The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 30M total cases & 555K deaths (+448K & +6K from last week)
The headlines:
The country exceeded its previous single-day record of vaccine administrations by administering 4 million doses of the vaccine in a single day.
15 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses were ruined in a Baltimore plant. The manufacturer is moving quickly to rectify the situation and maintain confidence in their product and COVID vaccines as a whole.
Here’s a chart outlining the likely side effects of the vaccine, based on one's age, which shot they receive and how many dosages.
Georgia on Everybody’s Mind
Over the past 7 days, others are joining voting rights activists and coming out against Georgia’s voter suppression bill:
Virginia signed a Voting Rights Act of its own that protects the rights of its voters. The bill was drafted by 2 Black women, so we’re pretty confident they did what needed to be done.
72 Black executives, including Ursula Burns and Ken Chenault, urge Corporate America to take a stand against nationwide efforts to suppress the right to vote.
After first staying mum or lowkey praising the law (we looking @ you, Delta), some corporations did indeed call out GA for the passage of this new bill. The MLB even made the decision to pull its All-Star game out of Atlanta this year. Normally BFFs with the GOP, this move caught Republicans off guard.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
The POTUS proposed a $2T infrastructure bill last week. The bill would address things like improved roads and public transportation, gun violence prevention (yes), and research & development at HBCUs. He plans to get the money by actually making corporations pay taxes. What a novel idea
After months of suggesting that he does not have the power to legally cancel $50K in student loan debt, Joe Biden is looking into whether that’s actually true.
It’s no debate that immigration is a sensitive and difficult issue to address, but the VPOTUS has been tasked with figuring it out. How will Kamala, as Black women so often do, “figure it out?”
Congress, What’s Good?
Last week, while Congress was out for Holy Week, an armed man rammed his car into police barriers outside of the Capitol, killing one Capitol police officer and injuring another. Even though we can’t stand at least half of Congress (hey the GOP), maybe they’ll do something to protect themselves from from violence aimed at their place of work
The legislative body is on recess again this week, so there won’t be any hearings to tune into.
Criminal Justice Round Up
If you’re like us and cannot stand to actually watch the Derek Chauvin trial, here’s a recap & a peak of what to expect in this week’s proceedings.
New York has been busy:
NYC ended qualified immunity for its 36K NYPD officers, kinda. It is now easier for someone to sue an officer for their conduct while on the job, but it does not make them liable for any financial penalties. The department and city (aka the taxpayers who fund them) will bear that burden.
Statewide, recreational marijuana is also now legal, allowing residents to grow up to 6 plants themselves. Past convictions for marijuana offenses that are now legal will be expunged and 40% of the sales tax going to the state from marijuana sales will go towards communities disproportionately impacted by prior drug laws.
Around the Diaspora
France recently passed a law banning the hijab for women under 18 years old. Believing their legislation is rooted in “freedom,” the country’s move worries its Muslim population, of which a significant chunk is said to come from the African continent.
If self hate established its own country on an island, they’d name it the Dominican Republic. The country is in the works to build a fence to keep Haitians out.
Oh no Cape Verde, what is y'all doin’? The island nation is being accused of barring the entry of Black visitors from other African nations, but allowing anyone with a passport from a Western nation in.
Getting to the Money
Visa is giving money to 60 Black women-owned businesses based in the following cities: Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Sis, if you’re a small business owner in one of these cities, get on it. Applications close on April 16.
Wanna get your career moving or your professional development skills up? Try LinkedIn Learning. Give LinkedIn Learning a shot. Whether you’re in tech, a creative field or business, they can help you to achieve your professional goals.
Buying Black
Looking for a sustainable way to get rid of your cooking grease? Look no further than Grease Bags. Reduce landfill waste by moving away from storing your used cooking oils in recyclable bottles and try these compostable bags instead.
*TBH, we’re not exactly sure what happens to the grease when the bags decompose, but it’s (sadly) been a long time since we learned this stuff in school. It still sounds like a dope and extremely helpful idea if it actually helps save the planet.
Culture that Pops
The culture collectively felt its stomach drop when we learned over the weekend that DMX was still struggling with his drug addiction and was in grave condition after an overdose. Let’s all continue to keep Dark Man X in our prayers.
Ylan Noel (Daniel from Insecure) snagged a role as the leading man for “The Spook Who Sat By the Door.”
The new trailer for “Space Jam” starring Lebron James just came out. Prepare for Millennials to become expert judges in everything about the film in 5, 4, 3, 2...