This is true in many ways, but now we're talking about all these viruses. COVID, monkeypox & now polio???? On top of that, y'all know there's always an access issue for us when it comes to receiving proper care, so we really do be fighting. SMH.
What the Health
The latest in COVID numbers: 93M total cases & 1M total deaths (+666K & +3K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
According to the CDC, we can stop practicing social distancing to reduce our risk of infection and stop quarantining after COVID exposure. In other words, they said, “You said you outside, but you ain’t that outside.” Now we really are.
In case you've been waiting on the drop, the new COVID vaccine will be available some time in the fall. The new version was apparently created with these stronger variants in mind.
Speaking of the vaccine…Dr. Fauci is urging us–specifically Black folks–to get boosted ahead of a potential fall surge.
With over 14K cases, the US has the most monkeypox infections so far. Not only are the vaccines still not readily available, many public health advocates fear that racial disparities will reveal themselves when they are.
Polio was recently discovered in NYC’s wastewater. Should we just go ahead and add this to the list of life-threatening viruses we’re fighting?
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Things that’s got Biden on cloud 9: slowed inflation, Trump’s drama with the FBI & the big climate, health & tax bill.
Something that might bring Biden back down to earth: his decision on student loans that’s expected to be announced this week. No matter what direction he goes in, it’s a guarantee that people will be upset.
Biden is also preparing to send another $800M in weapons to Ukraine as their war with Russia carries on.
Voters in California say throw the whole POTUS & VPOTUS away. Throw the former guy away too. They actually prefer their very own Gavin Newsom as the next Commander in Chief.
Congress, What’s Good?
Congress is on their annual August recess, so you can catch them again next month. There are no committee meetings until then.
There’s no shortage of chaos, though. We got Democratic members testing China’s patience again by visiting Taiwan after Nancy Pelosi (Seriously, why?).
Oh yeah, and the GOP is hella mad about the raid on Trump’s house. Now they wanna “defund the FBI.” Lol.
Election Watch: 2022 Midterms
Florida, New York, & Oklahoma are up next this primary season. Live in any of these places? Check out what you need to know in your state before hitting the polls.
Mitch McConnell is shook that the GOP won’t flip the Senate, citing issues with “candidate quality.”
Have y’all heard of Mandela Barnes? The 35-year-old is currently the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, but he’s also favored to knock Trump-lovin’ Ron Johnson out of the Senate this November.
Social Justice Round Up
Amazon is now accepting SNAP EBT cards as payment on eligible items without a Prime membership to help more folks get access to healthy foods. Could this be relevant to you? Take advantage. Know someone who’d find this information useful? Pass it on.
The family of Stephon Clark, an unarmed man that was murdered by Sacramento police in 2018, was awarded a total of $4.2M in a wrongful death suit. The officers involved in his death will not face criminal charges.
The last of the 4 officers charged with killing Breonna Taylor was fired in light of the federal case against him. Taking 2.5 years to fire somebody that you know fucked up is fucked up.
Last year, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day (the day of the year when Black women earn what white men made the year before) was August 3. This year, it’ll fall on September 21. Why has the pay gap widened?
Around the Diaspora
Some Tigrayans, displaced by the civil war in Ethiopia since late 2021, have begun to return home.
Barbados is at risk of more food supply disruptions, its prime minister warns.
Leaders from CARICOM met recently to discuss the political & crime instability of Haiti, a fellow member country. Next steps from the meeting include an envoy to Port au Prince and advocating on behalf of the French-speaking country to improve their security situation to outside stakeholders, including the USA.
Getting to the Money ColorComm is committed to seeing more diverse talent in marketing, advertising, and every other communications-related industry. If you’re interested in any of these fields, check out their job board. Buying Black This Black Business Month, check out the Official Black Wall Street’s Black business directory for a range of businesses in the categories of professional services, food, travel & more. The directory lists businesses that are both local & online, giving us more options for circulating our dollars in our community. Culture that Pops The month of August is also Black August, a commemoration of Black freedom fighters’ efforts and a call to free those who sacrificed their lives as political prisoners. Read a book about a Black freedom fighter this month or check out other ways to contribute to the occasion. This financial literacy lab for Black girls has received a gift of $500K to push their mission forward. We love that for them. Passengers on one American Airlines flight were blessed with an entire crew of Black women to help them get from point A to point B. We love that for them too. We also need to see more of it. A lot more.
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