The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 45M total cases & 725K deaths (+586K & +11K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
According to this study, COVID was the 2nd leading cause of death last month.
Boosters from all 3 vaccines are now approved for those who are immunocompromised or over 65. For everyone else, the FDA is weighing whether boosters are worth the risks.
1 out of every 412 children have lost a parent or caretaker to COVID-19.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
To address supply chain issues that accelerated in the pandemic, Biden says the Port of Los Angeles will now operate 24/7. Experts say the move still won’t be enough to increase the speed at which goods are being transported.
After losing a preliminary legal battle to Texas & Missouri, a judge ordered Biden to reinstate Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy next month. The rule requires asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border to remain in Mexico while awaiting their immigration court hearings.
These days, there are two things on VP Harris’ to do list: combating climate change & ensuring Virginia elects a Democrat for governor.
Congress, What’s Good?
Congress was not in session last week, but they still have the same ol’, same ol’ on the agenda: the infrastructure & budget reconciliation bills. Time is ticking on both of these, but the people we all elected to get shit done simply cannot.
Bernie & y’alls favorite Joe Manchin are going at it again. Sanders is on a very public campaign to get the conservative Democrat to support the POTUS’ full plan & Manchin’s lack of appreciation is showing more & more. After throwing all the shade at each other last week, it seems like the logical next step for these two is to throw hands. On sight at that.
Adding to the list of things he’s not going to do, Manchin also recently put the kibosh on the clean energy proposal in the Build Back Better plan. This is despite the fact that his home state of West Virginia is at increased risk for floods due to climate change. At this point, it would be easier if he were to just become a Republican. At least then his fellow Democrats can let go of the sliver of hope that he might actually side with them one day.
Coming up in committee meetings this week:
Those pesky global supply chain issues
Protecting the Native vote
Achieving Constitutional equality for all
Social Justice Round Up
Howard students are demonstrating in protest of poor housing conditions in their dormitories. Among their demands, they are seeking the removal of rodents, roaches, & mold from their living quarters. Students ain’t paying all that tuition for the reputation alone. They want living conditions that are conducive to performing well. How “illustrious” can the university be if they’re unwilling to give their students these basics?
Of all of the people detained on Rikers Island, most of them have yet to be convicted of crime, most are in there for (alleged) non-violent criminal acts & many suffer from mental illness. What will it take to finally shut this place down?
Philly passed a bill to stop police from pulling over drivers for minor traffic violations. Such simple legislation will really have a significant impact when you think about how these incidents can be unnecessarily hostile or, worse, deadly for Black drivers. See Sandra Bland, Daunte Wright & so many others for reference. Virginia passed a similar law earlier this year.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Republicans hid under a rock during the 2022 & 2024 elections so that we could finally get more of the right people in office? Trump claims his party will do so if the 2020 election fraud isn’t “solved.” Sigh, we know it won’t actually happen, but we can dream, can’t we?
Around the Diaspora
It’s Black History Month in the UK & Ireland. Here are 5 facts you didn’t know about Black history in Ireland and 9 Black Brits who made history.
Ethiopia is gearing up to export avocados to Europe & the Middle East. This new avenue of trade is expected to have significant economic impacts.
The Mastercard Foundation is busy across the Motherland. They are giving women across the continent the skills to work in the tech industry & training 300K Nigerians in film & TV production.
Getting to the Money
The WNBA & NBA launched a $6M grant program for Black- & other minority-owned businesses. The first round of applications are being accepted from now until November 23. Apply here.
Don’t mind working part-time as an executive assistant? Conscious marketing agency The Gild Creative Group is looking for an EA to join their team. The perks? The role can be completely remote & the owner / CEO is a cool ass Black woman. Trust us on this one.
The Doonie Fund is giving frictionless micro-investments to businesses founded by Black women. What does “frictionless” mean? It means that Black women will have the freedom to spend the money on their business however they please without giving away a share of their business. Tell a Black woman entrepreneur who could use an unexpected blessing.
Buying Black
IYKYK that October is homecoming season. Although you can’t pull up to your favorite HBCU campus this year to partake in all that Black college homecomings have to offer, you can still honor the memories with Heritage Hill Co.’s HBCU collection. You can rock a sweatshirt to give you those warm fuzzy feels or show off your Black pride with pieces from their other collections.
Culture that Pops
Remember when Black TikTokers went on strike this summer because they were tired of their content being Elvis Presleyed? Well, a few of them are turning to Fanbase, a Black-owned app where their content gets the shine it deserves.
The final season of Insecure begins in just 6 days. Will the show end wrapped up in a nice little bow or will the characters’ storylines be left a mess?
Ludacris recently donated money to a father-daughter duo who are the creators of an app that connects children with their incarcerated parents.
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