Following four sexual assault allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, a number of black-owned businesses are cutting ties with his newly launched e-commerce venture Empower Global.
PEOPLE can confirm that companies Tsuri, Nuudii System, Fulaba and House of Takura have ended their partnerships with the platform, which first went live over the summer. Some 14 others have also cut ties with Empower Global, it said Rolling stone.
Reps for Diddy have not commented to PEOPLE.
“We pulled the Nuudii System from Empower Global as soon as we heard the news of the allegations against Sean Puffy Combs,” Annette Azan, who runs the clothing and underwear brand with her daughters, said in a statement to PEOPLE. “We are a women’s brand. We believe in women and support them. There is nothing empowering about abusing women!”
Azan goes on to say that while she is “fully aware that these are allegations,” she believes that “something happened,” especially when you consider how Combs settled his first lawsuit with his ex, singer Cassie, out of court.
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Combs first made headlines in November, when Cassie filed a major lawsuit against him, claiming the rapper raped and trafficked her during 10 years of abuse.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs issues sweeping denial of sexual assault claims: ‘I did none of these horrible things’
Although the lawsuit was settled to “mutual satisfaction” the next day, more women have since come forward with allegations of abuse, sex trafficking and gang rape.
House of Takura, another woman-founded company that sells handbags and eyewear aimed at “uplifting” women, said in a statement that it “takes the allegations against Mr. Combs very seriously and finds such behavior abhorrent and intolerable.” We absolutely do not condone any of Mr. Combs’ alleged actions. We believe in victims’ rights and support victims to speak their truth even against the most powerful people.”
The statement continues: “Our brand is strongly focused on empowering girls and women in Africa. We know all too well the indelible trauma experienced by women in abusive relationships and the uphill battle women and girls face in breaking that cycle and finding healing. Our hearts go out to To Casandra Fine and all the other women recovering from this cycle.”
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Haby Barry, founder of African jewelery brand Fulaba, is a survivor of abuse and says she “doesn’t believe Cassie and these other women are lying”.
“Fulaba is all about empowering women and girls to be their highest selves and radiate their inner beauty with beautiful jewelry handcrafted in West Africa,” she says. “We will not be associated with anything or anyone that contradicts our values regardless of the potential for financial gain. Abuse of any kind – emotional, physical, sexual or psychological is devastating and causes untold damage that only someone who has lived through it can truly understand.”
Tsuri, a luxury skincare company, issued a similar statement about its decision to end its relationship with Empower Global: “As a woman-owned and led company, we do not and will not remain in a gray area about the mistreatment of women. Additionally, from a business standpoint, Empower Global did not raise sales or maintain communications. The termination of this partnership is a collective business and personal decision.”
Shortly after a third woman came forward about the alleged assault by Combs, the hop-hop TV network Revolt, which Combs co-founded with Andy Schuon in 2013, released a statement via social media announcing that Combs would no longer serve as the network’s president. . A representative for the rapper told PEOPLE that the move is only temporary.
Diddy accused of sexually assaulting college student in 1991 in new lawsuit
In a statement, the Network wrote: “Sean Combs has stepped down from his position as president of Revolt. While Mr. Combs previously had no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission of creating meaningful content for culture and amplifying the voices of all black people across this country and the African diaspora.”
The statement continued: “Our focus has always been one that reflects our commitment to Revolt’s shared journey—one that is not driven by any one individual, but by the collective efforts and values of our entire team in the name of advancing, elevating, and championing our culture—and that continues. .”
On Dec. 6 — the same day the fourth woman’s allegation came in — Combs spoke out about the allegations. “TOO MUCH IS TOO MUCH. For the past few weeks, I’ve sat by and watched people try to kill my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. accusations against me.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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Source: HIS Education