Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Samantha Callender | WBEZ

Beyoncé’s foundation offers a financial lifeline to 10 Black-owned businesses in Chicago

Chicago Beyoncé KnowlesCarter BeyGOOD
Franklin Ward, owner of FRWD Style, was one of 10 recipients of a $10,000 business grant from Beyoncé. (Franklin Ward)

Like many business owners struggling during pandemic shutdowns, Franklin Ward had been contemplating shuttering his wedding and special event planning agency, FRWD Style. His business focuses on helping Black same-sex couples tell their love story through beautifully curated celebrations. But Ward found himself suffering from an overwhelming feeling of imposter syndrome in Chicago’s heavily competitive event planning industry.

But when Ward (also known as Franklin J.) got an invitation to attend the “Black Parade Route” luncheon last weekend hosted by music superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s public charity foundation BeyGood, he jumped at the opportunity to be in communion with more than 100 other local small business owners.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
US Schools Record Nearly 12,000 Book Bans, the Highest Ever in a Single Year, as 'Jane Eyre' and 'Lessons in Chemistry' Join the List
PEN America reports nearly 12,000 book-ban instances in US schools, a record total, as Texas overtakes Florida and AI tools enter the removal process.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Alice Zaslavsky’s shortcut beetroot baked risotto – recipe
An unconventional technique makes this vibrant rice – finished with dill fronds – a lower-touch dinner for weeknights
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Does your sleep tracker get it right? A Pittsburgh neuroscientist weighs in
On a typical night, I go to bed wearing a tracking watch on one wrist and another type of tracker on the other wrist. Then I compare their sleep findings while I drink my morning coffee.
The Conversation
The Conversation
There's A Reason Taxi Cabs Are Almost Always Yellow
Yellow taxis are easy to spot in traffic, but the color's history goes far beyond simple visibility.
Motor1
Motor1
How ‘technoference’ can disrupt parent-child connections
Have you ever been telling someone a story when their phone lights up, and their eyes flicker toward their device?
The Conversation
The Conversation
Holding Lightning by Emily Lordi review – an intimate portrait of Whitney Houston
An empathetic biography of the the singer recasts her tumultuous later career as a triumph of self-expression
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play