Community Energy Center

by Susanna Ray

When Gilbert Campbell graduated from Howard University, he had a burning desire to be an entrepreneur in an industry that fit with his values. He was drawn to solar energy, and in 2009 he and a college friend founded a company that finances and develops solar panels for rooftops and carports.

A reality Campbell had always been aware of quickly grew tangible as he worked: Black and African American communities were suffering the most environmental harm — more often located near landfills, coal mines and industrial plants, for example — yet seemed to be last in line … Read More >>

by Chelsey Cox

On Sunday, June 19, Americans will observe the nation’s youngest federal holiday – Juneteenth, which became officially recognized last year by President Joe Biden. 

Juneteenth came to national prominence in 2020 amid nationwide protests after Minneapolis man George Floyd and Louisville, Kentucky, woman Breonna Taylor were killed during encounters with law enforcement. Both Floyd and Taylor were Black. Their deaths spotlighted ongoing racial inequities in the justice system as well as the legacy of slavery in encounters between Black people and the police.

This month, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey authorized Juneteenth as a holiday for workers in … Read More >>

by Jillian Smith

Consumers are grappling with record-high gas prices and the trickle-down effect is also hurting businesses.

On top of that, energy costs are also contributing to the decades-high inflation numbers.

Business leaders within the Democratic party are putting more pressure on the president to do something to fix record-high gas prices that are hurting the workforce and cutting into companies’ bottom lines.

Many are blaming the Russian invasion of Ukraine for high gas prices but prices were already on the move beforehand.

Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council, says the inflation … Read More >>