6 minute read
Business
Upcoming Workshop to Explore Possibilities of Blockchain Technology
Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
At a time when Black people are setting their sights on ownership and generational wealth, proponents of Blockchain technology continue to embrace what they describe as a means of meeting those goals.
That mission continues at Everlasting Life Vegan Cafe in Capitol Heights, Maryland this weekend. Between November 4 through 6, participants can visit and gain a baseline understanding of Blockchain technology.
At the end of this experience, they will walk away with a non-fungible token, or NFT, they developed under the direction of a Blockchain expert. They would have also purchased cryptocurrency.
Blockchain technology, also known as Web 3.0, serves as the platform where exchange of cryptocurrency and NFTs takes place.
Since its inception more than a decade ago, Blockchain technology has been heralded as a tool that marginalized people can use to circumvent banks and other global entities on the road to collectively building wealth.
NFTs and cryptocurrency count among the numerous commodities exchanged through Blockchain technology. In recent years, governments across the globe have slowly embraced cryptocurrency. Even with a dip in value over the last few months, Bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency still have stalwarts.
In the age of the metaverse, NFT counts as more of a recent creation. In years past, content creators couldn't guarantee ownership of video and other media posted on social media platforms. Through Blockchain technology however, NFT creators certify their ownership with non-replicable identifiers.
Over the last couple years, people of various ages have developed and generated millions of dollars from NFTs. They come in many forms, including songs and visual art.
That’s why Nile Ferrell, organizer of the upcoming workshop, titled "Wealth in Web 3.0," continues to encourage Black people of various backgrounds to monetize their talent with Blockchain technology.
Over the last three years, Ferrell has learned about Blockchain technology, all while educating others about its benefits. He started exploring Blockchain after participating in a hack-a-thon where he helped African immigrants make digital cross-border payments without a bank account.
Even with concerns about the volatility of cryptocurrency and its environmental impact created by exorbitant amounts of energy utilized to operate Bitcoin mining machines, Ferrell endorses Blockchain as a tool that Black people in the U.S. and abroad use in this day and age to secure their sovereignty.
Ferrell went further to describe the apprehension about energy expenditure as an indictment on technology as a whole, not just Blockchain. He then expressed his hope that people would overcome those fears and see Blockchain's potential to facilitate entrepreneurship and self-governance.
“This applies to any commodity, but more so groups and organizations that want to create a stamp of authenticity for their commodities without [being attached] to a centralized body, company or government," said Ferrell, 23. "We’re still in the early phases of blockchain. There's an opportunity for Black people to get ahead as long as we do the work, get the education and have some stock in blockchain early on,” Ferrell added. WI @SamPKCollins
5 Nile Ferrell, 23, organizer of “Wealth in Web 3.0,” scheduled for the weekend of November 4 at Everlasting Life Vegan Cafe in Capitol Heights, Maryland
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business briefs
James Wright WI Staff Writer
Washington Commanders Partner with DC Apparel Store
The Washington Commanders announced recently a partnership with The Museum DC, a District Blackowned boutique that works to transform fashion into art through its clothing line.
The owners of The Museum DC are
LeGreg Harrison and Muhammed
Hill. The store sits on Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast.
The partnership with the Commanders started on Oct. 9 with the focus to build community and enhance the streetwear fashion culture of the Washington, D.C. area.
“We wanted to make sure a piece of Washington, D.C. history stayed here,” said Harrison, WUSA-TV (Channel 9) reported. “It’s been a dream to do a collaboration.”
When the Commanders commissioned The Museum DC to design polo shirts for their guest services staff, Harrison said he almost cried. The deal with the Commanders makes The Museum DC the first local Black business to design guest services wear for an NFL franchise.
“It was surreal,” Harrison said. “I knew the city would be proud. We wanted the 1,500 to 2,000 employees at FedEx field to feel great wearing the product and looking fly while doing it.”
Star athletes such as Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry have won The Museum DC’s gear and Prince George’s County NBA product Kevin Durant requested one of the brand’s letterman jackets.
Additionally, the Commanders are working with The Museum DC to support artists and entrepreneurs to hand-design helmets for the team, WUSA reported. WI
Redbrick LMD received a $142 million loan to finance the construction of The Douglass, a 750-unit residential building at the Bridge District that includes about 40,000 square feet of retail and 80 affordable housing units. The Bridge District sits at the foot of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge with eight acres of property and 2.5 million square feet of matter-ofright, mixed-use density.
Citizens Bank arranged the debt financing for the project. With a focus on health and wellness and easy access to services, retail and amenities, including ground floor retail offerings and underground parking, The Douglass will offer a lifestyle of convenience in an urban environment coupled with nature at the doorstep.
“This construction loan from our partners at Citizens during a challenging economic environment represents a significant vote of confidence in the future of the Bridge District,” said Tom Skinner, founder and managing partner of Redbrick LMD. “The Douglass will offer premier work-from-home residences with sweeping views of the Washington skyline and a proximity to nature that comes from a riverside location and adjacency to a national park.”
About 80 of the units have been deemed affordable. The first residential units are expected to be delivered
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WI @JamesWrightJr10
