Amazon to Invest $21M in Real Estate Developers of Color
Last week, Amazon announced a new partnership with social impact and economic justice groups to support real estate developers of color. The e-commerce company will invest $21 million into a two-year accelerator program, which is part-time and free for participants.
"With this accelerator program, we are laser focused on lifting up emerging real estate developers of color. We want to foster their professional growth through education and training, as well as improve their access to capital, which can be elusive to developers of color,” said Catherine Buell, director of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, in a press statement. “If we are going to bring about lasting, holistic, and meaningful change to how affordable housing is developed, developers of color need to be a part of the solution.”
Principal of LeBron James' I Promise School Resigns After Slapping Allegations
Brandi Davis, the principal of the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, has resigned in the wake of allegations that she slapped an 11-year-old student in the face. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Davis submitted her resignation to the school board last week after she was placed on leave back in September in connection to the alleged incident. According to the child's parent, Davis allegedly slapped him for swearing, leaving behind a busted lip on the boy. Akron Police are also looking into the allegations.
Kamala Harris Secures $1.2 Billion in Private Sector Commitments for Central American Economy
In an effort to address the underlying causes of migration, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that several additional companies will invest in the economy of Central America, The Hill reports. The new commitments, which are a part of a "call to action" that Harris announced last spring, brings the investment to $1.2 billion. Investors includes PepsiCo., Parkdale Mills, CARE International, Microsoft, MasterCard, and more.
Spain Orders 30K People to Stay Indoors After Volcano Spews Toxic Gas
Natural disasters continue to wreck havoc across the globe. According to CBS News, over 30,000 people on La Palma island in Spain were instructed to stay inside of their homes, keeping all windows, doors, and shutters closed, due to toxic gasses—including high levels of sulfur dioxide—being excreted from a volcano. More than 7,000 people have been evacuated from their homes since the volcano first erupted in September.
Taliban Leaders Expresses Desire for Good Relationship with U.S. and Other Nations
According to The Associated Press, the new Taliban rulers are seeking the world's "mercy and compassion" to assist the millions of Afghan residents who are in desperate need of aid. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed that the Taliban government wishes to have good relationships with all nations and noted that they do not have an issue with the United States. Further, he urged the U.S. to release the $10 billion in funds that were frozen when the Taliban took over Afghanistan last summer. “Making Afghanistan unstable or having a weak Afghan government is not in the interest of anyone,” Muttaqi said in the interview.
