Browsing: National News

Fighting to live while eating to die:

According to state data that is updated daily, for Marion Correctional, as of May 1, staff members who reported positive results are 175; COVID-19 related staff deaths are 1; staff who have recovered are 98; units in quarantine include the full institution; inmates in quarantine are 430; inmates in isolation are 2016; inmates currently positive for COVID-19 are 2016; probable COVID-19 related deaths are 0; confirmed COVID-19 related deaths are 8; inmates who have pending results are 190; and inmates who have recovered are 69.

On April 26, 2020, Florence Nwando Onwusi Didigu, 73, defended her dissertation to earn her Ph.D. in Communication, Culture, and Media Studies. Her dissertation and future book titled, “Igbo Collective Memory of the Nigeria – Biafra War (1967-1970): Reclaiming Forgotten Women’s Voices and Building Peace through a Gendered Lens,” is a reflection of the Igbo women who, like herself, survived the war. Didigu, who is the oldest of five sisters, is graduating from Howard University with her fourth degree as a prestigious Sasakawa and Annenberg Fellow. She is thankful to have made it across many hurdles.

Tucked inside the announcement that both Barack and Michelle Obama would be participating in a virtual college graduation ceremony was the nugget of inspiration that a portion of one of the online events would be dedicated to honoring graduates of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

She recently announced the launch of her own law firm on Twitter and introduced herself as the founder and director. She wrote, “I am to Inspire. If I did it then so can you!!!”

Facebook has announced that 15 member publishers of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) will receive $1.288 million in grants through the Facebook Journalism Project’s relief fund for local news.

  “It’s not just the mother experiencing the trauma” of prison pregnancy and separation, said Ashley Lovell, director of the Tutwiler program, called the Alabama Prison Birth Project. “It’s also the newborn.”

Aside from my family’s personal experience and startlingstatistics, historically, Black people collectively, have never had reason to fully trust America’s health care system. Statistics prove that Black people are dying from the coronavirus in disproportionate numbers to white people.  Seventy percent of those who contract COVID-19 nation-wide and die of it are Black.

    Last week, the release of a second loan program to bolster businesses and revive the economy provides about $484 billion for small businesses, hospitals, and additional testing. But Black business owners said funds need to be earmarked specifically for African American firms to ensure that their companies survive the pandemic.

     Collectively, they argue that too often, insurance companiesrefuse to cover emergency services, and either patients are forced to pay bills they cannot afford, or hospitals are shuttering.