racial equity

Smithsonian African American Museum Director Placed on Leave

By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent Kevin Young, the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), is currently on personal leave and not leading the museum, according to Smithsonian officials. The leave began on March 14 and will continue for an “undetermined period,” according to Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s under-secretary for museums and culture. Shanita Brackett, the museum’s associate director of operations, has stepped in as acting director. Young has served as director since January 2021, succeeding Lonnie G. Bunch III after Bunch became Secretary of the Smithsonian. Under Young’s leadership, the museum

Robert F. Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Frank Baker and William Pickard Top List of Black Donors to HBCUs 

A recent Washington Post story found that Black Americans donate a higher share of their wealth than their white counterparts – to the tune of around $11 billion each year. Given their cultural and educational importance to the Black community, HBCUs are the repository of much of these donations with a number of household names – and some you may not know – making big-dollar contributions to these institutions.  

Racial Equity Finds a Permanent Home in Los Angeles

Monday, September 13, 2021, marks a monumental day in the history of Los Angeles. Attorney and Executive Director of the Civil and Human Rights Department, Capri Maddox has cut the ribbon to the newly established building looking to house the first racial equity branch of local government in the Los Angeles City Mall arena. 

LADWP Launches Racial Equity Plan, Board President Cynthia McClain Fights for Justice

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) are planting new seeds of racial equity within their principal foundation, LADWP Board of Commission President Cynthia McClain provided intensive details about the steps taken to create balance within the organization that controls the City’s water and power.

Disenfranchised and Marginalized Communities See Hope with Biden, Harris

On his first day, just hours after taking the oath of office, President Biden signed a host of executive orders – one of them aimed at ensuring racial equity. “It is, therefore, the policy of my administration that the federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality” President Biden proclaimed.

Kaiser Permanente Commits $1 Million to Promote Racial Equity in Southern California

Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated, nonprofit health system, today announced it has awarded $8.15 million to support 40 nonprofit and community-based organizations across the nation. This includes $1 million for 10 organizations in Southern California and is part of a $25 million commitment Kaiser Permanente announced in June to promote health equity and break the cycle of racism-driven stresses that lead to poor health outcomes for its communities. Kaiser Permanente serves 4.7 million members in Southern California.

JPMorgan Chase Commits $30 Billion to Advance Racial Equity

“All Americans deserve equitable access to affordable housing and the physical, emotional and financial security it represents,” said Lisa Rice, CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance. “JPMorgan Chase’s new commitments will help make owning or renting a reality for more Black and Latinx families, whose housing access has been impeded by decades of systemic racism and are now disproportionately affected by the impact of COVID-19. Addressing the affordability crisis, now overlaid with the pandemic, will require many players on many fronts, and these commitments are concrete, meaningful steps in the right direction.”