Purchasing a home in this country is one of the most effective ways to build wealth. But, when structural racism blocks thousands of Black families from buying a home, it worsens the country’s already fierce racial wealth gap. Efforts like Bank of America’s $15 billion Community Homeownership Commitment provide a variety of solutions to make …
Bank of America Makes Record Investment in Closing Home Ownership Gap Read More »
Music has been a part of Robert F. Smith’s life since he was a child. Smith’s father William attended college on a music scholarship and made sure music was a part of their family’s everyday life. Smith once recalled that his family often gathered around the piano at night, and at night when they went …
3 Stories About Black Music History in 6 Minutes (or So) Read More »
Journalist Jamal Simmons recently joined CBS This Morning to discuss his new Democracy Journal column, entitled “The 4 Percent Problem.” According to the Simmons, Black inclusion stalls at nearly 4% across nearly every leading sector of the U.S. economy, from technology to finance. Although many corporations made impactful commitments to racial justice following George Floyd’s …
The 4% Problem and Efforts To Invest in Corporate Diversity Read More »
Comcast announced that it will award 13,000 businesses owned by people of color (including Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans) in a variety of categories including monetary grants, technology makeovers and marketing services from Comcast RISE. To date, the company has already disbursed $5 million in grants to businesses in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Philadelphia, …
In the last two decades, college enrollment by African American students has drastically increased. Over 2.1 million African American students have enrolled in colleges or universities in the last few years, in contrast to the 1.5 million in 2000. As of 2019, 29% of African Americans aged 25 to 29 also now hold a bachelor’s …
The Effects of Student Loan Debt on the Racial Wealth Gap Read More »
With school, work and home life moved online, it’s more important than ever for families to have access to quality, reliable broadband internet services. As the summer approaches, the digital divide that currently exists will become magnified as many kids leave the classroom and subsequently lose access to digital devices and broadband they may enjoy …
Despite increased calls for racial diversity across business, academia, law and politics, diversity in the medical field lags behind. The proportion of the medical workforce of color — and particularly African American men’s enrollment in medical school — has not improved in the past 20 years. In fact, there has been a slight decrease. Although …
The Importance of Increasing Black Students’ Medical School Enrollment Read More »
Women are a force to be reckoned with in the workplace. They are strong, determined and just as hardworking as their male counterparts. Research has also shown that Fortune 500 companies with a high representation of women on their boards regularly outperform those that do not. This all translates to more profitable companies. It’s reported …
Increasing Women in Executive Leadership Positions in 2021 Read More »
Student Freedom Initiative will make its first official debut in fall 2021, launching at Tuskegee University and eight other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for the 2021-2022 academic year. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom in professional and life choices for students attending Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Student Freedom Initiative will enhance …
It’s no secret that many restaurants are struggling right now. According to Fortune Magazine, more than 110,000 eating and drinking establishments in the United States closed for business — temporarily or permanently — since the beginning of the health and economic crisis. For the last year and a half, Robert F. Smith as well as …
Helping Black-Owned Businesses Survive and Thrive Read More »
