“This is a moment in time for Americans to move past our divisions to come together and reach our full potential as a nation,” Ken Frazier, the chairman and CEO of Merck and a OneTen founder stated. “Our country’s workforce of the future will be an increasingly diverse one,” Frazier proclaimed.
The difficulty in producing a vaccine for the deadly virus comes as a new wave of COVID-19 infection has begun. Data provided by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland revealed that the U.S. surpassed 51,000 new daily cases on Oct. 13, marking the first time in over two months that the number exceeded 50,000.
An annual highlight of the conference was the 2020 NNPA Publisher Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to The Dallas Examiner’s distinguished publisher, Mollie Finch Belt.
The 2019 honorees are the Honorable Karen Bass, U.S. Representative (D-CA); the Honorable Elijah E. Cummings, U.S. Representative (D-MD); the Honorable Bobby Scott, U.S. Representative (D-VA); the Honorable Bennie Thompson, U.S. Representative (D-MS); Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agriculture (UAW); Shani W. Hosten, Vice President Multicultural Leadership, AARP; Dr. Kim Smith-Whitley, Clinical Director of Hematology and Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP); and Crystal Windham, Director, Cadillac Interior Design, General Motors.
Nineteen leaders of select, national multicultural organizations visited the headquarters of Eli Lilly and Company, the global pharmaceutical maker, for an all-day “learning lab” about the pharmaceutical industry’s role in the healthcare system. Attendees heard from Lilly’s senior leadership team, as well as, individuals working in clinical trials, research, manufacturing and medicine. Attendees also toured a drug development lab, participated in informational sessions on healthcare topics, and learned about the variety of diversity and inclusion initiatives underway at Lilly.