By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com UpSurge Baltimore is on a mission to make Baltimore a top-tier tech city, one where everyone belongs and where everyone is afforded the opportunity to participate. Launched in 2021, UpSurge Baltimore is more than just an organization, it’s a city-wide movement united under […]
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
Applications open for JPMorgan Wealth Management Scholarship Program
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com JPMorgan Wealth Management and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) are currently accepting applications for their 2022 JPMorgan Wealth Management Scholarship Program, which provides financial assistance to students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This year, the number of eligible HBCUs has […]
Posted inBaltimore News
KidzStuff Childcare Center opens second location in Baltimore to further its work of closing school-readiness gap
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Baltimore native Angela Kidane founded nonprofit organization Scarlet Covering, Inc. in 2010 to help teenage parents prevent subsequent unplanned pregnancies. She wanted to break the generational cycle of individuals going on Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA). Unfortunately, Kidane underestimated how difficult it would be […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Minority and locally owned businesses to lead design and construction of Johns Hopkins building named for Henrietta Lacks
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine announced on Thursday that minority- and locally-owned businesses would lead the construction and design of the new on-campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells continue to advance biomedical research and medicine today. The […]
Posted inNational News
Foundation established to further the work of the late civil rights leader John Lewis
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com A foundation has been established to advance the work of the late Civil Rights activist and political leader U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D- Georgia). The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation was announced on Monday, which would have been Lewis’ 82 birthday. Until […]
Posted inBaltimore News
A Baltimore all-female golf club’s fight for desegregation
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business WriterReport for America Corps Membermsayles@afro.com The Pitch and Putt Golf Club is the second oldest African-American female golf organization in the United States, and yet, many are unaware of its historical significance. Originally a co-ed golf club known as the Pitch and Putters, it was born in Baltimore City in 1938 […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Jumpstart Nova becomes the first venture fund to invest solely in Black healthcare companies
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business WriterReport for America Corps Membermsayles@afro.com The newest venture fund on the block that’s ready to invest is Jumpstart Nova. However, this fund is entirely unique from those that have come before it. Launched in January 2022, Jumpstart Nova became the first venture fund to invest exclusively in Black-founded and Black-led healthcare […]
Posted inBUSINESS
‘ALIVE’ becomes the first Black woman-owned podcast network across all major platforms
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Founder of nonprofit The Woman Behind the Business (WBB) and host of “The Woman Behind the Business” Talk Show, Angel Livas will soon become the first Black woman to own a podcast network that offers programming across all major platforms. The ALIVE Podcast […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Diva Day Spa and Healing Center is the first Black-owned day spa in Upperco
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Cindy Tawiah was 16-years-old when she discovered what she wanted to do with her life. While living in Ghana and attending high school, she was failing her chemistry class. Rather than reprimand or penalize her for bad grades, Tawiah’s teacher taught her how […]
Posted inHealth
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in African Americans, here’s how to monitor your cardiovascular health
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com February is American Heart Month. It’s a time when healthcare professionals stress the importance of cardiovascular health, especially to those who are at risk of heart disease. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Applications for Associated Black Charities’ Board Pipeline Leadership Development Program close at the end of the month
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business WriterReport for America Corps Membermsayles@afro.com The applications for Associated Black Charities’ (ABC) Board Pipeline Leadership Development Program are now open, and they close on Feb. 28. For the 2022 spring cycle, the Baltimore organization is planning to serve a minimum of 25 participants who want to learn more about the […]
Posted inBUSINESS
CAPE Inclusion helps businesses build DEI programs that center on outcomes
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business WriterReport for America Corps Membermsayles@afro.com Jason Thompson has helped organizations and companies build diversity, equity and inclusion programs for over 25 years. Even if he did not choose to go down this career path, he knew as a person of color he would eventually be forced to broach the subjects. […]