Before We Let Go...
VOL 3 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
Happy Hump Day! Excited to bring your mid-week dosage of news, culture and perspective. We've got a packed newsletter filled with what we've Notedd over the last week, a couple of honorable mentions and lastly a moment of reflection.
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Missy Elliott is dropping some new music soon! It's been nearly 14 years since her last Grammy-nominated project, The Cookbook, released which includes the infamous "Lose Control." We are hoping this will be a summer jam, as we look forward to banging to all of the tracks all summer long.
If you are Black-ish fans like us, then you'll be excited to see exclusive photos of young Rainbow in the upcoming prequel that will chronicle Rainbow Johnson - played by Tracee Ellis Ross on Black-ish - as a young adult. What is even greater about this prequel is Tika Sumpter is playing Bow's mom!
Did you know Serena Ventures has been backing up businesses like Billie (a razor subscription service that we highly recommend) and The Wing (a co-working space designed for women in select cities like NYC, DC, San Fran)? What's even greater that is Serena Ventures is tennis extraordinaire and mommy mogul Serena Williams's venture capital firm, which invests in diverse companies with young founders that foster collaboration.
Fashion Anthropologist and Founder of The Common Thread Project Mikaila Brown walks through the history of black fashion and culture in America through her Sidewalk Safaris. Now, you can take her Sidewalk Safari in Harlem through a recent partnership with Airbnb Experiences.
Among all of the 4/20 marketing and conversations, Ben & Jerry's made the most public statement by being "blunt about justice" in a social media campaign, pointing out the disparity in the number of white business owners who are monetizing off of legalized cannabis while black people are more incarcerated for pot usage.
One more story we are excited to follow up on. In our first issue, we shared the C.R.O.W.N. (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) act which is a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against people's hairstyles and grooming. The bill passed the State Senate and now will go to the State Assembly!
Student Loan Debt
What is there not to say about student loan debt these days? For many, paying off student debt is proven to take longer especially for women and particularly for black women. The American Association of University Women found in a report - Deeper in Debt: Women and Student Loans - that women hold two thirds of America's student loan debt with $890 billion in comparison to $490 billion held with men. 71 percent of women have student debt at the time of their bachelor's graduation in comparison to 66 percent of men. Black women graduate with the most debt at a little over $30K in comparison to $22K for white women and $19.5K for white men.
With these statistics, Democratic Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren's proposal to reduce student loan debt for millions isn't as startling. The proposal would cost $1.25 trillion over the span of a decade, creating a $50 million fund for HBCUs and require public colleges to complete an annual report identifying obstacles to enrollment and graduation for lower income students and students of color. The proposal is stirring quite a bit of conversation and some backlash, especially on social media. What are your thoughts?
"It’s not my responsibility to make you feel comfortable with the way I look"
Bleacher Report Host and Journalist Taylor Rooks shares a recent experience in an EBONY interview, where she conducted an interview where the focus on social media was placed more on the way she looked then the enlightening discussion she was leading. She shares with EBONY that women are more than just what they see. Agreeing with her wholeheartedly that women are "multi-dimensional," people tend to do themselves a disservice by placing us in a box based on our appearances. Taylor also highlights the challenges she faces with encountering hairstylists that don't have experience with natural hair. She stresses the importance for beauty to be more inclusive of more ethnic stylists.
2020 Election Town Halls
This week kicked off with a series of Town Halls (five total on Monday) which included Democratic Presidential Candidates: Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, California Senator Kamala Harris and South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigeg. In case you missed and need a quick download, this New York Times article provides five highlights from each candidate. The importance of the 2020 election is greater than ever, and we will be doing our best to keep a pulse and track what is taking place over the next year.
Hair Pat Down?
Have you ever been stopped by TSA where they had to complete a pat down of your hair? We encounter this too often when we either have a head wrap, faux locs or braids, or even a twist out - like wtf? A recent report from ProPublica shares that because TSA's full-body scanners aren't able to properly scan or detect our hair types or head wraps, TSA agents must conduct what they call a "hair pat down." Since the release of this report, TSA is looking for new options for screening hair, but it still doesn't ignore the feeling black women or women of color have to face in the meantime. As you know, we'll be following this story closely, and hope there is a better solution found soon.
We love FOX's drama The Resident, which follows a group of doctors at Chastain Memorial Hospital facing personal and professional day-to-day struggles. A modern day E.R. if you let it! Last week's episode had a strong tie to our mention of Black Maternal Health Week. Without spoiling it for you, the episode highlighted the unconscious biases doctors have which often causes the lack of proper care for black mothers after child birth. The episode was inspired by Charles S. Johnson IV's story in a congressional briefing on maternal mortality as his wife Kira Dixon Johnson died from complications of a scheduled cesarean section.
If you are looking for a fun, female-led comedy about love and heartbreak, you will love Netflix's new movie, Someone Great. Check out the trailer and see how music journalist Jenny (played by Gina Rodriguez) embarks on her last adventure in NYC with her best friends, Erin (played by DeWanda Wise) and Blair (played by Brittany Snow) - on the heels of an upsetting breakup with her boyfriend Nate (played by LaKeith Stanfield).
Do You Have the Traits of A Strong Friend?
By Lauren S.
One of our favorites outlets, 21Ninety, recently shared an article on the strong friends you have in your life. She’s the one that always holds you down, never seems like anything can tear her down as she just does the damn thing. Even the times you think she may be tested and break, she picks herself up and aims to do better the next time. Writer Nakeia Homer highlights that conversation we tend to have where we reach out to our friend and say hey friend, how are you doing? She then replies with girl I’m good, just busy and have a lot going on. And then you may respond with okay girl just checking on you. Your strong friend is often your therapist but who is the therapist for your strong friend? Do you feel like you are the strong friend sometimes?
Whether you are the strong friend or the good friend reaching out, we as women tend to not always admit that it’s tough out here. Nakeia lists five things that a strong friend won’t admit including she’s tired chile, she needs help, she’s vulnerable, she feels neglected and the one that I completely sympathize with is she does not know how she does it. Like Nakeia shares, the answer to the question is “I just do,” and trust she’s amazed by all that she can do sometimes but she just does. I often get the same question balancing work, school and now this wonderful weekly newsletter. The answer is just simply I just do.
As we head into National Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important more than ever for us to protect and preserve our minds. Just like you are achieving that summertime fine body by exercising and eating right, it’s important to do the same for the mind. If you are the strong friend, it’s okay sis your good friend will be reaching out to you more now after reading this, but also there are resources including Therapy for Black Girls and Open Path Collective that can help too. I tend to skew more into the strong friend path of life. Now having a nutritionist and trainer, I had to realize the need for a therapist to add to my crew of believers who are helping me become the better me holistically. If you are that good friend, check on your strong friend a little more often, maybe a call rather than a text, and make sure you are also taking care of your mind too.
Until we meet again next week, Notedd ✌
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