Birmingham Is Combatting COVID-19 With This Unique Service Program
Cities across the country have been severely impacted by the spread of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic. The city of Birmingham, Alabama, is home to the fourth-largest African American population in the nation, which is also one of the groups most impacted by the virus. Because of the disorganized approach of the federal government, restrictions and relief services can vary state by state and city by city. In Birmingham, the city has been making strides in combatting the coronavirus using a unique partnership inspired by a decades-old service program.
The Birmingham Service is the only program of its kind in America. It was modeled after the Works Project Administration (WPA) from the New Deal Era under Franklin D. Roosevelt and is a part of a new public-private partnership called Bham Strong, a two-part economic stabilization strategy aimed at fortifying small businesses and works to help the community amid COVID-19.
“From the beginning, we have refused to fight just an economic crisis or a public health crisis. Instead, we have acknowledged that we must combat both,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE about the city taking a different approach to the viral outbreak. “We have listened to feedback from public health experts and residents concerning economic insecurity. This data involves face coverings, emergency small business loans, and curfew ordinances. We are now going beyond survey data and interviewing residents to understand what they want and how this crisis is going to affect them not just today, but also down the road.”
The Service Corps was meant to be a more active approach to handling the crisis similar to how the city handling the Great Depression recovery. The goal is to enlist recently unemployed workers as paid volunteers for temporary jobs to help meet basic community needs that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
“First and foremost, the Service Corps has enabled us to offer work opportunities to those who’ve lost jobs during this crisis. We believe this crisis displaced workers who do not want to sit on the sidelines,” continued Mayor Woodfin.
“They want to stay in the game, which is why we deployed people in a variety of ways to help serve needs in our community. That includes screening public housing residents, interviewing residents to understand their needs and distributing school supplies and school meals. We also believe this approach will give people useful skills in the long term to help build their careers. The Birmingham Service Corps has served as a nimble workforce and framework to address emerging needs.”
Workplace Diversity is Still a Major Problem Although Nearly 80% of HR Professionals Believe Their Company Is Diverse
Just 17% of workers at companies across America support increased recruiting of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, a new survey by Clutch shows.
Simultaneously, merely 20% of employees value hiring women in leadership positions and just 14% find value in boosting LGBTQ awareness and sensitivity at their companies.
The findings are thought-provoking as Clutch’s new data about diversity in the workplace overall revealed that 79% of people believe their company is diverse. However, observers contend employees perhaps are misjudging the strength of their company’s diversity status greater than what it actually may be.
While a diverse workplace may not seem like a top concern for companies in today’s business climate, Clutch maintains it should be. Clutch content writer and marketer Seamus Roddy also reported that “as businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic, they are more likely to use remote technology and training to diversify their workforce.”
The survey showed 74% of employees believe their workplace is committed to improving diversity. Yet, if only 17% of that sample believe that recruiting underrepresented groups is valuable, it shows that there’s a massive disconnect in people’s minds about diversity, a Clutch spokesperson says.
Clutch surveyed 505 human resource professionals in January to learn if they consider their workplace diverse and which business diversity initiatives are important to them. Notwithstanding COVID-19, 57% of people report their company has become more diverse in the past year. Experts contend this may stem from U.S. businesses employing workers from different countries as well as a larger, diverse American workforce altogether.
With some 79% of people believing their workplace is already diverse, a Clutch spokesperson noted, that may suggest in employees’ minds they’ve already “finished” with diversity. That could mean that they don’t see any value in heightening racial/ethnic diversity, women in leadership, or LGBT sensitivity.
People overestimate the diversity of their workplace for a couple of reasons, Faizan Fahim, content marketing lead for IT firm ServerGuy, told Clutch. Here’s why:
1. The company is diverse in some ways but not others
A company may have a balance of male and female employees and people from a range of races and religions. But, if the business doesn’t employ workers of varying ages and sexual orientations, it may not be as diverse as employees believe.
2. Employees think one employee represents the entire company
Workers who are familiar with even a single colleague who is LGBTQ, from a different country, or from an underrepresented group may consider their business diverse because of that employee. In reality, a strong level of diversity goes beyond one employee’s experience.
Other intriguing statistics showed some 19% of those surveyed are unsure if their company is devoted to diversity in 2020. Plus, only 8% believe their company isn’t bound to creating a more diverse workplace this year.
And training is the top initiative HR professionals want at their companies. Roughly a quarter of people (24%) say their preferred diversity initiative is employee diversity training and discussions where they work. Businesses may do well to find guidance from companies taking such actions. Take major consulting firm Accenture for instance.
Clutch reported Accenture approaches diversity training via these distinct categories:
Diversity Awareness: Helping people understand the benefits of working with a diverse team.
Diversity management: Working to help leaders manage diverse teams
Targeted professional development: Enabling women, LGBTQ people, and racial minorities to build the skills needed to do their jobs well.
Accenture uses that strategy to educates employees about the benefits of diversity, assists management with hiring remote teams, and bolsters the skills of traditionally underrepresented groups, Clutch reported. Accenture has been consistently cited on the Black Enterprise’s 50 Best Companies for Diversity list.
BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen withdrew on Wednesday an advert posted on its official Instagram page for its Golf cars that it admitted was racist and insulting, saying it would investigate how it came about and draw consequences.
The German car company, which has seen its reputation tarnished in the last five years after it admitted cheating diesel emissions tests, said it did not tolerate any form of racism.
The advert on Instagram features large pale-skinned hands seeming to push and then flick a black man away from a shiny new yellow Golf parked on a street.
German television noted that the hand could be interpreted as making a “white power” gesture, while letters that appear on the screen afterwards briefly spell out a racist slur in German.
Juergen Stackmann, the VW brand’s board member for sales and marketing, and Elke Heitmueller, head of diversity management, took to Twitter and LinkedIn to apologise.
“We understand the public outrage at this. Because we’re horrified, too. This video is an insult to all achievements of the civil rights movement. It is an insult to every decent person,” they wrote.
“We at Volkswagen are aware of the historical origins and the guilt of our company during the Nazi regime. That is precisely why we resolutely oppose all forms of hatred, slander/propaganda and discrimination.”
Founded on orders by Adolf Hitler to build the “people’s car”, VW employed forced laborers for the Nazi war effort.
A Volkswagen spokesman said agencies usually produce its advertising campaigns and it was investigating where the mistake happened and would make it public when it found out.
(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Michael Nienaber and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Missing Pro Wrestler Shad Gaspard Found Dead on California Beach
The body of missing former World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestler Shad Gaspard has been found and verified by police officials in California, according to NBC News.
The dead body of Gaspard was found early Wednesday on Los Angeles’ Venice Beach after he was caught in a rip current last weekend the police reported. Patrol officers were notified at around 1:25 AM by someone who had reported that a body had washed ashore, a police department statement said.
“On May 20, 2020, at 1:25 a.m., Pacific Division patrol officers were flagged down by a citizen reporting a body that washed ashore on Venice Beach near 27th Avenue and Ocean Front Walk. An investigator from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Bureau Homicide responded to investigate. The decedent was identified as Shad Gaspard and next of kin was notified.”
No cause of death has been determined yet and an examination is pending.
Gaspard, 39, went missing last Sunday after swimming in the newly reopened Marina Del Rey with his 10-year-old son.
“Mr. Shad Gaspard was last seen by a Los Angeles County lifeguard on May 17, 2020, around 3:40 p.m., as he swam in the Pacific Ocean approximately 50 yards from Venice Beach in the county of Los Angeles. When last seen by the lifeguard, a wave had crashed over Mr. Shad Gaspard and he was swept out to sea.” the Los Angeles Police Department previously stated.
Gaspard was best known in WWE as one-half of Cryme Tyme with JTG, WWE stated on its website. The duo joined forces with John Cena during his 2008 rivalry with JBL, and they competed for the WWE Tag Team Titles at SummerSlam 2009.
Before entering the world of wrestling, Gaspard played basketball at Georgia Perimeter College. He was also a former bodyguard for the likes of Sean “Diddy” Combs, Britney Spears, and Mike Tyson.
WWE is saddened to learn that former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard has passed away at the age of 39. https://t.co/ngyuRpkjps
The Oprah Foundation Announces Recipients Of $12 Million Grants For COVID-19 Relief
Since the spread of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic, many celebrities and large corporations have orchestrated different initiatives and efforts to help those severely impacted by the public health crisis. This week, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation unveiled the cities and organizations that will be receiving grants from the media mogul’s COVID-19 relief fund.
The charity foundation revealed the newest grant recipients of the billionaire’s $12 million COVID-19 Relief Fund to support organizations in Oprah’s “home cities” which consist of Nashville, Chicago, Baltimore, and several others. The money will go toward helping underserved communities that are struggling to recover from the economic loss caused by the pandemic.
Prior to this, the media mogul announced she would be donating $10 million toward relief efforts and increased that number to $12 million. “I’m proud to be able to support the communities I have called home,” said Winfrey in a press statement. “These organizations are working tirelessly on the ground to help those hit the hardest by the pandemic, meeting people where they are and serving in ways needed most.”
Some of the recipients of the grant include Live Healthy Chicago, an initiative to provide thousands of families in predominately African American and Latinx communities with immediate support in the form of wellness visits, contact tracing, and care packages, NashvilleNurtures, a collaboration between Mount Zion Baptist Church and Tennessee State University, Winfrey’s alma mater, providing immediate food relief to over 10,000 families in the greater Nashville area, in addition to local universities and nonprofits.
“We express our sincerest thanks to Ms. Winfrey for her generosity and caring for her home city of Nashville in this manner, and for including TSU to be a part of this monumental humanitarian effort,” said Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, president of Tennessee State University. “We are honored to be able to help support Nashville and to ensure that families have the food and basic necessities they need during this difficult time.
Costco Employee Takes Cart From Shopper After He Refused To Wear A Mask (Video)
A video that has quickly gone viral shows a Costco store employee in Las Vegas taking a cart away from a customer that refused to wear a safety mask.
The video, posted to Twitter Monday, shows a store employee who was wearing a mask being filmed by a customer who refused to wear a mask inside the store. The store employee, who has the name tag Tison, was unfazed by the customer’s words and tells the man’s followers why he’s being thrown out.
“Hi everyone,” Tison said. “I work for Costco and I’m asking this member to put on a mask because that is our company policy.”
When the customer is told to put on a mask, he turns the camera to him and says “And I’m not doing it. Because I woke up in a free country.”
The customer then turns the camera back to the employee who says “Have a great day” as he takes the cart and wheels it away. The customer asks the employee if he is going to take his cart full of toilet paper, detergent, and other items away.
“Sir, have a great day. You are no longer welcome here in our warehouse,” the worker responds. “You need to leave. Thank you very much.”
A spokeswoman for Costco declined to comment Wednesday. On May 4, Costco began requiring every employee and customer to wear a mask that covers the mouth and nose in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The video has more than 6.8 million views and the employee has been praised for his actions. Tison responded on Twitter thanking “People of Twitter thank you for all of the support, I was just trying to protect our employees and our members.”
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 1.5 million Americans and killed more than 90,000. Additionally, the coronavirus has also sent more than 30 million Americans to the unemployment line and is killing African Americans and Hispanics at higher rates.
Essential Workers Are Losing Hazard Pay Amid COVID-19
In April, essential workers were ecstatic about the opportunity to earn additional wages while working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate passed a bill to ensure that there was a financial reward associated with the risks front-line workers take every time they clock in. Now, as unemployment rates exceed record-breaking claims, some employers are recanting on their commitment to pay workers ‘hazard’ and ‘hero pay.’
Retailers Kroger, Starbucks, Amazon, and Target initially announced that they would pay workers an additional $2 raise per hour, while Walmart incentivized their full-time employees with a $300 bonus and part-timers with $150 bonuses.
Additionally, in a statement released by Amazon a spokesperson said, “To thank employees and help meet increased demand, we’ve paid our team and partners nearly $800 million extra since COVID-19 started while continuing to offer full benefits from day one of employment. With demand stabilized, next month we’ll return to our industry-leading starting wage of $15 an hour. We’re proud that our minimum wage is more than what most others offer even after their temporary increases in recent months, and we hope they’ll do the right thing for the long term and bring their minimum pay closer to ours.”
Unfortunately, hazard and hero pay increases had expiration dates at most companies. Kroger’s ended May 16 while other companies like Target have extended its timeframe for workers.
A recent article by Vox outlines the challenges many retail employees face on a daily basis and will face as a result of losing hazard pay. Vox spoke with Kevin Smith, a meat department manager at a King Soopers (a Kroger brand) store in Longmont, Colorado, who said that the additional $2 doesn’t make a difference for workers because that only averages $40 a week.
He also shared how others disregarding safety and hygiene, as well as poor behavior, puts workers at risk.
“The other day I had a customer that kept stepping toward me,” he told Vox. “I would take a step back, trying to keep some distance between us, and I accidentally bumped into a customer behind me.”
To that point, Molly Kinder, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies hazard pay told Vox, “When your employer gives you low wages,” Kinder said, “those low wages make you less resilient to the disease.”
In response to hazard pay being cut, many companies are offering one-time bonuses to employees, which some consider being tone-deaf given the amount of hours employees work and their need to survive. On May 15, Kroger announced “Thank You Pay,” which will gift full-time employees $400 and $200 for part-time employees. The payments are said to be paid in two installments, on May 30 and June 18.
Furthermore, it has not been announced what accommodations will be made after that.
Donald Trump Refuses To Unveil Obama’s Portrait Going Against Tradition
The presidential portraits are a long-standing tradition dating back to painter Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington. The official portrait unveiling of former President Barack Obama was scheduled at the White House but has been stopped because his successor, President Donald Trump, refuses to proceed forward with the event.
Trump recently came out and accused Obama of unspecified crimes with no evidence to back up his claims. CNN reported an administration official said there have been talks to continue hanging up Obama’s portrait at a later time but no date has been officially scheduled or announced.
“Presidential portrait unveilings are one of the three events that bring former presidents together. This level of animosity between a sitting president and his predecessors is unprecedented in modern history,” Kate Andersen Brower, author of Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump, told CNN. In 2018, President Donald Trump signed Public Law 115-158 to prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for an official portrait of any federal official or officer, including the president.
It is also considered a tradition for first-term presidents to host the ceremony for their predecessors, no matter their political party. Obama did so for former President George W. Bush‘s portrait in 2012 with Bush doing the same for former President Bill Clinton in 2004. Trump has been the first to break the tradition. “We may have our differences politically,” Obama said while hosting the unveiling eight years ago, according to the Grio, “but the presidency transcends those differences.”
President Trump and Obama have met twice in person—at Trump’s Inauguration Day and again at the funeral for former President George H.W. Bush in December 2018. They shook hands briefly at the start of the service and didn’t interact afterward.
Bitbox ATM Investor Gabe Holmes on His Passion for Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
Thirty-three-year old real estate investor and Chicago native Gabe Holmes runs his own consulting business, helping companies with various tasks such as software testing, mobile app development, and writing code. But his passion is cryptocurrency, something he’s been trading for a few years. Recently, he doubled down on one of his preferred cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, by investing in the Bitbox ATM business opportunity.
BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Holmes about what has drawn him to the cryptocurrency industry and why African Americans should take a much closer look.
BE:Gabe, I was excited to speak with you, because while we hear a lot about cryptocurrency investing and trading, currently there are not a lot of formal opportunities to monetize it in this early development. So, let’s start with what drew you to this sector?
Holmes: I‘ve been following cryptocurrency since late 2016, early 2017. I was drawn to the decentralized nature of bitcoin, after struggling through the 2008 financial crisis. When compared to the traditional stock market, I liked that cryptocurrency didn’t adhere to the same guidelines as the stock market–such as caps on trading when the market hits a certain low or high. I liked the freedom of that, and I like that it is more of a global currency as opposed to the U.S. Dollar (USD). Bitcoin can be traded and sent 24×7 without having to deal with third-party vendors such as MoneyGram–that have established business hours, high fees, and can have strict identification requirements.
Gabe Holmes, Bitbox ATM Investor (Photo credit: Sean Su, Purple Photo)
Why did you decide to add the Bitbox ATM business to your portfolio in addition to trading?
I’m always looking for ways to increase my bottom line. With all that I have on my plate, I knew it would have to be something that required little to no time on my part. That perfectly describes Bitbox ATM.
The business is 100% passive. Once you purchase the machines, Bitbox leverages their location expertise to place the machines, install, maintain, and even collect the cash when needed. As an investor, I can log into their proprietary portal platform to control the machine and view my bitcoin transaction activity and profits. In fact, I live in Chicago and my machines are in Houston.
Well, that’s certainly a passive business when you’re not even in the same state! What makes a good location for a Bitbox ATM and what exactly do users do with the Bitcoins?
There are a lot of great locations for Bitbox ATM’s. It doesn’t tend to be where people would think–like on Wall Street. One of my machines is located in a smoke shop, the other in a West African restaurant–just like USD ATM’s high traffic areas that have easy access to expressways or active retail shopping destinations.
In terms of what Bitcoin buyers do with the currency, for now, it’s mainly about investing. Similar to the stock market, the average investor can choose to make a one-time purchase or a recurring amount of bitcoin, say weekly or monthly, and it goes into a digital wallet the investor creates. You can buy just a fraction of one bitcoin if that’s what you can afford. If you believe in cryptocurrency, you are betting on the fact that it will become a widely accepted global currency and buying it now when the cost is relatively low, will pay off in the future. You can also trade it, and there are some retailers (mostly online) that do accept it as a form of payment. But most investors see it as “stored value,” a way to hedge your bet against what happens in the stock market. Some experts advise having 1% of your net worth in cryptocurrency. It’s been reported that Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, buys $10,000 worth of bitcoin every week. I take my queue from him–I’d rather spend USD than bitcoin right now (laughing).
Doubling Down
For someone interested in the Bitbox ATM business opportunity, what should they expect in terms of investment and revenues?
I believe for two machines, you’re looking at around a $42,000 investment. Between those two ATMs, you should anticipate $10,000 to $20,000 in cash transactions per month, 20% of that will be fees, which go to the investor. A small percentage of that goes to the owner of the location where the machine resides, and a small percentage to the Bitbox ATM operations for managing the entire business. Just like any business, though, it takes a little time in the beginning. I purchased my two machines in September 2019. They were placed pretty quickly and, because Bitbox has a robust marketing program, I started seeing traffic shortly after placement. People that purchase bitcoins tend to be regimented about it, so now I am able to anticipate when a transaction is going to hit.
Have you had any unexpected challenges with the business?
For sure: coronavirus! However, because one of my machines is in a smoke shop, which has been deemed essential, I’ve really seen no interruption there. The West African restaurant was shut down when the virus first hit, but now it’s back open. Other than that, it has gone pretty much as planned.
What’s the future hold for your Bitbox ATM empire and what advice do you have for someone that may be interested in investing?
While I’m not sure I would go so far as to call it an empire, I am currently saving to purchase four additional machines. I really love the uniqueness of the business and being an early adopter. I’m also proud to double down in an industry I really believe in. I made the money to purchase my Bitbox ATM’s by trading cryptocurrency. So, I’m putting that money back into something I’m committed to.
As for advice, you really don’t need to know much about cryptocurrency or bitcoin to own Bitbox ATMs because they literally do everything for you. But I would recommended doing some research on the industry you’re investing in, looking at historical trends, and what prices it trades at. I would say go so far as to create a digital wallet and purchase a small amount, just so you know what the experience is like and you can explain your business better. If you’re part of the cryptocurrency community, you want to both understand and help build belief.
Need Motivation? Kevin Hart is the Life Coach You’ve Been Waiting For
In addition to being a superstar actor, stand-up comedian, and business owner, Kevin Hart is adding life coach to his impressive résumé.
Well, sort of.
As the world grapples with the ongoing coronavirus crisis, which has put more than 30 million Americans out of work and brought the entire world to a standstill, the 40-year-old comic is releasing a new project to help people remain positive and creatively stimulated.
On Thursday, the Jumanji: The Next Level star will unveil his new motivational audiobook on Audible, an audiobook and audio content publishing company owned by Amazon. Titled The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success, Hart shares over five hours’ worth of self-help and development tips. Although it was recorded in 2019, many people are yearning for a source of motivation now more than ever in wake of the pandemic, he says.
“Some people are getting beat down by it and it’s weighing on them heavy,” said Hart about the crisis during an exclusive interview on BLACK ENTERPRISE’sThe New Norm With Selena Hill. “There’s a good reason to motivate, inspire, recharge, uplift, etc.—and I feel like that is what The Decision does.”
In The Decision, Hart imparts introspective and insightful advice to inspire others. He also opens up about the tools and rules he’s developed to elevate his own life. Unlike some other self-help gurus, Hart’s delivery is candid, raw, and authentic to his larger-than-life personality. Some of the topics he addresses include moving past your comfort zone, overcoming insecurity, and maintaining a positive mindset. He also schools listeners on how to keep your bulls–t detector running smoothly and “just why your ugly–s feet are nothing short of a blessing in disguise,” reads a press release.
“This is about me making people realize that they’re in control of themselves. You, ultimately, are in control of your actions and your decisions,” he said. “In life, sometimes it’s very easy to place the blame on so many others for so much when it goes back to you.”
I’m doing something dope on this beautiful Monday morning people….I’m giving you guys a opportunity to listen to a chapter for free….Click the link and listen damn it!!!!! Pre Order yours after you see how good it is…Let’s gooooo https://t.co/IiV0rljouH
Hart says another theme in the audiobook encourages people to stop trying to be perfect, which can impede your progress.
“You ain’t supposed to be perfect,” he said. “When you live as if it is, that’s when you get shell-shocked the most and get distraught,” said the actor, who has faced and rebounded from several scandals and career hiccups, himself. In addition to a high-profile cheating scandal and a near-paralyzing car crash last September, Hart stepped down from hosting the 2019 Academy Awards after his homophobic comments from 2009 to 2011 resurfaced. The opportunity would have been the biggest hosting gig of his career. Nonetheless, the comedian emerged largely unscathed by the end of last year, debuting three blockbuster movies along with a Netflix docuseries and earning the No. 1 spot on Forbes’ highest-paid stand-up comedian list. Jerry Seinfeld previously topped the list.
Hart, who boasts a net worth of $200 million, says he’s currently using his downtime during the pandemic to write and develop other projects.
“[I’m] writing, developing, just figuring it out. Just trying to stay as many steps ahead as I can.”
