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In this April 18, 2020, file photo, people wait for a distribution of masks and food from the Rev. Al Sharpton in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. A new poll from the The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Black and Latino Americans are more likely than white Americans to have experienced job and other income losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. | Bebeto Matthews / AP

NEW YORK (AP)A year ago, Elvia Banuelos life was looking up. The 39-year-old mother of two young children said she felt confident about a new management-level job with the U.S. Census Bureaushe would earn money to supplement the child support she receives to keep her children healthy, happy, and in daycare.

But when the coronavirus was declared a global pandemic last March, forcing hundreds of millions of people into strict lockdown, Banuelos outlook changed. The new job fell through, the child support payments stopped because of a job loss, and she became a stay-at-home mom when daycares shuttered.

The only thing I could do was make my rent, so everything else was difficult, said Banuelos, of Orland, California.

Millions of Americans have experienced a devastating toll during the yearlongcoronavirus pandemic, from lost loved ones to lost jobs. More than530,000 people have diedin the United States. Those losses havent hit all Americans equally, with communities of color hit especially hard by both the virus and the economic fallout.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that compared with white Americans, Black and Latino Americans are more likely to have experienced job and other income losses during the pandemic, and those who have lost income are more likely to have found themselves in deep financial holes.

Thats on top of Black and brown Americans being more likely than white Americans to say they are close to someone who has died from COVID-19 andless likely to have received a vaccination. The pandemic has killed Black and Latino Americans at rates disproportionate to their population in the U.S., according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Banuelos, who identifies as Latina, said the disparity in pandemic experiences between the upper class and people who are in a tighter situation became glaringly clear to her early on in the pandemic. Even after two rounds of federal direct stimulus checks, she felt she was further behind than well-off Americans.

The relief didnt last that long, Banuelos said.

Overall, 62% of Latinos and 54% of Black Americans have lost some form of household income during the pandemic, including job losses, pay cuts, cuts in hours, and unpaid leave, compared with 45% of white Americans.

For other racial and ethnic groups, including Asian Americans and Native Americans, sample sizes are too small to analyze in the AP-NORC poll.

Jeremy Shouse, a restaurant manager from North Carolina, saw his hours greatly reduced during the early months of the pandemic when the small business was forced to shut down. Shouse, a 33-year-old Black man, said the restaurant has since reopened but went from making more than $5,000 in-house per day prior to the pandemic to only $200 on some days.

One year later and things still arent the same, Shouse said, adding his wages have dropped 20%.

About 6 in 10 Latinos and about half of Black Americans say their households are still facing the impacts of income loss from the pandemic, compared with about 4 in 10 white Americans. Black and Hispanic Americans are also especially likely to say that impact has been a major one.

We find that systemic racism plays a huge role in this process, said Rashawn Ray, a fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institute who co-authored a recent report on racial disparities and the pandemic in Detroit. I think what were going to see once the dust settles is that the racial wealth gap has actually increased.

There have long been racial disparities in how Americans experience economic downturns and recessions. However, following a recovery from the Great Recession and well into the Trump administration, the unemployment gap between Black and white Americans narrowed amid strong job growth and economic activity. But a recent analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found a gap that had declined to as little as 3 percentage points rose to 5.4 percentage points last August, erasing some of the gains made during the recovery.

The AP-NORC poll also finds Latinos are especially likely to think it will take a long time to dig their way out of the financial hole. About half say that they are still feeling the effects of income loss and that it will take at least six months to recover financially. About a third of Black Americans say the same, compared with about a quarter of white Americans.

Forty-one percent of Latinos say their current household income is lower than it was at the start of the pandemic, compared with 29% of Black Americans and 25% of white Americans.

And about 4 in 10 Black and Latino Americans have been unable to pay a bill in the last month, compared with about 2 in 10 white Americans.

For people of color, the trauma experienced due to economic turmoil has been compounded by immense personal losses. About 30% of Black and Latino Americans say they have a close friend or relative who has died from the coronavirus since last March, compared with 15% of white Americans.

Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of Choose Healthy Life, an initiative working to address public health disparities through the Black church, said she is confident in the Black communitys ability to recover economically and medically.

The emergency economic situation of the community is dismal, Fraser-Howze said, and its going to be worse for a long time. But we are a community of survivorswe came through slavery and Jim Crow. We figured out how to stay alive. I do believe and have faith that our community will come back.

AP writer Emily Swanson also contributed to this article.

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Data confirms what we already knew: Pandemic hit people of color harder - People's World

Eda Aker 12:27 am, Feb 26, 2021

Contributing Reporter

David Zheng, Senior Photographer

As Black History Month comes to its end, the Virtual Tour Series Civil Rights from Reconstruction to Right Now, co-sponsored by Yale Alumni Academy and Yale Alumni College, concluded with its last installment highlighting the Daughters of the Movement, a podcast and speaker series featuring daughters of civil rights activists, on Feb. 25.

Professor of African American studies Crystal Feimster hosted a conversation Thursday night with speakers who lived on the front lines of the African American Civil Rights Movement. At the end of the conversation, the audience of over 200 Yale students, alumni, faculty and members of the general public, had the opportunity to ask the Daughters questions about their stories.

Yale Alumni Academys Black History Month series has been superb, and the Daughters of the Movement event is the perfect capstone, YAA Executive Director Weili Cheng 77 wrote in an email to the News. The YAA has been fortunate to feature so many remarkable speakers and presenters in our programming, including Yales outstanding faculty professors like Crystal Feimster.

The guest speakers included the daughters of civil rights activists such as Gina Belafonte, the daughter of Harry and Julie Belafonte; Suzanne Kay, the daughter of Diahann Caroll; Hasna Muhammad, daughter of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Hasna; Stacy Renae Lynch, daughter of Bill Lynch; Dominique Sharpton, daughter of Al Sharpton; Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X; and Keisha Sutton-James, granddaughter of Percy Sutton.

According to Senior Director of Lifelong Learning and Travel at the YAA, Lauren Summers, the event was meant to serve as a dynamic forum for communication, connection and learning for the love of learning. Summers noted that the YAA and YAC came up with the idea for a virtual tour to allow audiences to connect with the history of civil rights from Reconstruction to now through the lens of Yale. The event was available free of charge to all Yale students and faculty.

The Civil Rights from Reconstruction to Right Now virtual tour has been one of the most popular programs on the YAAs website, with upwards of 2,000 visitors over the past month, Summers said.

The speakers are all of different ages and lead in different fields of activism,ranging from politics to education to film, yet are united by intertwined legacies. Lynch said that she came up with the idea to form this sisterhood amongst the Daughters to connect with women of similar experiences in relation to African American history.

All the Daughters were raised in households with similar teachings of valuing African American culture and similar experiences as well as shared the importance of self-love with the audience. According to Sharpton, many of the Daughters were unaware of controversy surrounding their parents work and have had to learn to have similar strength and solidarity in their activism.

I never really saw [my parents] shape to the controversy of what was going on because they were grounded in faith, and they instilled that in us from a very young age, Sharpton told the audience. That we are not only representing ourselves but we are representing a generation of people and we are representing the victory and promise of progress.

Shabazz added that it is through self-love and sisterhood that they are able to build on their parents work. She said, in her eyes the mentality that the Daughters have is lets control our narrative and make sure that America gives liberty and justice for all.

Full biographies of the guest speakers are available online.

Eda Aker | eda.aker@yale.edu

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Virtual Tour Series Civil Rights from Reconstruction to Right Now comes to an end with Daughters of the Movement talk - Yale Daily News

Black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities have been a pivotal part of African American history and culture since the early 20th century. Launched on the campuses of historically black colleges, these organizations have been a central resource for support and service in the educational advancement and strengthening of social bonds among black students, entrepreneurs and professionals, especially when the organizations expanded to majority white institutions of higher learning. Also, they were a way to combat racism, as many campus organization memberships were exclusionary to students and professionals of color.

The pioneer black Greek-letter organizations have become known as the Divine Nine, and among their ranks have been some of the most influential leaders of color in healthcare, fashion, business, global affairs, politics and more.

Among the ranks of black fraternities are leaders from W.E.B. DuBois; Martin Luther King Jr. and Al Sharpton to Hill Harper, Al Roker, Emmitt Smith, Robert Johnson, and hundreds of thousands more. And the sororities boast an impressive roster of sorors as well, from Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Michelle Obama, Shirley Chisholm, and Loretta Lynch to Nikki Giovanni, Soledad OBrien, MC Lyte, and many more.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council Inc. (NPHC), formed on the campus of Howard University on May 10, 1930, is a collective of the nine pioneering black Greek-letter organizations: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Since these nine were started and incorporated, membership has spread globally, with chapters in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. Their impact is also widespread professionally and financially, as they have contributed millions to uplift communities, send students to college via scholarships and support professionals in both corporate America and entrepreneurship via mentorship and sponsorship.

Alpha Phi Alpha is the oldest fraternity, founded in 1906, followed by Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi in 1911, Phi Beta Sigma in 1914 and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity in 1963. Among the sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest, founded in 1908, followed by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1913, Zeta Phi Beta in 1920 and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in 1922.

Since the Divine Nine have been founded and incorporated, other black Greek-letter organizations have followed, and though they are not part of the Pan-Hellic Council, they have been vital in their impact of promoting service, scholarship, and fellowship among students and professionals of color around the world as well. These organizations include sororities such as the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., founded in 1923 for educators; Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc., an affiliate organization of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) founded in 1942; Zeta Delta Phi founded 1962 at Bronx Community College, and fraternities such as Sigma Phi Rho, chartered at Wagner College; Delta Psi Chi, founded in 1985 at University of WisconsinMilwaukee; and Nu Gamma Alpha, which was founded on Howards University Campus in 1962.

The pioneer black Greek-letter organizations have become known as the Divine Nine, and among their ranks have been some of the most influential leaders of color in healthcare, fashion, business, global affairs, POLITICS AND MORE.

Submitted by Rosetta Brown, Proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc

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Letter To The Editor: A Black History Tribute To The Devine 9 - RiverBender.com

Dr. Howard Zucker denied that a March 25 directive to re-admit residents upon discharge from hospitals contributed to more COVID deaths at nursing homes.

DAVID NOVARRO: I'm David Novarro, Channel 7 Eyewitness News, with a look at this afternoon's coronavirus headlines. And there's growing concern this afternoon about new variants that have been discovered in New York City. But local health officials say there's still a lot that we do not know.

- When you read this news, you need to be a little skeptical of everything you read. Not all variants are of public health concern. Some variants are just that, they're variants. They're just a little bit different. Some variants are variants of interest. They have changes in their structure that might change the virus's properties. And some variants are variants of what we call public health concern. They have these mutations, and we have enough data to show that they change whether the virus is more infectious, whether it's more lethal, whether it can change immunity, something else.

So right now, at least for the report that we hear, we have from Columbia, we need to just consider this a variant of interest, something that's interesting that we need to follow and track.

BILL DE BLASIO: Until there's evidence that tells us that a variant is not handled well by vaccine, for example, or a variant has different impacts, we shouldn't assume the worst. We should say we need the full truth. We need the facts.

DAVID NOVARRO: Meanwhile, New York City middle school students returned to the classroom for the first time since November. Eyewitness News reporter Lauren Glassberg has the details.

STEVEN BUCCELLATO: The echoing sentiment throughout the building was that they were so happy to get our students back in front of us, to be able to teach them, to see them in person. And that's not possible without a special thank you to our custodial staff, who's been doing all the great work in our administration, who's been on top of everything, making sure that the building is ready for us to come back.

Story continues

NINA KULKARNI: I am both a New York City math teacher and a parent of three New York City public school students, one of whom attends McKinley. Today marks an important step towards reclaiming our lives.

LAUREN GLASSBERG: Two teachers from the William McKinley Intermediate School in Bay Ridge speaking about their excitement at being back at school today. The mayor welcomed students at the Leaders of Tomorrow Middle School in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx, beaming that so many kids are in school during this pandemic.

BILL DE BLASIO: 1,203 schools are open today. Open and serving our kids and moving this city forward. 1,203 schools open right this moment.

LAUREN GLASSBERG: The mayor has said high schools aren't far behind in reopening, but the president of the teachers' union says he doesn't see that happening until more testing is available.

MICHAEL MULGREW: For the middle schools, we added an additional 55 testing teams. We have not seen the city-- or they have shown us any that they have the capacity to do the high schools yet.

DAVID NOVARRO: And that was Lauren Glassberg reporting. Also today, Reverend Al Sharpton and other members of the Black clergy from across the New York area received their first coronavirus vaccines at Harlem Hospital. It's part of a push by faith leaders in the Black community to raise confidence in the vaccine. Research has shown a racial disparity in who is getting the shots. To encourage more minorities to get vaccinated, clergy are rolling up their sleeves to lead by example.

AL SHARPTON: Let's quit playing with this, and let's deal with it. If we're going to be leaders, let's lead. Our people are dying disproportionately. We cannot afford not to do everything in our power to make sure that we set the example to keep our people alive.

DAVID NOVARRO: Reverend Sharpton says that he is feeling well, and has not experienced any after-effects from the vaccine. We invite you to stay with ABC 7 NY for the latest developments in the pandemic and the race to vaccinate people across the tri-state area. I'm David Novarro. Have a great afternoon.

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Nursing home directive didn't lead to deaths, health chief testifies - Yahoo News

Written by Ann Brown

Feb 23, 2021

Black America is still experiencing a lot of firsts, including the first Black woman as vice president but civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton says hes tired of empty firsts. Now is the time to put aside Black symbolism. Its time for action, according to Sharpton.

Its a sign of our times that Black politicians cant simply acknowledge that debt. They are expected to actually repay it by addressing the vast and immediate needs of Black Americans, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Recently, several Black activists have developed a plan for the payback.

The Black to the Future Action Fund released its Black mandate for the Biden-Harris administration also known as theBuild Back Bolder plan, which is not to be confused with the administrations ownBuild Back Better plan.

This plan is being shepherded by the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Alicia Garza. Other backers include Sharpton, the Rev. William Barber II of the Poor Peoples Campaign, as well as several of the activists who helped turn Georgia blue in the last election, including LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter, Ns Ufot of the New Georgia Project, and Deborah Scott of Georgia STAND UP,The Los Angeles Timesreported.

On Feb. 19, the backers of the plan held an online launch event for the Build Back Bolder.

America has consistently failed to deliver on its promise to Black communities, Garza said. 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.

We didnt elect them because we like them or, you know because theyre our friends, Brown added a few minutes later. This is about power.

Sharpton echoed the sentiments. We did not put you there for symbolism. We are past the Jackie Robinson days, Sharpton said during Fridays launch event. We dont want a Black in the game. We want to win the game.

So what debt does Harris owe to Black America?

According to her office, Harris is keen on pushing forward an agenda that will help Black America.

Already, the vice president has been touting her involvement forming a White House task force to address health inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. She also has been using her voice to counter conspiracy theories about covid-19 and encourage skeptical Black people to get vaccinated, The L.A. Times reported.

Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Partys sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.

But theres more Harris can do. And Sharpton is expecting more from her.

What weve learned is that we only are going to get what we fight for, Sharpton said. 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.

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Sharpton Goes Off On New Black Symbolism: We Didnt Put You In Office For Symbolism, We Dont Need A Black In The Game - Moguldom