Focus on my enlightenment and roll with the river, not fights with the rocks.
VOL. 76 - THURSDAY, MARCH 3
There is so much power in surrender[ing] and letting go of control.
-Lauren London on Jay Shetty’s “On Point” podcast
Happy March and Women's History Month, #NoteddTribe! For us, it feels like we're finally getting into a good groove like we had to go through a 60-day trial period to start feeling like it's 2022. Does anyone else feel like the new year hasn't begun until now? 🙋🏾♀️
Did you know that the first Roman calendar was a 10-month calendar, with March being the first month of the year? That's right, January and February were unnamed and considered the "winter months" back in 753 B.C.
It wasn't until 45 B.C. that Julius Caesar demanded a reformed calendar, later becoming known as the Julian calendar, beginning with January 1. Another fun fact is that we don't use that calendar either, but rather the Gregorian calendar named after Pope Gregory XIII, which formally implements January 1 as the beginning.
It was interesting to hear Lauren London share her message on the power of surrendering on Jay Shetty's "On Point" podcast. We see being in control as a strength while surrendering is seen as a weakness, but as London shares, there's more power in letting it flow and not always trying to be in the driver's seat. That's why we're looking forward to making this a practice this month. We will use this time to finally honor that it is indeed 2022 😂, but also take this as an opportunity to pause, let go, and reset with intentions to prioritize our self-care as we close out the first quarter of the year and embark on the next one.
Thus, we're kicking off the month by unplugging this weekend! Sign up and receive our toolkit of tips, tools, and activities to start tomorrow in honor of National Day of Unplugging, but to also unplug all weekend long. When you sign up today, you'll be first in line to receive this toolkit first thing tomorrow morning.
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Don't forget! Everything must go in the Notedd Shop!
We are looking forward to expanding our shop with new stationery and SWAG, but we need your help.
Head over to www.Notedd.com/shop and shop our 50% off sale. When you grab three or five cards, you can save even more. We've got many card options to select from, including Birthday, Congratulatory, Missing You, and Thank You cards.
Grab yours today and start sending them out to your loved ones. While supplies last.
Earlier this week, President Biden gave his first State of the Union speech. Many reporters and outlets have different views and opinions on Biden's speech. Here are the few that stood out to us the most. ABC News. NBC News. CNN. What did you think about the speech? Add your thoughts in the comments!
Two COVID-related standouts from President Biden's speech were the test-to-treat initiative, a program that allow those who test positive to receive antiviral pills at no cost during the same visit at participating stores, and the ability to order more COVID tests from the government starting next week. Learn more about the test-to-treat program here and how you can receive more tests here.
Speaking of Daylight Savings Time, Maryland's House of Delegates voted last month to permanently shift daytime, which would end the bi-annual clock change. The bill still needs to pass in the Senate, but according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have passed bills to switch to year-round daylight saving time, with another 22 considering it this year. Who else wants this to be permanent? Vote Yes here and No here.
America's first abolitionist newspaper, The Emancipator, is being revived, revamped, and digitized. Co-editors-in-chief Deborah Douglas and Amber Payne shared with HuffPost that the new online publication "will feature written and video opinion pieces, a multimedia series, virtual talks and other content by respected scholars and seasoned journalists." The publication already has some powerhouses behind it with Nikole Hannah-Jones and Joy-Ann Reid as advisory board members. Learn more and sign up for their newsletter here.
Former editor Tara Roberts is the first Black woman explorer to be featured on the cover of National Geographic. Why? Roberts is on an exploration to uncover and explore the wreckage of sunken slave ships. She shares what inspired her to make this passionate pivot in her career with ABC News. Check it out!
Congrats to Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts recently became the first same-sex couple featured on Essence. Might we also add so stylishly and beautifully!
Ariana DeBose won a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for West Side Story! According to Town & Country, she became the first Latina actress to win an acting award, the first openly queer actress to win an individual acting award, and the first queer woman of color recognized for acting with this historic win.
It finally seems like we are taking baby steps forward with the House passing a bill to make lynching a hate crime. It also feels like we're taking incredible strides backward as a majority of House Republicans opposed the passing of the CROWN Act: the legislation that would prohibit public schools and employers from discriminating against Black hairstyles.
As we learn more about sanctions and the specific ones imposed by the US government on Russia, there's now a growing list of companies, including IKEA, Ford, Apple, Sony, and Disney, responding to the Russian invasion too.
Many reports share how Black communities worldwide are showing support for refugees suffering racism while trying to leave Ukraine, and opinion writer Tanesha Peoples of The Black Wall Street Times says that standing with Ukraine means standing in solidarity with Black Ukrainians.
Representation Matters! Who still has their Black Barbies? Our Black Millennium Barbie is preciously stored away at our parent's house, but it's fantastic to see the new unveilings of Black and Brown Barbies front and center.
Harlem's Fashion Row founder Brandice Daniel sparked a partnership with Mattel and three renowned Black fashion creatives Hanifa, Richfresh, and Kimberly Goldson, resulting in the above designs from each fashion house in honor of Black History Month. The one-of-a-kind designer dolls will be auctioned off to benefit and support Harlem's Fashion Row non-profit organization #ICON360, which provides financial resources and professional development to Black designers and HBCU fashion programs. See this collaboration live and learn more about the auction by clicking the above image.
We've got a big year ahead of us with midterm elections. Here's what's been happening as of lately that will likely have an impact on this election season:
The state of Texas kicked off the season with the first primary elections of the cycle earlier this week. Neither Conservative Democratic congressman Rep. Henry Cuellar nor progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros could clear the necessary 50% of the vote to win the primary outright earlier this week, thus resulting in a runoff.
This year, five Black women are running for state office in Georgia, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Iowa.
This week, a federal judge ruled that Georgia's redrawn political maps will remain in place for this year's elections because it's too close to the state's May 24 primary election. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this decision will allow the proceeding of new congressional districts with Republications gaining a seat in the north metro Atlanta area.
Last month, the Supreme Court reinstated Alabama's congressional map that a lower court originally blocked and said would dilute Black voters. Leaving this redistricting plan in place for the 2022 elections produces a 6-1 Republican advantage in the state delegation, the same as it is now — according to The New York Times and Politico.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
We're keeping it simple this week as we would love for you to focus on unplugging with us this weekend, but when you have some free time, complete the Black Census Survey.
Black Futures Lab launched the Black Census Project in 2018. Over the years, it has become the largest survey of Black people conducted in the US in 157 years. This year is no different as Black Futures Lab wants to capture the viewpoints of Black America and wants you to share your voice and story with them.
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Interested in being a Tribe Talk speaker? Have any content ideas? Are you launching a product or service? Have any major accomplishments to share with the group? Reach out to us and we'll add it to our next issue.
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