Things we're loving: Emmett Till's cousin KTSE, women turning her fibroid struggle into success & Howard's efforts to remove racial health disparities.
Things we're hating: white fragility, those damn police robot dogs, and Congress not getting shit done.
What the Health
The latest COVID numbers: 103M total cases & 1M total deaths (+277K & +3K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
Reminder: COVID tests and vaccines won’t be free for much longer.
Engineers are now addressing the racial bias COVID-19 exposed in pulse oximeters.
Is systematic racism the reason a lot of us think “therapy is for white people?”
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
The Biden administration ordered the “decommissioning” of 3 unidentifiable high-altitude objects over the weekend. This comes after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down on February 4. An interagency team has not been put together to figure out WTH is going on.
At last week’s State of the Union address, the POTUS touted economic recovery (where??!), a historically low unemployment rate (read the room, Joe) and decreasing inflation (we know somebody lying). Read more about what he had to say here.
The SCOTUS will hear oral arguments for student loan forgiveness at the end of this month. This is what you can expect.
Should the President be doing more to keep Madam VP in good graces with Democratic voters?
Congress, What’s Good?
Despite the debt ceiling still being unfinished business…
House Republicans are starting their probe into COVID vaccines
Senate Dems are going after large companies and the surveillance practices used on their employees.
And neither chamber has really hit the ground running.
A few topics in committee meetings for the rest of this week:
The crypto crash
Climate change’s economic impact
Social Justice Round Up
Following in its northern neighbor’s footsteps, the LA City Council has also approved their police department’s acquisition of robot police dogs. Community opposition to the decision went ignored.
Emmett Till’s cousin filed a lawsuit to arrest the white woman whose lies led to his death.
Florida is still working hard to protect white fragility. One county has asked its teachers to remove (or at least cover) any books that may be in violation of the state’s “Stop WOKE” act.
Students in Alabama staged a walkout after one administrator said their Black History month program was uncomfortable.
Around the Diaspora
A Ghanaian football player is among those missing after earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria last week.
Nigeria is holding its presidential and parliamentary elections on February 25. Vote-buying, misinformation and more threaten credible outcomes.
In Port-au-Prince, sexual assault is increasingly becoming a tool instill fear and control. Schools have also become a more frequent target of violence.
Getting to the Money
Hey media and communications jobseekers, check out this job tracker your industry colleagues put together to help those impacted by recent layoffs or simply looking for new opportunities.
Freelancers, here are the apps you need to navigate tax season.
Buying Black
It’s Valentine’s/Galentine's/Singles Awareness Day. Take the time to unwind with any one of these Black-owned wine brands this week.
Culture that Pops
Ri Ri made history in her Super Bowl performance. Not only did she have the second-most viewed halftime show in history, she was also the first known-pregnant person to perform. Did she also sell out in the process? One writer says yes.
Howard University is partnering with Georgetown to eliminate health disparities in the Black community.
Black women are no strangers to fibroids. This woman turned her struggle into a health food brand that encourages her and others to lead healthier lives.