Akon’s plans to build a multibillion-dollar city development in Senegal have been scrapped by the country’s authorities, according to Bloomberg. Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of the Senegalese tourism authority Sapco, said, “The Akon City project no longer exists,” and shares that the plans will now be replaced with a more realistic partnership with Akon. Akon’s plan for a futuristic city in Senegal Akon first shared plans for the city in 2018. It’s designed to feature futuristic skyscrapers and pan-African symbolism, which was compared to Wakanda, Marvel’s fictional African nation from
Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford, a math teacher in Atlanta, will be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, making her the sixth Black woman to receive the award. As a mathematics educator, Jones has been teaching for over 20 years at Ron Clark Academy in Southeast Atlanta, going above and beyond for her students. She employs unique strategies that empower students, broaden their engagement, and foster a strong sense of community. “I’m incredibly proud to be among such amazing educators, but it lets me know there’s still work
AMP, a streaming group comprising influencers, has secured a deal with Target, but some consumers are unhappy with the move. The group that creates collaborative videos on YouTube and Twitch consists of Duke Dennis, Kai Cenat, Fanum, Agent 00, ChrisNxtDoor, and ImDavisss. They have now launched a personal care brand called Tone, which will be sold exclusively at Target. “We really saw a gap in the shelves for a new brand to break through — and for a brand that is fresh and represents who we and our community are. Products that don’t just look good
TIAA President and CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett has joined the WNBA’s New York Liberty as an investor. Other celebrities with minority stakes in the team include Jack Ma, Karen Finerman, Karlie Kloss, Gabrielle Rubenstein, and Samantha Lasry; however, Duckett is the only Black investor on the list. “Sports has made a profound impact in my life. It taught me grit, perseverance, teamwork and resilience. To be an investor in women’s sports and the NY Liberty franchise is truly an impact moment,” Duckett said in an Instagram post. Duckett joins the
Summer camp is more than just fun and games for the young entrepreneurs attending the first annual Youth Business Camp. Hosted by the Better Black Business Project (B3P), a professional network for Black entrepreneurs,the three-day camp is designed to inspire and equip 14- to 19-year-olds with real-world business and financial literacy skills. Creating opportunities for Black business owners in Minnesota In Minnesota, African Americans make up 14% of the population but only 2% of businesses. B3 aims to close that gap. LeBrent Speed founded B3P to change that. “I grew
Coming to the US and trying to find a job as an immigrant is no easy task. Colombian immigrants Stephanie Murra and Lorenza Vélez saw how many Spanish-speaking people struggled to find their first job in the United States, so they sought a solution. In 2023, the pair launched Miami-based Ponte Labor during their final year at Harvard, according to TechCrunch. Connecting Hispanic workers with future employers The pair observed that employers in blue-collar industries, such as hospitality, construction, and retail, often struggle to find workers to fill hourly roles. Ponte connects
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content. In this episode of Techish, hosts Michael and Abadesi dive into the wild story of the tech con artist who is fooling Silicon Valley startups, exposing some big cracks in how the industry hires. They also break down the rise of AI addictions, the emotional pull of chatbots, and round off with Grammarly’s acquisition of Superhuman. 00:25 The Tech Swindler: The Greatest Catfish of a Generation? 12:37 AI Addiction and Chatbot Dependency 26:23 Grammarly Buys Superhuman – Little Tech vs. Big
Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that digital platforms are responsible for the content of their users, as reported by The Rest of World. The ruling will go into effect within weeks and orders tech giants such as Google, X, and Meta to track and remove any content with hate speech, racism, and incitement to violence. Companies must clearly indicate that they’ve taken swift action to remove any harmful content. If they fail to do so, they will be held liable, as stated by the justices. Brazil’s relationship with big tech
The pace of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy rollbacks at the nation’s largest corporations is slowing, despite high-profile political and corporate pushback, a new study has found. The findings follow a renewed anti-DEI wave, triggered by President Donald Trump’s January 20 executive order ending all federal diversity initiatives. Since then, major companies like Meta, Google, JP Morgan, and Target have scaled back or altered their DEI policies. But according to a new Gravity Research report, while the initial response was swift, the momentum behind corporate DEI dismantling has since
Investment firm Vessel has launched the Michigan Angel Collective (MAC), an early-stage angel syndicate, Crain’s Detroit Business reports. MAC will join the Ohio Angel Collective and Kentucky Angel Collective under the umbrella of the United States Angel Collective. Leading the new initiative is James Feagin, a Detroit-based social innovation leader and former head of economic mobility at the Gilbert Family Foundation. He is also the managing partner for Detroit-based Black Bottom Ventures. According to Vessel partner Wolf Starr, the Ohio Angel Collective was created to fill a funding gap for
