A Quick COVID Roundup
The latest: 13.4M cases & 267K deaths
A few headlines:
Here are some precautions to take if you spent Thanksgiving with people outside of your household
The SCOTUS ruled 5-4 that if you want to go to church in the pandemic, you can 'cause that’s your business
We already know this, but Black folks are hella skeptical about the vaccine due to our history with the medical industry in the this country
How About Giving Black?
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday and it’s the perfect opportunity to donate any money you might have to give to a non-profit focusing on the Black community. Why should we focus on us, beyond the obvious? Because our organizations tend to be severely underfunded, that’s why.
Are you sold, but just don’t know where to begin looking for a non-profit that focuses on the culture? You can consider our friends at the Crescent Foundation, who are working to better the lives of those affected by sickle cell disease, or you can browse through Give Blck’s database of Black-founded organizations.
Congress, What’s Good?
The deadline for a government shutdown is coming up in 2 weeks (December 11) and Congress is working hard to resolve the issues between the numbers included in the bills passed by the House and those proposed by the Senate. Some of the issues to be included in the bill are unemployment & veterans' healthcare. It’s not yet clear whether stimulus checks will be included.
In the event that pandemic relief is not included in the new spending package, Congress would have to agree on a separate bill to get it done and we already know that struggle.
On their to-do list this week:
Reviewing the CARES Act’s performance for the past quarter (yup, while they refuse to extend the benefits in a new bill)
Defending communities from cyberattacks during COVID-19
Securing the nation's food supply
Georgia Runoff Watch
A tale of 2 parties: Democrats are feeling rather optimistic about their expected turnout. Fighting within the GOP, however, may harm that party’s chances in the January races.
Dates to Remember:
Voter registration deadline: December 7
Early voting starts: December 14
Deadline to request an absentee ballot: December 31
Election Day: January 5
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
The incoming communications team will be filled entirely by women. 3 of those 7 women will be Black.
James Clyburn—the most senior Black person in Congress and the person credited with “giving Biden the Black vote”—isn’t too pleased with the lack of representation in the president-elect’s cabinet so far.
Trump paid $3M to give Biden an extra 87 votes in Wisconsin.
Joe Biden fractured his ankle.
Around the Diaspora
Black Lives Matter protests have erupted across Brazil after a man was beaten to death by supermarket security guards.
Ethiopia’s government claims victory as they capture the capital of the Tigray region. Meanwhile, some of the 44K civilians who’ve fled to Sudan are calling the declaration fake news.
Looks like the Wakanda of our dreams will be in Ghana. The new city will aim to be a pilgrimage site for members of the Diaspora to learn about the history and culture of Africa.
Getting to the Money
CreateSafe is a Black-owned company that’s working hard to see that music artists no longer get screwed over by the industry. Make sure every aspiring artist in your life checks out their record deal simulator to find out exactly how their deal could be set up. The company also offers marketing and management services.
This company is willing to pay you a stack for something you’re already going to do over the holidays: binge watch movies about far-away destinations you can’t get to because of COVID-19. Sound like your kinda side hustle? The deadline to apply is this Friday, December 4.
The Vanity Group’s Karleen Roy is bringing her event planning expertise to the classroom by offering a master class. If you have a couple thousand (yes, you read that right) to invest in your future as an event manager, this might be the move for you.
The Black Alumni Association of UC Berkeley is offering a virtual coffee chat series to help attendees create opportunities for themselves in the workplace. The event will take place from December 7 to the 9th.
Buying Black
Looking to put your dollars where your mouth is this holiday season? Find inspiration in Shoppe Black’s holiday gift guide. You’ll find everything from cigars to toys to workout gear inside.
Culture that Pops
While Black musicians complained yet again about not being represented enough in the latest group of Grammy nominees, the Soul Train Awards swooped in for a timely show of appreciation. Check out the winners across each category.
Obsessed with all those corny, lovey-dovey holiday films that come out every year? Here’s a list of the ones with melanin in them.
The painting created by this Bay Area teen scored him a call from VP-elect Kamala Harris.