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Goodr may be on everyone’s radar thanks to rapper Gunna’s partnership with the food insecurity nonprofit but none of it would be possible without the singular vision of founder Jasmine Crowe. In a recent op-ed for Newsweek, Crowe explained why she continues her mission and is now offering a “free grocery store” for seniors. “We began thinking about who else could benefit and what other population has the greatest need. We knew from my work with seniors that a lot are experiencing food insecurity. I personally have been working with seniors for 10 years; providing food in senior homes and buying groceries for individuals myself,” she explained. And Crowe’s concerns are well-placed. According to a study by the National Council on Aging, about 7.3 million senior adults are considered “food insecure.” Seniors with disabilities, and those who live in southern and western states, are more likely to face food insecurity than those who are not disabled or who live in northern states. This...
Nine Lincoln University students are graduating without debt thanks to one NBA superstar. Kyrie Irving, point guard for the Brooklyn Nets took the giving spirit to the next level last month when he paid the tuition of nine graduating HBCU students through his organization, KAI Family Foundation, according to Black Enterprise. The gift was a part of the foundation’s 11 Days of Giving in December with the No. 11 representing Irving’s jersey number for the Brooklyn Nets. For Lincoln University, the gift came just on the heels of another generous gift from philanthropist and author, MacKenzie Scott, who gave $20 million to the university along with several donations to other HBCUs across the country. Located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Lincoln University was founded in 1854 and is credited as the first HBCU to ever grant degrees, Black Enterprise reports. This isn’t the first time that Irving has been generous with his blessings. During the summer, Irving committed $1.5 million to...
Tech has the ability to improve the daily lives of people, especially as they age. Now, one new program hopes to tap into that potential. Recently, HAX announced the launch of an accelerator initiative aimed at senior tech, as reported by TechCrunch . HAX, a San Francisco and Shenzhen-based accelerator, collaborated with Centrica, the energy company behind Hive Link. The new initiative is aimed specifically at startups designing tech for people over the age of 65. On their website , HAX said the program’s intention was to “find the next generation of connected solutions to further independent living, improve communication, and increase the quality of life for people as they age, their caregivers and loved ones.” Each team selected will receive $250,000 in funding. In addition, TechCrunch reported they will have access to mentoring, office space, education, and more in exchange for equity in the companies — which the outlet described as a standard setup for HAX. Investing in tech...
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...
New funding has been raised for an online learning platform helping students avoid the debt of college. Campus was created by Tade Oyerinde, also its chancellor, to provide quality education to students through accredited, career-focused degree programs led by professors from top higher learning institutions such as Stanford University, University of California – Los Angeles , and Howard University. According to its website, Campus offers online associates degrees in business administration and business administration with applied artificial intelligence (AI) concentration to participants nationally. For its Sacramento, CA, campus, it has specific offerings for students in-state such as an associate’s degree in paralegal studies as well as one in AWS cloud administration. This campus also provides certification in medical assisting, medical billing and coding, phlebotomy, technical support, barbering and cosmetology, and other programs for California residents. Furthermore, to...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Companies and products are often designed with younger generations, like Gen Z and Millennials, in mind. However, this emphasis often causes the industry to overlook older generations who also need technology tailored to their needs. One would think this would be an obvious market, given that Gen X and Boomers hold more wealth than younger generations. That wealth alone makes them an attractive customer base because they can afford the products and services being developed. Even so, there hasn’t been much focus from tech investors or founders on creating solutions for this demographic. How often have you come across a founder or investor saying, “We’re building this for Gen X or Boomers”? Rarely, if ever. This is a massively overlooked opportunity. One reason for this lack of attention is that the tech industry is perpetually focused on the future. Rarely does it look to the past. When developing...
Flowing with Blessings Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Atlanta’s homeless population, has teamed up with industrial design students from Georgia Tech to develop an innovative Mobile Laundry Bus, according to the university’s News Center. Founded by Nicky Crawford in February 2022, Flowing with Blessings provides essential services such as showers and clean clothing for those in need. Georgia Tech reported that Crawford’s commitment to alleviating the daily struggles of those they serve — by helping individuals preserve their cherished belongings and maintain personal hygiene without the stigma often associated with homelessness — inspired the creation of the mobile laundry bus. Crawford bought a school bus to convert it into a mobile laundry service, going to Georgia Tech for help with the process. The initiative, led by Steve Chininis, professor of practice at the School of Industrial Design, involved students Zaria Hardnett, David Hounyo, Lily Liang, Claudia Ross, and...
Goodr has opened a new grocery store in Atlanta, GA. The Atlanta-based company, which combines technology and logistics to combat food waste and fight food insecurity, is the brainchild of Jasmine Crowe-Houston. “[Goodr] uses technology to solve hunger — that’s our big focus. I think we are taking a radically different approach to how this country solves hunger and food waste,” Crowe-Houston told AFROTECH™ in a 2021 interview. “A lot of times people say to me, ‘How is this a business? How can this be profitable?’ But, the main thing is people have to understand that billions of dollars get spent every year on food insecurity and trying to make sure people have access to food. But, it typically only goes to the same organizations.” She added, “And what we’re trying to do is come in and kind of disrupt that and say, ‘Listen, we’re getting a lot wrong about solving hunger if we’re always going to give money to the same people. We’re going to keep on having the same results.’ Give Goodr...
Aaron Walton is the CEO and founder of the award-winning ad agency Walton Isaacson. He is celebrated for his extensive work with renowned brands and celebrities, establishing himself as a true trailblazer in the art of collaboration. Walton began his career as a marketing executive for the food and beverage giant Pepsico and went on to create his own company, Aaron Walton Entertainment (AWE). He later sold AWE in 2002 to Omnicom Group’s DAS Division. This transaction resulted in Walton being appointed president of Omnicom’s Radiate Entertainment Group, driving exponential growth across numerous agencies. With his knowledge, Walton shared how he successfully created major opportunities to transform traditional advertising practices by embedding them with cultural insight and innovation. On Nov. 14, during the AFROTECH 2024 Conference, Walton spoke about challenging the practice of collaborating with the same people within the same industries. While aligning with brands for successful...
Auntie. Unc. These nicknames came out of nowhere, and they’re not coming from your actual nephews and nieces. Birthdays are flying by, but you still feel the same age as prior years. Weird times. Photo credit: Polina Tankilevitch You may already know that starting a retirement plan early on means you’ll be ahead of the game, but it just seems like retirement is so far away. According to recent data from the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances , 45.6% of families are not investing for retirement. Whether you’re in the 54.4% who do have a retirement plan or not, the birthdays are going to continue regardless. Or, maybe you’re one of the few who decided to start trying to figure out the retirement savings “magic number” to strive for while Gen Z and Gen A have already assumed you get senior discount breakfasts and an AARP magazine subscription . Can You Survive On Social Security Benefits While Working? Instead of worrying about gray hair on your head ( or other places )...
Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are opening a school in Inglewood, CA. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the duo partnered to open a South Central Los Angeles public school in 2022 to provide opportunities for students from underserved communities. “This is for kids who want to go out and start their own company or go work at a place… like Marvel, or Apple or companies like that,” Iovine expressed at the time. Now, they have scaled their commitment to education, announcing the Iovine and Young Center, a high school that will be coming to the community in partnership with the Inglewood Unified School District, the Los Angeles Times reports. “We wanted to start in the inner city because Dre and especially me, I owe a lot to the inner city of Los Angeles, and we intend to pay it back,” Iovine said, per the outlet. The school is projected to open in the summer of 2025, beginning with a ninth-grade class and adding a class each year until it serves freshmen through seniors. It will take the...
After dedicating years to researching Black women’s health, Dr. Leeja Carter has developed a device to assist them. As a professor and a scholar, C arter had a desire to do more work within the community beyond the standard work on publications and presentations. Even in her academic role at Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, she said she felt like a spectator to the issues that were important to her. That all changed in 2020. “My research and work were really social determinants of physical activity and its impact on Black women’s health,” Carter told AFROTECH™. “And being in academia for 15 years as a Black woman researching Black women’s health, while I definitely had spaces of comfort, care, and support, I would say there were greater experiences where I still definitely felt like an outsider and felt that it was still an uphill battle to gain support to do the work that was so close to my heart.” She added, “When you’re in an academic space, what is currency is...
It’s raining Black excellence at Southland College Prep Charter High School! For the 11th year in the row, its senior class, which is predominantly Black, have all been accepted to college, Black News reports. In fact, $50 million in merit and need-based scholarships have already been offered to students, with that number expected to exceed $60 million. “And the amount of money rises each year,” senior Lundyn Williams told CBS News. Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, Southland’s CEO and superintendent of Matteson School District 162, told Black News: “Our students faced unprecedented challenges, and they addressed every one of them and more than met them.” Davis adds when she founded the Chicago, IL, area school in 2010, she was told by others that “students from our area would not be able to access the Ivy League or top schools in the country.” Clearly, she has proven doubters wrong. “I have been accepted to 43 different schools and applied to 51,” Williams mentioned, according to CBS News....
A bright future in education awaits the students of Benjamin E. Mays High School in southwest Atlanta, GA. WABE, a local PBS station, reports that on Friday, April 19, 2024, the class of 2024, made up of 272 seniors, gathered for assembly and were surprised with a visit by Kevin James, the 19th president of Morris Brown College in Atlanta. James, who has maintained the post since 2020, per 11Alive, had good news for them. He began by giving a brief history lesson on the college, which had lost its accreditation in 2002 due to challenges stemming from debt and financial mismanagement, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Nearly two decades following the defeat, it had announced in 2021 that the college had regained its accreditation, becoming the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to do so. “It’s so many HBCUs that have lost their accreditation that are still closed today,” James told the class of 2024, according to WABE. “That usually is a death sentence for an...