Earlier this week, Governor Newsom discussed the potential for a new Stay at Home Order for counties in purple, this would include San Bernardino county. It is imperative that businesses prepare for the chance that the response to the pandemic would be a new stay at home order.
In addition, the governor discussed the expected hospitalization rates that could mean that ICU beds could exceed capacity 107 percent in southern California by mid to late December.
The news prompted the governor to reiterate the actions the state has taken to make available billions of dollars for small businesses relief. These relief funds and programs for small businesses can be found at covid-19.ca.gov website or https://covid19.ca.gov/business-and-employers.
Emergency relief packages. For more information, please visit the websites included here to read all regulatory and grant application information.
California and the federal government are providing tax assistance and benefits to small businesses. https://covid19.ca.gov/taxes/ This includes:
Interest-free deferral of sales/use tax up to $50,000 for businesses with less than $5 million in taxable sales
A $1,000 tax credit for new employees hired by small businesses (up to $100,000 per business)
Excluding forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans from state gross income
Federal tax credits to small businesses for COVID-19 employee paid leave
$25,000 for small businesses and nonprofits also included in this package.
Tomorrow, December 1, the state is implementing a main street hiring tax credit for hiring qualified employees.
The state has a tax relief program of $100 million to waive franchise tax fees for new businesses.
SBA and the state are offering numerous programs for disaster relief loans for businesses that would not otherwise qualify for loans.
ALSO, restaurants, please review the great plates program providing you reimbursement for meals provided to seniors. The state will provide after 75% reimbursement for these cost and allow you to maintain your employees. The great bites program what’s discussed today by the governor and can be found at https://covid19.ca.gov/restaurants-deliver-home-meals-for-seniors/ For the next 6 to 9 weeks our small businesses might be even more severely impacted, some would say more the impact may be harder than all of 2020. It is important that you look into these programs in order to maintain your businesses.
Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, three vaccine trials have yielded promising results, and the first round of Americans could begin to receive shots as early as mid-December.
Last week, the California Department of Public Health announced that California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris will chair the state’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee. The group Burke-Harris leads will help guide the state’s decision making about vaccine distribution.
“While the COVID-19 vaccine is new, we are not starting our planning process from scratch. This is an area of expertise we have strong partnerships in, building on lessons learned from previous vaccination campaigns, including H1N1 and the seasonal flu,” said Gov. Newsom.
But as the anticipated end of the global pandemic finally comes into our line of sight, some Black activists are raising concerns shared and echoed by skeptical African Americans across the country.
Earlier this month, San Diego civil rights organization People’s Alliance for Justice (PAFJ) sent letters to the four companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, asking them to release data regarding the diversity of vaccine trial participants.
“We need a break down of race and ethnicity to analyze data regarding whether communities of color are overrepresented in these trials or underrepresented or equally represented and how our communities are responding to the call for volunteering,” wrote Shane Harris, PAFJ’s president in the letter.
According to Harris, Pfizer, the global pharmaceutical company, has responded to his inquiry. He shared the letter with California Black Media.
“With regard to your data request, the demographic data collected to date shows that approximately 30% of trial participants in the United States have racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds,” the letter from the CEO of Pfizer reads. “More specifically, 10.1% of U.S. participants are Black, and 13.1% of U.S. participants are of Hispanic/Latinx origin. Please find additional demographic information at the global and U.S. levels here.”
Pfizer says it also plans to present subgroup analyses by age, race and ethnicity and may also do an evaluation by country.
Dr. Oliver Brooks, who is the immediate past president of the National Medical Association (NMA), said during a California Black Legislative Caucus (CLBC) press conference last week that he has also met with the companies developing vaccines and verified that African Americans are included in the trials.
The CLBC organized the virtual press conference to highlight work Black elected officials and healthcare professionals are doing to address the pandemic in California’s African American communities.
Asked whether the vaccine will be prioritized in communities that have been COVID-19 hot spots, which are primarily Black and Brown communities, Burke-Harris says she is taking steps to make sure that process is inclusive.
“We will be reviewing the distribution plan and ensuring that we are having an equitable framework for vaccine distribution,” said Burke-Harris.
Two of the companies developing a COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer, in partnership with BioNTech, and Moderna, announced Nov. 9 and 16, respectively, that their vaccines are producing promising vaccine trial results. The Pfizer vaccine is estimated to be more than 90 % effective, with 94 trial participants out of nearly 44,000 contracting COVID-19. The Moderna vaccine was found to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by 94.5 %.
A third company, AstraZeneca, which is developing a vaccine with Oxford University announced that its vaccine, from separate clinical trials is up to 90% effective.
Pfizer announced Nov. 20 that it has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant an emergency use authorization for its vaccine. On Nov. 22, Moncef Siaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed — the federal government’s program to produce and deliver 300 million doses of the vaccine by January 2021– told CNN that the group plans to begin administering the vaccine immediately.
“Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours from the approval, so I would expect maybe on day two after approval, on the 11th or on the 12th of December, hopefully, the first people will be immunized across the United States, across all states,” Slaoui told CNN.
The FDA committee in charge of the emergency use authorization is scheduled to meet Dec. 10. According to reports, Pfizer and U.S. government officials expect to have 30 to 40 million doses of the vaccine before the end of the year, enough for 20 million people.
Officials have yet to decide which groups of people will qualify for the first round of vaccinations, but they are expected to start with groups vulnerable to infection first, including health care workers, older adults, and people who have risk factors such as obesity or diabetes. According to Slaoui, herd immunity is expected by around May 2021.
During a Nov. 13 press conference, medical officials spoke about the progress of various vaccine trials.
One challenge they discussed was the distribution logistics of the Pfizer vaccine, which must be kept frozen while stored and transported.
“This means this vaccine can only be given at distinctive locations where the personnel are very well-trained to do this. This is not a vaccine that will be available at the local pharmacy or in a physician’s office,” said Dr. Willam Schaffner of Vanderbilt University.
The doctors also discussed the possible side effects of the vaccines. Pfizer executive William Gruber told Stat News that their vaccine’s side effects include aches and fevers, and that he believed its side effect profile was “comparable to standard adult vaccines, but probably worse than Pfizer’s pneumonia vaccine or a flu shot.”
“Those side effects, that’s your immune system working to start with the vaccine, to develop your protection. You’re not getting COVID. You can’t get COVID from the vaccine,” said Schaffner.
Black doctors have also emphasized the importance of informing their communities about the vaccine.
“We look at our role as being messengers to African American physicians who then can be messengers to the African American community,” said Brooks.
NATIONAL—- Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Holliday will join the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) as the featured performer for its 2020 Virtual Awards, streaming December 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Celebrity DJ Andre Mack will also join NABJ as the host of the awards show live afterparty.
Holliday is best known for her role in the smash Broadway musical, “Dreamgirls,” with her show-stopping performance as Effie “Melody” White. This iconic role garnered her a Tony Award for best actress in a musical.
With over 30 years of experience on Broadway, Holliday got her start at age 17 while singing in her church choir in Houston, Texas. Holliday’s passion didn’t stop on the Broadway stage. She has appeared on television as Lisa Knowles on the Fox TV dramedy, “Ally McBeal.” She has also enjoyed a successful recording career, winning Grammy® Awards for her mesmerizing performances of “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going” (1982) and Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” (1985). Holliday has also received rave reviews for her first album in two decades – “The Song Is You” (2014).
Back by popular demand, DJ Andre Mack is no stranger to NABJ. After performing at the 2020 Convention Opening Ceremony and Reception, co-produced and presented by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, members and attendees raved about Mack’s skills on the turntables. He is frequently called upon to spin classic and soulful House, Old School R&B, Hip Hop, and Reggae music.
NABJ’s first-ever virtual awards will recognize the winners of its 2020 Salute to Excellence Awards and pay tribute to 2020 Special Honors recipients and Hall of Fame inductees. The hosts for the evening will be Lynn Whitfield, Emmy Award-winning actress; Craig Melvin, anchor of NBC News’ “TODAY”; Tichina Arnold, NAACP Image Award-winning actress; Michelle Miller, co-host of “CBS This Morning: Saturday”; and Kenneth Moton, co-anchor of “ABC World News Now” and “America This Morning.”
The awards ceremony, presented by FedEx, will kick off at 8 p.m. ET. It will be preceded by a pre-event reception at 7:30 p.m. ET. The post-event afterparty will be held from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Tickets provide access to all three activities.
“In such a critical time in America and in journalism, it is important that we take time to celebrate and applaud our members and industry colleagues,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker. “We are honored to have iconic artists and actresses like Jennifer Holliday, Lynn Whitfield and Tichina Arnold celebrating with us. We are also grateful to have our award-winning hosts and journalists Craig Melvin, Michelle Miller and Kenneth Moton. And, of course, we can’t wait to unwind with the talented DJ Andre Mack. Congratulations to our 2020 honorees and finalists. We are proud of all you’ve accomplished.”
The 2020 NABJ Hall of Fame inductees are:
Fred Sweets
Pam Johnson
Pam Oliver
Mary Mitchell
John McCaa
Cathy Hughes
Clarice Tinsley
The 2020 NABJ Special Honors recipients are:
Journalist of the Year: Yamiche Alcindor
Michael J. Feeney Emerging Journalist of the Year: Rachel V. Scott
Legacy Award: Rehema Ellis
Chuck Stone Lifetime Achievement Award: Kevin Merida
Journalist of Distinction: Elaine Houston
Ida B. Wells Award: Kimberly Godwin
Journalism Educators of the Year: Susan Mango Curtis and James McJunkins Sr.
Angelo B. Henderson Community Service Award: Chelle Luper Wilson
Patricia L. Tobin Media Professional Award: Ramona Logan
Student Chapter of the Year Finalists: University of North Texas-NABJ, Michigan State University Association of Black Journalists and University of South Carolina – NABJ
Professional Chapter of the Year Finalists: Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists, Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists – Los Angeles, and NABJ-South Florida
Each year hundreds of Black women travel across the United States to compete in ladies steer wrestling, breakaway roping, bull riding, barrel racing, and other rodeo competitions — many while holding down full-time jobs.
The rise of Black women in the rodeo circuit is largely due to the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR), the nation’s only African American touring rodeo, which was founded by Lu Vason in Denver, Colorado, in 1984.
Named in honor of Willie M. ‘Bill’ Pickett, BPIR was an African American cowboy, actor, and ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. He invented the bulldogging technique — a rodeo event where a rider wrestles a steer to the ground by grabbing its horns.
Today, BPIR has a woman at the helm and is run by a majority female leadership team.
Since taking the reins in 2015, Vason’s wife Valeria Howard-Cunningham has used her position as CEO to promote women to leadership roles, effectively creating the first successful touring rodeo led by a Black woman.
Although 2020 has been a challenging rodeo year with COVID-19 forcing the cancelation of the competition season, Cunningham is confident that she and her team will continue to drive the movement forward.
Caroline Carter and Justini Carter (Courtesy Caroline Carter)
“Being CEO was an opportunity where I could get women involved to show that women can run a rodeo operation just as effective or more effective as men,” Cunningham said. “That was important to me. A woman has to do 10 times more than a counterpart to show they are capable of doing certain things.”
Women have been involved in the rodeo world at various levels for decades. However, they have been mostly underrepresented, said Krishaun Adair of Point Blank, Texas, who has been competing in rodeo since she was five years old.
“I did not realize we were like unicorns. I didn’t realize there was a lack of or underrepresentation of Black cowgirls. I grew up looking at Black cowgirls, that’s who I wanted to be. They were my role models. Then I realized how small of a group and how precious we are. People had never seen it before, never heard of it before. Their image of a cowboy or a cowgirl looks nothing like me.”
When Adair and her friend Azja Bryanttravel to competitions with horses in tow, people stop and stare, she told Zenger.
“We would stop at different gas stations, and you know, people would either look at you a little funny or [for] some people it was total fascination like they just couldn’t believe,” said Bryant. “I like to be able to perform to the best of my ability, to go out and be a positive role model to others, so I can show other people, ‘Hey there are Black cowgirls out here.’”
Adair said she admires BPIR because it creates a platform for Black cowboys and cowgirls.
“Bill Pickett [represents cowgirls and cowboys] on a level so that we don’t seem inferior or not as good,” said Adair. “I want to be seen; I don’t want to be isolated. We rodeo, we just so happen to be Black.”
Vason created BPIR as a place for African Americans to hone their rodeo skills, showcase their talents, and educate the community about Pickett.
The idea came after he attended Cheyenne Frontier Days, an outdoor rodeo and western celebration in the United States, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cunningham told Zenger that he did not see Black cowboys or cowgirls in the rodeo despite knowing there were thousands in the United States.
Now, BPIR has surpassed the model of being just a rodeo — it’s a community that brings people together from across the country.
“Bill Pickett is all African American,” Cunningham said. “It gives African Americans the opportunity to display skills and develop skills and not be treated unfairly. People invited to participate in the rodeo know it’s a safe zone.”
Rodeo in the United States is not just fun; it is big business. According to ranch services company Western Ranches, more than 600 rodeos nationwide are sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and in 2015 rodeo prize money surpassed $46 million. Contestants have the opportunity to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money in just a few days.
“Seeing kids from different communities that have never seen a Black cowboy and never seen a Black cowgirl, that’s worth more than money could ever buy,” said Cunningham.
But sponsors and prize money do not come easily for Black rodeos.
“Because we are an African American rodeo association, the biggest challenge has been and continues to be obtaining the level of sponsorship of other rodeos,” said Cunningham.
“Companies don’t want to invest. With the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), millions can be put up for added money at their finals. We sell out all of our venues across the U.S., and we don’t get the same level of sponsorship participation. It’s the biggest struggle we have, but we don’t let that hold us back.”
African American cowboys accounted for up to 25% of workers in the cattle industry in American West, although their images were primarily excluded from popular culture. And while Black cowboys and cowgirls are common in places like Texas and Oklahoma, Cunningham said it is shocking how little is known about them in other parts of the country.
With COVID-19 causing the slowdown of rodeo competition across the country, BPIR is focusing not only on gaining sponsors but on its mission of education and getting more young people involved in the sport.
Cunningham said the Bill Pickett circuit rodeo tour introduces Black cowboys and cowgirls to children across the country and provides education about African American participation in the development of the western United States.
“Seeing kids from different communities that have never seen a Black cowboy and never seen a Black cowgirl, that’s worth more than money could ever buy,” said Cunningham. “History books don’t teach certain things. What Bill Pickett rodeo has done is to bring history alive to educate them.”
Cunningham told Zenger that parents attending and learning about BPIR for the first time often want to know where their children can learn to ride a horse and learn more about cowboys and cowgirls, which passes on the interest to a new generation.
Oklahoma native and steer undecorating champion, Carolyn Carter, began competing in 1982. Now, she has four generations of family involvement in rodeo, including a grandson and great-grandson, who are both two years old.
According to Carter, new generations of Black cowboys and cowgirls have advantages her generation did not have, such as access to parents and grandparents who know how to train horses and gained exposure to Black rodeo competitions at an early age.
“They are learning at an earlier age how to do what we’ve been doing all of these years,” said Carter. “It’s a lifestyle.”
“I will not put up with sin forever. I am going to open Hell to you, and show you what it is like, maybe that will help you get some get right. You see, I am about to destroy the city, and I’m telling you, if you don’t change your ways, you will perish under the wrath which is SOON TO COME. So, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell…And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.” [Matthew 5:20-30; Mark 9:43-48]. “I warn you, as I warned you before!”
Having heard all your life about the grace and mercy of God, you have taken His grace for granted. Woe unto you! Exhibiting the spirit of Esau, in which unfortunately you may well discover his end too. You see, Esau’s life is the story of a man who traded his soul for fleeting pleasure. He sold his birthright, which included not only material benefits and family privileges, but spiritual blessings as well, for a bowl of soup. It says that “he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way” 25:34]. He didn’t have a second thought about what he had done. He did it, it felt good, and only much later did he come to regret it. Esau wanted to repent of his actions, but it was too late. “He found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”[Hebrews 12:17]. Esau sought to reverse the catastrophic outcome of his mistake/decision, but was rejected because he had no further opportunity to repent. The damage was done and there was no turning back.
May each of us learn from Esau, and not wait until it is too late to consider the cost of our decisions and actions. God is good to allow time for us to repent of our sins by delaying His judgment. But don’t think that we have all the time in the world, to repent. Because according to Genesis 6:3-5, it reminds us that the “Lord spirit shall not strive-with man always.” A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” [Proverbs 22:3]. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [Isaiah 55:6]. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. [Romans 11:22].
“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?… Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. [Ezekiel 18:21, 30]. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” [Isaiah 1:18].
“The great day of the Lord is near – near and coming quickly. See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish… In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.” [Isaiah 66:15-16; Zephaniah 1:14-18]. “The great day of the Lord is near ? near and coming quickly.
May the God of heaven give you understanding in all things which concern his glory, and your eternal good.
As COVID-19 case numbers climb, California has imposed tighter restrictions and ordered a ordered a statewide mask mandate, while advising residents to stay home. Out of the 58 California counties, 41 are now at the state’s most restrictive, or purple, tier, including Alameda, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties.
On Friday, the governor announced a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in 41 counties. It will affect more than 90 % of Californians, but he stopped short of reissuing a statewide shelter-in-place order.
“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges.”
Earlier in the week, Gov. Newsom announced a stricter mandate that requires mask wearing “statewide at all times when outside of the home” by everyone over age two. The new restrictions are in response to the recent COVID-19 case surge, the “fastest increase we’ve seen since the start of the pandemic,” according to Newsom.
Nationwide, COVID-19 cases hit 12 million on Nov. 21, an increase of nearly 1 million over the previous week. More than 250,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 so far.
“Every age group, every racial demographic, in every part of the state we are seeing case rates increase and positivity rates increase as well. It is no longer concentrated in just a handful of counties. We are seeing community spread broadly throughout the state of California,” Newsom said during a news briefing Monday.
Public health and government officials have recently shifted their messaging to warning the public about the spread of COVID-19 in the winter months, as families consider whether to gather for the holidays. On Nov. 13, Newsom issued a travel advisory warning to California residents discouraging travel out of the state for any nonessential reason, including the Thanksgiving holiday, and recommending a 14-day quarantine for anyone who does travel.
Newsom also shared the number of current COVID-19 hospitalizations in California, which has climbed 48 % over the past two weeks to reach 3,800 as of Nov. 15. Of those, more than 1,000 people were in intensive care.
Black and Brown communities including East Oakland and East Los Angeles are still hotspots – and the case numbers are climbing.
Dr. Beverly Tambe is a primary doctor at Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital in East Los Angeles who recently appeared in a USA Facts Ad to talk about the realities of treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a conversation with California Black Media, Tambe spoke about the struggles of treating a virus whose full impact healthcare professionals have yet to determine.
Over the past nine months of treating COVID-19 patients, Tambe has seen a variety of situations with her patients. They range from those who recover in a couple of days, to those who were previously admitted to the hospital at the beginning of the pandemic and still come in for outpatient treatment for decreased lung or heart function. She emphasizes that the effects of COVID-19 vary from patient to patient.
“We have a standardized treatment regimen for patients that come into the hospital, depending on the severity. We’ve got a whole algorithm that we follow, but even with the algorithm and these treatments, some patients get better and some just don’t. We have patients that we’re doing everything for and they’re not getting better,” she said.
Tambe also shared her concerns about the upcoming winter and whether case numbers will continue to increase. She recommended against gathering in large groups. She also emphasized that people at least take the basic safety precautions, including wearing a mask and washing their hands regularly, to protect themselves and those around them.
“There’s a 14-day incubation period with the disease. So even though you feel fine, one day you could travel or meet in a large group, and still be carrying the disease. So, you carry the disease, spread it to everybody and eventually your symptoms might come up, but you’ve already gotten others sick. That’s why it’s so important to take care, to be cautious,” she warned.
Arguably one of our generation’s best fighters, undefeated (26-0) welterweight boxing champion Errol Spence Jr. was riding high after defeating Shawn Porter in 2019.
He couldn’t have known he was on a path that nearly ended his life. Just a month later, photos surfaced of Spence’s demolished vehicle. One look at the condition of Spence’s Ferrari and many critics wondered if he would ever be able to fight at the same level again.
As speculation about Spence’s health circulated, more graphic footage hit the Internet revealing just what one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best had endured. Somehow he walked away with no broken bones. He came back with something to prove.
Many thought Spence’s career was over. It hasn’t been an easy road, but a little more than a year later, Spence is finally ready to defend his WBC and IBF welterweight titles on Dec. 5 against the dangerous Danny Garcia of Philadelphia.
Spence opens up about facing Garcia, the car accident, fighting in Dallas and much more.
Zenger: What’s up with you?
Spence Jr.: Nothing much, tired of doing interviews (laughing).
Zenger: They gave you country-ass livestock and acres! You are a full-fledge farmer now! (laughing).
Percy Crawford interviewed Errol Spence, Jr. for Zenger News (Photo courtesy of Percy Crawford)
Spence Jr.: Yeah, man. Well, I’m not a farmer, I’m a ranch hand. Farmers got all types of fruits and things like that, I just got cattle. So, I’m a ranch hand. I got horses, cows, I’m going to get some chickens in here when this fight is over with and some more horses and stuff like that. I’m a real Texas boy now.
Zenger: That’s a lot of work. Do you get a hand with it, or is it mostly you right now?
Spence Jr.: Me and my dad. I have people come and put horseshoes on and stuff like that.
Zenger: Danny Garcia got into the ring after your win over Shawn Porter, and we see fighters enter the ring all the time. Sometimes those fights come to fruition, sometimes they do not. From the outside looking in, it seems this fight was fairly easy to make. Is that accurate?
Spence Jr.: It was easy to make for the most part. Danny Garcia and myself have the same advisor, so we only had to talk to one person. I feel like it was basically simple, A to B. There was no negotiation or anything.
Zenger: Where Ángel García seems to irritate other opponents and their camps, it seems like you like the fact that he believes in his son so much to make such boastful statements when discussing Danny.
Spence Jr.: I mean, that’s what he’s there for. He’s the man’s father, so it’s only right that he does believe in him. And he’s his trainer too, so it’s only right that he believes in him. I’m not irritated by him. I’ve been seeing his dad talk crazy to other people and everything, but he’s been showing me a lot of respect. I don’t have anything bad to say about him. I just think that it’s a father that believes in his son and he knows how to pump his son up. I feel like the way he be ranting and stuff like that, it’s a way to get his son ready for the fight.
“For me, it was the anniversary, and I just wanted people to see my journey. How hard it was to get to the point where I am now? I just wanted people to see how hard it was. It wasn’t an easy comeback journey to get to where I am now.” (Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
Zenger: Aside from the Kell Brook fight where there seemed to be a little animosity, you always seem to share a mutual respect with your opponents. Do you have a mutual respect for Danny as a fighter and his body of work?
Spence Jr.: I think so. He is a great fighter, I’m a great fighter. I respect his skills and the opponents that he fought, he respects the opponents that I have been in there with, and I feel like, it’s going to be a great fight come December 5. So I appreciate him taking this fight. I know he appreciates me taking the fight and putting my two-belts on the line to fight him. He’s coming to my hometown; I appreciate that too. I feel like it’s going to be an electrifying fight in front of my hometown. I just want everybody to tune-in to Fox PPV or grab their tickets because it’s going to be a one-sided legendary fight for myself.
Zenger: I remember we spoke years ago when you first fought in Dallas and you were kind of hoping that it would become a thing. Now, you have the fanbase, the city behind and it is a thing. It’s gotta be a great feeling to have that thought manifest into what it is now?
Spence Jr.: Definitely man! Fighting at home, I just feel like a lot of fighters don’t get a chance to do that or can do that, but they don’t put butts in the seats. At the end of the day I feel like I’m able to do that and put on great performances when I do that. I’m not losing or anything like that. It’s basically shutout decisions. Last time I fought in Dallas, it was a unanimous decision, the time before that it was a knockout.
The other time was a knockout too. So, every time I have fought there it has been great performances. I want to continue to do that on December 5th and if this all goes well maybe I can come back sometime soon and fight again.
Welterweight world champion Errol Spence, Jr. prepares for a match against Danny Garcia on Dec. 5 in his hometown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions
Zenger: It feels like you are the chosen athlete in Dallas right now and maybe even the entire state of Texas. With so much violence in Dallas of late, do you hope your fight and your story can bring a little bit of unity to the city?
Spence Jr.: Definitely! It’s been a lot of crazy stuff happening in Dallas. Hopefully, my fight will bring people together, everyone stay safe so nothing tragic happens. I want to see everybody come together. Praying for Dallas.
Zenger: How do you view Danny as an opponent and size him up from being around him?
Spence Jr.: He’s tough. He can be rugged. He’s a guy with a great chin. I feel like he is a counterpuncher with great timing. He is a guy that will punch when you punch, or he will take a punch to give a punch. That’s basically how I size him up. He’s not quick, he’s not fast, he just does everything right.
Zenger: You eventually shared the picture of you in the hospital bed after your car accident. What made you share that picture? Was it just a matter of letting people see what you overcame, your journey leading to December 5th?
Spence Jr.: For me, it was the anniversary, and I just wanted people to see my journey. How hard it was to get to the point where I am now. I just wanted people to see how hard it was. It wasn’t an easy comeback journey to get to where I am now. It was real hard. I put it out to remind people that you can persevere through anything. The power of the mind and staying focused, if you really want something if you put your mind to it, you can do anything and you can persevere through anything.
Zenger: You look to be in amazing shape, physically, how do you feel?
Spence Jr.: I feel good physically. Mentally I feel great. I’m just 100% focused. I’m just ready to put on a great performance, man.
This is something I’ve been waiting for. This is my second opportunity, not only in boxing but in life. I’m not nervous at all or anything like that. If that was anybody else, probably wouldn’t be here right now or they would probably be a vegetable. For me, it’s about staying focused and getting ready for the task at hand and that’s winning in front of my hometown.
Zenger: It didn’t even seem like an option for you to take a fight against a lesser opponent to test out your mental and physical standings after the crash. Why not?
Spence Jr.: I was going to fight him [Danny Garcia] before my accident. For me, I felt 100%, I felt prepared and I felt like Danny Garcia is the type of guy, his record, who he is and his name, he was going to push me to get back to 100%. I couldn’t slack off because if I would’ve slacked off, there’s a chance that he could have beat me. So, I knew that I had to focus and have tunnel vision and make sure that I’m all the way back. If I do that, I will make this a great, entertaining but one-sided performance.
Zenger: Always great talking to you, good luck and I look forward to December 5.
Although housing insecurity affected communities of color long before COVID-19, the current pandemic continues to exacerbate inequalities. As early as April 2020, 32 percent of Black adults and 41 percent of Latinx adults experienced job loss due to the pandemic, compared with only 24 percent of white adults.
Black and Latina women have seen the largest drop in their employment-to-population ratios since February, with Black women in particular seeing jobs come back at a rate that is 1 1/2 times slower than that of white women. Although all racial and ethnic groups have faced record unemployment, the Black-white unemployment gap has persisted throughout the pandemic.
For Asian Americans—who have been particularly targeted by racist responses to the coronavirus crisis—unemployment rates have soared to 11 percent in July, compared with 3 percent during the previous year, and they remain historically high as the pandemic continues.
Lost and reduced income has worsened already difficult situations for many. During the pandemic, renters of color have reported less overall confidence in being able to pay their next month’s rent and have reported not having paid the previous month’s rent on time at disproportionately higher rates than their white counterparts. (see Figures 1 and 2)
With communities of color also navigating the collective pain of higher rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, they must face additional medical and funeral costs in addition to potential lost employer-sponsored health insurance and reduced household income due to unemployment—or worse, the loss of an income-earner’s life.
“This Scary Statistic Predicts Growing US Political Violence — Whatever Happens On Election Day” Read MORE …
“The tendency is to blame Trump, but I don’t really agree with that,” Peter Turchin, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Connecticut who studies the forces that drive political instability, told BuzzFeed News. “Trump is really not the deep structural cause.”
The most dangerous element in the mix, argue Turchin and George Mason University sociologist Jack Goldstone, is the corrosive effect of inequality on society. They believe they have a model that explains how inequality escalates and leads to political instability: Worsened by elites who monopolize economic gains, narrow the path to social mobility, and resist taxation, inequality ends up undermining state institutions while fomenting distrust and resentment.
Building on Goldstone’s work showing that revolutions tend to follow periods of population growth and urbanization, Turchin has developed a statistic called the political stress indicator, or PSI. It incorporates measures of wage stagnation, national debt, competition between elites, distrust in government, urbanization, and the age structure of the population.
Turchin raised warning signs of a coming storm a decade ago, predicting that instability would peak in the years around 2020. “In the United States, we have stagnating or declining real wages, a growing gap between rich and poor, overproduction of young graduates with advanced degrees, and exploding public debt,” he wrote, in a letter to the journal Nature. “Historically, such developments have served as leading indicators of looming political instability.”
“Black, Hispanic, and Young Workers Have Been Left Behind by Policymakers, But Will They Vote?” Read MORE …
Black voter registration and participation rose after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; while Black voting rates would continue to lag behind white voting rates, the gap had narrowed significantly—particularly in the South. In 2008, the gap essentially closed, and in 2012, Black voting rates exceeded white voting rates (Figure A). However, Black voting rates dipped below white voting rates in the 2016 presidential election, asreportsof voter suppression and intimidationincreasedrelative to previous elections.
Hispanic voter turnout has been persistently lower than both Black and white voter turnout: In the 2016 presidential election, Hispanic turnout was reported by the Census Bureau at 47.6%, compared with 65.3% for non-Hispanic white voters and 59.4% for Black voters (Figure A). The reasons for low Hispanic turnout are not necessarily easyto determine and often get told one story at a time. Like Black voters, Hispanic voters have been hampered by voter suppression efforts and face disproportionate disenfranchisement due to felony convictions. Many face language barriers. The Hispanic population is also much younger (with a median age of 30 in 2018) than the white population (with a median age of 44)—and, as discussed below, younger adults are less likely to vote.1
By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media? ?
The California Democratic Party Black Caucus (CDP Black Caucus) joined hands with other women organizations this past weekend?. Their goal: to turn up the pressure on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a Black woman to replace outgoing Sen. Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate.
During the virtual “Keep the Seat” news conference, which representatives from the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Black Women United (BWU) attended, the organizers explained why Gov. Newsom should appoint a Black woman. They also gave reasons why he should narrow his options to U.S. Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA-37) and Barbara Lee (D-CA-13).
“This is a pivotal time in California history. I hope together we can bend the moral arc of history towards justice, together, by ensuring that the most underrepresented and marginalized community retain a significant representation in California by appointing a Black woman to replace Kamala Harris,” said Taisha Brown, chairperson of the CDP Black Caucus.
Brown continued, “Our call is for all of you to join us in saying to Gavin Newsom, our governor, that we are not going to accept anything but a Black woman. I think it’s critical that we emphasize that.”
Currently there are three African Americans serving in the United States Senate. Two of them are men (Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina). Harris, the junior Senator from California, is the only African American woman with a seat in the upper house of the United States Congress.
But with Harris’s imminent ascendency to the Vice Presidency of the United States, there will be no African American woman in the US Senate after Jan. 20, 2021.
In response, the CDP Black Caucus has put out a call to action under the slogan “One is not enough, and zero is unacceptable.”
“We have a Thanksgiving message for Gov. Gavin Newsom. Our goal is to have 250 every day until Thanksgiving. We need you to speak up. Make a call and let Gov. Newsom know that Black women have been the backbone of the Democratic Party as voters, organizers, and we deserve representation in the United States Senate,” said Kendra Lewis, a representative for the CDP Black Caucus.
Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University Long Beach, was also one of the “Keep The Seat” speakers. Karenga, who is also the founder of the annual spiritual and cultural celebration Kwanzaa, said he “stands strong” with the CDP Black Caucus’s push to keep a Black woman from California in the U.S. Senate.
“First of all, no one is more qualified than the two women mentioned — Bass and Lee. It’s not a gift. It’s recognition overdue. It’s also a service to the Democratic party. Black women have been the backbone of this party. So, it is debt owed to them,” he said.
Over the weekend, several top women Democratic Party donors in California also urged Newsom to select a woman of color. About 150 of them have placed a letter in full-page ads in two newspapers — the LA Times in Southern California and the San Francisco Chronicle in Northern California — making their request known to Newsom.
“Women of color are the core drivers of electoral progress in our country, and their voices should be heard in the nation’s highest governing body. California is fortunate to have a strong pipeline of women of color in elected office who are prepared to serve; as Californians and political supporters, we look forward to you selecting one of them,” the letter read.
The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and other Black leaders in the state have also called on Gov. Newsom to fill the seat with an African American woman.
The CLBC members also sent a letter to Gov. Newsom making their case for why Bass and Lee should be at the top of his shortlist of candidates. They cited the women’s lengthy legislative experience coupled with their broad foreign policy knowledge.
Before the election on Nov. 3, Newsom said that he was getting pressure from different groups in the state about who he should appoint to replace Harris. He also acknowledged that he feels the weight of making that important decision and predicted that his choice would not please everyone.
“The stress of having to choose between a lot of friends, to choose between quality candidates, and the fact that whoever you pick, there are going to be a lot of people who are going to be upset, disappointed, that it wasn’t this or that, I don’t even want to get my arms around that until I have the privilege of having to make that decision,” Newsom said in an interview with Los Angeles’ FOX 11.
Gov. Newsom can either decide to make an appointment to complete Harris’s term or he can call a special election.
President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harrisannounced their advisory council to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic with some of the nation’s leading doctors and scientists. At the helm is Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith with her co-chairs Dr. David Kessler and Dr. Vivek Murthy.
“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” President-elect Biden said in a press release. “The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations.”
Dr. Nunez-Smith comes from Yale University, an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Public Health, and Management at the Yale School of Medicine. Her research focuses on marginalized communities’ health and creating an equitable and accessible healthcare system for all.
“Everyone is affected by this pandemic, yet the burden is disproportionate,” Nunez-Smith said in a statement. “We know communities of color are grieving at high rates and are facing substantial economic impact. The transition advisory board is setting a course for everyone in our country to experience recovery.”
Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith, associate dean for health equity research at Yale School of Medicine is now the co- chair of the COVID task-force. Black Women. My heart is so full! pic.twitter.com/4dgVJc0kA2
According to the Yale press release announcing her appointment, “Munez-Smith is an internist and an expert in healthcare equity, is the founding director of Yale SOM’s Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership, which trains healthcare practitioners to address disparities in healthcare access and outcomes that affect people of color and other vulnerable populations. She is also the founding director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center at the Yale School of Medicine.”
Her official Yale bio lists Dr. Nunez-Smith as the Deputy Director for Health Equity Research and Workforce Development for the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Core Faculty in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, and Research Faculty at Yale’s Global Health Leadership Institute. She comes from the Virgin Islands, earned a BA from Swarthmore College, an MD from Jefferson Medical College, and an MHS from Yale University.
We’re glad to have you on our nation’s team on this road to recovery! Congratulations, Dr. Nunez-Smith.
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