Alyssa Rachelle
MadameNoire
Houston, TX, United States
Contact Alyssa
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by Alyssa:
Is It Ever Okay To Snoop On Your Partner?
Survey of 1,100 people found 72% of them have "spied on their partner’s texts and social media communications." Snooping is common, but is it ever ok? → Read More
West African Native Funlayo Alabi Creates a Million-Dollar Empire By Solving a Common Problem
In just seven years, business owner Funlayo Alabi has made a significant mark on the billion-dollar skincare and hair care industries. And she is well on her way to contributing to the already rapidly growing world of cosmetics, while dramatically changing the lives of women in Africa. The skincare industry accounted for nearly 35.3 percent … → Read More
Rival Gang Members Squash Their Beef to Create One of Compton's Most Popular Restaurants
Two former rival gang members have joined forces, combining their passions for food and serving their community. Malachi Jenkins, a Crip, and Roberto Smith, a Blood, are the masterminds behind Trap Kitchen, Compton, California’s underground restaurant that has become extremely popular. Jenkins and Smith met through a mutual friend and decided that making a quick … → Read More
6 Important Facts You May Not Have Known About the Landmark Case Dred Scott v. Sandford
1) Dred Scott, The Early Years In 1833, Dred Scott was an enslaved African, purchased by Dr. John Emerson and moved to a base in the Wisconsin Territory. Slavery was banned in the territory pursuant to the Missouri Compromise. Thus, Scott lived there for the next four years, hiring himself out for work during the … → Read More
Kathryn Finney Aims to Help Black Women in the Tech World with her BIG Innovation Center in Atlanta
Kathryn Finney made a huge announcement at this year’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided, is launching an initiative in Atlanta called the BIG Innovation Center. The 6,000-square-foot space will be home to the BIG accelerator program, a 16-week track for high-growth companies led by women of … → Read More
7-Year-Old Raises $14,000 to Help Flint, Michigan Kids Keep Their Hands Clean
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has affected the entire city, which includes thousands of children. The city has received much financial support, and a second-grader from Gainesville, Virginia is making huge strides to help – starting with one Flint elementary school. When 7-year-old Isiah Britt’s parents first told him about the water crisis, he … → Read More
The Last Buffalo Soldier Tomie L. Gaines Has Passed Away at the Age of 93
The last living Buffalo Soldier passed away last weekend at the age of 93, in Greenville, South Carolina. Tomie L. Gaines served from March 1943 to December 1945 with the 27th Calvary, an all-Black unit, according to the Daily Kos. Gaines is survived by his wife of 51 years, Clara. The Buffalo Soldiers included two … → Read More
Meet Engineer Benjamin Montgomery: The Inventor Who Bought the Plantation Where He Was Once Enslaved
Benjamin Montgomery was born an enslaved African in 1819 in Loudon County, Virginia. His master was Joseph Davis, a Mississippi planter and older brother of future President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis. Blackinventor.com mentions that Davis’ children taught Montgomery how to read and write, and he was assigned to run the general … → Read More
Joseph Danquah, 2015 Sloan Award Winner Uses His Passion to Help Students Excel in Math
Joseph Boateng Danquah II was thrilled to be recognized for his creativity in the classroom and ability to inspire his students to pursue careers in mathematics and science. Danquah teaches Advanced Placement Calculus AB and BC (college-level calculus courses), algebra, pre-calculus, and geometry at New York’s Bard High School Early College. He is one of … → Read More
Chicago Launches First Black Restaurant Week to Promote Black-Owned Eateries
A report by Nielsen estimates that Black buying power will reach $1.3 trillion in the next few years, yet only a tiny fraction of that money is spent at Black-owned businesses. Unhappy with the statistics, Chicago resident Maggie Anderson, along with her husband and two daughters, patronized Black-owned businesses for one year. She wrote about their … → Read More
As First Black Venture Partner of 500 Startups, Monique Woodard Could Help Fund More African-American Businesses
African-Americans comprise only 1.5 percent of investment team members at over 200 venture capital firms in the United States. Additionally, the stats from a study conducted by Tech Crunch, investigating the current number of Black investors at venture capital in the United States, look even bleaker with less than 1 percent of investors being African-American. … → Read More
Ardre Orie Redefines Beauty for Black Women with Books, Plays, a Documentary, a Nonprofit and Her Own Line of Cosmetics
Only two percent of women from around the world consider themselves beautiful, according to a study by Dove that examined how women define beauty. African-American entrepreneur Ardre Orie is determined to increase that percentage exponentially while helping women recognize and redefine their beauty. While growing up in Florida, Orie was fortunate to have a mother … → Read More
Tariq Edmondson Launches Custom Sneaker Business, Empowers Other Entrepreneurs to Share the Wealth
In the United States — the world’s largest sneaker market — Adidas, Nike and Under Armour’s combined footwear sales climbed in 2013 to more than $25 billion, a 47 percent jump since 2009, The Washington Post reports. A January report by JPMorgan Chase analysts states, “Not a single top-line lead indicator to a slowing … → Read More
Black Media Company Creates New Animated Series to Teach Students About Ancient Africa
There’s plenty of misinformation — or lack of information — about African and African-American history available to kids. Just months ago, there was backlash to the Texas Board of Education over a McGraw-Hill Education geography textbook describing enslaved Africans as “workers.” One company aims to dispel erroneous information about African history and better educate students … → Read More
A Million Dollar Win: Meet Gwen Jimmere, the First African American to Hold a Patent for Natural Hair Care Product
All too often, African-American women dread washing their hair, since it can take multiple hours or even a whole day. Not only did entrepreneur Gwen Jimmere create a solution to this common inconvenience, but she is also the first and only African-American to hold a patent for a natural hair care product. The Detroit native … → Read More
Author, Psychiatrist Dr. Frances Cress Welsing Dies at 80
Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, a psychiatrist whose ideas about racism and society sparked years of debate and controversy, died on Saturday, January 2nd, at age 80. Often described as Queen Mother of Black Consciousness, Dr. Welsing became famous for her work, “The Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation” in 1974 and later published the controversial The Isis … → Read More
Five Amazing Facts About Antislavery Lecturer, Playwright William Wells Brown
Early Years Brown was born an enslaved African in Kentucky, in November 1814. He spent most of his childhood and young adult life as an enslaved African in St. Louis, Missouri working a variety of trades. In his book, William Wells Brown, Ezra Greenspan says that because Brown was given the job of tending to … → Read More
Black Presence on U.S. Boards Declines, Hedge Funds Cited by Some
African-Americans make up 8.6 percent of directors on the boards of the largest 200 companies by revenue in the S&P 500 in 2015, down from 9.6 percent in 2010, according to the annual Board Index study by Spencer Stuart, one of the largest executive search firms. Earlier this year, Ronald Parker, CEO of The Executive … → Read More
The University of Illinois Will Spend $4.5 Million on a New African African-American Cultural Center
The University of Illinois campus has committed $4.9 million to build a new Bruce D. Nesbitt African-American Cultural Center, which was founded in 1969 and later named for its longtime director, reported The News-Gazette. The new Bruce D. Nesbitt African-American Cultural Center has been using temporary quarters since its original home had to close … → Read More
First Black-Owned Textile Mill Is Finally Recognized in the National Register of Historic Places
Warren C. Coleman Mill in Concord, North Carolina has finally received national recognition this year by being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the Charlotte Observer, the Warren C. Coleman Mill is the first African-American owned and operated textile mill. “It was built as part of a noble experiment. It harbored … → Read More