The spread of COVID-19 across the U.S. has had a huge effect on black communities. Many cities, including Chicago and Milwaukee, have seen African Americans represent the majority of their new cases. However, there are a number of scientists and researchers working non-stop to find a treatment to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Here are some of the black scientists working to find a vaccine for COVID-19.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett is a viral immunologist at the National Institutes of Health. She is leading the effort to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, which has moved into Phase 1 at record speed. She recently confirmed to CNN’s Anderson Cooper that projections are at eight months for a vaccine being made available to the general population.
NIH’s lead scientist for coronavirus vaccine research Kizzmekia Corbett lays out the government’s race to create a vaccine, saying they could be on track to have a vaccine from sequence to the general population within 8 months. https://t.co/FtacDLY6rnpic.twitter.com/hlE34Wz64I
Dr. Tomeka Suber is a pulmonologist and an expert in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Dr. Christopher Barnes
Dr. Christopher Barnes is an HHMI Hanna Grays Fellow at California Institute of Technology. His work is helping find a cure by crystallizing antibodies to fight against COVID-19 to help identify more effective treatments and a possible vaccine.
Dr. Michael Johnson
Dr. Michael Johnson is a professor at the University of Arizona investigating if copper could be used to alter the binding of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Research is still in the early stages. The scientists hope that copper, in conjunction with other treatments, will deliver a solid one-two punch to COVID-19.
Entrepreneur Mary Seats Built Her Business with $300. Now She’s Making Millions
Mary ‘Mz Skittlez’ Seats, affectionately known by millennials as the “Kris Jenner of marketing,” has been building her brand and countless others for years. In 2011, Seats launched her first company, Cupcake Mafia, in Cleveland with $300 to her name and now she says she is making millions. And she is helping others to do the same.
Seats comes from a family of serial entrepreneurs. Her father and grandfather were both businessmen – and Seats got the entrepreneurial spirit and began designing clothes for dolls, which she showed off and sold to others. After graduating from college, Seats worked as an assistant stylist on an international tour and her father encouraged her to take a leap of faith and create her own clothing brand.
“All I had was literally $300, a dream, and my relationships,” said Seats. And that was enough to launch The Cupcake Mafia. Support from celebrities who she connected with on the road helped to catapult her brand and it became more visible.
“One day, my site started going crazy with orders after Tiny [Harris] wore the brand on TV. That is when I decided that I was fully committed to being an entrepreneur,” Seats recalls.
Leveraging her relationships and the influence of others resulted in monumental success which generated over a million dollars.
The Ebbs and Flows of Business
Seats’ success up until that point appeared to be unquantifiable until she was met with her first business challenge.
“That deal led me to partner with an investment firm. And I had no idea that I would be fired six months later from my own brand — which, by the way, took me from a penthouse overlooking Central Park to sleeping on an airbed in a unit above my store.”
“What I didn’t realize is that God had a different plan for me. That story is pretty lengthy, but to sum it up, I signed a bad deal. I went back to fight them, and I won! I paid $60,000 for my brand back. And after I received the rights to the trademark, I went in full ‘go-mode’—even from my airbed,” said seats.
“The airbed stage of my life—which seemed to be the lowest point of my life—is when I got closer to God. He brought me to what is now the highest and happiest point of my life.”
Leveling Up
(Image: Mart Seats)
Once Seats recovered from that experience, she founded The Icing Agency, a branding and marketing firm, and Gurl Mobb. “After losing my first company to investors and buying it back, I realized to never to put my eggs in one basket,” said Seats. She later opened three retail stores, purchased a factory in China, and took on entrepreneur and influencer B. Simone as a client. She also wrote a book and began creating digital guides, resources, and marketing webinars, which are often sold out within hours.
Most recently, Seats sold hundreds of spots for a digital conference in less than 48 hours where she and a panel of experts equipped women with the information they need to blossom as entrepreneurs.
As Seats continues to grow her businesses, she is adamant about helping other women achieve success as well. With an organic following of over 149,000 followers on her personal Instagram account, women flock to the entrepreneur because of her authentic nature and wealth of knowledge.
“When I was on that airbed, I told God ‘If you get me back up, I will never look down. The only time I will look down is to pull someone up.’ And it’s been that way ever since,” said Seats.
And when it comes to seats at the table, Seats firmly believes, “If I cannot bring anything to the table, I will not sit down!”
When Seats isn’t creating, working on her business, or with clients, she is encouraging women entrepreneurs to bloom where they are planted. To others, Seats offers this advice, “You can be a mom, a wife, or whatever it is you want to be. I used to want to find a poster woman for the ideal mom, wife, and unstoppable girl boss – and I honestly I couldn’t find it. So, I became it.”
To learn more about Seats and the services that she offers women entrepreneurs, click here.
Meat Shortage Could Be On The Horizon Due To Plants Shutting Down
Workers at meat processing plants across the country are falling ill due to the coronavirus, meaning shortages and potentially increased prices may follow.
According to MSN News, plants that process meat are being shut down and the worry is that consumers will be impacted by shortages and higher prices. Some suppliers have already started limiting quantities of pork and beef.
“At this time, there is more problem with supply and not price,” Tom Violante, co-owner of Holiday Market in metro Detroit told MSN. “When the supply chain runs through its current load of beef and pork the supply will be limited and the price increase will follow.”
Smithfield Foods announced the closure of one of its pork processing facilities in South Dakota. More than 200 employees at the plant have been infected with the coronavirus.
Other major food processors, such as Tyson Foods and JBS USA, also have closed meat processing plants because of the coronavirus. Smithfield CEO Kenneth Sullivan warned that shuttering plants is pushing the country’s meat supply “perilously close” to the edge.
Smithfield’s plant represents about 5% of the pork processed in the U.S., supplying 130 million servings of food per week.
“It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running,” Sullivan said. “These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nation’s livestock farmers. These farmers have nowhere to send their animals.”
Smithfield said it will rely on “further direction of local, state and federal officials” when considering when to reopen. The company also said its employees will be paid for the next two weeks.
Tom Super, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, said production and processing of poultry will continue and worker safety measures are in place. Store shelves will be restocked, he said, it’s just taking a little longer than normal.
“The companies are working to divert some of the product from the freezers and product that was intended for restaurants, but that takes time and there are some challenges with that in terms of repackaging, labeling, and logistics.”
Christine McCracken, senior protein analyst for Rabobank, did have some good news, saying the Smithfield’s plant closing will have little impact on the price of pork.
“We shouldn’t see a dramatic impact or any increases in price on store shelves,” McCracken said. “But there could be some disruptions on certain products.”
Additionally, due to the cancelation of several spring sporting events including the NCAA basketball tournament, there is now a national surplus of chicken wings. Food franchises are also being hit hard during the outbreak.
Kanye West: ‘It’s Better Now Than When Obama Was in Office’
Hip-hop star Kanye West recently spoke to GQ about the upcoming election and which candidate he will be supporting.
The openly religious artist has expressed avid support for President Donald Trump. Although it’s been well-documented that he is not a registered voter, perhaps, this year, he intends on registering and then voting for his candidate of choice?
“No, I’m definitely voting this time. And we know who I’m voting on. And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here! Jesus Is King was No. 1! I was told my career would end if I wasn’t with her. What kind of campaign is that, anyway? That’s like if Obama’s campaign was “I’m with black.” What’s the point of being a celebrity if you can’t have an opinion?”
He added that he will not try to convince anyone to do what he intends on doing: “I’m not telling anybody who they should vote on, what they should wear, where they should live,” said West in his GQ cover story for the May issue. “I’m doing me.”
GQ’s Editor-in-Chief Will Welch questioned West about wearing the red MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap. He stated that the hat symbolized going back into the past, yet, he envisions Kanye as being a “perpetual forward thinker.” To which Kanye responds, “I buy real estate. It’s better now than when Obama was in office. They don’t teach you in school about buying property. They teach you how to become somebody’s property.”
With another reference to the MAGA hat, Welch says to Kanye “To go back to when you put on the MAGA hat, how do you see that moment from where we are now, sitting on this plane, in January of 2020?
Kanye’s response? “Both my parents were freedom fighters, and they used to drink from fountains they were told they couldn’t drink from, and they used to sit in restaurants where they were told they couldn’t eat from. They didn’t fight for me to be told by white people which white person I can vote on.” West then laughs.
Governors Getting Louder In Defiance Of Trump’s Coronavirus Response
Governors on both coasts are joining forces to discuss a strategy to slowly and carefully reopen states while ignoring Trump’s claims that he has “total authority” over the matter.
Six governors in the Northeast and three on the West Coast have announced they will work together. Govs. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), Phil Murphy (D-NJ), Ned Lamont (D-CT), Tom Wolf D-PA), John Carney (D-DE) and Gina Raimondo (D-RI) have joined forces to create joint recommendations on how they can reopen their economies. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker joined the group on Monday night.
The group said each state will name a public health official, an economic official, and their respective chiefs of staff to lead the effort.
Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Kate Brown (D-Ore.) and Jay Inslee (D-WA) are also teaming up to coordinate reopening their states.
The governors are basically ignoring Trump’s daily pressers and comments in order to coordinate a response by themselves. Gov. Baker is the only Republican in the two groups.
“The president of the United States calls the shots,” Trump said Monday. “They can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.”
When reporters pressed Trump on his claims, he became angry and some say he threw a temper tantrum. He later walked backed his statements Tuesday saying that states can do what they see fit.
“I will be authorizing each individual governor, of each individual state, to implement a reopening and a very powerful reopening plan of their state in a time and a manner as most appropriate,” Trump said. “Because certain states are in much different condition and in a much different place than other states.”
Cuomo, who has gone back and forth with Trump in the media, said the president needs to stop pretending he has that power.
“We don’t have a king. We have an elected president,” Cuomo said during an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. “The Constitution clearly says the powers that are not specifically listed for the federal government are reserved for the states, and the bounds between federal and state authority are central to the Constitution—one of the great balances of power.”
Trump’s response to the outbreak has been viewed by some as anywhere from erratic to dangerous.
Kamala Harris Introduces New Bill Requiring Racial Data Collection On COVID-19 Testing
The global COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus pandemic, has had a serious effect on the black community. Almost 70% of new cases in major cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee are African Americans. Political leaders and civil rights organizations have called for mandatory data collection of race and ethnicity related to COVID-19.
Sen. Kamala Harris joined several of her colleagues this week to introduce a new bill that would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect and report racial data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, and fatalities. She has already sent a letter to U.S. House Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) demanding they prioritize addressing the racial health disparities that have emerged amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By now, you are no doubt aware that COVID-19 appears to be disproportionately infecting and killing minorities across the nation. In New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, preliminary data reveals the virus is twice as deadly for black and Latino people compared to white people,” explained Harris in a press statement. “In Arizona, which has reported race and ethnicity data for half of its COVID-19 deaths, Native Americans account for 16% of deaths despite comprising only 6% of the population. While black individuals make up roughly one-third of Chicago’s population, they represent more than half of those who have tested positive and 68% of those who have died in the city, suggesting black Chicagoans are dying from COVID-19 at a rate nearly six times greater than white residents. We have seen similar patterns emerge from Michigan to Louisiana, from the Carolinas to Las Vegas.”
The rise in coronaviruses cases has caused serious alarm across the black community with many citing the lack of healthcare access and historic distrust of the medical field stemming from a long history of racism as a factor in what is driving this surge in infected cases.
Internal Revenue Service Releases Tracking Tool For Stimulus Payments
The Internal Revenue Service released a tool to help people track when they can expect the stimulus checks going out to help those in need.
According to CBS News, the tool, called Get My Payment, went live Wednesday on the IRS website. The tool allows consumers to check their payment status, confirm whether they prefer direct deposit or a paper check and enter their bank account information for direct deposit if the IRS doesn’t have it yet.
“We expect over 80 million hard-working Americans will get the direct deposit by this Wednesday,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.
Mnuchin added the first batch of checks, officially known as Economic Impact Payments, started hitting consumers’ accounts Saturday. However, many are still in the dark about when or if the payments are coming. For starters, the timing of the payments depends on whether the IRS has an individual’s direct-deposit information and income level.
Also, many users are already reporting issues with the tool. Many are reporting trouble using it to retrieve information and are receiving a message stating: “Payment status not available.”
Additionally, citizens will need either their 2019 or 2018 tax returns to complete the “Get My Payment” service, the IRS said. Taxpayers who have yet to file for either year but are required to file will have to file their 2019 return in order to receive the check.
Adults who earn less than $75,000 are due to receive $1,200 each, while married couples earning less than $150,000 will receive $2,400. Parents will also receive an extra $500 for every child they have under 18. However, adults who can be claimed as dependents, such as high school and college students, won’t receive a stimulus check. Nonresident aliens, or those without a green card, are also excluded from the payments.
The stimulus payments are part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed earlier this month. The payments are needed as more than 16 million American citizens have lost their job since the outbreak
This Black-Owned Tutoring Company Is Offering Free Online Instruction For Students K-12
The global spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has resulted in different states issuing mandatory lockdowns causing all businesses deemed “non-essential” to close their doors. Over 700,000 jobs have been lost and the economic turmoil has had catastrophic effects on small business owners leading to a record-making number of unemployment claims being filed.
The outbreak has also resulted in school closures from kindergarten all the way to college campuses. Millions of school-aged kids and young adults have been forced to pause their academic semesters with some school districts possibly not reopening until the following year. One entrepreneur is providing a free solution for parents who have to play teacher in light of school closings.
Roland Omene founded Frog Tutoring, a private tutoring company based in New York City and is offering free live online courses for students in K-12 impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. In an interview with Essence, Omene says his business is down by 70% but he still wanted to “play a role as an education company to assist families whose kid’s education has been interrupted.”
The company explained in a press release that it will be utilizing a structured curriculum from CK-12.org Education Foundation to offer over 290 free classes across different subjects and grades. Teachers will be using video conferences through Zoom to hold classes and allow real-time communication for an interactive learning experience.
“As leaders in the tutoring industry, I wanted us to play a role to ensure that all families can offer their children the ability to continue their education,” says Omene. “I am proud of our tutors and the impact they will have in making a difference in children’s lives as we all face COVID-19.”
Mayor London Breed Warns: ‘Do Not Come to San Francisco on 4/20′ Amid COVID-19
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has made headlines more than once this week for being ahead of COVID-19 as she is successfully flattening the curve in the city. Now, days before thousands of people plan to celebrate the counterculture holiday, 4/20, Breed is warning people that there will be serious consequences for those who travel to San Francisco and go against the city’s mandate to shelter in place and gather in large groups to get high.
On Monday, Breed held a press briefing and KRON4 reported that she will not tolerate large gatherings on San Francisco’s Hippie Hill.
“Do not come to San Francisco on 420 to Robin Williams Meadows,” Breed said during the press conference. “We will not allow this unsanctioned event to occur this year.”
Every year, thousands of people travel to Golden Gate Park from all over but due to COVID-19 the organizers of the event cancelled the gathering. Despite their efforts, Breed is still concerned that people will find other places to gather.
The popular recreational area will be fenced off and patrolled by police officers who will be prepared to cite and arrest people who go against the order.
“We will be prepared if people start to show up to make sure that it doesn’t happen,” said Breed.
She went on to urge residents and possible visitors to stay home. “For your own health and safety, please do not come and please do not try to identify another location”
This time around, Breed encourages people to Netflix and chill. In a Tweet, she wrote, “Order food. Watch Netflix. Stay home and stay safe.”
Luckily enough for some residents, Breed declared medical marijuana dispensaries essential businesses and they are to remain open during the shelter in place.
Researchers Believe Social Distancing May Need To Continue Until 2022
Barring a vaccine, epidemiologists believe social distancing could be necessary until 2022 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published the study Tuesday, according to Forbes.com. “Absent other interventions, a key metric for the success of social distancing is whether critical care capacities are exceeded,” the researchers wrote in the report. “To avoid this, prolonged or intermittent social distancing may be necessary into 2022.”
Researchers added it’s paramount to figure out if COVID-19 can be wiped out after this initial pandemic like the SARS outbreak. If it can’t, it’s likely the virus will re-emerge every winter like other, more common coronavirus strains.
The study also acknowledges the guidelines are likely to have “profoundly negative economic, social, and educational consequences.”
The authors say the point of the study is not to endorse their methods of beating COVID-19, but rather to spur innovative ideas and to expand the list of options to bring the pandemic under long-term control.,
The study did have some good news, saying once the number of positive cases has been reduced and testing ramps up, social distancing guidelines could be relaxed.
“New therapeutics, vaccines, or other interventions such as aggressive contact tracing and quarantine—impractical now in many places but more practical once case numbers have been reduced and testing scaled up—could alleviate the need for stringent social distancing to maintain control of the epidemic,” the study said.
The COVID-19 outbreak has effectively shut down the world. More than 150 countries have implemented quarantine restrictions. According to Johns Hopkins University, 2 million people have contracted COVID-19 worldwide, with 127,590 dying.
