40 years of tackling the racial wealth gap

Newsletter for February 6, 2024

In today's coverage, you'll find insights on the rising demand and salaries in emerging tech roles, along with the importance of upskilling. There's another story shedding light on Associated Black Charities' efforts in addressing the racial wealth gap and structural racism under CEO Chrissy Thornton's leadership, emphasizing the need for comprehensive approaches beyond diversity initiatives alone.

Also, I haven't gotten any photo of the day submissions from y'all. My camera roll is deep but I'd love to see y'all's Baltimore-centric pictures. Maybe it's just the sidewalk on your way to work? Send them my way.

— Alanah, Technical.ly lead reporter for Baltimore

Associated Black Charities (ABC), led by Chrissy Thornton, has been addressing the racial wealth gap and structural racism for nearly four decades. While initially focusing on economic impact, ABC now aims to comprehensively address racism in various aspects such as education, housing, healthcare, criminal justice, workplace discrimination, and the racial wealth gap. Thornton, as CEO, is expanding the organization's staff to further this mission. However, she believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives alone may not suffice in combating inequity in Baltimore.

➡️ Find out more about ABC and Thorton's work in my full report here.

We explored the rising demand and competitive salaries for emerging tech roles in AI, extended reality and blockchain. Senior reporter Holly Quinn's article highlights insights from a 2024 salary guide, which notes the value of upskilling and adapting to new technology trends. It also mentions various emerging roles in the tech sector and the importance of evolving skill sets to remain valuable in the industry. Starting salaries for some of those emerging tech roles begin at $100K — and who couldn't use that with the price of milk and cheese these days? Is a pivot into tech worth it right now?

➡️ Find out more about this in Holly's full report here.

• During Black History Month, Parks and People's president recognized the influence of the Harlem Renaissance along Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. [LinkedIn]

• The Made in Baltimore (MIB) store is still looking for vendors. MIB also recently graduated its Home-Run Accelerator cohort. Check out the cohort members' profiles. [Instagram/YouTube]

• Nupur Parekh Flynn, a Baltimore inventor, made waves with her creation, Bagceit, at the Grammy Awards this week. [The Baltimore Banner]

• Techstars is calling for mentors, especially industry experts in the Baltimore area, to join its mentorship pool for the Equitech Accelerator Program. [LinkedIn/Techstars]

• Fearless Fund has defended its grant program for Black women-owned businesses in a US appeals court amid a lawsuit. [People of Color in Tech]