Showing 170 results for:
virginia
Popular topics
All results
REFORM Alliance and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation joined forces Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, by hosting a job fair in Richmond, VA, that connected over 2,000 job seekers with more than 1,500 open positions. The free event focused on removing employment barriers for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system , particularly those on probation or parole, according to a press release. Participants had access to a diverse range of 36 employers, including major national brands like Amazon, Starbucks, and Foot Locker , alongside local businesses from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The job fair also featured numerous state and local government agencies, such as the Virginia Department of Corrections, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia State University, and the City of Richmond. Jessica S., who was recently released from incarceration, interviewed with both Amazon and Foot Locker and received invitations for second-round interviews. “It’s been a struggle to find work...
Virginia Tech Athletics is taking more action to help student-athletes. According to a press release, Virginia Tech Athletics has adopted additional measures to help its college athletes monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The follows after Virginia Tech Athletics’ newly established partnership with INFLCR to ensure NIL deals would be more accessible to student-athletes through the Hokies Exchange platform back in March. The company website states once a business, collective, or individual has registered and been approved for Hokies Exchange, it will be placed in a database. Here athletes and the entity will have opportunities to connect and work towards a NIL deal. Businesses can sort through an index of student-athletes to refine their search using various indicators. In addition, director of athletics Whit Babcock has announced Commonwealth NIL, Hot Route Marketing, and Triumph NIL will be supporting Virginia Tech student-athletes, businesses and donors through their...
Out with the old, in with the…better! This Virginia middle school was once named after a Confederate soldier and now its name will be replaced with a Black shero. According to USA Today, Sidney Lanier Middle School was established over 60 years ago and was named after an American poet who also happened to be a private in the Confederate army. Now, it will be renamed to honor NASA mathematician, Katherine Johnson. Johnson is known for her contributions to helping NASA put the first man on the moon and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama at age 97 in 2015. In September 2020, the Fairfax city school board made the decision after a majority of residents called to have the name changed. Over 300 new names for the school were submitted and the approval to rename the school was made on Nov. 2, 2020. Other names in the running included Fairfax Woods, Legacy Independence and City, and the late great Maya Angelou....
Jay-Anne Johnson is making history. According to WHSV-TV, Johnson will soon graduate from James Madison University (JMU) with a degree in biophysical chemistry. She will be the first Black woman in Virginia history to achieve such an accomplishment. While Johnson said that she was pleased she was able to achieve such a feat, the accomplishment didn’t come easy. She told WHSV-TV that, oftentimes, she would be the only Black student in her classes. “It wasn’t until really like the first couple of weeks of class. You’re looking around and you kind of notice you’re the only student in the class that looks like you,” she told the outlet. While Jay-Anne Johnson is the first Black woman to get a biophysical chemistry degree from the university, Ben Ashamole was the first Black person, ever, to get a biophysical chemistry degree from the university. These accomplishments, while great on their own, also highlight the lack of diversity in STEM courses — not just at JMU, but in universities...
This Black woman is making history one motorcycle ride at a time! According to 10 Wavy News , Shekelia Bussey is the operator and owner of Moto Mob Riding Academy in Franklin, Virginia — this makes the academy the first-of-its-kind owned by a Black woman in the state. Bussey first started riding motorcycles in 2007 following a class at Harley Davidson in Portsmouth, Virginia, and ultimately had the opportunity to journey cross country twice. In 2017, she quit her government contracting position to become a motorcycle instructor for the United States Navy. “[I’ve traveled] about 16,000 miles, solo, by myself. Motorcycling to me…it’s my passion. It is what drives me forward,” said Bussey in an interview. “Very few people get to get up every day and do what they love to do, but I’m one of them. This has been a labor of love for me.” During her time as an instructor, she acquired a fleet of 17 motorcycles which ultimately led her to branch out on her own to teach classes. She now...
After more than 150 years since its founding, West Virginia University just elected its first Black woman as student government president, according to My Buckhannon. Amaya Jernigan, who hails from Waldorf, Maryland, will take over the post for the first time in WVU’s history. She will lead the university’s student body for the 2021-2022 academic year alongside Hunter Moore, who will serve as vice president. “I would like to thank every Mountaineer who has made it possible for me to hold this position. I am beyond grateful and will be forever thankful that you all were brave enough to pave the way for me,” Jernigan said in a statement. “Hunter and I, as well as everyone else elected today, have been asked to bring change to campus. We won’t let you down. We have to be the change we seek, and the ‘ACTION’ starts today.” Jernigan is a junior biology major and she served as a senator-at-large for WVU’s Student Government Association (SGA) prior to landing the presidential role....
The nation’s only Black-owned casino could soon break ground in Virginia. Urban One held a media event on Tuesday morning to announce the $517 million proposal that could bring a resort-style casino to the state’s capital, reports WRIC. Four companies are in the running to spearhead the multi-million dollar project set to take over Richmond. Urban One, a Black-owned media company that owns TV One along with dozens of radio stations, hopes to transform the River City’s southside with a world-class entertainment, dining, and gaming destination. “Our proposal is unparalleled and can not be matched,” said Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins. “We would be creating the only black-owned casino in the United States of America. Perhaps more importantly, our project will be very diverse and inclusive.” The $517 million project could possibly include a 3,000 person capacity theater, broadcast production studios for both film and radio, 150 hotel rooms, 12 restaurants and bars, 50 acres of green space...
Amid the Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) fierce probe of racism in its ranks, last week VMI officials announced the interim appointment of Retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, the first Black leader to serve in its 181-year history, The Washington Post reports . Maj. Gen. Wins — the 57-year-old two-star general — will serve as interim superintendent until the board can appoint a permanent chief to run the nation’s oldest state-funded military college in Lexington City, Virginia, BET shares . Gov. Ralph Northam ordered an independent investigation on the Virginia Military Institute after several Black cadets stepped down over racial bias for what Northam and other officials describe as “the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism,” according to The Washington Post . Amid the investigation, Maj. Gen. Wins is expected to take over for the school’s longtime superintendent, retired Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III, who resigned from his position following those reports...
In 2019, John Handley High School’s dropout rate was approximately 7.1 percent, with chronic absenteeism of 24 percent — most of which Black students accounted for, according to the Virginia Department of Education, Because of Them We Can reports . Those numbers could represent how much Black students at the school feel excluded on a daily basis. After struggling to see themselves properly represented in the school’s population, one student set out to change that by creating an organization to encourage more inclusion. Eunice Mejiadeu — a 17-year-old senior — shared that as a young Black woman, she never felt like she truly belonged at her school. “When we look at Handley, there’s not really this, I guess a safe place to come together. There’s a lot of self-isolation,” she said to Winchester News . “We just got kind of tired of just not feeling like we mattered, and I don’t think that was the intention Handley wanted to bring, and I feel like it just gradually happened over time.”...
Amazon revealed today that Arlington, Virginia and New York City will be the new locations of their East Coast headquarters. This comes after the retail giant’s year-long journey to zero in on a city to open its second outpost. The Washington Post reported the company’s plans on splitting its new headquarters between two cities to drive enough recruitment for tech talent that will aid in Amazon’s growth. The tech giant also sites proximity to airports with direct flights to its main headquarters in Seattle as having influenced their final decision, according to Quartz. Offices will be located in Long Island City across the river from Manhattan and Crystal City just outside of Washington, D.C. The two cities beat out 238 other contestants, according to the Wall Street Journal. The e-commerce company is reportedly splitting a total of 50,000 full-time employees between the two new offices. Amazon announced they would begin the search for their second home last September after...
A scholarship for HBCU students created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has reopened. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the department had established the 1890 National Scholars Program, which was intended to increase opportunities for underserved and rural communities, particularly in food, agriculture, natural resources, and other related sciences. The scholarship was created in partnership with 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that received resources under the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, otherwise known as the 1890 land-grant universities. The scholarship benefits include full tuition, fees, books, and room and board. 16 Virginia State University students receiving the scholarship view it as “an invaluable resource,” 8News reports. “A lot of us … it was hard for us to come to college alone. We can barely afford it,” VSU freshman Tobias Clark told the outlet. Those very students were stunned when news broke that the 1890 National Scholars Program...
The number of Black-owned businesses has increased. However, there is still much room for improvement. According to a research study released by the online loan marketplace LendingTree, the data reveals a 22.2% year-over-year increase since 2019. Looking back to 2022, just 3.3% of businesses were Black-owned , and 40% were women-owned. Other trends highlighted in the report show that Atlanta, GA, remains the primary hub for Black-owned businesses. The city has held this distinction for the past three years, with 11.3% of Black-owned businesses traced back to it. Other key cities identified in the report include Fayetteville, NC, Virginia Beach, VA, and Memphis, TN. Conversely, California cities such as San Jose, Oxnard, and San Diego ranked lowest in the number of Black-owned businesses. “When I initially started my entrepreneur journey, there weren’t very many Black founders,” Tiffany Ricks, chief executive of the cybersecurity platform HacWarhe, told Inc. “Now it’s exciting...
Allen Iverson has made history in the world of memorabilia. Iverson is recognized as a legend in the NBA. He retired from the league in 2013 and was later inaugurated into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His name remains influential today, extending his impact beyond the court. The Virginia native currently serves as Vice President of Reebok Basketball (as of 2023), working alongside the President of Reebok Basketball, Shaquille O’Neal, to shape the next generation of the game. “We gonna do big things. We gon’ work hard. We gon’ give people what they want. We gonna take care of our youngsters,” he said in an interview uploaded to YouTube. Iverson’s involvement with Reebok also includes a lifetime deal. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he initially signed a 10-year deal valued at $50 million when he was drafted to the league, securing a spot with the Sixers. In 2001, he earned a lifetime deal after the team made its way to the finals and earned MVP. He now receives...
Pharrell Williams is in his restaurant bag. According to World Red Eye News, the award-winning producer and creative has partnered with Launchpad Hospitality Group to debut Nami Nori and Matsuyoi, two Japanese restaurants he collaborated on, in Miami’s Design District. Nami Nori blends effortlessly with its Miami setting, showcasing beachy vibes, airy interiors, and a menu of standout temaki rolls like X.O. scallops and spicy crab dynamite. Matsuyoi, on the other hand, offers a more intimate and moody dining experience. It features a seasonal multi-course menu focusing on temaki. The restaurants will eventually make their way to Williams’ hometown of Virginia Beach, VA, WRE News reported. In addition to Nami Nori and Matsuyoi, Williams has Swan, an indoor and outdoor restaurant and lounge he opened with David Grutman in 2018, also located in Miami’s Design District . The menu features seafood-centric small plates and locally sourced produce. “Designed around market-driven...
In an industry that thrives on creativity and innovation, Black-owned marketing agencies are making a significant impact by offering fresh perspectives and culturally relevant campaigns. These agencies are not only shaping how brands communicate with diverse audiences but are also fostering inclusivity within the marketing world. Here are seven Black-owned marketing agencies that are leading the way in creativity, strategy, and results. 1. Burrell Communications Founded in 1971 by Tom Burrell, Burrell Communications is one of the pioneering Black-owned marketing agencies in the United States. With a mission to redefine how brands communicate with African American audiences, Burrell has worked with iconic brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Toyota. The agency blends cultural insights with powerful storytelling to create campaigns that resonate deeply with consumers. 2. BLKBOX BLKBOX is a digital marketing agency that specializes in developing strategies tailored to multicultural...