Boston Bruins Retire Jersey Of Willie O’Ree, NHL’s First Black Player
Photo: Getty Images The Boston Bruins retired Willie O'Ree's No. 22 jersey before Tuesday's (January 18) Bruins-Hurricanes game. According to a Bruins press release, players took the ice for warm-ups in special-edition jerseys with commemorative Willie O'Ree patches prior to the barrier-breaking hockey player's ceremony. "The ice will feature newly-installed No. 22 decals behind each team's net, which will remain on display for three home games," the Bruins announced. O'Ree broke the NHL's color barrier in 1958, becoming the first Black player to compete in an NHL game exactly 64 years ago when
Black mortgage applicants are denied 84% more often than whites
The Black homeownership rate that ticked up before the pandemic has again begun to fall, spurred by a widening mortgage approval gap between Black and white applicants. A Zillow analysis of data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA)1 shows that while overall denial rates have decreased, Black applicants are increasingly more likely than white borrowers to be denied a mortgage. Black applicants are denied a mortgage at a rate 84% higher than that of white applicants — a big jump from 2019, when the disparity sat at 74%. In the
UrbanGeekz partners with Finance Savvy CEO to Empower Women and Minority-Owned Businesses
UrbanGeekz has teamed up with Finance Savvy CEO in a new partnership to support women and minority-owned startups. The Atlanta-based firms are collaborating to boost the financial health of this growing demographic. It comes as research increasingly shows that founders who benefit the most from business financial literacy skills are also the same groups that face the biggest barriers. In this brand-new alliance, UrbanGeekz has will provide 5 full-ride scholarships to the Finance Savvy CEO™ 2022 winter cohort of Your Profit Playbook™. The hands-on program helps underserved founders build the financial roadmap for their business and
Gene Wade named CEO of the Propel Center, a new HBCU technology and learning hub dedicated to preparing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs
The Propel Center, the global HBCU technology and learning hub intended to level the playing field and open greater doors of opportunity for their students, has announced the naming of respected social entrepreneur and education advocate Gene Wade as chief executive officer. Wade most recently served as Founder and CEO of Honors Pathway in Oakland, California, a social venture that enabled low-income students to attend their first year of college at no cost while receiving over 500 hours of in-person coaching and mentoring. He also serves on several non-profit boards, including
Black Influencers Earn 35 Percent Less than White Influencers, Nearly Half Report that their Race Contributed to an Offer Below Market Value
Since social media has existed, people have reached online fame based on what they post to their profile. Through apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok, some accounts have gained hundreds of thousands of followers and reached what is commonly known as influencer status. Within the past few years, influencers have started to monetize their following with companies who pay them to post ad-related content. Influencers have also been picked up for commercials and other professional ad placements. It has been suspected that white influencers benefit more than
300, AN INDEPENDENT ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, CO-FOUNDED BY LYOR COHEN, KEVIN LILES, AND ROGER GOLD SELLS TO WARNER MUSIC GROUP
Warner Music Group (WMG) announced the acquisition of 300 Entertainment, one of the world's most successful and influential independent music companies. 300's artists include top-charting, multi-platinum stars such as Megan Thee Stallion – who won Best New Artist at this year's Grammy Awards, Young Thug and his label Young Stoner Life, Gunna, Fetty Wap, Highly Suspect, the newly signed "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" Mary J. Blige, and many others. Since its launch nearly a decade ago, 300 has been distributed by Atlantic Records, and the acquisition represents the expansion of an
African American Entrepreneurs Head SPAC in $126.5 Million IPO to Acquire Black-owned Firms
Shawn Rochester, who authored the spellbinding book “The Black Tax: The Cost of Being Black in America,” and Robin Watkins, a highly regarded financial and operations accountant, have made Wall Street history. And the two are poised to break through more barriers in the financial world. Their latest venture, Minority Equality Opportunities Acquisitions Inc. (MEOA), has raised $126.5 million they’ve earmarked to help minority businesses and enterprises grow and prosper through mergers and acquisitions. “It’s amazing to be a part of this,” Watkins, a Drexel University graduate, stated. While Rochester serves
Sharon Bowen Makes History As First Black Woman To Lead The NYSE Board
Sharon Y. Bowen made history this month, becoming the first Black woman to chair the New York Stock Exchange Board. Bowen has a nearly 40-year career in corporate transactional law and is no stranger to making history. In 2014, Bowen became the first African American appointed Commissioner of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Commissioner Bowen served until 2017. Bowen’s expansive career began as a corporate and transactional law associate at Davis, Polk & Wardwell before she became a partner at Latham & Watkins. Throughout
Amazon Launches Accelerator Program to Grow Opportunities for Real Estate Developers of Color and Increase Affordable Housing
Today, Amazon announced it is committing more than $21 million to pilot a professional training, mentorship, and capital funding program to help promote real estate developers of color. This two-year, part-time professional development program, which is free for participants, aims to teach real estate developers of color how to advance their careers. It also aims to lower the barriers these developers can face when bidding for affordable housing developments. The goal of the program is to increase the number of professional real estate developers of color who are focused
ID.me Appoints Erin Teague to Board of Directors
ID.me, the secure digital identity network with 65 million members, announced it has appointed Erin Teague to its Board of Directors. Teague's experience leading the development of consumer-friendly technology will strengthen ID.me's commitment to "No Identity Left Behind," simplifying how all individuals securely prove and share their identity online. Teague currently serves as Google's director of product management at YouTube, where she leads several product verticals, including Racial Justice and Sports. She is also responsible for creating the YouTube Virtual Reality (VR) app, which is top-rated across VR platforms. For