Support for mail-in voting has risen amid concerns about the safety of polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Yahoo Finance,  mail-in voting has a wide partisan divide. President Trump said last week the idea will end his chances at re-election. A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, shows Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support their state conducting elections exclusively by mail, 47% to 29%.

The poll also showed a wide divide in support for no-excuse absentee voting. The system is currently in place in most states including almost all the top presidential battlegrounds.

Health officials are increasingly discussing the risk of spreading the coronavirus at polling places. The Republican majority in Wisconsin allowed in-person voting to take place for its primary in April.

Now, less than a month later, the state’s public health office is reporting at least 30 new coronavirus cases after voting or volunteering for the primary.

Wisconsin Democrats are already increasing mail voting operations for November. Milwaukee, the state’s largest city, will send every one of its 300,000 voters a request for an absentee ballot.

Republicans, who have resisted a similar step statewide, acknowledged the move would put them at a disadvantage.

“It makes winning Wisconsin harder,” Andrew Hitt, chair of the state Republican Party told Yahoo.

Hitt is now calling for intervention to “level the playing field.”

Currently, only five states automatically mail ballots to every voter, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Utah. However, since the coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S. in February, states have been shifting their primaries to all mail-elections.

The Republican National Committee has started to fight these moves in court. The committee successfully petitioned a New Mexico court to block the state from holding its June primary exclusively by mail.

As a result, the state will be forced to open some polling places to allow for in-person voting. The state will send applications for absentee ballots to voters.

In Texas, Attorney General and Republican Ken Paxton, unsuccessfully argued the coronavirus should not be an automatically accepted excuse for people seeking absentee ballots in the state.

Joe Biden said Monday that he believes President Trump will try to delay the presidential election. Mail-in voting will also help African Americans as voter suppression tactics in the South are widespread.

• Sports

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 28, 2020

Jemele Hill Calls Out New England Patriots’ Draft Pick For Tattoo Linked to White Supremacy

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Sports commentator and contributing writer Jemele Hill has an issue with the New England Patriots’ recent draft pick who sports a white supremacist tattoo, according to BET.

This past weekend, during the National Football League‘s annual draft, The New England Patriots selected kicker Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round. The New York native has a tattoo of the logo for Three Percenters, a far-right militia movement and paramilitary group that primarily advocates for gun ownership rights and limiting the federal government’s involvement in local affairs. He claims he received the tattoo as a teenager and didn’t know at the time what the logo stood for and has plans now to cover the tattoo.

“Obviously, it evolved into something that I do not want to represent and when I look back at it, I should have done way more research before I put any mark or symbol on my body,” Rohrwasser told USA Today. “It is not something I ever want to represent, so it will be covered.”

Rohrwasser told reporters on a conference call that he will cover the logo, which has Roman numerals III surrounded by stars. Rohrwasser claimed he believed that the organization stood for support of the U.S. military when he got the tattoo as a teenager. He said he wishes he had done some research before he got the tattoo.

• News

by Derek Major

April 28, 2020

Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz: No One in Puerto Rico Has Received a Coronavirus Relief Check

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San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said Puerto Rico’s residents have yet to receive their $1,200 relief checks.

The San Juan Mayor made the claim Monday during an at-home appearance on MSNBC.

“No one in Puerto Rico has received the $1,200 from the federal government,” Cruz said midway through the interview. Cruz added that residents have yet to receive a $500 stimulus from the local government as well.

Mayor Cruz said the island of Puerto Rico is struggling. In addition to island residents missing their payments, 130,000 unemployment filings have been made on the island.

“Money is not getting into people’s hands because of the current local government of Puerto Rico, and perhaps, guidelines that have not been distributed,” Cruz said to MSNBC. “But the problem is not getting the support that we need. The problem is that the support goes to the higher levels of government, and doesn’t reach the people that it’s supposed to reach.”

According to Cruz, residents have had to rely on the generosity of local churches and community centers for food and resources. According to a New York Times report,  the current rate of testing on the island is one-tenth of the rate in New York.

The island has just over a thousand cases and 84 deaths but the low number could be due to insufficient testing. Cruz told MSNBC that mayors on the island have had to improvise due to the lack of help from the federal government.

“Mayors have to take things in their own hands,” Cruz said. “We established in San Juan the first drive-thru testing facility and we are testing at a much rapid rate than the state government is doing,” she said.

Cruz added San Juan collaborated with a private lab and are now yielding results in 24 hours, instead of across several days.

Cruz also denounced the president saying, “The president is harmful to your health,” while urging residents to not ingest or inject disinfectants after coronavirus presser last week.

Much like African Americans, Hispanic Americans are more vulnerable to the coronavirus due to an inability to overcome economic turmoil.

At a time when businesses are suffering due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the government set up a program for small businesses to acquire a loan to help them stay in business. The Los Angeles Lakers, with a net worth, according to Forbes, of $4.4 billion as of February, applied and received a loan of $4.6 million from the government. The NBA team has returned the funds due to outrage that a company such as theirs would even receive such a loan according to a statement from the NBA.

Many businesses were unable to receive funds due to the depletion of monies. The Lakers had applied for the loan under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which they felt they qualified for as a small business. The program was a part of the federal government’s $2.2 trillion stimulus package. The Lakers’ initial request was granted in the first round of distribution, but the fund ran out of money in less than two weeks. The team then decided to return the loan given to them after reports that companies such as Shake Shack and AutoNation had also been granted loans.

“The Lakers qualified for and received a loan under the Payroll Protection Program,” the Lakers said in a written statement. “However, once we found out the funds from the program had been depleted, we repaid the loan so that financial support would be directed to those most in need. The Lakers remain completely committed to supporting both our employees and our community.”

The Treasury Department has since issued further guidance for the loan program last week, asking companies not to apply for the funds if they don’t need the cash to survive. With a valuation of over $4 billion, the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t in danger of going out of business.

The Lakers qualified for the program because they have only about 300 employees, even though the team is thought to be the NBA’s second-most valuable franchise. The Lakers haven’t furloughed or fired any employees during the coronavirus pandemic, and have no plans to do so. The team’s top executives agreed to defer 20% of their salaries until later this year or early next year.

by Lydia Blanco

April 28, 2020

Singer Gene Noble Releases Heartfelt COVID-19 Video to Inspire the Black Community

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There have been record-breaking numbers of black and brown people who have passed away from COVID-19. Every day there are reports of the disproportionate impact of the virus on black communities around the nation. And as an expression of art and the times, singer and songwriter Gene Noble decided to take to the empty streets of Atlanta to create a heartfelt video.

Noble recently signed with legacy recording label Hidden Beach Records, an independent record label that holds a distribution deal with Universal Music Group, as one of its newest artists after a lengthy hiatus. Noble shot the “Too Many Lost” video on his iPhone and it was later produced by multi-instrumentalist, Gorden Campbell. And the song is the first track off Noble’s forthcoming Hidden Beach debut EP. Through the video, Noble hopes to bring awareness and give thanks to people on the frontline, not with just the virus, but also essential workers that are constantly risking their lives.

Watch Too Many Lost

In a statement released by Steve McKeever, CEO and founder of Hidden Beach Recordings, he said, “We’re excited to have Gene be our first new artist after an absence working with new artists.”

Noble shared his excitement about joining the label by stating, “I’ve been a fan of Hidden Beach Recordings for a long time so it’s pretty exciting to have their support and partner with them to release new music.”

He also shared that the project is near to his heart. “I’ve put a lot of love into this new project and I absolutely cannot wait to share my new music with the public! I’m particularly thankful to be able to utilize my platform to offer a powerful song and video that’s much bigger than me,” said Noble.

McKeever went on to add, “We’re particularly proud to share his talents at a time we feel society needs voices like Gene’s more than ever. Our core mission has always been providing a home to artists with something to say.”

To learn more about how COVID-19 is impacting the black community, click here.

• COVID-19

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 28, 2020

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ‘Will Hold Those Responsible’ For Viral House Party

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Imagine knowing the city and state is on lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus and you come across a house party that is so packed that it’s unbelievable? Well, that is what was discovered when someone posted on Facebook Live, a house party in Chicago that not only violated state orders but also put everyone who attended that party’s life in danger, according to The Grio.

Although the state of Illinois has extended the stay-at-home order directive until the end of May, some party revelers in Chicago just didn’t mind skirting the mandate when they decided to throw an old-fashioned house party over the weekend.

The Facebook Live clip, which has since been taken down, was uploaded by Tink Purcell, who had initially posted Sunday on her Facebook timeline, “I had my mask and sanitizer I was good.” According to BET, on her Facebook profile, which has also been deleted, she also disputed the news report of the event having 1,000 people.

WGN9 reported that the Chicago Police Department could not confirm the exact location of the party, but issued the following statement:

“We are aware of a video circulating on social media depicting a large house party inside of an alleged Chicago residence. While we cannot authenticate the nature or location of the gathering, we want to remind everyone of the social distancing requirements in place.”

“CPD (Chicago Police Department) will disperse crowds in violation of social distancing requirements, and if necessary, issue citations or as a last resort, enforce via arrest.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also chimed in on her Twitter account, “I have seen the video which shows what appears to be a house party taking place inside a Chicago residence. What was depicted on the video was reckless and utterly unacceptable.”

While most Chicagoans are doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reckless actions like these threaten our public health and risk erasing the progress we have made. We will hold those responsible accountable.

I am asking everyone to be in this together.

— Mayor Lightfoot #StayHomeSaveLives (@chicagosmayor) April 26, 2020

• News

by Alfred Edmond, Jr.

April 28, 2020

Kanye West And The Myth Of The Insane Billionaire Genius

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Billionaire genius Kanye West.

Now that West has achieved billionaire status, according to Forbes, people are pointing to that achievement as proof that what has often been deemed insanity (he has been open about his mental health challenges), is actually genius. Some are going even further, defining his mental health issues, eccentricities (whether real or contrived), and “outside of the box” thinking as the formula for great wealth and success. The thinking of these folks goes pretty much like this, as stated by one of my Facebook friends:

“Genius and so-called insanity are partners. Most billionaires and millionaires are eccentric. And most people deem them a little insane. Start thinking outside the box and massive success will soon follow.”

Stories of the insane billionaire genius are among the great and enduring myths of wealth creation. They are anecdotal notions, romanticized in books and films, with practically zero objective evidence, data, or research to support them. However, billionaires and millionaires are no more eccentric or prone to being seen as insane (and/or actually having mental health issues) than the rest of us. There is far more to achieving “massive success” (including great wealth) than merely “thinking outside the box.” Also, there is zero correlation between the ability to profit from ideas, even massively, and so-called “genius.”

It is true that people often achieve great wealth from new and unexpected ways of thinking, and that people often view their ideas as “crazy” until they work. However, there is a good reason for that: most outside-the-box ideas don’t work. What drives the myth that they do is that everyone sees, knows about, and celebrates the relatively rare, but huge, successes and almost no one hears about, remembers, or promotes the countless, unremarkable failures. After all, how many people want to memorialize and document the ideas that don’t work?

Long-term success, including massive wealth creation, is far more a function of being willing to endure the failure of hundreds, even thousands, of bad ideas to get to a good one. Becoming a billionaire genius is about persistence, not just being crazy and eccentric. Believing otherwise is why people become too discouraged to keep going when their first or second attempt at executing an outside-the-box concept doesn’t result in their achieving millionaire status overnight—as they’ve been too often led to believe by more than a few “success” coaches.

To quote Calvin Coolidge:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Kanye West may or may not be a billionaire genius. However, he is successful not because he is insane, a genius, talented, or any combination of these, but because he never becomes so discouraged by the failure of his many bad ideas (whether crazy and/or “outside the box” or not), that he becomes unwilling to press on until one of them actually works.

This is an opinion piece that does not necessarily represent the views of BLACK ENTERPRISE.

• COVID-19

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 28, 2020

Rapper Scarface Is on Dialysis After Suffering From COVID-19 Complications

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Finding out you have coronavirus is frightening in itself. Surviving it can also lead to changes in your life as Brad Terrence Jordan, also known as Scarface from the hip-hop group The Geto Boys, has found out after having been placed on dialysis, according to The Root.

Scarface discussed his condition and the ordeal he went through with his partner Willie D, also of The Geto Boys, in a YouTube clip last week from a Zoom conversation they had. In the almost hour-long conversation, Scarface reveals that after skirting death, he is now on dialysis because of the complications of the coronavirus.

“I fought COVID double bilateral pneumonia—both lungs—and kidney failure in my house,” he told Willie D in a Zoom interview last week. “I went back to the hospital. So, when all went back to sh*t again, I went back to the hospital. I just got out of the hospital Monday (April 20).”

“I gotta change my entire diet,” Scarface said. “I gotta do dialysis four times a week, three hours a day. That’s taking all of my blood out, cleaning it, and putting it back in my body. Before the COVID, I never had kidney problems before.”

As the media has been reporting, many people who were placed on ventilators were dying and Scarface felt he couldn’t go that route if he was to survive the deadly virus.

“I could not go to the hospital with COVID because I didn’t want them to put me on a ventilator,” he continued. “Everybody they’re putting on ventilators is f*****’ dying, bro, you know? So, I don’t think there’s any way that you can treat the COVID. So, I would just be in the hospital on a fuckin’ ventilator and I would’ve rather died at home.”

Scarface, who made a run for Houston City Council last fall, mentioned that he’d like to do a Geto Boys podcast and a grand finale tour.

“Hanging on that string of death makes you really appreciate life,” he said. “I was inches away from death and if you let the doctors tell it, they don’t know how I survived.”

Industries across the country are suffering due to the coronavirus and colleges and universities are no different.

According to The Financial Times, colleges and universities are basically large buffets right now. All the food and drink one can handle, but no way of social distancing.

Many colleges and universities are currently running online classes amid the coronavirus outbreak, which is killing schools financially.

Colleges and universities on average earn roughly 10% of their income from auxiliary operations, including food and lodging.

Even before the outbreak, 30% of colleges tracked by Moody’s were running deficits, while 15% of public universities had less than 90 days of cash on hand. With college and universities shuttered, room and board, food, entertainment, and costs around them have stopped.

Moody’s has downgraded the entire higher education industry from stable to negative. The Financial Times also reported,  the American Council on Education said revenues in higher education could decline by $23 billion over the next academic year.

Fifty-seven percent of university presidents in a poll said they planned to lay off staff. Fifty percent of presidents said they would merge or eliminate some programs. Sixty-four percent consider financial viability their most pressing issue.

One of the biggest problems facing universities is costs. Rising tuition costs combined with a lack of options dealing with loans after college has led to more than $2 trillion in student debt across the country.

Additionally, enrollment nationwide is down 11% as some find cheaper options or avoid higher education altogether. Many schools are also missing out on seven-figure payments from the NCAA following the cancellation of sports programs.

Colleges and universities could apply for federal grants but the optics of doing so may hurt more. Harvard was given a $9 million CARES Act grant but returned the money due to public pressure.

A Forbes report showed 177 of 933 rated private colleges received a “D” grade for financial health. In 2013, 110 schools received a “D” grade. Another 498 colleges and universities had a “C” grade meaning they had modest reserves and are unable to withstand a significant economic issue.

Boston University has already announced it may not reopen until 2021. Historic black colleges and universities could be hurting more as enrollments hit a 17 year low before the virus.

• Lifestyle

by Dana Givens

April 28, 2020

This Black Cannabis Advocate Wants To Shift The Narrative Around Cannabis Amid COVID-19

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Recreational cannabis has become legal in several states including California, Massachusetts, and Maine with local entrepreneurs cashing in on the new legal status. The cannabis industry generates billions of dollars and yet black entrepreneurs are often left out of business opportunities despite the disproportionate number of black and brown people incarcerated across the United States for low-level marijuana convictions. One activist is looking to use the current COVID-19 pandemic to change the stigma around cannabis and leverage it for new business opportunities.

Solonje Burnett is a pro-cannabis advocate and co-founder of the cannabis immersive education and advocacy platform Humble Bloom with a mission to equalize the cannabis industry. The Brooklyn-based activist is looking to educate people about the healing benefits of marijuana and stands for inclusion for those underrepresented in the industry. Burnett says that cannabis has created a positive change for her and shares the many ways women can utilize it.