FreedomPop Partners with Julius “Dr. J” Erving To Bring Affordable Phone Service To Seniors
Julius Erving is a star on a new team—FreedomPop, a wireless service provider dedicated to meeting the needs of America's seniors.
With a career defined by soaring dunks and breathtaking athleticism, NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving is channeling his passion for service into a partnership with FreedomPop, a wireless service provider dedicated to meeting the needs of America’s seniors.
FreedomPop is explicitly built to serve America’s growing number of seniors whose wireless needs have been overlooked for too long. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the senior population (65 and older) in the United States has grown nearly twice as fast as the youth population (under 18) since 2010.
Seniors are among the most loyal customers in the world. They often live on fixed or limited retirement incomes. They need reliability and convenience because they may lack the mobility to travel to retail stores or service locations for upgrades or repairs. They deserve attentive, patient customer care when they need help or tech support. And they need to trust their carrier to tell them how they can save money on their bill—and not keep those options hidden.
BLACK ENTERPRISE talked to Erving about his fervor for this endeavor and the importance of reliable communication, affordability, and inclusivity in empowering seniors nationwide.
Communicating Confidently
FreedomPop understands technology can improve in-person and virtual communication and strengthen relationships with loved ones, especially seniors. However, seniors are less confident using technology. About 26% of seniors feel very confident, compared to 41% of those aged 50– 64, and 74% of those aged 18–29.
“Many seniors have trouble with the functionality of cell phones, which makes it more cumbersome to use,” Erving says.
Some individuals find technology daunting, particularly with tiny text, intricate user interfaces (UI), or frequent changes accompanying each new operating system update. This challenge is especially pronounced among older users, who may feel less at ease with smartphones.
FreedomPop was built to address the overlooked needs of this community.
“They deserve attentive, patient customer care when they need help or tech support,” says Erving, 74. “I’m a senior who has been around for a long time, and I thank God for it. Unfortunately, many people my age and older can’t get out to service locations and retail stores to troubleshoot upgrades and repairs.”
Affordability and Financial Relief
Erving’s endorsement of FreedomPop extends beyond mere promotion; it stems from his genuine belief in the service’s affordability and accessibility. He underscores its financial relief, saying, “You’re slicing the fee from a minimum of $30 coming from the government to $10.”
Erving recognizes the tangible impact this reduction can have on seniors’ monthly bills, including his own. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 17 million Americans 65+ are economically insecure—living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($29,160 per year for a single person in 2023).
“I can relate personally because my wife and children are associated with my phone bill, which costs me a few hundred dollars a month,” Erving says. “I’m looking forward to getting signed up with FreedomPop and getting that $10.00 bill monthly, and I know how greatly this will impact others!”
Reliability and Authenticity
Throughout his illustrious career, Erving has established himself as a credible and authentic spokesperson. Drawing from his experience with various endorsements, he emphasizes the importance of aligning with products and services he genuinely uses and believes in. “My brand has crossed over between ethnic groups and those with money and without money,” says Erving, whose endorsement of FreedomPop stems from his conviction in its ability to genuinely benefit seniors.
Erving’s involvement with FreedomPop extends beyond mere advocacy and spokesperson. It embodies his commitment to promoting inclusivity and accessibility across diverse demographics.
“We’re also speaking to adult children of seniors because we want to ensure that their parents or older relatives have a suitable carrier that cares and caters to them,” says Erving. “It also gets adult children out of the role of being tech support, and what adult child wouldn’t love that.”
Tyler Perry Studios To Produce Unscripted Programming In New Joint Venture
Tyler Perry studios has entered into a joint venture with Asylum Entertainment Group.
Tyler Perry Studios has teamed with the non-scripted production company Asylum Entertainment Group in a joint venture to produce unscripted series for global distribution.
Antoinetta Stallings, Tyler Perry Studios VP of Unscripted Programming, will lead the project. Stallings joined TP studios in 2019. Her production credits include Black Girls Rock,Take Me Out and The Price of Silence, the documentary film that earned her an Emmy nomination last year.
Asylum Entertainment Group has produced documentaries such as Netflix’s Naomi Osaka and HBO’s Being Serena, and the 2013 docuseries Being Mike Tyson. Asylum CEO Steve Michels said this collaboration represents their shared passion for storytelling; together they hope to entertain and inspire audiences with this new content.
“I’m excited to bring the world of unscripted content to Tyler Perry Studios,” Perry said in a statement. “We’ve never tapped into this area of entertainment before and we’re looking forward to working closely with Asylum to bring unique real world stories to life. I’m also proud to recognize the work that Antoinetta has been doing at the studio and promote her to this position of overseeing this new creative arm at the studio,
The media mogul recently struck a deal with Bet Media Group which renewed all eight of his shows on BET and BET+ . Perry’s popular television shows include The Oval,Sistas,Zatima ,and All The Queens Men, which is among the top-ranking series on the platform, Ranker reports.
Earlier this year, Perry also expanded his eight-movie deal with Netflix to include a scripted series called Beauty In Black, which tells the story of Kimmie (Taylor Polidore Williams,) and Mallory (Chrystle Stewart). The six-episode hour-long drama series was written, produced, and directed by the prolific Perry, whose voluminous credits of acting, directing, and writing credits include the long-running series of Madea films.
Hydration is an overlooked part of a healthy life. Here's how to do it right.
Originally Published April 13, 2020.
Water.
We all need it—and know we need it—for optimum health and wellness, but a shocking few live daily life (and those work hours) in a properly hydrated state and certainly not with appropriate consistency. One doctor-driven report revealed that a staggering 75% of Americans may suffer from chronic dehydration.
“Over time, failure to drink enough water can contribute to a wide array of medical complications, from fatigue, joint pain and weight gain to headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure and kidney disease,” the report read.
Apparently, this is the tip of the proverbial dehydration-induced illness iceberg.
“During a normal day, we lose about two liters of water just through breathing, sweat and other bodily functions,” notes board-certified internist Dr. Blanca Lizaola-Mayo. “Even while sleep, we can lose over one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-weight not just through sweating, but respiration as well. Even air conditioning has drying effects on our body. The health implications of dehydration are vast and can range from mild to severe, including problems with the heart, blood pressure and breathing, headaches and cognitive issues like concentration…just to name a few. Those who’ve felt that ‘afternoon slump’ should know that dehydration is the No. 1 cause of daytime fatigue. And, it’s important to understand that when we first start to sense thirst, we are already close to 2% dehydrated.”
For all of its importance, proper hydration is a delicate balance to uphold. An Institute of Medicine report cited the fragility of keeping the body duly hydrated, noting, “Over the course of a few hours, body water deficits can occur due to reduced intake or increased water losses from physical activity and environmental (e.g., heat) exposure.” So, a perfectly hydrated body can tip the scales into a dehydrated state in a fairly short amount of time, whether actively (as with exercising), or passively (as with breathing).
Here are some insights and tips from preeminent health experts to help you stay happily hydrated:
How Much Water Do You Need?
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Many factors impact how much water you need, including your age, gender, activity level, and overall health. For women, the amount of total water is about 11.5 cups per day and for men about 15.5 cups. These estimates, however, include fluids consumed from both foods and beverages, including water. You typically get about 20% of the water you need from the food you eat. Taking that into account, women need about nine cups of fluid per day and men about 12.5 cups in order to help replenish the amount of water that is lost.”
What Are Common Causes of Dehydration?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sometimes dehydration occurs for simple reasons: You don’t drink enough because you’re sick or busy, or because you lack access to safe drinking water when you’re traveling, hiking or camping.” While certainly not all-inclusive, known causes for dehydration can encompass sweating from exercise and playing a sport; air travel; traversing in overly hot, humid, cold or windy weather conditions; drinking too much coffee and other diuretic beverages; recovering from a hangover; and a litany of other relatively commonplace daily activities.
Do All Fluids Hydrate the Body?
No. The Cleveland Clinic is very clear with its advisory that “Some beverages are better than others at preventing dehydration,” and that “alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, teas, and colas, are not recommended for optimal hydration. These fluids tend to pull water from the body and promote dehydration. Fruit juice and fruit drinks may have too many carbohydrates, too little sodium, and may upset the stomach. Adequate hydration will keep your summer activities safer and much more enjoyable.”
What Are Some Benefits of Proper Hydration?
While the benefits of a properly hydrated body are copious, the CDC points to a few top-line health advantages, including keeping your temperature normal; lubricating and cushioning joints, protecting your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues; and getting rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements. Healthline also offers a number of evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water, which include maximizing physical performance; optimized energy levels and mood; and aiding digestion and elimination.
Be mindful of water intake, however, as Dr. Lizaola-Mayo warns, “Drinking too much water or fluid can lead to hyponatremia, which causes sodium in the cells to become diluted and too low and can be dangerous—and even life-threatening—if untreated.”
What Are Signs of Early or Mild Dehydration?
The Rehydration Project, a nonprofit organization, says that “the degree of dehydration is graded according to signs and symptoms that reflect the amount of fluid lost. In the early stages of dehydration, there are no signs or symptoms. Early features are difficult to detect but include dryness of mouth and thirst. As dehydration increases, signs and symptoms develop.”
According to the organization, symptoms of early or mild dehydration include the following: flushed face; extreme thirst; consuming more than normal or the inability to drink; dry, warm skin; the inability to pass urine or reduced amounts (dark, yellow); dizziness made worse when standing; weakness; cramping in the arms and legs; crying with few or no tears; sleepiness or irritableness; sickness; headaches; dry mouth or dry tongue with thick saliva.
What Are Signs of Moderate to Severe Dehydration?
According to The Rehydration Project they include low blood pressure; fainting; severe muscle contractions in the arms, legs, stomach, and back; convulsions; a bloated stomach; heart failure; sunken fontanelle—soft spot on an infant’s head; sunken dry eyes with few or no tears; skin loses its firmness and looks wrinkled; lack of elasticity of the skin (when a bit of skin lifted up stays folded and takes a long time to go back to its normal position); rapid and deep breathing (faster than normal); and a fast, weak pulse.
“In severe dehydration, these effects become more pronounced and the patient may develop evidence of hypovolemic shock, including diminished consciousness; lack of urine output; cool moist extremities; a rapid and feeble pulse (the radial pulse may be undetectable); low or undetectable blood pressure; and peripheral cyanosis,” according to The Rehydration Project. “Death follows soon if rehydration is not started quickly.”
Who is at Greatest Risk of Dehydration?
No one is immune to a dehydrated condition, but certain populations are at greater risk. The Mayo Clinic points to infants and children, older adults, those with chronic illnesses, and people who work or exercise outside.
Serious complications can ensue, which can include heat injury (ranging in severity from mild cramps to heat exhaustion or potentially life-threatening heatstroke); urinary tract infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure; seizures due to electrolyte imbalance, sometimes with a loss of consciousness; and low blood volume (hypovolemic) shock.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s time to call a doctor if you or a loved one “has had diarrhea for 24 hours or more; is irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual; can’t keep down fluids; and/or has bloody or black stool.”
How Can You Be a Water-Wise Shopper?
The USDA recommends consumers shop smartly. “Use the Nutrition Facts label to choose beverages at the grocery store. The food label and ingredients list contain information about added sugars, saturated fat, sodium and calories to help you make better choices.”
There are also highly efficacious and economical dehydration avoidance and treatment innovations that can be integrated into one’s lifestyle and used on a daily basis. The experts at SOS Hydration explain that its medically-formulated drink-mix powder accelerates hydration equivalent to an I.V. drip, rehydrating the body fully three-times faster than by drinking water alone. This product’s heightened hydration process leverages the body’s digestive “sodium/glucose co-transport system”—an Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
Can Foods Help You Stay Hydrated?
Yes, the body intakes hydration not only from water and other liquids but foodstuffs as well—some boasting as much 90% water content. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those in the 90-100% water content range include fruits like cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon; as well as vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach, and cooked squash. Options with a 70% to 89% water content include fruits like bananas, grapes, oranges, pears, and pineapples; vegetables such as carrots, cooked broccoli and avocados; and dairy products like yogurt, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese.
For drinks, EatRight.org advise we focus on unsweetened beverages, like water, in order to limit calories from added sugars, and to use strategies to increase water intake—like adding a flavor enhancer.
Can Sports Drinks Actually Undermine Hydration?
Yes. Why pay extra money for excess sugar when what you really need are electrolytes?
“In truth, only a very small amount of sugar is required to help transport electrolytes and water into the cells as part of the sodium-glucose co-transport system,” Dr. Lizaola-Mayo says. “In fact, this system is most effective when it utilizes one molecule of sugar and one molecule of sodium in combination, which helps create the fastest and most effective way to transport water into the cells for hydration. Even water rehydration and other drinks that do actually claim to utilize the sodium-glucose co-transport system have been shown to contain excess sugar to enhance taste, apparently discounting the fact that that this added sugar commensurately increases calorie count and actually undermines cellular H2O absorption.
“If there is excess sugar in a drink, even one engineered as a rehydration solution, then you can trigger reverse osmosis,” the doctor continues. This process occurs when there is an incorrect balance of sugar to sodium. Sodium always follows sugar and water always follows sodium. In a drink that is correctly balanced (utilizing the sodium-glucose co-transport system) then the water and electrolytes optimally flow into the cells. In high sugar ‘rehydration’ drinks there is too much sugar for the quantity of sodium and, as such, sodium and then water is actually leeched from the cells and passed out of the body as urine. This can actually cause dehydration—the opposite effect for a rehydration or sports beverage one has spent their hard-earned dollars to purchase.”
So whether indoors or out, active or at rest, suffering illness or perfectly healthy, one thing is clear: Keeping your water sources well at hand and ingesting with regularity (and consistency) can have a profoundly beneficial effect on your health and well-being.
It’s one easy and highly accessible assist for a multitude of maladies.
Mental Health Is No Joke, So BLACK ENTERPRISE Crafted A Go-To Guide For Resources
It's OK to ask for help.
Originally Published Sept. 6, 2020
Mental health has long carried a stigma in the Black community that has prevented many from seeking medical treatment.
According to a 2021 report by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide was ranked as the eleventh-leading cause of death in the United States with close to 50,000 deaths recorded in that year alone.
May is Mental Health Awareness month and BLACK ENTERPRISE is raising awareness for our community. Black Americans are more likely to experience trauma from racial encounters more than other ethnic groups. It is time to fight against the stigma by creating more safe spaces for those suffering to share their experiences. In light of the recent string of Black deaths by the hands of police officers—which have sparked nationwide protests in the midst of a deadly pandemic—it is imperative now more and than ever to take care of your mental health needs.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from mental health-related issues, please contact one of the organizations below for more guidance on how to seek out treatment.
According to The Associated Press, Chyell Paulk was killed, and three other people were injured during the April 27 in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Police officers arrested Channen Brown, who was charged with felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and possessing a gun while committing a felony. Brown can be charged as an adult under Georgia criminal law.
Paulk, a freshman at Irwin County High School, was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. “I’m just numb. I can’t even wrap my head around it,” Chelsie King, Chyell’s mother, said. “She was 15 with a full life ahead of her.”
In a press release, the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) said Brown was arrested and charged after being accused of shooting four people. The agency is investigating the incident after a request by the Fitzgerald Police Department.
Police officers from the department responded to reports of a shooting at the location at around 1:10 a.m. After arriving on the scene, the officers discovered that four people had been shot. All the victims, residents of Ben Hill County, were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Two of the people shot, a 19-year-old female and a 15-year-old male, were released, while a 14-year-old victim, who was shot in the arm, had surgery on April 29.
Police on Monday told WALB-TV that additional arrests are possible.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Fitzgerald Police Department at 229-426-5000 or the GBI Regional Investigation Office in Perry at 478-987-4545. Identities don’t have to be revealed. Anonymous tips can be left by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or submitting it online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.
Tips can also be provided by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Protect Black Mental Health At All Cost, Especially In The Workplace
Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is in July, but it's always a good time to focus on the unique hurdles Black workers face daily.
Originally Published July 31, 2023.
When we talk about mental health, we can’t ignore the places where we spend most of our time—our workplaces. In the spirit of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s focus on the unique hurdles Black workers face every day. These challenges, deep-seated within our society, significantly impact mental health. Today’s fast-paced work culture adds to these struggles.
Just look at the Twitter chat kicked off last month by Tryfe Tejada. He pointed out a simple but powerful truth: making friends at work and hanging out with colleagues outside the office isn’t the same experience for everyone. For Black people, it can often be a very different story. His tweet has been viewed approximately 650,000 times, and the discussions that ensued in response to this tweet highlighted a common theme among Black professionals: the mental toll of enduring racial microaggressions and systemic racism in the workplace.
I realized this. But most yt people make friends at work and are generally very social with coworkers outside of the office. This, of course, is VERY different for Black people.
In many workplaces, Black employees deal with the added stress of feeling alone and facing subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle, racial bias every day. This daily navigation through a web of racism and prejudice takes a heavy toll on their mental health. It’s like walking on eggshells, fearing that any misstep could be used against them, leading to an unhealthy amount of stress and anxiety.
The recent policy shake-ups, like doing away with affirmative action and attacks on diversity efforts, have made things worse. These changes have sent a chilling reminder to Black employees: their experiences and challenges do not matter as much to those holding power.
Here’s the thing: the pandemic and the shift to work-from-home provided some relief for many Black workers. Away from the direct racial tensions and office politics, they found a safer space to be themselves. But with talk of returning to the office, the thought of stepping back into potentially hostile work environments is causing a lot of worry.
Research from Slack Technologies found that only 3% of Black professional workers were accepting of returning to the office full-time, compared to 21% of white professionals.
“We all know the workplace can be stressful for Black people. These stresses not only impact mental health but can lead to chronic illness or exacerbate existing conditions that already plague the Black community like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease,” said Dr. Brandon Gillespie, a therapist and media professional.
This Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s crucial to shine a light on the racial struggles Black professionals deal with regularly. These aren’t one-off incidents. They’re part of a bigger systemic problem that we need to tackle head-on.
Dr. Gillespie continued, “Several of my clients have quit their jobs to start their own businesses because of their toxic workplaces. People are now moving away from places that cause them stress and pain.”
To truly impact Black mental health, organizations need to foster an environment that actively combats microaggressions and discrimination, promotes understanding, diversity, and provides support for mental health.
“It’s more than just improving diversity numbers—it’s about breaking down the barriers of systemic racism and creating a culture of respect and equality,” added Timeka Muhammad, EDs, LPC-S, founder of The Courage to Cope Counseling and Wellness in Atlanta.
“Workplace racism and stress cause trauma, depression, and many other mental health concerns,” Muhammad concluded.
As we celebrate Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a wake-up call for all of us. Companies need to prioritize mental health, take a hard look at these systemic issues, and foster a culture that genuinely supports everyone in their organization. Because when it comes to mental health, every conversation, every action, matters.
USPS Host Job Fair To Fill Hundreds Of Open Positions In The San Francisco Bay Area
The USPS has hosted several hiring events in the Bay area this year.
The USPS, which needs to fill 600 vacant positions in the San Francisco Bay Area, hosted a Postal Service Career Fair Wednesday at its Menlo Park Post Office.
Post Office Operations manager Riza Yumul toldCBS News the staff shortage has made it difficult for the USPS employees here to keep up with their jobs’ demands. It needs to fill several positions, including mail handlers, clerks, and custodians. Yumul said it lost some employees during the pandemic but it also competing with the plethora of tech companies in the area.
Safety concerns have been another challenge for hiring managers. Mail carriers are a prime target for criminals because they carry checks, prescription drugs, and other items that criminals can convert into cash. Carriers are robbed for their “arrow keys,” which are universal keys that provide access to several types of mailboxes.
“When we hire people that’s the firs thing we do. We make sure that they know about safety and that they have training. We make it a point to be with the new carriers every day for the first two weeks,” Yumul told CBS News.
Last year, the USPS implemented a crime prevention strategy to help enhance the safety of its workers.
“We’re doubling down on our efforts to protect our Postal employees and the security of the mail. We are hardening targets–both physical and digital–to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice,” Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdal said in a press release.
Kenny Smith Makes More Money In 1 Year Than He Earned In Career As An NBA Player
After making $11,972,100 during his 10-year playing career in the NBA, Smith now earns $16 million a year as an analyst
New York native and former NBA player, Kenny “The Jet” Smith is currently a TNT host sharing duties with other ex-NBA players, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. While Shaq ($292,198,327) and Barkley ($37,505,000) made large sums of money during their playing days, Smith only made $11,972,100 while playing in the NBA. Now, as an analyst, Smith makes more in one year than he did his entire playing career.
According to Essentially Sports, “The Jet” currently takes home $16 million a year as a broadcaster on NBA on TNT. The former Houston Rockets player played 10 seasons in the NBA from 1987 until 1997, winning two championships with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995. After being drafted and playing for the Sacramento Kings for three years, he went to play for the Atlanta Hawks before joining the Rockets. After playing in Houston, he played for three more teams: the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic, and the Denver Nuggets, where he ended his career.
In an interview with Houstonia magazine, Smith explained how his path landed him at TNT after leaving the sport.
“Retirement [came about] when I started to get a lot of one-year situations. Like every year uprooting your family, moving to a different place became a little strenuous. TNT used to bring in players every year. After one segment, one of the producers was like, “Hey, if you really want to do this, I think you’re good at it.” I thought it was just a parting gift they said to everyone. Toward the end of my career, I got a call from one of the producers, and he said, ‘I have an opportunity for you.” At that point, I made a career decision, and here I am 20-something years later.'”
Smith was the first of the current and former NBA players to join the TNT staff when he partnered with Ernie Johnson Jr. in 1998 on Inside the NBA. Barkley came aboard in 2000, and Shaq completed the quartet in 2011.
Two years ago, the network signed all four men to a long-term contract, keeping the team together for several more years.
Taylor Rooks and Joy Taylor Discuss Being Each Other’s ‘Dreammate’ As Black Women In The Sports Industry
Love seeing Black women in high places....on and off the field!
Sports broadcasters Joy Taylor and Taylor Rooks are touching on being each other’s “Dreammates” and leading Black women in sports during a new campaign with Rocket Mortgage.
Two of football’s favorites partnered with the mortgage company as the official mortgage partner of the 2024 NFL Draft to advocate for those dreaming of homeownership with the “Dreammate” campaign. Rocket Mortgage’s Senior Vice President of Brand Experiences and Strategic Partnerships Casey Hurbis said the campaign aims “to create hope, inspiration, and generational impact,” something the company has been doing for close to 40 years, according to a press release provided to BE.
The creative campaign stars the powerful duo as Dreammates to celebrate the support system they’ve created while on the journey to breaking industry standards and achieving goals, like becoming a first-time homeowner or getting that phone call naming someone as a member of your favorite NFL team.
“It is so incredibly important to have a dreammate in your life. Because she is so important for me in that role, we just understand each other,” Rooks told Black Enterprise about her friendship with Taylor.
“We’ve gone through so many of the same things. We are still currently going through the same things. So when you talk about these difficulties in our industry and in our lives in general, to be able to pick up the phone and call Joy and say ‘this is what I’m dealing with, how have you dealt with this? How are you feeling?’”
In the campaign, Rooks said women not being in higher positions of power in sports is not because they can’t but more so they aren’t given the chance, one reason she feels she and Taylor are so important in the sports space. “Which is why people like you and I are so important in the business because we have the visibility that we have as women and as Black women,” Taylor said.
“You can’t just be good. You have to be really good at your job.”
The hosts of the “Two Personal” podcast were front and center during all the action at the recent NFL Draft, hosted in Detroit on April 27, where the lives of more than 250 men changed instantly. But before the besties became co-hosts of ESPN’s Speak and reporters for Thursday Night Football and Bleacher Report, Taylor and Rooks worked diligently to overcome obstacles to get where they are and acknowledged not being able to do it alone.
Celebrating her mother–who “has a very unique pushing style–as her first “dreammate,” Taylor defined her ideal dreammate as someone who truly knows you best, like her podcast co-host. “I think when you have a dreammate that really knows you, somebody that really knows you… when you have someone in your life the way my mother was to me and like Taylor is for me now, that cares enough about you not just to push you in a way that’s not expected, that moment always sticks out to me as a memory,” Taylor said.
Rooks shared similar sentiments about the relationship with her father, pinpointing him as one of the main reasons for her love for football and the draft. The sports broadcaster says one of her favorite moments of the draft is seeing the joy on the parents’ faces, realizing all the hard work and sacrifice was for their child to be able to experience the moment of the draft. “My dad, one of his No. 1 goals in his life was to make sure I was never short on confidence,” Rooks said.
“Every day, he would write me a letter every single morning, ending every single one with ‘you can do whatever you put your mind to.’ So, I always had this incredibly steadfast belief that whenever I thought I could do something, I’d go to do it. That’s what a dreammate is.”
During the draft, fans who used the hashtag #RocketDreammate assisted the company, headquartered in the home of Motown, in making a $10 contribution to Habitat for Humanity, with a goal of $250,000, to help deserving Americans realize the dream of homeownership become a reality.
Ohio State University Study Reveals Employment Reduces Drug Overdoses For Black People
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that focusing on keeping Black Americans employed could potentially lower the rate of drug use, which, in turn, would prevent drug related deaths.
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that focusing on keeping Black Americans employed could potentially lower the rate of drug use, which, in turn, would prevent drug-related deaths.
Sehun Oh, an assistant professor of social work at Ohio State University, told the outlet in a statement, “The basic underlying framework I’m using to approach this issue is seeing the drug epidemic as a disease of despair and examining how local labor market situations might have affected this at-risk population,” said Oh. “Others may be more focused on supply factors, but I believe economic context is critical to understanding the demand side of the story.”
Oh, and a co-author of the study, Miguel Cano, an associate professor of social work at Arizona State University, said in the study that disconnection from the workforce creates a number of problems for the unemployed. “Research shows that disconnection from the workforce creates collective frustration and hopelessness, family disintegration and community violence and crime, increasing drug use as a refuge from psychological distress.”
As the study lays out, “the drug mortality increases among Black Americans were highest in the Midwest and Northeast counties, especially those with a lower median household income. Economic restructuring (that led to fewer livable-wage jobs in the areas) and increasing presence of heroin and synthetic opioids are considered major drivers of drug mortality in these regions.”
According to the study, just one more job per 100 Black workers would result in 0.29 fewer drug overdoses per 100,000 drug overdoses nationwide. This association, the study notes, is more robust in areas where there have been more fentanyl overdoses. The study also argued that its findings are consistent with previous scholarship that establishes a positive relationship between employment and decreased drug mortality.
In a section discussing the study’s public health implications, the authors recommend “geographically targeted interventions” intended to create more economic prosperity for low-income areas of the Black community. They believe this will reduce the impact of the opioid epidemic on Black people. The study states, “Such efforts may include improving employment opportunities for the Black workforce through job creation and workforce development.”
