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Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Before Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic ticket’s front-runner, support for the party was low among the tech industry. In fact, many who now back Harris had previously withheld support from Biden, even favoring Trump over the Democratic candidate. Ben Horowitz, the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, is one of those people who recently shifted their support in favor of Harris. After Harris took over the ticket in July, the energy across the tech industry shifted significantly, leading to the formation of new groups representing tech professionals — groups that hadn’t emerged during Biden’s campaign. These groups are VCs for Kamala and Founders for Kamala. They have raised money for her campaign and increased awareness of her positions on key issues impacting the tech industry. I will cover the tech industry’s sentiment under Biden, the current shift with Kamala as...
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,...
Kamala Harris is being supported by longtime friend and billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs. Per Forbes, Jobs has a fortune of $15.3 billion, with the vast majority stemming from the Walt Disney and Apple shares she inherited from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who passed away in 2011 after battling pancreatic cancer. Jobs is passionate about education, immigration, health, and environmental justice. She established Emerson Collective in 2004 to support entrepreneurs disrupting these sectors. Later in 2021, the Waverley Street Foundation was launched with a $3 billion pledge focused on climate change. Her pursuits also extend to becoming a co-owner of The Atlantic in 2017, and she holds stake in sports teams including the Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL), and Washington Mystics (WNBA) through Monumental Sports. Jobs, who is reportedly “Silicon Valley’s wealthiest woman,” has additionally invested in the candidacy of Kamala Harris, who is seeking to become the next...
With the 2024 presidential election right around the corner, we are going to take a look at how the two candidates take drastically different stances on tech. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have supported policies that would impact how the tech industry can or cannot do business for years to come. Kamala Harris’ Impact On The Tech Industry During her time as vice president of the United States, Harris backed three key pieces of legislation that have impacted the tech industry. They are the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act. All of these acts were meant to spur different forms of economic growth here in the United States and bolster our own productivity vs. relying on foreign powers. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill in 2021 invested money into two categories of interest to founders and investors: energy and climate. In energy, some of the more notable companies would be the larger...
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...
One of the most anticipated decisions of the 2024 election was made when Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate. Political pundits and supporters have applauded the choice, seeing it as a unifying move for the Democratic Party. Harris’ choice also speaks to the type of policies Walz would champion. Before Harris made her official choice, Forbes reports that she had a short list of other political standouts, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Despite the accomplished list of potential running mates, Walz rose to the top based on his consistent record of accomplishments and relatability. According to Politico, Walz is a former high school geography teacher, football coach, and veteran who turned a Republican-leaning district blue in 2006. Harris believes this resume will not only speak to the American people...
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...
Vice President Kamala Harris visited a beloved Black-owned restaurant in Atlanta, GA. Harris is currently campaigning after she announced her interest in running to become the next president of the United States. If she succeeds, she will make history as the first Black woman and first South Asian American to do so. Her first campaign stop was in Atlanta, GA, on July 30, 2024. According to PBS station WABE, this was her 15th visit to Georgia and her first as the presumptive Democratic nominee. “The path to the White House runs right through this state,” Harris said in Georgia, per ABC News. “You all helped us win in 2020, and we’re going to do it again in 2024.” While Harris made it her mission to energize Georgia voters, she also did the same for a local Black-owned business. 11Alive mentioned she visited Paschal’s Restaurant in Atlanta, GA. During her visit, she received a warm welcome from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Representative Nikema Williams (D-Georgia), and Democratic...
Over 100 Silicon Valley investors have vowed to support Kamala Harris. The current vice president of the United States is actively campaigning to win over voters and secure the Democratic nomination in the upcoming 2024 presidential race, where she will face off against Donald Trump. She recently had her first rally in Atlanta, GA, and is preparing for a second one in Philadelphia, PA, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. “Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider meeting me on the debate stage. Because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,” she said in front of an energized crowd in Atlanta. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) Support From Interested Voters Harris has received an influx of support since she announced her quest for presidency. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Harris raised $200 million in just seven days. What’s more, 66% of the donations were provided by first-time contributors. Harris also raised the most...
Elon Musk has shared a fake AI video that labels Vice President Kamala Harris as the “ultimate diversity hire.” Harris is actively campaigning to receive the official Democratic nomination as she looks to become the 47th U.S. president, facing off against former President Donald Trump. She has already received the blessing of President Joe Biden, who will no longer be running for re-election. “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris wrote on Instagram. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) Harris’s announcement has been met with skepticism. As AFROTECH™ previously...
Supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) appears to be a unified effort. Joe Biden is set to appoint “qualified and diverse” leaders in education, sports, and more to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The responsibilities of the board members will be to “increase the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education to its students and continue serving as engines of opportunity,” according to the press release from the White House. Actress Taraji P. Henson and NBA All-Star Chris Paul are expected to be on the board. They will be joined by Makola M. Abdullah, Javaune Adams-Gaston, Paige Blake, Thasunda Brown Duckett, Willie A. Deese, Patrick Cokley, Monica Goldson, William F. L. Moses, and more. The new additions come after President Biden named Dr. Tony Allen as chair and Dr. Glenda Glover as Vice Chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs in 2021. Dr. Dietra Trent was also named executive...
You may know Derrick Jones — or DJ D-Nice — for coming up with the concept for Club Quarantine during the height of the pandemic to help people stay connected. He dedicated his time and talents to host Club Quarantine daily on Instagram Live. Now, he will be joining forces with Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) to celebrate Club Quarantine’s second anniversary, which will kick off with a three-day celebration set to begin today. “It’s not necessarily about the music. It’s a way for people to stay connected to friends and their families because we could not see each other,” D-Nice said exclusively to AfroTech. He continued: “We found ways to dance virtually which was very important because I firmly believe had it not been for these virtual spaces of dancing and listening to music, or just being able to communicate with one another using Instagram or Zoom, the depression and suicide rate would have been higher. Thank goodness for music and entertainment during this dark time.” Not...
Kamala Harris is a boundary-breaking, history-making Madame Vice President. And she’s worth a small fortune. Much ado was made about the fact that she was one of the wealthiest presidential candidates on the Democratic ballot. Fortune Magazine, in fact, pointed out that now-President Joe Biden’s $2.7 million net worth was certainly respectable, but it paled in comparison to the nearly $7 million net worth that his running mate had. “Harris’s net worth is as much as $6.3 million, based on the assets listed in her latest Senate financial disclosure, filed in May. That makes her wealthier by some measures than even her presidential running mate: Biden’s assets, according to his 2018 tax return, amounted to as much as $2.7 million,” reported the outlet. Sure, much ado can be made about the fact that she’s so wealthy. But even more ado should be made about the fact that Kamala Harris is completely self-made. She didn’t come from generational wealth — all of her earnings, and all of her...