The AFROTECH ™ 2024 Conference kicks off in Houston, TX, on Wednesday, with will.i.am and Tobe Nwigwe joining an already impressive lineup of speakers. Tobe Nwigwe — a visionary, artist, and entrepreneur known for his albums “The MonuMINTal,” “moMINT,” and “HOOD HYMNS” — will take the Innovation Stage for a fireside chat on visual storytelling.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by AFROTECH™ Conference (@afrotech.conference) will.i.am, the multi-platinum artist, producer, tech entrepreneur, and philanthropist, brings over two decades of experience leading at the intersection of music and technology. From chart-topping hits to impactful tech solutions, he will participate in a fireside chat, offering insights on building a multi-faceted career that intersects creativity and innovation. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, will.i.am sees significant value in the upcoming conference. What particularly piques his interest are the activations planned for this year, which he...

Female trailblazers will continue to receive their flowers. The U.S. Mint has announced five new historic figures whose faces will appear on the 2023 quarters. The spotlight is a part of a four-year program to honor the historic contributions and achievements of women pioneers. As AfroTech previously told you, Maya Angelou was one of the first to appear under the American Women Quarters Program. She joined Dr. Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren, and Anna May Wong, Essence reports. As the new year encroaches, you can look forward to some fresh faces who will be receiving the well-deserved honor such as Bessie Coleman. The Texas native, who was sometimes referred to as “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World,” became the first African American woman and Native American to acquire a pilot license. She rose to notoriety after performing dangerous air shows throughout the nation. The late pilot will be joined by Edith Kanakaʻole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar, and Maria...

Vans isn’t just skating through Women’s History Month with performative actions — the brand is providing resources to women-identifying creators. This month, instead of spending its allocated budget on traditional ads, Vans dedicated those resources to creatives — including mixed-media artist Rewina Beshue and ceramicist Lalese Stamp — to actually create inspiring works for a digital museum. The online exhibit showcases drawings, sculptures, music videos, custom shoes, digital animations, and more. “I’m drawn to projects that uplift and shine a light on topics that are important to Black women taking up space in the art world,” said Beshue. “I love using my art and my platform to promote representation and inclusivity. Growing up, there wasn’t much Black representation in the art world, or at least I wasn’t exposed to it. It was hard to find. It’s really important that we use our platforms to promote representation of creative women in the mainstream world.” “I’ve always worn Vans,”...

Entrepreneur Kiara Imani Williams claims she was dropped from Target on short notice. Williams is an attorney with a decade of experience in entertainment law, a writer, and the co-founder of the card game LikeU, which is designed to spark conversations among family and friends. LikeU made its way onto Target shelves during a period when many companies were pledging to support diverse brands as a result of George Floyd being murdered at the hands of police brutality. Williams believed Target’s commitment was genuine and would endure, but has been mistaken. “LikeU cards were born out of the conversations that emerged after George Floyd’s murder—a time when so many people were searching for ways to connect, to listen, and to understand,” Williams said in an email interview with AFROTECH™. “Target made a pledge to support diverse communities at that moment, and it was that commitment that made me believe they were the right fit. But since then, like many other organizations, they’ve...

Fawn Weaver established a scholarship to carry the torch of excellence surrounding Nearest Green. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Weaver is the CEO and co-founder of Uncle Nearest, a whiskey brand valued at over a billion dollars. The brand was born after she came across a 2016 New York Times article while traveling in Singapore. The article featured an image of Jack Daniel alongside a group of men, with Nathan “Nearest” Green—known as Uncle Nearest—positioned in a way that ensured he wouldn’t be overlooked. In 1864, Green, who was enslaved, began teaching Daniel how to make whiskey in Tennessee. Daniel went on to sell whiskey throughout Lynchburg, TN, and the business formed into the popular brand Jack Daniel’s. Green’s role had been lost over time despite him being the master distiller at the Jack Daniel Distillery and the first African-American master distiller on record in U.S. history. As a whiskey maker, research shows he became the wealthiest African American in Lynchburg,...

Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. While President Donald Trump has delayed the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for another month, tariffs have already been imposed on China. Tariffs on China include a 10% tax, along with closing a loophole that helped boost China-owned brands like Temu and Shein. When a foreign shipment arrives, it goes through customs and gets inspected, and the importer has to pay an import tax depending on the size of the shipment. For almost a century, there’s been a loophole where small packages under a certain value would be exempt from that tax, called “de minimis.” Ten years ago, Congress expanded the exemption to include packages worth under $800. Stores like Temu, Shein, and Chinese drop shippers that sell on Amazon and the TikTok Shop have used the loophole to their advantage. The majority of retailers ship products in bulk to U.S. warehouses as they go through the traditional customs process. Shein and...

Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. OpenAI has been the talk of the town ever since it released ChatGPT two years ago. Since then, the company has continued to showcase where it sees opportunities in artificial intelligence. In December, OpenAI held a 12-day event called 12 Days of OpenAI , a play on the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, in which each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas featured a new announcement. We all remember the lyric: “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.” The releases that captured the most attention during this period included ChatGPT Pro, which provided access to OpenAI’s latest models and tools for $200 a month; advancements on Sora, its tool that enables users to create images or videos via text; and 1-800-CHATGPT, a phone-accessible AI service that enhances accessibility, particularly for older generations. These 12 days made it clear that OpenAI wants AI to be seen as a partner...

UI and web designer Dacia Petrie is behind an app that makes it easier for shoppers to buy from Black-owned businesses. Black shoppers are looking for more ways to support some of their favorite brands beyond major retail. This comes after several companies, including Walmart and Target, announced plans to roll back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. In fact, entrepreneur and graphic designer Danielle Coke Balfour pulled her products from Target shelves and directed buyers to her online storefront, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “All products pictured are retired at this time except the Good Work Journal. My licensing agreement was with a vendor, not Target directly. Target has described their changes as ‘concluding’ specific DEI initiatives, which I’ve expressed my personal disappointment with. I stand by my message about the importance of supporting Black-owned brands and businesses,” Balfour wrote on Instagram. In a follow-up video, Balfour reveals that...