Junior Achievement USA’s Post

We at the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC) are thrilled to announce that we have received over 100 submissions for our inaugural RUN THE BLOCK grant and mentoring program. WOW! This is an amazing response for a first-of-its-kind initiative to increase Black ownership in the running industry. Here's some geographic data 🤓: RUN THE BLOCK has attracted applicants from all corners of the United States, highlighting its broad national appeal to current and future Black retail business owners. Leading the pack, we have New York (11), California (10), Texas and Illinois (9 each), Georgia (8), and Maryland (7). North Carolina also shows strong interest with (7), followed by New Jersey (6) and Tennessee (5). We're excited to see submissions from Florida, Ohio, and Michigan (4 each), Alabama (3), and Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia, and Washington (2 each). We also have applications from Colorado, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Iowa, Utah, and Wisconsin (1 each). Following this list is my very amateur visual map of cities illustrating the geographic distribution of our applicants. I will #dobetter next time lol. We are all excited about the enthusiasm for RUN THE BLOCK and can't wait to see the impact this program will make. It will be challenging to narrow it down to one winner this year, but our teams—comprised of retail owners, investors, small business advisors, brand leaders, and others—are ready for the challenge. Stay tuned for updates! #RunningIndustry #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackOwnedBusiness #RunTheBlock #RIDC #Running4Diversity

If given the chance, would you advocate and nominate someone for an award? Positive feedback and affirmation not only inspire individuals to excel but also validate and highlight the amazing work being done around us. Authentic recognition is good for individuals, teams, companies, and communities. The Spark Awards is a celebration of the remarkable contributions of young people (aged 40 & under) in our region who have the "spark" to make our community better. Don't miss the chance to nominate deserving individuals for this year's awards! The deadline for submissions is May 15th, 2024. Nominate those in any category you believe should receive recognition. 1) Education 2) Community Advocacy 3) Civil Service 4) Creativity 5) Entrepreneurship 6) Athleticism 7) Justice For consideration in any category, include the nominee's name, contact information (phone and/or email), and a 250-word description of their work in that category, explaining why they should be this year's recipient. Shoutout to Aksel W. for posting this info. I'm excited to celebrate the folks who are doing such amazing work. https://lnkd.in/edpcVseQ

The Campaign for College Opportunity is once again honoring Citrus College for its efforts to improve degree completion and advance racial equity for Black and Latinx students. Citrus College has been named a 2023 Champion of Higher Education, which recognizes the campus' exemplary work in implementing the associate degree for transfer (ADT). Citrus College will be recognized as a "Top Performer" in these categories: • Champion of Higher Education – ADT Awarded as a Percentage of all Associate Degrees Awarded, reflecting the percentage of total associate degrees awarded that were ADTs in the 2021-2022 academic year. • Equity Champion for Black Students, supporting at least 65% of Black associate-degree earners on campus to earn an ADT, as well as supporting these students to perform as well or better in this metric compared to the student body. • Equity Champion for Latinx Students, supporting at least 65% of Latinx associate-degree earners on campus to earn an ADT, as well as supporting these students to perform as well or better in this metric compared to the student body. Celebrate with us during a virtual celebration on Nov. 14: https://lnkd.in/dD6EvuZ2 #HigherEdChamps

We’re black athletes in medicine… Of course we founded an organization to introduce Black youth to careers in healthcare via sports 🏅 ! Sneakers 2 Scrubs was founded by 5 Chicago-based medical students with former collegiate/professional sports experience. If you are interested in supporting our movement, please follow Sneakers to Scrubs to stay in the loop! HOW TO GET INVOLVED: 1. Black youth can be entered into our mailing list via the mentee interest form 📰 2. Healthcare providers/students with former collegiate/professional sports experience can connect with us via our athlete feature waitlist 🏈 3. Sponsors can inquire via our partner interest form 📝 All links are in the Sneakers to Scrubs bio! NOTE: If you know of any healthcare professionals with former collegiate/professional experience in healthcare, please tag them in the comments! FOUNDERS: Jameel A. Marcus Allen Solomon Egbe Lord Hyeamang Edem Asamoa 🎥: Edem Asamoa #sneakers2scrubs #blackinmedicine #medicine #medicalschool #premed #diversity #AAMC #AMEC

Perhaps I'm just ignorant, but what and where and when is Diversity Equality and Inclusion relevant? Let's start with admittance and grades for QC courses. In my day those who scored the required SAT scores and had the required average in Highschool were accepted into QC. There was no discrimination. Just numbers. Everyone else could go to QCC and matriculate into QC for their Junior year. Diversity irrelevant. Equality, everyone got an equal opportunity, Inclusion standards were color blind and ethnic neutral. Now lets look at Main St. Flushing 1970 compared to today. Back then Diversity in all races and religions. Equality was go into a store with money and you got what you wanted. Inclusion All were welcome. Today's Main St. Flushing. 100% Asian language. 100% Asian business owned. What happened to Diversity? What's concerning is when the people in charge program AI. The one source of programming will end the 1st amendment. Then obviously old uninformed people like me will just have to accept the infallible explanations. Oh well. I guess the truth checkers will make it all right.

Black-owned BUZZ Coffeehouse on Historic Cascade: closing. Black woman-owned Hodgepodge Coffeehouse on Moreland Ave: closing. Two places I’ve spent years sipping delicious coffee, completing big projects (including my dissertation), and building community announced they’ll be shutting down in the same week due to rent spikes. Our team at Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative has been tracking and hitting the pavement to listen to Black business owners facing displacement and one thing is clear: the displacement of Black-owned businesses is rendered nearly invisible in Atlanta policy discussions. We need better policy tools to preserve affordability for these vital community wealth building and job creating centers in our neighborhoods, but there are far fewer tools and investments in this area when compared to housing affordability. Moreso, there are more tools and policies in place to accelerate the displacement of these businesses than there are to stop it. We look forward to sharing more of what we’re learning. But this is unacceptable.

This year, the Oikos Institute for Social Impact will once again recognize those in the Black Church and Historically Black Educational Institutions (HBEI's) that have innovative approaches to serving their community at our second Fishing Differently™ Impact Awards/Gala and Conference. Candidates are those who are using their spaces and places to make an impact in their community. Their properties are used to address issues of food insecurity, affordable housing, childcare, and recidivism or to create revenue and jobs. These are the types of projects that will be considered. We are looking for those projects that exemplify what it means to be Fishing Differently™ for social impact. We praise and celebrate those who share in our passion for this work. WHO WOULD YOU NOMINATE FOR A FISHING DIFFERENTLY™ IMPACT AWARD? Please share who you think meets these criteria and why in 200 words or less. All nominations are due no later than January 31, 2024. Pictured here: Rev. Dr. Abdul Knox (honoree), Rev. Dr. Denise C. Picket (honoree), Dr. Otis Moss III, Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams (co-founder of Oikos) , Rev. Jeremiah Wright (honoree), Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount (co-founder of Oikos), Rev. Demetrius Davis (honoree), Rev. Lisa Williamson (honoree), Richard Townsell (honoree) https://lnkd.in/eREMPNs9

This year, the Oikos Institute for Social Impact will once again recognize those in the Black Church and Historically Black Educational Institutions (HBEI's) that have innovative approaches to serving their community at our second Fishing Differently™ Impact Awards/Gala and Conference. Candidates are those who are using their spaces and places to make an impact in their community. Their properties are used to address issues of food insecurity, affordable housing, childcare, and recidivism or to create revenue and jobs. These are the types of projects that will be considered. We are looking for those projects that exemplify what it means to be Fishing Differently™ for social impact. We praise and celebrate those who share in our passion for this work. WHO WOULD YOU NOMINATE FOR A FISHING DIFFERENTLY™ IMPACT AWARD? Please share who you think meets these criteria and why in 200 words or less. All nominations are due no later than January 31, 2024. Pictured here: Rev. Dr. Abdul Knox (honoree), Rev. Dr. Denise C. Picket (honoree), Dr. Otis Moss III, Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams (co-founder of Oikos) , Rev. Jeremiah Wright (honoree), Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount (co-founder of Oikos), Rev. Demetrius Davis (honoree), Rev. Lisa Williamson (honoree), Richard Townsell (honoree) https://lnkd.in/eREMPNs9

After a quick Google search, I found that while there are at least two other Black Business Weeks (in Minneapolis and San Antonio), neither has been around longer than 502 Black Business Week®️. This makes our initiative even more unique. Unlike others, which focus on conference-style events, 502 Black Business Week®️ centers on Economic Empowerment while celebrating Juneteenth and recycling the Black dollar. Supporting this movement can put Louisville at the forefront as trendsetters with a concept that can and should be duplicated in other cities. I knew this week was important, which is why it's a registered brand. Louisville, now is the time to get behind what I've created because this initiative is about you and your business. *Minneapolis has the support of their city and mayor, which is a step ahead of Louisville. I'm serious about expanding this to other cities. Since 2018, that was always the goal, and I believe in divine timing. I need your help. I need connectors in at least four other cities—people I know or that you know personally and that I can trust. The goal for 2025 is to have 5 Black Business Weeks happening simultaneously during the week of Juneteenth: one 8th Annual and four inaugural ones. Let's make it happen! #supportblackbusinesses #economicempowerment

This year, the Oikos Institute for Social Impact will once again recognize those in the Black Church and Historically Black Educational Institutions (HBEI's) that have innovative approaches to serving their community at our second Fishing Differently™ Impact Awards/Gala and Conference. Candidates are those who are using their spaces and places to make an impact in their community. Their properties are used to address issues of food insecurity, affordable housing, childcare, and recidivism or to create revenue and jobs. These are the types of projects that will be considered. We are looking for those projects that exemplify what it means to be Fishing Differently™ for social impact. We praise and celebrate those who share in our passion for this work. WHO WOULD YOU NOMINATE FOR A FISHING DIFFERENTLY™ IMPACT AWARD? Please share who you think meets these criteria and why in 200 words or less. All nominations are due no later than January 31, 2024. Pictured here: Rev. Dr. Abdul Knox (honoree), Rev. Dr. Denise C. Picket (honoree), Dr. Otis Moss III, Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams (co-founder of Oikos) , Rev. Jeremiah Wright (honoree), Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount (co-founder of Oikos), Rev. Demetrius Davis (honoree), Rev. Lisa Williamson (honoree), Richard Townsell (honoree) https://lnkd.in/eREMPNs9