Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon is the entrepreneur behind The Village Market Atlanta, a community hub for Black businesses to help them connect and engage with their consumers. What is The Village Market? Over the years, The Village has become a staple in Atlanta for many Black-owned businesses. In addition, the thriving village has connected with small businesses across 38 different states in four other countries, which is a testament to the platform’s growing popularity. To date, The Village has spotlights thousands of Black-owned businesses specializing in all-natural products and foods. In
Sam Ayeni is the entrepreneur behind afriKare Life, a Black-owned company providing life insurance and financial solutions to the African diaspora and POC across America. Africare Life, whichSam Ayeni co-founded alongside his partners Maureen Marcus and Andrew Fyneboy, has quickly grown to become an innovative and modern life insurance platform that helps uplift individuals, families, and different tribes in the “land of opportunity.” Black Americans are buying more life insurance Black people are buying life insurance packages at higher rates than other racial groups. The 2021 LIMRA Barometer study found
Africa is the dumping ground for 85% of the planet’s e-waste – a situation likely to get worse as Apple prepares to switch iPhone lightning ports to USB-C ports. The E-Waste Issue In Africa E-waste is becoming a prominent issue in Africa because old goods are exported from high-income countries to low-income countries. In addition, as fewer regulations are being enforced in Africa, it is easy for discarded electronic items to find their way into the continent. Discarded chargers generate more than 11,000 tons of e-waste each year, and according
Black-led charity, 10,000 Black Interns, has helped thousands of young Black professionals get their foot into elitist sectors through their schemes and work opportunities. The UK-based charity, co-founded by Michael Barrington Hibbert, Wol Kolade, Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, and Jonathan Sorrell, has helped thousands of young Black people access paid internships in hundreds of companies including Amazon, TikTok, Bloomberg, and Deloitte. “Some of our candidates experience a king of imposter syndrome. They don’t necessarily think that these industries are for them, or they haven’t been considered when they have applied to these
Tech platform, Goodie Nation, has announced a partnership with the Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund to donate $1M to improve tech career prospects for Black professionals. The program, which has opened its application to all Black and allying organizations, will provide members with tech industry resources and access to exclusive opportunities. Additionally, selected organizations will receive a year of access to Tech Equity Collective programming, tech industry resources, access to a network of Black professionals, and access to opportunities. The Tech Equity Collective, a Google initiative, is designed to help
Despite the cybersecurity sector being one of the fastest growing in tech, reports have revealed that only 9% of cybersecurity experts are Black, meaning a lot needs to be done to diversify the industry. According to Forbes, Cybersecurity Ventures has forecasted that approximately 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will need to be filled by 2025. As a result, more initiatives have been launched to help close the racial cybersecurity gap – here are a few. CyberVista Arlington-based cybersecurity platform, CyberVista, has launched a free training platform for Black women and girls. The two courses –
Damilola Awofisayo is in a league of her own. The young hacker, who was born in America but spent part of her childhood in Nigeria, has learned to use technology to solve societal problems. Awofisayo fell in love with computer science at high school and was keen to help run hackathons. However, after several unsuccessful attempts to take part in hackathons, she decided to take things into her own hands. Now a Duke University freshman, Awofisayo is the founder of TecHacks. The all-female and non-binary student virtual hackathon aims to
Remember the summer of 2020? Tech companies were posting Black squares on Instagram and mass hiring diversity consultants. Fast forward two years, and tech leaders are publicly delighting in the waning of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). We know it is easy to feel discouraged, but that’s where POCIT comes in! On our recruitment platform, you can find a whole gamut of roles for people of color in tech. Whether you’re a developer or business analyst, marketing genius or design boss, here are some of the many companies that want to
To celebrate Computer Science Education week, Girls Who Code have launched a new video game, Girls Who Code Girls, tailored to turning users into creators by helping them code their characters. According to recent stats, 77% of video game developers are men meaning most female and non-binary characters are designed by men, which is why women are misrepresented. Black Girls Who Code hopes to change that with their new gaming experience. Girls Who Code, founded by Reshma Saujani, is a non-profit organization committed to disrupting the imbalance in gaming by challenging the misogynistic culture that
Black-owned fiber and material science firm Aja Labs has raised $2.5 million to commercialize its first product, hair extensions made from plant material. The seed funding round, led by Impact America Fund, included Better Ventures, SOSV’s IndieBi, and a range of leaders across different sectors, including public health, cosmetics, business, and beauty. Aja Labs, co-founded by Osahon Ojeaga and Mary Moore, is an innovative company is working to build a better-for-you and better-for-the-planet product focusing on sustainability and human wellness. Their patent-pending hair extensions will be sold under the consumer brand Nourie and will include
