By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com When New York native Mark Alston realized that African-American shoppers and sellers needed a central place to connect with one another, he knew he needed to do something. Not satisfied with just talking or complaining he took action and started the Buy Black Networking group on social media. […]
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 inNational News
Big business: self-checkout on the rise for major retailers
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com A letter to big-box retailers like Target, Walmart and Giant Food, is currently circulating through social media, criticizing the stores for the rising use of self-checkout. It speaks on a common experience that shoppers encounter when leaving a store. Some retailers have associates positioned at store exits to […]
Posted inTechnology
A time to evolve: experts discuss AI’s power to disrupt industry work
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Businesses across the globe in a variety of industries are trying to find their place in a world with artificial intelligence. In 2016, The White House cited a statistic from Oxford University researchers that estimated that 9 to 47 percent of jobs could be threatened by AI. However, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Riggs Crossing project set to provide affordable housing for seniors in Ward 4
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com The Riggs Crossing Senior Residences will aid older adults in confronting the District’s high cost of living. The Riggs Crossing Senior Residences, located in Ward 4, will contain 93 affordable housing units for seniors and is set to be completed in 2025. “Older adults are often on fixed […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black-owned Latimer Ventures closes $15 million for Black and Brown tech founders’ fund
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Baltimore-based Latimer Ventures, a Black-owned, early stage venture capital firm, recently announced a close of $15 million for its fund launched exclusively for Black and Brown technology founders. In total, Latimer Ventures intends to raise $50 million for the fund. The mission of the company is to deploy […]
Posted inBaltimore News
BWI Launch Pad program welcomes five Black-owned businesses to airport
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Five, local Black-owned small businesses will venture into the airport retail space as part of the Launch Pad program initiative at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Launched in 2017, the program provides minority business owners with an internship in BWI’s concession’s space and to attract customers from […]
Posted inBUSINESS
The AFRO names 13 local funeral directors ‘Unsung Heroes’ for vital service during COVID-19 pandemic
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@AFRO.com The AFRO took time to honor the “Unsung Heroes” of the COVID-19 pandemic at Valley Mansion by Martin’s on Aug. 6. The media company commended morticians for the critical and often under recognized role they played in helping families navigate the loss of a loved one during a […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
Residents voice concerns over Southwest Baltimore food deserts at Associated Black Charities ‘Community Convo’ in Poppleton
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Southwest Baltimore residents gathered to voice their opinions about opportunities and obstacles in the Poppleton neighborhood during a community conversation hosted by Associated Black Charities (ABC) in Poppleton on July 26. “Community Convos,” as ABC has dubbed them, were launched this year to engage residents around the assets […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Maryland’s adult-use cannabis sales rake in millions in first weekend of legal recreational use
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com In 2022, Marylanders voted to pass a referendum on cannabis use for individuals 21 years and older. Recreational use of the drug started on July 1. On that day, state dispensaries racked up more than $3.5 million in adult-use sales, according to a Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) report. […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Billions of dollars spent on sports wagering: a look into Maryland’s gambling industry
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com After former governor Larry Hogan signed HB0940, sports betting became legal in Maryland in 2021. Since then, retail and mobile sportsbooks have contributed more than $25 million in tax revenue to the state, and Marylanders have wagered more than $2.8 billion, according to revenue reports from the Maryland […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Google Black Founders Fund awards $150,000 to Baltimore cybersecurity maven
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com Google for Startups recently announced the winners of its 2023 Black Founders Fund, a program that provides equity-free cash awards and wraparound support for Black-led startups to advance their businesses. One winner came from Baltimore. Cybersecurity maven Tina Williams-Koroma has been awarded $150,000 in equity-free cash for her company, CyDeploy. […]
Posted inBUSINESS
ABC Travel Green Book apps helps travelers locate Black businesses all over the world
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Martinique Lewis likes to say she was born with the travel gene. Since she was a little girl, the 36-year-old loved visiting new places, and her parents poured into that passion. At 9, her father got a job with United Airlines, permitting the family to fly for free. […]
