March 22, 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
The T.D. Jakes Foundation is honored to host a breakout session at the first International Leadership Summit (ILS) Virtual Experience, April
29-May 1, 2021. Presented by T.D. Jakes, ILS is an intensive training experience that equips you and your team with in-depth strategies and direction to execute your vision with precision and clarity. Invest in your teams, mentees, friends, or family members when you bring your plus-9 with you to the top as an ILS registrant — at no additional cost! Leaders, your elevation awaits. Register now.
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!
In an uplifting interview, Hattie Hill, president and CEO of T.D. Jakes Foundation, sheds light on the remarkable history of Xernona Clayton, president and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation. Clayton, who has walked hand-in-hand with Civil Rights greats of the past and the present, offers unforgettable advice for finding your way, holding onto hope, and creating lasting joy through helping others. In her words, “If we all did a little bit, we’d all have a big bit to share.” Allow her timeless wisdom to infuse your soul and awaken the inner “great” in you.
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
As Texas expands COVID-19 vaccination eligibility, racial disparities persist among Black and Hispanic residents – with white Texans being vaccinated at nearly twice the rate of Hispanic Texans and more than six times the rate of Black Texans, according to state data. In early February, three FEMA vaccination hubs were established in Dallas, Arlington and Houston to specifically target underserved communities, like those who live in zip codes considered to be at risk based on their Social Vulnerability Index. Read more on the story via The Texas Tribune.
According to data provided from John Hopkins University, Europe’s third coronavirus wave has officially started following a recent spike in cases. The French capital and parts of the north of the country will enter a new lockdown Friday, and in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel had announced an easing of lockdowns, however, the rising case numbers may mean that they cannot take further steps to re-open. Learn more via CNBC.
STEAM News
According to a recent McKinsey report – Black people are significantly underrepresented in the film and TV industry. Increasing opportunities for Black people in film and TV could improve equality and generate over $10 billion in annual revenues across the industry. The World Economic Forum has put together four measures to improve diversity and inclusion in the film and TV industry, learn more here.
The largest rocket element NASA has ever built, the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, fired its four RS-25 engines for 8 minutes and 19 seconds Thursday at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The successful test, known as a hot fire, is a critical milestone ahead of the agency’s Artemis I mission, which will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the Moon and back to Earth, paving the way for future Artemis missions with astronauts. Read more on the mission via NASA.
Immigration
The House on Thursday passed two proposals that would legalize subsets of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission. If signed into law, applicants would be eligible to apply for permanent residence if they earned a college degree or enrolled in a bachelor’s program for two years; if they served in the military for at least two years; or if they worked in the U.S. for a three-year period. More than 300,000 immigrants living in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure, two provisional forms of humanitarian relief, would automatically be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the bill if they meet the eligibility rules. Read the full story in CBS News.
Together, we can and will get through this.
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