By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com Because large electronic companies, like Best Buy’s Geek Squad, often provide their own repair services, it’s no small feat for a Baltimore Black-owned, small business to stay in the game for 17 years. In 2004, brothers Edward and Daniel Brunson decided to go […]
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 inAfro Briefs
Maryland unemployment benefits will continue into September
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill issued a preliminary injunction, July 13, blocking Gov. Larry Hogan’s attempt to terminate federal unemployment benefits. Now, the enhanced payments will continue into September when the federal funds are set to discontinue. The ruling took place […]
Posted inBUSINESS
EXHALE app helps minority women manage their mental health
The EXHALE app specifically targets Black, Indigenous and women of color to provide them with guided meditations and breathing techniques to improve their mental health. (Courtesy photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com July is nationally recognized as Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) mental health month. During […]
Posted in!Front Page
FedEx open applications for E-Commerce Learning Lab to support people of color and women-owned small businesses
(l-r) Rose Flenorl and Luz Urrutia. (Courtesy Photos) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Applications opened, July 12, for FedEx’s E-Commerce Learning Lab, a program designed to assist diverse small business owners in developing or expanding their e-commerce operations. The applications will close July 19. The program was developed […]
Posted in!Front Page
#Parity: Baltimore equitable development company seeks to combat gentrification
Bree Jones, founder of Parity, experienced gentrification firsthand in New York City and turned her efforts to mitigate this displacement of communities of color to Baltimore City. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com In 2019, a National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) study found that seven cities accounted […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Initiative for a Competitive Inner City invites Baltimore small business owners to apply to a mini MBA program
The Baltimore cohort enrolled in the Inner City Capital Connections program previously met in person at Morgan State University, but the pandemic has forced the program to go virtual. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a national nonprofit dedicated […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Street Care app equips users with toolkit to be good neighbors to those experiencing homelessness
(Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com There is no shortage of opportunities to help people who are experiencing homelessness. You can volunteer at a soup kitchen, make clothing donations to shelters and even fundraise for organizations dedicated to alleviating homelessness. However, Bright Mind Enrichment and Schooling (BME), […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Circuit court judge rules to continue Maryland’s pandemic unemployment benefits
(stock photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com Baltimore Circuit Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill issued a temporary restraining order, July 3, to stop Governor Hogan’s decision to terminate unemployment benefits. The ruling took place just hours before the state of Maryland planned to officially pull the plug on the payments […]
Posted in!Front Page
MahoganyBooks to open second location in Prince George County’s National Harbor
Ramunda and Derrick Young gained inspiration for their bookstore’s name from their daughter, Mahogany. The shop sells books written by and about people of the African Diaspora. (Courtesy Photo, credit to Kea Taylor) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com MahoganyBooks, a bookstore that exclusively sells works written by and […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Instagram’s latest feature highlights Black businesses
Black-owned businesses can now add a label to their profiles pages to inform customers they are buying Black. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com In an effort to support Black-owned businesses, Instagram has rolled out a new feature for U.S. entrepreneurs to identify their profile page as […]
Posted inBUSINESS
T. Rowe Price and Business Volunteers Maryland’s scope-a-thon brings equity to Baltimore nonprofits
Participants describe their experience during the skillConnect scope-a-thon, which was targeted at local nonprofits focused on racial equity. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com T. Rowe Price and Business Volunteers Maryland recently hosted skillCONNECT, a virtual scope-a-thon, for four Baltimore nonprofits to help them navigate and overcome […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Angel investors to launch business plan competition for HBCU students
(L-R) Akin Akinhanmi, Joe Akoun, Emeka Igwilo, Obi Obiaka and Sanmi Kalesanwo founded BearWay Capital to invest in minority-owned businesses by providing them with access to funding and networking opportunities. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com On Aug. 1 BearWay Capital will commence its HBCU New Venture […]