Forbes has unveiled its third annual 50 over 50 list, highlighting dynamic female leaders and entrepreneurs who have achieved significant success later in life. Let’s meet some Black women over 50 making moves in tech and proving that success has no age limit. Brenda Darden Wilkerson – President and CEO of AnitaB.org Wilderson, 63, founded the nonprofit AnitaB.org, which aims to diversify tech by bringing in more women and nonbinary talent. She began the role at age 57 after spending eight years with Chicago Public Schools and has now boosted her organization’s
Over 70 years after Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells were taken without her knowledge, her family finally settled with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a biotech company they say profited from them. Henrietta Lacks Lacks was a Black mother of five who died of cervical cancer in October 1951 at 31. She had learned she had cervical cancer eight months before her death when she was admitted to a racially segregated ward at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. Following a tumor biopsy, doctors saved a sample of Lacks’ cancer cells without telling her and
New research has shed light on the extent of misogynoir across social media platforms. The study comes from the Digital Misogynoir Report by Glitch, a charity tackling the online abuse of Black women and marginalized people. What is Misogynoir? Misogynoir, a term coined by the queer Black feminist Moya Bailey in 2010, describes the anti-Black racist misogyny that Black women experience. Glitch uses the term to detail the “continued, unchecked, and often violent dehumanization of Black women on social media, as well as through other forms such as algorithmic discrimination.” The charity highlights
This summer, Baddies In Tech is hosting its inaugural BaddieCon event to celebrate and connect women of color in tech. BaddieCon Event Baddies In Tech is a professional development and networking community for women of color in tech. Its first-ever BaddieCon will take place in Brooklyn, New York, on August 18, allowing attendees to gain insights from over 30 speakers, connect with employers, and build relationships with each other and a theme of “Sustainable Success.” Through engaging workshops and thought-provoking panels, women of color will also gain career growth insights and the tools
Black women continue to earn less than their white male counterparts in every state, new research by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has revealed. Moreover, at the current rate of progress, Black women won’t reach pay equity with white men until 2144. Nationally, Black women earn just 63.7 cents for every dollar earned by white men – a striking difference of $20,702 in just one year. Among full-time year-round workers, the gap was slightly smaller at 67.2 cents on the dollar. “The gender wage gap is a national
Latina-led venture capital firm Supply Change Capital has announced the close of its inaugural $40 million fund to invest in the future of food. Investing in food, culture, and tech Supply Change Capital, one of the largest Latina-led funds, invests at the intersection of food, culture, and technology to catalyze early-stage sustainable businesses that modernize the food system. The firm has deployed over $13 million across 15 early-stage food and agriculture technology companies since June 2021, with Latine, Black, and/or women founders and CEOs comprising 80% of the portfolio. Limited
Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight “Galactic 02” will fly three passengers to space, including the first Caribbean astronauts, mother-daughter duo Keisha Schahaff, 46, and Anastatia Mayers, 18. Galactic 02 Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. Its seventh spaceflight, and second commercial spaceflight, Galactic 02, will fly three private passengers to space, Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, and Anastasia Mayers. Mother-daughter duo Schahaff and Mayers won seats in a draw that raised funds for the non-profit
The Washington Post has sparked controversy after publishing an article based on an “interview” with an AI Harriet Tubman. While seen by the creators as an innovative way to engage with history, many have labeled the move unethical and exploitative. AI Article Writer Gillian Brokell interviewed an AI version of American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman using the online educator Khan Academy’s new AI learning tool Khanmigo. Khanmigo uses Chat4 technology to enable live chats with multiple simulated historical figures, such as Winston Churchill. “I was curious to see what would
World War II nurse and inventor Bessie Blount is best known for creating a device for disabled veterans to feed themselves. Not only did Blount give away her invention, but her work spearheaded the development of assistive devices for people with disabilities for years to come. Who is Bessie Blount? Bessie Blount Griffin was born in Hickory, Virginia, in 1914. She attended Diggs Chapel Elementary School, established at the end of the Civil War, to educate the children of free Black people, formerly enslaved people, and Native Americans. Blount’s early
OnlyFans CEO Amrapali “Ami” Gan took to Twitter to announce she is leaving OnlyFans and launching a new venture. Who is Ami Gan? Mumbai-born marketing expert Ami Gan spent 18 months as the CEO of OnlyFans, an online adult platform where people can pay for content (photos, videos, live streams) through a monthly subscription. During her time there, the platform reached the landmark milestone of paying $10 billion in creator earnings. During Gan’s tenure as CEO, from December 2021 to June 2023, the company saw its global user base increase
