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With April being National Minority Health Month, it is time to highlight the advancement and need for continued resources that support the health of historically underrepresented communities. The onset of COVID-19 highlighted some of the resounding disparities in the availability of healthcare for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Additionally, there is a historic rationale to justify the distrust of the health community and its ability to serve BIPOC individuals properly. In light of this, people have not been as open to treatment and suggested solutions related to the recent pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) uses National Minority Health Month to help re-establish trust in BIPOC communities. A part of reestablishing this trust is ensuring equitable access to resources. To speak on this topic, AfroTech had the opportunity to sit and talk with Dr. Desmond Banks, Senior Policy Advisor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss...
If Lauryn Hill is known for nothing else, it’s her iconic album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” On it rests one of her most famous tunes –“The Ex-Factor,” in which the opening lyrics state, “It could all be so simple.” Based on Microsoft Founder and CEO Bill Gate’s recent TED talk, one could assume he shares a similar sentiment. With the theme A New Era, TED2022 featured some of the world’s most prolific thought leaders. Gate’s session was a part of this epic lineup during session six of the conference, Wellbeing. During this session, each speaker was tasked with the responsibility to share thoughts and solutions that could contribute to the holistic health and overall good of people. This year’s talk by the tech giant and billionaire was a sequel of sorts to his Ted2015 talk. Seven years ago, Gates spoke with the audience about the World’s lack of readiness for an impending pandemic. This year, the foreshadowing commentary shows how countries were not prepared for what the...
Artists in New York can finally expect financial relief. Business Insider reports artists in the Big Apple will receive monthly stipends ranging from $1,000 to $2,400 over 18 months. Creatives Rebuild New York — launched by Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander in 2021 — are spearheading the effort to combat the difficulties of navigating the pandemic in one of the world’s most expensive cities. The program will distribute $125 million in funding with $115 million of it coming from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “Funding in the arts and cultural sector has long prioritized support for organizations rather than for individual artists,” said Jamie Hand, the Director of Strategic Impact and Narrative Change at Creatives Rebuild New York, according to Business Insider. “CRNY aspires to build longer-term, replicable funding structures for artists that can be sustained outside the context of emergency relief.” The funding is long overdue as artists have suffered greatly. The...
Black men are unemployed at a much higher rate than their counterparts — and it’s creating an economic crisis in the country. According to the Atlanta Black Star, Black communities take a hit totaling $50 billion annually in costs due to this unemployment crisis. “Black people need to take this report and take it to their elected official and say ‘You need to do more because you don’t fully realize how big this problem is,’” said Algernon Austin, who authored the study initially published by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “I’m hoping that this work serves to inspire people, and, frankly, particularly Black men.” And that’s just the beginning of the problems, according to Austin. Using data going all the way back to 2014, he revealed that Black men between the ages of 25 to 54 would have to get nearly a million jobs (947,000, to be exact) to be on par with their non-Black counterparts and close the economic gap. What’s more, if one million of them got jobs and kept...
A new vegan bakery is headed to Washington, D.C. this weekend! Chanice McClover-Lee launched Baked by Chanice at farmer’s markets in her hometown of South Florida in response to the pandemic. Now the 19-year-old Howard University student is taking her business talents to a food hall and commercial kitchen in D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood, VegOut reports. “What started as a quarantine hobby last March quickly, and unintentionally transformed into a successful business,” McClover-Lee shared with AfroTech. “I began having bake sales on the weekends where people would place orders to be picked up from my house and I would sell out of hundreds of cookies at farmer’s markets. I originally said I wasn’t trying to start a business or do anything large scale, but that didn’t happen as we can see.” She further explains that the expansion happened so quickly that eventually, she had to move from baking at home to operating out of a commercial kitchen where D.C. residents could pick up their...
As the country comes together to support and provide for essential workers, there is an overlooked group of frontline workers no one talking about — our sanitation workers. Terrill Haigler aka @_yafavtrashman , a Philadelphia sanitation worker, is speaking up and bringing awareness to the hardships he and his colleagues face as garbage collectors during the pandemic. “I just want to bring awareness to the fact that we are left out of the top when it comes to being essential,” Haigler told NPR’s Whyy . Seven months ago when Haigler took the job with Philadelphia’s city Sanitation Division, he was met with the unforeseen physical demands of the job. “This has been one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done in my life, consistently,” Haigler said. Haigler and colleagues’ 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shifts sometimes extend 14 consecutive days in harsh environments. “It’s just the beat that your body takes, the mental, the emotions, the elements you deal with, the rain… And, you know, sometimes you...
Black advertising and marketing guru, Danielle Lee, is taking her talents to the NBA. The former Global Vice President of Partner Solutions at Spotify recently ended her four-year stint with the music streaming platform and added the new title of NBA Chief Fan Officer to her LinkedIn . Business Insider reports the NBA tapped Lee to help keep fans interested in the league during the COVID-19 induced shutdown. After several players tested positive for coronavirus, including league MVP Kevin Durant , NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, suspended the entire 2019-2020 season indefinitely, leading to a further decline in its already dwindling ratings. According to Business Insider, Lee will head brand and advertising strategy for the NBA, NBA 2K, and NBA G League. Lee will report to NBA Chief Marketing Officer Kate Jhaveri who explains that Lee will be responsible for expanding efforts to connect more directly with fans worldwide. Lee sports an impressive resume which includes an MBA from...