Watching the news can be very daunting to say the least. However, there are quite a few important things to take into account to prepare you going into the new year that I believe will be quite helpful.

Little did we know, there are many black innovators that have contributed in the advancement of technology that we experience today. One innovator that comes to mind is Valerie L. Thomas, an African-American scientist whom worked for NASA and is an inventor of the illusion transmitter.

We can all agree that we dread hearing these two words, “Student Loans.” Since the start of the pandemic, the government has paused student loan payments for all citizens which brought great relief to many of us. If you can remember, during the presidential election, Joe Biden pledged to forgive a minimum of $10,000/person of federal student loans to help with the debt crisis.

Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green is an alumna of Alabama A&M University and has been widely recognized as the first person create cancer treatment that utilizes nanotechnology and lasers in a site specific, thermal ablation therapy called Laser Activated Nano-Therapy (LANT).

Virgil was a pillar to the black community and an inspiration to future upcoming creatives. His works and influence will be spoken of in the same league as Warhol, Basquiat and Haring.

Whether it is during our childhood and up to our adult years, we all have different experiences and lessons that we have faced to help mold us into who we are today. A lot of us unknowingly have certain traits (both good and bad) that we have picked up along our journey that might impact how we adjust to everyday life.

For centuries, black women have been portrayed as having a gift over overcoming all obstacles both mentally and physically that results in the label of being “strong & resilient.” Consistent teachings of this have often plagued our society in believing that black women can handle any and everything that comes in their direction with style and grace.

Many black men face a unique challenge with mental health due to the stigma of being strong and refuting any kind of vulnerability. This has caused a barrier in some ways for black men to consider if therapy is a safe space to seek support on their true feelings.

This year, it has been announced that 25 creative pioneers were selected for the genius grant. A pivotal and historical moment of this year’s selection is that 11 of the 25 recipients are African-American!

Trailblazers, Marian Croak and Dr. Patricia Bath will become the first Black women to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

If you have been following the news media, U.S. law enforcement has been receiving backlash for their efforts in controlling the U.S.-Mexico border from thousands of Haitian migrants (I will refer to using “people”).

Whether you live in Texas or another state you’ve most likely have heard of the new Texas laws being passed or in the process of being passed this year. Governor Greg Abbott (someone I’d like to call another name) has been known for his controversial views similar to those of Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans since his election into office in 2014.

It has been reported that HBCU career service leaders and officials have seen skyrocketing numbers of major companies recruiting their graduates. Major HBCU schools have seen a significant rise in partnerships with Fortune 500 companies that grant opportunities for internships and full time employment for HBCU students.

Balancing unconventional training and raising a daughter was proven to be difficult but Allyson continued to keep her focus as well as make her voice stronger than ever on issues outside of the sport.

Patricia William’s passion for ownership was first rooted by inspiration from family members who had McDonald’s franchises. Patricia and her then-husband decided to open their first McDonald’s store in Compton in 1984.

When you hear of people with the highest IQs during their times you often think of the likes of Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, etc. To be blunt, majority of these people were middle aged white men whose stories were often shoved in our history books.

If you’ve been following the updates on the Champlain Tower (Surfside) Building collapse it is devastating to hear that this has taken the lives of 27 people and that there are approximately 118 people whom have still not been accounted for.

Often when young black professionals are looking for jobs the first of many questions that comes to mind is, “How diverse is the company?”

The Jalen Rose Leadership Academy is a tuition-free public charter high school on the northwest side of Detroit focused to give black and brown kids opportunities to have a better education.

A few months ago, Evanston, Ill became the first city to introduce racist reparations to current and future black residents. The program was originally designed to pay $25K to Black residents in the form of coverage for home improvement costs, down payment and closing cost assistance, and mortgage payments.