By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Baltimore has been one of five federally-designated Workforce Hubs across the United States for eight months now. President Joe Biden created the initiative as part of his Investing in America agenda to develop the requisite workforce for developments spurred by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation […]
Author Archives: Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer
Megan Sayles is a business reporter for The Baltimore Afro-American paper. Before this, Sayles interned with Baltimore Magazine, where she wrote feature stories about the city’s residents, nonprofits and initiatives. Her love of music inspired her to be a writer. At a young age she realized it was not the melody that she was so infatuated with, but the lyrics that made up the song and connected with listeners. Sayles grew up in Pasadena, Maryland, and is a 2021 graduate of the University of Maryland, where for her senior capstone project she reported on how the coronavirus and inequality intersected in Baltimore. She also worked as a staff writer and copy editor for campus publications, including Stories Beneath the Shell and The Black Explosion. Sayles teamed up with a partner to report on how the pandemic had put many more responsibilities on the oldest child in families. The Associated Press and other news organizations picked up her story.
Posted inBaltimore Community
Sydney’s Ice Creams: bringing sweet treats to Belair-Edison neighborhood
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sydney Newton, like so many others, found herself out of a job. She had been working as a server at The Capital Grille, but was laid off as restaurants were forced to shut down their dining rooms. The Northwood, Baltimore native became an […]
Posted inWomen's Rights
Associated Black Charities leads discussion on the vulnerability of Black women in the workplace
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Associated Black Charities (ABC), in partnership with Pastor Franklin Lance, hosted a Community Convo on “The Vulnerability of Black Women in Professional Spaces” at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church on Jan. 23. The guided dialogue offered Black women a safe space to share their personal challenges in the workplace and invited […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
Associated Black Charities launches Black Leadership Circle
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Associated Black Charities (ABC) has announced the launch of The Black Leadership Circle. The thought group aims to provide a progressive, inclusive and supportive safe space for African-American nonprofit and corporate executives in the Greater Baltimore area. Part of the motivation behind its formation is to create a pipeline for […]
Posted inTechnology
Baltimore’s Broadband and Digital Equity Office kicks off monthly digital inclusion meetings for residents
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writer Baltimore City’s Office of Broadband and Digital Equity (BDE) hosted the first in a series of monthly meetings on digital inclusion for 2024 on Jan. 9. The session invited community members to learn more about the resources in Baltimore’s digital ecosystem and to share feedback on technology accessibility and affordability […]
Posted in!Front Page Maryland New
Montgomery County partners with United Therapeutics for long-term economic growth in Silver Spring
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Montgomery County recently announced a $100-million deal with United Therapeutics, a biotechnology public benefit corporation, that will pave the way for economic growth in downtown Silver Spring, Md. As part of the partnership, United Therapeutics will build a new public parking garage on Georgia Avenue, supply land and funding to […]
Posted in!Front Page
Catching up with Chelsea Brown, the new president of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com The Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce recently announced that Chelsea Brown will lead the agency as president. Brown brings more than seven years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising, grant-making and community-building to the new role. Brown said she took the position because she fell in love with the mission […]
Posted in!Front Page National News
Johns Hopkins Medicine employees and students speak out on rebuke of Dr. Sherita Golden
University officials take issue with chief diversity officer’s definition of ‘privilege’ in ‘Diversity Digest’ newsletter By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Employees and students at Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) have sent a letter to President Kevin W. Sowers and Dean Theodore L. DeWeese expressing their disappointment over the institution’s response to its chief diversity officer’s definition […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore lands on New York Times’ ‘52 Places to Go This Year’ list
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com The New York Times just dubbed Baltimore one of the top places to visit this year as part of its “52 Places to Go” in 2024 list. It joined destinations like Paris, France; Maui, Hawaii; Hurghada, Egypt; and Vienna, Austria. Freelance travel writer Daniel Scheffler penned the excerpt on Baltimore, […]
Posted inHBCU
Historically Black college brings autonomous vehicles to Greensboro, N.C.
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T ), the largest historically Black college in the country, is in the process of bringing self-driving shuttles to the Greensboro, N.C. community. The university unveiled three autonomous vehicles, known as Aggie Auto shuttles, in November 2022 before testing them in […]
Posted inFood
Stem and Vine opens in Baltimore, cultivating a space for community, plants and wine
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com There are wine bars, and there are plant stores. But, what if the two were combined? Former metallurgical engineer Quincy Goldsmith has done just that in Baltimore with Stem and Vine. When walking into the business, located on the 300 block North Charles Street, you see not only plants from […]
Posted inCivil Rights
Small business platform files motion to dismiss lawsuit against grant program for Black entrepreneurs
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Progressive Insurance and Hello Alice, a small business resource platform based in Houston, are in the midst of a legal battle with America First Legal (AFL) over a grant program that targeted Black businesses. The conservative nonprofit law organization filed a class-action lawsuit against the pair regarding the Driving Small […]