Black culture has always been a commodity in this country. Is protecting it even possible? Or is the only option to let people play in our faces?
The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 85M total cases & 1M total deaths (+707K & +2K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
Do we even care that COVID cases are going back up?
LA County considers reinstating an indoor mask mandate.
We didn’t even get to talk about monkeypox being thrown into the mix. Make sure you understand what you need to know about the virus, how it’s not like COVID & why you should still be concerned.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
“How much more carnage are we willing to accept?” Biden pleads with Congress to act on gun violence.
Pete Buttigieg says inflation is Biden’s top priority.
Not surprising: most folks aren’t too hype about a second Biden term.
This GOP congressman clearly got jokes. He believes he can convince Kamala Harris to resign, get Donnie appointed as the new VP &then get Joe to give up the presidency. And yes, he’s serious…?
Congress, What’s Good?
The free school lunches that public schools began to offer during the pandemic will come to an end on June 30 if Congress doesn’t act. An estimated 10 million students will feel the effects immediately.
Survivors & family members of the Buffalo & Uvalde shootings plan to testify before Congress this Wednesday about the impact of the shootings on their lives.
Wanna know your Senators’ job performance ranking? Check this out. Spoiler alert: Joe Manchin is popular with Republicans.
Topics on deck for committee meetings this week:
Examining domestic terrorism
Reducing gun violence, featuring victims of the Uvalde & Buffalo shootings, as mentioned above
Saving Social Security
Election Watch: 2022 Midterms
Tomorrow is the day for voters in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, & South Dakota. Learn more about their primary elections here and, if you live in one of these states, here.
Though the presidential election gets most of the spotlight, state and local elections are where it’s at. Here are 20 elections to watch heading into November.
There are 48 people running for Alaska’s only seat in the House. Sarah Palin is among the contenders.
Charles Booker, a candidate for the US Senate in Kentucky, wore a noose in a recent campaign ad. Is he doing too much or just enough?
Social Justice Round Up
California released its 500-page report on reparations for Black folks last week. A few of the many recommendations in the report include giving us tuition-free college educations, a higher minimum wage & compensation for families forcibly removed from their homes. Actual details of a reparations program–which would only be for Black people whose families lived in the US before 1900–are expected to be released in a 2nd report next summer.
Remember when we told y’all that residents of Atlanta were protesting the removal of a forest to build an 85-acre facility for police training? Well they’re still fighting. Take a look at this IG post for a refresher and for information on 2 Black-led organizations that are on the front lines.
Though we are definitely NOT fans, we gotta give the Celtics credit when it’s due. The team helped keep the conversation about Brittney Griner’s detention top of mind leading up to Game 2 of the Finals. (Go Dubs though.)
Around the Diaspora
Thousands of Congolese citizens are fleeing their homes as a rebel group reemerges in the eastern part of the country. The issue is also threatening relations between Congo & Rwanda and leaders around the continent are asking the 2 countries to squash any beef ASAP.
The UK now has its first Black civil rights group to address the issue of systemic racism. The Black Equity Organization aims to be for Black Britons what the NAACP is (or is supposed to be) for Black Americans.
Caribbean travelers to the US may have an easier time getting through Customs if they use the new biometric facial comparison technology upon entry.
Getting to the Money
If you or anyone you know is formerly incarcerated, get into this: Google has expanded its program to train those reentering society. Launched in April 2021, the program will offer digital and job readiness skills for those who’ve been released from jail. They’ll also invest $8M to help expunge records and to boost nonprofits assisting “justice-impacted” individuals.
Outside is expensive and the gas prices are disrespectful. If you don’t already, make sure to use a site like GasBuddy or the Waze and Google Maps apps to find the cheapest prices in your area.
Buying Black
There can never be too many marketplaces strictly for Black-owned businesses. This time around, we wanna highlight Flourysh. They have everything you might want and need, including specialty seasonings, greeting cards, gear to show your HBCU pride & skincare products.
Culture that Pops
This Black-led art collective is tackling environmental racism while also making the outdoors more accessible to the Black community and other underrepresented groups.
How we feeling about this? This man believes we need to trademark Juneteenth in order to protect Black culture from folks like Walmart and this Indianapolis children’s museum.
Speaking of large brands who need to stop the pandering, Vaseline redeemed itself from this cringy packaging design with this website intended to show different skin conditions on melanated skin. Very valuable information, especially since we know the medical industry has very little interest in showing us the signs of certain illnesses.
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