GM Chair and CEO, Mary Barra Says Gerald Johnson Leaves an ‘Indelible Mark’ on the Auto Giant
Who's Who in Black is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of Black men and women and recognizes living legends who in successfully navigating their careers have created a blueprint for the fortunate men and women who follow in their footsteps in their own pursuits of excellence. One such individual is GM retiree Gerald Johnson of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. General Motors revealed the retirement of its long-serving executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability, Gerald Johnson. Johnson, who has served the company for an impressive 44 years,
The Clean Energy Economy: Will Blacks Get Left Behind in the Race to Green?
America continues to plod the course toward a clean energy nation – albeit glacially. Though hampered by an aging infrastructure and other factors, widespread clean energy – or power that does not, in its generation and consumption, add pollution or contribute to climate change – appears to be a certainty. Unfortunately, this particular scenario could lead to yet another great divide for African Americans. As the world slowly moves toward increased clean energy generation, a gap is widening and hindering African Americans positioning themselves to benefit from the
Zendaya Makes Emmy History: Becomes Youngest Producing Nominee & More
Courtesy of Black Information Network Zendaya has made Emmys history once again! On Tuesday (July 12), the 74th Annual Emmy Awards nominees were announced and for the second year, Zendaya made history thanks to her work on Euphoria. The 25-year-old actress, who plays Rue on the hit HBO drama series, also serves as an executive producer for the show, which was nominated in the Outstanding Drama Series, making her the youngest woman to receive a producing nomination at the Emmys. Zendaya also landed a nom for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series, making
NFL Partners with Contract With Black America to Strengthen Economic Equality
New York, NY – The National Football League (NFL) announced today its partnership with Contract with Black America Institute (CWBA), an economic inclusion-focused initiative led by artist and entrepreneur O'Shea Jackson, also known as Ice Cube. The CWBA and NFL partnership enhances the NFL's dedication to increasing economic equity and partnerships with Black owned businesses. The collaboration focuses on identifying League-wide opportunities in the financial, tech, and production sectors, with a concentration on increasing direct and indirect spend to national Black businesses to help close America's racial and
Willie O’Ree, 1st Black Player in NHL, is a Real Ice Man
By Tamara Shiloh Historically, professional hockey has held fast to its tradition of lacking diversity among its players. But no Black on the ice did not hold Willie O’Ree back. He started playing hockey at age 3 and instantly had a passion for the game. Born on October 15, 1935, in Frederickton, New Brunswick, Canada, O’Ree at the age of 14 years old, played with his brother Richard in organized hockey. Within a year, he was playing with the Frederickton Falcons in New Brunswick Amateur Hockey team. O’Ree played in
Black Asset Managers and the Fight for Investment Capital
Whether working in academia, a municipal, state or federal department or within Corporate America, Black employees contributing to their retirement plans have one thing in common: their retirement assets are managed almost entirely by people who look nothing like them. And this longstanding dynamic is draining wealth from Black communities. The asset management industry, one of the remaining bastions of the old boy network, is not only frighteningly non-diverse at the upper levels, but those professionals of color within the industry find themselves struggling to raise capital from
Study Shows Black Farmers Lost $326 Billion Worth Of Land Over Decades
Zuri Anderson, Black Information Network A new study is highlighting how state-sanctioned discrimination has financially disenfranchised Black farmers for generations. Black farmers lost over $326 billion worth of land during the 20th century, according to research published Sunday (May 1) in the American Economic Association’s Papers and Proceedings journal, per Reuters. Researchers found that racial discrimination and violence permitted by state laws ultimately led to a steep decline in Black-owned acreage between 1922 and 1977. They reportedly analyzed U.S. Department of Agriculture census data to determine their findings. Land ownership can provide
Report Confirms the U.S. Tech Ecosystem Is Still Failing Black Communities
The 2022 State of Tech Diversity report by the Kapor Center and the NAACP breaks down disparities across the tech industry, from K-12 and post-secondary academic institutions, to recruiting, hiring, retention, and VC funding. Today, the Kapor Center, a nonprofit addressing racial inequities in STEM education and the tech industry, in partnership with the NAACP, released their 2022 report titled State of Tech Diversity: The Black Tech Ecosystem. The report analyzes and synthesizes the latest data, demonstrating the continual exclusion of Black talent across the tech ecosystem, which represents a
CROWN Act Passes In The House, Banning Race-Based Hair Discrimination
By Cherranda Smith, Black Information Network In a landmark vote Friday (March 18), lawmakers in the House passed the CROWN Act, which prohibits race-based hair discrimination in the workplace, school, and more. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act passed in a 235-189 vote, with only 14 Republicans supporting the legislation. The bill failed last month after Democrats put the legislation on a fast-track vote typically used for pieces of legislation not considered controversial. Supporters of the bill have tirelessly argued that banning hair discrimination is necessary for Black people who are far too often
First-of-its-kind Partnership Aims to Increase Number of School Principals of Color
In an effort to dramatically boost the number of principals of color leading K-12 schools across the country, national nonprofit New Leaders is forming a first-of-its-kind partnership with distinguished historically Black institutions Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University to launch the Aspiring Principals Fellowship. The Fellowship is an online principal certification and master’s degree program designed to train the next generation of equity-focused school leaders who better reflect the students they serve. Half of all students in K-12 public schools identify as people of color, while only 1