To foster inviting settings and decrease racially-biased experiences for shoppers, U.S. retailers have linked up. According to a press release sent to AfroTech, the nonprofit Open to All has announced that 28 major retail brands have signed the Mitigate Racial Bias in Retail Charter. What this means is that signees have committed to integrating actions that work to dismantle racially biased interactions while creating a friendly atmosphere for shoppers.

A sign-on bonus from a job is always a win. However, for one Black Houston doctor, her moment of victory was swiftly taken away due to discriminatory practices. ABC13 reports that Dr. Malika Mitchell-Stewart had recently completed her residency before securing a position at Valley Oaks Medical Group. The Black Houston doctor was subsequently awarded a $16,000 check from her newly acquired position. Dr. Malika Mitchell-Stewart then went to JPMorgan Chase Bank at First Colony Branch in Sugar Land to deposit her new earnings. Unfortunately, her celebration was cut short. According to a lawsuit, staff members at JPMorgan Chase began to ask Dr. Malika Mitchell-Stewart unwarranted questions pertaining to her check and position as a doctor, ABC13 reports. Dr. Stewart describes feeling like a criminal after showing her check. JPMorgan Chase ultimately led with a decision to refuse Dr. Stewart’s service and declared the check fraudulent. Stewart believes she was targeted due to the color of...

As the U.S. housing market rebounds from a pandemic-related slowdown, there is still evidence of housing discrimination that continues to limit homeownership and rental opportunities for consumers of color and other marginalized groups. It’s necessary to take stock of how far housing policy has gone to outlaw discriminatory practices, and what work remains to be finished. What is housing discrimination? The Fair Housing Act of 1968 explained What is redlining in real estate? 3 ways to strengthen U.S. housing discrimination laws What is housing discrimination? Housing discrimination is any prejudiced actions against a consumer who is buying a home , renting a home or attempting to participate in other housing-related endeavors. Discrimination can be based on the following characteristics: Color or race Disability Familial status Nationality Religion Sex People who identify as LGBTQ aren’t explicitly protected by federal law from housing discrimination. However, several states have...

Social media has been a game-changer for many influencers, especially as platforms like TikTok and Instagram see a major surge in users. The internet has become a place for people in the creative industry to make a name for themselves, but for Black influencers, they still struggle against the gatekeepers of advertising who are responsible for paying these creatives for their work. Ethnicity pay gaps aren’t a new notion, but more recently, Black influencers and people of color have pushed back against the industry to call out their racist and sexist ways. In addition to the ethnicity pay gap, Black influencers are even being stripped away from their credits for creating trends that are ultimately stolen by their white counterparts to benefit from. TikTok was recently accused of trying to create an “aspirational air” for their platform by allegedly configuring the app to hide content from people who appeared to be “ugly, poor or disabled users,” according to the Guardian. While it is...

Three Somali Muslim women in Minnesota have filed a federal complaint alleging that they experienced racial and religious discrimination while working in Amazon warehouses. In a letter originally reported by The New York Times , civil rights group Muslim Advocates outlined some of the women’s experiences for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint alleges that Amazon failed to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of its Muslim employees. The letter noted three women feared taking time to break their fast, pray or perform ablution, or take bathroom breaks. At Amazon, employees are expected to make “rate,” or “unpack and repack a certain number of products in an hour,” an employee told Gawker. “Lost time would reduce a worker’s ‘rate’ or how many items a worker packs per hour,” the letter said. “Employees who regularly fell short of the rate — simply because they attempted to observe their religious obligations to pray —faced repercussions such as...

Traveling across America has historically been a dangerous feat for African Americans. Over-policing and discriminatory policies have made road trips a struggle for Black people nationwide. Today, the Sundance Film Festival is premiering a virtual reality documentary that gives viewers an in-depth look at what life was like for black travelers during segregation. “Traveling While Black” places audiences in Washington, D.C.’s historic Ben’s Chili Bowl. Directed by Academy Award-winner Roger Ross Williams, the project was created in collaboration with The New York Times Op-Docs. Ben’s Chili Bowl is well known for serving celebrity patrons throughout its years and is a staple in D.C., but part of its legacy lies within The Negro Motorist Green Book. Named after its author, Victor Green, the Green Book as it is commonly known, was a guide that provided a list of restaurants, hotels and other locations that served African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. One of those landmarks is the...

Reuters reached out to Uber on Monday about a previously unreported investigation into accusations that Uber’s head of human resources, Liane Hornsey, systematically dismissed internal complaints of racial discrimination. Hornsey has since stepped down via an email to the staff. Hornsey has been in her position for around 18 months, a period of time that saw controversies such as former software engineer Susan Fowler publishing a blog about the sexual harassment she faced while employed by the company. A few months later, co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned from his position of CEO after accusations were made that Uber fosters a hostile work environment. An anonymous group claiming to be employees of color at Uber made allegations against Hornsey and the Uber human resources department. There was allegedly an email to Chief Legal Officer Tony West and Uber’s whistle-blower account threatening to be open about Hornsey dismissing internal reports of racial discrimination if action...