Ri-Karlo Handy By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com When Ri-Karlo Handy put up a Facebook post last year seeking Black Union film editors, he had no idea the post would go viral and bring attention to the Whiteness of Hollywood. The post was put in a private Facebook group, […]
Author Archives: Megan Sayles AFRO Business 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
Patent Insider equips business owners and creators with idea ownership
Tariq Najee-ullah, owner, principal and lead patent agent at Patent Insider. By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com Today, we live in an age of innovation. Technology and the internet have made it easier than ever to create inventions, products and services, but they must first be legally protected to […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Former bodybuilder promotes wellness and mindfulness through online tea business
Paula Shaw owner of ‘Cured Tea Leaves’, and online tea company. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com Before Paula Shaw started her online tea business, she was a competitive bodybuilder, who dedicated herself to the sport to fend off generational health conditions, like diabetes, hypertension and heart […]
Posted in!Front Page
JPMorgan Chase makes philanthropic commitment to reduce housing disparities
Milan Griffin, vice president of marketing and outreach for HomeFree-USA ; and Robert Kirkland, vice president of divisional community and affordable lending manager for JPMorgan Chase. By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com Homeownership has long been considered a method for people to build wealth, especially for low-income and minority […]
Posted inNEWS
How to celebrate Juneteenth this week
(Photo/nysenate.gov) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com On June 19th, 1865, the enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally told they were free. The day was officially labeled Juneteenth, and Black Americans have been celebrating ever since with cookouts, parades, pageants, block parties, concerts and education. This year […]
Posted inBUSINESS
12 Black-owned restaurants give customers special access to a Juneteenth cookout
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com To celebrate Juneteenth, Fishnet, a Baltimore seafood restaurant, is partnering with 11 other Black-owned restaurants to give customers an exclusive look into the backyard cookout experience. If patrons buy from any of the participating restaurants on June 18 or 19, they will receive […]
Posted in!Front Page
Nonprofit creates app to promote vaccination incentives
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com Just a few weeks ago, Bright Mind Enrichment and Schooling (BME), a community wellness and education nonprofit, rolled out their mobile app and website: Vaccination Rewards, which aggregates incentives available to vaccinated individuals. “As we were looking more into this rapidly evolving world […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Teenage entrepreneur launches healthy sports drink for Gen Z athletes
Alana Andrews (Courtesy of Alana Andrews) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com If there is one thing to learn from Virginia teen Alana Andrews, it’s that entrepreneurship has no age requirement. In April, the 17-year-old started an online business for her healthy sports drink, SWEY. SWEY is an acronym […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Healthy smoothie cafe in College Park finds success in spite of the pandemic
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com Brave is one word to describe opening a business during the pandemic, but Jetaine Hart and her boyfriend, Sheriff Taiwo, were prepared for the challenge when they opened their healthy smoothie cafe Hollywood Nutrition in College Park last summer. The couple noticed that […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
#WordinBlack: Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition connects city households with Emergency BroadBand Benefit for discounted internet access
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com After Baltimore city schools were forced to shift to virtual learning as a result of the pandemic, it was clear the lack of internet access would be a recurring obstacle to education. Now, the federal government is stepping in to lessen the impact […]
Posted in!Front Page
Local manufacturing company brings career opportunities to Baltimore
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com On June 8 and 9 Tnemec Company Inc, will host a job fair for individuals seeking to enter the manufacturing industry at its Baltimore facility on Edgewater Ave. On Tuesday the fair will be held from 8 a.m to 5 p.m., and on […]
Posted in!Front Page
Megan Sayles brings the business to the AFRO
Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member Msayles@afro.com I am incredibly excited to be joining the AFRO as a Report For America corps member covering the business beat for the paper. Ever since I interned with my local newspaper during my sophomore year of high school […]