Recent reports have shown companies pulling back from implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). A leader in global communications has spoken out against the matter. At the 2024 Women of Color Connecting Summit, hosted by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman led the session titled “Data Matters.” During his presentation, he shared findings from “Edelman’s Trust Barometer Special Report: Business and Racial Justice,” according to the virtual summit’s website. While relaying the findings was to inform allies, investors, and policymakers, Edelman took a moment to address the misconceptions about DE&I. “This is one of the big problems in America. We lack reliable information,” Edelman said, per a news release. He continued, “I have heard so much about ‘let’s drop DE&I as a phrase; let’s just focus on sustainability.’ Nonsense. We have to defend DE&I as an important part of the equation of ESG [environmental, social, and governance]. ESG...

Launching a startup is no easy task. From coming up with an idea that can actually gain traction to creating a solid positioning statement, there are plenty of caveats that can cause even the most well-intentioned startups to fail — or at least stumble along the way. This is why getting assistance earlier on to help focus targets and strategies is critical. Enter the incubator concept . While the term is often used interchangeably with accelerators, it is not exactly the same thing. Although the end goal is to help fledgling startups gain their footing, launch and successfully enter the market, the way incubators go about it is different. Read on to find out more about the general purpose of business incubators and what is needed before applying to one. What Is A Business Incubator? Ignore the marketing speak and jargon because the concept is very straightforward. Breaking down what a startup business incubator is requires nothing more than considering what the actual piece of...

Angela Bassett became the highest-paid woman of color on broadcast television when she renegotiated her salary for the hit Fox series, “9-1-1.” Vanity Fair reported that the veteran actress now receives $450,000 per episode — and this salary encompasses both her acting and her executive producing of both the flagship show and its spin-off, “9-1-1: Lone Star.” And while, certainly, $450,000 per episode is more than the average working actor is receiving, it’s nowhere near as much as Angela Bassett deserves — given her history, her pedigree, and her talent. “ Higher per-episode paydays were received by Sofia Vergara, who earned a reported $500,000 an episode of ‘Modern Family’ by the end of that show’s run, and Kaley Cuoco, who reportedly received $900,000 per episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ during her sitcom’s final seasons,” reported the outlet. That said, the veteran actress isn’t just a performer and a producer. Rather, she’s also a wife and a mother: married for more than 25...

Golde’s co-founder and CEO Trinity Mouzon Wofford’s entrepreneurial path has always been about calling shots on her own terms. Whether it be daringly reaching out to fellow entrepreneurs or standing firm in letting her brand grow naturally, she always goes with her gut. While her initial decision to not take venture capital wasn’t one that she describes as being backed by consciousness, it’s a move that demonstrates how trusting the process can be just as effective. As a young Black female CEO a part of a group that isn’t typically embraced by investors, the way her business unfolded ultimately worked in her favor. Not having to focus on the ins and out of the investing world allowed her to flip the narrative on its head of the effects of someone of her background being shut out of the space. It’s following the beat of her own drum that has landed Golde in the stores of big-name retailers such as Sephora and Target. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GOLDE (@golde)...

Elise Swopes does both Brooklyn and Chicago proud. As an artist, she enjoys landscape work — usually featuring big city skylines like New York City or Atlanta. Then, according to her website, she “uses water and light as a paintbrush; snow turns into speckles, street lamps become glowing orbs, and water droplets take on abstract forms as she edits on the go using an array of mobile apps.” Today, the 32-year-old New York-based mixed-medium artist has turned her love of (non-fungible tokens) NFTs into a side hustle of epic proportions — and it’s made her more than $200,000 richer. Elise Swopes told CNBC that after her first NFT sold for more than $17,000 in March 2021, she knew her life was going to change. “And it has ever since then. It’s definitely brought me a lot of opportunities,” she said. The good thing about Swopes’ NFT sales is that she doesn’t just make money from the actual NFT sale itself. Rather, each time one of her NFTs gets resold, she makes a royalty between 10 and...

Imagine a café where you can get your daily cup of coffee and a history lesson at the same time. Catrice and Jakyra Hixon’s coffee shop — Melanin Café — does just that. The couple recently opened their café in Opelika, Alabama with the hopes to serve quality coffee while celebrating melanin and fostering a peaceful environment, The Associated Press reports . The café is even more of a family affair with Hixon’s sister, Crystal Slaughter, as part of the team as the café’s baker. Black history is cleverly taught through the café’s menu in that “every drink has a name associated with lesser-known Black contributors and landmarks.” “We learned about Black history in school, but we only got civil rights, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks,” Hixon said. “I wanted to bring forward people we don’t really know about, people like inventors, scientists and doctors.” Their menu also puts a focus on the local Opelika history, such as a drink named after Dr. John W. Darden — Opelika’s first Black...

History was made this past weekend in the box office as Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” became the first No. 1 film directed by a Black woman. According to IndieWire, the film grossed an estimated $22.3 million in its initial domestic weekend. The film’s earnings surpassed its projection of $15 million. Variety reported that the film’s release was delayed numerous times due to the coronavirus pandemic. While “Candyman” was initially set to hit movie theaters last year, the decision to delay its release ultimately worked in the film’s utmost favor. Both old and new fans filled movie theaters across the nation and brought in a diverse audience. “Universal believed it would attract Black viewers with the pedigree of Get Out and Us , and it did,” reported IndieWire. “However, the appeal was more diverse: Per the studio’s audience survey, 37 percent of the audience was Black, white was 30 percent, Latinos 22 percent, and Asians 5 percent. That spread was key to reaching the higher number.” With...