Showing 30 results for:
wisconsin
Popular topics
All results
Maurice and Yashica Spears Wince are bringing healthy food options to a food desert in Milwaukee, WI, Black Business reports. Combining years of experience, the founders have partnered to open Sherman Park Grocery, the first Black-owned, full-scale grocery store in the state of Wisconsin, per Milwaukee Community Journal. It had the support of the Embassy Center MKE church and other community leaders. “Yashica worked in management at Walgreen’s, and I managed pizza franchises in Menomonee Falls,” Maurice explained to the outlet . “Our business acumen comes from those experiences. In addition, we have other real estate holdings, including a laundromat on the same block as the grocery store.” Having been raised in Milwaukee Public Schools and experienced the effects of food and home insecurities, the couple saw a need in the community for the grocery store. Spurred by that motivation, Sherman Park Grocery was established in Milwaukee, WI, with a focus on community, offering affordable,...
We love to see Black women make historic achievements! Forbes previously reported that Black Americans represented only 3% in the physics field and 2% in astronomy. And Astrophysicist Miona Short happens to be among those Black individuals who are not truly represented in the STEM field. Back in 2018, she made history as the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s website. The milestone came 100 years after the first Black woman graduated from the university.
Junior Bridgeman has passed away at 71 years old, leaving behind a lasting legacy. The former NBA Milwaukee Bucks player who became a prominent businessman died on March 11, 2025, following a medical emergency. He had collapsed during a luncheon at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY, for the Lincoln Heritage Council of the Boy Scouts of America, according to WDRB. His exact cause of death has not been confirmed, but various Louisville television stations reported that he was seen holding his chest at a point during the event, per ESPN. “We express our heartfelt condolences to Junior’s wife, Doris, their children, Eden, Justin and Ryan, the Bucks organization, and his many friends and admirers in the basketball community,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement, notes ESPN. Bridgeman was a well respected figure for his accomplishments on and off the court. In fact, his jersey was retired at Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks’ home arena in Wisconsin, in 1988 to honor his...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The heart of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is about creating equitable access to opportunities, but unfortunately we are seeing the ladder of opportunity be systematically pulled up ever since President Donald Trump started his second term. Once he was sworn in, a slew of companies in the private sector, including large tech companies like Amazon and Meta, rolled back their previous commitments to DEI, with some in the financial sector like banks JPMorgan Chase and Citi Group following suit. This focus on the rollback of DEI is not only impacting the private sector but the world of education as well. Through Critical Race Theory (CRT), which started as a legal topic back in the 1970s and 1980s at Harvard Law School, Derrick Bell argued that racism appears in policies, even when these policies seem neutral. He stated that they are not just on the individual level but are present institutionally...
DEI terms are being removed from some public colleges. According to a landing page from The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17, titled “Responsibility of Governing Boards Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives,” on June 14, 2023. The bill restricts diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, as well as the programs, activities, and trainings across public institutions of higher education. It went into effect in January 2024. “DEI programs have been shown to be exclusive, they have been shown to be ineffective and they have shown to be politically charged,” Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, the ban’s author, stated on the Senate floor, according to The Texas Tribune in February 2024. “Many of these programs have been weaponized to compel speech instead of protecting free speech.” An internal memo shared in November 2024 by TikTok user momuniversity, who was a UT Austin educator at the time, provided updated...
Beyoncé is seeking to gain the trademark of her firstborn. Back in 2012, Beyoncé’ had made an effort to secure the trademark through BGK Trademark Holdings LLC. Jay-Z shared his thoughts on the matter in a conversation with Vanity Fair in 2013. “People wanted to make products based on our child’s name, and you don’t want anybody trying to benefit off your baby’s name. It wasn’t for us to do anything; as you see, we haven’t done anything,” Jay-Z told the outlet. “First of all, it’s a child, and it bothers me when there’s no [boundaries]. I come from the streets, and even in the most atrocious sh-t we were doing, we had lines: no kids, no mothers — there was respect there. But [now] there’s no boundaries. For somebody to say, ‘This person had a kid — I’m gonna make a f-ckin’ stroller with that kid’s name.’ It’s, like, where’s the humanity?” In the years that followed, Beyoncé and her team had ongoing issues with a lifestyle event planner, Veronica Morales, as she used Blue Ivy in her...
DryMerge has raised $2.2 million to make automation easier with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The company was co-founded by Edward Frazer and Samuel Brashears. The pair, who first met in elementary school, made sacrifices to focus their full attention on the company. University of Wisconsin graduate Brashears walked away from a role at Hive AI while Frazer dropped out of Yale University to pursue the venture, a press release mentions. The founders recently participated in the Y Combinator Winter 2024 Batch startup accelerator program. “…I’m a pretty young founder – I dropped out of Yale to build the company and my cofounder Sam had just graduated from the University of Wisconsin,” Frazer wrote on LinkedIn . “I knew very little about how people worked, what problems they had, or how to solve those problems — and importantly, I didn’t care — I figured it’d be enough to build cool technology and watch the users appear out of thin air.” He continued, “It wasn’t until midway...
One of the most anticipated decisions of the 2024 election was made when Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate. Political pundits and supporters have applauded the choice, seeing it as a unifying move for the Democratic Party. Harris’ choice also speaks to the type of policies Walz would champion. Before Harris made her official choice, Forbes reports that she had a short list of other political standouts, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Despite the accomplished list of potential running mates, Walz rose to the top based on his consistent record of accomplishments and relatability. According to Politico, Walz is a former high school geography teacher, football coach, and veteran who turned a Republican-leaning district blue in 2006. Harris believes this resume will not only speak to the American people...
Will.i.am believes diversified voices will be necessary for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. While in conversation with The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Last at Journal House during The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the artist unveiled an AI-generated Black woman host named Felicia from his SiriusXM show. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the show spotlights AI innovation at the crossroads of pop culture, music, entertainment, world news, and technology. At the event in Cannes, France, Felicia introduced herself to the audience and shared a call to action on the importance of representation in technology. “Now, when we talk about AI, it’s crucial that we dive into the real deal. Representation, empowerment, and breaking those barriers in tech. Because let’s face it, you ain’t going to see much of our faces if we don’t get involved and steer that ship,” Felicia told the audience. “AI is more than just cool tech. It’s like a new frontier where we got to make...
Board-Certified Pediatrician Dr. Hokehe Eko is launching a virtual clinic for children with autism. The mother of three boasts over 10 years of experience working with children of all ages as well as those on the autism spectrum. She also completed training to conduct autism diagnostic evaluations using the CARS standardized test, her website mentions. “As a result of my experience, I am better able to differentiate between neuro-typical and neuro-atypical behaviors, and can also help identify if there are other factors at play, such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, OCD, intellectual delays, or other medical conditions,” she said on her website. Based in Oklahoma, Dr. Eko’s virtual clinic, Glow Pediatrics, is now open for consultations and will see patients located in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Maryland within a week, Black News reports. This is significant as the average national wait time for families seeking autism diagnosis evaluation is 27 months, per The Journal of Pediatrics. “Early...
With current food and gas prices at an all-time high, people are looking for ways to earn extra money and save where it counts. If there were ever a cultural figure that could show people extreme ways of saving a little coin, look no further than Julius from “Everybody Hates Chris,” played by veteran actor Terry Crews. Crews portrayed a blue-collar worker, father, and husband constantly burdened by financial stress on-screen. While many of the character’s strategies were extreme, Crews’ real-life approach to budgeting and finance is a testament to his diverse financial talents, not too far removed from his 2000s-era character. Terry Crews And His Uncanny NFL Journey Terry Crews entered the entertainment industry on a nontraditional path. After some time in college, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991. His professional football career was unstable, as he played for six different teams across five years, including the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins, as well as...
Venus Williams is offering a new way to plan decorating your home. Fast Company reports that the tennis champion has co-founded Palazzo, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup for interior home design. The company comes after Williams founded V Starr, her interior design firm, in 2002. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Venus Williams (@venuswilliams) Launched in beta, Palazzo aims “to be the first step in redesigning a room or starting a larger home renovation.” “We want to make design fun and easy,” Williams said, according to the outlet. “If you talk to anyone who says, ‘I’ve just gone through a renovation,’ they’ve about had a heart attack. We don’t want that. We want people to be able to see [the design], feel confident about it, and have fun with it.” She added, “Our vision is to create a space where everything home is in one place.” Alongside Williams are co-founders Raffi Holzer, CEO of Avvir, and Edward Lando, founder of Pareto Holdings. The way Palazzo works,...
Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck” took on a new meaning for former NBA star Latrell Sprewell. With a career that had him labeled as one of the league’s bad boys, Sprewell’s on and off-court moves were ones for the record books. Latrell Sprewell was born on Sept. 8, 1970, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After playing high school basketball, he played with Three Rivers Community College for two years. After his community college career, he went to play for two years with the University of Alabama. In 1992, the Golden State Warriors selected him as the No. 24 draft pick. In the early part of his career, Sprewell worked hard on his skills and eventually became the leading scorer for the Western Conference All-Star team from 1994-1997. However, his personal antics would begin to overshadow his athletic ability. Regardless of this, Sprewell would remain one of the most touted NBA players in the league. At the end of his career, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and four assists. And because...
After leading the Marquette Golden Eagles to the Final Four nearly two decades ago, former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade has returned to the Wisconsin university with a new achievement under his belt. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Wade presented the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2022 in addition to receiving an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from his alma mater.