Showing 37 results for:
new-orleans
Popular topics
All results
After her first business failed, Carolyn Rodz is now making it her mission to help other entrepreneurs succeed. Rodz was an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase between 2001 and 2005, per her LinkedIn. After exiting her job, she ventured into entrepreneurship , but that did not fare well, leading her to reenter the workforce. Although this was a trying time, it did not deter her from entrepreneurship altogether — she launched Cake, a digital media company, in 2009 and exited in 2015 — and it paved a pathway of opportunity for a wider community. “I knew very little about starting a company and my first business failed,” Rodz said in an interview with the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. “I went back to work, paid off debts, licked my wounds for a bit, started a second company that I ultimately sold, ran it very differently with the lessons that I learned and feel very fortunate that I got to start over again because many people don’t have that opportunity. I was young and single and...
Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, LA, in August 2005, wiping out 200,000 trees. While the city has faced challenges in restoring its tree canopy, efforts were underway thanks to a $75 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service to the Arbor Day Foundation that aimed to plant trees in neighborhoods without the resources to afford them, according to The Associated Press. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has, at least for now, terminated the funding to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order focused on banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within the federal government. “Protecting the people and communities we serve, as well as the infrastructure, businesses, and resources they depend on to grow and thrive, remains a top priority for the USDA and the Forest Service,” the USDA said, per AP. Trees offer various benefits, including cleaning the air in polluted areas, capturing stormwater and replenishing groundwater, and providing shade...
Master P is a multifaceted rapper, record producer, record executive, actor, entrepreneur — and now president of basketball operations. On Feb. 26, 2026, Louisiana’s University of New Orleans (UNO) Privateers announced that the local legend, born Percy Miller, was joining them in this new role. As a former college basketball player, Miller, 54, has spent the past two decades coaching the sport. During that time, his Amateur Athletic Union team, “P. Miller’s Ballers,” won three national championships, and he coached future NBA players Demar Derozan , Brandon Jennings, Lance Stephenson, and Jalen Suggs, the news release notes. “As a kid growing up in New Orleans, I can honestly say that basketball changed and saved my life,” Miller said. Despite his significant success in the music industry, Miller said he finds the most fulfillment in coaching the next generation of basketball players and giving back to his community. He asserted that UNO used to have one of the best basketball...
Joanna Brooks has been creating a safe wellness studio for people of color for the past 10 years. She developed an interest in yoga as a teenager and, over time, explored different areas of fitness, she wrote in her LinkedIn bio. This exploration influenced her practices, which include Bikram Yoga, Hot Vinyasa Flow, Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, and Yin Yoga, ultimately leading to the establishment of Embody YOGA studio in Milwaukee, WI. “These styles contribute significantly to my teaching style. I am experienced in leading both group and private classes and enjoy working with people of all ages. My intention is for my students to leave class with a quiet sense of strength and peace,” she wrote in her bio. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Embody Yoga (@embodyyogamke) In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, Feb. 18, Brooks honored the instructors who came before her, giving them their flowers for paving the way — including ZenZen Yoga Arts Founder Therese Bailey. “I’ve said it...
Kendrick Lamar received mixed reactions from the public over his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance — but it led to a nearly 175% increase in Spotify streams across the United States. According to an Instagram post shared by Spotify on Feb. 10, 2025, several songs from Lamar’s halftime setlist experienced significant boosts. “Not Like Us” — the popular Drake-aimed diss track released in May 2024 — saw a 430% increase, followed by “HUMBLE,” which rose 300%. “DNA,” which, along with “HUMBLE,” is from the 2017 album “DAMN,” experienced a 260% increase. “Luther,” performed with SZA, and “tv off,” featuring lefty gunplay, both experienced a 170% increase in streams. SZA also benefited from the performance, with an 80% increase in her Spotify streams. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Spotify News (@spotifynews) Exactly one week after winning five Grammy Awards — bringing his total to 22 — Lamar performed 10 songs at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, including five tracks...
Katt Williams has purchased land to open a movie studio. During an interview with GQ, the comedian revealed he has acquired a former military base located in Alabama. It has been confirmed by Williams’ publicist, Amy Sisoyev. “I can’t disclose the amount or exact location just yet, but I can confirm that he has purchased a former military base in Alabama,” Sisoyev said via email to AL.com. Williams shared that he aims to follow in the footsteps of other celebrities, such as Tyler Perry. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Perry, a self-made billionaire, opened the world’s largest Black-owned studio. The studio, which Perry self-funded, reached a valuation of $280 million in 2023. Speaking of wanting to be next in line, Williams commented to GQ : “It’s just not fair to put all that pressure on Tyler Perry. He can only do so much.” At the time of this writing, it is unclear when the movie studio will break ground. Williams is part of a growing number of Black figures seeking to disrupt...
If you’re a major country music fan, you may already be intimately acquainted with Kane Brown. The country music singer , who is currently preparing for the release of his fourth studio album The High Road , has turned many heads with his inventive songwriting, charming personality and media appearances in everything from Nickelodeon’s All That to reality competition series The X Factor . Brown currently touts a listenership of over 15 million monthly active users on Spotify alone , with chart-topping tracks such as “Miles On It,” “What Ifs” and “Heaven” serving as his biggest records. Like many modern musicians, Brown marketed himself through social media and the internet without the assistance of the major music labels, making him something of an indie darling to his growing fanbase. Since Brown has been such a hot topic lately, it only makes sense that fans would be wondering about his current net worth. Though the singer is still a rising star, it seems that he has already...
The bright minds of Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson have accomplished a new feat! As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the duo made headlines in 2023 for proving the Pythagorean Theorem without circular logic. The theorem had not yet been proven by mathematicians in more than 2,000 years. “Calcea and Ne’Kiya explained it to me like this: Basically, trigonometry is based on Pythagoras’ Theorem (A^2 + B^2 = C^2, sound familiar?), so using trigonometry to prove Pythagoras’s Theorem is what’s known as circular logic,” a WWL-TV reporter said at the time. Their discovery occurred during a school math contest created by the pair’s high school math teacher, Mr. Rich, at St. Mary’s Academy, in New Orleans, LA, an academic paper states. The contest included a $500 prize. “There was a bonus question that was to create a new proof of the Pythagorean Theorem,” Johnson told PEOPLE. “Ne’Kiya and I were the only two to do the bonus question in the whole school.” They presented their results to the...
New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cam Jordan is strengthening his investment portfolio. Sportico reports that the athlete purchased a stake in eight Little Caesars locations in Indianapolis, IN, and its surrounding areas. The pizza chain holds early memories for Jordan as he would eat there while playing football at his former high school in Chandler, AZ. “It’s just the natural evolution of life and always trying to get the best out of it,” Jordan told the outlet. “I hope this is going to be something I look back on in 15 years and think, ‘This was one of the greatest [decisions] of my life, and this is how many things we’ve done.’” The deal was made possible with the help of his business partner, Andrew Feghali, who owns over 50 locations, and restaurant insider Michael Khalil. Together, they hope to scale their presence in Little Caesars’ franchising. Jordan’s expectations are leveled in part due to the advice of his father, who advised him to apply it to his time in the NFL, which...
Through entrepreneurship, Ibukun Olubiyi is looking to create a lasting impact in Canada’s capital city. According to a news release, Olubiyi reportedly opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada . She was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and spent time in London, England, and Dublin, Ireland, but her journey to becoming an owner-operator was made possible by moving to Canada. Olubiyi pursued her studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. In her final year, in 2012, she took a trip with Habitat for Humanity to help those who were still struggling with the effects of Hurricane Katrina. On their way to New Orleans, LA, her group visited a Chick-fil-A restaurant. “During our 27-hour drive, we stopped to eat at Chick-fil-A…,” she said. “What stood out to me more than the food was the impeccable customer service, especially the team members who were extremely courteous as they took my order.” The fast-food chain left a lasting impression on Olubiyi. She completed...
This New Orleans, LA, entrepreneur has his sights set on a hospitality takeover! When serial hospitality entrepreneur Larry Morrow and his mother, Lenora Chong, opened the doors to Morrows in 2018, it was all a part of the bigger vision to bring more Black-owned restaurants to the vibrant, history-rich city of New Orleans. Fast-forward to 2024, nearly six years later, Morrow and company have opened the doors to Morrow Steak, a second steakhouse located in the Crescent City, Blavity reports. The restaurant, which seats about 125 people, and is geared toward celebrating any type of special occasion, features a menu that is yet another nod to Morrow’s Korean background on his mom’s side with a blend of classic steakhouse fare and Asian-inspired dishes. From a tomahawk ribeye and wagyu steak to broiled snapper, marinated pork chops, and side dishes like lobster mac and cheese, Morrow’s Steak has a little something for everyone. Its vegan dishes like kung pao cauliflower allow Morrow to...
85-year-old Shirley Smith has fulfilled her academic dreams. Raised on a tobacco farm in Wilmington, NC, Smith eventually had to move to Somerville, NJ, because her father needed to earn more money to support the family of six children after tobacco rates fell, Fox News Digital reports. By this time, Smith had left her academics behind, leading her to fill her time with jobs, including at a dry cleaner and a pocketbook factory. “I was going to the 10th grade, and I told him, the biggest mistake that I made, I think, was telling him that I didn’t want to go to school,” Smith told the outlet. “And he said, ‘Go to work.’” Smith eventually had a family of her own and moved to Georgia. Although she considered vocational school, she never completed her studies as her days were spent caring for her growing family. Still, Smith instilled the importance of education in her home and required her children to finish school if they were to live under her roof. “Matter of fact, they cried to go...
50 Cent plans to develop housing in Shreveport, LA. As Blavity previously shared, the Shreveport area is now home to the rapper’s G-Unit Studios, an extension of his G-Unit Films and Television company. The 985,000-square-foot property aims “to operate a production studio and/or activities and uses related to the promotion or development of the film, sound, light, movie, television, broadcasting, recording, and arts industries,” per a previous report by AFROTECH™. G-Unit Studios’ purpose includes giving opportunities to creatives and the community. 50 Cent has announced a three-phase plan to revitalize the area, with housing development being a focus area, according to KTAL-6 News in Shreveport. “We start building houses, and we have an idea to go into communities and help low- to moderate-income families get mortgages,” Orville Hall, G-Unit’s growth advisor, said per KTAL-6. Furthermore, plans will focus on supporting youth by creating new media programs. “We’re going to go to each...
Pioneer Opal Lee has received the keys to her new home. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, in 1939, 12-year-old Lee along with her family were removed from their home in Fort Worth, TX, by a racist white mob. “Just to know that there might be children that we could have played with, that we might have known their families,” Lee told CBS News Texas. “We just wanted to be good neighbors, that’s all.” The outlet also notes Lee never lost hope that she would one day own that very land. Her wishes would come true in January 2024 when she received a homecoming and a cquired ownership of the land that was stripped from her family. Building on this milestone, a home was recently constructed for Lee on the property, and she has received the keys to her new home. She was given the property for $10 thanks to North Texas organizations such as Trinity Habitat for Humanity and Texas Capital. Additionally, HistoryMaker Homes is credited for building the home free of charge, and JCPenney aided to...
Elijah Hogan’s life circumstances did not deter him from graduating high school at the top of his class. Hogan recently graduated from New Orleans, LA’s Walter L. Cohen High School. However, for more than a year while attending school, he lived at the Covenant House, a local homeless shelter, People reports. He learned about the shelter from his grandmother, a retired social worker. “Her lease form for the house that we all used to live in started to expire, and we only had 30 days until we had to move out. So, I took it upon myself to live independently,” Hogan told People . “She gave me some info about Covenant House and told me to continue on with my education. …Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to finish my high school years, giving me a place to stay, a place to eat, a place to sleep. I wouldn’t have been able to be where I’m at now.” In May 2024, Hogan graduated as the class valedictorian with a 3.89 grade point average. “Above all the trials, tests, and hardships, what...