Black students demonstrate a high aptitude in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, the 2024 Black Students and STEM Report has found. However, limited career exposure may contribute to a lack of interest in STEM subjects. High Aptitude, Low Interest The report is a collaboration between YouScience and Black Girls Do STEM. It analyzed data from 328,000 Black US middle and high school students, utilizing YouScience’s Aptitude and Career Discovery tool. Despite demonstrating strong potential for in-demand STEM careers, a significant career exposure gap hinders their pursuit of these opportunities. The findings are illuminating:
Tesla has settled a racial discrimination lawsuit with former employee Owen Diaz after a protracted legal battle. After filing a lawsuit in 2017, Diaz was awarded a staggering $137 million in 2022. However, US District Court Judge William Orrick reduced this to $15 million and then to $3.2 million. The settlement terms remain confidential but mark the end of a lawsuit that revealed disturbing practices within Tesla’s Fremont factory. Diaz vs. Tesla Diaz, who worked as a freight elevator operator for less than a year starting in June 2015, encountered
Westbound Equity Partners, formerly Concrete Rose Capital, has raised an impressive $100 million to invest in Black, Latine, and diversity-focused founders. Westbound Equity Partners Spearheaded by Sean Mendy, a former Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula director, Westbound’s mission is to channel resources into startups that demonstrate potential while embodying a commitment to diversity and equitable culture. Mendy’s vision was to create a fund to break the homogeneous investment and entrepreneurship cycle and foster a more diverse and inclusive tech ecosystem. The uniqueness of Westbound lies in its dual approach. On the one
The 2024 Tech Equity Collective (TEC) Impact Fund has announced a stride towards tech industry equity by introducing its 20 grantees. Since its 2021 inception, Tech Equity Collective has been dedicated to accelerating Black innovation and representation in tech. It works alongside tech giants and community organizations to create new career opportunities for Black tech innovators. The 2024 Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund The chosen organizations exemplify innovation and commitment to fostering an inclusive tech ecosystem. They focus on reskilling, upskilling, and training programs for aspiring Black technical talent. This year’s grantees, chosen for their pioneering
The UK’s biggest companies are slowly adding more diversity to their top roles. The Parker Review examined 350 major UK businesses. It found increased representation of people from ethnic minority backgrounds but noted there is still room for improvement. The Parker Review The Parker Review discovered that there are now 12 ethnic minority chief executives and seven Chairs in the FTSE 100, which lists the top 100 companies in the UK. This is an improvement from seven CEOs and six Chairs in 2022. However, in the bigger picture, only 13% of the
NASA’s latest class of astronauts, including two notable Black graduates, Andre Douglas and Christopher Williams, marks a milestone for the agency: it has enlisted 20 Black astronauts since the beginning. A Milestone For Black Astronauts NASA’s recent ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston celebrated the graduation of 10 astronauts, now eligible for various flight assignments. This diverse group is set to participate in future missions, ranging from the International Space Station to the Moon and eventually to Mars. The graduates were selected from an impressive pool of over 12,000 applicants, demonstrating exceptional talent
Jalon Hall, Google’s only Black Deaf employee, has claimed mistreatment and discrimination at the company and has filed a lawsuit. Hall’s Story As reported by the WIRED, in 2020, Hall, an enthusiastic criminal justice master’s graduate, was surprised to receive a LinkedIn message about a job opportunity at Google. Despite her initial skepticism, the offer was genuine, and Hall was soon hired to join Wolverine, a new in-house team tasked with moderating YouTube videos. Her journey to this role was untraditional, as her previous job was at a law firm, where she delved
A federal judge has ordered the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to extend its services to all racial and ethnic groups, not just minorities. Judge Mark T. Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas made this landmark decision. MBDA: What Has Happened? Founded during the Nixon administration, the MBDA’s primary mission has been to assist minority-owned businesses. However, Judge Pittman’s ruling challenges this focus, stating that the presumption that white business owners are not disadvantaged violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. As
Kiesha Garrison, a former Microsoft director, has launched ‘Hey, Black Seattle!’, a platform designed to bolster the African diaspora within the Seattle area. Where Are All The Black People? ‘Hey, Black Seattle!’ is Garrison’s answer to the often-heard lament, “Where are all the Black people?” “When people repeat the popular hyperbole “there are no Black people in Seattle,” they do so out of genuine frustration, but it is clear they are missing out on the important work of the deeply committed Black leaders here,” said Garrison. However, the city does have Black-led organizations, businesses,
Regina Lawless is a former Instagram executive and the founder of Bossy and Blissful, a collective for Black female executives. Meet Regina Lawless Her journey to becoming the first director of diversity and inclusion at Instagram was marked by personal loss and professional insights. According to The Grio, after her husband’s sudden passing in 2021, Lawless found herself reflecting on the complexities of Black women’s success in corporate America. While she felt her role was supported, there needed to be a more comprehensive commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion. Bossy And
