The Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit over alleged discriminatory practices related to the appraisal of a Black homeowner’s property and the cancellation of her mortgage refinance application. Filed Monday, Oct. 21, in U.S. District Court in Colorado, the lawsuit accuses Rocket Mortgage , Solidifi U.S. Inc., Maverick Appraisal Group Inc., and Maksym Mykhailyna of actions that violate the federal Fair Housing Act. “This lawsuit is part of our ongoing efforts to bring an end to appraisal bias which prevent Black communities and other consumers of color from accessing credit and benefitting from homeownership,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement . “Appraisal bias exacerbates the racial wealth gap, and runs contrary to the principles of fairness, transparency and equity that we need in our housing market today,” she added. “The Justice Department will continue to hold appraisers, lenders and others...

Amazon employs 1.3 million people worldwide, 950,000 of which work in the U.S. That means one in every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee, Business Insider reports, and the tech giant also boasts a team of 1,200 recruiters. Simone Porter is a part of Amazon’s recruitment team. She focuses on attracting talent for non-tech roles. She’s been working for the company for roughly four and a half years in various roles, so she knows what it takes to land a job and climb the ladder. In case you missed it, Porter shared some of her recruiting and hiring tips at AfroTech Conference during her “Getting Hired Hacks: The Resume that Wins the Job” solo session. And it is safe to say, she took a deep dive into how to personalize your resume and make it stand out. “You can think of the resume as your 30 second, written elevator pitch,” Porter said in the AfroTech metaverse. “It’s the way that you are able to brand yourself in a short amount of time and describe who you are in a very clear,...

From a college dorm to the world’s largest retailer, Hylux founder Lamar Letts is making major moves for his brand. Back in 2016, Letts pivoted from participating in sports to pursuing entrepreneurship as a college student who launched his own vitamin-enhanced water brand. After introducing his brand onto Amazon earlier this year, the millennial founder’s products have now made their way onto Walmart.com — making Letts one of the youngest founders to have products sold nationwide via the world’s largest retailer. After his heart injury — known as myocarditis — put an end to his track career, Letts found a way to recover and persevere as a student entrepreneur at Northeastern University. Through Hylux, he was able to fill a void in the food and beverage space for sports drinks and give athletes a drink they can depend on. According to him, growing up with a family with roots in the food industry is what influenced him to want to create something revolutionary at the intersection of...

Amazon is announcing an ambitious plan that aims to drive economic equity for Black entrepreneurs across America. The tech giant has shared that it’s launching its own Black Business Accelerator (BBA) — in partnership with the Amazon Black Employee Network (BEN) and a coalition of strategic partners — to target the barriers created by systemic racism that prevent access, opportunity and advancement for Black business-owners in the U.S. According to a company blog post, the $150 million initiative strives to both generate sustainable equity and promote growth for these Black-owned businesses over the next four years by providing financial assistance, business education, mentorship as well as marketing and promotion of their brands as third-party sellers in their online store. “Selling online, particularly through Amazon, is a powerful economic opportunity for entrepreneurs,” Brandi Neloms — Manager at Amazon — said to Small Business Trends. “This program unlocks the full opportunity...

Talk about a surprise of a lifetime! According to a press release provided to AfroTech, Amazon just surprised 100 inspiring computer science students looking to take their education and future career to the next level with scholarships. Among thousands of applicants, the winners will all receive $40,000 scholarships to study computer science at a university of their choice along with paid internships at the world’s leading online marketplace upon the completion of their freshman year of college. Students like Samuel Hill will receive the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship and has goals to pursue a computer science degree at the University of Southern Mississippi starting in the fall. Currently, Hill is a residential student at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, MS. A Mississippi native, Hill grew up in the small town of Laurel where he has developed a passion for helping other Missipppians tap into the rapidly growing market for computer science...

Worldwide retail giant Amazon is on a mission to expand its global reach with a new office setup in South Africa. According to Face2Face Africa, Amazon’s U.S. company has announced plans to open up a new base of operations and break ground with a real estate investment priced at nearly $300 million. The office will be located at a new development in River Club, described as a prime section of Cape Town. “US retail giant, Amazon, will be the anchor tenant, opening a base of operations on the African continent,” Cape Town mayor, Dan Plato, said in a statement. “The development is envisaged to take place in phases, with construction set to take place over three to five years.” The mayor revealed that the new development intends to design a 150,000 square meter mixed-use space across two precincts, with 31,900 square meters reserved for residential purposes. The entire new development is predicted to create upwards of 19,000 direct and indirect jobs in the African country. “With...

If you’re the type of person to watch the Super Bowl for the ads, you’re in for a treat this Sunday, Feb. 7. According to Engadget, Michael B. Jordan — “Black Panther” star, People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, Lori Harvey’s official boyfriend, and the Internet’s unofficial boyfriend — has been announced as the voice and body of Amazon’s Alexa. The commercial, which is titled “Alexa’s Body” will make its debut when the Chiefs face off against the Buccaneers. It features an Amazon employee marveling at the new Echo model (which retails for the reasonable price of $100) before drifting off to a daydream. A bus pulls up outside, and the bus features an ad-within-an-ad of Michael B. Jordan advertising “Without Remorse,” a new series featured on — where else? — Amazon Prime. Check out a clip of the ad below: In other Amazon news, Jeff Bezos has announced that he’s recently stepped down as the CEO of the company, and will instead take on an executive role. Andy Jassy will replace Bezos as...

Amazon has plans to double the number of Black leaders within the company. The plan is to increase their number of Black leaders beginning at the end of the year and into 2021 and beyond, reports FOX Business. “At Amazon, we’re constantly learning and innovating – and our long-term efforts in diversity and inclusion are no different,” says an Amazon spokesperson. “ As part of this work, we are setting aggressive goals in our ongoing effort to be a top employer for Black employees.” According to FOX Business, the electronic commerce giant says that they will begin to make “increased investments and programming designed to grow Black leaders from within.” Their first order of business is to “double the representation of Black Directors and Vice Presidents in 2020 and again in 2021.” They also note that just last week , Amazon scored its biggest quarterly profit ever and the new efforts will take place through programs like its $700 million commitment to “upskilling” — the process of...