By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Pinky Cole, the founder, and CEO of Slutty Vegan, comes back home this weekend. The philanthropist and entrepreneur brings the Pinky Cole Experience Tour to the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Soundstage on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. The event celebrates the release of her […]
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 inBUSINESS
The Nonprofit Doctor: Maryland business woman helps spot pain points and solutions for local organizations
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com After 30 years of dedicating her life to serving nonprofit organizations, Maryland native Jaye Matthews is launching her own consultancy, The Nonprofit Doctor. The firm seeks to ensure organizations across the globe have the support they need to sustain themselves, thrive and fulfill […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Mother-daughter duo create online store for bath bombs, lipglosses and accessories
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Single mother Em Hunt was void of self-confidence and hope until she found out she was pregnant with her daughter. At the time, Hunt was 22. She didn’t have a job, her car was repossessed and she was dealing with a granuloma tumor […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Resident physicians at Children’s National Hospital say more resources needed to cope with patient surge
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Doctors in residence and fellows at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. are in the midst of a critical negotiation with their employer. The doctors, represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, recently held a Unity Break to call attention to their […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Annual gift and art show returns to steer holiday shoppers to Black entrepreneurs and artists
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com After a two-year absence, the BZB Holiday Gift and Art Show will return to Washington, D.C. at Shiloh Baptist Church’s Family Life Center this month. Tagged the “largest African-American department store on the East Coast,” the 100,000 square-foot market covers two floors and […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Navigating ‘unprecedented times’: Carver Bank’s CEO advises how to cope with the Fed’s climbing interest rates
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com With inflation and interest rates at an all time high, one thing is clear for Carver Federal Savings Bank CEO and President Michael Pugh, we are living in unprecedented times. Throughout 2022, the Federal Reserve (Fed) has raised interest rates six times in […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Ohio sues Family Dollar and Dollar General for deceptive pricing
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has sued two leading discount stores for deceptive pricing: Dollar General and Family Dollar. Yost sued Dollar General on Nov. 1 after receiving complaints from residents across multiple counties in the state, alleging that the variety store charged […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Tech watch: seven Black-owned startups to keep your eye on
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Startups are popping up across the country in a variety of different industries– each one with a new, innovative product or service to offer. Some even grant patrons the opportunity to seize their stake in the company in exchange for equity. Here’s a […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Millions of women left the labor market during COVID-19. What are they doing now?
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com In March 2020, Chantal Potter was seven months pregnant with her first child. At the time, she was a project manager leading a team focussing on a Department of Defense (DOD) contract at the Defense Health Agency (DHA). When she gave birth to […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Lyft provides free and discounted rides to remove transportation barriers for job seekers
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com For low-income communities, transportation is a significant barrier to employment. It’s generally impossible to secure a job and keep it without having the means to get there In Washington, D.C., the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent as of September 2022, according to the […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Beyond The C-Suite launches new program to elevate Black women executives by helping them become published authors and professional speakers
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Beyond The C-Suite, a full-service communications, public relations and personal brand management agency, is launching a new program to advance Black women who hold senior executive positions. The year-long Seen & Heard Experience will give Black women senior executives the opportunity to write […]
Posted inBUSINESS
BLK, the dating app for Black singles, launches Homecoming Mode to bring HBCU students and alumni together
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com BLK, the prime lifestyle and dating app for Black singles, is helping students and alumni come together to celebrate their historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The app, owned by the Match Group, recently launched Homecoming Mode, a feature that lets users add […]
