David Balogun is raising the standard of Black excellence for all of us. The nine-year-old Pennsylvania native has made history as one of the youngest-ever high school graduates. According to reports, Balogun received a diploma from Reach Cyber Charter school, confirming his place as the second youngest child to graduate high school. Balogun has also been one step ahead of the game. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the 9-year-old scholar finished with over a 4.0 GPA, reports Business Insider. “When we tested him for giftedness in first grade, he had already passed
How educational companies like Teachers Pay Teachers and Pearson are using tech to help tackle racial inequalities in education. Historically, the tech world has often failed to fix the systemic racial inequalities faced by people of color. Because the tech sector has become a significant driver of economic advancement and social equity, advocacy groups have begun to inquire about its contribution to racial equity on a large scale. At the height of the pandemic, individuals and businesses heavily relied on the influence of technology to overcome the challenges presented by
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 –
Florida International University (FIU) has launched a new initiative to give students the necessary skills and credentials to excel in high-demand tech careers. The gap between the Latinx community and the tech industry The university has more than 32,000 students who identify as Hispanic or Latinx enrolled in their courses. However, despite the Hispanic community making up one-fifth of the U.S. workforce, only a tiny percentage of them find their way into the tech workforce. According to reports, the absence of Latinx people within the tech industry stems back to the
Minneapolis-based e-commerce app, GoodCarts, has partnered with Shopify and Operation HOPE to help build Black-owned online businesses through the 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB) initiative. Black-owned financial, educational platform, Operation HOPE, is a leading global provider of financial dignity education and economic empowerment programs for low-income or moderate-income youth. The organization founded by John Hope Bryant aims to create a whole new approach to community upliftment. Its 1MBB initiative, in partnership with Shopify, will help millions of Black businesses start, grow, and scale over the next decade to ensure the racial
Black-owned real estate tech startup, Rhove, has announced its new partnership with housing changemakers in New Orleans to promote economic inclusion. The partnership, which includes Forward Together New Orleans, The Mayor’s Fund, and The Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA), will provide a grant to fund credit to help 2,000 residents invest in commercial real estate using the Rhove app. Rhove, founded by Calvin Cooper, is a fintech company designed to empower everyone to invest in and own real estate. The company, located in Ohio, is on a mission to
Is there anything the Grammy-award-winning musician can’t do? After releasing his fifth studio album, Kendrick Lamar is moving into new territory with billionaire investor Ray Dalio and comedian ExavierTV to discuss all things money as a part of Cash App’s ongoing “That’s Money” campaign. Popular finance app, CashApp, announced the launch of its new commercial on its YouTube channel. According to the clip, EXavier saved up money to open his franchise but lost it all due to gambling. Kendrick asks for Dalio’s opinion on the situation, and he explains exactly where he
SoLa Impact and Riot Games have partnered to launch the Tech & Entrepreneurship Center, which aims to help “inspire and develop the next generation of Black and Brown game developers.” The new center will be located in the heart of South Los Angeles and will provide accessible technology education to the South Los Angeles community. The initiative was made possible after the popular game developer app, Riot Games, donated $2.25 million to the SoLa I CAN Foundation. The additional funding went towards the design of the center, which will be free for all
American actress Sonequa Martin-Green has teamed up with snack brand Frito-Lay Variety Packs and STEM Next’s Million Girls Moonshot to provide young girls with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning opportunities. The partnership, which will come under the Back-to-School Blast Off program, aims to encourage the next generation of women to pursue careers in STEM. Through the initiative, families can enjoy STEM activities created by NASA scientists using everyday household items, such as designing a heat shield or building a moon lander. “Representation matters, and sometimes, all it takes to
Oakland-based tech entrepreneur, George Hofstetter, experienced a severe racial incident during his trip to study abroad in England. Hofstetter’s response to the racist abuse has taken social media by storm, with many commending the 22-year-old for his brave and teachable response to the disturbing racism he experienced during his studies. So, here’s what happened. George Hofstetter, founder and CEO of US-based tech company GHTech, joined a summer school program hosted by Oxford University, located at Hughes Hall, Cambridge University. On July 15, the university decided to host a formal dinner
