By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced last month that a new Women’s Business Center is set to launch in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In partnership with the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, the center will be operated by the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), and […]
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
Fashion Spa House embodies the importance of self-care
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Cynthia Rumph became a nurse in 1994. In caring for her patients, she witnessed what stress was doing to their hair, skin and mental health. Although Rumph wanted to provide more wellness services to patients, she needed to abide by hospital guidelines. In […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Arizonan entrepreneur addresses mental health treatment gap in Ghana
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com #AFRONews@Noon The World Health Organization estimates that in Ghana 650,000 people are suffering from a severe mental disorder and over 2 million people are being afflicted by a moderate to mild mental disorder. Because of stigmas and a scarcity of psychiatrists, the West […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Refocused Vegan proves that comfort foods can be vegan and good
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Jerel Jefferies wasn’t always a vegan. Born and raised in Baltimore city, he said he grew up eating chicken boxes and McDonald’s. It wasn’t until college that he decided to forgo animal products and jump into veganism. In 2019, Jefferies opened Refocused Vegan, […]
Posted inBUSINESS
The WELL fosters community for Black women entrepreneurs
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com In 2018, Nakeia Drummond, owner of management and social impact consulting firm NLD Strategic, founded The Women’s Entrepreneur Leadership Lab (The WELL) in Baltimore with the intention of fostering a network of Black women entrepreneurs who could support each other and grow their […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black content creators introduce the first Black sports-gambling show on Youtube
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Youtube just got two new sports shows: The Sure Shot and HBCU Sports Nation. Both series are a product of Smash Entertainment, a Black-owned production company, and The Sure Shot is the first Black sports-gambling show. “There are no Black sports gaming programs […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black-owned platform ‘Know Your Politician’ educates the underrepresented voter
After the election of Donald Trump, Kabir Oshodi and Evan Higgins decided underrepresented voters were in need of a platform that makes understanding politics easy. They launched Know Your Politician in 2021 to help people become more engaged in the voting process. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Albert Pannell’s digital reach has gone from zero to Zoom
Albert Pannell possessed no digital knowledge before joining Comcast’s Internet Essentials Partnership Program. In working with staff from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, he learned how to access Zoom and communicate with his relatives. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com According to a Pew Research Center study, […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Expert civil rights leader Laura Murphy releases novel report on civil rights audits
Laura Murphy, president of Laura Murphy & Associates, has advocated for civil rights and liberties throughout her entire career. Her latest endeavor comes in the form of a premier report on how corporations can conduct civil rights audits. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com #AFRONews@Noon Baltimore native […]
Posted in!Front Page
JPMorgan Chase teams up with National Cherry Blossom Festival to plant trees in Washington’s Ward 8
JPMorgan Chase has sponsored the National Cherry Blossom Festival since 2019. Last Friday, dozens of its employees gave back to the Ward 8 community by planting 30 trees in Oxon Run Park. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com For three years, JPMorgan Chase has served as a […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Harford Community College to debut its digital civil rights project
James Karmel serves as the director of the Harford Civil Rights Project, a digital exhibition and mobile app that focuses on the various aspects of the civil rights movement as it relates to Harford County. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Harford Community College, on Oct. 28, […]
Posted inBUSINESS
D.C. Mayor Bowser partners with SMBX to invest in small businesses
Annie Eser, director of the D.C. Rebuild Bond Program. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and SMBX, a marketplace for issuing and buying Small Business Bonds™, have partnered to establish the D.C. Rebuild Bond Program, which will help small businesses in the city […]