Yesterday was Juneteenth. How are we choosing our freedom? Is it by making lifestyle choices to defy the health disparities plaguing our community? Voting for a 3rd party candidate who's promising to disrupt the status quo? Recovering land that was stolen from our ancestors? Read about each below, but know that our options are limitless.
What the Health
Coming off the heels of Juneteenth, this doctor wants us to honor our ancestors by pursuing health freedom. Health freedom is the act of consciously making decisions that optimize our mental and physical health.
Speaking of intentionally choosing to be our best selves, many in the community are diving into outdoor activities like surfing, kayaking, backpacking and more. This shift to engaging more with the outdoors has, in turn, produced beneficial health outcomes.
The news of Olympian Tori Bowie’s death being attributed to pregnancy complications has again heightened awareness of the Black maternal crisis.
SCOTUS Says…
In its latest decision, the Supreme Court upheld a law that declares opportunities to adopt Indigenous children will go to Native families first.
With only 10 days left, how do you think the SCOTUS will rule on its remaining cases?
Where are Clarence Thomas’ financial disclosures? We may not know how the Justice’s finances are set up until after the court’s current term ends.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Despite giving them billions of dollars to fight off Russia, Joe Biden says he does not support an expedited process for Ukraine to join NATO.
The government is giving out $930M in grants to expand internet access in rural areas across 35 states and Puerto Rico.
Following Secretary of State Blinken’s recent trip to Beijing, the POTUS claims relations with China are on the right track. Who believes him??
Congress, What’s Good?
In an effort to regulate the technology, members of Congress are meeting with tech execs working to understand and address concerns about AI. Should they be meeting with the very people they may potentially impose restrictions on?
One Senate Republican is holding up hundreds of military promotions as part of his protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy. His colleagues are doing the same in other areas. Can Democrats reform the rules to push things along or will this be another failed attempt at seeking change (remember their filibuster efforts)?
The EPA’s proposed emissions standards
Protecting the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community
How the cattle supply chain contributes to the deforestation of the Amazon jungle
Looking to 2024
2024 is already getting messy…and dangerous?? A campaign ad in support of Ron DeSantis is using AI-generated images of Trump hugging Dr. Fauci and Ron himself is not denouncing it. While we are never everrrrrrr going to be on the ‘defend Trump’ train, the use of artificial intelligence in campaign materials feels like something that will increase in frequency and add to the disinformation that’s put out there everyday.
Cornel West changed his party affiliation from the People’s Party to the Green Party. Biden wants union workers to know that he’s the guy for them.
Donnie was hit with 37 charges for his mishandling of classified documents last week, but it looks like his people still gon’ stick beside him when the election comes.
Social Justice Round Up
Texas’ governor bans diversity, equity, and inclusion offices at public universities statewide.
California’s Reparations Task Force will finalize and share its findings with the state legislature in about 10 days. Find some preliminary answers to your key questions here. Also, while the state government will determine the final outcome, here’s a calculator that might determine how much CA residents may receive in monetary payments based on the Task Force’s earlier suggestions.
Ya don’t say…the DOJ found the Minneapolis Police Department showed racist patterns even before officers killed George Floyd. How much money do yall think went into this “investigation” of one city’s department that just ended up telling us what we already know about policing nationwide?
Around the Diaspora
A delegation of leaders from 7 African countries traveled to Ukraine and Russia, hoping to broker peace and stop the war’s impact on the continent.
When it comes to Boris Johnson (the former PM of the UK who’s very similar to Donald Trump), Black Britons can’t help but say, “We told you so.”
Jamaica wants to make commuting a breeze by putting more public buses on the road and restoring a railway that connects larger cities like Kingston and Mo Bay to outlying towns.
Getting to the Money
Calling all entrepreneurs: Here are 8 websites that you should know to make running your business a little easier. The sites cover everything from templates for pitch decks and project plans (also helpful for our 9-5ers), logo design using AI, and incorporating one’s business.
Buying Black
It’s not too late to celebrate Juneteenth by shopping with these Black-owned businesses.
Culture that Pops
Meet the team of women helping Black families recover stolen land with Where is My Land?
There are 5 Black films from the Tribeca Film Festival that are must-sees. Here they are.
Dionne Warwick, music icon with legendary Twitter fingers, had a theater named after her at Bowie State.