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HillmanTok University has made its way from TikTok to Capitol Hill. On March 11, 2025, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) joined forces with TikTok to celebrate the digital community for Black educators using the social media platform to reshape education and inspire approximately 135.79 million U.S. users. Several HillmanTok educators — Dr. Leah Barlow, Shyia Simmon, CPA Thurman Brooks, Kyra Brown, Denise Francis, and Gyllian Carter — visited Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, for a special reception to celebrate educational innovation and meet with members of Congress, TikTok shared in a news release. @thurman.brooks.cp Good morning Class! Myself and other Hillmantok creators got a chance to go to DC with TikTok to meet with members of congress and discuss the importance of the platform! Very grateful to have met everyone! Thank you to Andria Carter for having us and her hospitality! @Dr. Barlow’s Intro to Af-Am @Resilient Grace @YT: @gylliwilliproductions @Shyia Simmons ♬ original...
Between the anxieties that come with finding the perfect place for childcare and the struggles that come with affording it, Wonderschool saw a problem that needed solving. Wonderschool is a resource for people trying to start preschools or offer childcare from their homes. The startup helps educators with marketing, website launches, and even the more complicated things like licensing. There are also bootcamp and mentorship services that customers can sign up for. The network of boutique in-home early childhood programs just recently closed a $20M Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz which, according to Tech Crunch , puts the company at $24.1 million in total funding just two years after launching. It’s no secret that preschool and daycare workers make low wages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pre-school teachers made $28,990 in May 2017, while kindergarten teachers made $54,230 and elementary school teachers made $57,160. Cofounders Chris Bennett and Arrel Gray...
Nonprofit 826 Boston is willing to lose significant funding from the federal government to uphold DEI. The Massachusetts-based organization, which offers writing, tutoring, and publishing services for educational purposes, will no longer seek federal funding . In a letter, it confirmed that the decision follows the Trump administration’s directive for agencies to dismantle DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs if receiving federal grant and contracts. Standing on its mission to support students and reflect the diversity of its community, the nonprofit will withdraw its application to receive a $250,000 federal grant for the 2025–2026 AmeriCorps program year. The organization made this decision in order to uphold DEI in its hiring practices, according to CBS News. “826 Boston’s six Writers’ Rooms in Boston Public Schools are staffed with one full time Writers’ Room Manager and two AmeriCorps service members,” Executive Director Corey Yarbrough stated in a letter, per the...
The Primary School, a tuition-free private institution co-founded in 2016 by Priscilla Chan, the wife of Mark Zuckerberg , to support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values, is set to close at the end of the 2025–2026 school year. According to a statement on its website announcing the closure, Chan and late educator Meredith Liu established the school, which has campuses in East Palo Alto and East Bay, CA , “on the guiding principle that raising a child is a team effort” and the decision to close came “after much deliberation.” “Too often, our country’s systems of care are siloed and don’t adequately address a child’s varied needs,” the statement read. “The Primary School model breaks down those silos by bringing together the adults in a child’s life — including parents, educators, and health providers — starting from an early age.” The statement continued, “…This was a very difficult decision, and we are committed to ensuring a thoughtful and supportive transition for...
Connecticut will not be bowing to Trump’s orders regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in education. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, on Feb. 14, the Trump Administration imposed a strict two-week timeline for schools and universities to comply with his orders around DEI such as no longer allowing “racial preferences” to be considered in admissions, financial aid, or hiring. “Educational institutions may neither separate nor segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” the memo read. Failure to comply could risk the loss of federal funding, particularly around Title 1 funding, which supports underserved families. Harvard University is currently under a $2.3 billion federal freeze for pushing back. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government,” a letter penned from the Ivy...
Five days of fun, networking, mentorship , and the chance to enjoy everything the most magical place on Earth has to offer — that’s what Disney’s Dreamers Academy is all about. From Wednesday, March 26, to Sunday, March 30, 2025, students from around the world traveled to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, to be inspired, motivated, and energized by educators, business executives, community leaders, and celebrities, including “DREAMbassador” Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”) and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe . For the 100 participants — ages 13 and 19 — such as Alexis Limary, Jayden Kelly, Christian Rutter, Iraj Shroff, Ava Powers, and Tristan Williams, getting accepted into the 18th annual Dreamers Academy was a dream come true, preparing them for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math ( STEM ). “The opportunity to even be able to come to Disney World, expenses paid, that’s just someone’s dream. Also, to be able to become a part of...
In a political landscape where economic promises often shift with the news cycle, one topic has managed to grab headlines and public curiosity alike: DOGE checks. Tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — an initiative linked to Elon Musk and President Donald Trump’s administration — the proposed stimulus would direct billions in alleged government savings back to American taxpayers. But is this an actual policy shift or a high-profile thought experiment? Here’s what we know. What Are DOGE Checks? DOGE checks are a proposed stimulus payout drawn from cost-cutting measures implemented by DOGE. Since its launch in January, DOGE claims to have saved the federal government $130 billion by downsizing federal agencies and eliminating redundancies. According to Newsweek, the Trump administration has set a $2 trillion savings goal, with the potential for Americans to receive direct financial benefits from these efforts. The term “DOGE checks” gained traction following a...
Five-year-old Maddox Lopez is following in the footsteps of his sister, who was inducted into high-IQ society Mensa, in 2024. With an Einstein-level IQ, Maddox already understands times tables and is a member of Mensa, an organization that requires participants to take an approved intelligence test and score within the top 2% of the general population, its website states. Maddox now joins his sister, Declan, in the organization, which requires an IQ of 130 or more, ABC7 New York reports. “Maddox is all about math and coding, and he finds back doors on video games and programs, where Declan is just like an intellectual who loves to learn anything,” their mother, Meachel, told the outlet. That’s not all. Both Maddox and Declan join their father, Delano, who is also an educator and member of Mensa. However, he credits his children’s intelligence to his wife. “She was doing a lot of extra work with the kids. Even once they started back to school after COVID, she had a whole schedule up,...
After spending significant dollars in DEI efforts, the University of Michigan has closed two offices tied to equity and inclusion. The Detroit Free Press reports that the public research university has spent nearly $250 million on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in recent years. However, the university has now decided to dismantle its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI).” “Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity,” the school said in a statement on its website, according to the outlet. The statement also read: “The DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, the umbrella strategy for schools, colleges and units, will be discontinued, along with DEI 2.0 unit plans, related programming, progress reporting, training and funding. Individual leads, who have supported DEI efforts in schools, colleges and units, will refocus their full effort on their core...
A directory listing Black doctors has been sued. The Black Doctors Directory offers a comprehensive list of Black doctors in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Its website mentions that the directory covers specialties such as family medicine, allergy and immunology, neurology, gynecology, and hematology, and highlights doctors who provide high-quality and culturally competent care . “Racial health disparities contribute to poorer outcomes for Black residents, regardless of their education, income, or insurance. Research shows that racial congruence in healthcare—when patients are treated by doctors who share their race—improves outcomes for African American patients,” a statement on the directory’s webpage reads. The directory was launched by Pennsylvania’s only Black talk radio station, WURD Radio, and is presented through a partnership between Penn Medicine and the Consortium of DEI Health Educators. However, the directory is now facing legal scrutiny due to a...
You can now file reports of discrimination based on race or sex to the U.S. Department of Education. According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Education, it has launched a portal called EndDEI.Ed.Gov , which parents, students, teachers, and community members can use to report incidents of “illegal discriminatory practices” at K-12 schools funded by the government. The form requires an email address, the name of the school and district, and a description of the incident. The aim is to ensure that “students have access to meaningful learning free of divisive ideologies and indoctrination.” “For years, parents have been begging schools to focus on teaching their kids practical skills like reading, writing, and math instead of pushing critical theory, rogue sex education and divisive ideologies—but their concerns have been brushed off, mocked, or shut down entirely,” said Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty in a news release. “Parents, now is the time that you...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The heart of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is about creating equitable access to opportunities, but unfortunately we are seeing the ladder of opportunity be systematically pulled up ever since President Donald Trump started his second term. Once he was sworn in, a slew of companies in the private sector, including large tech companies like Amazon and Meta, rolled back their previous commitments to DEI, with some in the financial sector like banks JPMorgan Chase and Citi Group following suit. This focus on the rollback of DEI is not only impacting the private sector but the world of education as well. Through Critical Race Theory (CRT), which started as a legal topic back in the 1970s and 1980s at Harvard Law School, Derrick Bell argued that racism appears in policies, even when these policies seem neutral. He stated that they are not just on the individual level but are present institutionally...
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive orders eliminating DEI. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, soon after Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, he signed executive orders to halt diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the federal level. This led to federal employees in DEI roles being placed on paid leave, a mandate banning DEI considerations in federal contracting, and more recently, a two-week deadline from the Department of Education requesting that schools and universities end their DEI policies. A memo stated, “…educational institutions may neither separate nor segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” per AP News. Changes in the DEI landscape have also impacted funding for minority businesses, with legal action being taken against those directing support to these businesses. This includes the venture capital firm Fearless Fund and fintech platform Hello Alice. Hello Alice was victorious in a...
Student loan borrowers may be experiencing whiplash this year, as the rules and guidelines for repayment have continued to see massive sweeping changes. If you’ve been following along with political news in recent months, you’re likely already aware of the fact that president Donald Trump has plans to dismantle – and perhaps entirely abolish , the Department of Education. This is a far cry from Joe Biden’s economic plans , which included wiping out millions in student loan debt over the course of his term, and setting the stage for additional loan forgiveness down the line. Whether you’re a borrower concerned about your financial future, or just a passive onlooker questioning the economic impact of Trump’s many executive orders , you may be interested in what happens to unpaid student loans when and if the Department of Education goes the way of the dodo bird. Luckily we’ve got you covered, with a comprehensive look into the history of the Department of Education, what Trump is...
Allow your money to work for you. Financial experts Carter Cofield and George Acheampong are bridging the gap in financial literacy among Black entrepreneurs and professionals. Through their platform, Melanin Money, they aim to close the $100 billion wealth gap and help their users achieve their first seven-figure net worth, its website notes. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the platform launched as an e-commerce brand but scaled into a financial social network in 2017. It offers courses on personal finance, wealth building, and entrepreneurship led by educators. In 2024, these workshops reached 20,000 people. “We decided to create this hybrid educational model where every other month we’re basically doing a virtual conference where people who may be not in a position to hire an advisor or are curious if an advisor is right for them, they get to learn our top strategies over the course of five days,” Acheampong said on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast, which AFROTECH™ Brand...