"What strikes you, your racism or me?" one of the female demonstrators wrote on her chest during the protest timed to coincide with Rio Fashion Week. "If we are buying clothes, why can't we parade in the (fashion) shows," asked a 15-year-old model taking part in the protest. "Does that mean that only white women can sell and the rest of us can only buy?" "Claiming to showcase Brazilian fashion without the real Brazilians amounts to showing Brazilian fashion (only) with white models," said Jose Flores, a 25-yearold former model who now works in advertising.
The National Black McDonald's Operators Association (NBMOA) has announced a donation of $100,000 to the Red Cross for its ongoing Haiti relief efforts. The NBMOA consists of McDonald's African American franchise owners, who together raised the funds independent of corporate contributions. The group hopes that its contribution will help keep the focus on the ongoing needs to rebuild Haiti.
The donation comes as the Red Cross and other groups continue to work on immediate relief needs in Haiti as well as plan for and implement years of rebuilding efforts following the massive earthquake that struck the country Jan. 12. Members of the NBMOA own more than 1,400 McDonald's restaurants throughout the United States with annual sales collectively exceeding $3.2 billion. The NBMOA also is one of the largest and most influential African American organizations in the United States.