Business - Page 13

‘Insecure’ star Issa Rae is helping PepsiCo’s LIFEWTR brand find the next Issa Rae

By Chauncey Alcorn “Insecure” star Jo-Issa Rae Diop, better known as Issa Rae, is a big believer in amplifying creative voices and paying her blessings forward. Less than a month after signing an eight-figure production deal with HBO’s parent company WarnerMedia, the 36-year-old actress and producer is partnering with PepsiCo’s bottled water brand LIFEWTR on its new “Life Unseen” campaign to find and give a platform to the next generation of diverse creatives. The initiative, which launched on Wednesday, includes a contest that will give five artists from the worlds of fashion, film, music and visual arts a chance to

Nex Cubed expands HBCU Founder’s Program with Franklin Templeton

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Nex Cubed, a leader in early-stage innovation and startup acceleration, has announced Franklin Templeton as the second Founding Partner for its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Founder’s Program. The global investment firm joins previously announced Founding Partner, AT&T. With nearly 60% of Nex Cubed’s portfolio of companies being led by female and minority founders, it is no secret that diversity and inclusion have been at the heart of its mission since inception. However, with the series of devastating racial injustice events last summer, Nex Cubed doubled down on its diversity and inclusion efforts by launching its HBCU Founder’s Program

Amazon, Google, GM, Starbucks and hundreds of companies join to oppose voting restrictions

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By Jordan Valinsky Hundreds of prominent executives from high-profile companies, including Amazon, Google, BlackRock and Starbucks, signed a statement that opposes discriminatory legislation that makes voting harder. The statement, printed Wednesday in an advertisement in the New York Times, was organized by Ken Chenault and Ken Frazier, two of America’s most prominent Black corporate leaders. The statement called democracy a “beautifully American ideal” and for it to work, “we must ensure the right to vote for all of us.” “We all should feel a responsibility to defend the right to vote and to oppose any discriminatory legislation on measures that

Morgan Stanley awards $12 million in scholarships for HBCU students

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Financial firm Morgan Stanley is teaming up with HBCUs to eliminate financial barriers to higher education for African American college students. The $12 million initiative will support a total of 60 full scholarships for students enrolled in Howard University, Spelman College and Morehouse College. The goal of the HBCU Scholars program is to prepare students to be financially independent, and those who are awarded the scholarship will have the entire cost of tuition and living expenses covered.  “Driving diversity beyond our four walls is part of our commitment at Morgan Stanley,” said Susan Reid, Managing Director and Global Head of

Keysight Technologies announces innovation challenge for HBCU engineering students

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Keysight Technologies, Inc. recently announced its new Keysight Innovation Challenge 2021. Undergraduate students studying engineering at HBCUs are able to partake in the challenge. They must either come up with an innovative business idea or create a video that demonstrates electronics measurement techniques.  “This is one of the many ways Keysight is inspiring a strong and sustainable pool of global leaders who will continue to push technology to new heights and bring positive change in the world with rich and diverse perspectives,” said Ee Huei Sin, senior vice president, Keysight Technologies and president of Keysight’s Electronic Industrial Solutions Group. “We

Fifth Third Bank to host HBCU leadership conference

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Fifth Third Bank is collaborating with HBCUs in an effort to recruit a more inclusive and diverse workforce. As part of its strategy to nurture a multicultural employee base, the bank is hosting an inaugural HBCU leadership conference May 18-19. The goal of this two-day conference is to help high-achieving HBCU students explore traditional and nontraditional careers in banking. Those who attend will hear from several speakers and have the opportunity to network with other HBCU students from around the country. The conference is part of the bank’s Executive Diversity Leadership Council’s Accelerating Racial Equality, Equity and Inclusion initiative. The

Black entrepreneurs give scholarships to HBCU students

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Black entrepreneurs are committing to their community and coming together to offer a $2,000 scholarship for two HBCU undergraduate students. Four businesses have teamed together for this initiative: Lauren and Zevi Lacey, Founders of Urban Business Directory, CEO Wesley Jacques of BlueDrem Media & Marketing Services, Gia Mac, CEO of Infinite 7 and Ashley Johnson, Owner of the Vegan Chef Ash brand. They have partnered together to create a collective call to action to give back to the community that has continued to support their dreams.  “As black business owners, we want to show our love and appreciation to the

BIPOC Climate Justice virtual event features Gina McCarthy, Mustafa Ali

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The virtual event began with an introduction by U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry, after which environmental justice leader Mustafa Santiago Ali discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s approach to climate justice with White House Advisor Gina McCarthy. The virtual event took place on April 8th. Representative Alma Adams, and Sen. Ed Markey also spoke on national climate goals and the historic Justice40 initiative Ali is the vice president of environmental justice, climate and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation. He is the founder of Revitalization Strategies and was formerly an official at the Environmental Protection Agency. A leading environmental

Black power in the boardroom is leading the fight for justice

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Opinion by Peniel E. Joseph Black business leaders’ efforts to stop voter suppression in the wake of Georgia’s recently enacted voting bill illustrate the vanishing separation between protest and politics in America today. They also embody the work of Georgia’s most famous civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Over 70 Black executives, led by former American Express CEO Ken Chenault, signed a letter released at the end of March that pressed corporate America to take a stand on voting rights, one of the central moral and political issues in the United States today. “The new law and those

One of America’s first Black CEOs slams ‘bone-headed’ Georgia law as blatant attempt to suppress Black vote

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By Matt Egan Dick Parsons had to make countless difficult decisions during his storied corporate career. The decision to speak out on Georgia’s voting law was not one of them. “This was an easy one. There is simply no excuse for what the Georgia legislature has done,” Parsons told CNN Business in his first public comments on the controversial law. Parsons, who in the early 2000s became one of the first Black CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, is among the 72 Black corporate leaders who signed a letter calling on companies to fight Republican voting restrictions. In the interview,

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