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The music industry can be a tricky game — one minute you’re up, and the next you’re left wondering where all the money went — an intricate maze of talent, timing, and business. Few stories illustrate its complexities as vividly as Dawn Robinson’s. As a founding member of En Vogue, she was part of a movement that redefined contemporary R&B, blending impeccable harmonies with a bold, sophisticated image that commanded attention. Yet, the same industry that lifted her to legendary status ultimately left her to navigate an unrelenting financial storm. Robinson, now 59, recently revealed in a profoundly personal YouTube video that she has been living in her car for the past three years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This revelation is more than a personal hardship — it is a case study of what happens when artists, especially Black women in the music industry, are not given the tools to own their success beyond the stage. Her story is not about missteps alone but about an industry...
Middle schooler Eniola Shokunbi is making a significant impact in classrooms. Shokunbi, then a fifth-grade student at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, CT, was tasked with developing a solution to address future pandemic challenges in collaboration with her classmates, Shoppe Black reports . This inspired the creation of an air filter system designed to combat COVID-19 and cold viruses within classrooms, as reported by NBC Connecticut. “The air goes through all the sides,” Shokunbi explained to NBC Connecticut. “And it comes out of the top, so it filters in and out.” Her device, which cost $60 to make, is composed of a box fan, four furnace filters, duct tape, and cardboard. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in North Carolina further validated the invention. “It showed that the air filter removed over 99% of viruses in the air,” Shokunbi told NBC Connecticut. “And that it was effective.” Shokunbi and her classmates installed the air filters, which have been in...
For many, attending a traditional college or university is still a part of the American dream. With thousands of schools to choose from across the United States, the options for locations, majors, and campus amenities are virtually endless. Still, with so many options, one thing every prospective student must face is the daunting costs of earning a degree. While the cost-benefit of attending college makes sense for those who desire that path, it doesn’t take away the reality of financing one of the most expensive experiences a person will embark upon. With mass criticism around student loan debt, students often seek scholarship opportunities to fund their education. Scholarships not only alleviate the cost burden of students but can usually lead to programmatic moments that can advance a person’s future. If funding your collegiate career is on your to-do list or you are helping a student navigate the financial aid process, tap into these resources to help ease the pain of the...
Wawa Gatheru is striving to make the world a better place. Changemaker As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the Connecticut native and Rhodes Scholar founded Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE), an organization creating a more equitable space in the climate sector by empowering “Black girls, women, and non-binary people across environmental disciplines.” Her focus on the environment was born while gardening with her mom and grandmother during her early years, and she learned “the ethic of reciprocity and care for the planet,” her website mentions. It would not be until high schoo l that Gatheru would identify as an “environmentalist.” At 15, she took an environmental science course that framed it as a justice issue, revealing to her the lack of intersectionality in the field, and she recognized the field’s intersectionality gap. In higher learning, Gatheru further engaged in the climate space by pursuing environmental science and policy at the University of Connecticut (UConn), per...
The NBA Draft is always an event for celebration, surprises and disappointments. During this year’s selections, history has seemingly been made. On June 22, at the 2023 NBA Draft in Barclays Center, all of the top ten picks were represented by Black agents — marking the first time in the league — according to Diverse Representation. Take a look below into the star basketball players and their agents right by their side who helped make the magic happen.
