America has been the foundation for dreams to come true since the beginning of the nation. Historically many immigrants from other countries traveled to the states for opportunities. For Black Americans, however, this has not always been the case. Black Americans had to fight for the right of the pursuit of happiness. As a race they struggled through slavery, the Jim Crow south, and now the systemic workings set in place that create disenfranchisement. This is why HBCUs and historically black towns were created, they existed and exist to give African Americans opportunities that are not available in standard American culture, while America has come a long way, the nation still needs to honor and appreciate the institutions that were put in place to help African Americans reach the American Dream for the black family. The dream that depicts that no matter where you come from, your ethnicity, your background, you could dream and that dream could become reality for you and your family.
This is exactly what Matthew and Dormeka Pearce believed and has sought out to accomplish. Matthew and Dormeka Pearce both attended and graduated from Grambling State University, an HBCU located in North Louisiana. To them there was no greater privilege to serve and attend a Historically Black University. Matthew was raised in Grambling and had a rich culture of attending HBCUs in his family. Both Matthew and Dormeka are 2nd generation graduates of Grambling. Matthew obtained his degree in Political Science and an MPA degree, while Dormeka obtained her BA in History. The two met in the Grambling State Library and immediately fell in love with each other, approximately 2 years later, they were married in college and dreamed of having a family and building a legacy for the generations to come. As Matthew worked towards his Masters, they started a family and continued to support each other dreams as they grew as a family.
As soon as Matthew graduated with his MPA, he knew that he desired more for his family and that the dreams in his heart could come to pass with hard work and faith. He worked as an employment specialist, teacher, and eventually a counselor during the day and at night he would perfect his ideas and inventions. During this time he also became a licensed and ordained preacher. He started his company Pearce Innovative Industries in 2016 and has built a portfolio of products. Sooner than later Matthew developed his first working prototype and filed a non-provisional patent on his first product, U Can Lift It, a patent pending trash can that helps to eliminate tears and rips, secures the trash bag, eliminates content spillage and bag slippage, and eliminates the suction pull for easy bag removal. Since developing the first residential can, Matthew and his team developed a commercial can and are currently working on trash bags now. The U Can Lift It is a revolutionary waste basket and is one of the few innovations in the industry in a while. As Matthew was perfecting his products with his team, Dormeka was also writing books and ventured into publishing, she helped over 30 people to become published authors. As the U Can Lift It is growing, they have built an incredible team of members, adding an executive of Business Operations with over 30 plus years of executive level experience at Fortune 500 companies and a former VP from Rubbermaid to their team. Not only do they have a solid team but are expecting to bring jobs back to the North Louisiana Area, and create more jobs in the coming years
Within the next few weeks, they will be launching their new residential trash can via KICKSTARTER. A platform that is geared towards innovation and creators. This is an opportunity for people to pre-order residential cans and become a part of the story. The product is truly unique, U Can uses a patent pending technology that is not yet available on the market, it is a Black owned company within the waste basket industry. As an African American couple, they hope to inspire other African American couples to dream big and not settle for less. While opportunities seem far away for a culture that has been stricken by poverty and oppression, they offer hope that there are African American “Mark Zuckerbergs”, there are African American “Henry Fords” and “Dysons”, and African American “Steve Jobs” in America that are waiting on the opportunity to build a legacy for their families and communities. They hope to revive the dream in the African American community by bringing jobs and opportunities back to black towns and recruiting other young hardworking youth to become a part of their company. They eventually want to offer company programs that will help to develop engineers and innovators in the future, and develop a school for young minds that want to create and build businesses that create innovations for tomorrow. . Matthew believes that we should not only create a better life for our current generation but that we should ensure better opportunities for our children, and one way to do that is to buy black and invest in companies that will help to empower our cities, communities, and bring opportunities back to our homes.
For more information and to support, Sign up for updates about U Can Lift It at www.ucanliftit.com.
www.ucanliftit.com