Happy Philanthropy Friday, Happy Kwanzaa, and New Years to our Aero-Ba-Soul, Inc. Family, Friends, Clients, and Community!
We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoying the holiday season with their family, friends and loved ones.
Aero-Ba-Soul, Inc.’s CEO Kecia Palmer-Cousins and COO Kevin Cousins encouraged Minority Women-Owned Businesses in 2023 to work hard, smart and play hard in 2023! 
Kevin and Kecia enjoyed the 2023 Celebrity Cricket HBCU Football Bowl (FAMU 30 - HU 26) in Atlanta, Georgia! As we bring in 2024, we provide business coaching and technical assistance to entrepreneurs as they navigate government and corporate procurement! We also facilitate career, professional leadership and workforce development training for community-based organizations, educational institutions and non-profits.  
New York Power Authority Diversity and Inclusion Manager Alyson Danielewicz, Kecia, New York Power Authority Supplier Diversity Program Administrator & Greenburgh Town Councilwoman Gina Jackson and Chief Executive Officer at Embrace Partners, President at The Cayemitte Group, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer at Minority Business Development Institute (MBDI) David Cayemitte at the MBDI Gala celebrating all of the honorees at the 2023 MBDI Gala!
Kecia and Kevin enjoyed spending quality time with their HBCU Collegiate Sons Kendall (Howard U) and Kyle (Winston-Salem State U) who came home for the holidays. We also enjoyed connecting with family and friends, down time, rejuvenated and reflected on 2023! Great food, fellowship and fun! We are family, each and every day! We thank our village of family, friends and clients for your love and support in 2023! We look forward to continued growth, personally and professionally in 2024! We wish the same for all of you!
The Color Purple Surpasses $25M at the Box Office
in 2 Days!
In addition to celebrating Christmas on December 25th, Kecia along with so many others around the world, took time out on this special day to support and watch The Color Purple at their local movie theater and or watched it at a movie premiere prior to Christmas! The Color Purple’s Box Office Sales surpassed over $25M in 2 days!

Read more by clicking on the images below...
Kecia, her good friend Janine Daughtry and many others were blessed to meet and greet Blitz Bazawule, the talented film director of The Color Purple back in August at the 2023 Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival.
The Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg-produced film premiered on Christmas Day, and stars Fantasia Barrino (Celie) along with Danielle Brooks (Sofia), Taraji P. Henson (Shug Avery), Colman Domingo (Mister), Corey Hawkins (Harpo), H.E.R. (Squeak), Halle Bailey (Nettie), and a number of others. Beyond the film's sprawling landscapes and glittering costume design, the musical's African and hip-hop dance styles and swelling orchestrations bring vibrancy and new life to the tale of a Black woman's harrowing journey to independence in 1920s Georgia. 
 
Ghanaian filmmaker and artist Bazawule (Beyoncé's Black is King) didn't go to film school or attend a performing arts conservatory. In fact, he was the least known of the 10 candidates to interview for the director gig. After receiving playwright Marcus Gardley's script for the film, Bazawule says he knew that a groundbreaking epic like The Color Purple required a fastidious attention to detail. For three months, he sketched the film frame by frame, added voice-overs and sound effects, and shared his two-hour storyboard with his fellow crew members. Some laughed. Others cried. 

Click here to read more!
Special shout out and congratulations to Fashion Fair brilliant business owners and C-Suite Executives Co-owner & CEO Desiree Rogers and Co-owner and President Cheryl Mayberry McKissack!

Fashion Fair hosted private screenings of The Color Purple. Fashion Fair is proud to be an official make-up partner for the premier of The Color Purple.
Desiree, Cheryl and the Fashion Fair Team provided VIP treatment to all in attendance all of their private screenings, including the NYC The Color Purple private screening.
Happy Kwanzaa!
Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious celebration of family, culture, and community. Each day honors a particular African-derived principle and the final day culminates in a feast (called Karamu) on New Year’s Day.

If you’ve never celebrated Kwanzaa before, there’s no time like the present to start. It was introduced in 1966 by Dr. Maulana ‘Ron’ Karenga, at the height of the Black Power movement. It was designed to acknowledge and respond to the racial and economic challenges faced by African Americans. After studying different beliefs and practices from Africa’s 54 countries, Karenga invented a week-long commemoration that blended educative and spiritual elements he thought would be most useful to people of African descent living outside of the continent. Borrowing from Hannukah, among other mainstream religious holidays, Karenga envisioned a harvest festival that closed the year with gratitude before ushering in hope for a brighter future.

Although it started with humble roots in California, today Kwanzaa is celebrated throughout the United States. It’s focus on African values is not exclusionary. This celebration is open to people of all identities and faiths. No longer seen as a rival to Christmas, Kwanzaa (celebrated from December 26 to January 1) is commonly commemorated concurrently with major religious holidays that fall at the end of the year. Keep reading for more on the history, meaning, and celebrations of Kwanzaa.

What does "Kwanzaa" mean?
Kwanzaa derives its name from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," meaning "first fruits." Although Karenga drew heavily from East African words and ideas, Kwanzaa (also spelled Kwanza or Cuanza) is also the name of a river and the currency found in Angola, in central, West Africa. The mixing of ideas, words, and practices found throughout the continent has made for some rejection of the celebration as being inauthentic. However, it’s important to remember that the holiday is meant to symbolize hope and pride, not to replicate an existing holiday. Instead, Kwanzaa borrows from existing traditions to make something altogether new.

In alignment with the winter solstice, Kwanzaa emphasizes the harvest season with symbols of health, community, and prosperity. Each day is counted down on a menorah-like candelabra. Throughout the week, celebrants learn and communicate in Swahili phrases to stay connected to gratitude. Gifts exchanged during the week are handmade or reused, in addition to being of utilitarian value. Pushing against consumerism during the end of year shopping season, Kwanzaa is often used as a rooting practice meant to bring families and friends together—regardless of their budget or background.

What are the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa and how are they celebrated?
The Nguzo Saba (or seven guiding principles) are celebrated one-by-one on each day. To acknowledge the day’s principle, observers gather to light a designated candle on the kinara, a decorative, seven-branch candleholder. In observance, the group may enjoy songs, dancing, African drums, story-telling, poetry reading, and shared meals to represent that principle.

Umoja (Unity): Emphasizes unity within families, communities, and the African diaspora. Observe it by lighting the first candle, representing unity, on the Kinara.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): Encourages individuals to shape their own destinies. Groups engage in activities that encourage self-reflection and personal goal-setting. Usually, kids must research and share short narratives about public figures from Black history—from Martin Luther King Jr. to Rihanna—whose achievements were attributed to persistence.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): Stresses collaboration and shared responsibility for community development. Expect to participate in collective projects or volunteer work to improve the local community.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): Promotes financial literacy and entrepreneurship by highlighting community-based businesses or social enterprises that provide collective prosperity. Families try to buy from or support local Black-owned businesses. Conversations revolve around economic empowerment, responsible spending, and the power of investing. Elders pass down financial advice and money lessons to younger generations.

Nia (Purpose): Encourages setting community-oriented goals and working toward them, collectively. Groups discuss problems they face and set goals to overcome them for the betterment of the community. A break for an individualistic mindset, this principle encourages deriving purpose from helping others and seeing oneself as an integral part of a larger society that deeply relies on their talents.

Kuumba (Creativity): Celebrates creativity and fosters continuous improvement. This is a fun day to engage in creative activities, such as art-, music-, or craft-making. Expect to incorporate African words and West African Adinkra symbols. Handmade gifts are exchanged, emphasizing the value of personal creativity in each.

Imani (Faith): Encourages belief in oneself, community, and positive change. The final candle on the Kinara closes the celebration with a symbol of faith. Families engage in discussions or activities that encourage optimism, planning for, and belief in a positive future. This is also the most festive day, celebrated with a large, potluck-style meal (called Karamu) open to all.
PHILANTHROPY AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP MWBEs BUILD WEALTH AND CAPACITY!
Many minority and women business enterprise entrepreneurs use their local, County and State Agencies to stay current and tap into potential resources and procurement opportunities for their businesses and their communities. Getting MWBE Certified and procuring government contracts can help MWBEs build their businesses! Grants, loans, networking, attending training classes, workshops and joining chambers of commerce and professional organizations are also parts of MWBEs portfolios to grow their businesses. We encourage MWBEs to become civically and politically engaged in their communities and the communities that they serve!
APEX Accelerator
Make 2024 a year of growth and new possibilities for your business! Join the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the Defense Contract Audit Agency on Monday, January 8th from 9:00 am - 10:00 am for a webinar on how to sell to the government with confidence. For more information and to register, please click the link below.
Minority Commerce Weekly
Weekly Procurement Opportunities!
Take your business to new heights in 2024 by checking out the Minority Commerce Weekly! Click here to check out tools, resources, and business opportunities.
NYSBDC - New Year Personal Finance Strategy for Business Owners
Start the year off right with a webinar workshop from the NYSBDC on finance strategies for business owners on Tuesday, January 16th at 12:00 pm. Get your finances in order with a presentation led by Delano Saporu, CEO of New Street Advisors Group, and learn more about finance goal setting, budgeting, and retirement planning. To register, click the link below.
Sisters in Support, Inc. - 9th Annual Kwanzaa Ball




Sincerely, Love,
Kecia and Kevin
Contact Kecia at (914) 737-7237 with questions about starting
or growing your business!

You can also visit our website at www.aerobasoul.com or email Kecia at kecia@aerobasoul.com.

At Aero-Ba-Soul, Inc. we build dreams to life with heart and a soul! Like a trusted friend and confidante, our personal project managers tap into their vivid imaginations, hearts and souls to analyze clients' projects and engineer solutions through project completion.

We are imagineers, igniting M/WBEs to refocus on themselves, their businesses and giving back to their communities. Our one-on-one technical assistance sessions and training programs are designed to help entrepreneurs and MWBE’s project manage their lives and get to the heart and soul of their personal and professional development. 

We motivate and collaborate with our clients through project completion! 

Our services include:
  • Business Management Consulting Services
  • Life Coaching
  • MWBE Consulting/Prepare NYC/NYS MWBE Certification Applications
  • Public Speaking
  • Project Management
  • Training
  • Career Preparation
  • Customer Service
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership
  • Networking
Kecia Palmer-Cousins, MBA

Aero-Ba-Soul, Inc.

Office: 914.737.7237
Cell: 914.512.4373

Aero-Ba-Soul, Inc.