To steer disadvantaged communities toward a more equitable future, Wells Fargo and Bishop T.D. Jakes are taking action.

After working for the late Michael Jackson, Faheem Muhammad and Michael Amir’s acquired knowledge over the years served as a launching pad to help underserved communities. “Mr. Jackson was always mission-driven. Everything he did had a purpose, which was to do what he could to make the world a better place,” Amir told AfroTech in an email interview. In the past, Muhammad worked for Jackson as head of security and Amir worked as the icon’s chief of staff. Now, the duo has found their contribution to fostering a more improved society by forging a business partnership alongside other close friends to create Oasis, a real estate investment , and development company. Oasis has a focus on the South Side of Chicago, as they saw a clear pathway to revisit the demographics they often saw in dire need during their upbringing.

Goalsetter is helping to bring financial literacy to the sports world in its latest partnership. The fintech platform has joined TeamSnap — a leading sports team management app — to support an increase of underserved youth having equal access to sport participation, according to a press release shared with AfroTech. The goal at hand is for the young athletes to have both physical and financial well-being. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Goalsetter (@goalsetterco)

Fayetteville State University undergraduate students will now receive more support thanks to new funding. According to a press release sent to AfroTech, a $2.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, awarded to Professor James E. Raynor Jr., will be given to the Historically Black University and University (HBCU).

More communities will have a pathway towards financial freedom. According to a press release, Wells Fargo and Operation HOPE, Inc. have partnered to support underserved households. Soon community members will have access to the HOPE Inside program which will provide access to financial coaches, financial education workshops, and free personal coaching. The resources will empower communities along their financial journey. “We know from our outreach and work with national and community stakeholders that financial education and guidance, and an individual’s sense of inclusion and trust, are all important factors in bringing more people who are unbanked into the formal banking system,” said Darlene Goins, head of Wells Fargo’s Banking Inclusion Initiative, according to a press release. “Working with Operation HOPE is one important way that we can remove barriers to financial inclusion and help empower people with education, resources and tools to manage their money, improve their credit...

Oscar-winning actress Regina King is lending a big hand to improve financial literacy in underserved communities. According to a press release announcement, the Oscar winner is partnering with banking giant Wells Fargo to promote financial literacy. King is also featured in their latest campaign “Real Life Ready,” which promotes Wells Fargo’s Active Cash Visa card and rewards system that suits the consumer’s daily needs. “We are thrilled to be working with Regina King, whose own authenticity is showcased in our campaign, as she demonstrates through her genuine life experiences how Active Cash is a straightforward credit card that makes it easy to earn 2% cash rewards on purchases,” Krista Phillips, Wells Fargo’s head of branded cards and marketing, said in a press statement. “I was drawn to Wells Fargo given the bank’s continued commitment to underserved communities,” King said in the same press statement. She is also the first major face to partner with the banking giant. As an...

Major corporations are beginning to launch more initiatives geared toward upskilling underserved and overlooked workers in America. The latest to join the movement is SoftBank Group International, who’s backing data science market leader Correlation One’s newest initiative. Today Correlation One announced that SoftBank is supporting their company’s Data Science for All / Empowerment (DS4A / Empowerment) program, a new ambitious effort designed to help prepare job-seekers from underserved communities to pursue data science careers. The program was designed to directly address the talent and equity gaps that exist in STEM fields, which have been historically closed off for many minority groups. This snowball gatekeeping-effect has lead to significant underrepresentation of women and non-white individuals in science, but Correlation One is now looking to reverse that. DS4A / Empowerment’s goal is to train at least 10,000 people from these underrepresented communities, prioritizing...

Bridging the digital divide amongst underserved communities is essential to giving everyone in the nation equal access to critical communications networks. According to Verizon’s latest initiative, the telecommunications company has created a way to make reliable, high-speed internet more accessible to those in underserved communities who meet financial assistance requirements through Verizon Fios Forward. A news release shares the Fios Forward program was first offered to new customers back in April 2020, and generates much faster and more equipped internet services, unlike traditional home Internet assistance programs. It also offers eligible customers a discounted rate for faster internet service. The goal of the program is to rid customers of unreliable internet providers who limit their access to quality home internet, which often lacks speed and the capacity to handle more than one user’s demands. This has become an increased issue over the last year due to many citizens...