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Stephen A. Smith’s proudest moment was retiring his late mother. For the host of ESPN’s “First Take,” he has kept his mother in high regards due to her sacrifices raising him with a father he describes as “negligent.” In 2005, Smith was able to reward his mother when he signed a $1.3 million annual contract with ESPN to receive his own show, called “Quite Frankly,” he revealed on the “Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson” podcast. At the time, his mother had retired as a registered nurse working at Queens General Hospital in New York, NY, but she took on work at the Police Athletic League (PAL) to fund her yearly vacations because she did not have additional earnings outsides of her pension and savings. “My proudest moment to this day was that I drove straight home, and I put it in my book straight shooter, I drove straight from Manhattan to Queens, New York. I walked right in that PAL and I grabbed her by the arm and I said ‘Let’s go,'” Smith expressed on the podcast. “I looked at her boss,...
Venita Cooper’s passion for sneaker culture has led her to become an entrepreneur -turned-tech-founder. In 2019, Cooper opened Silhouette Sneakers & Art in Tulsa, OK, after working as a K-12 educator in the Mississippi Delta through Teach for America. She was brought to Oklahoma because her parents decided to retire, Cooper told AFROTECH™ in an interview. With no entrepreneurial background, the thought of launching her own business never crossed her mind until 2018, when the idea of opening a sneaker store was presented to her. “At first I thought it was crazy ’cause I was like, ‘I’m not an entrepreneur. I’ve never done anything like that before,'” Cooper said. “One of the things that I’ve learned is that to start a business and to run a business, to me, the No. 1 skill is the ability to make good decisions consistently and quickly. I always ask investors and other founders who have successful companies, what is the characteristic that they can identify as that No. 1 characteristic...
Blavity Inc. has assembled a coalition of leaders to drive equity in technology. In a news release, the technology and news media company has shared it has formed the AFROTECH™ Advisory Board. The board will dedicate its focus to workplace equity and ensuring underrepresented employees, founders, and startups can obtain access to capital and economic mobility. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH (@afro.tech) “Mobilizing this consortium is a crucial move towards amplifying our impact and reach in creating a more equitable tech industry,” Morgan DeBaun, founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., said in a press statement. “Our concerted effort will focus on practical initiatives that not only enhance workplace equity but also promote significant access to capital and opportunities for our community’s members.” The AFROTECH™ Advisory Board includes representatives of Amazon, American Express, Black Economic Alliance, Chewy, GAP, Google, Infoblox, Jordan Brand, Lam Research,...
In 2017, Howard University launched the Karsh STEM Scholars Program to encourage Black students to pursue a career in STEM research or teaching with the contingency of pursuing an M.D. or Ph.D. at an institution. The Historically Black College and University program offers full scholarships to its students and fosters an environment where students will receive mentorship and peer support, which is often an area Black students fail to receive from other institutions. According to a 2021 Wiley Report, surveying 2,000 young adults, 44 percent of them credited their pursuit in STEM to encouragement from their college.
PepsiCo and the National Urban League (NUL) are teaming up to provide financial support for Black-owned restaurants. According to a press release, the global food and beverage (F&B) leader has formed a partnership with the NUL to launch their Black Restaurant Accelerator Program, which has pledged to give 500 Black restaurant owners in 12 U.S. cities a total of $10 million over the next five years. Both entities’ support comes about following a tumultuous year for small Black-owned businesses that were impacted by the pandemic. “As the pandemic exposed existing disparities many minority business owners face, we saw a fundamental threat that could erase the decades of progress Black-owned restaurants have made,” C.D. Glin — Vice President, Global Head of Philanthropy at The PepsiCo Foundation — said in a statement. “This investment will help Black restaurateurs not only recover from the pandemic but set them on a path to long-term economic resilience. We are inspired by the progress...
Forbes has announced its inaugural CEO Next list — which spotlights 50 business leaders and executives who are “using innovation, technology, creativity and culture to reimagine and reinvent their roles” at their respective companies. Among the honorees are 11 Black business executives who are getting their fair shine as innovators of the business world revolutionizing the structure of the industry and on the course of making history. Check out this year’s notable leaders to learn more about their companies and achievements. Bozoma Saint John Photo Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images Position: CMO Company: Netflix Over the last two decades, Bozoma Saint John has proven herself to be a marketing powerhouse for some of the most popular consumer brands today — including Uber, Apple Music, PepsiCo, Endeavor and now Netflix. As chief marketing officer (CMO), she helps the company stand out from competition like Disney and Amazon to name a few, while driving engagement to bring great stories...
When Kyle Parker began attending a predominantly white institution (PWI), he quickly realized that getting a decent haircut would be a challenge. In his predominantly white college town, there were no Black barbers. In fact, the closest Black barber was two hours away by car. The ordeal seriously impacted his mental health as he wasn’t able to look and feel his best. He also realized that other Black students were probably facing the same challenges, so he began dreaming up a solution. “Being African-American, I didn’t have the option to walk down the street to my favorite, affordable barbershop while attending Grinnell College in Iowa. The barbershop was a large part of my culture that was missing and became a factor in why I transferred after 3 years. Wherever I decided to attend, I had to have an equal chance to a great barber as most of my classmates. I knew it would tremendously help my mental health,” Parker told AfroTech. He eventually transferred out of Grinnell College but...
At just 17-years-old, Verda Tetteh proves that being amazing is about more than just where you go to school. According to CBS News, the Massachusetts high school student made her Ghanaian parents proud, already, when she got accepted into Harvard University. She made her parents especially proud when that Harvard offer came with a “full-ride” scholarship. But when she was offered an additional $40,000 in scholarships for things like books and other necessities that the “full-ride” scholarship to Harvard didn’t cover, she turned it down. “No one had the chance to say ‘Don’t give away $40,000,’” Verda Tetteh said to CBS News. “It is such a great honor, but I also know that I am not the most in need of it. I’m excited to see who it helps and how that changes their life, so I am so happy that God gave me the strength to do that.” She also said that she knew that “someone else needed it more,” which is why she was alright with giving it up to someone else. The $40,000 was due to be given...
It’s time to celebrate! Eventnoire is a Black-owned ticketing platform that just landed first place in Mountain Dew’s Real Change Opportunity Fund Competition. Out of hundreds of startups that competed in the “Shark Tank”-style competition, the ticketing platform wowed judges DJ Envy, Lala Anthony and Blavity’s own Morgan DeBaun. According to Presswire , Eventnoire made it through multiple rounds pitching its business model and innovative concepts and will receive a share of the $1 million prize pool. Funding will allow them to continue their work to create a level playing field for Black people in America, strengthen Black businesses, and uplift Black communities. Per the company’s website , Eventnoire is the “leading ticketing solution for events that celebrate Black people and culture every day.” Created by Jeff Osuji and Femi Masha in 2018, AfroTech previously reported that Eventnoire was founded to change the industry for Black events. It has a primary focus on meeting all...
A Black woman is on track to make history twice over in the country’s intelligence sector. Last Wednesday, President Joe Biden nominated Stacey A. Dixon — technology, research and development expert — to serve as the nation’s No. 2 intelligence official, a historical feat for a Black woman of her caliber, the New York Times reports. According to the news outlet, if the Senate confirms Dr. Dixon for this position, she will become the “highest-ranking Black woman in the intelligence community and the first Black person to serve in one of its most senior posts.” “Dr. Dixon possesses a deep knowledge of the intelligence tradecraft and understands the critical work intelligence professionals perform every day,” Avril D. Haines — the director of national intelligence — shared. Dr. Dixon’s position, if and when it’s confirmed, will include being responsible for convincing Congress to approve funding research and developing new technologies to help the U.S. keep up with China’s data...
Coach D now works his magic off of the field! As he continues to work to revitalize the football program at Jackson State, Deion Sanders has helped to ink a deal with Pepsi to join forces with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) as a major sponsor. Sanders’ first relations with the leading beverage company began in the mid-1990s and now Pepsi has become the primary beverage sponsor for all SWAC football and basketball championship games through 2023. In the midst of his first season as the coach for Jackson State, the Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback can now add the role as a SWAC ambassador to his resume. According to USA TODAY, in a three-year deal, Pepsi reiterates its support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The deal is a component of the brand’s Racial Equality Journey which includes a series of initiatives launched in April 2020 by the company with a commitment of $400 million over the next five years. “This is kind of next level,” said...
PepsiCo and its philanthropic arm The PepsiCo Foundation recognize the challenges in America’s educational institutions and the need for systemic change as it pertains to low-income students of color. For these students who are in pursuit of higher education, PepsiCo has announced a new $40 million scholarship and professional mentoring program to support Black and Hispanic community college students. According to a press release, the new $40 million initiative will start off launching in Dallas , Westchester , Houston , and Chicago. PepsiCo’s plan is to expand the program across 16 additional U.S. cities in the fall and hopes to support roughly 4,000 students over the next five years. “Education is a great equalizer that enables economic growth, upward mobility and helps build generational wealth that lifts up communities over the long-term,” PepsiCo Chairman/ CEO Ramon Laguarta shares in a statement . “With this program, we are creating a differentiated experience for students...
The top Ivy League schools have historically marginalized Black and brown students. While students of color have been welcomed in recent years, they are still underrepresented. However, the founders of Trillicon Valley and The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University (or d.school) are advocating for more inclusion to build the largest Black and Brown attended class in university history, according to an Instagram post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stanford Community College (@stanfordcommunitycollege) This fall, d.school and Trillicon Valley — founded by Khristopher Sandifer, Brice Butler, DeVaris Brown, Jason Mayden, Brandon Middleton, and Olatunde Sobomehin — will offer a free 10-week course, “Community College: Designing Black and Brown Spaces,” where students will learn how to create communal, academic and corporate spaces for people of color. According to a description , the course will be led by a four-person teaching team, which includes...