by Dana Givens

September 22, 2020

Meghan Markle And Activist Gloria Steinem Are Teaming Up To Encourage People To Vote

Women voters have become a critical part of the upcoming election with more and more activists becoming vocal about women’s rights.

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and women’s activist Gloria Steinem are coming together to empower Americans to vote in the upcoming November elections. The two discussed the importance of the presidential election and the impact of seeing a woman like Kamala Harris on the ticket for vice president.

“I’m so excited to see that kind of representation. You know, for me, being biracial, growing up, whether it was a doll or a person in the office, you need to see someone who looks like you in some capacity,” Markle said during the sitdown, according to Marie Claire. “As many of us believe, you can only be what you can see. And in the absence of that, how can you aspire to something greater than what you see in your own world? I think maybe now we’re starting to [a breakthrough] in a different way.”

Steinem also revealed that she teamed up with Markle to cold-call people to encourage voters to participate in the upcoming election to let their voices be heard.

“Meg is herself, smart, authentic, funny, political. She came home to vote,” Steinem told Access Hollywood. “And the first thing we did and why she came to see me as we sat at the dining room table here—where I am right now—and cold-called voters. And said, ‘Hello, I’m Meg,’ and, ‘Hello, I’m Gloria,’ and, ‘Are you going to vote?’ That was her initiative.”

The two women met in August to discuss women’s empowerment and the upcoming election on a clip shared by MAKERS Women, a platform to tell women’s stories. “People forget how hard women like you and so many others before you fought for us to just be where we are right now,” Meghan told Steinem during their conversation. The activist firmly responded, “If you don’t vote, you don’t exist.”

 

Learn Strategies For Financial Success and Building Wealth at the Women of Power Tech Conference
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 22, 2020

Learn Strategies For Financial Success and Building Wealth at the Women of Power Tech Conference

These pandemic-induced times have produced a great deal of anxiety when it comes to money matters. So just how can Black female professionals and entrepreneurs set a course to realize their financial goals?

If you seek valuable insights and advice to guide you through this process, your must-attend the virtual session “Wealth-building Strategies for Black Women” hosted by JPMorgan Chase, which is part of the inaugural BLACK ENTERPRISE Women of Power Tech Virtual Conference.

The panel will be held Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 1:20 p.m. ET and feature leading financial experts Racquel Oden, head of national sales and support, JP Morgan Chase Consumer Bank; Mayra Cardoso, head of content strategy and innovation for U.S. wealth management, JP Morgan Chase; and Tosh Ernest, head of wealth, Advancing Black Pathways (ABP), JP Morgan Chase.

For Black women, the session could not be more significant given their current wealth status.

Black women
Tosh Ernest, head of wealth, Advancing Black Pathways, JP Morgan Chase.

“Having the tools needed to build wealth effectively in these trying times is ever more critical as we navigate our new virtual reality. Black women have made significant strides yet face more hurdles than any other group in the United States,” says Ernest, who serves as the session’s moderator and one of the leaders driving ABP,  Chase’s multi-prong initiative to help African Americans achieve financial success and empowerment.

Black women tech
Racquel Oden, head of national sales and support, JP Morgan Chase Consumer Bank

In communicating the urgency of the topic, Ernest also provides the following eye-opening statistics:

With new studies revealing that Black women have higher levels of education, ambition, and diverse ideas in the workplace, the panel seeks to provide an overview of steps and tools available for them to achieve financial success.

“One of the most important things that I had to learn along the way is, do not let perfection get in the way of progress,” Cardoso says. “We can take little baby steps to get to where it is that we want to be with our investments. But if you wait to know everything there is to know about investing—you’ll never get started.”

JP Morgan Chase
Mayra Cardoso, head of content strategy and innovation for U.S. wealth management

Session topics include the following:

  • Developing habits for successful money management and investing
  • Effectively setting and tracking long-term financial goals
  • Shoring up your finances through COVID-19 and beyond
  • Finding digital tools to start investing and portfolio building
  • Successfully managing assets during periods of market volatility
  • Developing and executing a comprehensive retirement plan

Oden underscores the value of attending the session, citing that Black women must “plan for unexpected moments, ensure that you’re prepared, and take a pause to have the conversation.”

 

Register here for the Women of Power Tech Summit today!

 

San Francisco Mayor Wants To Give Black Mothers A $1,000 Stipend Through Government Program
by Dana Givens

September 22, 2020

San Francisco Mayor Wants To Give Black Mothers A $1,000 Stipend Through Government Program

Black families face their own set of challenges due to structural racism across many public and private institutions. This week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced plans to begin a program that would provide financial support to its most vulnerable populations.

Mayor Breed unveiled her plans for the Abundant Birth Project. This new pilot program would provide a basic monthly income of $1,000 for Black and Pacific Islander mothers during pregnancy and after giving birth.

“Providing guaranteed income support to mothers during pregnancy is an innovative and equitable approach that will ease some of the financial stress that all too often keeps women from being able to put their health first,” said Mayor Breed in a press statement.

“The Abundant Birth Project is rooted in racial justice and recognizes that Black and Pacific Islander mothers suffer disparate health impacts, in part because of the persistent wealth and income gap. Thanks to the work of the many partners involved, we are taking real action to end these disparities and are empowering mothers with the resources they need to have healthy pregnancies and births.”

The initiative, led by Dr. Zea Malawa of the city Department of Public Health, would benefit 150 women across the city. The program is also supported by the Hellman Foundation and the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative to provide resources to study the health impacts results.

“Structural racism, which has left Black and Pacific Islander communities particularly exposed to COVID-19, also threatens the lives of Black and PI mothers and babies,” said Dr. Malawa in a press statement.

“Providing direct, unconditional cash aid is a restorative step that not only demonstrates trust in women to make the right choices for themselves and their families but could also decrease the underlying stress of financial insecurity that may be contributing to the high rates of premature birth in these communities. It is exciting to be in a city that not only calls out racism as a problem but also takes steps to heal the wounds left by decades of injustice and anti-Black sentiment.”

The Inaugural Women Of Power Tech Virtual Experience Kicks Off Tomorrow!
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 22, 2020

The Inaugural Women Of Power Tech Virtual Experience Kicks Off Tomorrow!

Black Enterprise hosts its first-ever virtual conference experience with the inaugural Women of Power Tech on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. An extension of the Women of Power Summit, firmly established as the largest and most impactful gathering of top Black woman corporate executives and business leaders in America, Women of Power Tech, sponsored by Ally Financial Inc., will engage mid- to senior-level power players and C-suite executives in technology and tech-driven businesses.

Women of Power Tech will take place with an engagement-driven, content-rich platform complete with sessions, recruiting, and coaching to help attendees identify new trends and opportunities and gain the digital upskilling necessary to advance across an array of tech-driven industries. Participants will virtually connect with some of today’s most successful business influencers and gain direct access to major corporations eager to recruit ambitious women of color for high-level opportunities in their organizations.

Confirmed speakers for the virtual experience include Shellye Archambeau, former tech CEO and author of Unapologetically Ambitious; Rose Stuckey Kirk, SVP/Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Verizon; Lisa Jackson, VP/Environmental Policy and Social Initiatives, Apple; and Bozoma St. John, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix.

Other sessions and highlights of Women of Power Tech:

  • THE EXPERIENCE: Recruitment & Tech Careers
  • SistersInc.: Founders Real Talk Roundtable
  • Standing In The Gap Without Falling Apart: Bro Culture vs. Black Lives Matter
  • C-Suite Confidential: Top Tech Execs Who Defied the Odds and How You Can Too
  • Command Your Worth: Negotiation Game Changers in Tech
  • Find Your Tribe: Conquering Job Isolation & Cultivating Sponsors
  • Brand Mastery: Put Your Best Digital Self Forward

Women of Power Tech will leverage the most powerful sisterhood of leaders in the tech industry, featuring influential speakers and one-on-one keynote sessions with top executives. Attendees will be empowered, inspired, and equipped with the necessary tools to implement a strategy for success beginning the moment the conference concludes.

“The Women of Power Tech virtual experience will feature all of the most enduring and valued elements delivered by the Women of Power brand over the past 15 years,” says Chief Brand Officer of the Women of Power Summit, Caroline V. Clarke. “It’s all about authentic engagement, results-driven strategies, and a commitment to the collective advancement and success of Black women.”

The host sponsor of Women of Power Tech is Ally Financial. Presenting sponsors include JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Verizon. Platinum sponsors are Apple and American Airlines. Corporate sponsors are Dell, DTCC, Walmart, and Salesforce Corporate.

“As a leader in digital financial services, Ally knows the importance of bridging the digital divide in our communities and in the workplace,” said Sathish Muthukrishnan, Chief Information, Data and Digital Officer at Ally. “We see Women of Power Tech as an opportunity to engage with exceptional Black women leaders and recruit top talent who will help us create products and experiences that better serve all our customers.”

Women of Power Tech begins Wednesday, Sept. 23, and concludes Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. To register and find out more information, visit www.blackenterprise.com/wptech and follow @BlackEnterprise on Twitter.

Kamala Harris: Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg Should Not Be Replaced Until After the Election
by Derek Major

September 22, 2020

Kamala Harris: Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg Should Not Be Replaced Until After the Election

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris said the government should respect late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s wish of waiting until after the upcoming election to nominate a new judge.

The California senator posted a statement on Twitter expressing deep sadness and adding Ginsburg’s seat should not be filled until after the upcoming election.

“Tonight we mourn, we honor, and we pray for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her family. But we also recommit to fight for her legacy,” Harris posted on Friday night.

Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden made similar remarks Sunday afternoon saying the election should come first.

Accoridng to Newsweek, Ginsburg’s final statement was made to her granddaughter Clara Spera on her deathbed just days before she passed away.

“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg told Spera.

Despite her wishes, the Republican Party is already moving to replace her. President Trump announced Sunday night that he will have someone picked, most likely a woman, by the end of the week.

Bloomberg is reporting on Twitter that prtofessor and attorney Amy Comey Barrett is the likely nominee. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who blocked former President Barack Obama’s pick, Merrick Garland, after Antonin Scalia passed away in 2016, said a Supreme Court nominee will get a vote before the election.

Democrats will need four Republicans in the Senate to vote no in order to keep Trump’s nominee out of the high court. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who’s struggling in the polls, have already said they will vote no, meaning Democrats will need at least two more people to declare they will vote no.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Democrats on Saturday that “nothing is off the table” if Republicans attempt to fill Ginsburg’s seat. .

“Let me be clear: If Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year. Nothing is off the table,” Schumer told the Senate Democratic Caucus, according to The Hill.

Mastercard Pledges $500 Million To Help Close The Racial Wealth Gap
by Dana Givens

September 22, 2020

Mastercard Pledges $500 Million To Help Close The Racial Wealth Gap

With the Black Lives Matter protests sparking new dialogue about race relations within the United States, more corporations have been forming new initiatives to end long-standing racial discrimination across different sectors. This week, Mastercard has unveiled its new commitment toward the racial wealth gap within the Black community with a $500 million investment over the next five years.

The new fund will go to funding products, services, financial support, and technology to help Black entrepreneurs and residents across the country access affordable resources to help secure capital for different ventures. “We’ve been focused on driving financial inclusion around the world for more than a decade – it’s core to who we are as a company and how we think about our role in society,” said Mike Froman, vice chairman & president, Strategic Growth for Mastercard, in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“However, the racial injustice that has come to fore over the past few months, reflecting centuries of structural inequities, has provided an additional focus to that work and mobilized broad-based engagement by our employees and leadership.”

“We want to bring the same strategic approach to this issue as we have to financial inclusion—combining our products and services, technology and people, philanthropy, and thought leadership,” he added. “We will be addressing the wealth and opportunity gap faced by Black families and Black-owned businesses, including by providing access to safe and affordable financial services and capital to start and run a business.”

New initiatives under the new commitment will include various projects across the country, including the L.A. Mayors Fund and Accelerator for America to help Los Angeles residents impacted by the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic. “Black small business owners historically have been left behind because of exclusion from financial networks that enable access to capital and loans, predatory credit policies, and the lack of banking relationships,” said Marla Blow, SVP of Social Impact North America Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, to BLACK ENTERPRISE. 

“The number of Black-owned businesses fell by 41% from February to April 2020. In contrast, the number of white business owners fell by 17%. Over the last few years, [Mastercard has] been working with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to digitize application processing and fund distribution as well as create digital connectivity to relevant programs like SBA/PPP systems,” Blow added.

“This has helped them expand their reach and scale – more loans to more business in more places. [So far, Mastercard has] helped enable $250 million in capital to flow to Black-owned businesses in the U.S. since 2018 and are working to triple that amount through this effort to $750 million.”

Master the Art of Public Speaking With This $40 Online Course
by Black Enterprise Shop

September 22, 2020

Master the Art of Public Speaking With This $40 Online Course

Whether it’s in a Zoom breakout room or on a stage, public speaking will forever be an art that never quite goes away. Yes, it’s an art, which means not everyone has it down pat. If you suffer from butterflies in your stomach and find yourself tripping over your words, know that we found a solution.

Breathe a sigh of relief because The Mastering Presentation & Public Speaking Certification Bundle exists, and it’s here to mold you into someone known for working the room.

There are only six courses, but those courses are rife with information. The bundle totals out to 51 hours of content, so there are quite a few hidden gems to uncover along the way.

Whether you want to get your confidence up, work on public speaking specifically in the workplace, or turn storytelling into a career and get clients, there’s a course for that.

The icing on the cake is the teachers that’ll lead you down the road to success. You’ve got billionaires, the best of the best life coaches, Fortune 500 leadership, and more. It’s an understatement to say that these people know what they’re talking about.

Transform from an introvert to a public-facing speaker with a little help from this $40 online course. You can buy the Mastering Presentation & Public Speaking Certification Bundle today, exclusively from the Black Enterprise Shop.

 

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DJ Envy’s Wife Gifts Him With An Investment In Black-Owned Water Brand
by Dana Givens

September 22, 2020

DJ Envy’s Wife Gifts Him With An Investment In Black-Owned Water Brand

Generational wealth is a core component in the Black community’s fight to close the racial wealth gap.
This week, wife of celebrity radio personality, Rashaun Casey, better known as “DJ Envy,” Gia Casey, gifted her husband with a stake in a new, thriving black-owned water brand.

The co-host of The Breakfast Club morning show is now an investor in Positivity Alkaline Water, a water brand founded by Atlanta-based business attorney David M. Walker. Casey says after years of adorning each other with material possessions, she felt that this gift would be more valuable as they stress the importance of investing within the community.

“There are plenty of material gifts you can give your significant other that last for a moment, but I wanted to give a gift that lasts a lifetime, not just economically but socially in supporting black-owned businesses,” said Gia in a press statement. “We support what Positivity Alkaline Water has done for the community, and our investment represents a legacy for my husband and our family. Besides, it tastes great!”

“Positivity Alkaline Water is thrilled to announce we have teamed up with DJ Envy, an industry-leading music producer and host of the radio show The Breakfast Club, to further our mission of providing positivity to positive people,” says Walker in a press statement. “This partnership perfectly aligns with Positivity’s passion for promoting healthy lifestyles, and DJ Envy’s pursuit of wellness, not only for himself but for his devoted fans and followers across the nation.”

This $40 Bundle Is the Stepping Stone You Need Toward a 6-Figure Career
by Black Enterprise Shop

September 21, 2020

This $40 Bundle Is the Stepping Stone You Need Toward a 6-Figure Career

Sure, you may like (or at least put up with) the job you have now, but how does an annual salary over $100,000 sound? Chartered Financial Analysts can make up to $153,000 a year based on experience.

You don’t have to be a doctor, lawyer, or ball player … all you need to do is secure the illustrious title of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), all with a little help from the All-In-One CFA Level 1 Exam Certification Prep Bundle.

If you need a rundown of your new future career, your next office could be inside the walls of JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, or Goldman Sachs, working as an investment manager, investment banker, a financial accountant, and more.

But before you get there, you need to get a handle on the 23 hours of content in this bundle that dives deep into economics, corporate finance, equity, and more between nine courses.

Know that you’re in good hands with James Forjan teaching you every step of the way. He’s got a Ph.D. and CFA Certificate that lets you know that he’s living and breathing in the position you can and should be in.

It’ll only be the first of three exams that you need … but putting $40 toward a six-figure salary is a no brainer. You can buy the All-In-One CFA Level 1 Exam Certification Prep Bundle from the Black Enterprise Shop while it’s hot.

 

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Trump Supporters Reportedly Intimidated Early Voters In Virginia
by Derek Major

September 21, 2020

Trump Supporters Reportedly Intimidated Early Voters In Virginia

Voters in Virginia lined up for early voting in Fairfax County Saturday, working their way through long lines.  However, they also encountered a group of Trump supporters.

Washington Informer reporter Anthony Tilghman posted multiple photos and videos of Trump supporters at a polling site praising President Trump and chanting four more years, according to Yahoo News.

The New York Times reported county election officials were forced to open up a larger portion of the Fairfax County Government Center to allow voters to wait in line in peace.

Election officials told the Times the group mostly stayed about 100 feet away from the entrance to the building and did not block direct access to the entrance, however, they did say some voters and workers felt “intimidated” by the group.

“Citizens coming into and leaving the building did have to go by them,” Gary Scott, the general registrar of Fairfax County, said in a statement. “Those voters who were in line outside of the building were moved inside and we continued operations. Some voters, and elections staff, did feel intimidated by the crowd and we did provide escorts past the group. One of the escorts was the county executive.”

The incident painted a concerning picture of what might happen across the nation on Election Day. Voting issues such as climate change, student loan debt, and the Trump administration’s coronavirus response has already made this one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history. The passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has added abortion rights to the list.

The group of Trump supporters did not start at the polling center Saturday. The “Trump Train” parade began in Prince William County before traveling 25 miles east to the polling site. the event was set to end in the parking lot of the government center.

After the event officially ended, some of the people who attended went to the building to vote, while others stood outside the entrance screaming four more years. Sean Rastatter, a vice-chair at the Fairfax County Republican Committee, who was at the building told the Times he believed the situation did not cross the boundaries into voter intimidation.

“I don’t think there was any way to need or feel intimidated in any form,” Mr. Rastatter said adding that election officials told the group several times to back away for the curb and the group complied without argument.

However, Bryan Graham, the chairman of the Fairfax County Democrats, who was also at the site posted on Twitter “the Republicans are straight-up attempting to intimidate voters at the Government Center. Circling the parking lots with their Trump flags and horns blaring.”

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