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Tyler Perry has provided great financial relief for 85-year-old Anniece Tisdale. According to WSMV-4, Tisdale hired an unlicensed contractor to renovate her East Nashville, TN, home to accommodate her disability and growing family. However, the project took a turn for the worse when the contractor abandoned it altogether after not meeting completion expectations. Tisdale was then left with a home unsafe to live in and thousands of dollars lost. After an interview with the local news station, Tisdale was asked by Sherri Shepherd to appear on her “Sherri” talk show, and was joined by her daughter, Yolanda, who revealed that at least $180,000 had been invested into the home renovation project. Yolanda and her husband both took out personal loans and pooled from savings and credit cards to gather the funds. Yolanda also helped to refinance her mom’s mortgage to pay for the $200,000 in renovations. “We signed the contract in January. We were supposed to be f inished March 31. It was a...
22-year-old Angel Reese has fulfilled her wish to retire her mother. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the WNBA player for the Chicago Sky is vocal about how her mother, Angel Webb Reese, has influenced her journey. Beginning at 4 years old, Reese was courtside at her mother’s games. “I used to go to my mom’s games when I was younger. She used to play in a little league, and I used to always go watch her games on Sundays. That was something that was always inspiring to me,” Reese explained to Just Women’s Sports. “She’s always been independent and she molded that into me. I am who I am because of her.” Angel Webb Reese, who played basketball for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame, notes Today. She also went on to have a professional career in Luxembourg. Her daughter is carrying the basketball torch while also making strides beyond the sport in business, guided by her agents, Jeanine Ogbonnaya and Gina Paradiso. As a...
The Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit over alleged discriminatory practices related to the appraisal of a Black homeowner’s property and the cancellation of her mortgage refinance application. Filed Monday, Oct. 21, in U.S. District Court in Colorado, the lawsuit accuses Rocket Mortgage , Solidifi U.S. Inc., Maverick Appraisal Group Inc., and Maksym Mykhailyna of actions that violate the federal Fair Housing Act. “This lawsuit is part of our ongoing efforts to bring an end to appraisal bias which prevent Black communities and other consumers of color from accessing credit and benefitting from homeownership,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement . “Appraisal bias exacerbates the racial wealth gap, and runs contrary to the principles of fairness, transparency and equity that we need in our housing market today,” she added. “The Justice Department will continue to hold appraisers, lenders and others...
50 Cent plans to develop housing in Shreveport, LA. As Blavity previously shared, the Shreveport area is now home to the rapper’s G-Unit Studios, an extension of his G-Unit Films and Television company. The 985,000-square-foot property aims “to operate a production studio and/or activities and uses related to the promotion or development of the film, sound, light, movie, television, broadcasting, recording, and arts industries,” per a previous report by AFROTECH™. G-Unit Studios’ purpose includes giving opportunities to creatives and the community. 50 Cent has announced a three-phase plan to revitalize the area, with housing development being a focus area, according to KTAL-6 News in Shreveport. “We start building houses, and we have an idea to go into communities and help low- to moderate-income families get mortgages,” Orville Hall, G-Unit’s growth advisor, said per KTAL-6. Furthermore, plans will focus on supporting youth by creating new media programs. “We’re going to go to each...
Bank of America may have something up its sleeve to make the home buying process less painful for first-time buyers. According to a news release, the financial institution announced its new mortgage option, which would offer first-time home buyers the opportunity to purchase with no down payments, no closing costs, and no minimum credit score. The program is geared toward leveling the playing field for Black and Hispanic individuals looking to own a home.
Proving there’s power in longevity, for more than 30 years Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans has worked to provide affordable mortgages as one of the largest mortgage providers in the country. With award-winning services that have helped thousands of home buyers and seasoned sellers alike, Rocket Mortgage remains a leader in the mortgage industry. Since joining the organization nearly five years ago, Rachel Tate has risen the ranks just by putting in the work, eventually earning a promotion as Team Leader of Engineering where she currently supervises a team of 25 individuals. A Detroit native, Tate took an unconventional journey into tech after initially earning a degree in Political Science. Taking a leap of faith, after shadowing other tech professionals, eventually, Tate was able to get her foot in the door. “I graduated from Michigan State in 2015 with a political science degree, so it had nothing to do with technology. I usually tell people that I got started in technology...
Easily one of the most recognizable mortgage lenders in the country, Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans has found success by empowering those that make it all happen: the people behind the scenes. For over five years, Elisia Morgan has been motivated to reach for the stars at Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans, as she’s transitioned from Facilities Technician to Technical Support to Associate Software Engineer. It’s a career she’s worked hard to build by walking by faith, despite initially not knowing where the path would take her. “I always wanted to work in a business-like setting. When I got to college I saw how many classes there were and made the switch to business administration,” says Morgan. During college Morgan fell in love with tech after discovering a web page design course that inspired her to dive deeper. Realizing that coding and engineering just might be for her after all, Morgan pushed herself through an intensive boot camp designed to hone her growing coding and...
Black wealth, especially at the billionaire level, remains a statistical anomaly in global finance. But in 2025, that narrative continues to shift — if only incrementally. According to Forbes, out of 3,028 billionaires worldwide, only 23 are Black, representing less than 1% of the list. Despite this underrepresentation, these 23 individuals collectively hold an impressive $96.2 billion in wealth. The figures tell one story. The names behind them tell another story — one of legacy, innovation, cultural power, and long-game strategy. This year, two notable newcomers joined the global roster of Black billionaires: Sheila Johnson, the media and hospitality powerhouse, and Herriot Tabuteau, a biotech founder with a focus on brain health. Both represent not only financial achievement but industry-specific influence in spaces where Black leadership is often overlooked or underestimated. Who’s New To The 2025 Black Billionaires List? Sheila Johnson, widely known as the co-founder of Black...
Amazon, owned by Jeff Bezos, has placed a bid to acquire TikTok. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the app owned by ByteDance is facing a ban in the United States due to its association with China — although TikTok states it is not tied to the Chinese government. The app will only avoid a ban if it is sold to a company based in the United States. At the time of this writing, ByteDance has shown no interest in selling TikTok, which reaches over 170 million users in the United States, despite the ban’s looming deadline of April 5. The target date was extended by 75 days after Donald Trump signed an executive order upon assuming office on Jan. 20. “We have been fighting to protect the constitutional right of free speech for the more than 170,000,000 Americans who use our platform every day to connect, create, discover, and achieve their dreams,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on the platform. “On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I wanna thank President...
Tesla’s delivery numbers are in. Elon Musk, founder of the electric vehicle and clean energy company, has faced significant setbacks, partly due to his decision to align with President Donald Trump. Musk is working at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), therefore he has access to the sensitive information of American citizens, CBS News reports. Additionally, staffers involved with DOGE — along with employees from Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX — are part of an effort to shut down federal agencies with the goal of decreasing government spending, NPR notes. So far, DOGE has also ended 109 contracts, including those the Department of Energy and Department of Commerce had, with a “ceiling value” exceeding $1 billion, which led to $420 million in savings, Newsweek mentions. DOGE’s efforts have been met with great opposition, which has also impacted Tesla. A survey conducted by NBC news states that while 46% of voters say creating DOGE was a good idea, 47% have a negative...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The tech industry has long had an obsession with youth. This is seen in how the industry conducts itself, who investors look to invest in, how people look at hiring in the world of startups, as well as which programs are being targeted by DOGE, and which ones aren’t, as they look to make the government more efficient. Over the last few months, the Department of Government Efficiency has aggressively looked for waste and fraud within the federal government. It started with organizations that do not come to mind for the average American, like the United States Agency For International Development, or USAID, which focuses on deploying aid to foreign countries for a variety of efforts centered around health, disaster aid, and economic development. DOGE came in like a wrecking ball to the organization, and as reported by ABC News in February, 4,080 employees worldwide were placed on leave and an...
In an era of rising costs and increasing financial awareness , many people are turning to the “ no-buy year ” as a strategy to take control of their spending habits. This trend challenges individuals to commit to purchasing only essentials for an entire year. By eliminating non-essential spending, participants aim to build savings, reduce waste and cultivate a more mindful approach to consumption. However, the specific rules of a no-buy year vary from person to person, making it a flexible yet disciplined approach to financial wellness. A no-buy year is not about deprivation—it’s about intentional spending. The goal is to break the cycle of impulse purchases, reassess financial priorities and learn to appreciate what you already own. Whether you’re looking to save for a major goal, minimize clutter or simply gain a deeper understanding of your relationship with money, setting clear guidelines is essential for success. How A No-Buy Year Works At its core, a no-buy year revolves...
Ohio’s only Black-owned bank — and the first established and approved in the U.S. since 2000 — has tripled its assets since inception. Columbus Business Journal reports Adelphi Bank was founded in January 2023 and is led by Chairman and CEO Jordan Miller, who had spent over three decades in business and initially retired in 2019 as Central Ohio president for Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Bank. He returned to the industry to get Adelphi up and running with a mission of dismantling financial inequities and helping customers create streams of income without bias. He is joined by Kevin Boyce, co-founder and vice chairman. Upon its launch, Adelphi received local support from large corporations in central Ohio. “It feels like family,” Miller expressed, according to the outlet. “Banks can be intimidating places.” Columbus-based Adelphi Bank currently offers certificates of deposit, checking and savings accounts, and loans for personal use. It plans to provide home mortgages in 2025. For...
U.S. District Judge Linda Taylor has halted the Trump administration’s proposal to freeze federal loans and grants. In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, January 28, Judge Taylor condemned the policy as “arbitrary and capricious,” pointing to language from the administration’s memo that failed to sufficiently justify the freeze or address its potential impact on millions of Americans. This decision is a significant development in a case closely watched by students, homeowners, and small business owners nationwide. According to the Associated Press, the White House memo, dated earlier this month, proposed suspending federal loan and grant disbursements to “mitigate fiscal risk” and “streamline budgetary concerns.” Judge Taylor, however, pointed to specific language in the memo that acknowledged the policy would lead to “temporary disruptions” in funding for programs supporting vulnerable populations. In her decision, she highlighted that the administration’s justification failed to...
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is not backing down from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. According to Business Insider, Dimon confirmed that the financial services firm will continue to advance its DEI efforts and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies despite pressure from the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), a conservative nonprofit organization. The NLPC has proposed that JPMorgan reevaluate how executive compensation is linked to the company’s racial equity goal. “Bring them on,” Dimon told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “We are going to continue to reach out to the Black community, the Hispanic community, the LGBT community , the veterans community.” In 2020, JPMorgan launched a $30 billion program to promote racial equity in personal finance, which included mortgage refinancing and partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities . The bank also launched an “accountability framework” to...