Juneteenth 160 years later
The Center for African American Military History, which operates the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, will celebrate the 160th Anniversary of Juneteenth in Houston, Texas, from June 19-21, with art, history, education, and cultural experience rooted in themes of resilience, resistance, and the continuing journey toward Black liberation in America.
Juneteenth @160: U.S. Colored Troops’ Call to Freedom | Our Journey to Progress will honor the legacy of the United States Colored Troops and how they influenced the Buffalo Soldiers. The celebratory lineup includes exhibits, panel discussions, artistic installations, and interpretations related to the Emancipation Proclamation, complemented by a living history encampment.
A contemporary art exhibition exploring post-1865 liberation through the lens of General Order No. 3, which declared freedom for formerly enslaved individuals, along with the legacy of the United States Colored Troops and the Emancipation Proclamation, will open on June 19 at the University Museum at Texas Southern University. Titled “Terms & Conditions: The Promise vs. Reality,” it will remain open through July 6, 2025. Juneteenth @160 is presented in collaboration with Texas Southern University, Project Row Houses, Houston Community College, Memorial Park Conservancy and historian Sam Collins III, with support provided by Kinder Foundation, Humanities Texas, HAA, AARP, Smartwater, and General Orders No. 3 Vodka.
Workplace
In Gallup’s 2025 Workplace Report, 50 percent of U.S. employees are actively looking or watching for a new job—not because of burnout or pay, but because of purpose. Culture is a dealbreaker, the report says, with Gen Z employees wanting to feel seen, supported, and aligned with something real. They demand leadership with integrity, where leaders who show up with consistency and honesty. And a paycheck is not enough. They want purpose, authenticity, and a voice. “Gen Z and millennials are not job hopping for fun. They are searching for purpose. They are done with leaders who hide behind perks and polished mission statements. They want real leadership grounded in personal responsibility, not corporate spin,” says Matthew Mathison, CEO of MBL Partners. Today’s workforce is asking harder questions. Why does this matter? Who is leading us? And can I trust them?
Soft skills versus college degrees
Two in three hiring managers are more likely to hire Gen Zers with soft skills over college degrees, according to a Resume Template survey of 1,000 managers. However, while 65 percent of respondents would rather hire a Gen Z candidate with strong soft skills and no degree than one with a degree but weak soft skills, 53 percent say Gen Zers are more likely to lack soft skills than hard skills; one-third say artificial intelligence can now fill hard skill gaps, making soft skills even more essential; and 57 percent say Gen Z workers lack work ethic. Common interview mistakes include showing up late, dressing inappropriately, using phones during interviews, and skipping follow-up emails. The most valued traits, hiring managers say, are communication, initiative, professionalism, punctuality, and responsiveness. Read the full report at https://www.resumetemplates.com/2-in-3-hiring-managers-more-likely-to-hire-gen-zers-with-soft-skills-over-college-degrees/
Pinky Cole’s plant-based sub shop
VOAGIES, a 100-percent-vegan hoagie shop opened on May 24 in Atlanta, is Pinky Cole’s most personal launch to date and marks a new chapter following her return to full ownership of Slutty Vegan, her wildly popular, celebrity-endorsed vegan hamburger restaurant chain. Founded in Atlanta in 2018, Slutty Vegan used sex as a theme to attract non-vegan customers, featuring mouthwatering creations with cheeky names like Fussy Hussy and One Night Stand. VOAGIES is the first plant-based sub shop of its kind, a venture the former television producer has been quietly building for six years. It came to life just two months after she reclaimed full ownership of her Slutty Vegan empire under a new LLC named “Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis,” which she is rebuilding “bigger, bolder, and better” with eyes on markets in Africa and Dubai.
Women’s political leadership
UN Women’s latest publication, “Women Political Leaders 2025,” reveals that women’s political leadership in executive positions is regressing, highlighting widespread barriers and a fragile and uneven commitment to gender equality in political leadership. Today, only 27 countries—including Barbados, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Tanzania—are led by a woman Head of State or Government – up from 21 countries five years ago, while 103 countries have never had a woman in the highest executive office.
In ministerial representation, women hold just 22.9 per cent of positions of Cabinet members heading ministries globally – down from 23.3 per cent in 2024, marking the first recorded decline in the number of women Cabinet ministers. The number of parity cabinets – those with at least 50 per cent women – has dropped from 15 last year to just nine. At the same time, the number of countries with no women in ministerial roles has increased from seven to nine in the past year alone.
Giants of Africa Festival
Giants of Africa, a non-profit founded by Toronto Raptors vice chairman and president Masai Ujiri to empower African youth through basketball, announced Giants of Africa Festival will return to Kigali, capital of Rwanda, from July 26-August 2 this year. The event is expected to bring together 320 young athletes from 20 African nations, and more than 20,000 spectators for a week of community, culture, basketball, education, and entertainment.
It will showcase the full potential of Africa’s sports and entertainment ecosystem, highlighting its social and economic value for the next generation and the continent at large. The festival will also serve as the grand opening of Zaria Court, Ujiri’s mixed-use sports, entertainment, and cultural district encompassing an 80-room hotel, sports bar, basketball court, event space, retail outlets, gym, five-a-side football pitch, and outdoor public areas.
Physical activity; sporting goods
Despite the significant benefits of physical activity, the share of adults who are inactive jumped from 26 percent in 2010 to 31 percent in 2022, according to McKinsey & Company’s report, Sporting Goods 2025—The New Balancing Act: Turning Uncertainty Into Opportunity. More alarming, this trend could endure in the coming years, with the World Health Organization projecting inactivity levels to reach 35 percent by 2030.
Overall, the sporting goods industry faced a difficult environment in 2024, with softer growth prospects, persistent inflation, and cautious consumer spending testing companies’ resilience, McKinsey says. Despite these hurdles, the industry managed to sustain a growth rate of 7 percent a year from 2021 to 2024. The company projects the growth outlook for 2024 to 2029 at a slightly more modest 6 percent a year, driven by a slowdown in the Asia–Pacific, Western Europe, and Latin America regions.
