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LONG ISLAND, NY With millions of New Yorkers now vaccinated against the coronavirus and an influx of doses available, New Yorkers 50 and older can receive the vaccine starting Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

Up until Monday, only New Yorkers 60 and older could be vaccinated.

While the vaccine supply hasn't increased enough yet to vaccinate all of those 50 and older in the state, Cuomo said he wants people to start making appointments so they are ready when more doses arrive.

Cuomo, speaking from the Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, announced a new vaccination center at the facility and said to date, 7 million New Yorkers have received a vaccine.

He announced the "Roll Up Your Sleeve" campaign, a partnership with faith-based facilities to vaccinate people at houses of worship. Rev. Al Sharpton joined Cuomo in announcing the campaign.

"We are fighting for our very lives," Sharpton said. "All we ask you is to come to a house of faith and roll up your sleeves and do it for your loved ones."

The leaders stressed the importance of Black and Hispanic communities getting the vaccine. Black people are twice as likely to die of the coronavirus and Hispanic people are 1.5 times as likely to die, officials have said.

On Sunday, New Yorkers with underlying health conditions became eligible to receive the vaccine.

"New Yorkers with comorbidities are among our state's most at-risk residents, and access to the COVID-19 vaccine protects this vulnerable population as we work to defeat the virus and establish the new normal," Cuomo said. "As New York receives more doses and more people receive the vaccine, we're able to expand the population pharmacies can serve, and this is a common-sense step forward that will help make it easier to protect New Yorkers."

Originally posted here:
NY Coronavirus Vaccine Open To People 50 And Over - Patch.com

Good morning. Joe Biden will hold his first press conference today. The cable-news media, which really doesnt have much of anything scandal-worthy to report these days, outside of the Governors mansion in New York and the litany of crimes involving the previous administration, will probably try and make it about Biden gaffes. If he flubs a word or three as he often does Tucker Carlson will spend half an hour on his show tonight talking about how hes unfit for office, never mind that the previous occupant bragged about passing a test for dementia and could barely walk down a ramp. Its all noise. Dont give it a second thought.

The latest scandal against Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, is that he apparently made tests available to his family members (specifically his brother, Chris) before the tests were widely available. That sucks. Also, completely unsurprising, not just for Cuomos office, but for half the Governors offices in the country, at least. Most politicians are trash, even our favorites. I would add, however, that this is a story that probably couldve been unearthed weeks or months ago, and it wouldnt have registered much, but because the news media wants to keep that drumbeat going against Cuomo, its getting extra play. Thats fine with me. I think he should resign. I also think that this is a footnote in todays news cycle, at best.

Voting among Amazon workers in Bessemer, Ala. ends on Monday. Bernie is heading to Alabama tomorrow to meet with the union, and thats probably good, although this is still Alabama. I have no idea how the vote will shake out, but to be honest, I dont really understand why anyone would not vote to unionize when youre dealing with the largest company in the world.

After AstraZeneca was accused of cherry-picking data in its efficacy results, they updated the company analysis and found that the vaccine was 76 percent effective at preventing symptomatic illness, slightly lower than the earlier result of 79 percent.

Mitch McConnell is still working double-time to save the filibuster, arguing on Tuesday that the filibuster has no racial history at all. None. Theres no dispute among historians about that. Thats not true, as this article (among many) shows, and as this Twitter thread shows.

Black civil rights leaders are taking that argument to Democrat holdouts Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, arguing that the filibuster is racist and saying that they are, in effect, supporting racism, Rev. Al Sharpton said yesterday. Its unclear how effective that will be. Unfortunately, having Al Sharpton come after the Senator from West Virginia is not exactly going to hurt him.

Finally, Dr. Rachel Levine is the new assistant health secretary; she is the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate. Thats great news. Alas, only two Republicans Murkowski and Collins voted to confirm her.

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Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.

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Morning Briefing: Biden Press Conference, Cuomo's Latest Scandal, and the Racism of the Filibuster - Pajiba

Bishop J. Drew Sheard, presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ.(Photo: Stephen Savage,Savage Graphics,LLC)

A Detroit pastor, J. Drew Sheard,has been elected to leadChurch of God in Christ (COGIC), a growing denomination with millions of members, the latest example of clergy from Michigan becoming national leaders of faith groups.

Sheard, 62, who leadsGreater Emmanuel Institutional Church in Detroit, was elected Saturday by delegates with COGIC at their national assembly, which was held online, to be COGIC's presiding bishop, its highest ranking leader.

To be elected to serve as the Presiding Bishop for the Church in which I was born, raised, and have learned and served all my life, is a dream and desire that can only be fulfilled by Gods loving grace and guidance," Sheard said in a news release. "The opportunity to serve such an extraordinary organization at our highest recognized level of priesthood is beyond humbling."

Another local pastor, Bishop Michael Hill ofKingdom International in Dearborn, was elected to be one of 12 members of COGIC's board, which includes Sheard.COGIC is reportedly the 5th largest Christian denomination in the U.S. as of 2012, according to the National Council of Churches.

Sheard's election was celebrated by faith and political leaders in Michigan, where COGIC, a predominantly Black and Pentecostal denomination,has a strong presence. Bishop P.A. Brooks, an influential faith leader in Detroit who died last year at 88, was a member of COGIC's national board.

"I am absolutely ecstatic,"Bishop Edgar Vann of Second EbenezerChurch in Detroit, who has been afriend of Sheard for decades since they were teenage preachers, told the Free Press on Monday."He represents in his denomination a whole new refreshing generation of leadership. ... It's a very crucial post in Christiandom right now. It is one of the highest denominational posts in the African American community. And he will lead that denomination with distinction ... with innovation and creativity."

Sheard becoming leader of COGIC is "a great distinction for Detroit and it makes Detroit really the epicenter for this particular denomination," Vann said.

COGIC's national leaders are generally older, and so having Sheardbecomepresiding bishop at a younger agemeans "he's going to, by the grace of God, be there a long time to give a whole new, fresh look at that denomination, to enhance the faith community internationally."

Sheard's father is also a COGIC pastor, Bishop John Sheard, who leadsGreater Mitchell Temple Church of God in Christ in Detroit. His mother, Willie Mae Sheard, died last year of COVID-19 at 84. Sheard's wife,Karen Clark-Sheard, is known nationally for her gospel music along with her sisters.

BET (Black Entertainment Television) once had a reality TV show, The Sheards, about their family.

Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones also praised Sheard becoming presiding bishop, writing on Twitter: "You have worked hard, helped many & deserve this honor."

The Rev. Charles Williams, pastor of Historic King Solomon Baptist Church of Detroit and Chair of the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network, the civil rights group led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, said on Twitter: "Congrats to Bishop J. Drew Sheard! Keep standing with the people! Looking forward to seeing the future ofCOGIC."

Sheard is the latest Detroit pastor to become a national faith leader. In 2010, Bishop Charles Ellis III of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit became the national head of Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, a positionhe served in for several years.

Bishop Edgar Vann gives a sermon at Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit, 2012.(Photo: Monica Farrior)

Sheard has previously served on the general board and led its Michigan branch.

The Church of God in Christ isa Pentecostaldenomination that its leaders say has 6.5 million members. Although headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, its reach is global.

The position of the presiding bishop became open after the previous presiding bishop,Charles Blake Sr., announced hewould not seek reelection and requestedemeritus status.

Here are the other 11 members elected to COGIC's general board, itshighest executive board:

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or 313-223-4792. Twitter @nwarikoo

Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/03/22/detroit-pastor-j-drew-sheard-cogic-presiding-bishop/4802425001/

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Detroit pastor J. Drew Sheard elected as national head of COGIC denomination, Dearborn pastor elected to board - Detroit Free Press

By Kurt Bardella

Sunday, March 21, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Anew report released by Stop AAPI Hate revealed that since March 19, 2020, there have been 3,795 hate incidents targeting Asian Americans. That figure barely scratches the surface, as most hate crimes go unreported. The rash of violence is becoming a daily event.

The most recent occurred Tuesday in the Atlanta area, where a white man is suspected of shooting and killing six Asian women.

A few days ago, Nancy Toh, an 83-year-old grandmother, was assaulted by a man who spit in her face and then punched her in the nose in Westchester, N.Y.

This month, a woman was charged with a crime for spitting at an Asian American man and yelling an ethnic slur at him as he dined outdoors in Silicon Valley.

On Monday, a white woman in New York City verbally assaulted an Asian American couple, yelling from a cab, Go back to (expletive) communist China, you (expletive).

I remember being made fun of when I was a kid in elementary school for looking different. For the shape and slant of my eyes. I remember the taunts, the ching and chong refrains. It affected me so that for so many years after, I effectively rejected my South Korean heritage. It was something I felt ashamed about. Something I hid from. Something I wanted nothing to do with it. Something that confused me.

What I didnt know then which I do now was that those taunts to make me feel inferior because of my physical appearance were acts of hate, and they were learned behaviors the kids picked up from their parents. What kind of person teaches another that its OK to attack someone in this way?

I never imagined back then that such hate would be so openly triggered by the leader of a political party, but thats where we are today.

In 1854, the California Supreme Court ruled that testimony from Chinese Americans was inadmissible because they were a race of people whom nature has marked as inferior, and who are incapable of progress or intellectual development beyond a certain point.

That kind of thinking seems to be alive and well today, egged on by the Republican Party. Last September, 164 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against a resolution authored by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., to condemn racism against Asian Americans. It was a sobering reminder of how mainstream bigotry against the Asian American Pacific Islander community has become in the Republican Party. Meng reintroduced the resolution in late February.

Just last week, former President Donald Trump issued a statement once again using the phrase China virus, which has inflamed hatred toward Asian Americans since the pandemic began. In their effort to find a scapegoat for the coronavirus, Republicans effectively put a bulls-eye on the backs of our community. The result is this torrent of violence.

If you look like me, youve almost certainly been told to go back to China by a white person at some point in your life. I think Ive been told that so many times throughout my life that on some level Ive become numb to it. But the more I think about that, the angrier I get. What does it say about this country that in the year 2021, a person can become so conditioned to outward displays of racism that he stops reacting to it?

Not anymore.

No more suffering in silence. No more waiting our turn. Were speaking out. Were mobilizing. No matter who you are, where youre from, we need you to be part of the #StopAsianHate movement. As the Rev. Al Sharpton put it the other day, You cant stop hate against anyone unless you fight hate against everyone.

Kurt Bardella, a Korean American, is a contributing writer to Opinion. He was spokesperson and senior advisor for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee from 2009 to 2013. This column originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

See the article here:
Trump, GOP put a bull's-eye on the backs of Asian Americans - Las Vegas Sun

Were not fans. Were grown folks that have the power of our vote, Sharpton said during the launch of Build Back Bolder.

Rev. Al Sharpton spoke during the online launch event for the Build Back Bolder plan and called on Black politicians to commit to making change beyond holding their landmark positions.

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The Los Angeles Times reported the Black to the Future Action Fund released the agenda and garnered the support of Sharpton, the Rev. William Barber II of the Poor Peoples Campaign, LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter, Ns Ufot of the New Georgia Project, and Deborah Scott of Georgia STAND UP. Build Back Bolder is a Black mandate issued to the history-making President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris administration.

We did not put you there for symbolism. We are past the Jackie Robinson days, Sharpton said during the online launch for Build Back Bolder, according to the LA Times. We dont want a Black in the game. We want to win the game.

What weve learned is that we only are going to get what we fight for, he continued. And even though some [politicians] may be better mannered, it does not mean that theyre going to do what is right for our agenda. Were not fans. Were grown folks that have the power of our vote.

Reverend Al Sharpton speaks during the Juneteenth celebration in the Greenwood District on June 19, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Alicia Garza, Principal at Black to the Future Action Fund, worked closely on the project.

America has consistently failed to deliver on its promise to Black communities, Garza said, according to the Times. But when we are focused, when we are organized, when we are determined, Black America has been successful in delivering on our promise to not rest until freedom comes. We pushed the Biden-Harris campaign to victory, not for them, but for us, because we cant wait any longer.

Build Back Bolder recommends that in the first 100 days, the Biden-Harris White House expand Social Security payments, guarantee priority for Black-owned small businesses in the next round of PPP and ensure racial equity in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, among a broader list of suggestions. In the long-term, the plan hopes to simply hold the government accountable.

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Government, and the people who operate it, must be held accountable for laws, policies, and practices that marginalize and perpetuate disparities for Black communities and Black people, the plan states. Policymakers must take action to bridge racial gaps in health, wealth, and other social outcomes by eliminating laws, policies, and practices that do harm to Black people, as well as by outlawing private sector practices that exploit racial disparities in order to boost profits.

Harris made history when she became the first Black and the first Southeast Asian-American to hold the position of vice president. During her first national sit-down interview since the historic win, the Howard University graduate sat with Errin Haines, editor-at-large at the non-profit, independent news outlet The 19th News, and was questioned on her significant role and plans while in office.

I feel a great sense of responsibility. When I took that oath on Jan. 20, there were a whole lot of people standing on that stage with me, she said. And you may not have seen them, but they were in my heart, they were in my mind when I had my hand on the Bible and raised my hand to take that oath. And I feel the weight of the responsibility that comes with that.

She also spoke to being a first, but hopefully, not the last.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the White House during a Black History Month Virtual Celebration on February 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Read More: Sharpton eulogizes George Floyd, demands America get your knee off our necks

I do it with a sense of optimism, knowing that we are still, yes sadly making a lot of firsts, but we are doing it and if we keep at it, soon perhaps we will be talking about the second and the third and the fourth, and it will be common and not something that we need to write about because its happening everywhere.

Watch the full interview below:

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated Alicia Garzas title.

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Al Sharpton on Black firsts in politics: We did not put you there for symbolism - Yahoo News