We Missed You, Notees!
VOL 25 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 14
Happy New Year! How are you all doing nearly two weeks into 2021?
While it feels like the 13th month of 2020 or maybe you want to also give your 2-week free trial of 2021 back, it’s still a New Year of new beginnings. But yet, the same emotional rollercoaster.
Despite our country making a despicable, unforgivable setbacks that date back as short as last week and as long as as 400 years ago, our own country is growing with Georgia’s first Black senator, the inauguration of the first woman, Black and South Asian VP in less than a week, and finally the opportunity to dust off our Baby Phat coats.
On a serious note, our focus this month is on growth: increasing, developing and strengthening whether professionally, personally, financially or in any area where you see fit. We’ll be taking this more focused approach throughout the year for our content and events, along with incorporating these themes into what we’ve Notedd in the news and honorable mentions. Stay tuned for more! We hope you enjoy our first newsletter of 2021 😊
There was a record number of Black women elected to Congress in 2020, including one newcomer who’s been exactly saying what we’ve been thinking lately and holding those accountable.
154,000 Black Women Left The Workforce In December Alone, meanwhile 16,000 jobs were gained by white men.
Ashanti Smith raised close to $100,000 after she was placed on leave for defending herself against an angry pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6.
Apple launches a Racial Equity and Justice initiative, revealing how they will spend their $100 million pledge.
An average black graduate has $7,400 more in student debt than his or her white peer, but how exactly is President-Elect Biden trying to help borrowers tackle their debt?
After being promoted as CNN’s senior political correspondent, Abby Phillips will now anchor the network’s Inside Politics, starting Sunday, January 24 at 8am. Her first interview will be a historic one, interviewing VP Kamala Harris for a one-hour documentary on Harris’ history making herstory as a prosecutor and lawmaker.
Congrats to Denise Woodard’s health-conscious brand Partake Foods who recently received big time investments from Rihanna, H.E.R., and Arlan Hamilton’s VC firm Backstage Capital! Woodard left her corporate job at Coca-Cola to lead and build Partake Foods full time. She created the brand after facing difficulties trying to find food options for her daughter who has food allergies. There has been a number of celebrities who are investing in Black-owned businesses, and specifically the number of Black and Latinx women startups received more funding than ever before in 2020. However, Digitalundivided’s Project Diane reports that majority of Black and Latinx women–led startups raise significantly less than the average funded startup. Despite there are a growing number of Black and Latinx women-led startups crossing the $1MM threshold, the numbers are still staggering in comparison to the average funded startup. We encourage you to read the Project Diane 2020 report, see how you can support Black & Latinx women-led startups and advocate for Black & Latinx women innovators or even join the community.
Two words: Stacey Abrams. If there was a face to add to the word growth, or honestly evolution, it would be Stacey Abrams: Founder of Fair Fight Action and Former House Minority Leader for the Georgia General Assembly. After the Georgia governorship was stolen and corruptly handed to current Governor Brian Kemp, Abrams didn’t focus her efforts on herself, but rather launching an organization to combat voter suppression that has impacted communities of colors for decades. Stacey’s efforts should not go unnoticed as her leadership and advocacy, partnership with Black activists and organizers such as the New Georgia Project, and certainly the Black voters were all critical factors turning the state Blue for a presidential election and senate runoff.
However, Writer Rachel Charlene Lewis raises the “persistent problem of leaning too heavily on Black women.” Lewis shares some of the praise that Abrams received, particularly on social media, and we certainly were a proud to witness the growth and progress in our country to support Abrams’ fight. However, it begs the questions: are Black women too often tasked with solving problems we did not create?
Investing in Black women’s expertise results in real change. We have made it possible for women like Abrams to fight and make change. But righting all the wrongs of the world requires more than we can ask from one woman.
Academy award-winning actress Regina King is making what has been notedd as a strong directorial debut with “One Night In Miami.” This film is centered around a fictional night between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) in a Miami hotel. Although it’s a moment set in the 1960s, the film delivers “a message of civil rights and racial relations that is just as relevant today.” One Night In Miami is available now in select theaters or you can tune like we will by watching on Amazon Prime this Friday.
This book came just in time for us as we build out our 2021 reading list (if interested, we’re happy to share your way 😉). Mutha, auntie, bestie, and author Bevy Smith released her new book: Bevelations. Bevy candidly shares how she reclaimed her life’s course, what happened when she started realizing a truer path after hitting rock bottom, and what she did to redirect her life toward meaningful creativity and freedom. Here’s a sneak peek on how she suggest on making a career change:
Build on your resources and contacts.
Consult a financial advisor.
Believe in yourself.
Stick with it.
Refinery29’s Unbothered is celebrating those essential self-care hours this Sunday, January 17 for a community Wash Day. “The virtual day of celebration will feature a lineup of Black hair-care influencers, mental health experts, and notable public figures who will host a range of seminars that merge hair tutorials with deep dives into important social issues facing Black women today.” As described, we think it will be a great opportunity to come together as a community to reflect, process and move on (somewhat) during what tends to be our weekly ritual at least.
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