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Queen Latifah is debunking the false stereotypes of obesity in her latest campaign with pharmaceutical company Nova Nordisk. AfroTech previously reported that Queen Latifah signed an audible deal to highlight activists in different sectors. Now, her latest venture hits closer to home as she tackles an issue that has loomed over her career for decades. Conceptualized with director Chris Robinson, “It’s Bigger Than Me” allows Latifah to share her experience of living with obesity through four impactful and creative video snippets. View this post on Instagram A post shared by It's Bigger Than Me (@itsbiggerthan) As a star in the industry, Latifah developed insecurities struggling to maintain a healthy weight in the limelight. The Hollywood actress first learned she was obese upon working with a trainer for a movie role earlier in her career. “I fell into the category of obesity, and it took a trainer to educate me about what it was when I was trying to lose weight for a project,”...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Companies and products are often designed with younger generations, like Gen Z and Millennials, in mind. However, this emphasis often causes the industry to overlook older generations who also need technology tailored to their needs. One would think this would be an obvious market, given that Gen X and Boomers hold more wealth than younger generations. That wealth alone makes them an attractive customer base because they can afford the products and services being developed. Even so, there hasn’t been much focus from tech investors or founders on creating solutions for this demographic. How often have you come across a founder or investor saying, “We’re building this for Gen X or Boomers”? Rarely, if ever. This is a massively overlooked opportunity. One reason for this lack of attention is that the tech industry is perpetually focused on the future. Rarely does it look to the past. When developing...
While some runners only need fresh air and a familiar path to get into the zone, others require more motivation. Identifying with the latter group, 26-year-old Destin George Bell developed an application, Card.io , to encourage himself and others like him to get outside and be active. The gamified fitness tracker launched in 2022 and transforms users’ outdoor walking or running into a giant interactive team-based game like Turf War or Capture the Flag. Like Strava and Garmin, it monitors pace, distance, calories burned, and more. It also integrates with those platforms, enabling users to upload completed routes from those trackers into Card.io to compete with others by claiming the parts of town they move in. If you haven’t heard about the app or Bell yet, you probably will soon. The company made its television debut on Friday, Oct. 18, during the Season 16 premiere of the Emmy Award-winning show “Shark Tank.” Pitching on the show is a significant achievement, as less than 1% of...
If you’re a fitness nut, you’re likely already aware of the El Segundo, California-based multi-level marketing company Beachbody. The company, which operates a number of affiliate entities including Shakeology and Beachbar supplements, as well as Beachbody On Demand and MYXfitness live-coaching has recently announced a major shift in their business model. The company’s new approach sees them moving full-steam ahead towards profitable growth , as they eschew their MLM framework for a more streamlined single-level affiliate program, in a bid to appeal directly to their highest-spending consumers. Essentially, this cuts out the middle man, and allows those interested in taking video courses or purchasing supplements to meet their corporate supplier right at the source. Given that the company is projected to experience exponential growth with their new streamlined approach, it only makes sense to examine Beachbody’s history, current net worth, and plan for the future. This should give...
Back in 2010, Michelle Obama launched “Let’s Move!,” a national campaign to reduce childhood obesity and help children have healthier lifestyles. During her time in the Oval Office, an impact that the former First Lady’s efforts created was changing school lunches to have more nutrition. Now, she’s taking on the food and beverage industry.
Queen Latifah is putting on for her city in a major way. According to News 12, the superstar has secured a new deal to create new housing in Newark, NJ through Blue Sugar Corporation — her real estate development firm. “To me, Newark is ours. Newark is yours. And I don’t want people to think that they can’t live in their own communities,” she told News 12.
Queen Latifah is definitely responsible for a lot of “firsts” for Black female rappers. She’s the first Black female rapper to be nominated for an Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress in 2003’s “Bessie”) and the first Black female rapper to be halfway to a coveted EGOT (according to CBS Watch Magazine). Queen Latifah was the first rapper to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (per Billboard, she achieved the honor in 2006). And her third album, “Black Reign,” became the first album by a Black female rapper to receive an RIAA certification, ultimately snagging a gold certification (per Apple TV). In short, the Queen knew how to give it to ’em at a time “they” weren’t sure they even needed it, and she’s more than a little responsible for rap music becoming the culturally dominant force it is today. These days, Queen Latifah is perhaps best known for her acting career thanks to the success of films like “Set It Off” and television shows like “Living Single” and, most recently,...
Michelle Obama is nothing if not a legend. According to Forbes, she has “been busy cementing her legacy as an advocate for the arts, education, and, above all, nutrition. Among the initiatives from her eight-year stint as First Lady is Let’s Move, a nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity, which included revamping school lunches, and the Partnership for a Healthier America, which will remain in effect after the Obamas leave the White House. Obama’s Turnaround Arts program, which brings art instruction to underperforming schools, will also continue, under the mantle of the Kennedy Center. But perhaps her most lasting legacy is, by appearance at least, the smallest: the label attached to food packaging.” But more than being a legend as a First Lady, Michelle Obama is an accomplished lawyer and public speaker. She’s an Ivy League graduate — a Princeton University alumnus who graduated cum laude — and an advocate for Black women. And according to Celebrity Net Worth, Michelle...
The African continent has experienced severe challenges in its pharmaceutical supply chains for decades leaving many people without access to medication. TechCrunch reports, “In response, the co-founders created and piloted a tech-based platform in 2015 linking manufacturers with distributors. This plan failed to take-off as it immediately became clear that a platform alone would not suffice.” In 2017, the outlet reports, those co-founders Chibuzo Opara and Adham Yehia launched DrugStoc officially to connect drug store companies with hospitals and pharmacies in Nigeria. The new model, however, proved to be successful due to new infrastructures such as fulfillment centers and warehouses to facilitate orders, packaging, shipment of products, and customer support units. Since its inception, the e-health drug procurement platform has delivered pharmaceutical products to 100 million people and has connected 400 manufacturers to 3,200 doctors, hospitals and pharmacies. The company plans...
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Tuskegee University received a $13.7 million grant on Nov. 8, in hopes of creating a systemic and sustainable culture while promoting inclusivity within the community of scientists. Through the grant — in partnership with Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) — the two Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBCUs) will hire and train 12 new research faculty members to push the mission forward for inclusive excellence in health disparities research, according to a press release. “We are proud to continue our partnership with Tuskegee University in this endeavor to build a community of scientists committed to inclusive excellence by recruiting early-career faculty committed to promoting diversity and inclusion while addressing health disparities,” UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Dean and Senior Vice President for Medicine Selwyn Vickers, M.D. said in a press release. The press release...
Kevin Durant is evidently enjoying his time in the business limelight. As AfroTech previously reported, the Brooklyn Nets basketball star recently secured a two-year partnership with blockchain platform Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot. Now, Durant is making headlines as he’s reportedly set to become one of the major buyers in a merger agreement between ticket search engine platform SeatGeek and blank check company RedBall Acquisition Corporation, according to Front Office Sports. The merger proves to be a relief for RedBall — co-founded by Billy Beane and RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale — who reportedly struggled over the past year, EssentiallySports previously reported. But clearly, hope was not lost as RedBall now has a promising footing with the latest merger reportedly valued at a whopping $1.35 billion (What a comeback). The equity rollout will include a $100 million private investment in public equity (PIPE). The beauty of PIPE financing permits prospects to be afforded the...
Former first lady Michelle Obama leads this year’s class of National Women’s Hall of Fame inductees, which also includes NASA’s first Black woman engineer Katherine Johnson, according to CNN. As the first Black woman to serve as the first lady of the United States, the National Women’s Hall of Fame credits her as having “emerged as one of the most influential and iconic women of the 21st century,” according to a statement on the organization’s website. “Both in and out of the White House, Michelle Obama has accomplished her initiatives and so much more—becoming an advocate for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, international adolescent girls’ education,” it continues. Additionally, the organization shares that Obama has established herself as “a strong advocate for women and girls” in the U.S. and around the world. Over the years, Michelle Obama has established herself as an incredible leader and advocate among all, creating multiple advocacy...
The health disparities that exist for Black and brown people in America are largely attributed to their unequal access to healthcare and a lack of accessible resources, including medication, proper insurance, and nutritious food options. Although these communities have the most health issues related to food and nutrition, there are still few products on the market that exist to encourage healthier living practices. This led businessman and founder, Marc Washington, to launch his own wellness startup to help cater to the needs of his community. Muniq — a prebiotic consumer wellness brand designed to help people improve their gut health — was created by Washington as part of his life-long mission to help others get ahold of chronic health issues they battle. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Supergut (@supergut) As a Princeton and Harvard graduate with years of experience in the health and wellness industry, Washington was inspired to launch Muniq because of his little...
Morgan State graduate Duane Myko, Bowie State alumna Danita Jones and Chef Jumoke Jackson recently launched Everything Legendary , a vegan burger business. According to BOTWC , co-founder Myko was inspired to create “a flavorful alternative to meat products” after his mother’s strict vegan diet helped her battle lupus for over 35 years. In 2019, he and his business partners put their money where their mouth is. “Our goal is to educate the community on the benefits of a healthy vegan lifestyle,” Myko said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Everything Legendary™ (@go_legendary) The healthy burger company, which pivoted to nationwide delivery due to the pandemic, offers soy-free and gluten-free burgers in four flavors: classic burger, pepper jack, cayenne pepper, and cheddar. They also sell a signature sauce. Not only is Legendary serving customers right at their door; they’re also giving back to their old stomping grounds—HBCUs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
It’s no secret that African Americans have been hit harder than any other group by COVID-19 . However, even before the pandemic, we knew that the Black community was at a disadvantage in the healthcare system. According to Cigna , a leading healthcare provider, Black people are 80 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, and 20 percent more likely to have visual impairments. Black women are also 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer. Dr. Danielle Richardson, an LA-based optometrist at Zak , is trying to help reduce these disparities. Dr. Richardson is a glaucoma-certified therapeutic optometrist and hails from Indianapolis, Indiana. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Indiana University Bloomington and a Doctor of Optometry degree from Indiana University School of Optometry. She is also licensed to practice optometry in New York, Texas, and California. Dr. Richardson is passionate about educating communities of color about the importance of proper...