Category: Business & Finance

Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media On Aug. 3 in Perris, California – a Riverside County city located about 70 miles east of Los Angeles — Lincoln Cooper and Fortunate Hove Cooper handed out free backpacks full of school supplies and hand sanitizers to struggling families during a triple-digit heat wave. They were joined…

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Just in case Black businesses in the state are not aware, the California legislature recently passed the $100 billion California Comeback Plan. It is the biggest economic recovery package in California history. And in it, there are billions of dollars in cash relief for small businesses. State Treasurer…

By S. E. Williams | Black Voice News The Black Economic Development Fund (BEDF), managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a nonprofit community development financial institution, has reached its $250 million goal for capital to invest in Black-led banks, anchor institutions, businesses, and real estate developers and is now preparing to roll out…

By Congressman Kweisi Mfume The American Jobs Plan can rebuild our nation’s physical infrastructure while creating opportunities for small and minority owned businesses to employ more people As each day passes, we feel closer to the moment when we can finally say this pandemic is behind us. While we are not there yet, the sacrifice…

LYONS, NEBRASKA – The Center for Rural Affairs applauds the launch of a new grant program aimed at building capacity and increasing economic opportunity for small and mid-sized meat and poultry processors.  On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will provide $55.2 million in competitive grant funding through the new Meat and…

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor After the historic COVD-19 pandemic has killed over 575,000 in the U.S. and damaged the economy widely, President Biden is putting increased focus on policy to assist parents. According to Oxfam, over 50 million people in the U.S. live in poverty. The federal minimum wage, has remained at…

S. E. Williams | Black Voice News Wells Fargo & Company has finalized investments in two African American Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs)–the Harbor Bank of Maryland and Industrial Bank of Washington, D.C. By making these last two equity capital investments, the company has now invested 13 such institutions fulfilling its March 10, 2020, announcement to…

Bo Tefu | California Black Media California lawmakers have approved Assembly Bill (AB) 80 legislation spearheaded by Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood). The legislation will give a $6.2 billion tax cut to small businesses across the state that received loans under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). California lawmakers approved the bill, they say, to…

The value retailer will soon have a new look and new experience beginning with more than 40 of its locations  COMMERCE, Calif. – As part of its customer-focused growth initiative, 99 Cents Only Stores today announced it will relaunch the company’s brand, beginning with a new 99 customer experience in many of the iconic Los…

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Lendistry, a Black-led-and-operated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), will be accepting applications April 28 through May 4 for a fifth round of funding in the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. Late last year, the state selected the Los Angeles-based company to administer $2.075 billion in grants…

Nationwide — Meet James A. Samuel, Jr., a Black veteran who has launched a new app called ANJEL Tech that turns any smartphone into the world’s most powerful bodycam during confrontations with the police. James said that he became tired of raising kids in a world that forces them to understand they’re unsafe in their…

The racial homeownership gap is as large today as it was during the days of segregation, with the white homeownership rate roughly 30 points higher than Black households. New Urban Institute analysis shows that the gap may continue to grow absent intentional action. This has lasting implications: when one generation misses the wealth-building opportunities of…

Brian Copeland is a starting NFL Linebacker and a Financial Wellness Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a Real Estate Developer, a Venture Investor, and a worldwide motivational speaker. Nationwide — The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce (WDM Chamber) is set to host the first…

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media (UPDATED)‌ Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he had appointed Tara Lynn Gray, 57, of Fresno, as Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). In that role, Gray, who is African American, replaces Isabella Casillas Guzman, who President Biden appointed the 27th Administrator of…

This story was originally published by KRON of San Francisco. by: KRON4 Staff Posted: Feb 23, 2021 / 09:19 PM PST / Updated: Feb 23, 2021 / 10:02 PM SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Fry’s Electronics is going out of business. KRON4 has confirmed that the iconic Bay Area retailer is permanently closing the doors of all stores nationwide. The…

Cori Gordon, 28, never imagined she’d become one of Amazon’s youngest Delivery Service Partners when she migrated to the U.S. from Jamaica in 2013.   Bright-eyed and eager post completing her studies at Northern Caribbean University, Cori began her professional career working in the retail and automotive industries before realizing she had a penchant for…

ATLANTA VOICE — “My team at Chase is focused on creating tools and resources that support financial health. To help kids practice and learn how to earn, spend, and save, we created Chase First Banking — an account that can help make financial education easy, fun, and immersive. It helps parents to have real-time conversations…

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (January 5, 2021) – Lamont King was appointed Assistant General Counsel for Investments for the California State Teachers’ Retirement System effective December 14, 2020. In his new role, King heads the Investment Counsel division in the Office of the General Counsel. King began his career with CalSTRS in 2010 as one of…

Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media There is no silver lining it seems when it comes to redlining.   Redlining describes the illegal practice when government agencies or private institutions systematically exclude certain groups of people — or selectively raise the prices of goods and services for them. The most notable example is how the…