By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com In 2016, Laura Murphy, former director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office, pioneered a new kind of audit: the civil rights audit. Today, more Corporate America giants, like Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase and Amazon, are engaging in the process. Rather than examine a company’s finances, a […]
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
Evolution of a man: how Martin Luther King Jr. changed over time and inspired the next generation of leaders
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Freeman Hrabowski’s first memory of Martin Luther King Jr. dates back to when he was 12 years old. The former president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), was inspired into action after hearing the activist speak about the importance of children participating in protests, so the country […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Bank of America awards $200,000 to two Baltimore nonprofits supporting workforce development
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Bank of America recently awarded two local organizations with a $200,000 multi-year award. Baltimore-based Innovation Works and Per Scholas were the recipients of the 2022 Neighborhood Builders grant for their efforts to provide greater Maryland community members with equitable access to workforce development […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Veteran D.C. business woman receives lifetime achievement award, induction into Minority Business Enterprise Hall of Fame
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com The Capital Region Minority Supplier Diversity Council (CRMSDC) recently inducted Sheila Brooks, founder and owner of D.C.-based SRB Communications, into the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Hall of Fame during the 50th anniversary of its Leaders & Legends Ceremony. The organization also awarded Brooks […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Mayor Brandon Scott kicks off new year with feedback requests on city’s 2024 fiscal budget
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Baltimoreans will have an opportunity to take part in the city’s budget-planning process for the 2024 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2023. Mayor Brandon Scott and the Bureau of the Budget and Management Research (BBMR) launched a series of information sessions in December for residents to […]
Posted inBUSINESS
New BWI concessions contract sparks controversy among bidders
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Bidders have claimed that the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Aviation Administration (MDOT MAA) request for proposal (RFP) to manage concessions at BWI Marshall Airport (BWI) is rigged. Last spring, MDOT MAA issued an RFP to determine who should operate the retail, restaurant […]
Posted inBaltimore News
AFRO special announcement: Alexis Taylor named managing editor of the AFRO
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com After serving the AFRO as editor for 10 years and managing editor for four years, Dorothy Boulware is stepping back from her role, leaving the reigns for Alexis Taylor, who currently serves as news editor. According to Boulware, Taylor’s attention to detail is […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Senior Guide: Johns Hopkins to introduce digital literacy program for older adults
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com The COVID-19 pandemic made digital literacy essential for navigating everyday life. People relied on Zoom and various video conferencing platforms to work from home, attend school, and check in with friends and family while the country was subjected to stay-in-place ordinances. Online delivery […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Baltimore native Camiel Irving becomes Uber general manager
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Camiel Irving is now the first ever Black woman to serve the rideshare giant, Uber, as general manager in North America. Since Irving became general manager, Uber has delivered its two most profitable quarters in the company’s history, led by her division of […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Fraudsters steal EBT cash benefits from Baltimore residents, officials say they won’t replace stolen funds
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msaylesafro.com A 26-year-old woman from Baltimore is the latest victim of fraudsters who hacked her electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cash benefits. While checking her balance on an app, she saw that someone had withdrawn $676 from her EBT account at a PNC Bank in […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Durant Family Foundation gifts Bowie State University $500,000 to transform its basketball arena
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com and Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com The Durant Family Foundation and Bowie State University (BSU) have announced a $500,000 award to the institution. BSU and the Foundation are calling for Black athletes to “give back” with investments in historically Black colleges and universities. Brooklyn Nets […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Macy’s and Momentus Capital to use $200 million to create diverse suppliers
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com D.C.-based Momentus Capital, a nonprofit, mission-driven financial services organization, and leading department store Macy’s, are working together to invest in diverse-led suppliers. The pair recently launched S.P.U.R. Pathways: Shared Purpose, Unlimited Reach (S.P.U.R. Pathways), a multiyear funding program that seeks to help diverse-owned […]