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Intro Video

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Triple jump star Zango's 1, 2, 3 of lockdown life

How Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango - who was hoping to be his country's first Olympic medalist at Tokyo 2020 - is changing his mentality to cope with the coronoavirus lockdown.

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The data speak: Stronger pandemic response yields better economic recovery

The research described in this article has been published as a working paper but has not yet been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.

With much of the U.S. in shutdown mode to limit the spread of the Covid-19 disease, a debate has sprung up about when the country might “reopen” commerce, to limit economic fallout from the pandemic. But as a new study co-authored by an MIT economist shows, taking care of public health first is precisely what generates a stronger economic rebound later.

The study, using data from the flu pandemic that swept the U.S. in 1918-1919, finds cities that acted more emphatically to limit social and civic interactions had more economic growth following the period of restrictions.

Indeed, cities that implemented social-distancing and other public health interventions just 10 days earlier than their counterparts saw a 5 percent relative increase in manufacturing employment after the pandemic ended, through 1923. Similarly, an extra 50 days of social distancing was worth a 6.5 percent increase in manufacturing employment, in a given city.

“We find no evidence that cities that acted more aggressively in public health terms performed worse in economic terms,” says Emil Verner, an assistant professor in the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-author of a new paper detailing the findings. “If anything, the cities that acted more aggressively performed better.”

With that in mind, he observes, the idea of a “trade-off” between public health and economic activity does not hold up to scrutiny; places that are harder hit by a pandemic are unlikely to rebuild their economic capacities as quickly, compared to areas that are more intact.

“It casts doubt on the idea there is a trade-off between addressing the impact of the virus, on the one hand, and economic activity, on the other hand, because the pandemic itself is so destructive for the economy,” Verner says.

The study, “Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: Evidence from the 1918 Flu,” was posted to the Social Science Research Network as a working paper on March 26. In addition to Verner, the co-authors are Sergio Correia, an economist with the U.S. Federal Reserve, and Stephen Luck, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Evaluating economic consequences

To conduct the research, the three scholars examined mortality statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), historical economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and banking statistics compiled by finance economist Mark D. Flood, using the “Annual Reports of the Comptroller of Currency,” a government publication.

As Verner notes, the researchers were motivated to investigate the 1918-1919 flu pandemic to see what lessons from it might be applicable to the current crisis.

“The genesis of the study is that we’re interested in what the expected economic impacts of today’s coronavirus are going to be, and what is the right way to think about the economic consequences of the public health and social distancing interventions we’re seeing all around the world,” Verner says.

Scholars have known that the varying use of “nonpharmaceutical interventions,” or social-distancing measures, correlated to varying health outcomes across cities in 1918 and 1919. When that pandemic hit, U.S. cities that shut down schools earlier, such as St. Louis, fared better against the flu than places implementing shutdowns later, such as Philadelphia. The current study extends that framework to economic activity.

Quite a bit like today, social distancing measures back then included school and theater closures, bans on public gatherings, and restricted business activity.

“The nonpharmaceutical interventions that were implemented in 1918 interestingly resemble many of the policies that are being used today to reduce the spread of Covid-19,” Verner says.

Overall, the study indicates, the economic impact of the pandemic was severe. Using state-level data, the researchers find an 18 percent drop in manufacturing output through 1923, well after the last wave of the flu hit in 1919.

Looking at the effect across 43 cities, however, the researchers found significantly different economic outcomes, linked to different social distancing policies. The best-performing cities included Oakland, California; Omaha, Nebraska; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, which all enforced over 120 days of social distancing in 1918. Cities that instituted fewer than 60 days of social distancing in 1918, and saw manufacturing struggle afterward, include Philadelphia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Lowell, Massachusetts.

“What we find is that areas that were more severely affected in the 1918 flu pandemic see a sharp and persistent decline in a number of measures of economic activity, including manufacturing employment, manufacturing output, bank loans, and the stock of consumer durables,” Verner says.

Banking issues

As far as banking goes, the study included banking write-downs as an indicator of economic health, because “banks were recognizing losses from loans that households and businesses were defaulting on, due to the economic disruption caused by the pandemic,” Verner says.

The researchers found that in Albany, New York; Birmingham, Alabama; Boston; and Syracuse, New York — all of which also had fewer than 60 days of social distancing in 1918 — the banking sector struggled more than anywhere else in the country.

As the authors note in the paper, the economic struggles that followed the 1918-1919 flu pandemic reduced the ability of firms to manufacture goods — but the reduction in employment meant that people had less purchasing power as well.

“The evidence that we have in our paper … suggests that the pandemic creates both a supply-side problem and a demand-side problem,” Verner notes.

As Verner readily acknowledges, the composition of the U.S. economy has evolved since 1918-1919, with relatively less manufacturing today and relatively more activity in services. The 1918-1919 pandemic was also especially deadly for prime working-age adults, making its economic impact particularly severe. Still, the economists think the dynamics of the previous pandemic are readily applicable to our ongoing crisis.

“The structure of the economy is of course different,” Verner notes. However, he adds, “While one shouldn’t extrapolate too directly from history, we can learn some of the lessons that may be relevant to us today.” First among those lessons, he emphasizes: “Pandemic economics are different than normal economics.”



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Lauren London pens tribute to Nipsey Hussle: ‘Until we are together again’

Lauren London penned a touching tribute to her late love, Nipsey Hussle on Tuesday, marking the one year anniversary of his tragic death.

“Time is deceptive. It’s been a year since you transitioned. The pain is as heavy today as it was a year ago. God knows I would give anything to see you again,” she posted along with a photo of herself the slain rapper.

“I didn’t think I was going to survive a second of any of this. Prayers have kept me together. The kids keep me going and Gods Grace and Mercy have carried me this far,” she continued.

READ MORE: Nipsey Hussle: Grieving community looks for healing a year after his death

 

View this post on Instagram

 

…… 🏁💙

A post shared by Lauren London (@laurenlondon) on

“As today makes a year, I stand strong because of you. Because I know you wouldn’t have it any other way. Because I recall every late-night conversation we had about resilience and fear Because you were my greatest teacher and because you are still with us, in spirit. With every breath I take I honor you. I carry this pain with purpose. I promise I will make you proud. I promise to apply everything you taught me, in life and in death. Ermias Asghedom. There will never be another,” she continued.

“Until we are together again…I love you beyond human understanding (but you know that already)”

READ MORE: Lauren London responds to speculation that she and Diddy are dating

View this post on Instagram

Time is deceptive It’s been a year since you transitioned The pain is as heavy today as it was a year ago God knows I would give anything to see you again I didn’t think I was going to survive a second of any of this Prayers have kept me together The kids keep me going and Gods Grace and Mercy have carried me this far As today makes a year I stand strong because of you Because I know you wouldn’t have it any other way Because I recall every late night conversation we had about resilience and fear Because you were my greatest teacher and because you are still with us, in spirit With every breath i take I honor you I carry this pain with purpose I promise I will make you proud I promise to apply everything you taught me In life and in death Ermias Asghedom There will never be another Until we are together again…. I love you beyond human understanding ( but you know that already)🏁

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READ MORE: Lauren London shares inspiring message about surviving loss

Nipsey Hussle was gunned down outside of his clothing store in Los Angeles one year ago. The alleged gunman, Eric Holder has been charged in his murder.

In July, the actress posted a photo of a tattoo she got in his memory. The tattoo is a gorgeous depiction of the late rapper’s face along with the words “God will rise,” which is the translation of Hussle’s first name, Ermias.

The post Lauren London pens tribute to Nipsey Hussle: ‘Until we are together again’ appeared first on TheGrio.



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‘Two Dollars and a Dream’ tells true story of Madam C.J. Walker

For folks who want to get the real story about Madam C.J. Walker while quarantining, Stanley Nelson‘s Two Dollars and a Dream is a worthy watch.

When Netflix premiered Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, tons of people were intrigued by the subject of the first woman self-made millionaire. While the series prompted tons of praise for its entertainment value, many of the details were admittedly imagined.

Two Dollars and a Dream, the 1989 film, is launching on the WORLD Channel’s YouTube channel today. It kicks off its new initiative bringing original content to the platform. The channel will be dedicated to telling stories reflecting the mosaic of America and the global community.

READ MORE: Netflix’s Madam C.J. Walker series isn’t a bad story — just widely inaccurate

Produced and directed by Nelson (Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool) the biography chronicles the life of Walker. She was the child of slaves freed by the Civil War, and is recorded as America’s first self-made millionaire.

By interweaving social, economic and political history, it also offers a view of black America from 1867 to the 1930’s. Mrs. Walker’s fortune was built on skin and hair care products. She parlayed a homemade beauty formula into a prosperous business, marketing her products from coast to coast. Her daughter, A’Leilia Walker, was an important patron of the Harlem Renaissance.

The two women lived in royal style, complete with a mansion and chauffeured limousines. This little-known story is both entertaining and informative. It combines interviews, historical stills and unique film footage including scenes from Harlem’s famous Cotton Club. The film is punctuated with the music of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and other masters of that era.

Nelson’s film follows Walker’s life from her birth in Louisiana in 1867 to her death at the age of 51 in 1919. The story is told within the context of the larger history of African American people emerging from the institution of slavery and trying to secure a place in the country.

Check out the trailer:

Nelson is the grandson of the late Freeman B. Ransom, the General Manager and attorney of Walker’s hair-product company and had access to company records and former employees, allowing him to provide an intimate look at Walker’s rise to success.

READ MORE: Madam C. J. Walker’s great-great-granddaughter on carrying the family torch

Nelson went on from this film to become one of the country’s leading documentarians focused on chronicling the African American experience. Some of his films include Freedom Riders (2010, winner of three Primetime Emmy Awards), Freedom Summer (2014, Peabody Award winner), and The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2016, NAACP Image Award winner).

In addition to honors for his individual films, Nelson has received a Peabody Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts Sciences and received the National Medal in the Humanities from President Barack Obama.

 

The post ‘Two Dollars and a Dream’ tells true story of Madam C.J. Walker appeared first on TheGrio.



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LAPD officers disperse 40 party-goers from one-year-old girl’s birthday

Mayhem ensued in the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles this past weekend after approximately 40 people showed up to celebrate a child’s first birthday, in spite of nationwide directives to, “stay at home” and LAPD officers had to break it up.

Footage taken at the scene on Saturday, shows the shocking moment when a huge line of police officers had to forcibly disperse angry partygoers. They had chosen to disregard social distancing rules due to the coronavirus.

READ MORE: Virginia extends stay-at-home order till June, angers residents

While the LAPD said no arrests were made, law enforcement had to call for back up as the defiant crowd became agitated.

The video begins with what appears to be a group of women and children angrily shouting at officers, who created a barricade by forming a line. The officers are later shown herding the group away from the scene.

Previously, Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti has called for a shutdown on the city of nearly 4 million people. He even had to threaten uncooperative business owners with power shutoffs and arrest to make them comply.

READ MORE: Mississippi mayor says governor re-opening businesses amid COVID-19 is ‘foolishness’

Nationwide defiance comes with a consequence

Monday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that that the state’s stay-at-home order had been extended to June 10.  Some Virginia residents have apparently not been taking the nationwide quarantine guidelines seriously enough.

“We are at the beginning of a period of sacrifice,” Northam said during a press conference in which the announcement was made. “This is an unprecedented and difficult time; it will be hard for people, and I understand that. But I have faith in you as Virginians. We need everyone to take this seriously and act responsibly.”

READ MORE: New York governor orders statewide lockdown to ward against virus

“I want to be clear: Do not go out unless you need to go out. This is very different than wanting to go out,” he warned.

He also pointed out that “some of our beaches and other recreational areas were literally packed” over the weekend, and warned that, “everyone who is gathering in a crowd is putting themselves and others at risk.”

In Virginia, violators can be punished by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

The post LAPD officers disperse 40 party-goers from one-year-old girl’s birthday appeared first on TheGrio.



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Diamond and Silk claim rising COVID-19 cases meant to make Trump look bad

Diamond and Silk went live with a conspiracy theory that the U.S. media has hyped up coronavirus cases, including deaths, to make President Trump look bad.

From the March 29 edition of Diamond and Silk on Live, the duo spoke about the rapid new cases that have developed since January and seemed unconvinced that this is reality.

READ MORE: Why Trump’s MAGA muppets Diamond and Silk are calling Democrats the party of white supremacy

“In a matter of two weeks, over 1,000 people supposedly died from the coronavirus. In a two week time period, over 1,000 people after being tested positive have died from the coronavirus,” Silk said. She specifically pointed to a 39-day stretch from January until the end of February when she said the first person in the U.S. died of COVOID-19.

“Here’s another thing,” Silk started and Diamond said, “Come on…”

“My president said on March the 24th, Tuesday this past week, my president said that he would love for America to be back up and running,” Silk said.

Diamond said she knew what would happen next. “I knew this was going to happen. I knew after he said this was going to happen. Go ahead.”

“At the time, he said it there was 25,489 cases with 307 deaths. Instantaneously, you had the media calling President Trump out, he want it open by Easter, he want this open by Easter – me and you was talking, I said now watch the number of deaths go up,” Silk said. “Watch everything increase because they want to make it look bad in front of our eyes.”

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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 27: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) listens as Lynette ‘Diamond’ Hardaway (L) and Rochelle ‘Silk’ Richardson praise him during a news conference and meeting with African American supporters in the Cabinet Room at the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On March 24, Silk alleges there were 25,489 coronavirus cases and 307 U.S. deaths, yet five days later the number jumped to 121,478 cases and 2,026 deaths. Silk implied it was all a concoction by the media to make President Trump look bad.

READ MORE: Diamond and Silk to host Fox News show while volunteering for Trump 2020 campaign

On social media, people seemed concerned about Diamond and Silk’s mental stability.

“They need Jesus,” tweeted Infobahn.

“Has anybody had the heart to tell these two coronavirus numbers aren’t the only thing making trump look bad?” wrote Tim Edwards.

Serene predicted that karma may come a knocking.

“Somebody let me know when one or both of these “women” are diagnosed with #coronavirus. I’ll wait,” tweeted Serene.

The post Diamond and Silk claim rising COVID-19 cases meant to make Trump look bad appeared first on TheGrio.



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Ex-NFL player trades in helmet for scrubs to combat COVID-19

Dr. Myron Rolle, the former NFL defensive back, is now a medical doctor helping to treat patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Rolle, 33, is a Rhodes Scholar and former college standout with the Florida Seminoles before he was drafted in 2010 by the Tennessee Titans. But after three years in the NFL, Rolle hung up his helmet and left his jersey for Florida State University’s College of Medicine, reported Blacknews.com. He is now a doctor at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, saving lives amid the coronavirus pandemic.

READ MORE: Surgeon general calls on Kylie Jenner to help combat coronavirus outbreak

Rolle works today as a third-year resident in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General, known as one of Boston’s busiest hospitals. He told ESPN he still brings his game strategy to the operating room.

“I think of the operating room like a game, like it’s showtime, let’s perform. I gotta do what I gotta do because people are counting on us right now. This is our time to help very sick people. So that motivation continues to drive me every single day,” Rolle said.

Rolle added that he has been spending a lot of time working on “individuals with respiratory distress and respiratory compromise, and the numbers are staggering.” He went on: “…Our bed space, our operating rooms may even be turned into ICUs because there are so many people that are either positive with COVID-19 or suspected of having it.”

“It is hectic, that’s for sure,” Rolle added to ESPN.

READ MORE: Marc Lamont Hill looks for support as bookstore closes amid COVID-19

Rolle told ESPN that medical personnel must wear masks while in the hospital but warns that the numbers could dwindle moving forward.

Supplies are “pretty limited right now, and dwindling,” he says in the video. He opened up a cabinet to illustrate his point.

Rolle was picked in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL draft. He never played in a regular season game.

The post Ex-NFL player trades in helmet for scrubs to combat COVID-19 appeared first on TheGrio.



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Unity National Bank Partners With Citi To Help Rejuvenate Its Operations

Unity National Bank

Joining a growing list of black banks with like alliances, Unity National Bank has partnered with Citi under the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Agent Mentor Protégé Program.

The accord will help Houston-based Unity, one of the nation’s largest black banks, build up its consumer banking operations, generate new fee income, and begin a push to profitability. Those efforts could help Unity avoid becoming among a rising number of black banks forced to close or sell in recent years.

Unity plans to engage in an ongoing knowledge exchange partnership with Citi under the U.S. Treasury Protégé Program. The program calls for Unity to work in collaboration with and participate in enterprise training sessions led by Citi, America’s third-largest bank. The global bank Citigroup, which uses Citi as its brand name, has assets of more than $1.9 trillion.

The Treasury launched the mentor-protégé program in 2018 to broaden the capacity of small and community banks. It connects designated Financial Agents, like Citi, with smaller financial institutions, including minority and women-owned banks, to boost the number of qualified Financial Agents.

The designation allows community and regional banks to perform financial services for the Treasury and its financial management arm, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

“A collaborative relationship with Citi will assist Unity in moving community banking into the 21st century, enhance and grow its business, and in turn support economic development and access to capital in the communities that Unity serves” Laurie A. Vignaud, Unity’s president and CEO, recently stated.

To date, Unity has engaged with Citi in knowledge transfer sessions specific not only to becoming a Financial Agent but also centered on growth acceleration, technology enhancements, and capital and risk management.

Several black banks are enrolled in the Treasury’s mentor-protégé program. Detroit-based First Independence Bank teamed with U.S. Bank in the program. The Harbor Bank of Maryland and Liberty Bank and Trust Co. have similar alliances with JPMorgan Chase & Co. Black banks can reap new fee income by absorbing some of the duties. Like First Independence, Liberty Bank, and The Harbor Bank of Maryland, Unity is on the BE Banks list of the nation’s largest black-owned banks.

Many black banks are facing tough circumstances and need big-time support to survive. Issues like insufficient capital levels, higher compliance costs, less than optimal loan demand, and erratic profitability have made operating difficult for the banks. Profitability has reportedly been a challenge for Unity.

American Banker reported this month that Unity, with $106 million in assets, hasn’t reported a full-year profit since 2016, losing some $2.9 million over the past three years, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) data.

Unity’s Vignaud could not be reached to comment for this report as she is preoccupied with COVID-19 virus activities and focused on addressing the needs of the bank’s customers and employees during the pandemic.

But Vignaud told American Banker she expects to lean heavily on Citi to help build Unity’s retail banking capabilities. She essentially aims to use Citi platform’s over time as a white-label conduit for mortgages, credit cards, and other consumer products that Unity can’t afford to offer independently.

“We’re looking at diversifying … because there’s so much more we can offer,” she stated. “We want to be more of a consumer lender.”

Unity’s board appointed Vignaud as the bank’s leader in December 2019 and she started in January 2020. She was also named to the company’s board.

Unity’s Board Chair Dr. Kase L. Lawal stated, “I am delighted to welcome Laurie as our new CEO and President. Laurie is a proven leader who has excelled at strategic leadership positions and is well-positioned to lead Unity’s continued transformation. With more than 30 years in leadership roles in banking and community development institutions, including as President of Capital One Bank’s Community Development Corporation, Laurie has demonstrated a strong track record in initiating and leading change, driving results, and innovating amid a rapidly evolving banking landscape. Laurie’s financial and business acumen, integrity, passion for community banking, and commitment to strong talent management are important qualities considered by our Board of Directors.”

Her appointment came a month after Washington, D.C.-based Industrial Bank acquired City National Bank of New Jersey, based in Newark. Industrial Bank is on the BE 100s Banks list of the nation’s largest black-owned banks. The deal came after City National Bank failed and was shut down in November by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).  The closure reveals how the number of black banks has been dwindling. The most recent figure shows there are just 21 black banks in America as of the fourth quarter of 2019, the FDIC reports. That number is down from a robust 48 in 2001.

Like other black banks, Unity could benefit from the Treasury program by generating more fee income. American Banker reported fee income made up less than a fifth of Unity’s revenue last year.

The Treasury is projected to shell out to financial agent banks about $850 million in fiscal 2020 and $865 million the next fiscal year, American Banker reported. So just a portion of those funds could be a big help for Unity and other minority-owned banks, including black-owned banks.

Unity claims its relationship with Citi is critical to the bank’s ambitions to grow at scale and increase its presence into underserved communities in Texas and Georgia. Unity reported has recently expanded its operations in those areas to provide customers a full product suite of financial offerings.

Harold Butler, managing director and head of Citi’s Financial Agent Mentor Protégé Program, stated, “We look forward to deepening our participation in the Mentor-Protégé Program by partnering with Unity National Bank. “Effecting change and increasing access to resources in the minority-banking sector underpins Citi’s commitment to increase equity and inclusivity in the financial industry.”

 



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NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Threatens To Permanently Close Places of Worship That Don’t Comply With Social Distancing Guidelines

Mayor Bill de Blasio

With the rise in coronavirus cases in the New York area, measures have been put in place to slow the spread of it, including suggestions of social distancing for all groups. On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that places of worship would be permanently shut down if they don’t comply with the guidelines, according to Fox 5 NY.

“So, I want to say to all those who are preparing the potential of religious services this weekend — if you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice but to shut down those services,” de Blasio told reporters in a press conference streamed online. “I don’t say that with any joy. It’s the last thing I would like to do because I understand how important people’s faiths are to them, and we need our faiths in this time of crisis, but we do not need gatherings that will endanger people.”

“No faith tradition endorses anything that endangers the members of that faith,” de Blasio continued. “So, the NYPD, Fire Department, Buildings Department, and everyone has been instructed that if they see worship services going on, they will go to the officials of that congregation, they’ll inform them they need to stop the services and disperse.”

“If that does not happen, they will take additional action up to the point of fines and potentially closing the building permanently,” de Blasio concluded. “Again, that will begin this weekend. Again, I’m sorry I have to tell you this, but anyone who’s hearing this, take it seriously. You’ve been warned, you need to stop services, help people practice their faith in different ways, but not in groups, not in gatherings that could endanger people.”

The mayor has also stated that New York City residents who break social distancing rules will be subject to fines up to $500 as the cases of coronavirus are still climbing due to the outbreak.

“You’ve been warned and warned and warned again,” the mayor said during a Sunday press conference.

“They’re going to give people every chance to listen, and if anyone doesn’t listen, then they deserve a fine at this point,” de Blasio said as reported by Politico. “I don’t want to fine people when so many folks are going through economic distress, but if they haven’t gotten the message by now, and they don’t get the message when an enforcement officer’s staring them in the face … that person then deserves the fine, so we’re going to proceed with that.”

Click here to watch Mayor de Blasio’s press conference. His warning to religious buildings starts around the 26:00 mark.



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5 Ways Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, ‘Dean of the Civil Rights Movement,’ Changed Black History

Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery

Rev Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, a revered civil rights icon and community organizer, died at the age of 98 on Friday. His family confirmed that he died peacefully from natural causes while surrounded by his three daughters, reports NBC News.

Born on Oct. 6, 1921, in Huntsville Alabama, Lowery spent his adolescence in Alabama and Chicago. After earning a bachelor’s degree at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, he dedicated his life to ministry and the fight to end racial discrimination around the world.

Throughout his life, the ordained Methodist minister pastored three churches in Alabama and Georgia, worked as a former aide to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and spearheaded some of the most pivotal moments in the civil rights movement. His fight for equality continued into the 21st century.

Lowery’s work earned him several awards and honorary doctoral degrees. In 1997, the NAACP crowned him as the “dean of the civil rights movement” and presented him with a lifetime achievement award. In 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor, under then-President Barack Obama.

Here are five ways Rev. Lowery altered the course of black history throughout his decadeslong dedication to fighting for civil rights.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

After Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955, Lowery helped lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott with Dr. King.

“Born and raised in Jim Crow Alabama, preaching in his blood, the Rev. Joseph Lowery is a giant of the Moses generation of civil rights leaders,” Obama said about Lowery in 2009. “It was just King, Lowery and a few others, huddled in Montgomery, who laid the groundwork for the bus boycott and the movement that was to follow.”

Co-founded SCLC

In 1957, King and Lowery co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization devoted to human rights. Their work helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Lowery served as the organization’s vice president and chairman of the board. He went on to serve as SCLC president for two decades from 1977 to 1997.

Helped Organized the March on Washington

Lowery played a pivotal role in coordinating the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans.

Led the Selma to Montgomery March

Lowery led the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 at King’s request. They were joined by thousands of nonviolent demonstrators as they marched to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to rally for voting rights.

Co-founded the Black Leadership Forum

Lowery co-founded the Black Leadership Forum, which played a key role in protesting apartheid in South Africa by pressuring businesses not to trade with the apartheid-era regime.

“He was a fierce advocate for voting rights and criminal justice reform, and led groundbreaking protests, including a boycott in the mid-1980s that persuaded the Winn-Dixie grocery chain to stop selling products from South Africa during apartheid,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in a statement to BLACK ENTERPRISE on Monday.

 

 

 

 

 



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Why Is Everyone Watching 'Tiger King'?

The Netflix docuseries is extremely popular. It’s also appalling. Why are people flocking to such a feel-bad show?

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Queens hospital worker dies due to COVID-19: ‘Rest in Power’

A Queens, New York hospital worker, known for her community activism and an “advocate for the underdog,” has died from COVID-19.

New York State Senator Jessica Ramos announced the passing of Priscilla Carrow in a tribute posted on her Twitter page. Ramos said Carrow, who was the coordinating manager at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens and who also worked as the deputy director of community relations with the New York Senate, would deeply be missed. Elmhurst, like other hospitals in New York, has been hard hit with coronavirus cases.

READ MORE: NYC paramedic fighting for her life against coronavirus, family says

“Heartbroken to share my neighbor Priscilla Carrow passed away due to COVID-19. She was a crucial member of our community for 25+ years, proud @CWA1180 & @queensCB4 member & former coordinating manager at Elmhurst Hospital & staffer for my predecessor Jose Peralta. Rest in power,” tweeted Ramos.

My condolences to her family and our community!! Thank you for your service you will be missed!! RIP!!

“My condolences to her family and our community!! Thank you for your service you will be missed!! RIP!!” wrote Michelle Dunston in response to Ramos’ tweet.

CWA Local 1180, Carrow’s worker’s union, issued a lengthy statement on Facebook, saying Carrow walked her talk and calling her a “passionate leader” in the community and “one of God’s most precious children.”

“It is with tremendous sorrow and the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Priscilla Carrow, Coordinating Manager at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, on Monday, March 30, 2020, due to COVID-19. She was also a dedicated, active CWA Local 1180 Shop Steward. Priscilla first became a member of Local 1180 in August 2006. She was also a passionate leader of the Queens Borough Community Coordinating Committee, but she was so much more than that. She diligently served as a member of Community Board #4, was a member of the Queens Democratic Party, was extremely active in her community, and was one of Local 1180s most involved Shop Stewards,” the statement reads.

“We lost one of God’s most precious children due to the coronavirus, a blessed soul who gave her all every day at work at Elmhurst – a hospital overloaded with the coronavirus – to make sure others were taken care of,” said President Gloria Middleton. “I am beyond devastated and heartbroken as is the entire Local 1180 Executive Board. Priscilla always had a huge smile on her face and kind words to offer. Please keep her family in your prayers,” the statement adds.

The union asks everyone to pray for Carrow’s two children, son Tasheen Carrow, and daughter, Keyana Reaves.”

Many people responded to the post with personal stories of Carrow.

Celeste Spriggly wrote: “Condolences to Priscilla’s family she was a firecracker. Always a ray of sunshine a great soul Im in such disbelief she always would light up a room and always made me laugh. An advocate for the underdog. I will miss you Priscilla. Sleep in peace. Xoxo”

READ MORE: Retired nurse becomes first COVID-19 fatality in Illinois

And Jim Brown said he is still processing the news.

“When I came to work today I was thrown off balance by the news. My senior shop steward…… no way. Every event, through her surgery, through her healing, she was there front and center for her community, for her Elmhurst community, for her borough, for her Union. She reached out to senior/executive management and politicians alike. I respect her for her efforts, I will remember her passion,… I will not forget her encouragement to do more for our union brothers and sisters. She is the first loss to this pestilence that I personally know. I just can’t believe it,” Brown wrote.

The post Queens hospital worker dies due to COVID-19: ‘Rest in Power’ appeared first on TheGrio.



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The Search for the Next Big Idea in Magnetic Field Mapping

A new competition challenges scientists to innovate on how we map Earth's constantly shifting magnetic field—and make navigation safer and more accurate.

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U.S. coronavirus deaths reach 3,000 mark as crisis escalates

As of early Tuesday, the United States has now lost more than 3,000 people to the quickly-spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

The most recent numbers came via the tracker at the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. There are also 164,610 confirmed cases in the U.S. during the same timeframe.

READ MORE: ‘Respect’ and ‘Genius: Aretha’ release dates delayed by coronavirus

Globally, there are more than 788,000 cases and nearly 39,000 deaths.

Meanwhile, large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago continued to struggle to keep up with the skyrocketing numbers and find adequate health care solutions and equipment to accommodate a spike in new patients. Those three cities are all rolling out or planning to roll out, makeshift hospitals to meet the demand.

New York has converted a portion of Central Park into a temporary hospital and is also planning to use the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, to treat coronavirus cases. The Comfort, which is docked in New York harbor and expected to start taking patients as early as Tuesday, adds 1,000 more hospital beds and 12 operating rooms.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also asking for nurses and doctors in less hard-hit states to come to New York to help with the devastating outbreak, according to USA Today.

“In this battle, the troops are our healthcare professionals,” Cuomo told the newspaper. “We need relief. We need relief for nurses working 12-hour shifts. We need relief for doctors. Help us now and we will return the favor.”

“The number of beds we had in the beginning of March has to triple by May,” Mayor Bill de Blasio added. “It’s a daunting task, but we got a big, big boost.”

In Illinois, Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, which is the biggest conference center in North America, will be transformed into a care facility to treat up to 3,000 coronavirus patients.

READ MORE: Coronavirus outbreak shakes up Black skiers summit

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters that the state would need to ramp up more than 50,000 additional hospital beds to accommodate the outbreak, and warned that the peak in California is still a few weeks away.

As large cities grapple with the need for more hospital beds, masks and equipment, state and local leaders across the country have increasingly issued stay at home orders and curfews. On Monday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay at home order that takes effect immediately and runs until June 10.

The post U.S. coronavirus deaths reach 3,000 mark as crisis escalates appeared first on TheGrio.



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Venture Exec Lisa Coca: Outperforming the Competition Is the Price of Admission for Women of Color

Portraits of Power Lisa Coca

Featuring a broad cross-section of women who have distinguished themselves across a rich variety of careers, our Portraits of Power series is a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Black Enterprise, and of black women. It’s a place for today’s businesswomen to share their own favorite images and their own stories, in their own words. Today’s portrait is startup adviser and investor Lisa Coca.

Lisa Coca

Managing Director/Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Intel Emerging Growth & Incubation

My first job was as a financial analyst on Wall Street. I constructed the firm’s first automated model for the valuation and acquisition of more than $700 million of distressed loans.

My big break came when Beth Comstock, then Global CMO for GE, tapped me to partner with her in development of the business plan for the launch of GE Ventures. She was incredibly forward-thinking and trusted my ability to translate prior experience and skill sets in a new domain.

I’ve had to work hardest at always being better than the best. For women of color, outperforming the competition in financial services, which is dominated by Caucasian males, is not a luxury. It is table stakes.

I never imagined I would have a daughter who is so incredibly dominated by her right brain! I could not be more proud—she is amazingly artistic but it does take her 20 minutes to put on her socks in the morning. It makes me crazy!

I wish I’d learned sooner about the world of technological innovation. It is driving transformative shifts in our economy, our everyday lives, and offers women an incredible path to empowerment.

My biggest regret is not taking more risks early in my career—exploring opportunities that would have placed me in greater control of my own destiny.

If I could design my fantasy self-care day, I would go back in time to the days when I had fewer responsibilities. When I could wake up, go for a 10-mile run in Central Park, relax, meet my girlfriends for a leisurely lunch, go home and read a book and then re-group with the girls for a night out on the town!

Being a working mother keeps me up at night. I love the adrenalin rush from working and achieving success in a very competitive profession. I also appreciate the element of providing our daughters with role models … “if she can see it, she can be it”. Notwithstanding, it requires compromises. I wish I could be there for her and with her every minute, of every hour, every day.

When I’m struggling, I say to myself, you got this!

I am unapologetically tenacious in my drive for results.


Portraits of Power is a yearlong series of candid insights from exceptional women leaders. It is brought to you by ADP.



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U.S. Government Signs $450 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Contract With Johnson & Johnson

COVID-19 testing

The Trump administration has made another move in the race to combat and stop the viral outbreak of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, around the globe. The Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently signed a deal for a $456 million order with Johnson & Johnson’s Pharmaceuticals arm Janssen. The order has been specified as a “new vaccine asset for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).” It is the largest amount spent on a vaccine project to date by the administration.

A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson didn’t provide any more details on the specific order. The deal was in an announcement from ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in February.

This moves the partnership forward between the U.S. government and Johnson & Johnson to co-invest $1 billion into COVID-19 vaccine research and clinical testing. Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals hasn’t yet started any clinical trials for a vaccine but expects human clinical studies for its vaccine candidate to go ahead, at the latest, by September 2020. The company predicts the first round of vaccines to be available for emergency use in early 2021.

Johnson & Johnson also unveiled a new collaboration with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in developing potential preventive vaccine candidates for COVID-19 earlier this month. A company spokesperson confirmed Johnson & Johnson still hopes to announce progress on the partnership very soon.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are only two active cases of vaccines going through trials —an NIAID-backed treatment with two others in China from CanSino Biological and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology.

Despite the global rush to get a vaccine out as soon as possible, it is highly unlikely anything will be made available to market within the year. Healthcare professionals such as Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO at CEPI, have stated it’ll take somewhere between a year and 18 months before the world has access to a coronavirus vaccine.



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This Pandemic Is Perilously Boring

It's far from being the most important source of human suffering. But the rapid spread of boredom across the world is a crisis of its own.

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A Creator of the Ebola Vaccine Has Hope for Slowing Covid-19

Gary Kobinger says a vaccine targeting groups like the elderly could be ready in less than a year, and control measures are slowing the disease's spread.

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In Crowded Hospitals, Who Will Get Life-Saving Equipment?

As health care workers prepare for surges of Covid-19 patients, they must grapple with the ethics of rationing critical medical gear.

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People Read a Lot of Covid News—but It Won't Save the Media

Yes, everyone is hungry for information about the pandemic. But media's ability to monetize that readership is dissolving. Time for policymakers to act.

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Why Life During a Pandemic Feels So Surreal

The study of the surreal has mostly concerned Dali's paintings and Kafka’s writings. But there are psychological reasons why every day seems so otherworldly.

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Covid-19 Symptoms: What to Do If You Might Have It

Stay calm. Here's our guide to what symptoms you should look out for, and how to respond if you've been exposed.

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The Newest US Sanctions on China's Huawei Could Backfire

A reported ban on sales to Huawei of chips made with American equipment might intensify China's drive to develop its own chip industry.

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Monday, March 30, 2020

Mesoamerican copper smelting technology aided colonial weaponry

When Spanish invaders arrived in the Americas, they were generally able to subjugate the local peoples thanks, in part, to their superior weaponry and technology. But archeological evidence indicates that, in at least one crucial respect, the Spaniards were quite dependent on an older indigenous technology in parts of Mesoamerica (today’s Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras).

The invaders needed copper for their artillery, as well as for coins, kettles, and pans, but they lacked the knowledge and skills to produce the metal. Even Spain at that time had not produced the metal domestically for centuries, relying on imports from central Europe. In Mesoamerica they had to depend on local smelters, furnace builders, and miners to produce the essential material. Those skilled workers, in turn, were able to bargain for exemption from the taxes levied on the other indigenous people.

This dependence continued for at least a century, and perhaps as long as two centuries or more, according to new findings published in the journal Latin American Antiquity, in a paper by Dorothy Hosler, professor of archeology and ancient technology at MIT, and Johan Garcia Zaidua, a researcher at the University of Porto, in Portugal.

The research, at the site of El Manchón, in Mexico, made use of information gleaned from more than four centuries worth of archeological features and artifacts excavated by Hosler and her crew over multiple years of fieldwork, as well as from lab work and historical archives in Portugal, Spain, and Mexico analyzed by Garcia.

El Manchón, a large and remote settlement, initially displayed no evidence of Spanish presence. The site consisted of three steep sectors, two of which displayed long house foundations, some with interior rooms and religious sanctuaries, patios, and a configuration that was conceptually Mesoamerican but unrelated to any known ethnic groups such as the Aztec. In between the two was an area that contained mounds of slag (the nonmetallic material that separates out during smelting from the pure metal, which floats to the surface).

The Spanish invaders urgently needed enormous quantities of copper and tin to make the bronze for their cannons and other armaments, Hosler says, and this is documented in the historical and archival records. But “they didn’t know how to smelt,” she says, whereas archaeological data suggest the indigenous people had already been smelting copper at this settlement for several hundred years, mostly to make ritual or ceremonial materials such as bells and amulets. These artisans were highly skilled, and in Guerrero and elsewhere had been producing complex alloys including copper-silver, copper-arsenic, and copper-tin for hundreds of years, working on a small scale using blowpipes and crucibles to smelt the copper and other ores. 

But the Spanish desperately reqired large quantities of copper and tin, and in consultation with indigenous smelters introduced some European technology into the process. Hosler and her colleagues excavated an enigmatic feature that consisted of two parallel courses of stones leading toward a large cake of slag in the smelting area. They identified this as the remains of a thus-far-undocumented hybrid type of closed furnace design, powered by a modified hand-held European bellows. A small regional museum in highland Guerrero illustrates just such a hybrid furnace design, including the modified European-introduced bellows system, capable of producing large volumes of copper. But no actual remains of such furnaces had previously been found.

The period when this site was occupied spanned from about 1240 to 1680, Hosler says, and may have extended to both earlier and later times.

The Guerrero site, which Hosler excavated over four field seasons before work had to be suspended because of local drug cartel activity, contains large heaps of copper slag, built up over centuries of intensive use. But it took a combination of the physical evidence, analysis of the ore and slags, the archaeological feature in the the smelting area, the archival work, and reconstruction drawing to enable identification of the centuries of interdependence of the two populations in this remote outpost.

Earlier studies of the composition of the slag at the site, by Hosler and some of her students, revealed that it had formed at a temperature of 1150 degrees Celsius, which could not have been achieved with just the blowpipe system and would have required bellows. That helps to confirm the continued operation of the site long into the colonial period, Hosler says.

Years of work went into trying to find ways to date the different deposits of slag at the site. The team also tried archaeomagnetic data but found that the method was not effective for the materials in that particular region of Mexico. But the written historical record proved key to making sense of the wide range of dates, which reflected centuries of use of the site.

Documents sent back to Spain in the early colonial period described the availability of the locally produced copper, and the colonists’ successful tests of using it to cast bronze artillery pieces. Documents also described the bargains made by the indigenous producers to gain economic privileges for their people, based on their specialized metallurgical knowledge.

“We know from documents that the Europeans figured out that the only way they could smelt copper was to collaborate with the indigenous people who were already doing it,” Hosler says. “They had to cut deals with the indigenous smelters.”

Hosler says that “what’s so interesting to me is that we were able to use traditional archeological methods and data from materials analysis as well as ethnographic data” from the furnace in a museum in the area, “and historical and archival material from 16th century archives in Portugal, Spain, and Mexico, then to put all the data from these distinct disciplines together into an explanation that is absolutely solid.”

The research received support from Charles Barber, CEO of Asarco; the Wenner-Gren Foundation; FAMSI; and MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.



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The 2020 U.S. census: Time to make it count

The year’s U.S. census is taking place at a unique time in the country’s history. Many people, including college students, are staying in their homes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the Census Bureau has taken a number of steps to respond to the disruptions of the outbreak.

Students who are usually at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily living somewhere else due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and universities like MIT are working with census officials to count students that normally live in a dorm or other college-owned housing.

But, under official guidance, “if you live in an apartment or house alone or with roommates or others,” you should receive an invitation in the mail to respond to the census, which you can respond to online, by phone, or by mail. “Whatever method you choose,” the guidance continues, “make sure you use your normal address — where you usually live while you’re at school. You should also include anyone else who normally lives there, too. That means you’ll be asked about your roommates’ birthdays, how they want to identify their race, etc. But if you don’t know that information, or you can’t verify whether your roommate has already responded for your home, please respond for the entire household.”

Census Day is April 1, but the government strongly encourages online responses, which can be submitted here until Aug. 14 under a revised schedule. Census takers will also follow up with some households that don’t respond. Still, most things will not change for the once-a-decade-survey. By law, the Census Bureau must deliver each state’s population total to the president by Dec. 31 of this year. That’s because census data have important implications for redistricting and representation purposes.

The census is valuable for a number of other applications as well. To learn more, and to understand why members of the MIT community should participate, MIT News spoke with Melissa Nobles, the Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and Amy Glasmeier, a professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planing, both of whom have used census data for important research throughout their careers.

Q: Why is the census so important?

GLASMEIER: The census is the basis of many important functions in our society. First, it helps to set the congressional districts and decide how many representatives particular geographic areas have. Second, the census is used to determine the distribution of federal resources. For example, if a region goes down to 49,000 people, it’s not considered a metropolitan area anymore and falls into a completely different [resource allocation] category. Third, it’s important at the community level. Communities are responsible for certain kinds of goods and services, and if they don’t have an accurate count of their population, they don’t have a good way of knowing what their responsibilities are. It’s incredibly important to know how many students are in your school district and the growth rate of your school district, or the growth rate of your elderly population. So the census is the statistical fabric, if you will, of our society.

NOBLES: Over the centuries, the importance of census data has grown far past representative purposes. Uses now extend to budgeting and really anything we care about in public life.

The census deals with many things researchers are interested in. From where people live to how they are living, to how large their households are, to age distribution, gender distribution, etc. It’s a public service and it allows for broad access to data by researchers, which is different from private databases ,which may not provide you that information. It’s a public service that researchers rely on enormously.

Q: Why should members of the MIT community participate?

NOBLES: The census is based on inhabitants in locations, so it’s indifferent to citizenship. It’s important for governments (federal, state, and municipal) and researchers to know that international students are here, for example, and how many people there are in their communities.

The main thrust of the census is to be counted. It asks where every inhabitant in the U.S. is on April 1, census day. It’s a relatively quick survey and it’s worth doing; it’s part of our civic duty. Our government needs reliable data — we should appreciate the importance of that, at MIT. In order to make good policies, you first need good data, so participating in the census is  part of our intellectual duty in addition to our civic duty.

GLASMEIER: Unless someone is registered to vote in their home, they’re going to be identified here as a resident in a group quarter. This kind of information is important for the city of Cambridge, because they’re making decisions about things like water supply, housing, and transportation, and it’s also important from the perspective of understanding who’s going to college. What’s their personal history? Where do they come from, from the standpoint of ethnicity, race, gender?

Q: What do you wish more people know about the census?

NOBLES: I don’t want people to be suspicious of it. There are rightly many concerns right now about data privacy, and sometimes it seems people are more fearful of the census than they are of private corporations, which often have way more personal information than the government, by the way. You can rest assured that these data are used for a range of government programs, most importantly our own democratic governance, and it’s part of living in the U.S. People should look at it as a useful tool and not be suspicious of it.

GLASMEIER: The anonymity is important. America is extremely rigorous about confidentiality across the entire census. It also sets the political environment for the nation, and it’s exceedingly important in that way. Finally, for those of us who use it for research purposes, it’s a daily thing we touch. For many others that are starting to deal with populations and think about people, the census is this amazing source they may not even know exists.



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Maxine Waters slams Trump in fiery tweets: ‘You incompetent idiot!’

Rep. Maxine Waters set Twitter ablaze on Monday with a series of fiery tweets aimed at President Donald Trump for what she called his “disaster” of a response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact in the United States.

“Trump, stop congratulating yourself! You’re a failure & you’ve mishandled this #COVID19 disaster!” Waters tweeted. 

READ MORE: ‘We love Yamiche’ trends on Twitter after Trump berates Black reporter’

“You’re not knowledgeable & you don’t know more than experts & generals. Your ignorance & incompetence are appalling & you continue to demonstrate that every time you open your mouth!”

“Trump, you incompetent idiot! You sent 18 tons of PPE to China early but ignored warnings & called COVID19 concerns a hoax. You’ve endangered doctors, nurses, aids, orderlies, & janitors – all risking their lives to save ours,” she said in another tweet.

“Pray 4 forgiveness for the harm that you’re causing!”

The California congresswoman’s impassioned tweets to the president were likely in response to Trump’s numerous false claims about the novel coronavirus and the U.S.’s response to it. What’s more, the U.S. has now surpassed China and Italy as the country with the most virus cases and continues to grabble with scarcity in medical supplies, among other national concerns.

Water’s tweets caused “Auntie Maxine” to trend on Twitter, drawing many responses from supporters cheering on her tough message.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) arrives for a Democratic caucus meeting. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Auntie Maxine wasnt having the BS today…,” tweeted @PricelessT1285.”

Songwriter Dianne Warren wrote, “Don’t f**k with Auntie Maxine!!”

READ MORE: Don Lemon accuses Trump of ‘gaslighting’ over coronavirus

Of course, Waters isn’t the only person to express their anger at Trump’s various falsehoods during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Trump had said that businesses would reopen by Easter, only to days later change course. Adhering to public health professionals, he ultimately extended nationwide social distancing guidelines through April 30, according to CNN.

READ MORE: Man dies after taking drug promoted by Trump to treat COVID-19

President Trump also pushed certain drugs as a potential treatment for COVID-19 — drugs that are now at the center of at least one death and thousands of lupus patients unable to get proper medication. Trump has also been repeatedly contradicted and corrected by Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Critics, like Waters, have slammed Trump for using his world microphone to lambast the press and Democratic opponents rather than addressing the concerns of the American public during a time of fear and uncertainty.

The post Maxine Waters slams Trump in fiery tweets: ‘You incompetent idiot!’ appeared first on TheGrio.



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