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Diverse hiring helps life insurance companies connect with underserved communities. Life insurance companies are focusing on community and product development. Many of the largest insurance companies have historically denied Black applicants, given them lower-value life insurance than white applicants who paid the same amount, and engaged in other discriminatory activity. Research from William G. Gale, a Brookings Institution economics expert and co-author of "Racial Discrimination in Life Insurance," found that while Black families were 3% more likely than their white counterparts to have a life insurance policy, the differences in inheritances (often including life insurance payouts) accounted for 10-20% of the wealth gap. Aside from eliminating blatantly discriminatory underwriting, Guardian Life has opened the door to life insurance for people with HIV.

☆ I raised $9.75 million for my health and wellness company as a Black female founder. Here's how I did it and found the right investors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The duo has raised $9.75 million in VC, a major accomplishment for two Black female entrepreneurs. As of 2022, only a few hundred Black or Latina women founders have raised $1 million or more in VC. White men see white women in their homes and they see Black men in the locker room, but they don't see Black women as often. Feeling seen by our women investors and investors of color has made a huge difference. There are tons of Black women founders in healthcare.

☆ Florida's new education bill would force state colleges to shut down diversity programs and remove some majors entirely
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Florida's new bill would force state colleges to shut down diversity programs and some majors. The bill is the latest effort from Florida GOP to restrict statewide education. If passed, the bill would force state colleges to remove "from its programs any major or minor in Critical Race Theory, Gender Studies, or Intersectionality, or any derivative major or minor of these belief systems." Universities would also be prohibited from funding or supporting any "programs or campus activities" that "espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion or Critical Race Theory," the bill says. Ron DeSantis' recent budget, which he calls the 'Framework for Freedom," would block state universities from using funding to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

☆ Dozens of civil rights groups are demanding the company that runs AP classes stand up to Ron DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

30 civil rights groups demanded the College Board stand up to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The College Board is facing criticism over the rollout of the AP African American studies course. Ron DeSantis after the botched rollout of the company's AP African American Studies course. DeSantis initially rejected the AP African American Studies course in January. But according to reporting from The New York Times, the College Board had repeated contact with DeSantis' administration to discuss the AP African American Studies' course curriculum.

☆ New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy expands AP African American studies course in the state and blasts Ron DeSantis: 'Enough already of all this nonsense coming out of Florida'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Phil Murphy is expanding the AP African American Studies course in New Jersey for 2023-24. Ron DeSantis' criticism of the AP course curriculum. Ron DeSantis of Florida's campaign against the curriculum of the course as "nonsense," according to The New York Times. The AP course, currently in its pilot stage nationwide, is being taught at one New Jersey high school out of 60 nationwide. Ron DeSantis in Florida.

☆ The College Board claps back at DeSantis, calling Florida's reasoning for banning AP African American studies 'slander'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The College Board clapped back on Saturday, defending the course. Instead, the College Board said the administration has leaned into spreading misinformation: "We need to clear the air and set the record straight." The College Board maintained that the course framework was just an outline for the pilot course. The organization also slammed the administration for taking credit for changes that the College Board made to the course and said that there have not been any negotiations between the College Board and the FDOE. "The College Board condemns this uninformed caricature of African American Studies and the harm it does to scholars and students," the statement continues.

☆ Florida wants its strict race and gender law to influence how an AP class on Black history is taught nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The College Board announced Tuesday that it would be reworking its AP African American Studies course. Florida's education department said it "expects" the College Board to change the course nationwide to reflect Florida's law. Queer theory. Now, who would say that an important part of black history is queer theory? The AP African American Studies course will be offered nationwide and was previously piloted at 60 high schools.

☆ Ben Crump plans to sue DeSantis over rejection of AP African American studies course
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump is expected to announce Wednesday that he intends to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his administration's decision to block a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools. DeSantis' administration rejected the AP's African American studies program in a letter this month to the College Board, which oversees AP classes. On Tuesday, The College Board said it would release a new framework for the AP course, which it said has been under development since March. “We are glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we are encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend,” Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.

☆ AP African American Studies course rejected by Florida to be revised, College Board says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The College Board said Tuesday it would release a new framework for the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies that the administration of Gov. “The official course framework incorporates this feedback and defines what students will encounter on the AP Exam for college credit and placement,” the College Board said Tuesday. "We are glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we are encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend," Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement. Lanfranconi said he expected the removal of content about topics "that violate our laws," including critical race theory, Black queer studies and intersectionality. The White House last week criticized DeSantis' opposition to the AP course, calling it "incomprehensible."

☆ Here's the AP African American Studies course Florida rejected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

For months, the Florida Education Department and the College Board have been at loggerheads over instituting a proposed Advanced Placement African American studies course for high school students. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. discussed the issue publicly for the first time at a news conference Monday. They argue that the course is a Trojan horse for "indoctrinating" students with a left-wing ideology under the guise of teaching about the Black experience and African American history (which is mandated in the state). In a statement last week, the College Board said the course was "undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers." Read through the curriculum that Florida has rejected below.

☆ Florida 'proudly' teaches African American history, official says, as he defends rejecting AP course
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We proudly require the teaching of African American history," Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. posted on Twitter. On Jan. 12, Florida sent a letter to the College Board saying the AP course violated Florida law and lacked educational value. Diaz called the White House comments "lies" and released a chart showing the state's objections to the course. But on Thursday, it said in a statement to Reuters that the course aims to "explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans." It is a humanities course and as such does not teach theory, the statement said.

☆ Martin Luther King Would Choose Reflection Over ‘Intersectionality’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Rodney Stevens | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

What in the world is “intersectionality”? Womankind Worldwide, a British organization, defines it as follows: “Intersectionality is the acknowledgement that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and we must consider everything and anything that can marginalize people—gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc.” Google has an “intersectional workforce” page counting its employees by race and sex. I’m black and in my 60s and don’t feel the need for an “intersectional” coming out. The authors of a 2013 academic article, “Toward a Field of Intersectional Studies,” inform us: “Both in its earliest articulations and in its subsequent travels, praxis has been a key site of intersectional critique and intervention.”

☆ Here's what 200 top IT executives said about application modernization on the mainframe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Ibm With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

According to the same IBM survey, executives from some of the largest and most successful businesses assert that mainframe and cloud are not either-or propositions. 4 of 5 executives responded that their organizations need to rapidly transform to keep up with the competition, including modernizing applications on the mainframe. To answer these and other questions, the IBV in collaboration with Oxford Economics surveyed 200 top IT executives across industries in North America about both their mainframe systems and transformation strategies and the intersectionality between them. Executives surveyed realize the advantages afforded by modern mainframe systems and the need to modernize the applications that run on these systems for peak agility, flexibility, and performance. Utilizing their insights and analysis, this report offers guidance on how to extract even more value from mainframe assets.

☆ These 10 LGBTQ candidates could make political history in November
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

More than 600 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates will be on the ballot Nov. 8 — up from the 432 candidates in the previous midterm elections in 2018 — according to the political action committee LGBTQ Victory Fund. But even as an LGBTQ political leader, Balint, who is a lesbian, has faced pushback for her sexuality. He previously told NBC News that his Republican political affiliation was a result of his family's affection for former President Ronald Reagan. Jennie ArmstrongRunning for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 16Andrew GrayRunning for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 20If elected would be the first: LGBTQ state lawmaker(s) in Alaskan history. Alaska is one of four states with zero out LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

☆ Wendell Pierce, LaTanya Richardson Jackson among honorees set for AAFCA's inaugural Salute to Broadway
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“Death of a Salesman” actor Wendell Pierce, “The Piano Lesson” director LaTanya Richardson Jackson and “Till” star John Douglas Thompson are among the honorees set for the inaugural Salute to Broadway presented by the African American Film Critics Association. The event is set for Oct. 17 at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district. “It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of AAFCA. Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer-winning “Topdog/Underdog” — which starred Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and was directed by Kenny Leon in its first Broadway revival — is slated for the Spotlight Award. The production, which began previews Sept. 19 and opens Oct. 13 at Ethel Barrymore Theatre, makes Richardson Jackson the first woman to direct a Wilson play on the Main Stem.

☆ I got hired at Microsoft thanks to my LinkedIn profile. Here's how I made it stand out to recruiters with no tech background.
▼ + stars: | 2021-10-27 | by ( Dorothy Cucci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jasmine Bortters is a video project manager who broke into tech without traditional tech experience. This an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Jasmine Bortters, a video project manager at Microsoft and entrepreneur. During my interviews with Microsoft, I was told point-blank that my LinkedIn profile was what made me stand out. My LinkedIn profile. Example: "Project Manager @ Microsoft| Marketing Strategist | Content Creation"Next, your bio should have a clear summary of what you do and a compelling short story of who you are.

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