With a water crisis that's reached its peak in Jackson, MS and another unarmed Black man killed by police, this week's title couldn't be more fitting.
What the Health
The latest in COVID numbers: 95M total cases & 1M total deaths (+611K & +3K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
The new Omicron boosters are now available, but health experts are continuing to reiterate that the effectiveness is TBD. LOL.
Speaking on the effectiveness of treatments against the Rona, some scientists believe nasal or inhaled vaccines might be the best approach. China will be the first to try them out and let the world know.
Monkeypox cases are slowing down nationwide, but it’s unclear as to whether this downward trend will last.
A Crisis on Purpose
Whenever something doesn’t make sense in this country, the chances are racism is somewhere at its core. In the case of how Jackson, MS came to have no safe water supply to carry out daily activities, racism (white flight & deferred maintenance on a system that serves a 83% Black city) is the root itself. Residents have been facing various issues with their water system for years now and while water pressure has been restored in this most recent incident, there’s still a boil water notice for what’s coming out of the taps. With the city needing billions to completely fix the issue, this problem will persist beyond any quick fixes currently in progress.
If you or a loved one lives in Jackson, please make sure you/they are aware of water distribution sites in Jackson. There is also the option for water to be delivered for those who are unable to drive to the locations themselves.
His Name is Donovan Lewis
Another unarmed Black man was killed by police in Ohio while in bed. Officers were carrying out a warrant for Donovan’s arrest and claim they mistook his vape pen for a gun (here’s the size of a vape pen FYR). He was shot within 1 second of police opening his bedroom door.
Donovan was 20 years old.
While protests are happening in the city, we don’t have much info yet on how we can help those on the ground. As soon as we do, we’ll share it here.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
The Biden Administration just authorized $1B in arms sales to Taiwan. This is for Taiwan’s potential war with China that the US had a hand in instigating.
The Obama portraits will finally be unveiled in The White House tomorrow. Joe Biden will resume the tradition after the 45th POTUS & FLOTUS refused to display the portraits during their term.
As if MAGA Republicans needed another reason to come for Biden, he came for them first (again).
Congress, What’s Good?
Now that the August ‘22 recess is over, here’s what each party hopes to do between now & November:
For Dems: Keeping the momentum going by avoiding a government shutdown and securing more COVID funding
For the GOP: Staying big mad about the Inflation Reduction Act, rewriting the Constitution, and anything else they can do to slow the Democrats down
Committee meetings are also back this week. Here’s a bit of what’s on the schedule:
Protecting child farmworkers
Investing in programs for juvenile justice
Assessing problems with the insurance industry today
Election Watch: 2022 Midterms
Massachusetts, is you ready? Your primary election is happening TODAY, so make sure you pull up to the polls ready to go.
Stacey Abrams & Senator Raphael Warnock are hitting the pavement in rural Georgia. Do y’all think they have a chance with voters who typically favor the GOP??
In an effort to not impact the upcoming elections, the Justice Department will likely wait until after the midterms before publicly revealing more information related to the search of 45’s home.
Social Justice Round Up
Surprise, surprise (not really): Black folks are disappointed and pessimistic about seeing any progress on racial equality.
Have you heard? Bank of America recently announced a 0% down program for homebuyers (of all races) purchasing homes in certain Black & Latino neighborhoods. While this is an easier path to homeownership for some, we encourage everyone interested to read the fine print to make sure it works for them in the short- and long-term.
Pennsylvania’s governor is offering pardons for those with nonviolent marijuana offenses if they apply before September 30, 2022. If you or someone you know could benefit from this, check out the eligibility requirements. BTW…while this is the right thing to do, the administrative burden they’re adding onto this by making people apply (vs. automatically pardoning folks) is some shit.
Around the Diaspora
A landslide recently hit Sierra Leone, killing 8 people and displacing many more. If you’re able to give, you can donate to this local nonprofit that’s supporting impacted families.
An announcement by Nigeria has got a lot of people talking: the country is banning the use foreign models & voice over artists in ads to help develop local talent. While the announcement doesn’t explicitly ban white people, a high percentage of the country’s ads use white British talent.
Environmental activists in South Africa are celebrating a court’s recent decision to revoke Shell’s ability to search for oil and gas along the country’s eastern coastline.
Getting to the Money
Despite recent headlines about hiring freezes in the tech sector, the underlying truth is that many companies are just being more strategic with hiring these days. If you’re in the market for a new gig, People of Color in Tech’s job board has 100s of open roles to consider. Check it out.
Buying Black
Cuffing season is quickly approaching and b condoms wants to help y’all get it in safely. Their pH friendly, organic & vegan condoms were made to protect yourself and others while also heightening your intimate experiences. Give them a shot the next time you find yourself in the mood. You can also follow their IG if you need help upping your game. We won’t tell nobody, promise.
Culture that Pops
40% of the staff at this St. Louis high school is made up of Black male teachers. Learn more about how these men contribute to the school’s 100% college acceptance rate.
Serena Williams has likely played the last match of her tennis career. She went out like the GOAT she is, making us all proud (and maybe a little emotional) in the process.
The Jackie Robinson Museum opened in NYC this month.
Wanna watch your favorite HBCU teams play on broadcast TV? Now you can in major markets nationwide.