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There is no right or wrong pathway to fulfilling your dreams. With so many options, from traditional education to finding resources on apps like YouTube and TikTok, people have several ways they can tap into how they begin or pivot into the working path of their dreams. Within this ecosystem are also groups providing traditional education alternatives like accelerators and development programs that allow people from diverse backgrounds to have a leg up in industries. NPower exists within this ecosystem and is doing its part to ensure those who want access to tech have it. According to the company website, NPower’s mission is to “create pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities.” However, there are nuanced hurdles that women experience, leading the company to launch Command Shift. The goal is to increase the number of women entering the tech industry by focusing on three key areas: attract and...
As a Black woman tech executive at Amazon, Mamar Gelaye is on a mission to diversify the industry. Gelaye, an Ethiopia native, has a decades-long career spanning more than 20 years that dates back to her time as a management consultant at Accenture. Her interest in technology was evident while attending the University of Tennessee, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She even worked on a hybrid electric vehicle project during this time. Belief In Technology Her faith in the advancements of technology remained strong, and following her time at Accenture, she pursued roles that reflected this. “I just really understood that technology was going to transform a great deal. I just understood that software was gonna control the machine,” she explained. “So when I left management consulting, I went into large industrial companies that were kind of big manufacturing, but manufacturing through automation, through kind of transformational engineering.” In...
Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), has shifted his personal political support for the presidential election, now pledging donations to Kamala Harris’ campaign after previously backing Donald Trump. In an email update to a16z supporters about “political activity,” Horowitz said Harris has been a “great friend” to him and his wife, Felicia — who is Black — in the 10 years they’ve known her. He noted the vice president’s support for their firm in its early days, mentioning her involvement in events that helped establish the Cultural Leadership Fund network, which supports Black cultural leaders and organizations. “As a result of our friendship, Felicia and I will be making a significant donation to entities who support the Harris Walz campaign ,” Horowitz wrote, per Business Insider. However, he added that a16z remains committed to positions aligned with its “Little Tech Agenda,” focusing on candidates who advocate for a strong startup...
Elon Musk has shared a fake AI video that labels Vice President Kamala Harris as the “ultimate diversity hire.” Harris is actively campaigning to receive the official Democratic nomination as she looks to become the 47th U.S. president, facing off against former President Donald Trump. She has already received the blessing of President Joe Biden, who will no longer be running for re-election. “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris wrote on Instagram. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) Harris’s announcement has been met with skepticism. As AFROTECH™ previously...
Progress is often only seen as positive based on the sustainability measures associated with it, and many organizations have not kept their promises regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This abandonment informs many (DEI) advocates’ perspectives when explaining the recent rollback of DEI programs at large and small corporations. The removal of equity-focused programming is not new. According to a previous AFROTECH™ report, many companies that made commitments to DEI in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd have dialed back or cut programs. Now, Microsoft is among the big-name companies, specifically in tech, that have decided to eliminate their intentional strategies around DEI. The pervasive question to these cuts is “why?” According to Business Insider, it was due to “changing business needs.” “True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020,” a leader of the laid off DEI team wrote in an...
Overcoming barriers is one thing, but creating opportunities for others to do the same is another. After nearly two decades of working as an executive at JPMorgan Chase, Thasunda Brown Duckett became the president and CEO of TIAA, which works to close gaps in retirement and provide equitable opportunities for investment. At the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) Business Summit during the ESSENCE Festival Of Culture presented by Coca-Cola, Duckett spoke about how the impact she’s making extends past the financial retirement services company and how her serving as a Black woman CEO can provide inspiration for young Black women. When it comes to the imposter syndrome that those who look like her often face entering corporate spaces, Duckett shared guidance with AFROTECH™ for how future Black executives can navigate such challenges. “When you think about imposter syndrome, which we all have at certain points in our life, I think the most important thing is as you’re going through life,...
Over the years, Thasunda Brown Duckett has gained global recognition for her monumental career strides, impact, and influence. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the TIAA president and CEO’s historic feats include, in 2021, becoming the first woman to lead the financial retirement services company in more than 100 years as well as one of two Black women to helm a Fortune 500 company. What’s more, Duckett was named on Forbes’ list of “The World’s Most Powerful Women” in 2023 and TIME’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” the following year. As Duckett continues to make efforts toward closing the racial retirement gap and women’s retirement gap and tirelessly advocates for DEI, she credits her foundation for fueling the leader she is today. On July 5, 2024, at the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) Business Summit during the ESSENCE Festival Of Culture presented by Coca-Cola, she thanks her parents, Otis and Rosie Brown, for teaching her the level of resilience required to be a...
Detroit, MI, has done it again, and it’s only right that one of the Blackest cities in America becomes the home to the first all-Black-led sports radio station in the nation! Sports Rap Radio on AM 1270 made its debut on the airwaves in Motor City on June 4, and not only does it feature all Black hosts, but the radio station is also Black-owned, Blavity reports. “[This is] history-making,” said former Detroit sports anchor Rob Parker, per CBS News. “[It’s] groundbreaking, [and] we just believe that the time has come.” In addition to Parker, who is responsible for helping to bring this vision to life, the history-making team of co-owners includes Parker’s longtime friend Dave Kenney as well as athletes, former NBA player BJ Armstrong and University of Michigan wide receiver Maurice “Moe” Ways. “Moe was the missing piece. I needed somebody young, smart, from the city,” Parker told the outlet. The two have kept in touch since they first met, when Ways was a football star at Detroit...
Reesha Howard had an unconventional journey into her position as a tech executive. Born in the South Side of Chicago, IL, Howard recalls growing up to appreciate the differences in cultures and forging connections with people of color as well as with those who identified as queer. This was on full display while she attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. “It’s funny how when you take the time to reflect on how a journey started, you’ll notice all these clues along the way to where you were headed, long before you realized it…,” she mentioned. “ By the time I attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, I was deeply immersed in culture and always had strong connections with people of color and queer people.” Howard’s burgeoning advocacy later manifested in her career trajectory, which was uniquely challenging to embark upon. While attending Florida A&M University on a full-ride scholarship, she recalls feeling “ under-resourced” and “overwhelmed” with her responsibilities at...
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has revealed his thoughts amid the ever-changing landscape of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. In a shareholder letter shared via Axios, Dimon reiterated the bank’s commitment to DEI, noting its programs that include resource groups for Black, LGBTQ+, and employees living with disabilities, as well as other initiatives, including a fund geared toward helping entrepreneurs of color, investing efforts in rural communities, and recruiting at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Moreover, Dimon revealed that the $30 billion racial equity commitment made by JPMorgan Chase in the wake of racial unrest and turmoil in 2020 is “nearly completed,” with plans to make the initiative a permanent program. “We’re thoughtfully continuing our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” he wrote. Dimon also confirmed that the initiatives will adjust as laws continue to evolve around these issues. His statement comes at a time...
A diversity policy is being repealed in North Carolina’s public university system. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the University of North Carolina (UNC) System Board of Governors’ University Governance Committee had approved “a policy that repeals the university system’s existing policy and regulation on diversity and inclusion.” This would impact all 17 public universities in the state and lead to the elimination of diversity programs and likely end DEI job roles, although the policy allows universities to “implement programming or services designed to have a positive effect on the academic performance, retention, or graduation of students from different backgrounds,” The News & Observer reports. When a position or office is terminated or changed, chancellors will be required to explain to UNC System President Peter Hans how “reductions in force and spending” were caused by the cuts and how the “savings achieved” could be “redirected to initiatives related to student success and...
Spelman College students have been reigning undefeated for the Goldman Sachs Market Madness Competition through the HBCU Possibilities Program. In April 2024, Victoria Cain, Makhi Frempong, Olivia Rivera-Spann, and Symone Thompson won the pitch competition and its $1 million top prize, according to a news release. The victory marks the HBCU’s third win in four years. “Emerging victorious in the Goldman Sachs Market Madness competition is a genuine reflection of our unwavering perseverance, meticulousness and the goodness of God,” said Frempong, who is an economics major, according to the news release. “This exceptional contest provided us with a platform to hone our abilities and visualize our forthcoming roles as analysts in the industry. It is a remarkable feat to be part of Spelman’s enduring heritage by virtue of our hard work. This journey has been truly extraordinary, demonstrating our growth as professionals in an astonishing manner.” The win came after Frempong, Cain,...
Harvard University is searching for a new president and has tapped a Black woman business executive to assist with the “challenges and opportunities facing the University.” According to The Harvard Crimson, Vivian Y. Hunt was appointed as the new president of the board of overseers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Harvard Crimson (@theharvardcrimson) For the 2024-2025 school year, the Harvard Business School alumna, who has been described as “a voice for diversity and impact at scale” by the school, is set to lead the board. The outlet details that three overseers serve on Harvard University’s presidential search committee and the president of the overseers has been one of the three in the institution’s past five searches. Tyler Jacks, the founding director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT and fellow Harvard University alumna, is joining Hunt as board vice chair. Jacks was a member of the presidential search committee that selected former...
Al Roker and his production company, Al Roker Entertainment, have been sued for allegedly not following through with a commitment to diversity. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bill Schultz filed a lawsuit against the “Today” host and CEO’s company as he claims that executives failed to commit to its DEI initiative, which would bring Black writers on board for PBS’s “Weather Hunters.” Al Roker Entertainment is the owner of the animated children’s show. As an executive producer for “Weather Hunters,” Schultz addressed the issue at hand, confronting the leaders about the failure to adhere to the diversity program, which is mandated by PBS. However, he says that their response was firing him. In addition, a Black producer was also reprimanded for speaking up. “I put nine years of my career into ‘ Weather Hunters ,’ a project I strongly believe in, with the goal of making a wonderfully crafted show for children to enjoy and learn from,” Schultz shared in a statement, according to...
A new move made by a group of education officials in North Carolina has the power to do a state-wide sweep of programs committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at public universities. According to The News & Observer, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors’ University Governance Committee has approved “a policy that repeals the university system’s existing policy and regulation on diversity and inclusion.” The move will reportedly disband laws in place requiring all 17 public campuses within the state of North Carolina to employ diversity officers as well as drive efforts toward a common goal of fulfilling diversity-related measures. A University of North Carolina System Board of Governors committee voted in favor of policy that would eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion jobs at NC public universities. There was no discussion. https://t.co/9xQvXJFFG8 — philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 18, 2024 Per the Raleigh, NC-based outlet, the committee held...