The modern workplace is evolving, yet discrimination remains a persistent issue despite growing efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive work culture . Anti-discrimination policies exist to protect employees from unfair treatment based on race, gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and other factors. However, recent data suggests that these policies alone are not enough to prevent bias in hiring, promotions, and workplace interactions. In Fiscal Year 2022, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 73,485 new discrimination charges—an alarming 20% increase from the previous year. Additionally, 61% of employees in the United States say they have witnessed workplace discrimination, signaling that many workplaces still struggle to enforce fair practices. Antidiscrimination in the modern workplace isn’t just nice to have – it’s a must. Discrimination in employment takes many forms. Retaliation is the most common complaint, making up nearly...

Starbucks is at the center of a lawsuit for alleged discrimination related to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies . On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, filed a lawsuit claiming that the Seattle, WA-based coffee chain enforces “race-and-sex-based hiring practices” and unlawfully segregates employees in violation of anti-discrimination laws, according to a news release. Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders to dismantle federal DEI initiatives. “As Attorney General, I have a responsibility to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.” Bailey said the initiatives have led to a “more female and less white” workforce and forced Missouri consumers to “pay...

Black-owned edtech company Beanstack has secured another investment from Mark Cuban. The platform was launched in 2013 by Felix Brandon Lloyd (CEO) and Jordan Lloyd Booke, a husband-and-wife duo with extensive backgrounds in education. Booke served as Google’s head of K-12 education outreach from 2011 to 2013, while Lloyd worked as a teacher and dean at the SEED Public Charter School for seven years. The idea for Beanstack was sparked while they were reading to their 2-year-old son, inspiring them to focus on increasing literacy rates. “The early idea for our company came one night when [me and Jordan] were reading a book to our 2-year-old son and soon-to-be big brother,” Lloyd told AFROTECH™ in a previous interview. “He pointed to biracial characters on the page that looked like him and said, ‘That’s me, and that’s little sister.’ The power of reading was so clear. We immediately decided to put our backgrounds in education to work on a new business idea.” Beanstack initially...

HBCU graduates Terry Comer and Khalil Thompson have secured new funding for their work in the NIL space. In 2021, the pair, who had an interest in college sports, united to launch NIL FanBox, marketed as the only “university-approved, player-endorsed recurring collectibles platform.” It works by sending sports fans 100% authenticated collectibles from their favorite college athletes. Its website mentions that the curated box includes three to five signed collectibles, a “Golden Ticket,” exclusive player merchandise, and digital authentication. One of its partnerships, with The University of Texas at Austin, resulted in the Longhorn FanBox, which is valued at $199 each football season and energizes fans by including “ultra-rare” collectibles and “behind the moment” interviews. Photo Credit: NIL FanBox While NIL FanBox certainly benefits fans, it also supports athletes by allocating a portion of its revenue back to them. NIL FanBox returns more than 30% of its revenue to participating...

Daymond John is dispelling some traditional truths told in the business world. John is a serial investor and “Shark Tank” judge who made his mark through his streetwear brand FUBU. The brand, founded in 1992 by O’Leary and his friends Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown, was launched from his mother’s home with an initial investment of just $40, as previously reported by AFROTECH™. “I didn’t start with a leap, and I think that’s important to know. I started with $40,” John told the Truckload Authority. “I bought some material and made a bunch of hats. I went out on the street to see if I could sell them. That’s not a leap. It was a small, affordable step. Entrepreneurship isn’t an ‘all or nothing’ thing. You can and should wade into it. I can’t say where I would have been if I didn’t start FUBU, but I know I would have kept trying things.” FUBU received an early boost when John’s mother invested $100,000 from her mortgage to support the brand’s growth. While working to...

Coco Gauff has invested in women’s basketball. Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 basketball league announced in 2023 and founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Each player participating in its first season was granted equity in the league, setting a precedence in sports. “For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income,” Stewart said in a press release shared with AFROTECH™ . “With Unrivaled , we’re revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay.” Collier added: “With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season. Breanna and I set out to create a league that would change the way women’s sports are viewed and ultimately how sports leagues operate. We may have had the vision, but this isn’t just our league – it belongs to the players, and...

Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Corporate companies have gutted and targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs throughout 2024. As we head into 2025, efforts to reverse these changes will only increase. DEI programs have been the center of several political battles since Republicans wrongfully came to attack critical race theory. Just as conservatives have a woeful misunderstanding of critical race theory and where it applies, DEI has become a buzzword associated with the aforementioned cultural wars. What Is DEI? DEI initiatives are implemented in schools, businesses, and government agencies to address inequities within historically marginalized groups. According to Erica Foldy, a professor at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, initiatives could include training, organizational policies and practices, and organizational culture. DEI isn’t just a rule or legislation created for organizations to pat...

Aaron Samuels has revealed his roadmap into the venture capital space. Samuels, co-founder and former chief operating officer (COO) of Blavity — w ho now leads a venture capital firm Collide Capital — has worn various hats in a career that spans more than a decade. He was a performance poet who spent nearly 10 years traveling and went on to secure roles as a director of operations (Dialogue Arts Project); senior associate consultant (Bain & Co.); and product manager (TeleSign) between 2011 and 2016, his LinkedIn mentions. For the next seven years, Samuels helped co-found Blavity Inc., a platform catering to Black Millennials and Gen Z amplifying areas of entertainment, politics, technology, and culture. It was created alongside Morgan DeBaun (CEO), Jeff Nelson (now COO), and Jonathan Jackson. Serving as the COO laid the footprint for Samuels’ foray as founder and managing partner of Collide Capital, which was founded in 2022 alongside Brian Hollins to provide resources, operational...