• Lifestyle

by Dana Givens

April 22, 2020

ASOS Unveils Its Made In Kenya Collection Collaboration With Soko Kenya

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ASOS MADE IN KENYA is the newest limited-edition unisex collection created in partnership with SOKO Kenya, an ethical clothing manufacturer in Nairobi that actively works against environmental issues within the country. The company works alongside the organization Fashion Revolution to help empower local female artisans to build revenue and independence using their talents.

SOKO Kenya’s partnership with ASOS began in 2010 with different seasonal collections and has featured the work of local artist Wini Awuondo. 

 

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Like many others in the fashion industry, we have taken the decision to shift our focus with a team in the factory and the Community Trust to manufacturing masks. Our washable sanitary pad team are using a mixture of up cycled fabric and offcuts from our factory and the factory team are using our t shirt offcuts, which may not be medical standard but are better than nothing, particularly when there is a shortage due to the current crisis. We hope to keep producing these as long as there is a need, maintaining a steady income for all of the team that are involved, which unfortunately many people in Kenya can not currently count on. Please get in contact if you would like to find out more. . . . #sokostories #covid19 #covid19kenya #ethicalfashion #sokokenyastories #supportingwomen #femaleempowerment #clothingmanufacturer #communitytrust #supportingcommunities

A post shared by SOKO Kenya (@sokokenya) on Mar 26, 2020 at 11:24am PDT

• Lifestyle

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 22, 2020

Rihanna, Google, and the Schusterman Family Donate $100 Million To Consumers Impacted By Coronavirus

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Rihanna is the queen of coronavirus relief efforts! Once again, the singer has pooled her resources to join another cause to help people who have been hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak. She joins forces with internet giant Google and the Schusterman Family Foundation to donate $100 million in another charitable effort according to Forbes.

Google, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, and the Schusterman Family Foundation (a charity started by the late oil magnate Charles Schusterman and his wife Lynn) are giving cash to the consumers who have been hit the hardest from the coronavirus. The three organizations are putting their funds behind GiveDirectly‘s Project 100. GiveDirectly is the “first and largest nonprofit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest.” GiveDirectly started a drive that started last month to send $1,000 to 100,000 Americans.

GiveDirectly, a New York nonprofit was started by 39-year-old entrepreneur Michael Faye. Faye learned that giving cash directly to people, is the best way to help the extreme poor. “Cash recognizes that one size doesn’t fit all,” he says. “The extreme poor have excruciatingly difficult choices to make. Do I send my daughter to secondary school or feed my newborn?” Donors do not know anything about the recipients’ lives, so cash helps them most, he says. 

“We’re glad we’ve been able to operationalize so quickly,” Faye tells Forbes. “This week we’ll move more than $10 million, which is essentially the money we raised last week.” Recipients can receive their money through direct deposit into a bank account, paper check, PayPal, Venmo, or pick up at a MoneyGram location. 

Aside from GiveDirectly’s Project 100 rive, the organization is sending millions of dollars to many consumers in countries like Kenya, Uganda, and Morocco. Countries and regions that have been financially affected by the coronavirus. Every dollar goes a lot further in these countries, so in Kenya, GiveDirectly is giving people in Nairobi slums $28 a month for 3 months. It aims to reach up to 200,000 people. GiveDirectly is trying to raise an additional $100 million for its Africa relief effort as the coronavirus spreads there.

• News

by Derek Major

April 22, 2020

Sens. Kamala Harris, Cory Booker Call for Police Bias Training Over Concerns of Blacks Wearing Face Masks

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Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are leaning on the FBI and the Justice Department to address concerns of African Americans on how cops are dealing with the CDC, urging people to wear face coverings when they go outside.

The CDC recommended April 3 that individuals “wear face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” Less than a week later, incidents of racial profiling began popping up across the country and abroad. The incidents prompted Harris and Booker to send a letter Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

“With the ongoing public health emergency, it is more important than ever for law enforcement to build trust with communities of color. Accordingly, we urge your agencies to immediately provide training and guidance on bias, policing, and disproportionate or selective enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also urge your agencies to encourage the use of federal guidance to create model recommendations at the state and local level.” Harris and Booker wrote.

African American men and women have been posting incidents on social media of racial bias due to wearing facemasks. Several incidents have occurred between the police and African Americans, including two incidents in Philadelphia. Harris and Booker believe federal law enforcement officials should instruct local departments on how to avoid these incidents.

“The Justice Department should send instructions to state and local law enforcement, consistent with this existing guidance. But recent cases also highlight the need for additional guidance on bias and enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Harris and Booker’s letter states.

The letter was also signed by Sens. Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Ed Markey, (D-MA), Mazie Hirono, (D-HI), and Ben Cardin (D-MD).

Incidents like these are even occurring outside the U.S. A post on Twitter showed cops in the U.K. telling an African American man to leave a park while a white man does handstands a few feet away.

Police officials have pushed back on the letter.  According to Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, police departments across the country are overwhelmed due to the virus and have previously received bias training.

“In the circumstances we currently find ourselves in, I find it troubling that anyone is asking the nation’s already overworked officers to take time out of their work for training, based on a few allegations of improper conduct. This seems like political opportunism, at the least opportunistic time for the country,” Pasco told the Associated Press in a phone interview.

The coronavirus has been harder on African Americans, as they are forced to deal with a lack of healthcare while dealing with the economic turmoil the virus has created.

 

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This just makes us so happy to see the doctors and nurses that are working in the front lines to save lives in their custom LaviebyCK masks.#laviebyck @cedarssinai

A post shared by Claude Lavie Kameni (@laviebyck) on Apr 8, 2020 at 12:37pm PDT

• Lifestyle

by Lydia Blanco

April 22, 2020

The Census Bureau is Prepared to Measure the Impact of COVID-19 on Households and Businesses

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You’ve probably noticed a push in advertisements about the 2020 Census online, on posters, and on TV about the importance of being counted. Now, the Census Bureau is dedicating $1.2 million to conduct the “Household Pulse Survey” to measure the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on U.S. households.

NPR originally reported the Census Bureau’s plans. And in a detailed article, it is reported that the “Household Pulse Survey,” unlike the 2020 Census is voluntary, and will likely begin being sent out through email to Americans this week in English and Spanish. Here is a sample email of what the survey could look like. Some people might even receive a text message.

The agency will reach out to people using contact information compiled from commercial data sources and government records. The Census wants to receive responses from 14 million Americans about their living experience while sheltering in place and practicing social distancing. And it told NPR that responses to the survey–combined with demographic information such as race, ethnicity, and income–could help policymakers figure out how best to get through the crisis and better understand its impact on employment, education, health, food, and housing security.

Survey questions included:

• Are you getting enough food to eat?
• How often have you been bothered by feeling depressed or hopeless?
• Did you wait to see a doctor because of the pandemic?
• How many hours are you spending teaching any children in your home?

In a later version of the survey, respondents could be asked about their spending habits during the crisis as it relates to relief funding.

NPR has also learned that the Census will begin surveying small business owners impacted by COVID-19 in an effort to best support them. In a written statement, the Census Bureau told NPR:

Close to a million businesses are expected to be asked over nine weeks to participate in the “Small Business Pulse Survey.” Weekly results from the five-minute survey are expected to be released starting in mid-May for each state, Puerto Rico, and the country’s 50 largest metro areas.

Results from the household survey will be published weekly on the bureau’s website. Results from the small business survey will follow.

• Women

by Caroline Clarke

April 22, 2020

COVID-19 Survivor Jodie Patterson: We Have to Reimagine the Future

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Jodie Patterson’s symptoms weren’t textbook. Then again, there was no textbook for COVID-19 in early March; there barely is one now. But the reportedly typical signs to watch for—sore throat, fever, dry cough, chest discomfort—were all absent. Instead, she awoke with a piercing migraine that was soon zipping down her spine.

Away on a business trip, Patterson, an LGBTQ activist and author of The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation, pulled on some sweats and went to the nearest emergency room. She would spend the next two weeks quarantined in a hospital, miles from her home and family—not that her family could have gotten in to visit her anyway. She was on lockdown.

Over the course of that time, Patterson’s symptoms—which never mimicked those she expected based on news reports—subsided within a few days. Stuck in a small hospital room, she relied on what she said was a “pretty regimented and strict” set of self-care rituals to endure the isolated emptiness of the passing hours: she made her bed, stuck to an exercise routine, cleaned, meditated, and wrote in her journal.

Meanwhile, the world outside spiraled into a mass quarantine that she would emerge into, stunned.

Now back at home and reunited with her family, Patterson says she has managed a flood of grief and guilt—both for being sick and away from her family, and for surviving when so many have not. The mother of five children, ages 28 to 10, whose blended family lives in Brooklyn, is now back to managing her brood while working on a children’s book and as chair of the Washington, DC-based Human Rights Campaign board.

She revisits her hospital journal to process the experience and try to learn from it, so it can inform the way forward for her family. She is sharing those lessons here, with BLACK ENTERPRISE, for the first time.

Be Flexible.

We’re all used to a strong sense of control but this pandemic is teaching us that it truly is an illusion. With multiple personalities and ages trying to live and work together at home, day after day, Patterson said it’s critical to “Be intentional—ask yourself, `what am I building?’—but be flexible in mind, body, and spirit.”

Dial Down the Panic, Usher in the Calm.

Take extra care with “the words you choose, the way you carry yourself, and the things you say and do.” That includes the types and amount of content you consume—be aware of how stimuli affects you.

Amp Up the Optimism, Humor, and Joy.

“We have to remember what makes us happy and do those things, especially during crisis,” Patterson said. Even a little laughter “helps us get through, but it also clears the air.”

Encourage Activism.

Most parents’ instincts are to shelter their children from as much of this crisis as possible. Be mindful of that, of course, but Patterson also teaches her children to look at and respond to inequities, to notice and call out disparities. “Building activists is important right now because we’re going to need change-makers,” she said.

Reimagine the Future.

“We’re unsure about the future, but we can use our imagination to help create what tomorrow shall be,” Patterson said. “Everybody’s worried about the future, but the future starts right now.”

Watch Jodie Patterson share her story of surviving COVID-19 on “On The Clock With Caroline Clarke” below.

• Money

by Jeffrey McKinney

April 22, 2020

Blacks Will Face More Repercussions From COVID-19 Than Other Ethnic Groups: Report

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Black Americans will likely face a more devastating aftermath than any other ethnic group due to the coronavirus, including greater joblessness, bankruptcy, and other adverse outcomes.

Those were among revelations from a new research report, “COVID-19: Investing in Black Lives and Livelihoods,” by management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

The report offers projections on how badly the pandemic will impact black communities nationwide. The fresh research builds on research McKinsey had conducted for over a year focusing on the economic opportunities presented by greater financial inclusion of black Americans. After that work documenting the longstanding disparities facing black Americans, it was apparent they could experience disproportionately negative outcomes as a result of COVID-19, both from a health perspective and a livelihood perspective, says McKinsey & Co. partner Shelley Stewart III, who helped write the new report.

Some of the top revelations from the latest analysis include:

• Black Americans are almost twice as likely as white Americans to live in the 566 counties at the highest risk of economic and public health disruption from the current pandemic. 30 percent of the U.S. population lives in these high-risk counties, but 17.6 million black Americans (43 percent of the black population) live in these counties. Some 127 counties in the highest-risk decile are home to only 10 percent of the U.S. population, compared to 18 percent of the black population.

• Black Americans will likely sustain more damage across every stage of the wealth-building journey. About 7 million jobs, which represent 39 percent of jobs held by black workers, are now vulnerable to temporary or permanent disruption. Some 40 percent of revenues from black-owned businesses are in the top five most vulnerable sectors–including leisure and hospitality and retail– compared to 25 percent of revenues for all U.S. firms. Thirty-three percent of nursing assistants, 38 percent of orderlies, and 39 percent of psychiatric aides, are black. African American workers are risking their lives and health to provide goods and services that matter to society. Black Americans are overrepresented in essential jobs, and work in the 10 lowest-paid jobs that are both high contact and considered essential services. Some 48 % of blacks surveyed report regularly using food-assistance programs, versus 31 percent of white respondents. Such services are likely to come under significant strain and interruptions due to the pandemic.

• Black Americans are about 30% more likely to develop a severe illness from COVID-19 compared to white Americans. Blacks are more likely to be at increased risk for contracting COVID-19, have lower access to testing, experience more severe complications from the infection, and even suffer from more secondary effects.

Based on currently available testing data, 10 of the 16 states where 65 percent of black Americans live were below the median testing rate for all states. African Americans are already twice as likely as their white peers to die from diabetes, hypertension, and asthma–all risk factors that exacerbate COVID-19 symptoms.

Protecting Yourself From Hardship

So what can black Americans do to uphold their quality of life and protect themselves from COVID-19-related hardships?

Stewart says structural problems need structural solutions, but he indicates that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything individuals can do. He recommends, of course, black Americans follow health and hygienic guidelines administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization–in addition to practicing social distancing.

He adds that black Americans should be in touch with community health workers, faith-based organizations, and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to get information and resources about protecting themselves and their families.

On the economic support front, Stewart suggests black business owners connect with local organizations such as the Black Chamber of Commerce, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), churches, and nonprofits that can help black-owned businesses and residents to access recovery funds.

“For Black Americans who are still working, I’d encourage you to ask your company about hazard pay and other compensatory options as you work to protect yourself and your family during this challenging time.”

Stewart claims if McKinsey’s recommended actions are realized by the public, private and social sectors, black Americans will have better access to health care, more opportunities for financial inclusion, and increased support from employers and community organizations–the essential components to protect their quality of life.

Read the entire report here.

• News

by Derek Major

April 22, 2020

Expect A Second, Stronger Coronavirus Outbreak This Winter, Says CDC Chief

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The coronavirus outbreak has broken the U.S. job market, the stock market, and food supply chains. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sounding the alarm for a stronger, second wave this winter.

“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” CDC director Robert Redfield told the Washington Post on Tuesday. “And when I’ve said this to others, they kind of put their head back, they don’t understand what I mean.”

A still incurable infectious disease combined with the flu, poses a public health threat that could break an already under-equipped healthcare system, said Redfield, who urged Americans to get a flu shot. Doing so “may allow there to be a hospital bed available for your mother or grandmother that may get coronavirus.”

Redfield’s coronavirus warnings may be falling on deaf ears. Governors of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee have pushed to either lift or significantly reduce lockdown orders to open up the local economy. Additionally, President Donald Trump has pushed for states to reopen, which has led to protests in several states. Redfield said Tuesday that the protests are “not helpful” and could make the coronavirus worse down the road

Georgia governor Brian Kemp who has also been pushing to reopen states, will allow indoor facilities like bowling alleys, gyms, and hair salons to open on Friday. Restaurants will open next week, but all are expected to keep practicing social distancing.

Though Kemp admitted “we’re probably going to have to see our cases continue to go up,” George is better equipped to address new coronavirus outbreaks. Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms said an interview with CNN that cases are still rising by the hour.

“As a parent, I am concerned,” Lance Bottoms told Chris Cuomo. “Because when I look at the data that we received from our public health department, our numbers are going up.”

With money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) gone, civil rights leader Marc Morial is asking Congress to ensure additional funding toward appropriate small businesses, including black businesses.

Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, the largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy group, is demanding the next legislative package include specific monies for legitimately small businesses that are truly harmed.

The PPP is geared to help small businesses combat the novel coronavirus. The $350 billion lending program became law in late March as part of the $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus package.  PPP funding ran out on April 16, just about two weeks after being launched. On Tuesday, the Senate passed a $484 billion bill to send new aid to small businesses and hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The move is part of an effort to help halt the economic meltdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill provides an additional $310 billion to PPP, Yahoo News reported.  The legislation is expected to be sent to the House for approval Thursday.

Morial told BLACK ENTERPRISE the National Urban League considers what happened on Tuesday a win but more needs to be done. “Without our advocacy, the package would not include the $60 billion disaster loan fund or the funding for CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) and small banks, Morial said. “We continue to advocate for desperately needed funding for local governments.”

Earlier in the week, the National Urban League blasted reports that massive restaurant chains and still-operating businesses received PPP funds that were intended for small businesses closed because of the pandemic.

“Struggling small businesses in the nation’s hardest-hit regions have not received a dime from the Paycheck Protection Program, intended for businesses with fewer than 500 employees, while hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to corporations that employ thousands, like Ruth’s Hospitality Group and Potbelly Corporation,” Morial said in a press release. “Executives whose annual compensation is in the multi-millions skirted the intent of the program by applying through subsidiaries, depriving legitimate small businesses of the aid they desperately need to survive.”

BLACK ENTERPRISE reported larger businesses got PPP funding while smaller ones didn’t.

“We are in discussions with members of Congress and senior committee staff, including Senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Chris Van Holland, Sherrod Brown, Ben Cardin, and Rep. Maxine Waters,” Morial told BLACK ENTERPRISE. Those Congressional leaders are among the most powerful in the nation’s capital. For instance, Waters is Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, Schumer is Senate Minority Leader, and Cardin is Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee.

Morial added the National Urban League is working on including language that specifically addresses black-owned businesses–along with other minority businesses–rural, remote and unbanked businesses as priorities.  “And,” he said, “we are pushing for the COVID-19 legislation to include these provisions.”

The National Urban League reported it has been advocating in Congress for the next round of PPP funding to be reserved for legitimate small businesses that qualify under the Small Business Administration’s gross sales guidelines.

Because eligibility for PPP loans does not consider the small business size standard base on gross sales, large chains like Ruth’s and Potbelly were eligible based on the number of employees who work at individual locations, not the total workforce, the civil rights group said.

Further, much of the funding has gone to businesses that continue to operate, like construction firms, that have retained most of their workforce. Because funding was based on the size of a company’s workforce, the worst-hit businesses that had already laid-off workers were at a disadvantage.

“The lifeblood of the communities we serve are the Main Street mom-and-pop establishments, like barbers and beauty shops, neighborhood cafes, and specialty services that may employ only a few dozen or fewer workers,” Morial said. “Those are the businesses we’re fighting to protect, and we expect Congress to protect them as well.”

A study by the JPMorgan Chase Institute shows African American and Hispanic families have fewer resources available to weather income volatility and economic shocks.

The study, released this month, shows the racial gap in liquid assets is twice as large as the racial income gap. As a result, African American and Hispanic families have fewer options when dealing with economic instability. The study shows there is not only an income gap between white families and minorities in America, but also gaps by gender, age, and liquid assets.

In times of economic instability such as a job loss, for every $1 lost in income, African American families cut spending by $0.46 and Hispanic families cut spending by $0.43. White families cut spending by only $0.28. The study adds these cuts in spending can have negative impacts on well-being, adding stress to multiple family members.

To study the racial gaps, the institute used Chase banking records and self-reported race information for 1.8 million families in Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. All three states had Chase branches and collect race information during voter registration.

African American and Hispanic families also increase spending after receiving a tax refund more than white families. African American and Hispanic families increase spending by 187% and 149%, respectively, relative to baseline, whereas white families increase spending by 77%. This could indicate minority families under-spending before receiving their return and using it to catch up on payments.

“As families face job loss and income uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this report shows that Black and Hispanic families will bear the brunt of this economic crisis,” Diana Farrell, president and CEO of the JPMorgan Chase Institute said in a released statement. “While our findings are particularly relevant in today’s crisis, the research underscores the persistent racial wealth gap that exists across age, income, gender and geographies — pandemic or not. We hope this research will help inform the policy, business and community response to support vulnerable families through this uncertain time and beyond.”

African Americans and Hispanics have been hit harder by the coronavirus outbreak than other races. Both groups have lower-paying jobs and are less likely to work from home.

Darrick Hamilton, executive director of the Kirwan Institute, believes the study should be used to make sure African American and Hispanic families don’t fall further behind the curve.

“This research underscores the reality that the racial wealth gap has positioned black and Latinx families far more vulnerable to precisely the types of economic events we are experiencing right now as a result of COVID-19 — income and job loss,” Hamilton said in a released statement, “Policymakers should consider these findings to address the needs of communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the racial wealth gap more broadly. The JPMorgan Chase Institute has assembled a novel innovative dataset that opens up a critically important lens into how families’ ability to weather income fluctuations varies by race. I look forward to the Institute’s continued work on this topic.”