By Cedric ‘BIG CED” Thornton, Black Enterprise

There is history being made! According to Deadline, as of February 1, 2021, Rashida Jones will be taking over as president of MSNBC, making her the first Black executive to lead one of the major cable news networks. She is replacing Phil Griffin, who will be stepping down next year.

The chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, Cesar Conde, had made the announcement in a memo that was sent to the staff. According to NBC News, Jones, who is currently senior vice president at NBC and MSNBC, will take over at MSNBC on Feb. 1.

Jones currently leads the breaking news and major events coverage.

Conde announces the move via a staff memo:

“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago.  She knows that it is the people who work here that make it great, and she understands its culture. She also appreciates the impact and potential of the brand.

“As you know, Rashida currently leads coverage of breaking news and major events across NBC News and MSNBC, in addition to overseeing dayside and weekends news programming on MSNBC. In the last year alone that has meant, of course, that she has masterfully guided our coverage of the global pandemic, the social justice protests and unrest, Decision 2020, and the two most-viewed Democratic presidential debates in television history. She helped lead the preparation for Kristen Welker’s role as general election debate moderator. And she has steered many of our groundbreaking editorial series, including Justice for All and Climate in Crisis.”

Before she joined NBC News, the Hampton University graduate was the news director for the NBC affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, and also served as director of live programming for The Weather Channel.

By Brooklyn White, Essence

We are sad to report on the passing of actress Natalie Desselle-Reid, who appeared in movies such as B*A*P*S, Set It Off, Cinderella and Madea’s Big Happy Family. She also had a starring role in the UPN show Eve. Fellow actress Holly Robinson Peete first shared the devastating news. 

“Just absolutely decimated by this news…,” Peete wrote on Twitter. “Actress Natalie Desselle, bright shining star passed away this morning.” She added that she had gotten to know Desselle-Reid through her mother, who once managed the late star. “She will be so missed…sending out prayers to her children and husband. Rest in Peace, Sweet Girl.”

Desselle-Reid grew up in Louisiana and attending Grambling State University. Her first roles for both television and film came in 1996, when she was featured in Family Matters and Set It Off. Her innate wit was immediately noticeable, and she was given the opportunity to further expand as an actress in following years, appearing as primary characters in Robert Townsend’s 1997 film B*A*P*S and as the stepsister Minerva in Cinderella. Desselle-Reid starred alongside Halle Berry and Brandy, respectively. 

As far as television is concerned, she is perhaps most famous for her work on Eve, for which she played one of the best friends of the main character (portrayed by Eve Jeffers). 

An official statement on Desselle-Reid’s passing was shared through Instagram. 

It reads: “It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning. She was a bright light in this world. A queen. An extraordinary mother and wife… Her diverse career touched so many and she will be loved forever. Naturally, we are grieving and processing this profound loss and we thank you in advance for respecting our privacy at this extremely difficult time.”

TMZ has reported that Desselle-Reid passed away from colon cancer.

We are sending our sincerest condolences to the Desselle and Reid families during this time. 

WASHINGTON, DC— Walker’s Legacy is proud to announce the release of its COVID-19 Relief Micro Grant. As part of the continued commitment to elevate minority women owned small businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19, Walker’s Legacy is inviting multicultural women small business owners across the United States to apply for the Walker’s Legacy COVID-19 Relief Micro Grant.

Through this grant Walker’s Legacy intends to reward eight women with $500 for their entrepreneurial efforts. To apply, respondees must submit a response to Walker’s Legacy COVID-19 Impact Survey funded by the Gates Foundation. Through this survey, Walker’s Legacy will establish quantitative and qualitative data on the effects of COVID-19 to assist multicultural businesswomen and develop an action plan to support multicultural businesswomen in combating economic setbacks based on the current environment. The goal is to reach multicultural women who have been deeply affected by the impacts of COVID-19 through this survey.

By submitting a response to this survey, each respondee will be automatically entered for a chance to receive a $500 grant. Survey respondents must be submitted by December 28th at 11:59PM EST. Additionally, two survey respondents each week will be selected at random for a $50 Amazon gift card and a 1-year free membership to Walker’s Legacy. 

The COVID-19 Impact Study and the COVID-19 Relief Micro Grant initiatives are reflective of the continued commitment Walker’s Legacy has to multicultural women entrepreneurs. To learn more about this grant opportunity please refer to the COVID-19 Relief Micro Grant page. To take the COVID-19 Impact Study survey, click here.

By Stacey Brown, NNPA Newswire

The first wave of coronavirus vaccines should reach the public this week, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending that all adults receive the vaccination in 2021. 

While the CDC said there should be enough doses for as many as 20 million people to receive vaccination by the end of December, health officials expect a much larger supply in the coming months.  

Still, with a justified distrust of unproven vaccines, and a perceived limited participation by African Americans in clinical trials that lead to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, many question whether African Americans will accept vaccination.  

Others are also concerned that, even if the Black community generally accepts the vaccine, would doses be available. 

Distrust among the community

“I’m guessing white folks will be first in line,” Monica Roderick, a Temple Hills, Maryland mother of four, opined.  

“One of the reasons I shudder when I hear people talk about how Black people are still suspect because of the Tuskegee Experiment and other vaccines that ended wrong is because it tends to give other folks the greenlight to leave us out,” Roderick said. 

She continued: 

“This virus is the worst thing the world has seen in 100 years.

“It’s too important not to consider the vaccine, especially since most people affected by the coronavirus are Black and Brown.” 

Putting whether the Black community can trust the vaccine aside, the next controversy on the immediate horizon is whether African Americans will have access. 

The initial supply certainly will overwhelm demand, CDC officials said. The federal government plans to distribute the vaccine in phases. 

Health care workers and patients in long-term health care facilities are first in line.  

According to guidelines, senior citizens and those with high-risk comorbidities and essential workers are next. 

After that, state and local government officials will determine who next receives a vaccination.  

No plan to reach the Black community

So far, most states have yet to develop a concrete plan.  

The outline reportedly provided suggested no explicit details about reaching marginalized populations like the Black community who have suffered the most. 

“I’m looking at social media, and I’m seeing [Former President] Barack Obama saying he’ll take the vaccine on television, and I’m shaking my head,” said Tonia Everhart, a Northeast, Washington, D.C., nurse.  

“First, understand that Obama isn’t necessarily the most trusted voice in the Black community, and he’s not a doctor.  

“While I understand what he’s trying to do to encourage participation and eliminate fear, our community needs Black medical professionals, trusted voices, to say it’s okay to take the vaccine and then we need to be assured that we are not going to be left behind when the vaccine becomes available,” Everhart demanded. 

Health officials agreed. 

Local leaders needed

“You need that deep community engagement to strategize and inform what needs to be done, community by community,” Eric Toner, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who was the lead author for Johns Hopkins’ Covid-19 vaccine allocation framework, told NBC News. 

That means engagement of local leaders, from pastors to principals, to reach hesitant individuals, he said, adding that such strategies are particularly key to reaching historically marginalized and disenfranchised communities. 

“That is a public health priority not only for ethical and moral reasons but because that’s where a lot of the transmission of the disease is happening,” Toner added. 

“It’s absolutely true that we can’t reach them solely through public messaging,” Toner continued.  

“States need to be working now to create the relationships in those communities with trusted leaders to encourage people to seriously think about getting vaccinated.”

By Lou Yeboah

“I’ve been telling you for a long time now to repent. But you have not heeded to a word I said. Well I got news for you. If you think this year was bad, next year, will be a Tsunami, Hurricane, and Storm, all in one. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.” [Luke 10:13–15]. I’ve warned you in January 2020 that the New Year would not be what you expected. Did you listen? No.  I am alerting you once more, come 2021, the New Year will not be what you may expect! 

Man has never experienced anything like what will occur during the Great Tribulation. And it is prophesied to come upon us suddenly—and unexpectedly! In [Luke 21:34-35] Jesus said it would be like a snare—catching us completely off guard. Isaiah compared it to the collapse of a high, swelling wall “whose breaking comes suddenly at an instant.” [Isaiah 30:13].

Sudden destruction—that’s what Christ associates with the events leading to His return. And it all unfolds at the very time most people least expect it. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” [1 Thessalonians 5:3]. It will be so bad that even ambassadors of peace will weep bitterly according to [Isaiah 33:7].

When we look at the four seals of [Revelation 6], we have to understand them in the context of God’s age long message to mankind. When these horsemen make their rides, it will be after repeated warning and pleading from God to turn from sin and live righteously based on His eternal law of love toward God and man.

I’m convinced that all the fearful things we see coming upon the earth right now — all have to do with the coming of Christ. Beyond all the war clouds gathering, beyond the gross darkness covering the earth, a cloud is being formed in heaven. And one day soon Christ is going to enter that cloud and reveal himself to the whole world. [Luke 21:31].

Man’s world faces an inevitable death. Every dimension of our culture, every dimension of our society is escalating on the down slide, being devastated by depravity, more and more given over to lust and pride and self-indulgence, immorality and rejection of God and Christ, and the truth of Scripture. And thus man is sentenced; his whole world is sentenced to divine wrath. [Revelation 14:10].

Listen, when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He told them: “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you” [Exodus 15:26]. However, if they disobeyed and broke the covenant, they could expect disease to afflict them, their families and their nation.

Notice: “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God.?.?. the Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land into which you go to possess. The Lord will smite you with consumption, with fever and inflammation.?.?. and the tumors, the scurvy and the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The Lord will smite you with madness and blindness and dismay of [mind and] heart” [Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22, 27-28].

[2 Samuel 16] says there is wrath gone out from the Lord.  [Isaiah 13:9] said, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger and He will exterminate sinners.” Amos cried in chapter 4 verse 12, “Prepare to meet your God.”

LORD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOUL!

God instructed Jeremiah to give his people this warning: “Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.” [Jeremiah 7:27-28].

By Charles Ellison, the b|e note

Surveys have documented disproportionate disinclination among Black people in the United States to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus – a cause of substantial concern for public health professionals given the Black population’s high rates of infection, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. This study delves deeply into these compunctions, relying on an unusually large, random national sample of Black Americans, a review of the literature on vaccine uptake and consultation with experts in the field.  

Confirming previous findings, fewer than half of Black adults, 48 percent, say they probably or definitely would get a coronavirus vaccine if it were available for free – including just 18 percent who definitely would get vaccinated. Among Latinx adults, interviewed for comparison, far more likely would get vaccinated, 66 percent, including 31 percent definitely.

Safety and trust concerns are pervasive in both groups – but their higher levels among Black people are key in these differing vaccination uptake intentions. 

“Student Loans Weigh the Heaviest on Black and Hispanic Students” 

READ more …

Student loan debt weighs more heavily on students of color than on their white counterparts.

For example, if you look only at four-year public colleges, an estimated 86.8 percent of Black students borrow federal student loans to attend, but just 59.9 percent of White students do the same, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

With rising tuition costs outpacing inflation and wage growth, many students are struggling to afford college. In fact, about 44 million Americans owe over $1.48 trillion in student loan debt.

But according to our in-depth analysis of data from Demos and NCES, Black and Hispanic students are paying more when it comes to student loans than White students.

“Increased Winter Drownings in Ice-Covered Regions with Warmer Winters” 

READ more …

Winter activities on ice are culturally important for many countries, yet they constitute a high safety risk depending upon the stability of the ice. Because consistently cold periods are required to form stable and thick ice, warmer winters could degrade ice conditions and increase the likelihood of falling through the ice. This study provides the first large-scale assessment of winter drowning from 10 Northern Hemisphere countries. We documented over 4000 winter drowning events. Winter drownings increased exponentially in regions with warmer winters when air temperatures neared 0°C. The largest number of drownings occurred when winter air temperatures were between -5°C and 0°C, when ice is less stable, and also in regions where indigenous traditions and livelihood require extended time on ice. Rates of drowning were greatest late in the winter season when ice stability declines. Children and adults up to the age of 39 were at the highest risk of winter drownings. Beyond temperature, differences in cultures, regulations, and human behaviors can be important additional risk factors. Our findings indicate the potential for increased human mortality with warmer winter air temperatures. Incorporating drowning prevention plans would improve adaptation strategies to a changing climate.

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California will provide temporary tax relief for eligible businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. The temporary tax relief entails an automatic three-month income tax extension for taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax, extends the availability of existing interest and penalty-free payment agreements to companies with up to $5 million in taxable sales and provides expanded interest free payment options for larger businesses particularly affected by significant restrictions on operations based on COVID-19 transmissions. The total tax relief, if fully utilized, is estimated to have billions in impact.

Additional information on the tax credit program and applications can be found here.

The state will build on its ongoing support for businesses impacted by COVID-19 with a new $500 million COVID Relief Grant program. The Governor also announced that the state would expand the California Rebuilding Fund by $12.5 million, bringing the total investment to $37.5 million. These efforts are informed by recommendations made by the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. 

CalOSBA is establishing the COVID Relief Grant program and will make it available to small businesses as soon as possible – for updates on availability visit here.

Earlier this week, Governor Newsom discussed the potential for a new Stay at Home Order for counties in purple, this would include San Bernardino county. It is imperative that businesses prepare for the chance that the response to the pandemic would be a new stay at home order.

In addition, the governor discussed the expected hospitalization rates that could mean that ICU beds could exceed capacity 107 percent in southern California by mid to late December.

The news prompted the governor to reiterate the actions the state has taken to make available billions of dollars for small businesses relief. These relief funds and programs for small businesses can be found at covid-19.ca.gov website or https://covid19.ca.gov/business-and-employers.

STATE BUSINESS PROGRAMS

Emergency relief packages. For more information, please visit the websites included here to read all regulatory and grant application information.

California and the federal government are providing tax assistance and benefits to small businesses. https://covid19.ca.gov/taxes/ This includes:

• Interest-free deferral of sales/use tax up to $50,000 for businesses with less than $5 million in taxable sales

• A $1,000 tax credit for new employees hired by small businesses (up to $100,000 per business)

• Excluding forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans from state gross income

• Federal tax credits to small businesses for COVID-19 employee paid leave 

• $25,000 for small businesses and nonprofits also included in this package.

• Tomorrow, December 1, the state is implementing a main street hiring tax credit for hiring qualified employees.

• The state has a tax relief program of $100 million to waive franchise tax fees for new businesses.

• SBA and the state are offering numerous programs for disaster relief loans for businesses that would not otherwise qualify for loans.

ALSO, restaurants, please review the great plates program providing you reimbursement for meals provided to seniors. The state will provide after 75% reimbursement for these cost and allow you to maintain your employees. The great bites program what’s discussed today by the governor and can be found at https://covid19.ca.gov/restaurants-deliver-home-meals-for-seniors/ For the next 6 to 9 weeks our small businesses might be even more severely impacted, some would say more the impact may be harder than all of 2020. It is important that you look into these programs in order to maintain your businesses.

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media

Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, three vaccine trials have yielded promising results, and the first round of Americans could begin to receive shots as early as mid-December.

Last week, the California Department of Public Health announced that California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris will chair the state’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee. The group Burke-Harris leads will help guide the state’s decision making about vaccine distribution.

“While the COVID-19 vaccine is new, we are not starting our planning process from scratch. This is an area of expertise we have strong partnerships in, building on lessons learned from previous vaccination campaigns, including H1N1 and the seasonal flu,” said Gov. Newsom.

But as the anticipated end of the global pandemic finally comes into our line of sight, some Black activists are raising concerns shared and echoed by skeptical African Americans across the country.

Earlier this month, San Diego civil rights organization People’s Alliance for Justice (PAFJ) sent letters to the four companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, asking them to release data regarding the diversity of vaccine trial participants.

“We need a break down of race and ethnicity to analyze data regarding whether communities of color are overrepresented in these trials or underrepresented or equally represented and how our communities are responding to the call for volunteering,” wrote Shane Harris, PAFJ’s president in the letter.

According to Harris, Pfizer, the global pharmaceutical company, has responded to his inquiry. He shared the letter with California Black Media.

“With regard to your data request, the demographic data collected to date shows that approximately 30% of trial participants in the United States have racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds,” the letter from the CEO of Pfizer reads. “More specifically, 10.1% of U.S. participants are Black, and 13.1% of U.S. participants are of Hispanic/Latinx origin.  Please find additional demographic information at the global and U.S. levels here.”

Pfizer says it also plans to present subgroup analyses by age, race and ethnicity and may also do an evaluation by country. 

Dr. Oliver Brooks, who is the immediate past president of the National Medical Association (NMA), said during a California Black Legislative Caucus (CLBC) press conference last week that he has also met with the companies developing vaccines and verified that African Americans are included in the trials.

The CLBC organized the virtual press conference to highlight work Black elected officials and healthcare professionals are doing to address the pandemic in California’s African American communities.

Asked whether the vaccine will be prioritized in communities that have been COVID-19 hot spots, which are primarily Black and Brown communities, Burke-Harris says she is taking steps to make sure that process is inclusive.

“We will be reviewing the distribution plan and ensuring that we are having an equitable framework for vaccine distribution,” said Burke-Harris.

Two of the companies developing a COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer, in partnership with BioNTech, and Moderna, announced Nov. 9 and 16, respectively, that their vaccines are producing promising vaccine trial results. The Pfizer vaccine is estimated to be more than 90 % effective, with 94 trial participants out of nearly 44,000 contracting COVID-19. The Moderna vaccine was found to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by 94.5 %.

A third company, AstraZeneca, which is developing a vaccine with Oxford University announced that its vaccine, from separate clinical trials is up to 90% effective.

Pfizer announced Nov. 20 that it has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant an emergency use authorization for its vaccine. On Nov. 22, Moncef Siaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed — the federal government’s program to produce and deliver 300 million doses of the vaccine by January 2021– told CNN that the group plans to begin administering the vaccine immediately.

“Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours from the approval, so I would expect maybe on day two after approval, on the 11th or on the 12th of December, hopefully, the first people will be immunized across the United States, across all states,” Slaoui told CNN.

The FDA committee in charge of the emergency use authorization is scheduled to meet Dec. 10. According to reports, Pfizer and U.S. government officials expect to have 30 to 40 million doses of the vaccine before the end of the year, enough for 20 million people.

Officials have yet to decide which groups of people will qualify for the first round of vaccinations, but they are expected to start with groups vulnerable to infection first, including health care workers, older adults, and people who have risk factors such as obesity or diabetes. According to Slaoui, herd immunity is expected by around May 2021.

During a Nov. 13 press conference, medical officials spoke about the progress of various vaccine trials.

One challenge they discussed was the distribution logistics of the Pfizer vaccine, which must be kept frozen while stored and transported.

“This means this vaccine can only be given at distinctive locations where the personnel are very well-trained to do this. This is not a vaccine that will be available at the local pharmacy or in a physician’s office,” said Dr. Willam Schaffner of Vanderbilt University.

The doctors also discussed the possible side effects of the vaccines. Pfizer executive William Gruber told Stat News that their vaccine’s side effects include aches and fevers, and that he believed its side effect profile was “comparable to standard adult vaccines, but probably worse than Pfizer’s pneumonia vaccine or a flu shot.”

“Those side effects, that’s your immune system working to start with the vaccine, to develop your protection. You’re not getting COVID. You can’t get COVID from the vaccine,” said Schaffner.

Black doctors have also emphasized the importance of informing their communities about the vaccine.

“We look at our role as being messengers to African American physicians who then can be messengers to the African American community,” said Brooks.