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A directory that helps people connect patients to Black doctors is being sued. Find A Black Doctor is an online directory founded by Dina D. Strachan, a graduate of Harvard University and Yale School of Medicine, and a board-certified dermatologist. According to its website, its directory features U.S.-based Black physicians and dentists in active clinical practice. It is driven by a mission to provide patients in the Black community with access, education, and resources to improve health outcomes. According to a statement on Find A Black Doctor’s website, “Having access to Black doctors has been shown to improve health outcomes — particularly for Black men.” The American Medical Association reports that African Americans make up approximately 13% of the U.S. population, but are only 5% of practicing physicians. “This underrepresentation adds a challenge to potential patients seeking a physician of this kind. Just like women have been shown to prefer access to female physicians,...
Wells Fargo has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination in loan approvals. Banking Dive reports that a lawsuit combining multiple cases, filed by Wells Fargo shareholders in federal court in Northern California, accuses the bank giant of approving fewer than 50% of refinancing applications for Black borrowers in 2020. The banker was also accused of conducting fake job interviews with nonwhite candidates in order to meet diversity goals, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Shareholders argue that the bank’s board of directors breached its fiduciary duties regarding Wells Fargo’s regarding the bank’s discriminatory hiring and lending practices, according to a press release shared by the office of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, which served as court-appointed co-lead counsel and was represented by lawyers Mark Molumphy, Tyson Redenbarger, Gia Jung, and Elle Lewis. Wells Fargo has agreed to a $110 million settlement. Of that amount, $100 million will be put toward a Borrower...
The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing the Yale University School of Medicine of discriminatory practices in its medical school admissions process. In a May 14 letter, Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department assistant attorney general for civil rights, said the department conducted a compliance review to determine whether the Yale School of Medicine complied with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance , according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The Justice Department said its review found that Yale’s School of Medicine violated this law in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The department listed several examples of the violation, including the Yale Admissions Cycle Committee Retreat 2025 presentation, “Race-Neutral Admissions: Examples from Literature,” which discusses increasing “Minority Physicians.” The department also alleged that Yale...
PayPal Inc. will forgo an estimated $30 million in processing fees for roughly $1 billion in transactions as part of a settlement resolving a U.S. Justice Department probe into the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The investigation stemmed from allegations that PayPal violated federal civil rights laws through its Economic Opportunity Fund, an initiative launched in 2020 and designed to support Black and minority-owned businesses, according to a news release. Inside The PayPal-DOJ Settlement Under the settlement, PayPal agreed to launch a new Small Business Initiative that excludes eligibility criteria based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics. The program will waive processing fees for qualifying American small businesses that are veteran-owned or operate in farming, manufacturing , or technology industries. “This Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump ‘s vow to root out illegal DEI from every corner of corporate...
Harvard University is supporting a new coalition of HBCUs with a $1.05 million grant to strengthen research capacity across 15 institutions. Formally launched April 29, 2026, at Howard University, the Association of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Research Institutions (AHRI) is a coalition that brings together schools working to expand their collective research, innovation, and impact, according to a news release. The funding, awarded through the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery (H&LS) Initiative, will help build research infrastructure and provide technical support as member institutions work toward achieving R1 status, the highest level of research activity under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, per the release. “Through this three-year grant to AHRI, the H&LS Initiative is deepening our commitment to developing enduring partnerships with HBCUs,” said Sara Naomi Bleich, Harvard’s vice provost for special projects, The Harvard Gazette...
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will impact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the state. According to a news release, DeSantis signed two pieces of legislation on Wednesday, April 22. One specifically targets DEI efforts. SB 1134 is a bill that bars counties and municipalities from funding, promoting, or establishing DEI initiatives. More specifically, it will no longer allow local governments to create or uphold DEI offices, officers, or programs, and taxpayer funds cannot go toward DEI-related initiatives or third-party contractors that promote DEI, DeSantis said. SB 1134 also does not allow grant recipients to use public funds for DEI efforts. Those in violation will face penalties. HB 1217 is t he second bill he signed. This legislation prevents state and local governments from creating net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies, such as carbon taxes, per the press release. “Floridians should not be forced to pay for radical climate agendas...
Akinwole “Aki” Garrett has taken over as CEO of BlackDoctor as of April 1, 2026. In a news release issued Tuesday, April 21, BlackDoctor — a leading loopfocused on improving health and wellness outcomes for millions of Black Americans — said Garrett succeeds founder Reginald Ware, who has transitioned to executive chairman of the board. “Over the last year, Aki has played a transformative role in shaping the future of BlackDoctor,” Ware said. “Through his strong performance, visible leadership, and forward-looking vision, Aki has earned the title of CEO. He knows our mission, our audience, and what it takes to win. This transition positions the company for its next phase of growth and impact.” As executive chairman, Ware will focus on board governance and use his network across the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries to drive strategic growth. “I could not be more excited for Aki to step into the CEO role. In my capacity as Executive Chairman, I look forward to focusing on...
Whoopi Goldberg wants to open doors for other authors. The actress, comedian, and co-host of “The View” is also an author, with her most recent work being a memoir titled “Bits & Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me,” published by Blackstone Publishing. It was released in May 2024 and became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, honoring her late family members and recognizing her upbringing in a New York City housing project, which played a part in her success, according to commentary from Gayle King on “CBS Mornings.” “I used to take the bus for 15 cents … You go wherever, but my mother, what you have to know about her is she was interested in everything. She wanted to know what was out there, too. She, I think, always felt that if she could expose us, we could find different things for ourselves,” Goldberg said on “CBS Mornings.” WhoopInk Goldberg has published more than 12 books, the Associated Press reports. She now wants to make it easier for others to do the same and...
International Business Machines Corp. ( IBM ) has agreed to pay the United States $17 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the tech firm of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in its federal contracts. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement in a news release on Friday, April 10, 2026. The agreement marks the first resolution under the department’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, launched in May 2025 to target DEI-related practices using a civil anti-fraud law. View this post on Instagram A post shared by U.S. Department of Justice (@thejusticedept) “Racial discrimination is illegal, and government contractors cannot evade the law by repackaging it as DEI ,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Department launched the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to root out this misconduct, hold offenders accountable, and end this practice for good.” What DEI Practices Did The Government Accuse IBM Of? IBM allegedly considered factors such as...
A new report has revealed inconsistencies in funding support for small Black-led nonprofits. Candid, a nonprofit organization, and ABFE, a membership-based philanthropic organization advocating for Black communities, released a report that sheds light on the dynamics between Black-led nonprofits and new and continued funders. The report titled “From Transaction to Transformation: Three Ways Foundations Can Invest in Black-Led Nonprofits for Lasting Change,” considers grant data from 2016–2023 for more than 3,500 nonprofits along with interviews with Black nonprofit leaders and foundation representatives. The results showed that Black-led nonprofits received 60% of funding from continuing investors, with the remaining 40% coming from new investors. For small Black-led nonprofits, the report found that new funders accounted for 64% of funding, while the remaining 36% came from continuing funders. Furthermore, new funders for small Black-led nonprofits represented 70-75% of foundation...
Goldman Sachs is pushing back against claims that it is retreating from its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts following social media criticism from racial justice advocacy group Color of Change. The organization accused the investment bank’s employee donor advised fund, Goldman Sachs Gives, of “funding attacks on civil rights” and directing funds to anti-DEI organizations, American Banker reports . Last month, the nonprofit said Goldman also weakened some of its public commitments around DEI programs and initiatives — all in favor of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies. However, Goldman says it remains committed to diversity, even as the legal landscape around diversity-related recruiting and hiring targets continues to shift, per American Banker. “We are strong believers in diversity,” Goldman spokesperson Tony Fratto told the outlet. “It’s important to our business. It’s important to our people. But we have to operate within the guidelines of the law in...
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that will impact the Trump administration’s efforts targeting race in college admissions. In August 2025, Trump signed a presidential memorandum titled “ Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions. ” It required colleges and universities receiving federal funding to collect data to validate that race was no longer considered in admissions, according to The Associated Press. “American taxpayers invest over $100 billion into higher education each year and deserve transparency on how their dollars are being spent,” Ellen Keast, a Department of Education spokesperson, said in a statement. “The Department’s efforts will expand an existing transparency tool to show how universities are taking race into consideration in admissions. What exactly are State AGs trying to shield universities from?” The presidential memorandum was issued to uphold the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling rejecting affirmative action in college...
Shay Taylor-Allen’s story is truly a full circle. Born at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT, she returned at 18 for her first job as a janitor, according to PEOPLE. Now, over 10 years later, she’s preparing to begin her anesthesiology residency at the very same hospital. Her Journey Into Medicine Taylor-Allen worked as a janitor for a decade after graduating high school, initially taking the job to pay her bills, she told the outlet. At the time, she wasn’t sure if college was in her future. Even after enrolling, she continued working in maintenance while pursuing her education. “I was working full-time as a janitor because around that time also my mom got sick, and she was in and out of hospital,” Taylor-Allen told PEOPLE. “They couldn’t figure out what was going on with her.” She recalls that doctors repeatedly dismissed her mother’s symptoms and pointed to mental illness , leaving her without needed treatment, according to the outlet. Thinking back to a house fire years...
A judge has partially approved claims brought forward by Black former McDonald’s executives. According to a court document, former vice presidents of the fast-food giant Victoria Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s USA, LLC; McDonald’s Corp.; Steven Easterbrook; Christopher Kempczinski; and Charles Strong, alleging employment-based discrimination. Guster-Hines spent 32 years at McDonald’s and was promoted about 15 times. This includes a 2013 promotion to quality, service, and cleanliness vice president (QSC-VP). Five years later, she began working at the company’s Dallas Field Office as an operations officer after corporate restructuring plans, which were called “Field First Restructure,” according to the document. As it relates to Neal, she has worked at the company since 2012. After five years, she was appointed QSC-VP and also transitioned to the Dallas Field Office as an operations officer during corporate restructuring. The court document noted...
Wally Sajimi has built a solid reputation as a creative strategist, innovator, and tech founder whose work sits at the intersection of fashion, culture, and experimental technology. As the co-founder of Nietzsche Labs, a New York-based venture studio built on experimentation and the pursuit of unconventional ventures that often emerge from unexpected places, Sajimi believes in challenging the status quo — even when the end result isn’t clear early on, he shared with AFROTECH™. Inspired by his time reading Friedrich Nietzsche, the studio serves as a growing umbrella for ideas, projects, and investments across multiple disciplines. For Sajimi, it’s about fluency, not dilution. How Nietzsche Labs Came To Be “I spent time at the intersection of music, fashion, and technology — watching trends get identified, monetized, and commodified by people who didn’t originate them. I wanted to build something that moved differently,” Sajimi told AFROTECH™, reflecting on how Nietzsche Labs came to...