Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, reaching a high of about 51 degrees. Expect northwest winds ranging from 11 to 17 mph, gusting up to 31 mph. As for Friday night, it will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 30 degrees. The north wind at 5 to 7 mph will become calm in the evening.
🚨 You need to know
Axios reported that Alexandria-based entrepreneur DeShuna Spencer launched a new website called DEI Watch to track which companies are reversing course on diversity programs and which have stayed committed to them.
The site not only categorizes the companies but links to coverage in each case to the company either restating their commitment to diversity and inclusion programs or backtracking, like Target, Starbucks, Amazon and more.
According to the website:
DEI Watch tracks the corporate response to DEI initiatives—who’s standing firm, who’s scaling back and who’s actively dismantling diversity efforts. We monitor corporate commitments and political donations to give consumers a clearer picture of where companies are putting their dollars. While we cannot tell you where to shop, we believe Black dollars are powerful. As consumers, we have the right to make informed decisions about the brands we support. Collectively, we can use our economic influence to drive change, invest in brands that align with our values and support Black-owned businesses.
The site notes that corporate America made public commitments to address systemic inequities in the wake of George Floyd’s murder but that many of those corporations are now “quietly scaling back or eliminating” those commitments, often without public acknowledgement.
“These rollbacks are not just about corporate policy; they represent an organized effort to erase the progress made toward economic equity,” the site said. “DEI Watch exists to ensure that the public has full transparency on where corporations stand.”
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Feb 6, 2025.
- Popular Old Town coffee shop temporarily closed for renovations (1515 views)
- Notes: Construction starts on Old Town North office-to-apartment redevelopment (777 views)
- New Del Ray breakfast spot revives debate about trailers in Alexandria (746 views)
- Most and least expensive homes sold in Alexandria (January 2025) (531 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today and this weekend in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 7:00 pm Friday: Del Ray Poetry Reading
- 👉 9:00 am Saturday: Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market
- 10:00 am Saturday: Valentine’s Palooza
