Developer and entrepreneur Ida Byrd-Hill is the visionary behind the Life Culture Audit vision board app, helping the Black community set and achieve their career and finance goals. The power of visualization Ida Byrd-Hill knows firsthand how visualization can change your life. In 2017, she founded the cybersecurity and tech re-skilling firm Automation Workz 4 U, later named Automation Workz Institute. When investors refused to invest in her firm, Byrd-Hill decided to sell her Detroit residence, car, and retirement funds and enter voluntary poverty. Four years later, Byrd-Hill has managed to
Two minority-owned platforms, TripleLift and Reset Digital, have partnered to help advertisers achieve their diverse spending goals, increasing diverse representation across the programmatic ecosystem. In 2023, an ANA survey found that the media and advertising community had shown more interest in supporting diverse suppliers over the past year. However, there is still a gap between intent to spend with diverse suppliers and actual spending. TripleLift and Reset Digital’s partnership aims to change that. Supporting diverse suppliers in the ad industry TripleLift, founded by Eric Berry, Ari Lewine, and Shaun Zachariais,
Businessman Ted Lucas went from creating millionaires in the music business to creating the Technolij Innovation Center at one of Florida’s Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU). Meet Ted Lucas Lucas founded the independent music label Slip-N-Slide Records. He told AFROTECH he knew how to seek talent and people before they saw it in themselves. “I wanted to be the one behind getting the deals and getting the deals done. So, I found my niche, how I work, and what works best for me to be in the music business,” he said.
DigitalHealth.London has launched their Leap program dedicated to championing inclusivity and supporting founders from diverse backgrounds in digital health. Digital Health uses information and communications technologies in medicine and other health progressions to manage illnesses and health risks. According to a report from The Treasury Committee in 2021, less than 2% of all venture capital funding went to Black and ethnic minority-led businesses. The DigitalHealth.London aims to sustain and expand an active digital health market in London by helping to overcome challenges that hold innovators back. Therefore, the program is open to founders from
California Launches Groundbreaking Ebony Alert System To Address Disparities In Missing Black Youths
The Ebony Alert system, created to identify missing Black youths, has launched in California, with other states to follow. Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 673 – Senator Steven Bradford’s “Ebony Alert” legislation – in September 2023. The law makes California the first state to create an alert notification system addressing the crisis of missing Black children. The technology behind broadcast and mobile alerts has been around for decades, but it’s largely failed to address a minority of the population that the signs are intended to help. “It came about by
Claudine Gay, Havard University’s first Black president, has resigned following allegations of plagiarism and criticism over her comments about antisemitism on campus. Gay released a letter announcing her resignation, saying it was in the university’s best interests for her to go. “It has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor,” she said. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words.” She said she had been subjected to personal threats and racial animus. Anti-semitism comments
After making pledges following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, companies such as Google have cut back on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and hiring. Following Floyd’s murder in 2020, companies set pledges to prioritize DEI. Between June and August 2020, there was a 55% increase in corporate DEI roles, and leading corporations pledged $12.3 billion to fight racism. Google, in particular, aimed to improve the representation of underrepresented groups in leadership by 30% by 2025 and address representation issues in hiring, retention, and promotions. Over the last year, however,
Groupon will establish a $350,000 fund to support Black students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Groupon is an American global e-commerce marketplace that connects subscribers with local merchants by offering activities, travel, goods, and services in 13 countries. The fund is part of an agreement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) following an investigation surrounding Groupon’s hiring practices in 2016. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Groupon faced a complaint lodged by Adrian Stratton, who alleged Groupon did not hire him for a vice president position because he
This year’s top stories reflect the challenges, opportunities, and dynamic changes in the tech industry and broader society. Unsurprisingly, many of these years’ top stories concern the boom in generative AI, from developing the “BlackGPT” to concerns around the historical and present-day harms and philosophies underpinning AI developments. We’ve also shared stories of Black innovation, Latine entrepreneurship, workplace wins and challenges, collective triumph, and personal tragedy. Here are the ten stories that resonated with you, our POCIT readers, the most this year. 10. Cash App’s Appeal in the Black Community
Heather Dowdy is Netflix’s Director of Product Accessibility, with a unique and inspiring story. Growing up on Chicago’s South Side as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), Dowdy’s life at the intersection of race, disability, gender, and socioeconomic status uniquely positioned her for her role at Netflix. Her journey showcases the power of resilience and innovation in overcoming systemic barriers, particularly in the tech industry. Early Life For Dowdy From a young age, Dowdy was immersed in hearing and Deaf cultures, navigating two worlds and recognizing the need for access
