Black and Latine enrollment in Yale University and Princeton University’s have remained relatively stable, while the proportion of Asian American students has fallen. This marks the first admissions cycle since the US Supreme Court banned race-based admissions in June 2023. Steady Black and Latine/Hispanic Enrollments According to the first-year class profile released by Yale’s admissions office, Black students account for 14% of the class of 2028 – unchanged from the class of 2027. Yale’s class of 2028 profile also shows that Hispanic/Latine students make up 19% of the freshman class,
Slauson & Co, an early stage venture capital firm rooted in economic inclusion, has announced the close of its $100 million Fund II. The fund is significant increase from its previous $75 million fund and signals continued investor appetite for inclusive venture capital despite economic challenges. Focus on Representation and Inclusion Founded by Ajay Relan and Austin Clements in 2020, Slauson & Co. has always championed diversity, backing early-stage companies across sectors such as SaaS and consumer technology. “We invest in everybody,” Relan told TechCrunch, adding that the firm wants
Nearly 8 in 10 (77%) Black professionals aspire to start their own business within the next year, according to a recent LinkedIn report. This surge is part of a broader movement as professionals increasingly turn to freelancing, consulting, or launching side hustles to gain flexibility and control over their careers. Why Entrepreneurship is on the Rise Several factors contribute to this rise in entrepreneurial ambition. The report reveals that 85% of Black professionals believe having multiple streams of income is essential, and 69% say recent layoffs in the news have
Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, has agreed to block access to X—formerly Twitter— in Brazil. This decision follows a legal order from Brazil’s top court, which resulted in Starlink’s assets being frozen when Musk initially resisted. Court Orders Lead to Frozen Assets Brazil’s Supreme Court, under Justice Alexandre de Moraes, ordered the shutdown of Elon Musk’s X in Brazil as part of his ongoing campaign to curb disinformation. According to Bloomberg, when X failed to comply with previous orders and pay associated fines, the court extended its crackdown to
Chpter, an AI-powered conversational commerce platform, recently secured $1.2 million in pre-seed funding to drive the growth of its business. Chpter’s platform helps businesses sell more efficiently on popular social platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram by automating conversations, marketing, and payments. Making social media sales easier As social commerce continues to grow in Africa—where e-commerce is projected to reach $46 billion by 2025—many businesses face challenges managing customer interactions and conversions, according to Chpter. To address these challenges, Mesongo Sibuti (CTO), Kuria Kevin (CPO), Mark Kiarie (COO) and Tesh Mbaabu (CEO) partnered to build Chpter. Chpter’s
A beauty pageant controversy has ignited a cross-border feud between Nigeria and South Africa, with ride-hailing apps Uber and Bolt becoming the unlikely battlegrounds. The Miss South Africa controversy Last month, Chidimma Adetshina was forced to withdraw from the Miss South Africa contest after becoming a finalist due to xenophobic backlash. The 23-year-old law student says she was born in Soweto, South Africa to a Nigerian father and South African mother with Mozambican roots. After withdrawing from Miss South Africa, Adetshina later accepted an invitation to participate in Miss Universe
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is intensifying its efforts to combat the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) by law enforcement in California, Maryland, and Minnesota. This move comes amidst growing concerns over racial bias and wrongful arrests, particularly among Black communities. Facial Recognition: A Threat to Civil Liberties? In recent years, facial recognition technology has been embraced by police departments across the United States, described as a powerful tool for identifying suspects. However, the technology has also come under fire due to its potential for racial bias and
Black male enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has plummeted to a historic low, falling below the previous record set in 1976. Recent data reveals that this decline, marked by a 25% drop since 2010, underscores a growing crisis within the Black male academic pipeline and poses a threat to the future of these institutions. Sharp Decline in Black Male Enrollment While HBCUs overall have seen an 11% decrease in enrollment since 2010, the situation is far more severe for Black male students. This 25% drop in Black
Nvidia, a global leader in AI, has announced a strategic partnership with California Black Media (CBM) aimed at supporting Black-owned newspapers across California. This collaboration will create a resource that uses AI to preserve nearly a century of journalism by Black journalists in the state. Training AI on a Century of Black Journalism The partnership will see Nvidia train a large language model (LLM) on nearly a century of journalism produced by Black journalists within the state. This effort will not only preserve the rich history of Black journalism but
Google has reintroduced its Gemini AI software following widespread criticism of the tool’s initial release, which produced problematic and historically inaccurate images. The tech giant’s image-generating feature was initially paused after it generated offensive depictions, including images of Black Nazis and diverse renditions of America’s Founding Fathers, which sparked backlash. New Features and Safeguards Implemented In response to the controversy, Google has announced significant updates to Gemini’s image generation capabilities. The company revealed that an early access version of the tool will be made available to subscribers of Gemini Advanced,
