Culture

Wednesday Notes

Uristocrat

Jul 19, 2023 — 3 min read

Amoako Boafo.PHOTO EMMA CHANG/COURTESY GAGOSIAN

Shirley Chisholm monument for Prospect Park

A monument to honor Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman ever elected to serve in Congress, is still having its design tweaked before it gains final approval to be constructed in Prospect Park.

What’s going on with Greenwood and The Gathering Spot?

When Greenwood, a neobank that courts Black and Latino customers, acquired The Gathering Spot last year — a networking and coworking club that targets similar demographics — the fintech’s co-founder Paul Judge described the merger as a “Black on Black” deal, saying it was “two companies that are Black-owned, strengthening each other.”

A little over a year later, however, all that hope and goodwill has vanished.

Ryan Wilson, the CEO and co-founder of The Gathering Spot (TGS), has sued Judge, Greenwood co-founder Ryan Glover and the fintech itself, alleging Greenwood and its founders did not pay Wilson and former TGS shareholders the earn-outs promised in their purchase agreement, that the fintech refused to pay bonuses to TGS employees, and more. Wilson is claiming he and his fellow TGS shareholders are owed a $5 million earn-out payment and other considerations.

After Finding Success Abroad, Amoako Boafo Is Using His Star Power to Support Ghana’s Art Scene

For Amoako Boafo, the best part of success is sharing it with his community, those who inspire him, and bringing along as many people as he can on his journey.

This past March, the Ghanaian artist had his New York solo debut with the mega-gallery Gagosian. Boafo, who is known for finger-dipped paintings depicting himself and Black people from Africa and its diaspora, said he’d received praise for the show, but he came out of the experience feeling as though something was missing.