Celebrating young Black tech leaders, 24 years of BMORENews.com, and Dr. Tyrone Taborn’s extraordinary vision.
(BALTIMORE – October 10, 2026)—Before I ever walked onto the stage tonight, the young brothers backstage had already given me something worth celebrating.
I was meeting honorees from across the country at the inaugural AI NEXTGEN America Conference and Futurist Awards. The conference brought people together October 9–10 at the Baltimore Convention Center, but the conversations behind the curtain really hit home for me.
Young Black men. PhDs. Working in technology, artificial intelligence, and the digital space.
Brothers from California and Mississippi. I don’t believe some of them were even 40.
We talked about Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Stanford, North Carolina A&T, Morehouse, and the University of Georgia. We talked about education, careers, opportunities, and where technology is taking us.
Dynamic brothers.
And I tell you: the future is bright.
We need to see these young men. We need to hear them. Our children need to know these possibilities belong to them, too.
Our young people can compete with anybody. Give them access. Give them an opportunity. Give them a crack in that door, and watch what happens.
That was on my mind as I prepared to receive Career Communications Group, Inc.’s 2026 Special Recognition Award and join the inaugural cohort of honorees.
I was being acknowledged for 24 years of BMORENews.com. And while I am grateful for that recognition, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the man whose vision helped bring us into that room:
Dr. Tyrone Taborn.
We are in the midst of a quiet giant.
I have met plenty of people with honorary degrees. Dr. Taborn’s honorary doctorate is well deserved. Morgan State University lists him as a recipient of an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
And yes, I said well deserved.
He has done the work. We can point to a body of work. What he has built has affected people’s careers, opportunities, and lives.
When I think about closing the digital divide in Black and Brown communities, I think about people who keep showing up, year after year, creating pathways into industries where too many of us have historically been excluded.
Dr. Taborn has been doing that work for decades.
Through publishing. Through conferences. Through relationships. Through bringing people together who might otherwise never meet.
The BEYA STEM Conference marked its 40th anniversary this year. Think about that: four decades of recognizing talent and connecting people to opportunity.
That takes vision. It takes persistence. It takes an organization that can deliver season after season.
And it takes leadership.
In my book, when it comes to Black media and opening doors in technology, Dr. Tyrone Taborn is the GOAT.
Yeah, I said that, too.
I have been around. I have seen some things. I know how much work it takes to bring people together.
LaRian Finney knows how to bring people together. I am proud of what we have done through the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards.
But when I look at the scale of what Dr. Taborn brings together, I have to tip my hat.
Four-star generals. Admirals. Corporate executives. Engineers. Educators. Students. People from institutions and industries with the power to change somebody’s future.
Who do you know who can put that kind of room together—and keep doing it?
I have a damn good phone book.
This cat has a mean phone book.
And the real value is what he does with it. He uses those relationships to create opportunities for other people.
That is his secret weapon.
He knows how to breathe life into projects by breathing life into people.
Some people become successful and pull the ladder up behind them. What I have experienced with Doc is somebody who helps others see what they can become—and then helps them move toward it.
He can walk with kings without losing the common touch.
He understands Black Wall Street. He understands ownership. He understands that our community needs institutions, relationships, and opportunities that we can build upon.
Beside him is his powerful queen, Jean Hamilton, president and chief financial officer of Career Communications Group.
To me, they are one of Maryland’s great Black power couples.
Quietly.
They have been doing the work without needing everybody to know every move they make. But we should recognize what they have built and what their partnership has meant to our community.
This is also deeply personal for me.
I serve as news director of STEMCityUSA.com. With Dr. Taborn’s support, I can produce my Emmy-nominated Doni Glover Show at the Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center.
I know firsthand what it means to have somebody believe in your work and help give it room to grow.
That is why this recognition means so much.
It comes from people who understand the work—the persistence, the investment, and the responsibility that come with building a media institution.
BMORENews.com has been at it for 24 years. We have kept telling our stories. We have kept showing up for our community. We have kept building.
Tonight, I was grateful to be acknowledged for that journey.
But I also want to share a lesson with anybody out there on their grind:
Apply.
Let me say that again.
Apply.
“Apply to what, Doni?”
Apply to every damn thing you are eligible for.
There are conferences. There are awards. There are scholarships. There are grants. Opportunities could put you in a room you have never entered before.
Don’t reject yourself before anyone has even considered you.
Get up off your duff. Gather your materials. Tell your story. Follow the instructions. Meet the deadline.
Apply.
You cannot let excuses keep deciding your future.
And when you get into those rooms, be who God made you to be.
Take pages out of other people’s books, but make sure you write your own. Tell your own story. Build your own empire.
That is one of the things I admire most about Dr. Taborn. He has built something that reflects his vision, and he keeps creating space for others to develop theirs.
Thank you to the Career Communications Group family—to Lucille, Ray, Rod, Brian, Eric, and everyone I have had the opportunity to work with over the years.
Thank you to Jean Hamilton.
And thank you, Dr. Tyrone Taborn, for the recognition, the opportunities, and the example.
The young brothers I met backstage tonight reminded me that the future is bright.
Dr. Taborn reminded me what decades of vision and work can make possible.
We are in the midst of a giant.
