Kisha A. Brown, an award-winning civil rights attorney and speaker, is the founder of Justis Connection, a Black-owned legal tech platform. Justis Connection enables individuals to connect with trusted Black lawyers across various legal practices. It has recently announced its plan to prepare 1,000 Black lawyers ready to serve 1 million Black households across the United States. Black lawyers are still a minority Even though Black people in the US make up 13% of the population, Black lawyers represent approximately 5% of the legal profession, a figure that has remained
Ankor AI, a startup founded by Kyle Rowley, has just raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Upfin, according to Tech Funding News. Juni, Pleo, Moss, and Klarna also participated in the funding round. Former basketball player Rowley founded the Swedish fintech company after spending four years working with different finance teams. During this time, he observed the challenges of accessing financial data, particularly for e-commerce brands seeking credit or a precise cash flow. “I met smart operators who knew exactly what needed to be done, but
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has ramped up efforts to increase the deportation of immigrants, setting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants a day. In response, ICE raids have surged across the country. High-profile workplace operations in cities like Los Angeles have led to widespread protests and federal deployments. According to The Independent, demonstrations have erupted in more than 40 cities. Many of the recent detentions involve individuals with no prior criminal record. Immigrants now face the risk of arrest in
The Redemption Holding Company, a Black-led investment group, has completed its acquisition of Utah-based Holladay Bank and Trust, a woman-led bank that’s operated one brand in Salt Lake City since 1974. The acquisition marks the first time a bank has been owned by a Black-led investment group in the Rockies and Mountain West and also the first time Black investors have acquired a white-owned bank. The first Black-owned bank west of Texas The newly formed Redemption Bank will also be the first Black-owned financial institution to be located outside of
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), representing the NAACP, has sent a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue to Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, over its unpermitted use of gas turbines at a data center in South Memphis. The letter, dated June 17, alleges that xAI violated federal law by installing dozens of methane gas turbines without the required permits or pollution controls. This notice is a necessary step before filing a lawsuit under the Clean Air Act. “Over the last year, these turbines have pumped out pollution that threatens
There’s never been a better time to be a reader. From Goodreads and The StoryGraph to BookTok and the book club boom, discovering your next read is easier than ever. In 2024, book club events on Eventbrite jumped 31% from the previous year, especially among Gen Z and millennials. Modern clubs now include activities like crafting and wine tastings, and formats like silent book clubs are growing. Yet, most still center books by white authors. It’s one of the reasons why Ifeoma Igwe created Mylitcorner, a web app that uses AI to
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce is launching a new Innovation Center to support Black-owned businesses and address food inequality in Charlotte, NC. “Think of it as a one-stop shop for professionals and small businesses,” Cathay Dawkins, a local entrepreneur and chairman of the chamber, told The Charlotte Observer. What is the innovation center? The property, located at 2601 Wilkinson Blvd, near Interstate 77, will feature spaces for business meetings, co-working areas, an agri-tech program to assist farmers in utilizing advanced technology, and a retail store distribution center for small
South African tech academy WeThinkCode_ has been awarded $2 million in funding from Google’s charitable arm, Google.org, to expand its AI training programs. The programs will provide 12,000 learners in South Africa and Kenya with the necessary tools to succeed in the job market. There is a significant digital skills gap on the continent, with 90% of companies being negatively impacted by the lack of AI skills, according to a recent SAP report. WeThinkCode_ bridges the gap by providing training to unemployed youth from low-income backgrounds, helping them become software engineers. WeThinkCode_’s funding from
LemFi, a Nigerian-founded fintech company based in California, has acquired Pillar, a London-based startup focused on providing credit access to immigrants. Speaking to Semafor, LemFi CEO Ridwan Olalere confirmed that the deal was finalized in May. He said the acquisition will pave the way for LemFi to launch a credit card feature within its app. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by either company. LemFi acquires Pillar Ashutosh Bhatt and Adam Lewis founded Pillar in 2021, after both working at Revoult. It raised £13 million less than
Shaquille O’Neal will pay $1.8 million to settle claims that he deceived investors by promoting a now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, CBNC reports. The case had been pending since November 2022. The FTX Class Action Lawsuit The class action lawsuit also includes notable celebrities such as Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Steph Curry, Naomi Osaka, Larry David, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. However, O’Neal was the only celebrity defendant to remain associated with the company after he was served legal papers. After avoiding rocess servers for months, O’Neal was served with two complaints during
