Christian Counselor Shares the Key to Healthy Relationships During Coronavirus

Christian Counselor Shares the Key to Healthy Relationships During Coronavirus


With many searching for answers and feeling helpless during this unprecedented time of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Rhonda Travitt is using her gifts to help families rebuild by counseling people on breaking addictions, battling depression, and building healthy relationships.

Travitt is a pastor, certified Christian counselor, certified life coach, and the author of four books. She also founded Transformation of a Nation, a movement that “assists those that are voiceless and gives them a more successful life through mentoring, job placements, counseling, and faith.”

“We believe that there is potential in all of us. There is always something greater in great, meaning each person possesses the ability to bring change,” Travitt says. “When one individual receives the answer and help they desired in life, then they become the answer for someone else to change their life. Lives changed one by one transforms a nation!”

Black Enterprise caught up with Dr. Travitt to discuss the issues she’s counseling people through now and why it’s more important than ever for us to maintain healthy relationships.

What are the most common issues people are bringing to you that they’re struggling with during this pandemic? 

The most common issues that I’ve encountered have been fear, anger, and uncertainty. People had become accustomed to having some form of control and freedom over their daily lives. Many people have been left with a sense of helplessness in our country.

How is coronavirus affecting our existing issues, such as depression and addiction? 

This pandemic is shining a brighter light on existing issues. Depression has increased at an unprecedented level due to the loss of family members, job loss, and a lost of normalcy. The increase in depression is a consequence partly because of the guilt that many feel of not being able to be present with a dying loved one—denying them of the opportunity for proper closure.

It has been noted that professionals in the medical field, however highly trained, were nowhere near prepared for the level of morbidity they would see, adding to the many new cases of addictions and higher levels of depression.

People are [normally] able to mask issues with the requirements of day-to-day life such as work and being busy, but many are now having to slow down and deal with the issues of self and their current realities. The reality that home isn’t safe, jobs aren’t secure, and having to be teachers to their children when pressures of uncertainty are mounting. Police departments are reporting an increase in domestic and family disturbances during this time, which points to the direct effects the pandemic is having on our communities.

Right now we don’t have physical access to the support we might usually rely on. How can people still get help?

There are tons of local resources that are available at no cost during this time online. The person-to-person interaction is extremely important when providing support, and technology has really assisted by providing platforms such as What’s App, FaceTime Counseling, Skype, and video chats allowing you to schedule appointments as well as be seen virtually by live doctors. We are no longer limited to an in-office visit to receive or offer the mental support that so many need.

Unfortunately most corporations will not know the depth or extent of the post traumatic stress until workers’ normal or regular business operations have resumed. There are resources that are necessary to get to the other side of this crisis that people are in need of and those that have yet to be identified.

Only time will tell what that looks like. We have to recover mentally and emotionally. It’s not an overnight process, not even days or months, we’re talking years. This process I believe will take us as a people back to the heart of humanity: having regard for our human life, our neighbors, strangers, the elderly. No more sizing our sisters and brothers up based on perception. Every joint really does supply. We are all truly in this together and none of those things matter this time around!

How important is it to have healthy relationships right now, and what does that look like in these times of quarantine?

With feelings and emotions at an all time high, it’s necessary to build strong bonds and reinforce support systems. Having a healthy relationship is essential during this crisis, and I firmly believe that every relationship has been tested if not pushed to the limit. Right now people are faced with spouses and children that they’ve only spent a couple of hours a day with. In this time of crisis, they are sometimes spending 16 hours a day with them and getting to know one another more intimately. This is a time of discovery which is relevant in all phases and types of relationships.

Maintaining a healthy relationship during this quarantine means forgiving quickly and being intentional with everyone, specifically those relationships with children and spouses. It takes commitment and work! To come out of COVID-19 with a healthy relationship, we must first be willing to listen to each other, learn and relearn each other, make time for reflection, and not give in to the negative tendencies. Love, respect, and forgive.

Doug E. Fresh and Dr. Olajide Williams Educate Youth About COVID-19 with the “20 Seconds or More” Hand Washing Campaign

Doug E. Fresh and Dr. Olajide Williams Educate Youth About COVID-19 with the “20 Seconds or More” Hand Washing Campaign


Hip-hop pioneer Doug E. Fresh and Dr. Olajide Williams, Chief of Staff, Department of Neurology at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center are on a mission to flatten the COVID-19 curve by educating young people through hip-hop with the help of 40 of their celebrity friends in the “20 Seconds or More” PSA. The song was written by hip-hop legend Artie Green and features Doug E. Fresh and Gerry Gunn with medical oversight by Dr. Williams. In 2004, Fresh and Dr. Williams founded Hip Hop Public Health, an organization whose mission is to foster positive health behavioral changes through the power of hip-hop music.

For over 15 years, their work of improving health literacy through hip-hop music has expanded nationally. Now, their “20 Seconds or More” campaign seeks to inspire young people to think twice about hygiene and the vital need to practice handwashing and social distancing during the COVID-19 global health crisis.

As black and brown communities face disproportionate hardships due to the crisis, Dr. Williams and Fresh found it necessary to find a creative way to bridge the generational gap between young people and adults to relay the importance of following mandates and protocols that have been put in place to protect communities.

We spoke with the dynamic duo about the campaign and their personal responsibilities to educate and uplift the community during the crisis.

20 Seconds or More

What inspired you to, you know, inform and educate the community in this way through hip-hop?

Doug E. Fresh: It’s our duty to help our community—and help everybody—but help our community because they need a lot of help. Hip Hop Public Health was designed for problems like this. I didn’t know the magnitude of it [Coronavirus] and every time I talked to the doctor [Dr. Williams], he tells me more and more about how many people are suffering. People need to know that this one simple thing you do, washing your hands, for 20 seconds or more can change or save a life.

Doug E. Fresh
(Image: Doug E. Fresh)

So many people have thought of hip-hop as their medicine. As a doctor on the frontlines, why is it important for you to partner with Doug E. Fresh in this way to educate and uplift our community?

Dr. Williams: You have to speak the language that people understand. If I have a patient that speaks Spanish, I need to speak Spanish to that patient. If my Spanish is bad or it’s not on point, then it’s likely that the information that that patient gets is going to be filled with holes and sometimes those holes can be dangerous.

Communication is critical. And making sure that we embrace mediums that speak to people and that we embrace platforms that connect with people is a key ingredient for successful public health messaging. And unfortunately, that has been missing in a lot of our public health campaigns over the last few decades. That’s one of the reasons why we created Hip Hop Public Health.

I’ve been really blessed to have started it with Doug. And, you can tell by speaking to him where his heart is.

We did [created] this [PSA] for COVID-19, but, I think this is how public health needs to be done when it comes to messaging campaigns within the black community. We have to speak the language that they can relate to, especially when you’re dealing with the youth. People have said that when white America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia. That’s what we’re seeing with COVID-19. We’re seeing the problem ravage black and Hispanic communities.

One of the first lines of defense is simple messages like what we had in 20 Seconds or More.

Dr. Olajide Williams
(Image: Dr. Olajide Williams)

Hip-Hop and Public Health

Doug E., you are bridging the gap between two generations, if not multiple, in hip-hop with all of the cameos and the people who participated in the PSA. Did you think that the PSA will extend further than the youth to the adults?

Doug E. Fresh: We wanted to create the “We Are the World” of washing hands to show that a basic thing that you do [washing your hands] can have impact on the world. In order to do that, like Dr. Williams was saying — and he said it very well with the example he gave about the language barrier. In the same way is there’s a barrier sometimes with different age demographics. So, it was important to create this is a big rainbow of people from all over different walks of life to hit everybody.

You gotta go hard for something bigger than you. And that is what makes me go hard. This is a world pandemic. This thing is crazy and especially the Latino and black communities. Everybody is connected whether you want to be connected or not.

The Truth about COVID-19

Many young people don’t think that they can, you know, contract this virus, they think they’re invincible in washing their hands. What do you have to say to that?

Dr. Williams: Twenty-six percent of people with the virus are young. And, you know, it’s true that it affects older people the worst and it’s also true that young people are more likely to have a mild or silent disease, which is when you don’t exhibit any symptoms. But the reality is that some young people, they get very, very sick with the virus, and some young people die. There’s no invincibility to this virus. 

The reason why we have pandemics is because the world is naive to a new virus and there’s no immunity because the body’s never seen it before. And that’s why it ravages and spreads so quickly. And this is one of those situations where, you know, you have a double-edged sword because, you know, you don’t even have to exhibit symptoms to spread this virus, you can be completely asymptomatic—we call them silent carriers—and still be very contagious. And it turns out that the young people are the most likely to have filed this violent disease. And so, if they don’t add safety protocols like handwashing, social distancing, staying at home, we will never be able to contain this.

Doug E. Fresh: Some of them don’t want to stay home. You know, I hear so many stories about kids being stressed out around parents—and parents being stressed out around the kids. Everybody’s feeling this kind of stress. Well, your options are very limited. You can be stressed out, or you can figure that out. Or you can go out and you can, you can get this [coronavirus] and bring it back home. And then you’ll be stressed out on a whole other level because that person that you care about is very sick.

Washing your hand, following protocols, and mandates can save lives. And it is Doug E. Fresh and Dr. Williams’ hope they can motivate the youth and the community to hop on board.

For the latest updates on how the health crisis is impacting the black community, click here.

Jay-Z-Backed Robinhood Stock Brokerage App Is Nearing An $8 Billion Valuation


Robinhood Markets Inc., the online brokerage that’s suffered repeated outages during recent market turmoil and is backed by rap superstar Jay-Z, is now close to raising new funding at a valuation of about $8 billion.
Founded in 2013, the online brokerage is a popular mobile app and service used to purchase stocks with no extra commission fee like its competitors. According to Bloomberg, the Silicon Valley startup has more than 10 million users and also boasts “record revenue growth” during the coronavirus pandemic with the volatility of the markets leading to new account sign-ups. The firm had about $60 million in revenue in March, roughly tripling from the same month last year.
Along with Jay-Z, other artists like Snoop Dogg and Nas have also invested in Robinhood.

The figure, however, is “a pre-money valuation. The company received an estimated $7.6 billion valuation after a funding round in July 2019. The online service dealt with a fair share of technical problems, outages, and maxed-out credit lines, blaming the problems on “unprecedented” user demand. An outage on March 2nd lasted for the entire U.S. trading session, during which the S&P 500 climbed 4.6%.

In a statement, the company’s co-founders Baiju Bhatt and Vlad Tenev said they were working to mitigate similar situations in the future for smoother user functionality. “When it comes to your money, we know how important it is for you to have answers. The outages you have experienced over the last two days are not acceptable …,” the statement read. “Our team is continuing to work to improve the resilience of our infrastructure to meet the heightened load we have been experiencing. … We take our responsibility to you and your money seriously.”
Colin Kaepernick Donates $100,000 to the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Fund

Colin Kaepernick Donates $100,000 to the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Fund


Activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick initiated a $100,000 donation toward his Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 fund.

The announcement was seen on the Know Your Rights Camp Twitter feed.

The activist also jump-started the fund with a sizable $100,00 donation.

The Know Your Rights Camp website reports that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting black and brown people.

“Hundreds of years of structural racism is making Black and Brown communities more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Black and Brown people are more likely to be infected, less likely to be tested, less likely to be treated, and more likely to die from COVID-19.

“Time and again, a state or county releases racial data. Time and again, those numbers reveal a sizable racial disparity. Time and again, black Americans are overrepresented among the infected and dead. America’s newest infection seems to be mating with America’s original infection, reproducing not life, but death.” Ibram X. Kendi, founder and executive director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center states on the site.

Kaepernick also relayed information about how the impact of the coronavirus directly impacts black and brown communities in a Twitter message.

John Legend Pleads to NY Governor Cuomo to Reduce Prison Population Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

John Legend Pleads to NY Governor Cuomo to Reduce Prison Population Amid Coronavirus Pandemic


Around the country, some prisoners have been released in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Singer and entertainer John Legend reached out to New York Gov. Mario Cuomo about doing the same for the New York prison system according to The New York Post.

Earlier this week, Legend posted a video with his passionate request to Cuomo.

“The spread of coronavirus in jails and prisons threatens the health and safety of New Yorkers. When someone is incarcerated, there is no such thing as social distancing, and ensuring good hygiene is not an option,” the singer-songwriter said in a Twitter video posted on Tuesday.

“Leaders must do everything possible to prevent incarcerated people, and those who work in prisons, from becoming ill and spreading the virus.”

“Gov. Cuomo it’s time for action. You can make communities across New York safer and healthier by reducing the prison population,” he continued.

“You can grant immediate clemency to people who are close to their release date, incarcerated for parole violations, or especially vulnerable because of their age or underlying health conditions.

“Gov. Cuomo, free them now. Thank you and hope you are having a good week, take care,” he concluded.

Last month, the Cuomo administration did order the release of 1,100 low-level parole violators, citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19. But some advocacy groups are requesting that the state prison system set free more prisoners who are either close to their release date or are living with pre-existing conditions that put them at risk for contracting the virus.

Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, said in a statement: “We have continued to monitor the COVID situation as it affects every corner of our state—as it relates to our prisons, DOCCs has previously lifted all technical parole violation warrants for those who do not pose a threat to public safety; earlier today DOCCs began the process of releasing those with 90 days or less remaining on their sentence who are 55 years of age or older, and whose underlying crime was not a violent felony or a sex offense.”

Candace Owens Rants After a Police Officer Stops Her For Not Wearing Mask

Candace Owens Rants After a Police Officer Stops Her For Not Wearing Mask


Candace Owens has a beef related to the current protocols when it comes to social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak. The outspoken Republican activist was upset that a police officer stopped her for not adhering to wearing a face mask while in public, according to News One.

Earlier this week, Owens was out shopping with her husband at her local Whole Foods supermarket when, according to the account posted on Twitter, she was approached by police officers because she was not wearing a face mask.

Owens later expressed that the police officer who approached her about the issue was a black woman wearing a mask. After defending her rant, she stated that she wasn’t at all attacking the police. “I do want to be clear here,” she said. “I am not at all meaning to attack police officers. They have to do what they’re told to do even if they disagree with it personally. And I can sense that this woman disagreed with it personally.”

Owens then said that the police officer instructed her and her husband to put on a face mask or cover her mouth. She was then told that the mayor had initiated a city order that had recently gone into effect. But, since Owens and her husband didn’t comply and have anything to cover their face, other customers started complaining to the police officer who then had to reiterate to her that she had to have a face covering.

After posting on Twitter, a user posted “WTF is going on? The DC mayor announced last week that all shoppers at grocery stores need to wear masks in order to keep employees, who are still going in to work every day and serving their community, safe during the pandemic.” To which she responded below.

Owens then posted this video later on Twitter.

Report: Only 46% of Americans Are Optimistic About The COVID-19 Stimulus Package

Report: Only 46% of Americans Are Optimistic About The COVID-19 Stimulus Package


There has been a lot of talk about the stimulus package and other initiatives set up in response to COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, on whether or not they are doing enough. Numerous political leaders and organizations have come out to criticize the rollout of these relief programs. As of this week, more than 5.2 million people have filed for unemployment with more than 700,00 jobs being lost as a result. New reports show that despite efforts, most feel the government simply isn’t doing enough.

According to a study conducted by Piplsay, polling thousands of Americans nationwide, only 46% of Americans are optimistic about the COVID-19 stimulus package with another 44% saying that President Trump’s administration has let the pandemic grow out of control. The Trump administration has faced a wave of criticism for making light of the virus, which has now claimed the lives of tens of thousands across the country. The report also showed that roughly 40% of Americans think it will negatively affect his campaign for re-election.

The stimulus package includes the Paycheck Protection Program, which underwrites bank loans for small businesses that will never need to be repaid if owners use most of the money to keep paying employees for two and a half months. Economists and business lobbyists warned when the bill was being debated that the money was nowhere close to the $1 trillion or more that companies would need.

True to their concern, it was announced this week that the Small Business Administration has run out of money for the program, leaving millions of businesses unable to apply for emergency loans while Congress struggles to reach a deal to replenish the funds. Because of the outbreak, these highly sought-after loans have become critical to many as small businesses struggle with virus-induced quarantines and closings that have quickly depleted cash flows, leaving their future uncertain.

“There’s nowhere to hide,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton in Chicago to The New York Times. “This is the deepest, fastest, most broad-based recession we’ve ever seen.”

CURLS Founder Mahisha Dellinger Is Doing What Many Can’t: Getting N95 Masks to Healthcare Workers


While healthcare workers sound the alarm about the lack of sufficient protective equipment and governors bemoan the fact that they’re competing with other states and the federal government for precious resources, CURLS founder Mahisha Dellinger has found a way to get thousands of FDA approved N95 masks to hospitals in Texas and New York.

“Sometime in January, I saw what was happening. I started to see the influx of coronavirus cases, and that’s why I placed the order ahead of time. So top of February was when I started sourcing my items to get them in,” Dellinger says.

“I had some of those masks imported so we could donate. We’ve been shipping out units of masks every week to New York.”

Being on top of things is part of what makes Dellinger such a powerhouse in business. But it also carries over to her charitable work—and apparently to her knowledge of current affairs.

“I’m up like at 4:30, 5 reading the updates before I start my morning,” she says. “My husband said I’m a walking CDC alert.”

It was Dellinger’s preparedness, or seeing the writing on the wall, as she puts it, followed by decisive action that allowed her to secure the supplies that are now protecting those on the front lines.

“When I saw what was happening, I went into action mode,” she says, “unlike our president who said he thought it was a hoax and didn’t really believe what’s happening.”

“Now things are hard to get because now everyone is trying to get all the masks, all hand sanitizers, and all those things. You have to act—acting when you see it and not stumbling and waiting and procrastinating, that’s the key. That’s how we’re able to do it.”

Providing such a needed, and scarce, resource as N95 masks for the people who are most at risk has had an unexpected benefit for Dellinger and CURLS.

“Because we’re sending masks to healthcare workers, we were considered an essential business—which wasn’t the reason why I did it. It gave me chills thinking about how that manifested. That positive action—that was totally meant for good, not for anything beyond that—became a blessing for me,” she says. “So now I can stay open. I don’t have to furlough any employees.”

“So it winded up being a blessing to be a blessing.”

Between the donations and the increase in online orders since most of the country is staying at home, Dellinger is finding that she’s got even less downtime than usual: “I thought I would start slowing down, but because of all the nonprofit stuff we’re doing, we’re busier than ever. We’re bringing in more people to fulfill all the donation requests.”

The N95 masks are just one of the many things CURLS is doing to help. After an interaction with a grocery store worker who wasn’t provided any protective gear, Dellinger decided to donate disposable three-ply surgical masks to essential workers and members of the community.

“I went to Whole Foods, and I saw that most employees weren’t wearing masks. So I said to my team the next day, let’s drop them off in all these key grocery stores. I have 30,000 surgical masks being delivered so I can donate to this area,” Dellinger says.

The brand is also manufacturing its own hand sanitizer, which it is including for free in every order on Curls.biz and also donating to the local community in Dallas.

In the virtual space, CURLS has launched an Instagram series featuring experts such as Dr. Lynn Richardson and Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche to provide its customers and followers with much-needed information to make it through these difficult times.

“We are kicking off a virtual wellness series with a host of amazing women,” Dellinger says. “These women are all donating their time just to be of service. And we’ll go through April doing this.”

It’s all part of Dellinger’s DNA as a person and as an entrepreneur. She says it’s always been in her to give of her time and her resources.

“I always find a way to give back. We created CURLS Cares many, many years ago; whenever something happens we activate it, like when hurricanes come and we donate and ship to different churches.”

“I believe wholeheartedly to whom much is given much is required,” she continues. “I’m always finding ways to be a blessing because I truly believe that a lot of the success I’ve had has been because of being obedient in that way. I’m a woman of faith and I believe so much in reaping what you sow and that having a heart to give will take you a long way.”

NBA and WNBA Selling Cloth Face Coverings to Benefit Communities Affected by COVID-19

NBA and WNBA Selling Cloth Face Coverings to Benefit Communities Affected by COVID-19


The National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and Fanatics, the company that operates the e-commerce websites for both leagues, have announced that they are selling cloth face coverings to benefit the communities that have been hit by the coronavirus.

One hundred percent of all league proceeds from the sales of new cloth face coverings, which features NBA and WNBA team and league logos, will benefit Feeding America in the U.S. and Second Harvest in Canada. 

The face coverings, manufactured by FOCO and Industry Rag, are now available on NBAStore.com and WNBAStore.com and they feature league logos as well as designs for all 30 NBA and 12 WNBA teams. The FOCO items are available in packs of three for $24.99, and Industry Rag’s face coverings are selling for $14.99 each. Industry Rag will also donate one face covering for every one purchased to Feeding America and Second Harvest in Canada. FOCO will make an additional donation to support the two organizations’ efforts.

“As a global community, we can all play a role in reducing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic by following the CDC’s recommendation to cover our nose and mouth while in public,” said Kathy Behrens, NBA President, Social Responsibility and Player Programs, in a written statement. “Through this new product offering, NBA and WNBA fans can adhere to these guidelines while joining in the league’s efforts to aid those who have been directly affected by COVID-19.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has upended food bank operations causing shifts in distribution models and volunteer opportunities,” said Katie Fitzgerald, executive vice president and chief operating officer, at Feeding America. “We are grateful to the NBA, WNBA, and Fanatics for this partnership that will support food banks with funds but also with much-needed face coverings to keep their staff, volunteers, and neighbors in need safe.”

“In Canada, we have seen the need for access to good food more than double since the pandemic began, and there are thousands of people working on the front lines to feed people during this crisis. Their health and safety are vital to ensuring that no one goes hungry,” said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. “These face coverings are an important tool in this public health battle, and we thank the NBA, the WNBA, and Fanatics for their support and Industry Rag and FOCO for matching their generosity. This support will help Second Harvest redistribute enough food to provide millions of meals to Canadians over the coming months.”

Ayesha Curry Sued for More Than $10 Million By Former Partner


Sometimes things don’t always work out! According to AP News, Ayesha Curry, the food and lifestyle personality and wife of NBA star Stephen Curry is being sued for more than $10 million.

Flutie Entertainment, a celebrity branding company sued Curry earlier this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking more than $10 million for breach of contract. The company said in the lawsuit that it filed that the five years it was in partnership with Curry brought “significant and unprecedented results.” Those include helping Curry land a Food Network show and a hosting role on ABC’s Great American Baking Show, as well as producing a best-selling cookbook and launching several successful food-based businesses.

In the lawsuit, Flutie Entertainment alleges that in the 11 months since terminating the agreement between the two parties, Curry has denied the company its share of proceeds from the businesses. It also alleges she deliberately slowed down new enterprises, poached a top employee, and “essentially gutted and devalued Flutie Entertainment’s interests.”

Curry’s lawyer, Michael Plonsker, says the lawsuit’s claims are baseless. “Ayesha Curry terminated her business relationship with disgruntled manager Robert Flutie in early 2019,” Plonsker said in a statement. “We are confident that the legal process will find his accusations nonsensical and completely unfounded.”

The Florida-based company, founded by Robert A. Flutie, states that it was “clearly and undeniably instrumental in helping her achieve success.” Based on the lawsuit, when Curry ended the relationship, Flutie had already done major work with her developing partnerships, sponsors, and legal and financial framework for her companies, Homemade, and Yardie Girl. The lawsuit also alleges Curry and her co-defendants have stalled on moving forward with the projects to deny Flutie his stake in them.

The suit also names as defendants six Curry-affiliated companies and a former Flutie employee who handled Curry’s business for the company but now works directly with Curry.

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