...everyone else is doing it. Consider taking a page out of the books of pregnant Black women, the State of Mississippi, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and of course Biden and Trump.
What the Health
Shout out to all the compassionate Black obstetricians out there. Black women tend to prefer Black OBs in hopes that it will reduce the risk of discrimination and/or medical negligence during their pregnancies.
Black church leaders in Richmond, VA are urging folks to do more than “pray on it.” They’ve secured a $1.25M grant to offer their congregations and the larger community much needed mental health services.
For Black youth, online racism and discrimination leads to the development of PTSD symptoms.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Things Joe is doing to piss people off:
Taking a page out of RBG’s book and refusing to step down
Refusing to support another UN resolution for a long lasting ceasefire (Israel claims it will begin its attack on safe zone Rafah if all hostages aren’t returned by the start of Ramadan in 3 weeks)
Things Kamala is doing:
Honoring civil rights leaders for Black History Month
Making promises to Ukraine that she has no control over
Congress, What’s Good
Who has control over funding to Ukraine, you might ask? Congress, more specifically House Speaker Mike Johnson. The far right / MAGA faction of the House is refusing to support additional funding due to their allegiance for Trump who has allegiance to Putin. If Johnson were to put funding up for a vote in the House, he’d likely get support from Dems and moderate Republicans, but Johnson’s political future would be in danger. (If “I gotta put me first, Lucious” was a person…)
While this is on hold, funding for the US to have its hands in other (potential) conflicts around the globe are also tied up. The Senate bill that Johnson is scared to put up for a vote also includes more funding for Israel’s genocide and to defend Taiwan against a potential Chinese threat.
In committee meetings this week: Nada. Your elected officials are off the entire week in honor of yesterday being President’s Day.
Looking to 2024
Primaries rounding out the month of February: South Carolina (GOP only on 2/24) and Michigan (2/27).
Folks are feeling pretty good about the economy right now, but the good news isn’t helping Biden’s election chances just yet.
A New York judge delivered a $355M blow to Donald Trump for lying about his wealth to secure business loans. Can he still claim to be the best man for the job with a big hole in his wallet? We already know Donnie is going to try.
Social Justice Round Up
Over the last 30 years, the State of Mississippi has inequitably distributed federal land grant funds between Mississippi State (a PWI) and Alcorn State (an HBCU). In total, $258M intended for Alcorn went to Mississippi State, leading to the inadequate development and resources for Black farmland. 15 other states are guilty of the same thing with the impacted HBCUs missing out on a total of $12.6B since 1994. How will the federal government force these states to rectify this?
A school in Miami-Dade County asked for parents’ permission for students to attend a reading by an author that was considered too risqué. What made them potentially inappropriate for children? The fact that they were Black.
After a shooting that caused mass fear at the Kansas Chiefs’ celebration parade, KC’s mayor wants people to join him and help take the issue of gun violence into their own hands.
Around the Diaspora
The cost of living in Nigeria is too damn high and the value of the Naira is plummeting. Where is the relief?
The people of Ghana will receive more artifacts that were previously stolen from them. This time, they will be coming from a museum on the campus of UCLA.
Bob Marley: One Love is certainly a reason for Jamaica to smile. The reggae star’s biopic grossed $14M in ticket sales on Valentine’s Day, making it the highest earning midweek release in the US box office.
Getting to the Money
Let AI put money into your pockets, not take it out. Here are 10 ChatGPT prompts to use to discover profitable side hustle ideas. You definitely might need the extra cash if you live in any of these cities where earning $150K places you in the lower middle class category.
Culture that Pops
Who caught The Vince Staples Show on Netflix? Is it Atlanta, but for the West Coast?
Beyoncé entering her country music era has some white folks mad. What they don’t realize (somehow, they never do) is that the art form they’re gatekeeping has strong roots in Black culture and tradition.
Who’s willing to risk their freedom to travel to Florida? There’s a new Princess Tiana ride coming to Disney World this summer and we wanna know how it is.