On Thursday, 4 June, residents in East London protested against a planned data center in Brick Lane. The protest took place outside the SXSW Festival, a week-long event focused on technology, music, and culture. The planned data center and office development is part of a 500 million redevelopment scheme replacing the Truman Brewery, according to Socialist Worker. Plans for the data center The brewery currently consists of pop-up shops, restaurants, and bars. Truman Estates owner Zeloof LLC plans to demolish several buildings around Brick Lane to make way for the
Slutty Vegan is expanding its doors by opening restaurants in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, the city where the brand first opened. Slutty Vegan is expanding Khadejah Davis and Jamel Douglas, owners of Juici Patties, will be the first Slutty Vegan franchise owners to open and operate a location in Atlanta. The D.C branch will be run by franchise veteran Brandi Forte, who will lead development, bringing his years of franchising knowledge to the brand. “Atlanta is where Slutty Vegan was born, and we’re planting deeper roots here while establishing our
Elation Health has announced the acquisition of Aster, a Black-founded EHR focused on women’s health. This acquisition will allow Aster to learn from Elation Health’s expertise in AI agents and expand Elation Health’s development of the first agentic operating system for primary care. “The Aster team impressed us with their vision and creative inventions to support independent practices,” said Kyna Fong, co-founder and CEO of Elation Health, in a press release. Fong shares that, like Aster, Elation was created by siblings who hoped to change the healthcare system. “That shared
Black-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest’s receivership is expanding to include the company that concealed a $20 million loan from media mogul Jay-Z, according to the Lexington Herald Leader. Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. said that the receivership for the brand should remain and be extended to include Grant Sidney Inc., the holding company that founder Fawn Weaver used to hide a $20 million loan made last year by Jay-Z’s investment company, MarcyPen. Jay-Z loan to Uncle Nearest Filings state that Fawn Weaver told ARM Credit the $20 million was a
$942 million — or just 0.32% of total US venture funding went to companies with a Black founder or co-founder in 2025, according to Crunchbase data. The tide has turned slightly in 2025, with US-based startups founded or co-founded by a Black founder raising $643 million. Most of this funding was raised in the first quarter of the year, marking it the most raised in a single quarter since Q2 2022, when $653 million was raised by a Black founder or co-founder. However, Crunchbase highlights that this is still a
Kevin Hart shared that his confirmed Hartbeat has downsized, but it is here to stay. When asked whether Hartbeat is still operating on The Breakfast Club, Hart said, “Hartbeat is never going anywhere.” This came after reports from employees who told Bloomberg that Hart was absent from his company, leaving employees worried after layoffs. Hart has also changed his phone number since the layoffs that eliminated almost 25% of his workforce. The current status of Hartbeat Hart told The Breakfast Club that his company did downsize, saying, “My executive team is still
Kenya is seeking KES 2.7 billion ($20.8 million) from the government to develop an AI-powered system to monitor social media. The State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications told the National Assembly’s ICT committee that the tool will help curb misinformation on social media. The AI tool would analyze social media conversations and public opinion on government policies, according to MEXC exchange. Kenya building an AI tool Officials state that the tool will improve the way the government communicates its work to the public, as reported by Techpoint Africa. It would
The Virginian Church, Alfred Street Baptist Church, has agreed to provide financial support to the Legion of Black Collegians following the University of Missouri’s announcement that it will end funding for several organizations. In April, the university shared that the Legion of Black Collegians—its historic Black student governing body — and other minority-associated groups would no longer receive funding. Additionally, these groups will not be recognized as university-sponsored organizations, according to Inside Higher Ed. The University of Missouri scrapping funding for minority groups In April, the university announced that the
Wells Fargo will settle a $100 million lawsuit alleging discrimination in loan approvals and misrepresentation over its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, according to Banking Dive. The lawsuit states that Wells Fargo approved less than 50% of Back homeowners’ refinancing applications in 2020. It also stated that the bank held fake job interviews with women and people of color to satisfy internal DEI requirements, without a genuine intent to hire them. The settlement The bank has agreed to pay $110 million, of which $100 million will go towards the Borrower
Uganda’s communications regulator has given Starlink a provisional license to operate in the country, as reported by Techpoint. The license was granted to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, but Airtel Uganda had previously started testing Starlink’s direct-to-cell (D2C) LEO satellite service. Starlink operating in Uganda Starlink could improve connectivity in locations where terrestrial network infrastructure is limited, as the direct-to-call l technology allows standard mobile handsets to connect directly to satellites without specialized equipment. Airtel Uganda’s testing of the D2C service underscores the growing interest among established telecom operators in
