Jemele Hill’s Spolitics: Lanny Smith on Black Business Ownership

Spolitics, the iHeart podcast hosted by journalist Jemele Hill, featured Actively Black founder Lanny Smith in episode 28, “The Politics of Black Business Ownership,” released in May 2025. Actively Black is the Black-owned athleisure brand Smith launched in 2020. Smith told Hill how Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther inspired the brand, what it means to try to build the “Black Nike,” and how tariffs were affecting the business.

Key takeaways

• Smith told Hill that Actively Black made $55,000 on its first day, and that inventory he expected to last three months sold out in three weeks.
• Smith said Black former Nike executives warned him that putting “Black” in the name would keep the brand from succeeding.
• Smith said Muhammad Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, reached out after the Wakanda Forever collaboration, which opened the door to collections with the Ali, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Tupac and Michael Jackson estates.
• Smith said about 95 percent of the brand’s products had been made in China, that a 145 percent tariff was crippling for a small business, and that the brand was moving some production to Lagos, Nigeria.
• Smith said Actively Black had three full-time employees at the time: himself, co-founder Bianca Winslow, and his mother.
• Smith announced a Juneteenth collection made with cotton from Black farmers in North Carolina, with a fully Black-owned supply chain.

In Lanny's words

“Nike can spend a billion dollars, they can't out black actively black.”

— Lanny Smith, Spolitics (May 2025)

“They feel like the brand is a billboard for them.”

— Lanny Smith on how the Tribe experiences Actively Black, Spolitics

“the entire supply chain is black owned, from the dirt to the shirt.”

— Lanny Smith on the Black-farmer cotton collection, Spolitics

Why it matters

Smith was open with Hill about what building a Black-owned brand really costs. There is little outside capital, the pressure comes from both sides, and small businesses have no cushion when tariffs spike. He asked the community for grace toward Black founders who are still building from below ground level. He also made clear that his goal is to build Actively Black to the point where it can go public rather than be acquired.

The cotton collection Smith described puts reinvestment into practice. When the farmers, the land and the brand are all Black-owned, each purchase supports Black ownership at every step, not only on the label. Smith also told Hill the brand donated $500,000, 10 percent of revenue, in a year it did $5 million.

Shop the story

The Black-farmer cotton Smith described is part of our premium cotton collection. The partnerships he talked about live in the Wakanda collection and the Muhammad Ali x Actively Black collection.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Actively Black?

Actively Black was founded by Lanny Smith, a former University of Houston basketball player whose NBA career with the Sacramento Kings ended with a knee injury. He launched the brand on Black Friday 2020.

What did Spolitics say about Actively Black?

In Spolitics episode 28, Jemele Hill described Actively Black as a popular fitness brand and said it is her favorite thing to wear. Smith discussed the brand’s origin, its collaborations, and the impact of tariffs.

Is Actively Black Black-owned?

Yes. Actively Black is Black-owned. Smith told Spolitics that one collection has a fully Black-owned supply chain, from Black farmers’ cotton to the finished shirt.

How did tariffs affect Actively Black?

Smith told Jemele Hill that most of the brand’s products had been made in China and that a 145 percent tariff was crippling. He said the brand was shifting some production to Lagos, Nigeria, and sourcing cotton from Black farmers.

Listen to the full episode: Ep 28: The Politics of Black Business Ownership – Featuring Lanny Smith, Spolitics (May 2025)