United States

COVID-19 Update: FDA Outlines Inspection and Assessment Activities During Pandemic

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new report titled, “Resiliency Roadmap for FDA Inspectional Oversight,” outlining the agency’s inspectional activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and its detailed plan to move toward a more consistent state of operations, including the FDA’s priorities related to this work going forward.

API Lays Out Initiatives, Including Partnerships with Communities of Color

“In fact, API has had a program for over a decade, which brings a minority and underrepresented communities together to talk about, jobs and initiatives within the oil and gas sector,” API President and CEO Mike Sommers said during a news conference on Thursday, March 25. “It’s an important priority of both the API board of directors and the API team in Washington. We’ll continue to grow those alliances over time because we know, based on the studies that we have done in this space, we expect that 50 percent of the jobs in oil and gas in the next 20 years are going to be filled by women and minorities.”

Wife of Marvin Hagler Pushes Back on Rumors Fighter’s Death was COVID Vaccine-Related 

“I was the only person close to him until the last minute, and I am the only person that knows how things went not even his family know all the details and I do NOT accept reading some stupid comment without knowing really what happen. For sure wasn’t the vaccine that caused his death. My baby left in peace with his usual smile and now is not the time to talk nonsense,” Hagler’s wife continued on Facebook. 

L’Oreal USA Partners with NAACP to Launch Grant Program for Black-owned Small Businesses

As small businesses in America have been hit the hardest by the economic fallout of the pandemic and Black-owned businesses are shutting down twice as fast as others according to NBER, L’Oréal USA teamed up with the NAACP to identify the most promising Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs in the beauty industry that are most in need of investment.

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Ben Chavis Named Among 100 Most Influential Blacks Today

The CORE 100 honorees, which include changemakers like Stacey Abrams, Attorney Ben Crump, NBA superstar LeBron James, and Oprah Winfrey, mark and remind the world of the beauty, boldness, and brilliance of Black Excellence at a time when the cultural, economic, and political landscape in the United States has grown increasingly more hostile towards Blackness.

Arizona State University Renames Film School to Honor Sidney Poitier

In an interview ahead of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School’s unveiling, University President Michael M. Crow said Poitier embodies everything that one would look for in an icon. “With Sidney Poitier, it’s his creative energy, his dynamism, his drive, his ambition, the kinds of projects he worked on, the ways in which he advanced his life,” Crow asserted, according to USA Today.

NFL’s 2021 Opportunity to Diversify Team Ownership

As we approach the 55th NFL Superbowl next Sunday in Tampa, Florida amidst the continued national spread of COVID-19, I believe that the time has come for the close-knit group of team owners in the National Football League (NFL) to take the necessary steps to open the door to African American business leaders who hope to join that exclusive club of owners. 

Hero Capitol Officer Eugene Goodman Hails from Washington, DC

Lawmakers are seeking to honor Officer Goodman for his actions that may have saved the lives of many people, including members of Congress, during the deadly insurrectionist attack at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. “He’s a hero. The United States Capitol was under attack by armed, violent extremists, and Officer Eugene Goodman was the only thing standing between the mob and the United States Senate,” Florida Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist declared.

Former NBA Star Junior Bridgeman Purchases EBONY Magazine

According to the Michigan Chronicle, Bridgeman, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, was once featured on a 2016 Forbes top-paid athletes list. He is the CEO of a Coca-Cola bottling company and part-owner of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited. The former athlete attempted to purchase Sports Illustrated in 2018 but eventually withdrew his bid a year later.

Biden-Harris Administration Commits to Ensure Government Spending with Black and Minority-Owned Media Businesses

President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration plans to support legislation offered by District of Columbia Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton that would ensure federal agencies advertise with minority-owned businesses, including the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

‘How Did 12 Percent of Black Men vote for Trump?’

In Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, 95 percent of Black male voters and 96 percent of Black women chose him, NBC News reported. Four years later, Black women’s support remained at 96 percent for Obama’s 2012 re-election, while Black men slid to 87 percent. In 2016, when the nominee was Hillary Clinton, Black men dropped further to 82 percent while Black women’s support for Clinton remained high at 94 percent. Biden came close to matching that this year, garnering the support of 91 percent of Black women. But 12 percent of Black men voted for Trump, according to exit polls.

Minority Employees v. Amazon: Rev. Jackson, CK Hoffler, Announce Support of Class Action Lawsuit

Former Amazon employee Chris Smalls and his attorneys, National Bar Association President C.K. Hoffler and famed Civil Rights Lawyer Michael Sussman, detailed the lawsuit which seeks unspecified punitive damages against the tech giant, during a call with members of the press and media, including the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos.