By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com The City of Baltimore recently launched a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against cigarette manufacturers. Mayor Brandon M. Scott and the Baltimore City Law Department are suing six major tobacco companies, including Philip Morris USA, Altria Group, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, British American Tobacco P.L.C, Liggett Group LLC and The George […]
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 News
Baltimore City Public Schools incorporate entrepreneurship into curriculum
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com In 2021, Baltimore City Public Schools’ Office of College and Career Readiness released its latest strategic plan, which emphasized the importance of students having access to work-based learning and exposure to avenues for in-demand jobs that yield a living wage. The plan was forged from 120 stakeholders meetings […]
Posted inBUSINESS
AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: six organizations with a social justice mission
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com The age-old adage tells us to put our money where our mouth is. Rather than spend money with businesses that are just looking to turn a profit, civil rights activists and other social change agents say it’s critical that consumers look to fund nonprofits and companies that are […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Corporate America responds to investors’ calls for more civil rights audits
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 […]
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 […]
