"You bring your experiences, your identities and your perspectives - yes, to the classroom, but to everything you do. All the activities, all the conversations on and off campus, and each discussion you have in all those settings, is an opportunity to discover and nurture shared values."
Successful founders are comfortable being uncomfortable. Forging a new path as an entrepreneur isn't easy work. There may be times when you're the only person who believes in your idea, or where you're the only person who looks like you do in a meeting room.
Betty Reid Soskin (1921-2025), who, until her retirement in March 2022 at age 100, was the nation's oldest serving National Park Service (NPS) ranger. She previously was the manager of Reid's Records in Berkeley, a singer and performer, a field representative for California State Assemblymembers Dion Aroner and Loni Hancock, and was an ardent community activist.
To Ian Gonzalez, though, it was a testament to three years of hard work. A community built from the ground up. The crowd had come on a cool Sunday morningto celebrate Gonzalez's business - Last Lap Cornerstore - before its temporary closure in April 2023. "It was the saddest joy I've ever felt," Gonzalez said. "For the community to come out and say they see me and show the love, that was beautiful."
Oprah Winfrey has spent years turning her private health journey into a public conversation - and, at times, a lucrative business. The billionaire, real-estate mogul, talk-show host, journalist, actor, and producer has just released her 12th book: "Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It's Like To Be Free." The book, which she co-authored with Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff, a doctor and professor at Yale's School of Medicine, dives into the role of GLP-1 drugs to facilitate weight loss.
In a region that prides itself on progress, women who built institutions, changed laws, fought segregation, defended bodily autonomy and reshaped culture have largely vanished from the public record. Their names are missing from monuments, street signs, statues and textbooks. Their work survives, but their stories do not.
The Center for Literary Arts presents acclaimed author Venita Blackburn, Compton-born creative writing professor and founder of Live, Write, an organization offering free creative writing workshops.
While entrepreneurship can be challenging, Black founders often face additional barriers in accessing funding, mentorship, and networks, barriers that can also create psychological hurdles. In fact, a 2025 BDC study found that 72% of Black entrepreneurs shared that the fear of racial stereotypes almost stopped them from starting a business. To support founders on every stage of their journey, we've updated our guide to highlight programs, funding, mentorship, and community resources specifically for Black entrepreneurs across Canada!
Not so long ago,I found myself staring at my laptop screen, unemployed for the third month straight. The media industry cuts had claimed another victim, and that victim was me. At first, I told myself it was just a temporary setback. But as rejection emails piled up and freelance gigs barely covered my rent, I started wondering if this was less of a speed bump and more of a dead end.
Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson died on February 17, 2026. A protégé of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson was among the last remaining icons of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Known for his fiery oratory, he was often called "the Country Preacher," a moniker that reflected both his humble roots and his lifelong commitment to advocating for the disenfranchised.
Betty leaves behind a powerful legacy for all of us and certainly within the National Park Service. Her thoughtful, introspective musings about the Civil Rights movement and the women's movement and how they intersected are some of the unique moments that I will always treasure...Thanks to Betty we've learned that we can hold multiple conflicting truths at the same time.
Thanks to Betty, we have learned to lean into and seek out the hidden stories that go beyond the popular narrative. Before taking on that job, Soskin helped influence the stories told there as a field representative to two congressmembers, ensuring the museum also reflected the lived experiences of Black and Asian Americans at the time.
What should be stories about innovation, resilience, market disruption, and leadership have increasingly been flattened into a single, repetitive narrative: DEI. Not the company's business model. Not the founder's vision or entrepreneur journey. Not the problem being solved or the customers being served. Just DEI. And it's often framed through the lens of rollbacks, political backlash, or cultural controversy.
Art is always political. As the white friend at this event, I'm gonna go ahead and say to the women who look like me - to the men who look like me - it's incredibly important to remember that so much of what we love in America comes from Black culture. White people need to show up for Black people the way they show up to be entertained by Black culture.
One of Dr. King's ultimate goals was to create what he called the Beloved Community. This was a vision where all people are respected, cared for, and treated with dignity. At New Relic, we are inspired by these principles as we work to build a culture of mutual respect and opportunity. While we are always learning and growing, we strive to create a workplace where every person feels empowered to contribute their unique talents to our shared success.
