukraine from previous Soviet invasions of neighboring states. Professor Blitt also presented his research findings in a variety of leading forums, including the American Society of Comparative Law (ASCL), the American Society of International Law (ASIL), the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), and Law and Society.
Eliza Boles
Assistant Professor and Digital Resources and Services Librarian
Professor Eliza Boles will publish Promoting Technological Competency through Microlearning and Incentivization in the University of Saint Thomas Law Review. In the article, Professor Boles explores the application of adult learning theory to the instruction of technological competencies for attorneys and identifies potential interdepartmental partnerships that can aid in the marketing and dissemination of a technology curriculum, without major changes to existing curricular structures. This year, Professor Boles taught two Continuing Legal Education courses for the Southeast Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women. The first was Ethics & Technology, covering the application of Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 Comment 8 to modern practice. The second program, Competitive Intelligence, addressed best practices concerning market trend research. Finally, Professor Boles is chairing a national committee on behalf of the American Association of Law Libraries, focusing on creating and promoting educational programming for law librarians working in the realm of legal innovation and technology.
Lonnie Brown
Dean and Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law
Dean Lonnie Brown was invited to be a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Fellows of the ABF comprise a global honorary society of lawyers, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the profession and service to society. Membership is limited to one percent of licensed U.S. lawyers and a limited number of international lawyers. He was also elected to the American Inns of Court Board of Trustees and was selected to be a Fellow of the Knoxville Bar Foundation. He serves as a member of the Drafting Committee for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. In June, Dean Brown gave a presentation on his book Defending the Public’s Enemy: The Life and Legacy of Ramsey Clark to the Tennessee Alliance of Black Lawyers. Dean Brown published An Ill-Defined Path to an Ideal Destination, in the August 2023 issue of DICTA, a publication of the Knoxville Bar Association. Finally, Dean Brown was invited to speak in the 2023 National Conversation on Civility: Free Speech and Civility (with Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Judge Consuelo M. Callahan of the Ninth Circuit).
ZACK BUCK
Associate Professor of Law
In 2023, Professor Zack Buck published Fraud, Abuse, and Financial Conflicts of Interest, his first article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, as part of its Fundamentals of Health Law Series. Associated with the article is a podcast in which he is interviewed. These pieces were designed to inform providers about structuring health care business arrangements, taking into consideration legal risk and increasing complexity. Professor Buck taught a five-week class, Comparative Health Law and Policy, as part of the Cambridge Study Abroad Program at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the summer. Additionally, Professor Buck published The Battle for Medicare, in the St. Louis Journal of Health Law and Policy, which examined the future of Medicare, framed as a regulatory vehicle for health law and policy in the United States. Finally, in 2023, Professor Buck spoke at conferences at the University of Maryland School of Law and Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and is set to speak at the Tennessee Bar Association Health Law Section’s annual conference and at the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants Health Care Conference.
Judy Cornett
College of Law Distinguished Professor
Professor Judy Cornett presented her paper Personal Jurisdiction and “The Most Natural State” at the annual conference of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools. In the paper she analyzes the Supreme Court’s use of the phrase “the most natural state” in its decision in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial Court, 141 S. Ct. 1017 (2021). She points out that using the phrase to explain why Montana could exercise jurisdiction over Ford ignores the negative rhetorical implications of the phrase. Because “the most natural state” implies that some states are “unnatural” forums, the phrase reflects negatively on the plaintiffs who invoke such forums. Professor Cornett also contributed a chapter to a collection of essays, Intersections: Rhetorical Traditions and Contemporary Law. Her chapter, Ensnared by Custom: Mary Astell and the American Bar Association on Female Autonomy, concludes that Astell, the 17-century feminist, spoke directly to women and urged them to take action to improve their education and opportunities. In contrast, the ABA’s 2019 report Walking out the Door: The Facts, Figures, and Future of Experienced Women Lawyers in Private Practice, implicitly accepts that male lawyers dominate large firms, urging men to grant more power and benefits to women.
Sherely Cruz
Assistant Professor of Law
Professor Sherley Cruz joined the AALS Ad Hoc ABA Standard 303(c) Committee, the Executive Committee for the AALS Section on Critical Theories, the AALS Civil Rights Committee, and the Labor and Employment Law Executive Board Committee. Professor Cruz also co-founded the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Women of Color Circle and was a member of the Diversity and Engagement Faculty Advisory Board. The College of Law awarded Professor Cruz with the 2023 Reginald Hill Faculty Scholar Award. Professor Cruz spoke at the 2023 Tennessee Law Review Symposium, Working Towards Justice on Difficult Ground, on the Justice for Migrants at Work and in the Community panel. A transcript of the presentation was published by the journal. She also published Four Ways to Update Personnel Policies that Need to Become Part of Your Annual Reviews in the KBA’s DICTA. Her upcoming law review article was selected for the 2023 AALS New and Emerging Voice in Workplace Law Workshop and Law and Society’s Feminist Lens Workshop. Additionally, Professor Cruz continues to serve on Georgetown’s Journal of Poverty Law and Policy Advisory Board and she joined the Bottom Knoxville’s Board of Directors. Professor Cruz ended her 2023 accomplishments by welcoming her son, Theodore, to their family.
Rebecca Eshbaugh
Legal Writing Lecturer
Professor Rebecca Eshbaugh joined the College of Law in August as a Lecturer in the Legal Writing Program. Since arriving, she has focused on designing and implementing an effective and engaging curriculum for her Legal Process courses. She has also joined the Admissions and Career Services committees. Before joining the College of Law, Professor Eshbaugh served as an Assistant Public Defender with the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office. She looks forward to using the skills she applied there—patience, compassion, and an abiding love for legal writing—to mentor a new generation of law students.
Joan Heminway
Interim Director of the Institute for Professional Leadership and Rick Rise Distinguished Professor of Law
In January 2023, Professor Joan Heminway became Chair-Elect of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Agency, Partnerships, LLCs, and Unincorporated Business Associations and a member of the Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Leadership. In 2023, she has offered academic presentations in: Jackson, MS; Tallahassee, FL; Winston-Salem, NC; Gulfport, FL; San Juan, PR; Genoa, IT; Boca Raton, FL; Knoxville, TN; and Atlanta, GA. She worked with UT Law’s Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law to plan and host the National Business Law Scholars Conference at UT Law in June and the Business Law Prof Blog Symposium in October. Professor Heminway co-presented with Nashville corporate finance attorney Alex Davie on Securities Law Lessons from Recent Crypto Litigation and Bankruptcies at the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2023 Business Law Forum and presented It’s [Not Just] a Dog’s World: Current Issues in the Regulation of Service, Emotional Support, and Therapy Animals at the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2023 Animal Law Forum. Professor Heminway recently was appointed by the National Council of Bar Examiners to serve as a Business Associations review board member for the NextGen bar exam. She also became a contributing editor for Corporate Law Jotwell.
Michael Higdon
Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and W. Allen Separk Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Michael Higdon was named Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in August 2023. He was elected Chair of the Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Association of the Association of American Law Schools. In March, his article Common Law Divorce was published in volume 74 of the Alabama Law Review. In May, he was one of four faculty members selected by the University of Tennessee to participate in the SEC 2023-24 Academic Leadership Development Program, which seeks to identify and develop from within the SEC the next generation of academic leaders. Finally, in August, he was named the W. Allen Separk Distinguished Professor of Law.
Becky Jacobs
Waller Lansden Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Becky Jacob’s artcile Constitutional Hypocrisy: Governmental Approaches to Corporate Speech regarding ESG and Climate is forthcoming in the Tennessee Journal of Business Law; her article Suffering in Search of a Methodological Frame: Interdisciplinarity in the Context of the Gendered Impact of Climate Migration will be published in the William & Mary Environmental Law & Policy Review; and her article ABA Standard 303(c) Opportunities and Challenges: Confronting Divisive Concepts Statutes (with UT’s Sherley Cruz and others), will appear in the 73rd edition of the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy. She also contributed an afterword essay entitled Insider Activism in the Academy: A Refusal to Sit on the Sidelines to the Tennessee Law Review’s symposium edition honoring Professor Emerita Fran Ansley. Professor Jacobs moderated and participated in a panel on family law arbitration at the law school’s 2023 Issues in Arbitration CLE and was a commentator for a session of the Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law’s 2023 Connecting the Threads Symposium. She is a member of the planning committee for the ABA Dispute Resolution Section’s 2024 Annual Conference; is participating as a scholar in UT’s OneHealth Initiative; and has joined UT Humanities Center’s new research seminar on Native American and Indigenous Studies.
Lucy Jewel
Director of Legal Writing and Professor of Law
In January, Professor Lucy Jewel served as a panelist in two AALS conference sessions: Disrupting the Status Quo: How Law Schools Can Make a Difference by Making Difference Meaningful and Teaching Towards Equity: The Use of Pedagogy to Overcome Barriers. In June, Bristol University Press published Professor Jewel’s co-authored book, Critical and Comparative Rhetoric: Unmasking Privilege and Power in Law and Legal Advocacy to Achieve Truth, Justice, and Equity (with Elizabeth Berenguer and Teri McMurtry-Chubb). In July, Professor Jewel presented her article See That in a Small Town: Visual Rhetoric, Race, and Legal History in Tennessee at the Ninth Biennial Applied Legal Storytelling Conference at City University London. This article was recently accepted for publication by The Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives. By invitation in September, Professor Jewel participated in the closing plenary panel at the 2023 Epoch Symposium at Seattle University School of Law. This year’s symposium’s theme focused on the recent Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard. Finally, this year, Professor Jewel served as a board member of the Legal Writing Institute, a member of Tennessee’s STRIDE committee, and the President of ClassCrits, Inc.
Kristina Kersey
Assistant Professor of Law
Professor Kristina Kersey joined the UT Law faculty in 2023. She teaches in the Advocacy Clinic. In her first semester, she collaborated with clinic faculty on reimaging bias and discrimination training for incoming clinic students. Professor Kersey was qualified and testified as an expert witness in the area of juvenile defense in State in the Interest of A.D. in Burlington County, New Jersey. She was faculty for The Gault Center Youth Defense Advocacy Program’s Summer Academy, an intensive skills-based bootcamp training for youth defenders. She presented on raising race, storytelling, and narrative at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association Appellate Defender Training. She presented on geopolitical and historical roots of the juvenile delinquency system at The Gault Center Southern Regional Summit and at Equal Justice University. Professor Kersey gave a talk on creative strategies to defend against the transfer of youth to adult prosecution—which includes an analysis of each state’s transfer mechanism and criteria—at The Gault Center National Leadership Summit. She is presented her work-in-progress on the adult prosecution of youth at the Southern Clinical Conference in October.
Rebecca Kite
Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian
Professor Rebecca Kite serves as co-chair of the newly-formed Shared Governance Committee of the university’s Faculty Senate. This committee was formed in response to the need to re-emphasize the importance of shared governance across the university following the disruptions of COVID. The Shared Governance Committee is intended to bring together various stakeholders at UT, including undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty, identify areas of shared concern, and to elevate those priorities to the Faculty Senate and the university administration. Professor Kite also wrapped up four years of service on the Government Relations Committee of the American Association of Law Libraries. That committee monitors legislative and regulatory developments that impact law librarians, as well as providing training for and advocacy on behalf of law librarians and other legal information professionals. Professor Kite concluded her service to the committee by working to recruit new law librarians to get involved in the committee’s work at the 2023 American Association of Law Libraries annual meeting in Boston this July.
George Kuney
Director of the Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law and Lindsay Young Distinguished Professor of Law
In 2023, Professor George Kuney published two books with UT BE Press Repository: A Transactional Matter (with Donna C. Looper and Brian K. Krumm) and A Civil Matter (with Donna C. Looper). He also completed the 18th annual update to his single volume Treatise, California Law of Contracts (University of California CEB 2023). He has submitted the manuscript for the second edition of Mastering Legal Analysis and Drafting (to be published by Carolina Academic Press in 2024) and will soon submit the manuscript for the second edition of Mastering Appellate Advocacy and Procedure. Professor Kuney is participating in an amicus brief in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, L.P., in the Supreme Court of the United States challenging the propriety of non-debtor releases in plans of reorganization that do not involve asbestos liabilities, which will be heard in 2024. He continues to teach Contracts I & II as well as Commercial Leasing, Bankruptcy, Reorganizations and Workouts, Consumer Bankruptcy and Finance, and, when demand exists, International Bankruptcy and Remedies.
Michelle Kwon
Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement and Professor of Law
Associate Dean Michelle Kwon’s article Clearing the Smoke: Using Taxes to Vaporize E-Cigarette Consumption Among Youth and Reduce Harm from Cigarettes will be published in the Virginia Tax Review later this year. The article draws on social science literature to encourage states to design e-cigarette taxes that economically disincentivize youth vaping while also encouraging adult smokers to use e-cigarettes as an off-ramp from traditional cigarettes. In addition to research and teaching, she has been serving, since January, as the Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, which is a new position at the College of Law. Along with this new leadership role, she has been selected as a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy, a campus-wide, leadership development training program. Her service to the campus this academic year is focused on co-leading the Chancellor’s Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Her service to the community includes serving as a member of the Knoxville Bar Association’s Diversity in the Profession Committee.
Alex Long
Williford Gragg Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Alex Long’s article, Imposing Lawyer Sanctions in a Post-January 6 World was published in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. His 2022 article All I Really Need to Know About Defamation Law in the 21st Century I Learned From Watching Hulk Hogan (originally published in the Wake Forest Law Review) was selected for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook, an anthology published annually by Thomson Reuters (West). In May, he was quoted in a Knoxville News Sentinel article concerning the Kingston coal ash lawsuit settlement. Professor Long presented several continuing legal education courses on legal ethics during the year. He will be speaking as part of a panel on employment retaliation at the American Association of Law Schools annual conference in January.
Sibyl Marshall
Associate Professor and Head of Research, Teaching, and Collections, Law Library
In 2023, Professor Sibyl Marshall’s book Tennessee Legal Research 3d ed. (co-authored with Prof. Scott Childs) was published by Carolina Academic Press. Professor Marshall was named Chair of the University of Tennessee Graduate Curriculum Committee, and Vice-Chair/Incoming Chair of the Patron Services Committee of the American Association of Law Libraries’ Research, Instruction, and Patron Services section.
William Mercer
Distinguished Lecturer
Professor Bill Mercer’s article, Inspired Filth: Working Blue in Vaudeville America (with Joel E. Black) was published in the University of Memphis Law Review. Professor Mercer presented his paper in progress, Let My Executor Ask the Prospective Heirs Assembled this Night if They are Willing to Take What Fortune Offers Them: The Reading of the Will Ceremony and Popular Expectations of Law at the 2023 Law & Society Annual Conference. Finally, Professor Mercer served as a panelist for a discussion of the book On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed, organized by the Diversity in the Profession Committee for the Knoxville Bar Association.
Nicholas Nugent
Assistant Professor of Law
Professor Nugent published The Five Internet Rights in the Washington Law Review. The article answers the longstanding question of whether the state should ever intervene in online content moderation. Following its publication, Professor Nugent wrote a six-part series summarizing the article in The Volokh Conspiracy legal blog. He also published a piece in Lawfare titled Social Media Isn’t a Public Function, but Maybe the Internet Is, which argued that the public function doctrine should be expanded to impute state action to the private entities that operate the internet’s core resources when they foreclose lawful speech from the internet entirely. Among other presentations, Professor Nugent spoke before several hundred judges and attorneys as part of a panel on Social Media & Democracy at the 81st Judicial Conference of the Fourth Circuit, in Greensboro, North Carolina, and he served as a moderator for conferences at the University of Virginia School of Law on democracy and competition in the startup ecosystem. He recently traveled to Kyoto, Japan, to serve as the primary drafter of a set of revised operating procedures for electing board members to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the international body responsible for administering the world’s domain names.
Joy Radice
Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Professor of Law
Professor Joy Radice was awarded the University of Tennessee’s Excellence in Academic Outreach award that honors those who exemplify UT’s land-grant mission by using intellectual capital to benefit the citizens of Tennessee. Professor Radice is in her second term as a Commissioner on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. This October, she is working to spearhead a statewide pro bono effort to train lawyers and law students to represent individuals seeking to restore their civil rights after a felony conviction. In Knoxville, she has helped launch the Second Chance Initiative sponsored by the KBA’s Access to Justice Committee, to engage more lawyers in expungement work. Professor Radice is working on a state-wide expungement coalition with the TBA Access to Justice Committee and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services that she described in her Tennessee Bar Journal cover story in May. For her active bar involvement and leadership (as the 2022 President of Knoxville’s chapter of Inns of Court), she was awarded the 2023 Tom and Elizabeth Fox Faculty Award for outstanding service to the bench and bar. In spring 2023, she was a guest on the In Defense of Children Podcast episode Expunging Juvenile Records and Collateral Consequences of a Juvenile Record. Professor Radice has presented extensively about integrating a wellness curriculum throughout the clinical program, and she is co-authoring a forthcoming article with Paula Schaefer, Collaborating to Create a 1L Professional Identity Curriculum in the University of St. Thomas Law Journal. Under her leadership, the Clinic has been awarded the Social Advocacy Award by The Knoxville Chapter of the NAACP and one of the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by the Legal Aid of East Tennessee.
Glenn Reynolds
Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds was named to the Board of Fellows of the newly created Institute for American Civics at the Baker School. He serves on the Hiring Committee and the Executive Committee of the Board. In April he spoke at Columbia Law School on Our Ruling Class Monoculture. In June he spoke to the Birmingham, Alabama Federalist Society on libel reform and New York Times v. Sullivan. He published Retconning Heller: Five Takes on New York Rifle and Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen in the William & Mary Law Review (coauthored with Brannon Denning) and Pulsed Nuclear Space Propulsion and International Law: Some Preliminary Observations in the Journal of Air Law & Commerce (coauthored with Leigh Outten). He serves on the Advisory Board of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, and has coauthored amicus briefs in several Court of Appeals and Supreme Court cases, including the upcoming United States v. Rahimi. In addition, he has published essays on libel law and affirmative action law in The New Criterion.
Briana Rosenbaum
Associate Professor of Law
Professor Briana Rosenbaum published her article, Deflect, Delay, Deny: A Case Study of Segregation by Law School Faculty Before Brown v. Board of Education, in the Tennessee Law Review. In the article, Professor Rosenbaum uses rarely accessed and recently discovered archives to examine UT Law’s segregationist history and to show the direct role that law school faculty members played in the perpetuation of segregation. Professor Rosenbaum was also awarded a Diversity Challenge Grant by UT’s Division of Diversity and Engagement to support her project, The History of Discrimination in Legal Education and Its Legacy Today. Using UT Law’s segregationist history as a case study, Professor Rosenbaum has been touring law schools across the country to invite discussions of the history of discrimination in legal education and the continuing impact this history has on law schools and the legal profession.
Paula Schaefer
Art Stolnitz Distinguished Professor of Law
After serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs since January 2019, Professor Paula Schaefer left that administrative role in August 2023. In addition to returning to her teaching and scholarship this fall, she has also served as Interim Communications Director for the College of Law (while the school searches for a new director). Professor Schaefer chaired the College’s ABA Self-Study Committee and coordinated all aspects of the ABA’s March 2023 Site Visit. Professor Schaefer has spoken at several conferences this year. She served as a panelist in a webinar titled Teaching Tips for New Law Professors: How to Incorporate Professional Identity Formation in Your Teaching. At the SEALS annual conference, she participated in a panel discussion on Mindfulness in Legal Education and a workshop titled From Student to Lawyer: Infusing Professional Identity Formation into the Required Curriculum. Professor Schaefer and Professor Joy Radice gave a presentation at the University of St. Thomas School of Law’s symposium Transitioning from Student to Lawyer: Infusing Professional Identity Formation into the Required Curriculum. Their article is forthcoming in the University of St. Thomas Law Journal. Professor Schaefer was recently appointed to a two-year term on the Provost’s Tenured Faculty Advisory Council. She continues to serve as a Subject Matter Expert for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam.
Gregory Stein
Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus Greg Stein’s article, Environmental Justice and the Tragedy of the Commons, was published in California Law Review Online. His review article, Land Value Capture in the Modern Context, appeared in JOTWELL. He also authored a tribute to Professor Emeritus Fran Ansley in a recent volume of the Tennessee Law Review celebrating her career. Professor Stein was a speaker at the ABA Real Property Trust and Estate Law Section’s “Essentials for Real Property Practitioners” skills training program, presenting Navigating a Real Estate Transaction. He has been quoted recently in the Knoxville News-Sentinel in articles addressing the issues of rent control and the rights of property owners to list their homes as short-term rentals when homeowner association rules prohibit such rentals. Professor Stein continues to teach Property and Real Estate Finance Law during the spring semester. He remains active as a member and committee member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and as a reviewer of articles and books submitted for publication to law journals and commercial publishers.
Tomer Stein
Assistant Professor of Law
Professor Tomer Stein had a prolific year culminating in four important and well-regarded contributions to the field of corporate law. Professor Stein’s articles have been published in journals such as the Arizona State Law Journal and the Hastings Law Journal, and have been featured in prestigious media such as the Columbia BlueSky Blog and the Legal Theory Blog. Professor Stein was invited to present his works at the inaugural Wharton-Harvard Insolvency and Restructuring Conference, the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools, the National Business Law Scholars Conference, and other leading academic and industry conferences and law schools across the country.
Maurice Stucke
Douglas A. Blaze Distinguished Professor of Law
For the 2022-23 academic year, Professor Stucke served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Federal Trade Commission, where he helped inform and coordinate competition and privacy policies on three levels: first, across the FTC’s different branches (consumer protection, privacy, and competition); second, with other federal agencies and the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers; and third, with other jurisdictions’ competition agencies. Given his scholarship, including his 2022 book Breaking Away: How to Regain Control Over Our Data, Privacy, and Autonomy (Oxford University Press 2022), he led a global multi-agency project to explain the relationship between privacy and competition policies. Working with senior policy officials from agencies from around the world, he drafted a handbook to help competition agencies navigate their decision-making processes when privacy and competition concerns intersect. The experience led Professor Stucke to become an affiliate of the Baker School for National Security and Foreign Affairs. The experience has also informed several recent articles and essays, including What Can Policymakers Do About Algorithmic Collusion and Discrimination?, University of Chicago’s ProMarket, June 27, 2023; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of US Antitrust, 11 Journal of Antitrust Enforcement 283 (2023); Innovation Misunderstood, 73 American University Law Review (forthcoming 2024) (with Ariel Ezrachi); The Darker Sides of Digital Platform Innovation, 7-8 Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb 382 (2023) (with Ariel Ezrachi); and The Role of Secondary Algorithmic Tacit Collusion in Achieving Market Alignment (August 21, 2023) (with Ariel Ezrachi).
Val Vojdik
Waller Lansden Distinguished Professor of Law
Professor Val Vojdik gave several presentations on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade. As the faculty advisor to the Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice, she helped students organize its national symposium, Deeply Rooted: Discussing the Aftermath of Dobbs, on March 9, 2023. Professor Vojdik presented her paper, The Violence of Dobbs, as part of a constitutional law panel. She discussed Dobbs and access to reproductive care for Reproductive Healthcare and Our Rights, a program organized by University of Tennessee-Knoxville Commission for Women, and a seminar on Gender and the Law at New York Law School. For Women’s History Month, Professor Vojdik gave a presentation, Feminist Jurisprudence, to the Office of General Counsel for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She also shared negotiation tips and strategies in a presentation to the faculty-staff group, Supporting Women in Agriculture, at UT’s School of Agriculture. As a member of the Tennessee State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights, Professor Vojdik participated in the committee’s review of voting rights in Tennessee, including the impact of S.B. 8005, which enhanced criminal penalties for protest following protests in 2020 over the murder of George Floyd.
Rachelle Ketchum West
Legal Writing Lecturer
Professor Rachelle West, a legal writing lecturer, joined the University of Tennessee College of Law in Fall 2023. Professor West was recently appointed Co-Chair of the Association of Legal Writing Directors’ (ALWD) Scholarship Grants Committee for the 2023-24 academic year. She served as a member of this committee during the 2022-23 academic year.
Carlos Yunsan
Legal Writing Lecturer
Professor Carlos Yunsan joined the College of Law faculty in August, having taught first-year legal writing courses continuously for the previous five years. Yunsan serves on the UT Law Alumni Council and is the President-Elect of the Knoxville Bar Association (KBA). He will be sworn in as the first Hispanic KBA President this December. Professor Yunsan has been honored as one of only ten 2023-2024 Diversity Scholars by the National Conference of Board Presidents (NCBP). This prestigious recognition exemplifies NCBP’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity within the legal profession. The Diversity Scholars program brings together a wide range of bar leaders and creates a forum for candidly sharing successes and challenges in their leadership roles and for open dialogue on all issues, affording scholars the opportunity to further develop their own leadership style and learn how to put that style into action. Professor Yunsan was also selected for membership in the local chapter of the American Inns of Court.
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How Austin’s Ying McGuire Is Helping Minority-Owned Businesses Compete In A Global Market
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
Published November 30, 2023 at 2:30 PM CST
Austinite Ying McGuire, the president and CEO of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), is the latest guest on In Black America. As the first non-Black and first Asian CEO in council’s 51-year history, McGuire is in charge of elevating and growing businesses operated by people who have been systemically excluded from entrepreneurship, specifically communities of color.
She got her start with Austin-based Dell Technology in 2000 and became their spokesperson for small businesses owned and operated by women, people of color, veterans and disabled people. McGuire’s success with the company led her to serve on the United States Investment Advisory Council for former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker during the Obama administration and the International Trade Center Advisory Board from 2011 to 2018.
She spoke with host and producer John L. Hanson Jr. about her upbringing, how being in Austin has steered her career and why it’s important to keep people of color at the forefront of business leaders’ minds. An excerpt of this conversation can be found below.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Courtesy of Ying McGuire
On her upbringing in China and why she came to America
I was born and raised in China during the Cultural Revolution, and many people say it’s one of the darkest of periods in China. We had very modest living, drawing water from wells and, you know, cooked food from coal stoves. … We were considered as a marginalized, underprivileged group because my parents were educated during the Cultural Revolution. When the new leader Deng Xiaoping came to power, he launched a market economy, and he basically said those who previously didn’t have the privilege to go to college, now you can.
Because of the market economy, my family started a textile manufacturing business. Within a matter of a few years, we went from under the poverty to a great life. [After graduating college], my family’s doing well financially eventually, but something was missing. And then that feeling became overwhelming in the wake of the Tiananmen Square incident. I packed up my life into one suitcase, $1,000, very little English, and moved here to pursue my American dream.
On how she helps connect minority-owned businesses in America to a global market
When we buy, we buy hundreds of millions and billions and all over the world. And if a MBE [minority business enterprise] only can serve one little geographical location, they may be phased out. Right? So my platform was, “Hey, let’s go global to mirror your corporate customers’ global sourcing strategy.” … You know, we helped create those organizations in foreign countries that wish to emulate our practice, to lift underprivileged communities through entrepreneurship, through supply diversity.
On bringing another Austinite into the National Minority Supplier Development Council
Earlier this year, I actually brought on an Austinite, Fang Fang, who previously was the CEO of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce. And so she transitioned and joined us and now she’s leading the global program. We’ve got a global link program now. She added three more partners to our program. So now we have India, Brazil and Chile.
On helping other countries lift up historically underrepresented groups
Fang and I just took a trip to India, and we had some conversation with underprivileged, minority community India. They have a leader. And he actually was inspired by Martin Luther King [Jr.], he was inspired by Booker [T.] Washington’s Black capitalism model. And they have called a Dalit community, the “bottom 25% of the society.” He is working to lifting his community through the entrepreneurship and supply diversity, and so we’re partnering with him.
On what cities around the country are ripe for African American entrepreneurship
I say every city should be ripe for the African American businesses. And it requires leaders like us to see this, to develop Black businesses as economic development, not as a compliance.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams Introduces Bill That Would Fund Entrepreneurs At HBCUs
November 30, 2023
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Recently, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Georgia) has introduced the Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act. along with fellow Reps. Alma Adams (D-North Carolina), Dwight Evans (D-Pennsylvania), Brian Fitzpatrick (D-Pennsylvania), and Norma Torres (D-California) who are co-sponsors of this legislation.
The bill would create a grant program with the Small Business Administration for entrepreneurs at minority-serving institutions such as historically Black colleges and universities. Williams says this would address the wealth gap that has continually plagued African-American communities.
“Too often, Black and brown entrepreneurs face enormous barriers to accessing the capital needed to launch and sustain businesses. The Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program will help to break down those barriers and ensure that the next generation of minority business owners have a fair shot at the promise of America. Investing in minority-owned businesses is also one path on the journey to close the racial wealth gap. I am proud to advance legislation to continue creating equity in entrepreneurship opportunity for everyone — no matter your ZIP Code, no matter your bank account.”
Additionally, the legislation would enable minority-serving institutions to apply for grants starting at $250,000 to provide resources for student entrepreneurs.
“We enthusiastically support the innovative measure introduced today by Congresswoman Nikema Williams to increase entrepreneurship in communities of color,” said Nancy Flake Johnson, the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. “By promoting small business development at colleges and universities that historically serve people of color, The Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act will help ensure a pipeline of successful minority entrepreneurs.”
The introduction of the Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act comes at a time where minority-based initiatives are under attack by the far right. The Fearless Fund was sued by Edward Blum because he said the Black-woman led venture capital firm is discriminatory in its nature.
According to a study conducted by Pew Research, majority Black American-owned businesses made up the greatest shareof all classifiable firms in the District of Columbia, Georgia and Maryland. Additionally, Nearly 6-in-10 Black adults (58%) say supporting Black businesses, or “buying Black,” is an extremely or very effective strategy for moving Black people toward equality in the United States.
“Statistics show that minority entrepreneurs disproportionately struggle to receive adequate financing to stay in business,” Williams continued. “Bloomberg reports, for example, that 8 of 10 Black-owned businesses fail within the first 18 months. We applaud Congresswoman Williams and her colleagues for taking action to address an issue of this magnitude and to improve the rate of sustainability and success for small businesses owned by Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous entrepreneurs.”
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Atlanta Voice.
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Managing Editor, The Atlanta Voice
Itoro Umontuen serves as Managing Editor of The Atlanta Voice. Upon his arrival to the historic publication, he served as its Director of Photography. As a mixed-media journalist, Umontuen later served as Sports Director throughout the second half of 2018. However, his love for politics saw him ascend to the Managing Editor position at the end of 2018. Umontuen is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is a graduate of Tennessee State University.
Atlanta’s African American-owned and operated weekly newspaper and media company founded in 1966.
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Vegan Ethiopian, Dino Bars, And More November News In The Racket Restaurant Roundup – Racket
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
Welcome back to the Racket Restaurant Roundup, the most alliterative guide to restaurant openings, closings, and coming soon-ings (coming-ings soon?) in town! This month brings us a new tenant at the Sociable Cider Werks trailer, the abrupt closing of a local vegan chain, two new tenants for the Market at Malcolm Yards, and much more. Let’s dig in, shall we?
Now Open
Golden Thyme Presents
Golden Thyme Presents is the new name of a cool collab in the former Golden Thyme space at 934 Selby Ave. in St. Paul that opened on Halloween thanks to the Rondo Community Land Trust. The trust bought the building to serve as an incubator for Black-owned businesses, and first up? It’s Sammy McDowell of Sammy’s Avenue Eatery on weekdays, with Gravy Babies, owned by Jocie Thomas, serving up soul food on the weekends.
Lulu Ethiovegan
A Southwest Voices newsletter pointed us to the early November opening of Lulu EthioVegan Cuisine (12 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis), a new Ethiopian and vegan restaurant in Stevens Square-Loring Heights. Looks like they’re open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily—and you can find more updates on TikTok. Those mushroom tibs look real good.
Kim’s and Bronto Bar
Speaking of mushrooms… yes, it’s true, Sooki & Mimi is no more, taking the life-changing mushroom birria tacos with it. But early reviews of Ann Kim’s replacement, the Korean-American Kim’s (1432 W. 31st St., Minneapolis), are predictably glowing, and the basement Bronto Bar looks like a lotta fun.
Masa & Agave
Following the opening of Breva last month, the Hotel Ivy’s new cocktail lounge, Masa & Agave (1115 Second Ave. S., Minneapolis), opened November 10. The “speakeasy cantina” has a menu of tacos, snacks, and cocktails, with a selection of 200 (!) agave spirits.
So & So’s MN Street Food
The Sociable Cider Werks food trailer (1500 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis), which has helped launch such exceptional eateries as Francis and Sammy’s Avenue Eatery and Union Hmong Kitchen, has its latest tenant: So & So’s MN Street Food. What is “MN street food?” Well, per chef TJ Lauthe, it’s stuff like a wild rice dog, homemade chips and seasoned sour cream, totchos, and cider-battered walleye.
PK Cafe
A Racket reader sent us a tip about PK Cafe, which is newly opened at 4010 E. 46th St., Minneapolis. They’ve got Thai dishes like khao soi, Chinese dishes like dan dan noodles, and Japanese dishes like tonkotsu ramen, plus bubble tea, Japanese waffles, and more.
Pauly’s Pub & Grill
The old Kalsada space (1668 Selby Ave., St. Paul,) wasn’t empty long—it’s now Pauly’s Pub & Grill, which the Pioneer Press calls “a very St. Paul neighborhood bar.” It’s co-owned by the restaurateur behind Eagle Street Grille and Ox Cart Ale House & Rooftop, and they’re bringing a little Irish charm to the neighborhood.
Mandalay Kitchen
Elsewhere in St. Paul, Mandalay Kitchen is serving up Burmese cuisine, including, according to Eater Twin Cities, a Chapli Juicy Lucy I simply must try. They’re open in the former Marc Heu space in Frogtown.
Closed, Closing, or Changing
Stalk and Spade
Stalk and Spade, the vegan chain whose name sounds like a Hulu horror series, abruptly closed all three of its local fast-food establishments on November 1. The plant-based burger and shake joints from Crisp & Green’s Steele Smiley had opened locations in Wayzata, Edina, and Minneapolis beginning in 2021.
Clutch Brewing
Bad news all around for Keg & Case this month, with the news that after a number of tough years the St. Paul food hall has officially gone to its lender in foreclosure. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that uncertainly isn’t sitting well with tenants like Clutch Brewing Company, which has announced it’ll close at the end of this year. “Many factors have led to this conclusion, and it’s just not sustainable to keep the brewery up and running,” their farewell read. They’ve got weekly deals going through 2023.
Just Announced and Coming Soon
NY Gyro
The corner address on Lyn-Lake that was very briefly Chicago’s Very Own will soon reopen as yet another restaurant named for out-of-state fare: New York Gyro is moving in. The location opposite Wrecktangle Pizza will be their seventh in MN, Bring Me the News reports.
Jade Dynasty Restaurant and Bar
Not far from the forthcoming NY Gyro, there’s finally good news for the old Fuji Ya space. Southwest Voices reports that a new hot pot and dim sum spot called Jade Dynasty Restaurant and Bar is planned to open there sometime this winter. The restaurant comes from Chuen Sai “Paul” Wu and Eric Zeng, and will specialize in Cantonese dishes and authentic Asian cuisine.
Mr. Paul’s Po’ Boys and Revival Smoked Meats at Malcolm Yards
Two new tenants have been announced at Malcolm Yards Market, which continues, un-Keg-and-Case-like, to thrive: Mr. Paul’s Po’ Boys and Jams and Revival Smoked Meats. Mr. Paul’s comes from the folks behind the supper club of the same name in Edina; Revival comes from, yes, the Revival folks. Look for both to open in January.
Gia
Expect bruschetta, fresh pasta, and lots of salads from Gia, the forthcoming Italian eatery from chef-owners Jo Seddon and Lisa Wengler. They’re planning a neighborhood restaurant for the old Cavé Vin space at 5555 Xerxes Ave. S., with hopes of opening near the end of January, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
In the Works
As previously reported in the Racket restaurant roundup…
801 Fish
Axios had the scoop on 801 Fish, a new seafood spot from the folks behind 801 Chophouse, almost a year ago. The restaurant will take over McCormick & Schmick’s (which closed in 2020) very soon—this November, according to the Biz Journal, but it’s November now, and I haven’t seen a peep about it opening, so… December?
Keefer Court
Just great news all around here: Keefer Court, the beloved Chinese bakery that closed at the tail end of 2022 after nearly 40 years at Cedar Riverside, has a new home. The bakery is headed for Asia Mall in Eden Prairie, where it’ll be owned by the owners of Pho Mai, who have purchased the bakery and will learn the recipes from Keefer Court’s original owner, Sunny Kwan, Sahan Journal reports. The latest news is that they’re hoping for a December opening.
Picnic
The old Clancey’s space in Linden Hills (4307 Upton Ave. S., Minneapolis) will soon become a “neighborhood gathering spot first, food second” kind of spot called Picnic, Southwest Voices reports. They’ll have snacky platters, picnic boards, sandwiches, and the like. Their website is up and running; look for it to open early next year.
Chilango
Petit León’s James Beard-nominated chef Jorge Guzmán is opening an “elevated Mex-Tex” restaurant at the Beach Club Residences on Bde Maka Ska. The Star Tribune reports it’ll open in February-ish of 2024, with food Guzmán says is “bold, full of flavor, and playful.”
Bûcharon
The former Revival/Corner Table space in Minneapolis’s Kingfield neighborhood has been empty for a while now… but won’t be much longer. Bûcharon, from a bunch of Gavin Kaysen alums, is planning to open there early this winter if all goes well, according to Mpls. St. Paul Mag, with “all the standards of Demi with a more laid back approach.”
New Spot from Diane Moua
It’s been a year since lauded pastry chef Diane Moua announced she was leaving Bellecour to focus on her own thing, and we have an update as of October: The yet-to-be-named restaurant will open in the Food Building (1401 NE. Marshall St.) in NE Minneapolis, according to the Strib. Still no word on the opening date.
Dario
“If we have to pin it down, Dario is an American restaurant with Italian, French, and Asian influences,” writes Mpls. St. Paul’s Stephanie March about Dario, a new spot at 323 N. Washington Ave. in the North Loop from industry lifers Joe Rolle and Stephen Rowe. Look for it to land in early 2024.
Tender Lovin Chix
The former Fire and Nice Alehouse spot won’t be vacant long; Mpls. St. Paul Mag has the scoop on Tender Lovin Chix, a food truck-turned-brick and mortar from Marques (Ques) Johnson (the short-lived CHX tendie shops) and Billy Tserenbat (Billy Sushi). They’re looking to open in spring of 2024.
Lynette
It was a bummer when Richfield’s Lyn65 closed to make way for an apartment complex a few years back, and it was a bummer when Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar closed indefinitely back in 2021. Good news on both fronts from Mpls. St. Paul Mag: Lynette, an homage to Lyn65 from a few of its founders, will head to the former Riverview space (3751 42nd Ave. S., Minneapolis) in spring 2024.
Vinai
So, about the former Dangerous Man building? It’ll soon house chef Yia Vang’s long awaited Hmong fine-dining restaurant, Vinai. Initially announced pre-pandemic for another location, Vinai is now expected to open in spring 2024. “This restaurant is about carrying on my parents’ legacy,” Vang says in a press release. “But it’s also about carrying on a piece of Dangerous Man’s legacy, and the legacy of the community here.”
Mediterranean at Vo’s
Vo’s Vietnamese (3450 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis) hit the market earlier this year (you heard it here first), and the Business Journal reports that it sold in August; it could soon become a Mediterranean restaurant.
Bina’s
The folks behind Centro are taking a break from tacos with their latest venture, Bina’s, a “classic dive bar” at 1404 Quincy St. NE in Minneapolis (next to their original Northeast location). Bring Me the News reports it’ll have burgers, mozzarella sticks, and fried pickles, plus Hamm’s, PBR, and agave spirits. As for whether one can simply manifest a dive bar, in 2023, in a part of Minneapolis with perhaps the highest concentration of actual dive bars in the state? We’ll see!
Ono Hawaiian Plates
Not to be confused with the wonderful On’s Kitchen, Ono Hawaiian Plates is also expanding into a new location inside United Noodles (2015 E. 24th St., Minneapolis). RIP UniDeli, but this is excellent news. And that’s not all: They’ll also soon have a grab-‘n’-go counter at Lunds & Byerlys in St. Paul’s Highland Park, the Strib reports. (Read our recent chat with Ono’s Warren Seta about Spam here.)
Mother Dough No. 3
David Fhima’s Mother Dough Bakery is adding a third location this fall, according to Bring Me the News. You’ll find it in the Mill District, on the ground floor of the Vicinity Apartments building at Park Avenue & South Second Street.
Animales Brick ‘n’ Mortar
Here’s a meaty story for ya: Animales BBQ is looking to open in a brick-‘n’-mortar building. Year-round ribs, folks! Jon Wipfli (of Animales) is teaming up with Billy Tserenbat (of Billy Sushi) to bring the place to life in either the North Loop or northeast Minneapolis.
New North Loop Project from Tim McKee
James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee (La Belle Vie, Sea Change, Octo Fishbar) has his eyes set on the North Loop for a new project inspired by the Basque region of Spain. He’s being tight-lipped about the endeavor for now, but has revealed that it’ll be somewhere on First Street and open sometime in 2023. Read more via the Strib.
‘We Wanted To Create Something That’s Just For Arkansas’ | Certified Pies
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
Certified Pies in Little Rock is a Black-owned business with a loyal following known for its delicious homemade pizza and commitment to locally sourced ingredients.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of our world. Here at home, it also changed the lives of three friends whose 2020-era idea has now rapidly blossomed into Central Arkansas’ only Black-owned pizza company.
At the time, Kreg and Samantha Stewart were operating a meal preparation service. Then their friend Harlem Wilson whipped up a pizza for his two friends to try.
The moment the mouthwatering pie hit their palette, the Stewarts knew there was something special here and the three went into business together.
“The goal was to do a meal prep company, but when I tasted this pizza I knew instantly I had to make a change,” said co-owner Kreg.
And this trio goes together like pizza sauce, dough, and pepperoni! Each co-owner’s vision for high-quality food and customer service complements the other, equating to a top-notch product. Just ask the loyal customers who have continued coming back since their early days of carry-out-only service.
So what kind of pizza can you get at Certified Pies? Of course, they’ve got all the basic staples, but I recommend venturing out. The Boss Hog is LOADED with meats and the Flyin’ Hawaiian is a unique spin in and of itself.
Instead of just pineapple (controversial, I know) and Canadian bacon, they added banana peppers and chicken. It pairs perfectly with the mango pineapple lemonade made locally by Johnny Free and Paw Paw!
“You’re going to see stuff from us that you won’t see at normal pizza places,” added Samantha. “We wanted to create something that’s JUST for Arkansas.”
Using locally sourced products and ingredients is important to these folks, and it really shows. From fried pickles using Sarges Famous Pickles to Little Rock-based Truth Sauce and cake from KB’s Love By The Pound, you’ll find A LOT of support for other locally owned businesses.
“I like to give people chances because people gave me a chance,” explained Kreg. “Partnering with people who are just as hardworking as we are is very important to us.”
Certified Pies is located at 9807 West Markham Street in Little Rock. They are open for dine-in and carry out Tuesday through Sunday. Check their Facebook for exact hours and menu offerings.
Indianapolis Recorder: A Year In Review
November 30, 2023
Published by Admin
As the year draws to a close, the Indianapolis Recorder looks back on a transformative year marked by remarkable achievements.
Throughout the year, the Recorder remained steadfast in its commitment to amplifying diverse voices. The paper highlighted pivotal stories and serving as a catalyst for change within the vibrant tapestry of Indianapolis.
RELATED: ‘Racism is a public health crisis’ town hall
The Recorder hosted their annual Champions of Diversity Awards, were recognized and awarded for their work, hosted a mayoral candidate debate focused on the Black community, and collaborated with community partners, like the Greater Indianapolis chapter of the NAACP, to hold local hospitals to task.
“I’m proud about doing forums with hospitals talking about racism as a public health crisis. The goal was to collaborate with the hospitals, but to also hold them accountable. It’s a way to also keep the public informed about what’s going on,” said President and CEO Robert Shegog.
“Last year, we won 19 awards and the year before that we won 20. This year, we won over 10 awards through different entities. So, I always tell my team we’re small but mighty. It just goes to show you just how important Black media is.”
Champions of Diversity
In September, The Recorder took home four awards from the Hoosier State Press Association. This included the 2023 Nina Mason Pulliam Environmental Journalism Award given to reporter Jayden Kennett.
Reporter Timoria Cunningham won first and second place in Best News Coverage with No Deadline Pressure.
The Recorder won first place in the Best Special Section for its “Black History Matters 2023: Educate, Empower and Engage.”
In April, The Recorder won four awards from the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. This included second place in Best coverage of Social Justice Issues, second place in Best Investigative Reporting, Third Place in Best Business or Consumer Affairs Reporting and third place in Best Environmental Reporting.
From chronicling historic events to advocating for social justice, the Recorder’s year encapsulates a narrative of resilience. It showcases perseverance and the unwavering spirit of the city it proudly represents.
Journalism awards won
This year marked the 17th annual Champions of Diversity Awards, where they recognized movers and shakers in the city making a difference in their community.
“We’ve been doing this for 17 years, and this year we had like over 900 people in attendance. We were focused on diversity before it was sexy to other people. At the Marriott next year, we expect over 1,000 people,” said Shegog.
The Indianapolis Recorder hosted two town halls: “Racism is a Public Health Crisis” in June and November.
Each town hall consisted of representatives from four hospitals who spoke about how they are tackling the issue of racism within their health care systems. It is a united initiative with the local NAACP to foster inclusivity and eliminate racial disparities in medical care.
The Recorder also partnered with the African American Coalition of Indianapolis and Radio One to host the first broadcast and live stream of a mayoral debate centered around Black issues in October.
Featuring Democratic incumbent Mayor of Indianapolis Joe Hogsett and Republican contender Jefferson Shreve, the debate was observed online through the Recorder’s YouTube and Facebook pages with three watch parties at local locations, like the Indianapolis Urban League.
“Another thing that was really successful this year was highlighting minority- and Black-owned businesses. A lot of smaller businesses don’t often have the funds for marketing or getting the word out, so it’s a service we’re doing to contribute to the economy within the minority community,” said Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones.
“Looking back, we included a lot of different voices in the paper. We also put a focus on mental health and sharing stories within the diaspora, including Afro-Latino, Haitian and Native American stories.”
Mayoral debate
Jones said The Recorder is currently in a very unique place in history.
Throughout history, it provided a voice to the voiceless and served as a way for the community to say what was wanted and needed. The paper’s role now is even more important because it holds other news outlets accountable by virtue of still existing.
“We still have that trust and faith from the community. So, it’s really important for The Recorder to continue that legacy, uphold the history and right now just be like that time capsule to capture the moment,” said Jones.
Shegog said that the Recorder’s success could not be achieved without the hard work and dedication of its staff.
“We’re in the process now of moving into this digital space with the website, social media and email marketing. The Recorder was a two-page church bulletin that started in 1895, grew into a newspaper and now we encompass the website, socials and we have Indiana Minority Business Magazine,” said Shegog.
Contact staff writer Jade Jackson at (317) 762-7853 or by email JadeJ@IndyRecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
