Mike James and Ian Grant created the WaySlay app in 2020 to provide on-demand access to beauty supplies. The app partners with local beauty shops to deliver products in as fast as 15 minutes. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Years ago, Mike James’ girlfriend found herself […]
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
America’s first Black-owned distillery secures partnership with Delta Air Lines
Chris Montana and his wife opened Du Nord Social Spirits in 2013, and now, the small distillery has become a supplier for Delta Air Lines. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com When Chris Montana and his wife, Shanelle, opened Minnesota-based Du Nord Social Spirits in 2013, it […]
Posted inBUSINESS
October becomes Margins Bookstores Month to celebrate diverse booksellers
Viniyanka Prasad, executive director at The Word. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com For the first time ever, October is being recognized as Margins Bookstores Month. The Word, a Denver-based nonprofit that promotes equity through literary arts, has joined forces with Bookshop.org to celebrate bookstores across the […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
The Cube Cowork expands to become the largest Black-woman-owned coworking space in the country
Sister duo Tammira(l) and TeKesha(r) started The Cube Cowork in 2016 to remove the barrier of childcare for mom entrepreneurs. Now, the space has expanded from just 1,200 square feet to 15,000. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Seven years ago, Tammira Lucas was running her own […]
Posted inNEWS
COVID-19’s long term effects and the path to normalcy
Dr. Joseph Wright serves as the senior vice president and chief medical officer for UM Capital Region Health. For him, the only road to recovery from COVID-19 is through vaccination. By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Aside from impairing our physical health, the COVID-19 pandemic has had long term […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Comcast RISE Investment Fund provides 100 D.C. minority-owned small businesses with $10,000 grants
Comcast RISE Investment Fund is providing 100 D.C. minority-owned small businesses with $10,000 grants. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Comcast on Sept. 14th announced that it would award $1 million in grants to small businesses owned by people of color in Washington, D.C., and the application […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Comcast and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing work to bridge the digital divide for older adults
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 National Digital Inclusion Week, which runs from […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
Civic Works’ Center for Sustainable Careers marks 1,000 graduates trained in family-sustaining careers
The Center for Sustainable Careers offers free job training to Baltimore residents in the solar and construction industries. Graduates of the program are placed in jobs with the center’s employer partners and earn an average wage of $17.50 per hour. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Civic […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Cajou Creamery serves as the DMV’s first and only Black-owned, plant-based ice cream shop
(Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com When Nicole Foster and Dwight Campbell discovered that their children were lactose intolerant, they needed to find dairy alternatives for ice cream so the kids wouldn’t miss out on enjoying the frozen treat. After perusing the dairy alternative market, the husband […]
Posted inBUSINESS
The Knowledge House launches fundraising campaign to support Black and Brown communities in tech education and career-building
Jerelyn Rodriguez co-founded The Knowledge House to provide low-income youth with alternative pathways in the technology industry. The nonprofit supports students with coding and design skills, mentorship and job opportunities. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com #AFRONews@Noon After about five years of working in education, Jerelyn Rodriguez […]
Posted inBUSINESS
D.M.V. native establishes Monita Tequila as a tribute to her late mother
Serita Braxton is the owner of Monita Tequila, a new brand that will launch with its first blanco beverage January 2022. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com For Serita Braxton, entrepreneurship was not something she entirely expected for her future. But, when her mom died five years […]
Posted in!Front Page
Introducing ‘Pleasure Doing Business With You,’ the AFRO’s first podcast
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Shortly after joining the AFRO as the business writer in June, my supervisor and mentor, Dorothy Boulware, AFRO managing editor, asked me if I enjoyed listening to podcasts. I told her I loved them. Whether driving a long distance, studying for exams in […]