THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 25, 2022 - January 31, 2023
How Nelly Cheboi rose from a poor rural village in Kenya to become CNN Hero of the year
ies, whatever was leftover could support my family.” According to VOA Africa, TechLit Africa now serves 10 schools and hopes to expand to 100 more within a year. Cheboi teaches her students various computer skills like coding. The students can also engage in remote learning. “They can go from doing a remote class with NASA on education to music production,” Cheboi said. “My hope is that when the first TechLit kids graduate high school, they’re able to get a job online because they will know how to code, they will know how to do graphic design, they will know how to do marketing. The world is your oyster when you are educated.” Cheboi’s philanthropic work saw her being named CNN’s Hero Of the Year. The 29-year-old beat 10 other nominees to emerge victorious. She received a $10,000 grant to help her expand her work to more African schools. The grant is also to assist her to recruit more students and hire local teachers.
by Abu Mubarik, Face2FaceAfrica Nelly Cheboi is a Kenyan software engineer and founder of TechLit Africa, a Kenyan company that recycles technology to rebuild computer labs in African schools. The launch of her company was influenced by her background. Cheboi grew up in poverty in rural Kenya. Like many of her kind, she did not have access to computers but eventually got a scholarship to study computer science at Augustana College in Illinois. After her course, she worked in the software industry and realized that companies just throw away computers when it’s time for an update. This inspired her to found TechLit Africa to repurpose the computers for rural schools in Kenya. “I came up with this idea to build a school, and the idea for this school was mainly focused as being a source of income for the family,” she told POCIT. “The kids would go to this school and pay about $10 a month, and that money is enough to keep the school running, pay for the teachers, pay for food by stationar-
JCSU President Announces Plans to Retire in June By Nyah Peebles, HBCUBuzz.com Clarence D. Armbrister, the 14th president of Johnson C. Smith University (JSCU) announced in a message to students on Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the spring semester. JSCU Board of Trustees will launch a search for his successor and s expects to have a new president in place by fall 2023. Armbrister said that he will stay on through early 2024 as a senior advisor to the new president. “It is a bittersweet moment for me and my family because we love this university and the unparalleled opportunities HBCUs like ours provide for thousands of students across the country each year,” Armbrister said in his letter to faculty, staff and students. “It has truly been a privilege and an honor to serve the JCSU family.” Steven Boyd, chair of the university’s board of trustees, thanked Armbrister for his leadership and “unwavering love” in a message posted on the school’s website. Boyd said that when Armbrister walked into the room in 2018, he was the clear and unanimous choice to be the 14th president of the school. Boyd said that Ambrister provided the necessary leadership to effectively overcome challenges such as financial needs, residence hall issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic. “Among other achievements, President Armbrister will forever be recognized for
Meet the father and son behind the first-ever Black-owned athletic supply company By Abu Mubarik, Face2FaceAfrica
the unprecedented public-private partnerships he established through the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, which resulted in the single largest gift the university has ever received,” Boyd said. he $80 million, five-year commitment to support our new strategic business plan has positioned the university to elevate its standing in the Charlotte community and the world of higher education, to one of the most influential and consequential HBCUs in the nation.”
The athletic equipment industry brings in millions of dollars annually. This is evident in a 2021 report published by Statista. It reported that the U.S. wholesale sales of basketballs amounted to an estimated $286 million, making it a lucrative sector for entrepreneurs. The sector is also among the less diverse business ventures in America. It is largely dominated by companies operated and owned by whites. This became clear to Oronde Booker whenever he went to support his son at team practices and games. He observed that equipment used by the players, trainers, and coaches was developed by four companies, and not even a single one of them was Black-owned. This inspired him to start Book Dawg Sports so as to become a major supplier of athletic products. He established the company with his son Kendall. “When thinking about sports, it’s likely that several Black stars across all sports — basketball, football, tennis, or soccer — come to mind easily,” Booker told Black News. “Black people have contributed much to sports, attracting fans and diverse audiences, redefining the game and helping shape its culture, yet so few are found ‘behind the ball,’ particularly when looking at industries like sports equipment.” The Atlanta-based company is the first ever Black-owned athletic supply company. Last September, the company said that it was taking pre-orders for its flag-
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ship product called HW101, which is a basketball made with premium microfiber composite leather that offers amazing grip and durability to last all season and beyond.
HW101 stands for Hard Work 101 and is inspired by the fact that excellence on the court requires hard work. Booker also