Author: CBLA WEBSTER

News Film TV Awards Video More Search Netflix Pledges $5 Million to Black Creators, Youth Organizations, and Businesses

Netflix has pledged $5 million to organizations that create long-term opportunities for Black entertainment creators, Black youth, and Black-owned businesses.

The company stated its intent to support the Black community and get more television and film stories from Black voices created by giving funds to a variety of Black-focused organizations, including Ghetto Film School, Film Independent Project Involve, Firelight Media, and Black Public Media. Netflix will split $1.5 million in donations between those organizations.

“Tackling racism and injustice in meaningful ways means creating long-term opportunities for the Black community,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement. “The main role we play is through our funding of and member viewing of important content like ‘When They See Us.’ As an additional step, today we’re committing $5 million to nonprofits dedicated to creating direct opportunities for Black creators, Black youth and Black-owned businesses.”

Source: https://www.indiewire.com/2020/06/netflix-pledges-5-million-black-creators-1202237811/

African Heritage Diet

The ancestors of African Americans brought many wonderful food traditions to parts of the Caribbean, South America, and the southern states of the U.S. Over the generations, many of these food traditions have been lost with the inﬂuences of modern American eating habits. Whether we look to Virginia or Jamaica, Nigeria or Brazil, we ﬁnd this overall healthy eating pattern shared by all of their culinary histories, with distinct foods featured by each region. It is this “big picture” framework of the African Heritage Diet Pyramid that all people can use to claim their best health. Starting at the base of the pyramid, you’ll ﬁnd:

Foods to enjoy every day: colorful fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens; tubers like yams and sweet potatoes; beans of all kinds; nuts and peanuts; rice, ﬂatbreads and other grain foods, especially whole grains.
Foods to eat a few times each week, or in moderation: healthy oils; homemade sauces and marinades of herbs and spices; ﬁsh, eggs, poultry and yogurt.
Foods to save for special occastions: meats and sweets.

Source: https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/african-heritage-diet

LA City Council President Moves to use $100 Million for Coronavirus Rent Relief

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez filed a motion on Wednesday, May 27, to use $100 million in federal funding to support the city’s COVID-19 Emergency Renters Relief Program.

The city is slated to receive about $694 million in total aid from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. The motion would direct $100 million to assist residential tenants, landlords and commercial lease holders. The program is intended to begin July 1, Martinez said.

“From the very start of this pandemic, the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor (Eric) Garcetti have had one job, and that is to keep Angelenos safe,” Martinez said. “We’ve done that to protect their health and … we continue to do that to ensure their safety and their wellbeing. The next step is to protect their housing.”

A website for the program has not yet been established, as the city is trying to create a site that can withstand the tens of thousands of people expected to use it without crashing.

Source: https://www.dailynews.com/2020/05/27/la-city-council-president-moves-to-use-100-million-for-coronavirus-rent-relief/

Covid-19 Mental Health Resources

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

LACDMH Resources:

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) supports the wellbeing of our County family, friends and colleagues. News and updates about COVID-19 may trigger anxiety, panic, frustration and depression—even when your risk of getting sick is low. During an infectious disease outbreak, please take the time to care for your own physical and mental health, and please reach out to others in kindness and compassion.

LACDMH has published the following materials to address mental health & wellbeing needs and concerns:

Why is the coronavirus deadly for so many African Americans in LA?

NEWS STORIES

Why is the coronavirus deadly for so many African Americans in LA?

Written by Nigel Duara May. 11, 2020 HEALTH & WELLNESS

Spread of the virus has been fairly egalitarian among races. But the death toll is hitting L.A. County’s black residents the hardest.Graphic by CalMatters.

When he worked at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles, Dr. Gregory Taylor saw cases that reflected the community where he grew up: a host of underlying health conditions killing black patients.

Taylor, an internist, called those conditions —diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory diseases —“a part of the community fabric” among black residents of South Los Angeles.

“It’s true across our ethnicity as a whole,” said Taylor, who grew up in Leimert Park and now works at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California. “What you see over and over is black folks in a poorer state of health.”

Now those underlying conditions are contributing to African Americans’ vulnerability to COVID-19, which is killing them at the highest rate among all races in Los Angeles County.

Of the 1,418 people who died in Los Angeles County –by far the largest number in California –12.5 percent are black residents, even though they make up 8 percent of the population, according to the Department of Public Health’s dashboard.

A disparate death rate

The spread of the virus in Los Angeles County has been relatively egalitarian: No matter how rich, or white, or educated the neighborhood, nearly every area has confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Some of the highest infection rates are in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Melrose, wealthy ZIP codes where more than 75 percent of the population is white.

But the impacts once the coronavirus reaches a neighborhood are a different story.

For instance, in Inglewood, which has one of the largest black populations in Los Angeles County, the death rate from the virus is 34 per 100,000 residents, while in majority-white Glendale, just 14 miles away, it’s 18 deaths per 100,000,according to the county’s dashboard data.

Part of the explanation could be the high rates of underlying health conditions among the area’s black residents. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma all lead to more severe outcomes for people with COVID-19.

Residents of the county’s South region, which includes Inglewood, have nearly twice the rate of diabetes as residents of the San Fernando Valley area, which includes Glendale. When asked by UCLA researchers to rate their own health, 25 percent of residents in Inglewood answered fair or poor, the lowest scores in the county, compared with 15% in Glendale.

Source: -cont- https://www.kcrw.com/news/articles/why-is-the-coronavirus-deadly-for-so-many-african-americans-in-la

It’s No Surprise Black and Brown Communities Are Hit Hard by COVID-19

At age 26, recently engaged and about to start my first grown-up managerial position in city government, I was handed a hefty report summarizing the results of my “comprehensive executive health assessment,” an onboarding requirement for all the city’s newly hired managers. The process had included an extensive physical examination, a lengthy written questionnaire, and an hourlong in-person interview with a nerdy, non-smiling white guy who took detailed notes on my diet, lifestyle and mental health.

I relaxed immediately when I saw I had received an overall rating of “excellent health.” Then I turned to the last page of the report and read some alarming news. If I were to die in the next year, the report informed me, the likeliest cause of death would be homicide.

The next day, my first call was to Mr. Non- Smiley.

“Hey, I got my health assessment,” I began, trying to sound managerial and calm while feeling anything but, “and I have a few questions. Since I was found to be in excellent health, I was a little surprised to learn about my risk of being murdered. Do you know something I don’t know?”

“Well, first, Miss Belk, let me just say we are very objective,” he replied in a dry monotone. “It’s all about data and the model.”

“OK, so why did the model conclude that I’m at risk of being killed?”

“You’re an otherwise healthy African American woman between the ages of 21 and 30. The data show that if you were going to die today, it would likely be the result of a homicide.”

“So, what’s that about? My age, my race, my gender?”

“Oh, race by far,” he said quickly. “If you were white, it would likely be some type of accident. Car, probably.”

The “it” part — the likely cause of death; in my case, homicide — jarred me. Silence. Mr. Non-Smiley, breaking the silence, and finally showing a little compassion in his own awkward way.

“You know, Miss Belk, it’s only data. Besides, once you make it to your 30s, heart disease, stroke and cancer kick in as key data points.”

I did make it to 30. But my big sister, Vickie, and cousin Darryl didn’t. They both were murdered, victims of gun violence in their 20s.

Neither of us knew it at the time, but Mr. Non-Smiley had given me my first lesson in what public health professionals call “the social determinants of health,” a fancy way of saying that your income, ZIP Code and race can and often do determine your health, longevity and even your cause of your death.

What I know now is that the long history of racial discrimination in our country has led not only to economic disparities but to poorer health outcomes for black people.

Consider what’s happening right now with the coronavirus. In cities across the country, COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting black and brown communities.In Louisiana, black people account for 32% of the population but 56% of the COVID-19 deaths. In Chicago, black people account for about 55% of the deaths, but only about a third of the population. Americans have lived with this kind of data for a long time, on disease after disease. It’s about time we did some new modeling where racial equity is front and center.

Source: -cont- https://www.calwellness.org/stories/its-no-surprise-black-and-brown-communities-are-hit-hard-by-covid-19/

Freelance Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Are Already Feeling Long-Term the Effects of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus has changed the world in what feels like a million ways already, and we’re uncertain about what things will look like when it’s all over. One of the larger, more universal effects it’s had has been on our work lives. Maybe you no longer go into an office day in and day out and have begun working from home instead. Maybe you’re a front line health care worker, now working longer hours than ever under dangerous conditions. Maybe you’re not able to work from home, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused you to lose employment altogether. The latter situation is the case for the majority of freelance makeup artists and hairstylists, as the virus has all but completely shut down their industry.

Doing hair and makeup professionally involves face-to-face, one-on-one contact — the very thing that the entire world has been told to avoid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. For these freelance artists, this makes their jobs — and for many, their primary source of income — an impossibility. Now these professionals are left to find creative ways to keep their heads above water, both emotionally and financially.

For freelance makeup artists and hairstylists (especially those not based in a major hub like New York City), travel is often a huge part of their careers. Dimant, for example, had an upcoming weeklong gig in Houston that was canceled because of the outbreak. Kayleigh Irene Feidler, a hair colorist who works in Louisville, Kentucky, and Los Angeles, had been flying cross-country once a month for work until COVID-19 made both travel and work an impossibility.

“I have had to cancel multiple trips back to L.A., and this felt like a really harsh blow to the momentum I had while building my business,” she explains.

There are other things to consider as a result of this pandemic, including the shutdown of schools and the cost of things like studio spaces. Freelance makeup artist Genn Shaughnessy lives in New York City and says her business has come to a “crashing halt.”

“I am now a stay-at-home homeschool mom and cannot work,” says Shaughnessy. “I have a retail space and a makeup studio space I rent and pay expenses with zero income.”

Source: -cont- https://www.allure.com/story/covid-19-freelance-makeup-artists-hairstylists

Stars Get Real About Their Natural Hair Colors After Salons Close During COVID-19 Pandemic

Going back to their roots! As the nation continues to uphold the government’s social-distancing guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic, stars are missing their hair appointments to keep up with their color or subtle root maintenance. But for some, it’s proving not to be an issue.

Across the country, businesses such as hair salons and other beauty-related services have had to close their doors for the foreseeable future as the coronavirus continues to spread at a jarring rate. And since everyone’s self-quarantining, that means home visits from their glam squad are basically out of the question for stars, too.

Some of the first celebs to get personal about their hair color on social media were Kelly Ripa and Kevin Hart. On Saturday, March 21, Hart shared a 4-minute IGTV video as part of a series he’s named “Confessions With Kev.” In the accompanying caption, the comedian wrote, “P.S I have always had a shit load of grey hair…I was just a frequent dyer …I’m not working right now so I said F–K IT .”

Other stars are getting open and honest about their grays, too including Tamera Mowry who have shared their struggles on social media — along with empowering messages of self-love.

Mowry is a great example of celebs staying positive during such a confusing and scary time. The Disney Channel alum shared a fresh-faced selfie with her hair away from her face in a braid. She captioned the stunning photo, “Hello grays. No getting my hair done during #socialdistancing, and I’m okay with it!”

Source: -cont- https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/stars-reveal-natural-hair-colors-during-covid-19-outbreak-pics/meghan-mccain/

How 9 Black Women Are Taking Care Of Their Hair In Quarantine

Going to the salon is an event for many black women. The salon is a place of community, therapy, and ritual for a hair strand that is often overlooked and mistreated. On a recent episode of Blackish, youngest daughter Diane has her first experience in the salon where she also receives her first relaxer and is immediately brought into the day-long epic that is common at a black beauty salon. Black Girl Church, a documentary about black women and their relationships to beauty supply stores and the salon experience, treats the experience as a near-religious ceremony and a sanctuary for one of the most marginalized communities. And in late 2016, #BlackSalonProblems began trending on Twitter as women shared their horror stories, which mostly followed the same plot. (Who knew everyone would want a straight look like Beyoncé’s but always ended up looking more like James Brown?)

But when COVID-19 shut down all non-essential businesses—salons and black beauty stores among them—many black women were forced to take matters into their own hands. “Eighteen hours to braid my hair?” Makeup artist and producer Diamond Hawkins said in an email to ELLE.com. “Not a big fan of that!”

To echoe Hawkin’s sentiment: I am also not a big fan of that. I’ve never had to do my own hair before, but the pandemic has forced me to tirelessly learn how to install twists without the help of a stylist, who has the touch that I just don’t possess. For some of the women we spoke to, dealing with their hair amid the crisis has proven to be yet stressor, while others have found joy in spending timewith hair masks and curl treatments rather than heat and chemicals.

Below, nine black women share how they are dealing with their hair during a global pandemic—plus offer resources and advice, if you’re struggling at home, too.

Source: -cont to read- https://www.elle.com/beauty/a32213253/black-women-hair-coronavrius-covid-19/