Muslim Lawmakers to Host Virtual National Iftar Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, public health crisis has put a halt on all large scale events and gatherings for the foreseeable future. As Muslims around the country begin to fast for the holy month of Ramadan, lawmakers have decided to come together in a virtual event to celebrate with their fellow Muslims amid the viral outbreak.
Muslim political leaders including Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison have joined together with the Muslim Advocates for a national virtual event for Iftar on May 12. The event will also feature remarks from Imam Khalid Latif, Imam W. Deen Shareef, artist Aisha Fukushima and more.
“The unprecedented convergence of a global pandemic and Ramadan highlights all the ways American Muslims are overcoming hardship to honor their faith and their communities,” said Muslim Advocates Executive Director Farhana Khera in a press statement. “I hope that The National Iftar can provide a valuable public service to help keep us all connected and inspired during Ramadan while also staying home.”
Iftar is the evening meal that Muslims end their daily fast with at sunset. They break their fast at the time of the call to prayer and is the second meal of the day that is followed by suhur, the meal Muslims eat at pre-dawn.
“Though the pandemic has forced us to rethink how we celebrate Ramadan, I hope we can start a new tradition with this virtual National Iftar,” said Honorary Co-Chair Rep. Rashida Tlaib. “This event is an opportunity for all Americans to join us as my fellow Muslim colleagues in Congress and I observe Ramadan. We will uplift the stories of American Muslims who are working to help their communities during this pandemic and share why it is important to continue to show up for others.”
Black-Owned Specialty Coffee Brand Expands Into Whole Foods and Amazon
At a time when black businesses are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, a black-owned coffee company announced a major distribution deal with Whole Foods Market and Amazon.
Blk & Bold, which claims to be the first-ever black-owned nationally distributed coffee and tea brand, has officially launched in Whole Foods Market and Amazon as of late April.
“The seemingly overnight shift of the retail landscape and store operations have no doubt impacted the flow of emerging brands entering and expanding in the market. This is also why the alliance with Whole Foods and other key retailers continues to showcase the support and belief in BLK & Bold as a coffee brand,” said the Blk & Bold co-founder and CEO Pernell Cezar in a statement to BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Blk & Bold launched in 2018 after Cezar and his childhood friend Rod Johnson each left their careers in higher education fundraising and retail merchandising. They launched BLK & Bold coffee from their headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.
Blk & Bold
The brand, which had a test run of 15 locations in Whole Foods as of mid-April, is expected to continue its expansion into Whole Foods Midwest Region to over 31 locations to Nebraska, Illinois, and Iowa markets.
The product lineup consists of three whole bean coffees with features ranging from medium and dark roast blends, single-origin light roasts, and fair trade or direct trade sourcing integrity.
In conjunction with the Whole Food expansion, BLK & Bold is making its products available on Amazon.com after launching its official Amazon storefront last month.
With every cup of coffee sold, the brand donates a portion of the proceeds to several different non-profit organizations and social causes, including the eradication of youth homelessness and food insecurity.
“As our national and regional retailer partnerships grow, so do the opportunities for anyone to participate in supporting at-risk youth, the demographic in most need,” said Johnson. “Creating a pathway for everyday consumers to become contributors to the most vulnerable communities is as personally fulfilling as it is motivating for BLK & Bold’s growth.”
Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Issa Rae, and Yvonne Orji Team Up With Budweiser to Stress the Importance of Check-ins
After weeks of social distancing, Budweiser teamed up with a collection of black athletes and stars to revamp their iconic “whassup” commerical to remind people to check in with their loved ones.
The original “whassup” ad debuted back in 1999, becoming a pop culture phenomenon that created a widely-used catchphrase. Now, more than two decades later, Budweiser has reimaged the commercial with a modern-day twist as the country comes to grips with the coronavirus crisis and social isolation.
The campaign’sfirst episodelaunched on April 23, featuring NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade, his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, retired NBA star Chris Bosh, WNBA star Candace Parker, and DJ D-Nice.
The second ad in the campaign was released Wednesday, starring Wade and Union, along with actors Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Emmy Raver-Lampman, and Broadway star Daveed Diggs. In the ad, the celebrities chat about living in isolation before yelling out “whassup.” Afterward, Union asks the group how they seriously feel about the pandemic. Budweiser says the goal of the campaign is to connect people with each other in order to stave off isolation and loneliness.
“My wife and I wanted to partner with Budweiser because we believe the message is crucial,” said Wade in a statement sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE. “We both remembered the original ‘whassup’ ads and love the idea of bringing them back as a genuine PSA to connect with each other. We encourage everyone to take a moment out from their day to check-in with their friends and loved ones during this difficult time.”
As part of the campaign, Budweiser will make a donation to The Salvation Army for essential support of those in need due to COVID-19. The Salvation Army launched a nationwide hotline in April in response to rising levels of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the pandemic.
“Thanks to modern technology, we’re able to remain virtually connected in ways that otherwise we would not have been able to within the current distance-mandated climate,” said Monica Rustgi, Vice President of Marketing for Budweiser. “In times like these, something as simple as a hello, or in this case ‘whassup,’ means a lot.”
According to Rustgi, the spot serves to remind people of the power of human connection, especially in times of crisis. “Following the unbelievable success of the original ad campaign, we found this to be a meaningful opportunity to revisit the original spot’s simplicity and focus on human connection in a time when people may be feeling hopeless, uncertain, and alone,” she said. “Our hope is that by getting people to check in, we can play a small part in bringing the world closer together during these trying times.”
After Losing Her Father to Obesity, This Woman Took Her Inheritance and Started a Gym
What happens when a business founded to improve the lives of all who walk through it doors has those doors closed by a global pandemic? For La Niecia Vicknair, founder of the Los Angeles boutique gym Thrive Health Lab, the answer was simple: find a way to keep giving the community what it needs—even if it’s for free.
In a true case of meeting the people where they are, Vicknair and her team of 15 trainers are now streaming virtual workout classes through Instagram. And she’s relying mostly on donations and a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program to carry the business through.
Black Enterprise caught up with Vicknair to talk about how she’s continuing to serve the physical and mental wellness of her community, even through the stay-at-home order.
How did you end up starting a gym?
I went to Howard University and majored in interior design. Long story short I didn’t feel like I was living a fulfilling purpose. I had a strong desire to figure out a way to help my family, and those in my community, to do better—move, eat well, and basically become a better version of themselves. So in 2016, I became a personal trainer and later on that year actually ended up losing my father to morbid obesity. He had a heart attack. So I took my inheritance, and I opened up a gym. I just don’t want anybody else to have to lose their parents or family members.
Why was it important to you to open a boutique gym in a black neighborhood?
As we know, the African American community has a very high health disparity—case in point, everything that’s going on with COVID-19. The area that my gym is in, View Park-Windsor Hills, is typically known as a very affluent African American community. However, we don’t have resources that maybe the Westside has. We don’t have boutique fitness gyms, we don’t have juice bars, we don’t have salad bars. So for me it was really huge to bring something to where I grew up and where I currently live and not having to drive to other areas where the teacher was never a minority, which is fine but I feel like there are some things that they can’t relate to that we deal with as African Americans. For example I used to take a barre class and they were like oh you need to fix this and fix that and I’m like I actually am a trained dancer. That’s my body shape, that’s not my form. I have a big butt; it’s going to stick out.
Before the pandemic, was all of your revenue coming from memberships?
We have a couple of things. We have drop-in classes. We also do quarterly personal development workshops. Our last one was in January on vision boarding. Another way that our income comes in is virtual training. Not that many people do it, a lot of people enjoy the in-house training, but if somebody is on vacation they’ll do some virtual training with us. We also have PDF meal plans, I partner with a caterer who does meal prep. And we’ve done kid camps. So those are different ways that we bring revenue into the business, but the majority of our people that come to the gym are on a membership.
Thrive Health Lab
And since coronavirus, what has that pivot been like?
That pivot happened within five hours. We immediately took our entire class schedule, and we put it on an Instagram Live stream, just for free. For us, it was more about providing a service for our clients so that they can have a sense of normalcy and know that we’re there to support them during this time. We have about three classes a day, which can range from meditation and yoga, kick classes, barre classes. Right now we only ask people for donations, because some people are in a position where they can give and some people aren’t.
So it’s not generating revenues, but it’s still in line with your mission of empowering the community.
For me, it’s like how can we still be of service. And the best thing I could think of was, let me just get in everybody’s phone that everybody’s already on. It’s really important to be able to make that accessible for our community. I have had clients email and text and say thank you for today, I really didn’t want to work out. I think, in honesty, we’ve all had our hard days. When you become inactive, depression can easily creep up on you. When you exercise, it releases endorphins. You just feel better. We are passionate about getting results for our clients, whether that’s physically, mentally, or just creating a safe space for people to grow. And we really, really love what we do.
Mental Health Month Takes on New Meaning for Black America Amid COVID-19
Today marks the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month. And it’s fair to say that mental health and wellness is being taken more seriously amid COVID-19. As millions of Americans stay home and practice social distancing, there is a national conversation about the importance of self-care and mental wellness.
We recently spoke with Tonya Ladipo, founder and CEO of The Ladipo Group L.L.C., based in Philadelphia about the mental and physical impact the pandemic is having on people mentally. And during that conversation, she urged black people to not put their mental health on the back burner during these uncertain times.
Black Health Matters
Someone once said, “When white America catches a cold, black America catches the flu.” Others have even gone as far as to say pneumonia. A recent study by Dr. Cato Laurencin, CEO of the Connecticut Convergence Institute and Editor-In-Chief for the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities outlines the health disparities blacks are facing amid the coronavirus.
In addition to the virus, pre-existing social inequities are attributed to the decline in the overall health of black people.
To that point, Ladipo told BLACK ENTERPRISE that self-preservation is key. “We have been through so much that the need to make sure we are well is not optional.”
She also said, “They can’t take our minds. I feel as though we have to fight to protect it [our mental health] especially through COVID-19 because we’re on lockdown—and because it’s hard. We have to protect our mental health and wellness like a job right now. We have to make sure that when we come out of this—and we’re bruised and maybe having broken bones—that we’re not fully broken.”
Although black people and those living in underserved communities are being hit the hardest by COVID-19, there are a number of actionable steps that people can take to practice self-preservation during these times.
Here’s advice we’ve collected from mental health professionals.
Preserve Your Mental Wellness:
Find a virtual therapist
Unplug from your screen for a period of time daily.
Turn off the news and/or mute your news push notification.
Know your limits. — Be able to set limits and don’t overload yourself. We live in an overload culture and it’s very easy to do more and take on more. Sometimes we find our significance in the amount of things that we do and we find ourselves wearing ourselves out
Take vacations or staycations. – Know how to step away and take a real vacation or staycation and do what reenergizes you and things that nourish your mind and body. If what you need is to be away from everyone, do that.
Watch what you eat. – Don’t give your taste buds over what your body really needs.
Maintain a regular cycle of 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night
Exercise for 30 minutes.
Journal about how you are feeling.
Read books that take your mind to other places.
Check-in with family members and friends.
Take time for yourself.
Minimize or manage the amount of stress in your life—recognize what things are stressful to you and have a way to minimize them.
To read more about how COVID-19 is impacting the black community, click here.
Michelle Obama’s Critically Acclaimed ‘Becoming’ Is Coming to Netflix as a Documentary
We all knew that something great had to be in the works a couple of years ago when the Obamas penned a deal with Netflix. Nevertheless, imagine our level of excitement for former first lady Michelle Obama’s documentary, Becoming to air on Netflix May 6.
Women all around the world resonated with the stories and affirming words shared by Obama in her candid autobiographic novel. Becoming sold more than 10 million copies. In addition to book sales, Obama’s book tour was a monumental success—and the Netflix documentary is a behind-the-scenes look of the 34-city tour. Which is great news for those who weren’t able to secure tickets for the sold-out events!
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Obama announced the documentary, writing:
“I’m excited to let you know that on May 6, @Netflix will release BECOMING, a documentary film directed by Nadia Hallgren that looks at my life and the experiences I had while touring following the release of my memoir. Those months I spent traveling—meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe—drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can’t be messed with. In groups large and small, young and old, unique and united, we came together and shared stories, filling those spaces with our joys, worries, and dreams. We processed the past and imagined a better future. In talking about the idea of ‘becoming,’ many of us dared to say our hopes out loud.”
I treasure the memories and that sense of connection now more than ever, as we struggle together to weather this pandemic, as we care for our loved ones, and cope with loss, confusion, and uncertainty.
She went on to sing the director’s praise saying, “It’s hard these days to feel grounded or hopeful, but I hope that like me, you’ll find joy and a bit of respite in what Nadia has made. Because she’s a rare talent, someone whose intelligence and compassion for others comes through in every frame she shoots. Most importantly, she understands the meaning of community, the power of community, and her work is magically able to depict it.”
On Twitter, Obama shared a clip from the documentary.
I’m excited to share that on May 6, @Netflix will release BECOMING, a documentary directed by Nadia Hallgren that shares the stories of the amazing people I met after the release of my memoir. During this difficult time, I hope you’ll find some inspiration and joy in this film. pic.twitter.com/fqsIbhXYeL
President Trump Blames Obama For Lack of Coronavirus Testing
President Donald Trump is blaming former President Barack Obama for the lack of testing for the coronavirus, despite the fact it didn’t exist when he left office.
“The last administration left us nothing. We started off with bad, broken tests, and obsolete tests,” Trump asserted.
When CNN reporter Jim Acosta pressed Trump, asking “You say ‘broken tests’ — it’s a new virus, so how could the tests be broken?” Trump doubled down on his claim.
“We had broken tests. We had tests that were obsolete. We had tests that didn’t take care of people,” Trump continued before pivoting to Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden for their handling of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak.
The coronavirus did not exist until late 2019 and didn’t reach the U.S. until early February although the exact date is unknown.
The flu outbreak killed about 12,500 Americans, while coronavius pandemic has already taken more than 60,000 citizens.
Obama did, however, leave a detailed 69-page document showing how to respond to the threat of a pandemic. However, Trump fired the government’s pandemic response team in 2018. Trump also largely ignored the coronavirus when it hit the U.S. in February, saying it would go away on its own.
Obama has been more vocal since the outbreak hit the U.S. in February. In April, Obama compared the coronavirus response by the U.S.to climate change deniers.
Trump also refused to take responsibility for the pandemic during a White House press briefing last month, again blaming the situation on Obama.
“No, I don’t take responsibility at all. Because we were given a — a set of circumstances, and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time. It wasn’t meant for this kind of — an event with the kind of numbers that we’re talking about,” Trump said.
Trump said earlier this week that the U.S. will soon ramp up testing to test 5 million people per day. However, Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health for the Trump administration said otherwise.
“There is absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even 5 million tests a day.”
Georgia Gov. Kemp Axes Driver’s Test Requirement For Teens, Only Parent’s Consent Needed
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has signed an executive order allowing teenagers in the state to skip the driving test in order to get a license. All that’s required for now is their parents’ consent.
According to CNN, all other requirements before the test must be fulfilled. Once the requirements have been fulfilled, teen learner’s permit holders will be allowed to obtain a provisional license by providing an affidavit from their parent or driving instructor stating they have completed 40 hours of supervised driving.
A clean driving record of at least one year and one day is also required. Permit holders over the age of 18 can sign their own affidavit.
The order will stay in effect until the expiration of the state’s Public Health State of Emergency, which Kemp has extended to May 13.
“During these unprecedented times, the Department of Driver Services is trying to make it as easy as a process for people to get their license and to lessen the burden on people right now,” Stormi Kenney, who owns a driving school within the state, told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Spencer Moore, Commissioner of the state’s Department of Driver Services¸ said social distancing guidelines currently make it impossible to conduct in-person tests. Additionally, there is a backlog of 30,000 applicants, with an average of 5,000 teens having taken the exam every week prior to the shutdown.
Moore added the pass rate for teens in the state is over 80%.
Kemp’s executive order also outlined how the state will loosen its social distancing requirements which went into effect last week. However, a model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, says the state shouldn’t open up until at least late June.
Even that date assumes the state will implement aggressive testing, contact tracing, isolation, and crowd-size limits to prevent more infections. Although spaces in the state are opening, African American leaders are urging residents to stay home. African American barbers in the state are also weighing health over profits.
Georgia Gov. Is Slammed After Coronavirus Study Shows Effect On Blacks
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is taking a lot of heat after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study showing African Americans are suffering gravely from the coronavirus pandemic.
The study, released Wednesday, showed African Americans make up a majority of the 297 coronavirus patients reported in the study. Additionally, although African Americans weren’t more likely than any other group to die from the disease or to require a ventilator, according to the study, 83.2% of the patients with coronavirus were African American.
“That is a very high rate of infections,” Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, Howard University president who was not involved in the report told NewsOne.
Frederick added the high percentage of African Americans in the study most likely reflects the occupation of the patients.
“A lot of it may come from the fact that African Americans are essential employees in our system,” he said. “Everything from bus drivers to healthcare workers and cleaning services, they are on the front line, and therefore are far more likely to be exposed.”
The statistics of the study line up with national statistics showing African Americans are dying from the coronavirus at disproportionate rates in states across the country. According to New York Magazine, African Americans in Georgia make up 52% of the coronavirus-related deaths, but only 33% of the population.
Despite the statistics, Kemp has reopened businesses saying the economy needs to be restarted. Kemp has not addressed how he’s going to address the disproportionate effect the coronavirus is having on African Americans.
Kemp allowed bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, and nail salons to reopen for in-person business last Friday. By Monday, restaurants were allowed to begin dine-in service.
However, some are choosing to keep their stores closed.
Rapper Killer Mike, who owns a chain of barbershops in Atlanta, said he will keep his stores closed.
“At this time as a business, we aren’t comfortable opening. So we’re going to wait a while before we reopen.” Mike explained that the coronavirus has been hitting the African American community hard and they are the group that his business caters to. “We don’t want our customers and our barbers in danger.”
“Here we are in the middle of a crisis and it turns out that the essential workers in this country are not investment bankers,” said Warren. “The essential workers…are doctors and are nurses — but it so much more. It’s the people that are cleaning the hospitals. It’s the people who are stocking the grocery stores,” she continued. “It’s the people that are making the deliveries and it’s the people who are still going out into people’s home to take care of the elderly. She argued that these “heroes” deserve more than a “thank you” for putting their lives on the frontlines in the battle against COVID-19. “We owe them full medical protection. That means the masks, the gowns,” she said. “We need to make sure that they are fully protected and that their employers are providing those masks and gowns at no costs to them.”
Sen. Warren co-authored and introduced the Essential Workers Bill of Rights in April. The bill advocates to provide essential workers with health and safety protections, universal paid sick leave, family and medical leave, and support for child care.
“This is ultimately about respect for the people that are putting their lives on the line for us every day,” said the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. “Stand with essential workers because now is the moment to do this and recognize the importance of human dignity. If somebody is going to put their lives on the line to stock the grocery shelves. They must get hazardous pay.”
Launched on April 6, Masks for the People is sponsored by the nongovernmental organization Live Free and Black Church Action Fund. The campaign aims to secure a supply chain of needed supplies like masks, sanitizers, and coronavirus tests for urban neighborhoods and poor rural communities.
In April, Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey donated $1 million to the Masks for the People humanitarian campaign. The donation will also go toward providing free personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing kits for those who are incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, violence interrupters, essential workers, and the elderly in communities of color.
“Less than a week ago we pulled together an unprecedented coalition of activists, faith leaders, artists and entrepreneurs committed to securing a supply chain of PPE and preventative care for Black and Brown communities,” said Pastor McBride. “Thanks to Dorsey’s generosity, and the generosity of others who have given, we can scale immediately and expand beyond the initial eight to 10 cities. It’s just a blessing.”
