You Only Get One You
VOL 19 - THURSDAY, JULY 16
Hey Notees! How is it that we've reached the middle of the month already? Anyone else still feeling the remnants of mercury being in retrograde?
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month! Did you know that the month was created by author, journalist, teacher and mental health advocate, Bebe Moore Campbell, as way to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face in regard mental illness in the United States? What's unique about the awareness month this year is the conscious effort of organizations such as the Mental Health America and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to distinguishably acknowledge the needs and experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Color rather than the generally used terms of "minority" or "underrepresented." For the Human Rights Campaign, they have shifted their terminology to elevate the mental health experiences of queer and trans Black, Indigenous, people of color.
It's important as women of color that we take this opportunity as a mental health check-in. There is a great deal of resources such as how-to articles, toolkits, infographics and practices to either revamp or reinvigorate your mental health routine. Here are a few of the resources and organizations we follow:
The First Self-Exploration Card Deck Created by a Black Female Psychologist for Other Women of Color
These Business Are Offering Free Or Reduced-Cost Mental Health Care To The Black Community
We hope you enjoy our recap from last week and that it encourages you to chat more about what's happening in the world. Don't forget to check out simple, powerful ways to buy stocks online, an article written by Demietra Williams!
Enjoy and always: Stay Notedd!
Mark your calendars as National Crown Day is officially July 3! Virginia recently became the seventh state to enact the Crown Act as a law. The Crown Act was created and passed first in California. Here's to hoping the CAREN Act or Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies which will make discriminatory, racially biased 911 calls illegal in San Francisco.
Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle will become the U.S. Navy's first Black female tactical fighter pilot.
The 1619 project is coming to a television near you as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones's brainchild will be adapted into an expansive portfolio of feature films, television series, and other content for a global audience.
Dana Canedy is now Simon & Schuster’s senior vice-president and publisher of namesake imprint, making her third woman and first Black person to hold the role. Also, to note, Dana has served as the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes since 2017, bringing in a diverse selection of work including Kendrick Lamar's iconic music and a posthumous award to Ida B. Wells.
America's most decorated gymnast Simone Biles recounts her experiences and overcoming abuse in the world of Gymnastics, and how she's sticking to her training and development until the 2021 Olympics. Her story is incredible if you haven't read yet as this month's Vogue cover!
After placing her career on hold in 2019, WNBA player Maya Moore assisted in the overturning of Jonathan Irons's 1998 wrongful conviction. After serving 22 years in prison, Irons was finally released after being convicted by an all-white jury for burglary and assault despite no circumstantial evidence providing his guilt.
Where are the people of color and women in the world's task forces? The Coronavirus Taskforce holds 27 members with only two women members: Dr. Deborah Birx and Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. However, the lack of diversity within our health organizations across the world is pretty stark when you look at the statistics. NPR reported in a recent article that "only 10 of the 31 members and advisers of the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on COVID-19 are women, and of the 25 members of the WHO-China joint mission on COVID-19, 20% are women." Women are at higher risk of infection as 70% make up the world's health care workforce. There are increasing statistics related to domestic violence against women due to the sheltering-in-place order and shutdowns have also led the disruption of women's health care services. The NPR article notes that there are three problems that women are facing:
Women and people of color aren't at the table to help influence and make the decisions related to pandemic response measures and practices, despite being populations that are severely at risk of infection and disproportionately dying in comparison to other populations.
There is also an issue with gender-specific data and data that accurately depicts in real time how the virus is continuing to impact communities of color.
There are policies (or removal of policies) in place that are impacting women's health care and reproductive services. In May, the US government sent in a letter requesting the removal of "sexual and reproductive services" in the COVID-19 plan.
In turn, local nonprofit organizations and health experts in other countries such as Somalia have rallied to increase their government's accountability and transparency in data and information sharing specifically on how the virus is impacting women. Global health advocates are pressuring their leadership for more female representation in COVID-19 task forces, but it still remains unknown whether that same pressure is applied to adding people of color representation. NPR also reported that women's well-being is starting to be taken into account as "representatives from a coalition of more than 50 humanitarian and women's rights groups rolled out a vision for a U.S. 'feminist foreign policy.' They're calling for the creation of a "feminist inspector general" at the White House, among other actions, to ensure that international programs — from trade initiatives to humanitarian aid — are designed for women and protect women from the get-go in any future crisis."
What exactly happened in the recent Supreme Court cases? If you are staying as close to the news as we are, you may have noticed the increasing amount of the U.S. Supreme Court cases over the last few weeks. We've notedd a few in the "What You Missed" section, but a few additional ones have received their rulings. Therefore, here is an updated list with some additional context:
DREAMers: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting 700,000 from deportation. This ruling applied to qualified individuals under the President Obama's DREAMers program who were brought to the U.S. as children who were given temporary legal status if they graduate from high school or were honorably discharged from the military, and if they passed a background check.
1964 Civil Rights Act: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian and transgender employees from discrimination. This federal law will protect employees in those states from firing and other adverse employment decisions made on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Chiafalo v. Washington and Colorado v. Baca: The justices ruled unanimously that states may compel electors, the individuals who make up the Electoral College, to vote for the winner of the statewide presidential race by either removing or fining “faithless electors.”
The Supreme Court's decision on both cases were highly anticipated due to the upcoming 2020 presidential election and that faithless votes from faithless electors could affect the outcome of a close election.
TheSkimm reported that "in 2016, 10 electors went against their state's popular vote, the most in more than a century. Three electors in Washington state were fined, and one in Colorado was removed. They sued, arguing they had a Constitutional right to vote for whoever they wanted without being punished."
As you know the Electoral College decides who will be president. In 2016, Trump won by 77 votes, which many argue the 10 faithless electors didn't make a significant impact. However, many argue that this ruling is in the right direction for a more certain voting process.
Contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act: The ruling resulted in a 7-2 decision that "employers with religious or moral objections do not have to provide free contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act."
This decision reversed the lower courts' decision to block the regulations.
What's even more absurd about the ruling is that thousands of women (75,000 to 126,000 women) could lose employer coverage for contraceptives. Without insurance access, the cost for oral contraception ranges between $600 to $1,000 a year and significantly increases the cost for contraceptives like IUD’s.
This is another dig that will certainly affect Black communities, communities of color and LGBTQ+ communities.
Espinoza v. Montana: The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 stating that offering scholarships to students in private schools cannot exclude religious schools from such programs. The court stopped short of requiring states to fund religious education, ruling only that programs cannot differentiate between religious and secular private schools.
Many argue that this a pathway for religious schools to discriminate against already-marginalized students, including LGBTQ youth and students with disabilities.
Teachers unions and civil rights groups warned that if the floodgates open for religious school funding, public schools that educate about 90% of students will suffer.
Check out these honorable mentions and drop us a note on your thoughts if you are able to check them out this weekend or next!
We are proud to wear our Legendary Rootz tee! We started following Legendary Rootz after their feature in a Twitter thread Juneteenth weekend. Our X Said It Best tee says "The most disrespected, neglected, and unprotected person in America is the black woman." They've got everything from tees to digital wallpapers to mugs. Check them out and grab a goodie as it takes 5 weeks to arrive.
Have y'all seen the Pay It Forward Google Doc? Co-Founders of the document (Kate Huyett, Bombas CMO) and Tyler Pietri (Klaviyo Product Manager) were inspired to pay it forward by creating a network over 1000 startup and marketing execs to create access to Black people and hire Black individuals. There is a tab where you can schedule 15-30 minute calls with executives and check out companies that are actively hiring.
Did you know that only five percent of doctors in the US are Black although, there are more than 40 million Black people residing in the US? Bring in Health in Her Hue! Ashlee Wisdom, MPH create the platform as a digital way to connect Black women to culturally competent healthcare providers and health content.
First-Time Investors: Discover a Simple, Powerful Way to Buy Stocks Online
By Demietra Williams
Invest in Your Future
Have you considered buying stocks online but didn’t know where to begin? I’ve been there. Twelve years ago, I thought about purchasing stocks, but found the whole process to be intimidating. The terminology was unfamiliar. I didn’t know how to open an online brokerage account or how to buy shares.
I conquered my fears. I studied the basic concepts of how the market worked and I began to develop my own investment strategy. Armed with more knowledge, I bought my first share in 2008.
Buy Fractional Shares – A Powerful Tool
Actually, I bought a fractional share.
A fractional share is a position in a stock equal to less than a whole share. Let’s say a whole share of a company costs $200. You buy $100 worth. This means you own a fraction, or 50 percent, of a share.
You can capitalize on this powerful way to first enter the stock market. In most cases, it’s free to open an online brokerage account and you can start investing with just $50.
Around 2008, a share of Apple cost almost $800. I bought a fractional share worth $200 and decided to invest the same amount each month. I gained a whole share in about four months. It was worth the wait. I still hold those positions and over the years I’ve netted a lot of gains from them...
Click the button below to learn more on how you can get ready, set, trade today!
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