Miami Art Week returns to Miami Beach, FL, from Dec. 1-7, 2025, with Art Basel once again anchoring the citywide celebration and bringing culture, community, and creativity together. Art Basel is a highly anticipated event that unites art lovers, collectors, curators, and artists from around the world, AFROTECH™ previously reported. While the Miami installation is considered the premier art show of the Americas, the international fair also takes place annually in Basel, Switzerland; Hong Kong, China; and Paris, France . This year’s edition of Art Basel Miami runs Dec. 5-7, with preview days Dec. 3-4 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The 2025 fair will feature 283 leading galleries from 43 countries and territories across the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, according to a press release. Building on its vibrant cultural landscape, the show will further energize Greater Miami with a week of museum-quality exhibitions and collaborations from leading names in the...

Uncle Nearest is reportedly attracting buyer interest. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Uncle Nearest whiskey brand, founded by Fawn Weaver and her husband, Keith, has been opposing a court order that placed them under receivership in August 2025. This decision stemmed from claims by lender Farm Credit Mid-America that Uncle Nearest defaulted on more than $108 million in loans. In August, Tennessee attorney Phillip G. Young Jr. was named receiver by U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr., so he now oversees Uncle Nearest’s assets, including its distillery in Shelbyville, TN, as well as “real estate holdings, intellectual property, affiliated ventures, and related entities,” according to Moore County Observer. The Weavers had placed fault with Uncle Nearest’s former chief financial officer, Mike Senzaki. They claimed he inflated the company’s whiskey barrel inventory, which resulted in a $24 million credit increase from Farm Credit, according to a separate article from...

Lyft is rolling out a slew of features that are especially timely for the holiday season and people on the go. The rideshare company revealed in a study that 71% of rideshare users surveyed find transportation to and from the airport more taxing than the flight. With the holiday season around the corner, concerns are expected to rise as transportation demand to the airport climbs 20% on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and rises 30% on the Sunday and Monday after the holiday, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. Even in the midst of this, the majority (86%) of riders surveyed preferred rideshare over driving to the airport themselves. Lyft says it is committed to making its riders’ travel experience easier. It is now allowing riders to schedule drop-offs and pick-ups up to 90 days to avoid the last-minute holiday bustle. It will also make more XXL rides available to accommodate a larger volume of luggage and presents. Lyft adds that it is committing to on-time pickups...

Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is dedicated to introducing the youth to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Abdul-Jabbar was the leading basketball scorer with 38,387 points until LeBron James broke his record in 2023, per NBC News. Now he is working to ensure youth in underserved communities can have a “shot that can’t be blocked” through the Skyhook Foundation, its website mentions . He launched the foundation in 2010 and has reached more than 15,400 youth, per the foundation’s website. Its flagship program is Camp Skyhook, a five-day experience brought to life through a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, UCLA, and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, to introduce fourth- and fifth-graders to a STEAM-based, immersive, and hands-on curriculum. The camp also emphasizes collaboration and includes activities such as hiking, swimming, skits, and campfires, notes its website. It takes place at Clear Creek Outdoor Education Center...

D’Angelo’s estate has launched the D’Angelo Pancreatic Cancer Fund, a global philanthropic initiative honoring the late soul musician, who passed away on Oct. 14, 2025, at age 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. According to PEOPLE, the fund was created in partnership with the Black Boy Joy Foundation (BBJF) and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to support research, early detection studies, awareness campaigns, family support programs, and advocacy initiatives, with a particular focus on Black men and boys, addressing a disease with a survival rate of just 13%. In a statement, the estate said, “As a visionary artist, cultural pioneer, and devoted father, D’Angelo’s influence transcended music and defined a generation. Today with the Black Boy Joy Foundation x Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, we formally launched this initiative to honor his life and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.” PEOPLE also reports that the D’Angelo Pancreatic Cancer Fund will be led...

The Greater Sacramento Urban League (GSUL) has filed a lawsuit in hopes of recovering a six-figure investment. According to the Sacramento Business Journal, GSUL has sued Black Star Universal LLC and its founder, venture capitalist Kwame Anku. Black Star Universal is the investment arm behind the Black Star Fund, which has raised millions to support Black founders. GSUL invested $300,000 in Black Star Universal in April 2023, and now GSUL is asking for the funds to be returned. GSUL CEO Ken Barnes shared the intentions of the funding, which was deployed before his appointment in April 2025, succeeding Dwayne Crenshaw. “This was prior to my involvement with the organization,” Barnes said, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. “Partnering with the Black Star Fund would help GSUL do two things: support Black entrepreneurs and create an additional funding stream beyond donations to support our mission.” Barnes first learned about the $300,000 investment three days into his role...

PwC, one of the Big Four accountancy firms, is actively seeking hundreds of engineers across its global network, but says it cannot find enough qualified candidates as the firm expands its AI- and technology-driven services, according to the BBC. “We are looking for hundreds and hundreds of engineers,” Mohamed Kande, PwC’s global chairman, told the outlet. “We just cannot find them.” The firm has shifted its hiring focus from entry-level graduates to specialized technology talent. Kande also stated that PwC’s strategy emphasizes helping clients adopt AI and transform operations and workforces to use these tools effectively. PwC has also made adjustments to its workforce in recent years. In 2021, the firm aimed to hire 100,000 people over five years, but Kande said AI has made reaching that target unlikely, according to the BBC. “When we made the plans to hire that many people, the world looked very, very different,” he said. “Now we have artificial intelligence,” he said, per the...

Aliko Dangote, the richest Black man in the world, and his conglomerate Dangote Group have partnered with U.S.-based Honeywell International Inc. to expand the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria. According to Business Insider Africa, the project aims to increase the refinery’s production capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2028, doubling its current output. The agreement with Honeywell will provide technology and services to allow the refinery to process a wider variety of crude oil grades. Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, will supply catalysts, equipment, and industrial solutions to support the expansion, per Business Insider Africa. In addition to expanding crude processing, the refinery plans to increase its polypropylene production to 2.4 million metric tons per year through a license for Honeywell’s Oleflex technology, according to the outlet. Polypropylene is used in a range of industrial applications, including packaging and automotive components. Honeywell has...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making a major bet on AI’s presence in Africa. The G20 leaders’ summit was held Saturday, Nov. 22, in Johannesburg, South Africa . It brought together 20 leaders to discuss various global challenges, according to Reuters. UAE Minister of State Saeed Bin Mubarak Al Hajeri was present, although the UAE is not a member of the group. However, he was invited by the summit’s host and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Minister Hajeri unveiled the “AI for development initiative.” It aims to introduce AI technology to areas such as education, healthcare, and climate adaptation across Africa, notes Reuters. What’s more, the initiative is backed by a $1 billion pledge to help countries build the infrastructure needed for AI. “We consider AI not just as a future industry but a cornerstone of humanity’s future,” Minister Hajeri said, according to Reuters. “Therefore, my country is actively accelerating innovation to enhance productivity and drive...

Miami-based founders Justin Elliott and Jahreem Samuels have scored an investment for their AI and blockchain-verified commerce platform. The pair’s journeys brought them together, and they became united in business through shared pain points in their respective industries. Elliott explored mechanical engineering while in high school, but in college, he shifted to marketing, maintaining an interest in web development, and eventually became the head of digital marketing and e-commerce for a jewelry company that launched several businesses. “I’ve always had my own businesses where I’ve had to learn how to build websites, learn how to do the marketing, learn about SEO, so I’ve always been on that side of things,” Elliott told AFROTECH™. “I’ve also been in music, so like engineering, technical side, and music has always been parallel in my life.” For 10 years, Elliott worked as a full-time DJ, touring globally, until the pandemic hit. At what felt like the height of his career, he no...

The Black Business Hub in Madison, WI, is on a mission to create a “Black Renaissance” by expanding opportunities for Black-owned businesses in the area. Opened in August 2024 through the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM), the Hub aims to provide a home and launchpad for Black entrepreneurs , offering everything they need to succeed in one place, The Daily Cardinal reports . The Hub is a $25.5 million, 80,000-square-foot facility run by ULGM. Home to everything from coffee shops to beauty salons and office suites, it equips small business owners with the skills and resources needed to launch and grow their companies, strengthening their overall presence in the community. “We’re looking for them to get a strong start, build a strong economic base, and then go out,” Dr. Ruben L. Anthony, Jr., president and CEO of ULGM, told The Cardinal. “We’re not looking for the businesses to stay here forever.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Urban League Greater Madison...

U.S. Bank is stepping up its presence across the Southeast, aiming to reach more businesses and broaden its lending services, including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. According to Banking Dive, the Minneapolis-based bank, with $695 billion in assets, is actively hiring bankers in areas where it doesn’t currently operate branches. Dee O’Dell, head of business banking sales, confirmed that within six months, U.S. Bank plans to bring on at least a dozen new bankers in a couple of Southeastern states. Though they weren’t specified, possibilities include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina, the outlet notes. While O’Dell did not go into detail, the bank is clearly positioning itself to tap into growing business markets across the region. This expansion follows recent moves in other key markets. Banking Dive states that U.S. Bank has added multiple banker teams in cities like Charlotte, Las Vegas, and Chicago, reflecting its strategy to meet...

A senior executive at The Campbell’s Company — formerly Campbell Soup Company — has been placed on temporary leave as the company investigates accusations that he disparaged both its products and customers in a secretly recorded meeting, according to FOX Business. The lawsuit, filed by Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst, alleges that Campbell’s Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Martin Bally, referred to the company’s food as “s— for poor people” during a November 2024 meeting at the company’s Camden, NJ, headquarters. The complaint, filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan, says Bally’s remarks were captured on a recording. In the recording, as FOX Business reports, a voice identified as Bally’s allegedly ridicules Campbell’s customers, saying, “Who buys our s—? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore.” The voice also reportedly criticizes the food itself, expressing disdain for “bioengineered meat” and saying he did not want to “eat a...

Community, family, love — those are the three words Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO Derrick Hayes wants people to think of when they hear his name. Yes, he’s the founder of a multi-million-dollar brand, but he’s so much more than a successful businessman, he says. “[I went from] not knowing entrepreneurship to being a top entrepreneur in the country,” Hayes says in an interview with AFROTECH™ — and his journey supports that. The Rise Of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks A Philadelphia native who became an Atlanta transplant, Hayes opened his first Big Dave’s — originally called Dave’s Philly Water Ice — in 2014 inside a gas station in Dunwoody, GA. While he always dreamed of success, he says his greatest motivation came from a promise he made to his late father, Derrick Hayes Sr. “I just wanted to make him proud and honor something to him,” Hayes said. “So when I eventually built Big Dave’s, it was more so to prove to him that I can stand on my 10 toes and the words that I promised him. And then...

Darrick Johnson and his team have launched a new software to put actionable insights at the fingertips of sports agents and teams. Johnson is a South Central, LA, native who knew technology would always be in his playbook. His father worked at various tech companies, including IBM and Intel, so Johnson always maintained positive sentiments toward the sector. In college, his undergraduate studies centered on business administration, marketing, and management. He then had a short nine-month stint as a professional football player in Canada, but he always knew there was more in store for his career. “I got back home from Canada and was sitting on the couch waiting around for phone calls. Phone wasn’t ringing. I was like, ‘You know what? I got a degree.’ So I literally looked up technology sales jobs and found an inside sales job … So I was making 100 calls a day for almost 18 months before I actually landed my first tech job at Dell,” Johnson told AFROTECH™. One year into his time at...