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What wasn’t clear before is crystal clear now: Disney has made its move. For years, the “House of Mouse” danced around the edges of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) conversations — sometimes boldly stepping in, other times retreating into the shadows when the heat got too intense. According to a previous AFROTECH™ report, Disney maintained an ambiguous stance on DEI, especially as other corporate giants began rolling back their diversity commitments. But that fog has lifted. Now, people know exactly where Disney stands in the thick of America’s ongoing cultural tug-of-war. Disney’s Shift Toward Business-Driven DEI Initiatives In a memo obtained by Axios, Chief H uman Resources Officer Sonia Coleman shared Disney’s new game plan with employees : DEI efforts will no longer be treated as stand-alone social good projects. Instead, they’re being rebranded to focus squarely on driving business outcomes. Translation? Diversity isn’t just about optics anymore — it’s about the bottom...
Charlamagne tha God has been inspired by his father’s entrepreneurial spirit for as long as he can remember. His father, who owned a fish market and a construction business, told him long ago, “When you get a business, don’t put your name on it. Because people [will] hate on it for no reason.” He’s kept that advice in mind on his journey. Born Lenard McKelvey, Charlamagne has established himself as a radio host, television personality, comedian, and businessman. One of his latest ventures involves expanding Krystal Restaurants. In an interview with AFROTECH™ , Charlamagne said franchising has always been a goal of his, and partnering with Krystal, a beloved Southern staple, was a great opportunity. “It just became one of those things that me and my wife wanted to do,” he told AFROTECH™. “This is one of those situations that just happened pretty organically. And I was with it. My wife was with it. You know, my financial team was with it. And we made it happen.” Charlamagne and his...
A new year is on the horizon, which means more opportunities to connect. AFROTECH™ has strategically rolled out a series of activations designed to empower Black individuals from diverse backgrounds, creating opportunities for them to connect, thrive, and excel. These efforts culminate in the annual AFROTECH™ Conference, which made quite the splash in November 2024, drawing an impressive crowd of over 37,000 attendees to Houston, TX. “We are the architects, the innovators, the disruptors, the builders of tomorrow, and the future is not something that’s happening to us,” Morgan DeBaun, Blavity co-founder and CEO, said during the conference’s welcome ceremony, according to Houston Landing. “It’s something that we certainly can create.” For the upcoming year, you can expect to see a return of the conference and smaller-scale events across various cities to keep the momentum going. Kicking things off is AFROTECH’s MEETUP series, which will return in March 2025. The event draws in...
Economic challenges often force companies to make tough decisions about their workforce, with “furlough” and “layoff” being two terms frequently mentioned. While both terms involve disruptions to employment, they carry different implications for employees and businesses. Understanding these differences is crucial for navigating uncertain times and planning the next steps effectively. What Is A Furlough? A furlough is a temporary, unpaid leave of absence initiated by an employer. Unlike a layoff, a furlough allows employees to remain on the company’s payroll, maintaining their employment status even though they are not actively working or receiving pay. The key feature of a furlough is its temporary nature, as it is typically used when a company expects to bring employees back once conditions improve. Employees on furlough often retain access to certain benefits, such as health insurance, depending on company policies and the length of the furlough. Employers use furloughs to manage...
Navigating the job application process and getting your career off the ground can be tricky, especially if you’re uncertain whether a position you’re interested in is still open. To make matters worse, the labor market is pretty tight right now, with unemployment remaining low at around 4.1% for the month of October. As for total job openings, they’ve actually declined slightly over the past year, down 1.9 million from last September and now sitting around 7.4 million total openings. In a tough market, any little things you can do to get an edge is worth considering. Asking about the status of a job shows initiative and keeps you informed about potential opportunities. Here’s how to inquire respectfully and professionally. Research First Before reaching out, check the company’s website and job posting platforms to confirm whether the position is still listed. Some organizations update their listings regularly, while others may leave old posts online. If the role has been removed or...
Are you eyeing that coveted promotion at work? Do you want to advance in your career and take on more responsibilities? Being ready for a promotion requires more than just wishful thinking — it takes strategic planning, hard work and a clear vision of your goals . In this article, we will explore the steps you need to take to position yourself for a promotion and stand out as a top candidate in your organization. Understanding the Promotion Landscape Leylaynr/Getty Images Signature Before getting too deep into the specifics of being ready for a promotion, understand the landscape of promotions within your organization. Each company has its own criteria and processes for evaluating employees for advancement. Familiarizing yourself with these can give you a significant advantage. Research Your Company’s Promotion Policy Jacob Lund Start by reviewing the employee handbook, which typically outlines the company’s promotion policies, providing valuable insights into the criteria and...
History was made on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, as the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders faced off in the first NFL game featuring women-led teams. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, The Raiders are led by Sandra Douglass Morgan, the first Black and Asian woman to serve as an NFL team president, taking over from Dan Ventrelle. The Panthers are led by Kristi Coleman, who replaced Tom Glick as president. The Panthers defeated the Raiders 36-22 on Sunday. Photo Credit: Louis Grasse Coleman was named president in February 2022, followed by Morgan in July of that year. According to the Raiders, the two women have formed a strong professional relationship over the past two seasons, with Morgan even joining Coleman for the Panthers’ International Women’s Day celebration in 2023. “You do feel a little bit more comfortable when you have someone else you can call,” Coleman shared, per the Panthers. “While Charlotte and Vegas are obviously two very different markets, the role and what you’re...
The year was 2003, and Jay-Z’s iconic “Black Album” would be released on Nov. 14. According to the Grammy Awards website, the album would also be his sixth-straight No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and was initially signaled to be his retirement project. All of this was riding on the moment of an earlier debut that summer, with the launch of Sean Carter’s 40/40 Club. A New Type Of Night Club Situated in New York, NY’s Flat Iron district, the 40/40 Club was created as a luxury sports bar that doubles as a nightclub. Based on a report from Rolling Stone, the name pays homage to a rare achievement in baseball: hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in a single season. The nightlife concept saw success. Two years after opening, additional locations opened in Atlantic City, NJ; Las Vegas, NV; Atlanta, GA’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and Brooklyn, NY’s Barclays Center. “I love sports,” Jay-Z said via Flatiron Nomad. “[I] wanted to create an environment that is conducive...
This Black doctor just made history at Johns Hopkins University! In June 2024, Nancy Abu-Bonsrah achieved a historic feat, becoming the first Black woman to graduate from Johns Hopkins University’s neurosurgery program. She took to social media to announce the news, however, it was a close friend who noted that Dr. Abu-Bonsrah had quite literally also made history, Because Of Them We Can reports. “Congratulations to my dear friend, and the first Black woman to graduate from the neurosurgery program at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Nancy Abu-Bonsrah!,” wrote the woman called Anna, whose username is @itsafronomics. Congratulations to my dear friend, and the first Black woman to graduate from the neurosurgery program at John’s Hopkins, Dr. Nancy Abu-Bonsrah ( @BonsrahNancy )! #medtwitter pic.twitter.com/gdu6x7pF9i — Anna (@itsafronomics) June 28, 2024 According to Dr. Abu-Bonsrah, becoming a neurosurgery doctor was a 12-year journey. She also noted that it felt “surreal” that she’d completed the...
Half the battle of achieving career goals is being in the right room at the right time. For Black professionals in tech, AFROTECH™ Executive is a time to get the ball rolling further to learn what it takes to reach new career heights. As a reminder, AFROTECH™ Executive is an event that brings founders, executives, and techies together to join discussions revolving around today’s pressing topics and gain important knowledge that is imperative for the community. In addition to the engaging fireside chats, AFROTECH™ Executive has time carved out specifically for networking. During the networking reception, attendees can connect with fellow professionals from the local area of the events, as well as from across the U.S. “It was a really great opportunity to bring people together in the community, and it was also really great to see people fly out for the event,” shared Christina Tymony, senior diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) strategist and enablement manager at...
Brittney Griner cites the pay gap as her motivation for wanting to play basketball for Russia in the past. On February 17, 2022, the WNBA athlete had landed at the Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow as she was set to play for the Russian Premiere League’s UMMC Ekaterinburg. It was the off-season for the WNBA, and playing overseas would afford Griner the opportunity to earn greater dollars than what she made playing in the WNBA. Though the events that followed have been widely publicized, including her detainment by Russia for carrying vape cartridges with small amounts of cannabis oil and her subsequent 293-day imprisonment, the reason she was there in the first place has been drawing more attention. Per Just Women’s Sports, the Russian team had been known to offer significant compensation to WNBA players. Those who have gone overseas to play for the team include Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. “The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap,” Griner said during her...
Harvard University is searching for a new president and has tapped a Black woman business executive to assist with the “challenges and opportunities facing the University.” According to The Harvard Crimson, Vivian Y. Hunt was appointed as the new president of the board of overseers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Harvard Crimson (@theharvardcrimson) For the 2024-2025 school year, the Harvard Business School alumna, who has been described as “a voice for diversity and impact at scale” by the school, is set to lead the board. The outlet details that three overseers serve on Harvard University’s presidential search committee and the president of the overseers has been one of the three in the institution’s past five searches. Tyler Jacks, the founding director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT and fellow Harvard University alumna, is joining Hunt as board vice chair. Jacks was a member of the presidential search committee that selected former...
Al Roker and his production company, Al Roker Entertainment, have been sued for allegedly not following through with a commitment to diversity. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bill Schultz filed a lawsuit against the “Today” host and CEO’s company as he claims that executives failed to commit to its DEI initiative, which would bring Black writers on board for PBS’s “Weather Hunters.” Al Roker Entertainment is the owner of the animated children’s show. As an executive producer for “Weather Hunters,” Schultz addressed the issue at hand, confronting the leaders about the failure to adhere to the diversity program, which is mandated by PBS. However, he says that their response was firing him. In addition, a Black producer was also reprimanded for speaking up. “I put nine years of my career into ‘ Weather Hunters ,’ a project I strongly believe in, with the goal of making a wonderfully crafted show for children to enjoy and learn from,” Schultz shared in a statement, according to...
As the future of short-form video-hosting platform TikTok remains uncertain, one user is already creating a new home for creators. Viola Carmona is the founder of Tussle, an emerging livestream platform described as “the ultimate battle app” for creators to thrive. Carmona told AFROTECH™ that t he concept emerged following the experiences of her online peers who needed help with their earnings from TikTok through livestreams. TikTok’s Live feature, launched in 2019, allows creators to earn virtual gifts in the form of diamonds from supporters to earn revenue, the company website mentions. The more creators utilize this feature, the more they can be rewarded. Per TikTok, creators can earn a 50% split with the company following deductions for “the required payments to app stores, payment processors, and any other adjustment required under our terms and policies.” In December 2023, a report revealed that TikTok has generated $10 billion in total global consumer spending, and users have...
All-or-nothing thinking, often referred to as black-and-white thinking, stops the progress of many professionals and unnecessarily amplifies stress. This type of mindset convinces us that situations must be either one extreme or the other, leaving little room for flexibility or growth . This trait can be seen in either one’s behavior, one’s relationships, or in the workplace . According to Forbes, 73% of individuals aged 25 to 35 and 52% of those between 45 to 55 are prone to chronic overthinking . This tendency often manifests as rumination, where individuals fixate on past or present events with a negative outlook. Overthinking often goes hand in hand with all-or-nothing thinking. While it’s not a mental illness itself, it’s linked with conditions like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance use issues. However, with awareness and intentional effort, it’s possible to overcome this limiting thought pattern and embrace a more balanced approach to life. Understanding...