Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Business, Commentary, Community, Economy, Featured, Julianne Malveaux, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire

COMMENTARY: Who Gets Flexibility?

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Those who write, talk, think, and compute for a living have the privilege of flexibility. Those of us who clean, sit behind a cash register, pick up garbage, or more, don’t have the same benefit of flexibility. Too much of the policy conversation centers around providing flexibility for some. What accommodations are we prepared to offer others?

Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Community, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Featured, HBCU, Health, Howard University News Service, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics

Infections Up in DMV, Vaccinations Remain Low in Black Communities

HOWARD UNIVERSITY NEWS SERVICE — Currently 59% of Washington residents are fully vaccinated, health department officials reported, but the numbers are much lower in Wards 7 and 8, two predominantly Black communities. he most glaring disparity is among Black children and other children in D.C. According to a Sept.16 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 72% of White children between the ages of 12 and 17 and 83% of Hispanic children have been vaccinated compared to only 24% of Black children.

Posted inTimes Weekly News

Technological advances, a silver lining for schools

Throughout the nation and here at home, school districts had to turn to the virtual world to bring classrooms to students during the COVID pandemic that raged on for more than 15 months. That meant students had to log in to computers and iPads from home to receive lessons from their teachers. It took some time to get the technology working properly for most school districts and some did not do so well. Much of the success was tied to how advanced each district was technologically and, unfortunately, whether the students could afford the technology, which involved internet access and a device.

Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Community, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Education, Featured, HBCU, Health, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics, science, Stacy Brown, Technology

Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, Immunologist and White House Covid-19 Task Force Member, to Receive 2021 NNPA National Leadership Award

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, a member of the White House COVID-19 Equity Task Force and a Food and Drug Administration member, empaneled to approve Covid vaccines, demurred when asked whether schools should reopen before children vaccinated. “The short answer is, for most places, in my opinion, it is not safe because mask mandates are not in place,” Dr. Hildreth responded.

Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Business, Commentary, Community, Dwight Brown, Entertainment, Featured, Music, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire

Music Lovers Reunite at Capital Jazz Fest 2021

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The night’s headliner was the sultry voiced Lalah Hathaway, who appeared in tight black leather pants, an oversized white blouse with black blotches and looked very modern. Her first comment to the crowd, “You all don’t know how bad I was missing you!” She crooned many songs, including Anita Baker’s “Angel.” Her most touching moment featured the contemplative love song “Insanity,” which she sang with Gregory Porter on his LP “Take Me to the Alley.” “How did we ever lose our minds and fall apart, knowing we’re the only ones to heal each other’s hearts?”

Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Community, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Featured, Health, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Coronavirus Task Force, NNPA Newswire, Stacy Brown

NNPA Honors Dr. Ebony Hilton with National Leadership Award

NNPA NEWSWIRE — As a practicing physician at the University of Virginia – Charlottesville, Dr. Hilton has continued advocating for underserved and marginalized populations. Her efforts have received recognition from the National Medical Association and the National Minority Quality Forum as one of the top 40 under 40 Leaders in Health Care award recipients.

Posted inTimes Weekly News

Black, brown people may be hardest hit as Pandemic Unemployment ends

Federal unemployment programs, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, came to an end on Sept. 4. All those on unemployment will now receive $300 less in weekly benefits and experts said it will likely hurt Black and brown workers the hardest.
Enhanced UI benefits disproportionately support Black and brown workers who have historically been left behind in recoveries. According to Lindsay Owens, executive director for Groundwork Collaborative, “the historic inequities in the labor market will be laid even more bare” after Monday’s benefits cutoff.
After Labor Day, roughly 7.5 million people lost key pandemic-era unemployment benefits established by the March 2020 CARES Act. Dr. Rakeen Mabud, chief economist at Groundwork, reacted to the impending unemployment cliff with the following statement:

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