Post-pandemic economic recovery among racial groups is the “most equitable in recent history,” a new Treasury Department report has found. While Black and Hispanic Americans typically bear the brunt of recessions, economic gaps between racial groups have narrowed in the last three years. Post-Pandemic Unemployment Rates The Treasury Department report states that prospects for the American economy looked grim at the beginning of 2021 following the pandemic and numerous lockdowns. Professional forecasters expected the unemployment rate to remain well above 5% for the following year, with Black and Hispanic Americans
The representation of women and racial and ethnic minority groups has increased at all levels over the past five years at Microsoft, a report found. Microsoft has released its fifth annual Diversity and Inclusion Report. Microsoft described itself as more diverse today than ever before, stating that the data clearly shows they are driving a positive change. “Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential to Microsoft’s mission,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Microsoft, in the report. “We remain focused on increasing representation and strengthening our
Founder and former CEO of Black Girls Code (BGC) Kimberly Bryant has announced the amicable resolution of a legal dispute between herself and the board of BGC. BGC is a nonprofit organization that focuses on engaging African American girls and other youth of color with computer programming education to nurture their careers in tech. The organization, founded by Bryant in 2011, offers computer programming, coding, website robots, and mobile application building, with the goal of placing one million girls in tech by 2040. Bryant’s History With BGC Kimberly Bryant was
Over 7 in 10 (72%) UK women in tech roles have experienced at least one form of sexism at work, with three in four Black women and minoritized women also reporting workplace racism. The findings come from a new report, System Update: Addressing the Gender Gap in Tech, by the Fawcett Society and sponsored by Virgin Media O2. The researchers surveyed 1438 people, including men and women, and had in-depth conversations with 21 women who currently work in a tech role, have left tech, or work outside of tech. Three
Microsoft has appointed Sarah Bond as the president of Xbox. According to Black Girl Gamers, Bond is the first Black woman to hold such a role at a major multinational gaming company. Meet Sarah Bond Bond has been with Microsoft for almost seven years. In 2017, she joined the company as a Corporate Vice President of Gaming Partnerships and Business Development. While in this role, she led business development, partner management, and M&A for the Xbox Division while also being the executive sponsor of Blacks @ Microsoft Employee Resource Group.
Nex Cubed has announced a partnership with nonprofit HBCU.vc to support founders from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and train the next generation of Black venture capitalists (VCs). Nex Cubed is a pre-seed venture accelerator on a mission to invest in and uplift underrepresented founders and underserved communities. They recently announced the launch of a $40 million HBCU Founders Fund aimed to boost startups led by at least one founder who is a HBCU student, alumnus, or faculty. This week, they announced the partnership with HBCU.vc – a nonprofit
A former Black worker at AT&T, Stacey Fowler, has filed a lawsuit against the telecommunications company, alleging she was fired for reporting a racist threat she received. The complaint accuses the company’s Midwest division and Ohio Bell Telephone Company, an AT&T subsidiary, of “abhorrent and shocking conduct.” The Racist Threat According to The Daily Beast, Fowler, a Black woman, was the most senior person after working over 30 years in AT&T’s Ohio office at the time of her firing. She told the news site that the company was due to
Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s pgLang – a multidisciplinary creative services company specializing in music and visual media production – is moving into the tech space. pgLang, short for program language, was founded by Kamar and Free in March 2020, who has partnered with tech company Light to launch the limited-release Light Phone II. The Light Phone II The Light Phone II is an unlocked, 4G LTE mobile phone with a few essential tools aimed to be a less-distracting alternative to the modern cell phone. It is billed to be
African mobile video network StarNews Mobile has secured $3 million in pre-Series A funding to empower African content creators to connect with their fanbase and make money. Notable Black French soccer players participated in the funding round, including Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid CF, Jules Kounde from FC Barcelona, and Mike Maignan from AC Milan. Helping African creators monetize their content StarNews Mobile is a leading African media platform empowering content creators by providing opportunities to connect with their fanbase and monetize their content. It was founded in 2017 by
Black women have long contributed to British history, culture, and life, but, like their American sisters, they do so in the face of racism and sexism. Black women’s experiences of microaggressions and discrimination mean they are more likely to experience mental health disorders than white women. They also have negative experiences of mental health care. Their treatment often involves law enforcement for Black women, with fewer opportunities for talking therapies. Black women are also over four times more likely to be involuntarily detained compared to other racial groups in Britain.
