Andre Lamar Henry and Shalir Cottman
The struggles of African Americans in the United States date back to the 19th century when “Black codes'' were established to deny Black people certain privileges. Such privileges included the right to own a property, conduct business of their choice, buy or lease lands, free movement in public spaces and voting during elections, which deprived them of a voice in society. A major part of the Black Codes was the vagrancy law, which criminalized men who did not have a job or were not working at white-recognized companies.
From the 19th century to the 20th century, the struggle continued through The Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act was born out of the struggle by Americans of African descent in trying to obtain basic citizenship rights in the U.S. At this stage, the struggle was gradually yielding some dividends, as antislavery movements had gradually mitigated a few of the challenges experienced in the 1830s. However, blacks were still being denied full citizenship rights as the sufferings of African Americans continued unabated. However, this underserved community has not stopped striving to change the narrative.
One such person is Shalir Cottman, an African American, who was born after his mom became pregnant at 14. As a result, they both went into foster care in Lancaster. Growing up, he had the dream of owning one of the biggest clothing and apparel lines in the United States. However, Cottam faced a lot of challenges on his path to fulfilling his dream, including imprisonment. Despite all the challenges he endured, he did not give up on his ambitions. After graduating from Chester High school he got married to an amazing wife, Marlicia Cottman, and is now a proud father to three kids.
Cottman’s dream took flight in the form of a sneaker and apparel business in Delaware, named Gstyles. The business has now grown into a 6-figure mega shoe company. Cottman has also bought himself a befitting dream home through this same business.
GStyles is now collaborating with another African American-owned business: Dream Again. Both companies aim to provide assistance to other African Americans who might also be going through tough times in the U.S. Dream Again is a company dedicated to empowering underrepresented communities, while promoting diversity in the United States, using comics, gaming, as well as branded designs as tools to reach out to its communities and create avenues for empowerment. Founder of Dream Again Inc., Andre Lamar Henry, who is an accounting and financial management expert and author, says his greatest desire is to be a servant to those who are less fortunate. Henry, who is an orphan from Chester PA, lost his parents at the age of eight. However, he did not allow his difficult background to slow down his vision or reduce his desire to succeed.
Henry is also one African-American who has distinguished himself as an accounting and financial management expert, with a number of awards to his name, including the Social Entrepreneur Award and an Institute of Management Accountants Award from the State of Delaware. According to him, his difficult experiences growing up have made him give his life to helping undervalued communities and individuals. He is now determined to give back to society by helping other Black Americans who are probably going through all he has also gone through. Henry is now into a number of industries, including the gaming industry and the apparel and allied industry, where he designs clothes and shoes. For this, he partners with Gstyles, another notable clothing brand, owned by Shalir Cottman. Henry says Dream Again and Gstyles are both working to create better financial opportunities for fellow Black Americans.
Dream Again and Gstyles, Collaboration EXIT6 Sneakers and the EXIT6 controller.
“We want to give back to undervalued communities in Delaware, including Black Americans. As 100% owners of our individual brands, Shalir and I are collaborating on the EXIT6 shoe of the city and controller of the city as an homage to Chester, PA. We plan to do a sale of our branded items in the city, where anyone who buys our shoes, as well as those who buy the Contest of Dreamers game, get Financial Literacy Courses at half price. Aside from those, we also hope to offer any other assistance required by participants which are within our powers. As African Americans ourselves, we understand the challenges faced by Americans of African descent and we are passionate about helping them find their footing,” Henry says
Regarding future goals, he believes both companies will continue to give back to the community, while helping deprived and undervalued individuals gain relevance through skill acquisition and personal empowerment.
Media Contact:
Name: Andre Henry
Email: [email protected]
