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Since the Trump administration came into power, the situation at the border has gotten steadily worse. Over the last year alone, thousands of children have been separated from their families and seven children have died in federal immigration custody. Although the people detained within these facilities are largely deprived of basics like food and adequate shelter, there are some businesses profiting off the concentration camps. Last week, employees at Wayfair — the online furniture seller —discovered that the company sold $200,000 worth of bedroom furniture to the government contractor responsible for managing detention centers that hold migrant children at the border, BCFS, Slate reported . In addition, Wayfair sold furniture to another BCFS site that was closed for health concerns, as reported by the Washington Post . Over 500 employees signed a letter protesting the company as a result. The letter requested that Wayfair end all business with BCSF and any others involved in...
There were some initial hesitations around Unrivaled’s 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, but that has not stopped it from attracting notable investors. Unrivaled is a startup founded in 2023 by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, its business model is unprecedented, offering the highest salaries in women’s sports and granting participating players an equity stake in the league. Its concept has proven to be a success among its players. “Everybody got equity coming into this league, that’s the most important thing…I know five years from now this thing is gonna be bigger than ever,” Angel Reese from Unrivaled’s Rose BC team shared during a virtual press conference held in January. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rose BC (@rosebc) The potential of Unrivaled was not understood by all. In fact, Collier recalls receiving various “no’s” during the league’s inception. “It was hard because you think the same thing like, ‘Oh, I’m an...
A historic Black-owned beach in South Carolina is quickly becoming one of the hottest luxury vacation destinations in the states, and it is currently the only incorporated Black beach to sit in the U.S. During the early 1930s, Atlantic Beach was founded by a group of Gullah Geechee as a haven for Black people who were not allowed to occupy the same beaches as white people in South Carolina. Defying Jim Crow laws, the strip of primarily Black-owned coastal properties, dubbed “The Black Pearl,” broadened the enterprises of coastal Gullah Geechee people. A host of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and novelty shops were developed just miles from Myrtle Beach. Now, two trailblazing founders are on a mission to continue honoring the rich history that makes up the area. Although they are business partners, Tiffany Bailey Lash, Ph.D., and Tashni-Ann Dubroy, Ph.D., MBA, have a relationship that is rooted in sisterhood. Together, the HBCU alums and friends are on a mission to revitalize and...
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has announced that they’ve hit the $250 million goal for their Black Economic Development Fund. As a result of hitting this goal, they’ve also announced that they’re investing in Black-led banks and real estate development opportunities. In a press release announcement, it was revealed that this fund was first funded last summer. It was part of LISC’s Project 10X, a $1 billion strategy to address racial gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity. The private investment fund has raised capital from 11 public and private corporations, with McKinsey and Company recently coming in with $15 million. Corporate investors in the Black Economic Development Fund include Netflix, which helped launch the fund, Paypal, Costco, Square, Inc., Aflac, Wayfair, DuPont, McKinsey and Co., ThermoFisher, HubSpot, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. “We’re excited about the outpouring of interest from impact investors because it speaks not only to the quality of the...
Over the past year, the general public has become increasingly aware of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) human rights abuses. From children dying within detention facilities that are akin to concentration camps to Muslim detainees only being given pork to eat — the stories coming out have encouraged increased action. Tech workers, in particular, have begun turning critical eyes on their own companies. Today, Googlers for Human Rights called upon Google to publicly commit to not supporting Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) or ICE until they cease engaging in human rights abuses. That includes not offering infrastructure, funding, or engineering resources, whether directly or indirectly. In a petition on Medium, the organizers wrote: “In working with CBP, ICE, or ORR, Google would be trading its integrity for a bit of profit, and joining a shameful lineage. We have only to look to IBM’s role working with the Nazis during the Holocaust...
This article was originally published on 07/22/2019 Over the past decade, the world’s biggest tech companies have infiltrated every part of our lives, so much so, that it can be nearly impossible to boycott a company when they do things we don’t agree with. For example, Amazon is no longer just an online retail store, its servers also run popular sites like Reddit and Netflix. Meanwhile, Google — a site most people use just about every day — is more than just a search engine, it owns Youtube, Nest, and a host of other companies. When looking at everything tech companies are involved in, organizing to force change can seem hopeless. After all, it’s hard to boycott any one company completely because they seem to have their hands in everything, making tech giants seem like an unstoppable force. But over the past few years, we’ve seen a new, unexpected player arise in the fight to hold tech companies accountable — their employees. Over the past few years, there’s been an increase in...
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” – Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park As tech continues to advance, what was once imagined in science-fiction and fantasy has become a reality. Cars drive themselves, people are speaking to digital assistants, robot cops exist, and a camera’s eyes are capable of watching you almost everywhere you go . However, as companies continue to invest in innovation, there’s a lingering question about the ethics involved. For the most part, present conversations around ethics in tech focus on the use of data and artificial intelligence. That’s because neither of those things can be escaped. You are probably a data point in somebody’s research somewhere and you most likely don’t even know it. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence shapes your daily life; from the ads you see to your credit score. Perhaps one of the biggest issues with tech today is that people are in a rush to create without fully...