Content creator and entrepreneur Ashley Grayson, formerly Ashley Massengill, is facing RICO charges of racketeering and murder alongside her husband, Joshua Grayson. Who is Ashely Grayson? Grayson is a content creator and entrepreneur who became widely known after claiming to have made $1 million within 40 minutes through her online platform, Digital Course Recipe. In a now-deleted Facebook post, she labeled herself a #MillionaireMentor and had become an inspiration for many young Black girls online. However, several TikTok users accused Grayson of scamming people through her online courses last year.
Amanda Rajkumar, Adidas’ global head of human resources, is the latest HR lead to depart from her role following the pattern of women leaving DEI roles at major companies. Rajkumar, a British national with parents from the Caribbean, joined Adidas in 2021 to stem an internal uproar over the company’s handling of racism, diversity, and inclusion. However, the company announced last week the departure of their sole remaining female executive board member. Her predecessor Karen Parkin also resigned from the company in 2020 after she described internal discussions of racism as “noise.” Although
We all know the importance of connecting with like-minded folks, and conferences are a key way to do just that with professionals in your industry. In particular, conferences for people of color in tech provide a safe space for professionals to network, grow in their careers, and learn from industry leaders and executives who understand their unique challenges and opportunities. It also allows Black and Latine professionals to build their professional brand and increase visibility within their chosen industry. Getting past the cost barrier People often cite cost as one
Spill, a new social platform, has recently launched in beta on iOS and has quickly gained popularity within the Black community. Its surge in users can be attributed in part to Elon Musk’s announcement to limit the number of daily tweets visible on Twitter as well as several technical mishaps in recent months. What is Spill? The platform is invite-only while in beta and has been described as a visual-first, multimedia microblogging app with an interface similar to Tumblr. The app has a live news feed and allows people to
Squire, the Black-owned all-in-one barbershop management platform, has surpassed $1 billion in payments processed, according to co-founder Songe LaRon. “It took two years to reach our first $1 million, 5.5 years to $100 million, and now we surpassed $1 billion,” said LaRon. “Every dollar reflects the hard work of our team and the dedication of the barbers we serve, and I’m deeply grateful to every shop owner, barber, and team member who’s been part of this journey.” What is Squire? Founded in 2015 by Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant, the
The regulation and ethics of AI image generators have been a topic of conversation for several years, with EU lawmakers considering proposals for safeguards to address some of the issues. In March, more than 31,000 people signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause in AI research and development to answer questions about regulation and ethics. Recently, the free-to-use graphic design tool Canva came under fire after DEI Thought Partner Adriele Parker prompted its text-to-image app to generate a Black woman with Bantu knots. An error appeared and told
STEMBoard’s joint venture, Exacta Solutions, has been awarded a $947 million contract designed to provide support to National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s total lifecycle acquisition management, strategic financial management and strategic business management activities. Founded by former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, STEMBoard is an award-winning DC-based tech powerhouse specializing in professional advisory services for elite organizations in the US government. “This remarkable achievement is a testament to the innovative spirit, expertise, and dedication of our team at STEMBoard, as well as the outstanding capabilities of our esteemed partners,” Bowe commented on
Black Tech Week, an inclusive tech conference focused on empowering entrepreneurs of color, is set to return to Cincinnati from July 18–20. “There isn’t a single DEI talk at Black Tech Week. That’s by design,” Brian Brackeen shared on Twitter. “‘No DEI talks’ are something that we are proud of.” Brian Brackeen is the founder of facial recognition software company Kairos and managing partner at Cincinnati-based venture capital fund Lightship Capital, which invests in companies led by underepresented founders. He is also the organizer of Black Tech Week. “Black Tech
Black women have long faced hair discrimination in the workplace, from hiring practices to daily interactions. The 2023 CROWN Workplace Research study found that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional, with more than half of Black women feeling the need to wear straight hair for job interviews. As many as 1 in 5 Black women aged 25-34 reported that they had been sent home from work because of their hair, and 1 in 4 Black women believe they were denied a job because of their
34-year-old Jamira Burley, a Strategic Initiatives Lead at Apple, has come up with a truly inventive way to navigate her career. For the past ten years, Burley has been operating with a secret weapon—a fictional personal assistant named Matt. Creating Matt Burley told the Business Insider that it all started when she received an email assuming that a male assistant managed her contact email. But, instead of correcting the assumption, she decided to roll with it and embraced the persona of Matt. “Having “Matt” on my side — a person
