By Megan Sayles Special to the AFRO While co-hosting the Larry Young Morning Show, longtime community activist Marvin “Doc” Cheatham received some discouraging news on air. A 75-year-old Marylander called in to inform Young and Cheatham that his Johns Hopkins Medicare Advantage Plan was being canceled, and he had to begin a search for alternative […]
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 in!Front Page
Baltimore’s G-Haven eSports partners with local organizations to raise money for cancer patients in local hospitals
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com G-Haven eSports (G-Haven), a Baltimore social impact eSports organization, recently teamed up with M.A.P Technologies to raise money for TeamoTherapy, a Baltimore-based charity organization that provides consoles, controllers and video games for cancer patients in local hospitals. G-Haven, which was established in 2020, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Parren Mitchell pushed policy to advance Black business
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com When considering the legacy of Parren Mitchell, many achievements come to mind. He joined the U.S. Army in the midst of World War II, earning a Purple Heart for his service in Italy. He was the first African-American student to take graduate classes […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black Women Talk Tech acquires Black Female Founders
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Black Women Talk Tech, a global collective of Black women tech founders, announced Wednesday that it acquired the assets of Black Female Founders (#BFF), a social impact platform designed to increase exposure for Black female founders and their ventures, for an undisclosed amount. […]
Posted inBooks
Woman-owned Black Garnet Books leads the pack in Bookshop.org’s donation program for local schools and organizations
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Bookshop.org, an ethical online marketplace that supports local bookstores, launched a book donation program to celebrate the publication of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story,” and Black Garnet Books, the only Black-owned bookstore in Minnesota, is leading the effort. The […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
Helping Up Mission to open new Center for women and children
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Helping Up Mission, a Baltimore, faith-based nonprofit that provides programs and services to men and women suffering from homelessness and addiction, is set to open a Center for Women and Children at the end of January. The new center will be located on […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Deadline for Baltimore Homecoming’s Crab Tank Pitch Competition closes Friday
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com #AFRONews@Noon Baltimore Homecoming is holding its second Crab Tank Pitch Competition, and the deadline for the application closes Friday. The competition, which is loosely based on the famous television series Shark Tank, is sponsored by M&T Bank and gives small- to medium-sized businesses […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black-owned eyewear brand NURILENS advocates for better vision care
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Many people collect stamps, comic books and trading cards. Juliette Nelson collects glasses. While working in South Korea several years ago, she found that she could buy various styles and colors of eyeglass frames to match her wardrobe without stretching her wallet. At […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black-owned Media Rhythm Institute wins $25,000 from The Lewis Prize for Music
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Media Rhythm Institute (MRI), a Baltimore-based media arts organization, was recently recognized as a finalist for the 2022 Accelerator Awards from The Lewis Prize for Music, a philanthropic organization focused on investing in music education for young people. Out of over 100 creative […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
REBOUND Center set to open in Baltimore for young adults battling addiction and trauma
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com The REBOUND Center (REBOUND), a new drug treatment program that takes a trauma responsive approach to recovery and wellness, is set to officially open in early January on West Baltimore Street. The center is an initiative of Divine Light, Inc., a nondenominational agency […]
Posted inBUSINESS
How to start saving for next year’s holiday season
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com As the holiday season comes to a close, the AFRO connected with Greg Jones, a JPMorgan Chase branch manager, to discuss how people can start saving for the 2022 holiday season. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: When do […]
Posted in!Front Page
Black woman-owned Cuples Tea House opens brick-and-mortar store in Baltimore’s Howard Row
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com While many couples go on dates to the movies or fancy restaurants, Baltimore natives Lynnette and Eric Dodson, dated over tea before they were married. Each time they got together, their dates consisted of hours of conversation over a cup of tea. It […]