March 8, 2021
To help you navigate these uncertain times, we’ve compiled timely news and resources related to small business, education and connectivity. We hope this provides both information and comfort as we continue to weather these challenges.
T.D. Jakes Foundation in Action
On Tuesday, Chairman T.D. Jakes took part in a virtual event with the Ad Council’s to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine and how his story can inspire others. Watch the discussion here.
The T.D. Jakes Foundation is proud to celebrate women leaders with Texas Women’s Foundation at the 42nd Annual Leadership Forum & Awards Celebration presented by AT&T. T.D. Jakes Foundation President & CEO Hattie Hill will be co-chairing with Jana Etheridge, Chief Customer Officer & Chief of Staff Financial Services at Capital One Financial Services. Join us in this celebration on April 29 at 10 AM. Tickets are only $42! Reserve your spot now!
Recent opinion polls show that African Americans have the greatest COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy out of all demographic groups—a response both to historical wrongs perpetrated by the U.S. government in the name of medical progress and disturbing news accounts of disparate treatment in health-care facilities throughout the pandemic. Read more via WSJ on T.D. Jakes’ experience as a pastor and leader in the Black community, and what led him to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Today, in the United States, there are approximately 2.6 million Black-owned businesses—a number has risen by more than 30 percent in the past decade. Click here to visit the T.D. Jakes Foundation’s helpful resource guide to help those looking for ways to support Black-owned businesses.
COVID-19 News
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies show half of all Americans appear to be struggling financially. The U.S. Senate approved President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, directing a third round of stimulus checks to most U.S. citizens. The bill will return to the U.S. House of Representatives this week for final approval. Read more on the story via CBS News.
The pandemic has not only affected students academically, due to learning loss, but also mentally from prolonged social isolation. The upcoming Dallas Independent School District summer camps are strategically designed to ensure that the pandemic does not allow students to fall too far behind, with additional focus on improving children’s emotional wellbeing via check-ins, reflective journaling, and light exercise breaks. Read more on the summer camps via Dallas ISD.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s repeal of most COVID-19 restrictions — saying it was “time to open Texas 100%” — reverberated across the state and to the White House last Wednesday. Many Texas residents, schools and stores are hesitant to drop all restrictions given concerns surrounding the rise of COVID-19 variants. Federal health officials warn that the pandemic is far from over and that states should not let their guard down. State education officials on Wednesday gave local school boards the ability to set their own rules. Read more on the developments via the Associated Press.
New contagious variants of the coronavirus that were spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil are now circulating in New York City and California. Studies suggest that the vaccines currently in use can recognize the emerging variants — but they don’t provide as much protection against the new strains. Read more via CNBC Make It on how the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson vaccines work against the emerging variants.
Racial Inequities
Communities of color, which have borne the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, have also received a smaller share of available vaccines. The vaccination rate for Black Americans is half that of white people, and the gap in the Hispanic community is even larger, according to a New York Times analysis of state-reported race and ethnicity information. The longstanding racial and ethnic health inequalities are deeply rooted, according to public health experts. Read more on the data via The New York Times.
Prince Harry has described his “awakening” to the existence of systemic racism, saying “the world that we know has been created by white people for white people.” Since stepping aside from royal duties, the duke and duchess have been more outspoken about issues such as racism and the legacy of empire. Earlier this year, the pair encouraged the U.K. to reckon with its colonial past, highlighting the “wrongs” of its historic involvement in the countries that now make up the Commonwealth. Read more on the story via CNN.
Science News
The idea of seeing the world in a different way will literally become a reality as the world’s first space hotel, The Voyager Station, is scheduled to open in 2027.The space hotel will be composed of 24 modules connected by elevator shafts that make up a rotating wheel orbiting the Earth. The construction on the space hotel is expected to begin in 2026, and a sojourn in space could be a reality by 2027. Read the full story in CNN.
Together, we can and will get through this.
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