Welcome to HillmanTok University, where everyone is accepted, and TikTok is your classroom. Thousands of professors have taken their talents to TikTok, documenting their course offerings and allowing students, or users, outside the typical classroom setting to participate in the curriculum. The trend, known as “HillmanTok,” started with Dr. Barlow, an African American Studies professor, who utilized the social media platform to engage with her actual students. As her videos gained more traction, other minority professors followed suit. Now, teachers worldwide are helping students merge their love for TikTok with their desire to learn. TikToker @djneurospicy explained that the outpouring of support for Barlow’s efforts follows the decision of 92% of Black women who voted for Kamala Harris in the Nov. 4, 2025, election to not focus on Donald Trump’s second presidency. “Here’s how it goes: Trump becomes president, the 92% say they are minding their own business,” the TikToker said....

Farmer, Patrick Brown, has reclaimed the land once owned by his great-great-grandfather, who was also enslaved there. Currently, Patrick serves as the director of farmer inclusion for the social justice nonprofit Nature for Justice, reports Bitter Southerner. He is responsible for ensuring that $1.7 million in funding is allocated to farmers of color in North Carolina by 2029. Brown also serves on the board of the Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute, an organization established to combat food inequities. Patrick’s passion for farming is rooted in his upbringing. At the age of 9, he was already working on his family’s farm in North Carolina, helping to load tobacco. “It would take us about nine hours to fill up two barns,” he told the outlet. His father, Arthur, played a key role in igniting his interest in farming. He passed down stories of their family’s four-generation legacy in agriculture. “He was educating me,” Patrick explained, according to Bitter Southerner. “He would say,...

Erika Allen is on a mission to create sustainable communities. Heart Posture For Serving Others Growing up, she had an epiphany that ignited her desire to serve the broader community. And it was her interest in the creative arts that eventually guided her toward a multi-faceted passion project in Chicago, IL. Between 1987 and 1992, Allen transitioned from her family farm to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During this time, she encountered structural racism and social demarcation that shaped her perspective and mission. “Was literally told during my orientation to not go south of Van Buren, which of course triggered a lot of questions as to why, and that was just sort of something that was shared with me and was indoctrinating me as a new student,” she told AFROTECH™. “And to come to find that south of Van Buren was the south side, primarily black community that I’m part of. That really fired me up, my heart posture around wanting to extend what was a privilege to...

Election season can be one of the most exciting and anxiety-inducing times in America. Every four years, two major party candidates campaign to become the next leader of the free world, along with lesser known independent candidates. This election’s major candidates are current Vice President Kamala Harris as a Democrat and former President Donald Trump as a Republican. Regardless of candidate choice, one critical component of the democratic process is access to voting. Throughout U.S. history, voting has not always been a right for everyone, particularly for women and people of color. Slowly but surely, change began to take hold. The journey toward voting rights for Black Americans began with the 14th Amendment in 1868, granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people. This was followed by the 15th Amendment in 1870, which prohibited racial restrictions on voting. However, barriers like poll taxes and literacy tests persisted, limiting true access. The 1965 Voting Rights Act,...

A grocery store considering its community first has opened in Baltimore, MD. The Baltimore community will now be able to shop at the Pratt Free Market, which will operate as a full-service grocery store following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held by the city’s Enoch Pratt Free Library. The market is inside the library’s Southeast Anchor location in the Highlandtown neighborhood. M’Balu “Lu” Bangura, chief of equity and fair practices at the Enoch Pratt Library, shared on Instagram that no income verification or ID will be required at the grocery store, and all items will be available for free to those living in a state where one-third of the population experiences food insecurity. Per WBAL-11 TV, customers will be able to stock one library-supplied bag each day. “Just come as you are and fill a bag with groceries at NO COST,” Bangura wrote on Instagram. “This market is for the City. All are welcome…I dreamt of this almost 2 years ago, I’m so proud to cut the ribbon on the first 100%...

A multi-million-dollar investment towards Black farmers is underway. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Black Farmer Fund, created by Karen Washington and Olivia Watkins, raised $11 million in September 2023 to support Black-owned agricultural systems through wealth-building opportunities. Since then, the New York-based nonprofit has reached its target goal in a second fund, which will deploy $20 million in capital to improve the Black food system, a press release states . It will specifically target food businesses in the Northeast region and provide support in the form of “low-interest loans and gifts.” The intention is for the awarded businesses to enable Black growers to strengthen their presence in the market and gain greater authority in the supply chain. This is timely when considering Black farmers have been faced with various challenges throughout the decades, which includes discrimination that has led to the denial of low-interest loans, grants, and further assistance,...

Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a substantial increase in the tax deduction for startup expenses, raising the allowable deduction for new small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000. The Democratic presidential nominee announced the proposal during a speech in New Hampshire on Sept. 4 as part of her broader economic plan to make tax filing “cheaper and easier” for businesses, Forbes reported . “As President, one of my highest priorities will be to strengthen America’s small businesses,” Harris said, according to CBS News . “We’re going to help more small businesses, and innovators get off the ground.” ​​New startups could either use the full $50,000 deduction in one year or spread it across multiple years as they become profitable. They also have the option to use the $5,000 deduction and spread the remaining startup costs over 15 years. The proposal aims to ease the financial burden of starting a business, covering costs such as advertising, employee training, consultant and...

Since 1908, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and its members have made their marks across several industries and impacted communities and spaces. Some influential members include Phylicia Rashad, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to ESSENCE. Harris was officially sworn in as vice president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2021, making her the first woman, Black person, and South Asian American to be elected to the office. While this historical marker is noteworthy, it was not the beginning of her story. Kamala Harris’ Road To Howard University A native of Oakland, CA, Harris’ roots in education and public service start with the influence of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan. According to a profile from the White House, Gopalan earned her doctorate in 1964, the same year Harris was born, and worked as a breast cancer scientist. Harris’ father, Donald J. Harris, came to the United States from Jamaica to study...