Ancestry.com has released a new collection of newspaper articles related to more than 183,000 enslaved people in the US. The collection is free to access and leverages an AI-powered search tool to provide millions of descendants of formerly enslaved individuals with unprecedented access to detailed historical records. Never-before-seen records Ancestry’s “Articles of Enslavement” collection comprises approximately 38,000 newspaper articles dating from 1788 to 1867. Many of these original newspaper articles contain never-before-seen information about enslaved individuals and fill gaps in historical records where courthouse and community documents have been lost
Social media influencers with darker skin tones and curlier hair textures earn substantially less than their counterparts, according to research from SevenSix Agency, a UK-based talent-management firm. Influencer Pay Gap: The Impact Of Skin Tone And Hair Type The report, published on June 4, surveyed 300 influencers of varying ethnic backgrounds, including Arab, Black, East Asian, Latinx, South Asian, and Southeast Asian, alongside their white counterparts. The findings show that influencers with a “deep dark” skin tone earn 44.63% less than those with a “light skin” tone. This pay gap
Many Black adults believe that key systems in the United States are designed to hinder Black people’s progress, a Pew Research Center survey has found. This sentiment was more common among those who had experienced racial discrimination. Widespread Belief In Systemic Discrimination The survey, conducted in September 2023, found that Black adults believe the prison (74%) and political systems (67%) are designed to hold them back. For example, 3 in 4 of Black adults believed the prison system is intentionally structured to profit from incarcerating Black individuals. Almost 2 in
In an initiative to empower Black creatives, Apple has partnered with the Propel Center to launch an arts and entertainment industry accelerator program. This program provides 50 students from 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) opportunities to enhance their creative skills and explore new career pathways. Program Overview: Empowering Future Creatives The accelerator program, which is part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), commenced on June 10 at Tennessee State University and will conclude at Clark Atlanta University. “Creativity is central to everything we do at Apple,
Brand new Techish! In this episode, host Michael Berhane is joined by TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis to break down: HBO’s Movie Pass, Movie Crash (0:35) Will Smith was never cancelled (7:05) Edward Blum’s anti-DEI lawsuit against Fearless Fund (10:50) Listen on Spotify or Apple podcast also. Watch On YouTube Extra Reading & Resources Fearless Fund: Appeals Court Rules Against Grants For Black Women [POCIT] Conservative Activists Behind Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision Sues VC Fund For WOC [POCIT] Pre-Seed Round Investing For Black Founders. [Michael Berhane] Plus you can connect with Dom on social media
Sara Wahedi is the founder and CEO of Ehtesab, Afghanistan’s first civic-technology startup. Ehtesab’s mobile app is designed to crowdsource and verify emergency event information, sending real-time alerts to users across Afghanistan. Refugee turned tech pioneer After fleeing Afghanistan as a child, Wahedi lived in Germany, the United States, and Canada. Her passion for her homeland drove her back to Afghanistan, where she worked a life-changing in 2018. On May 9, 2018, three explosions rocked Sara Wahedi’s Kabul neighborhood. As residents were left in the dark without any real-time information from
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has joined the board of SpreeAI, a new startup seeking to transform the shopping experience with AI. Founded and led by John Imah, SpreeAI lets each shopper become a model through its photorealistic try-on tool. SpreeAI SpreeAI allows shoppers to upload a single photo of themselves to see a photorealistic version of trying on outfits, with their size reportedly detected at a 99% accuracy rate. The product integrates into new and existing websites or mobile apps, offering retailers a hassle-free way to elevate user interaction and supercharge
Pretty Lux Co, the first Black-owned and woman-owned candle-making studio in Middle Georgia, is igniting a love for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) through the art of making luxury products. Pretty Lux Co. Pretty Lux Co. was founded in July 2023 by Anikitia Abram to offer candles, skin, and hair products that are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and created with minimal ingredients. Abram told Macon that the idea of Pretty Lux Co. was sparked by a personal journey of seeking solace and understanding during moments of anxiety. This search led
Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has been running ads on the search results for least 20 racist and antisemitic hashtags, according to a review by NBC News. The ad placements allowed X to monetize the hateful content more than 18 months after Elon Musk said that he would demonetize such posts on the platform. X Runs Racist Ads NBC News found the advertisements by searching several hashtags used to promote racism and antisemitism and by searching X accounts known for racial or religious hatred. The hashtags found varied from #whitepride
Loop Health has raised over $120,000 in funding as 21-year-old co-founders Joshua Obasohan and Neto Nwogbo set themselves up for a seed round this summer. The Story Of Loop Health According to TechCrunch, founders Obasohan and Nwogbo were college students brainstorming business venture ideas. After having initial plans of starting companies in Nigeria that came with barriers, they pivoted their idea to a market they were already familiar with, the university healthcare space. Then, the duo, both 21, launched Loop Health, a telehealth startup that aims to improve primary healthcare
