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?
COVID
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.
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.
VVSD, IDPH teaming up to offer community COVID vaccination clinic
Valley View School Community Unit School District 365U and the Illinois Department of Public Health are joining forces to offer a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic open to all members of the
community age 12 and older.
COVID vaccine debate and fear mongering in Will County
Will County is apparently not immune to the unfortunate politics of the COVID vaccine that has spread across the country like… well, a pandemic. Data has shown that most who are now ending up in hospitals suffering from COVID are the unvaccinated and most large numbers of cases are in states with low percentage of vaccinated individuals.
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.
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?”
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.
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:
After Rapper Launches Anti-Mask, Anti-Vaccine Rant, Black Doctors Speak Out
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Even after over 635,000 have died in the U.S. as a result of the coronavirus, some celebrities have continued to loudly protest against the advice of doctors and other medical professionals. Over 4.5 million around the world have died as a result of the pandemic.

