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Melissa Pennington is leveraging the advancements of technology to improve her work in human resources (HR). Exposure To Human Resources The Queens, NY, native carries more than two decades in the sector, which she was first introduced to as a high school student. She took a Myers-Briggs personality test, which suggested she consider a career in HR. She was unfamiliar with what it entailed until further research. “I remember thinking, ‘What is that?’ The more I explored, the more I realized how perfectly it aligned with who I am,” she told AFROTECH™ in an email interview. “As I grew into my career, I started to understand the impact HR could have — not just as the department dealing with policies or consequences, but as a true catalyst for positive change.” Pennington’s focus in her work would settle on nonprofits and medium to small-sized businesses. This was inspired by her grandmother, who moved to the United States in pursuit of the American dream. She owned multiple beauty...
One could argue, and rightfully so, that the ’90s was an era full of Black pride as represented in culture, particularly in music, television, and film. From the anthems of R&B groups to the display of Black excellence on the big and small screen, there was no shortage of inspiration from fine art. One of the common themes, especially in television and film, was the consistent examples of Black creatives and executives. The New York-centered sitcom “Living Single” is an example of a group of Black 20-something women and how they navigated the hustle of dreaming big until they tapped into the success of reaching that dream. Entrepreneurship and success were always at the center, and there was iconic representation for those who aspired for the same. While there are several examples of Black women entrepreneurs throughout history, the depiction of such figures in pop culture has influenced many since the ’90s. According to a Forbes report, Black-owned businesses rose during that...
This trucker is here to remind women they can do it all and secure a bag, too! Clarissa Rankin may be familiar to some. The trucker, entrepreneur, and social media guru has created a lane for women in a predominantly male-driven industry, which in turn started to make ends meet for her family. In 2018, as Rankin was obtaining her commercial driving license, she noticed there were not any Black women in the orientation class.
Dominiece Clifton’s story is a testament to how timing is everything when it comes to seeing your dreams unfold. The Baltimore Sun reports that the 34-year-old went from being on the brink of letting go of her aspirations of becoming a business owner to securing a “no-strings-attached” life-changing grant — $2,000 a month for one year, to be exact. “I was spending a lot of time helping other people build their dreams,” Clifton said, according to The Baltimore Sun. “But the grant has made it so I can be present because the basics are covered, and it has allowed me to invest in things for the program. I haven’t felt this much peace in so long.” According to the outlet, the “We Got Your Back” grant was launched by Jayme Wooten, who is the founder of CLLCTIVLY — a Black-led organization that works to be a resource for social impact in the Baltimore community. The funding was launched for not only entrepreneur’s businesses, but also for their overall livelihood. “You’re investing in the...
In April 2021, Keke Palmer landed a deal with Amazon after her Instagram sketch videos went viral, as previously shared by AfroTech. Now, the actress has teamed up with the e-commerce giant for a new partnership that shines the spotlight on other Black women bosses like herself. According to Essence, Palmer and Amazon partnered to support Black women business owners in honor of Women’s History Month. Within the collaboration, the duo worked to put together a selection of Black-owned brands to highlight, as well as speak to two of the founders for Amazon’s conversation series. After becoming an entrepreneur and launching her record label, Big Boss Entertainment, in 2018 — her own personal experience has led her to help women who look like her kickstart their ideas, too. “It’s time to put the spotlight back on Black businesses to remind people that we gotta support each other. Also, to understand that when you are buying Black, you’re sometimes buying into a newer business,” Palmer...
Brent Faiyaz has shown appreciation for the ladies since his music career kicked off. In the beautiful spirit of Women’s History Month, the R&B singer is taking his pen from writing lyrics to checks to support his fans. Faiyaz has launched his second annual Show U Off grant — named after his track released in March 2021 — to financially support Black women entrepreneurs, according to Billboard. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5SE7JPceS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Black women founders face the most trials when attempting to secure VC funding, so the Grammy-nominated artist aims to play a role in helping to alleviate that by providing funding to jumpstart their innovative ideas. “I want this to be the future of how Black business is done,” he said in a statement, according to Billboard. “Black people fund Black people.” Similar to last year’s program, as previously reported by AfroTech, the $60,000 fund will be awarded among six Black women entrepreneurs.
Ciearra Baker probably never thought she’d become known as the “Vending Machine Mom” when she made a Christmas Eve post on Facebook. The single mother from St. Louis, MO, quickly went viral when she posted a photo of her children with a rather unconventional “present.” “Let’s not handicap these kids making their lives easy,” wrote the woman who would become known as the Vending Machine Mom. “I’m not buying toys my kids most definitely will understand. Life is not easy and making the right choices with money & etc… So I came up with the idea to invest in a vending machine for the kids as Christmas gift #Young bosses in the making 👌💪🏽👏🏽🤑 MERRY XMAS!” Some commenters thought the idea was a good one. “I love this so much! I started selling candy at school when I was little to make my money and now I’m 24 and have a small business and I love it!” wrote one woman. Others, however, weren’t as welcoming to the idea. “Not you shaming other parents for getting their kids gifts instead of...
About a year ago, Google fired their star artificial intelligence (AI) researcher. Now, she’s bounced back with a firm of her own that received $3.7 million in funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kapor Center, Open Society Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. We are @DAIRInstitute — an independent, community-rooted #AI research institute free from #BigTech 's pervasive influence. Founded by @timnitGebru . https://t.co/t7UyaVfmVH — Distributed AI Research Institute (@DAIRInstitute) December 2, 2021 The Washington Post tells the story of Timnit Gebru, a prominent artificial intelligence computer scientist who just founded Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR) . The institute, according to the outlet, “aims to both document harms and develop a vision for AI applications that can have a positive impact on the same groups.” And there’s no better person to lead that charge than Gebru, who was instrumental in noting that facial recognition...
When society attempts to gatekeep the notion of who is deemed “worthy” of access to luxury, Black women are typically shut out of the conversation. They’re criticized and dismissed when they openly live the lifestyle — especially on social media. We’ve seen celebrities like Cardi B and Saweetie get ridiculed for flaunting their prized possessions and even everyday Black women. Fortunately, there are women who are working to change that narrative. Take Gillian Bradley, for example, the CEO of Harper Ray Accessories who believes Black women are more than deserving of the finer things in life. As soon as customers walk through the doors of Harper Ray Accessories, they enter into a space that is tailored just for them. From being welcomed by a host of Black women to high-quality jewelry crafted with the customers in mind, it’s the ultimate experience for Black women to have a space where they can both figuratively and literally shine in their element. “I think that just as Black women,...
Praxis Labs, a Black and Asian-woman-founded company utilizing the power of virtual reality (VR) for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) training, just raised $15.5 million in an oversubscribed Series A round. This is the second major funding round for the company, which raised $3.2 million in February 2021, AfroTech previously reported. According to their website, Elise Smith and Heather Shen, both Stanford graduates, launched Praxis Labs in late 2019 to leverage their unique experiences and perspectives to “build the most efficacious and impactful learning experiences.” In a press release, Praxis Labs indicated that the financing round was co-led by Norwest Venture Partners and Emerson Collective. Other investors in the round included Penny Jar Capital (anchored by Steph Curry), Precursor Ventures, Concrete Rose Capital, Ulu Ventures, SoftBank’s SB Opportunity Fund and Firework Ventures. “Our society is more segregated than ever, and the workplace is often the most...
Facebook is back at it with their support of Black-owned businesses. According to PR Newswire, the social media platform will donate $2 million to the McBride Sisters to continue their efforts to give back to other Black women-led businesses. Through the SHE CAN Fund, Black women entrepreneurs will be eligible to receive $20,000 in Facebook advertising credits. They’ll also receive guidance from the Facebook Elevate community and learning program designed to fuel the growth of Black and Latinx and Hispanic-owned businesses. “We believe that the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund can start a wave of change, and we’re proud to be teaming up with partners such as Facebook who want to join our fight to help close the race and gender gap in the Wine & Spirits industry and beyond,” said Agnes Uboma, Chief Impact Officer of the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund in an official statement. “Our commitment to women-owned and Black-owned businesses is unwavering, and we encourage companies of all sizes to...
Black women working full-time make nearly $1 million less than white men during their careers, the National Women’s Law Center recently shared in a research report. While the wage gap affects all women, it arguably affects Black women the most since they face race and gender discrimination. Black women, on average, are currently paid 63 cents for every dollar that White men make. That amounts to a loss of $2,009 a month, $24,110 a year, and $964,400 over 40 years for Black women. This stark reality is why Aug. 3 is marked Black Women’s Equal Pay Day every year, which signifies the extra 214 days Black women would need to work each year to catch up to white men’s salaries. Put it this way; Black women will have to work until they are 83-years-old to reach the salaries white men make at age 60. “I don’t think it’s talked about as much as it should be,” Tiffany Williams, a business and marketing strategist, told AfroTech. “The wage gap is so prominent because there’s a lack of...
Black women entrepreneurs are killing it left and right across all work fields! However, the unfortunate reality is that when some are first starting out, they’re not allotted an adequate amount of funding and investments to fully help bring their visions to fruition. Capital One Business has taken action to be a part of changing this by championing Black woman-owned businesses in partnership with Boss Women Media — an organization that provides women with resources to actively pursue their dreams — for their Black Girl Magic Pitch Competition. The pitch competition was announced in a Capital One press release along with their Black Girl Magic Digital Summit. “At Capital One, we celebrate the powerful impact women of color have on the workplace, economy and broader society,” said Celia Edwards Karam, Chief Audit Officer at Capital One in the press release. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Boss Women Media to host this year’s summit, and motivated by our opportunity...
Personal safety while traveling is still a growing concern, especially for women traveling alone. This is the thought that Jillian Tancil had in mind when she founded TanTek Technologies last year, a tech startup manufacturing necklaces equipped with tracking devices. The necklaces sync with a mobile application that shows approved contacts a person’s exact whereabouts. Consumers can also safely send emergency alerts through the necklace or app to approved contacts. “I never really intended to go into business. It’s not what I went to school for,” Tancil told AfroTech in a video interview. Tancil is an attorney by trade. During her third year of law school at Harvard University, she went on a solo spring break trip to Paris; this was the experience that birthed TanTek. Being the only girl out of her siblings, Tancil and her family often worry about safety, especially while traveling. Tancil’s wheels started turning when she did some research amid her trip and found that there aren’t...