Black Homeowners are Struggling to Keep Up With Mortgages in the Pandemic
It’s no secret Black Americans are hurting more in the coronavirus pandemic than others, but what many may not know is that includes Black homeowners.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 11% of Black homeowners are currently in the forbearance program included in the March 2020 stimulus; 8.4% of Hispanic homeowners in the U.S. are also in forbearance.
The program, which was part of the CARES Act, allowed homeowners, of homes ranging from single-family homes to fourplexes, to request forbearance for up to 180 days, although that can be doubled. While in the program, mortgage services cannot levy fees, penalties, or interest that would not be enforced if payments were made on time,
According to the Wall Street Journal, around 1 in 10 U.S. homeowners signed up for the program at the height of the pandemic last June. The number of homeowners still in the program as a whole is dropping, but when tweaked to look at the race of homeowners, the recovery for Black homeowners shows a much slower recovery.
Between last June and April 2021, Black homeowners in forbearance have fallen 35%, but Asian, white, and Hispanic homeowners have experienced larger drops between 45% and 53%.
Black Americans were affected more than any other race when it came to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to decades of systemic racism and neglect, Black Americans lost more lives, more jobs, and had less savings. Black Americans were also locked out of certain recovery efforts including the Paycheck Protection Program.
Those still in the forbearance program could have their home foreclosed on or may be forced to sell their homes if they cannot resume payments. This most likely will only increase the wealth gap between Black and white Americans leaving Black homeowners worse off than before the pandemic started.
According to MarketWatch, Black homeownership in the U.S is at its lowest level since the civil rights movement. Homeownership is one of the biggest drivers of wealth in this country, which is why Black Americans are still suffering as housing discrimination is still a real issue.
A three-year undercover investigation by Newsday exposed significant housing discrimination by real estate agents in Long Island, New York. Nineteen percent of Asians, 39% of Hispanics, and 49% of Black Americans received unequal treatment based on race.
Joy Reid Blasts Tucker Carlson for Calling Her ‘The Race Lady’
Joy Reid issued out a scathing read of Tucker Carlson after the Fox News anchor referred to her as “the race lady.”
The MSNBC host took to her show The ReidOut on Tuesday to respond to Carlson repeatedly referring to her as “the race lady” and touting her Harvard background among other jabs, Huff Post reports.
“Oh, honey, honey. Tuckums. Is this really about me fixating on race, or is it about you fixating on race?”
While playing a montage of clips that showed Carlson claiming that Reid used race to bait people despite living “an unusually privileged life,” Reid blasted his “race lady” term as a dog whistle aimed at riling up his viewers. She also accused the conservative news host of “making America worse,” the Daily Beast reports.
“At least three times in last month, Tucker Carlson took time off from badgering strangers in parks and bouncy houses to demand they show him their children’s unmasked faces to refer to moi as the ‘race lady’!” Reid said. “‘The race lady’? Why’d he call me that? I used to run track in high school but honestly, I’m not that fast. What else could it be? Hmm.”
She went on to list out some of “Lil’Tucker’s” past failures including his MSNBC show being canceled to being humiliated on CNN during a 2004 interview with Jon Stewart. This was in response to Carlson repeatedly bringing up her Harvard degree.
“I mean, when you recently went off on me for continuing to mask up post-vaccine while jogging in crowded Central Park, you weirdly threw in my attending Harvard. And I don’t know, maybe I’m sensitive to this stuff, but it felt kind of like a dog whistle,” she said.
While addressing Carlson’s possible assumption that she got into Harvard because of “affirmative action,” she credited her college education to having “had a really high GPA and fantastic SAT scores.”
“But you’re fine! Thinks are going GREAT for you,” she continued. “And about that race thing, I’m not the one who spools over my neighborhood ‘changing’ like I’m some segregationist housewife from the 1950s! That would be you, Tuckums!”
With the new news anchor’s argument being rooted in the mask debate, it’s safe to say Reid’s response won’t be the end to their on-air feud.
Henrietta Turnquest, Trailblazing Politician, Dies at 73
Henrietta Turnquest, the first Black woman to serve as assistant floor leader in Georgia, died March 29 in Mobile, Alabama, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease. She was 73 years old.
A memorial service was held April 26.
Turnquest, a lawyer who served under Governor Roy Barnes in her historic role, also spearheaded the integration of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.
“My mother was in the vanguard,” Turnquest’s son Malcolm told the Journal-Constitution. He noted that she was initially one of fewer than 50 black female attorneys in Georgia and was among the initial handful of women of color elected to the Georgia General Assembly.
Turnquest stood up for additional causes and groups such as small business owners, African American entrepreneurs, seniors, and child welfare advocates. She worked on behalf of organizations in legislative and lobbying roles.
“Her big thing was public policy advocacy,” attorney Bettieanne Hart told the AJC. “She wanted to engage communities with what was going on after an election. Most people think if you just vote somebody in it will be OK.”
Hart’s remarks are partially underscored by Turnquest’s LinkedIn account, where she identified herself as the founder of Advocacy for Seniors LLC. On the social media platform, Turnquest said she was a senior who was committed to working on her peers’ legal and lifestyle concerns, so that they could have a sense of security.
“We are especially concerned with helping others design opportunities for future generations rather than throwing away the fruits of their success,” Turnquest wrote.
Georgia-based Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) offered condolences on its website and mentioned another noteworthy accomplishment: In 2003, Turnquest became the first African American woman to be appointed and to serve on the MARTA board of directors.
“While her service ended with her resignation in May 2004, she continued to work to support and improve MARTA’s service to the community,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeff Parker said in a statement.
Black Teenage Hockey Players Mocked and Called the N-Word By Opponents
Racism in America is an ongoing conversation. The narrative of America not being a racist country is something that is currently going on with several Black politicians cosigning the theory—despite current events—we know not to be true.
Case in point, according to USA Today, racism is alive and well and taking place in a youth hockey league in Virginia.
At a hockey game earlier this year, young Black players Brandon and Landon Bernard were taunted by players from the opposing team when they constantly made monkey noises whenever he skated past them or when he was controlling the puck. When the two teams played each other again in March, the same disruptive, ignorant behavior continued from the opposing team. Then a member of the team, Ashburn Xtreme, skated up to Bernard and called him a “n—–.” Instead of retaliating, Bernard approached the referee of the game to inform him of what took place and the opposing team didn’t take any action at all.
USA Hockey did take action and suspended the team’s coach, Karl Huber, for 10 games, and hockey director Troy MacCormick for five games, and an unnamed player for a total of three games. Although they were disciplined, Bernard, his father, and the team coach for the Frederick (Maryland) Freeze, were not satisfied as they were not informed of any formal discipline until more than a month later. Bernard and his twin brother Landon, who both are still on the team feel isolated by their league and USA Hockey.
“I don’t think the game is as fun, as pure, as awesome, honestly, as it should be if everyone can’t enjoy it,” said Duante’ Abercrombie, a member of the Washington Capitals’ Black Hockey Committee. “There’s an air of ‘you don’t belong here’ that still is in many rinks in America.”
There is a life lesson that Lionel Bernard, father of the twin hockey players, has taught his sons.
“If this happens again, the first thing you should do is reach out to the referee or coach. Don’t retaliate or get upset.
“I also told them that this is what you can expect when you’re playing a sport that has a limited number of minorities playing it,” he said. “You’re going to run across this thing. But note that you’re not the first individuals who have faced racism in sports.”
Haiti and Los Angeles Will Have a Tennis Academy Thanks to Naomi Osaka
Nike announced that Naomi Osaka’s Play Academy is expanding to Los Angeles and Haiti, while also collaborating with local sport-based organizations that are helping to encourage the next generation of girls who can enjoy play and engage in sports participation. In 2020, Osaka joined forces with Laureus Sport for Good and Nike to launch it in Japan.
Osaka’s website states that the tennis star, who is now based in Florida, was born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father. At the age of three, Osaka moved to the U.S. and in 2013, she started a professional tennis career. In the recent partnership announcement, Nike said that Osaka’s rich transcontinental heritage shaped her views on sport, in addition to racial and gender equality and mentorship.
“I’m passionate about breaking barriers that girls face when it comes to opportunities to access and benefit from play and sport. Play Academy’s expansion represents an even greater opportunity to do that,” Osaka said on Nike’s website.
Additionally, Nike revealed that in Los Angeles, Play Academy will partner with organizations supporting young girls’ participation in play and sport. A focus on girls from Black, Asian, and Latino communities was mentioned. It was also stated that in Haiti, Play Academy is partnering with GOALS Haiti.
GOALS Haiti’s website explains that the grassroots organization advances youth leadership through soccer and education to create stronger, healthier communities in rural Haiti. Osaka acknowledges her diverse roots while inspiring future leaders to explore their own potential, despite her athletic stardom.
“The beauty of Play Academy is that it reflects all of the communities where Naomi has a personal connection,” Caitlin Morris, Nike VP, Social & Community Impact, also said on Nike’s website.
In an interview with Refinery29, Osaka mentioned how gender intersects with her goal of helping more girls participate in sports and enjoy being active.
“We know a lot of girls don’t have the same opportunities that boys do when it comes to playing sports,” Osaka said to Refinery29. “Things like cultural differences and not having enough female role models who play sports or coaches who understand what girls need can get in their way. Girls deserve the same opportunities to play sports, and that’s what I’m hoping to give them through Play Academy.”
Virginia Military Institute to Remove Stonewall Jackson’s Name From Campus Buildings
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) continues to abandon its racist and bigoted past, voting to remove Stonewall Jackson’s name as the author of a quote mounted in the student barracks and engraved on class rings.
VMI’s Board of Visitors voted Saturday to remove Jackson’s name from Memorial Hall and from the front of the old barracks on campus. The board also directed a committee to determine potential new names for those spots and will hold discussions later this year on new names.
The quote, “You may be whatever you resolve to be” which was added to the interior of the barrack during the 1953-54 academic year will stay where it was painted. However Jackson’s name beneath the quote will be removed.
According to VMI, Jackson said the quote a lot and kept it in a book of inspirational quotes, but he did not author the quote. William Alcott and Rev. Joel Hawes included the quote in publications in 1834 and 1851.
VMI was under significant scrutiny last year amid allegations of racism after Black alumni discussed the racism and bigotry they experienced on campus with The Washington Post.
Confederate Statue/YouTube
When the Black Lives Matter protests hit their peak last summer, students and alumni began calling for the downfall of Confederate statues and names on military bases and campuses. Those calls included the statue of Stonewall Jackson to be removed from the campus. More than 800 VMI alumni and students signed a petition to remove the statue.
VMI Superintendent General J.H. Binford Peay III initially brushed off concerns, but the calls increased and state officials called for an investigation into the school due to “a culture of ongoing structural racism.”
Peay resigned in October 2020 due to state leaders losing their confidence in him to run the school. In November Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins became the first Black superintendent in school history. In December, VMI removed the statue of Jackson that sat on campus.
Despite the strides VMI has made in the last year, the campus still has numerous memorials and tributes to the Confederacy.
Media and Entertainment Titan Curtis Symonds Launches HBCU Platform to Empower Black Community
Curtis Symonds has held high-level positions at BET, ESPN, and the WNBA. For the past 10+ years, he has devoted his life to leveraging the historically Black college or university experience through his platform, HBCUGo TV. HBCUs have been a part of his life for over 40 years. His mother and father were not only HBCU graduates but were educators at Central State University in Xenia, Ohio. He is also a graduate of Central State University. HBCUGo TV is dedicated to being a true destination for the total HBCU experience. His vision is to be the leading media provider illuminating the voice and experiences of the 105 HBCUs by delivering content that empowers, educates, and entertains.
In a recent interview, we talked about a variety of topics from sports to education to family and more. The interview has been edited and condensed.
We’re known for our bands and our entertainment, but we’re obviously more than that. Can you encapsulate what the HBCU experience means to you?
What the HBCU experience means to me is the embodiment of knowing who you are. When you go to a PWI (predominately white institution), you become a number. When you come to an HBCU, the president calls you by your name because he knows who you are. And one of the things that has been strong in the HBCU community and on the campus is that it really molds you as an individual. If you talk to anyone who’s gone through an HBCU, the first thing they will say is that university helped me to be who I am today because it taught me the meaning of who I am. And a lot of people don’t understand that. A lot of people go to PWIs. They don’t come back for homecomings. They don’t relate to the people they went to school with because a lot of them didn’t know half the people they went to school with. At an HBCU you know almost everybody. And for years you celebrate that when you come back for your homecomings and the bonding that’s part of this process is incredible, man. And not only do you bond with your classmates, you bond with your teachers who you’ve known for years and years and years because all of them were important to your growth.
How would you say that the HBCU experience has been heightened or highlighted as a result of everything that’s happened in the past year, from George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, the racial unrest in our country, etc.
I would say it’s now being recognized a little bit better. It’s growing out of the circle of the way normal people would look at HBCUs. Now you have athletes saying if they had to do it over again, they would have gone to an HBCU instead of a PWI. I think the mindset across the board in our community in the people who we look at, we look up to, in Black America is I need to be better involved with HBCUs. For example, Chris Paul, who’s doing a lot more now in the HBCU circle, from North Carolina A&T to North Carolina Central and other places, is putting a stamp on the fact that we have to do more to support HBCUs. It’s definitely through those tragedies that we’ve seen over the last 12 months that has heightened awareness of the value of these universities.
You’ve worked with ESPN for eight years and you were president of the Washington Mystics for two years. So, you’ve been heavily into sports and sports are a major part of this network, right?
Well, in our community, Black college sports has always been the lead-in. But what I’m trying to do now is branch out. In talking to advertisers and business people, you lead with college sports because that’s the first thing they relate to the HBCUs. What I’ve tried to do now is add some of the educational and lifestyle things that make these schools as great as they are today and also help them understand the product that’s come out of HBCUs. The Spike Lees out of Morehouse, other people who have made big strides coming out of HBCUs and keep educating them on that it’s not just sports. There’s a lot of other people who have come out of HBCUs that stand for something. But you need to do your homework and understand who these people are.
A lot of us want to go to HBCUs but don’t feel like the education would be the same. So, how do we change people’s mindsets about education at HBCUs?
You got to get them on the campus. You got to get them involved in the universities to see the quality of people teaching the classes and the quality of the people in the classes. Because I hear every other day, “I can’t find a quality minority to fill the spot.” But where were you looking? If you’re looking for engineers did you go to North Carolina A&T which specializes in engineers? Did you talk to anyone down there? No. So, how are you doing your homework? So, the thing is that we don’t have enough cheerleaders out there that are pushing HBCUs. Now, we’re beginning to get that. You see Kamala (Howard University grad) in the White House. So, the door is open, but you got to get those supporters to help to get through the door.
A lot of times to make it big in sports we feel like we have to go to, as you say the PWI’s, the Dukes, the Kentuckys the Arizonas, the big state schools that may be popular. But you’re bringing sports and education together so that we can have a full experience in the HBCUs.
If you look at PWIs in football and basketball, that’s mainly made of Black young men, and you moved all that talent to HBCUs, you’d see a whole different sway across the board in sports. The only thing that these young people are worried about is how to get to the next level. And because HBCUs don’t have television deals, they can’t be seen. So, if I go to South Carolina State and I’m a decent ballplayer and I’m not getting any television awareness, how am I going to the NBA? But if I go to South Carolina and they’re on television every other week, somebody’s gonna see me. That’s the mentality. The problem is that we’re not out there enough to educate people coming out of high school about HBCUs because counselors are talking about other schools. They’re not valuing what our schools have to offer.
In our community, about 20% of Black households were led by a single parent in the 60s. Now, it’s almost 80%. How can HBCUGo TV improve the quality of our Black families?
I think that’s one of the most important things that we’ll be working on. I understand very clearly, coming from a divorced mother and father, that family is very important. We have to continue to drive on the value of the mothers. You know how important it is to support single mothers out here. We’re gonna try to create programs to help, show these mothers some ways to improve their lives and come up with ways to try to get them educated. Many can’t get an education because they can’t afford it. Maybe we can finally raise some dollars to assist them in furthering their education and also try to create some opportunities. We want to be very involved in trying to open up those doors. So, we’ve got to figure out ways to get better. That’s what HBCUGo is gonna try to do to make that happen.
How will HBCUGo TV be different from the other Black TV networks we have?
First and foremost, HBCUGo TV will focus on HBCU schools 24/7 365 days a year. Unlike most Black networks, that just want to show you The Jeffersons, Martin, entertainment, and comedy, we want our viewers to come away understanding some of the great history, legacy, knowledge, sports, and lifestyle that come from these historically Black colleges. We hope the programming the students produce will help others to understand the real life of a HBCU student. Finally, we want to educate the public on the power of these colleges and universities.
Here is a sneak peek at some of the upcoming programming:
Chris Paul HBCU Combine – June
Black Music Month – June
Kamau Murray – US Open Series – August
Fall HBCU Football season – September
Orange Blossom Classic Football game – FAMU vs. Jackson State – September
HBCU Basketball Classic – Virgin Islands – November
Winter HBCU Season – December
Pigskin Showdown Football All-Star Game – December
For more information on how to get involved with this platform, visit www.hbcugo.tv.
The Second Annual Black Lives Matter 5K Draws More Runners This Year in Jacksonville
Over the weekend in Jacksonville, FL, an event touched on the civil rights movement that has been taking place since the police killing of an unarmed George Floyd last May. In the second year of the Black Lives Matter 5K, more people participated this year compared to last year’s inaugural event, according to News4Jax.
The race took place in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday as organizers sought to celebrate and elevate the lives of Black people. The race also featured food trucks, live entertainment, and vendors.
The organizers of the event posted about the race on its Facebook page.
“We want to take this time out to thank all the participants who signed up for the 2ND ANNUAL BLM 5K JACKSONVILLE
“Words cannot express how much I am grateful for your support. You did the a fantastic job yesterday walking and running for Black lives.”
The BLM 5K has partnered with several national charities that throw their support to those who are disadvantaged, groups that uplift and empower all communities, as well as organizations fighting for social justice. The charities that this event supported this year included Soul Reborn, Sulzbacher, LiveCenter, and Northside Coalition of Jacksonville Inc.
Although there wasn’t a published number of runners for this year’s event, according to First Coast News, there were about 800 runners who participated in the inaugural Black Lives Matter 5K run in downtown Jacksonville last year.
“I think they are really meeting their goal of joy and liberation aspect,” runner Shea Leary said. “I just really think they are doing something that’s helping us put our minds and bodies into something joyful. I feel like this is a great way to bring healing and start the process.”
According to BLM 5K’s Facebook page, races will also be held in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, in a few months.
BLACK ENTERPRISE to Host First Ever Small Business Summit–and It’s Free!
BLACK ENTERPRISE will present its first Small Business Summit from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., EST on May 6, 2021. The complimentary, virtual event is the latest in the company’s series of Diversity Equity & Inclusion Summits. The COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd brought racial injustice to the forefront of global awareness and has energized an emerging movement demanding equity in small business and entrepreneurship.
Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., CEO of BLACK ENTERPRISE said closing the racial wealth gap in America means positioning ourselves to execute on opportunities, particularly when we hold larger corporations accountable for living up to the commitment to doing more business with Black communities.
“The current push for economic equity, including significant pledges from corporate America to invest in and do business with Black-owned companies, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Black entrepreneurs,” says Graves.
Small Business Summit attendees will gain insights on funding their businesses at every stage; how to benefit from the Biden-Harris Rescue Plan; creating profitable partnerships as a diverse supplier, as well as how to use technology to drive business growth, and more. Attendees will also hear from top administration officials to get their take on the latest policies and trends.
Credit- BE Library
“Small Business Summit attendees will learn from game-changing business leaders, transformative entrepreneurs, and industry innovators, how to seize once unreachable opportunities in this new and rapidly evolving business environment. Aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders can gain the tools to transform the next big idea into a profitable venture. Seasoned veterans can reimagine their enterprises and infuse them with the technology necessary for advancement and sustainability. Plus, attendees will hear from officials of the Biden administration, who will provide key information, their take on the latest policies and trends, and the opportunities they represent,” said a press statement.
Confirmed speakers for the Black Enterprise Small Business Summit include IMB Partners CEO Tarrus L. Richardson; U.S. Assistant Administrator, Office of Women’s Business Ownership, Natalie Madeira Cofield; SmartHustle.com Founder & CEO Ramon Ray; Wells Fargo Executive VP & Head of Consumer & Small Business Banking – Diverse Customer Segments, David Miree; Wells Fargo, Business Acquisition Manager, Alima Hawthorne; Bank of America, Senior Vice President, Atlantic-South Region Business Banking Executive, Derek Ellington; The 15 Percent Pledge, Executive Director, LaToya Williams-Belfort, and others.
Do not miss out on a chance to learn tools, strategies, and resources to maximize the profitability of your business ventures. The event can be conveniently accessed from a desktop, laptop, or mobile phone. Register for the online Small Business Summit by visiting the designated sign-up page. Additional information about speakers and the agenda is available here.
