If you can believe it, it has been 18 years since the tragic death of Aaliyah “Baby Girl” Haughton. Desperate to maintain the legacy of such a beloved singer who lost her life too soon, fans ( I’m most certainly included in this number) have been clamoring for her music to be available on digital platforms.
Malls and online retailers aren’t the only ones who saw an increase in activity during the holiday kick-off season. Presidential hopeful Andrew Yang set his own personal campaign record after raising $750,000 on Nov. 30.
Yang’s campaign took in more than 18,000 donations to raise more money than any other day during his campaign, according to POLITICO. And he did it without hosting a major fundraising party or pleading with potential donors like other campaigns have done, that he would need to drop out if he didn’t reach his targeted goal.
READ MORE: 2020 Presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants mass pardon for nonviolent marijuana convictions
“I think what was so cool about this was all it took was ‘This is the end of the month’ and the campaign (stressing): ‘Hey, we’re small dollars here,” Nick Ryan, Yang’s campaign manager, told POLITICO. “Just putting that through a lot of organic channels, not having to drum up any sort of event around it, and we have a base that goes above and beyond.”
The $750,000 intake was part of a bigger goal set by Yang’s campaign to reach $2 million in donations in one week, which Yang tweeted that his campaign achieved early Sunday.
“We raised $2 million dollars in a week and half an hour,” Yang said in a Twitter video. “It’s incredible. I remember when the team talked to me about this goal I said wow that’s incredibly ambitious and aggressive but if anyone can do it, it’s the Yang Gang and there’s no stopping, you, there’s no stopping us, there’s no stopping this campaign.”
Thank you #YangGang – we did it! $2 million in a week!! You all are amazing. Fired up to take this campaign to new heights in December and 2020! 😀💪🙏🎉 pic.twitter.com/jl6gylDB5h
— Andrew Yang🧢 (@AndrewYang) December 1, 2019
Yang’s campaign raised roughly $10 million in the third quarter this year and continues to ramp up staffing, according to POLITICO.
Ryan told the news site that fundraising will enable the campaign to continue in the race as the primary season kicks off.
“We’re starting to show some movement in national polling, and I suspect a lot of the early states are going to reflect that investment as well,” Ryan told POLITICO. “We’re going to continue to staff up, continue to (build) an operation that’s going to compete in Iowa and New Hampshire.”
High up on Yang’s immediate goals is to qualify for the December primary debate. Hosted by POLITICO and PBS NewsHour, candidates must qualify by Dec.12, which means they must reach 4 percent in four polls approved by the Democratic National Committee and have donations culled from 200,000 contributors.
READ MORE: Democratic Debate: 5 most important moments for Black voters to consider
So far, only six candidates have qualified, including Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Yang’s campaign said he is very close to qualifying. He has achieved 4 percent in three polls and needs one more to qualify. His campaign said he has over 300,000 donors.
The post Andrew Yang’s campaign brings in $750,000 in a single day appeared first on theGrio.
Dwyane Wade put social media haters on alert: if you come for his son, he will defend his family.
Wade’s 12-year-old son, Zion, was the target of some offensive posts after Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, posted a family photo to Instagram on Thanksgiving, which included Zion in a mid-riff shirt and fake nails. Several people wrote in to ridicule Zion’s appearance and apparently Wade’s parenting, according to Complex.
READ MORE: Dwyane Wade backs Gabrielle Union after she exits ‘America’s Got Talent’ over reported racial issues
“Smh wtf this lil boy got nails on for?” one person wrote, according to Complex. “I’ve lost all respect for D Wade…”
“Why does his son have his nails done and dressed like a girl?” another person reportedly commented.
The former NBA star let them know he ain’t with the foolishness.
“As a parent my only goal is that my kids feel that i see them, love them and support them,” Wade wrote. “I’ve seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo. Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—so i get it. But here’s the thing—I’ve been chosen to lead my family not y’all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile!”
I know that’s right, D-Wade. Your family, your parenting. Say it louder for the people in the back row.
People have some nerve – although it’s important to note that the positive comments far outweighed the negative ones.
READ MORE: Dwyane Wade explains why supporting his son during Miami Pride was so important
This isn’t the first time Wade had to check homophobic comments, and sadly, it’s surely not the last. Last October, when Wade posted a photo of Union, their daughter, Kaavia, and Zion under the caption: “My girls,” some people had a lot of negative ish to say.
That time, Union smacked ‘em down.
“Looks like love to me,” the actress wrote in her post. “I truly hope that everyone gets the love, support and hugs they deserve. Also Kaav ain’t with the dumb shit. Peace & Blessings good people.”
The post Dwyane Wade checks Internet haters for talking about his son appeared first on theGrio.
At least 800 people filled Atlantic City’s New Shiloh Baptist Church to capacity on Saturday to pay final tribute to 10-year-old Micah Tennant.
The boy, affectionately known as “DJ Dew,” was killed on Nov. 20 while attending a high school football game in Pleasantville. He was laid to rest by his family, friends, elected officials, police and a community of mourners followed by a reception at the Atlantic City Convention Center, according to CBS.
READ MORE: Teen who says he accidentally killed teen girl in Russian roulette game, remains in jail
Some came out dressed in suits and ties while others wore football jerseys. Outside of the church, police officers stood near a sign that read “Michael S. Tennant Homecoming,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Steve Stephen told CBS that he came out because he had to support the family. “I need to support this family. I need to support this community. Absolutely I’m here. My love goes out to the family and to all the friends and to the loved ones for the little boy.”
That sentiment was echoed by many of the mourners who may not have personally known Micah but was drawn to his story following the tragedy.
“We all suffer with the death of this young man,” Bishop James Washington, New Shiloh Baptist Church’s senior pastor told The Philadelphia Inquirer after the service. “We have to begin young, teaching the value of life.”
READ MORE: Chicago man denied bail in killing of student who admitted ignoring his catcalls
On Nov. 15, Micah, who was a fifth-grade student, was shot in the neck at the Pleasantville-Camden high school football game when a fight started between several men. Two other people were injured. Police charged Alvin Wyatt, 31, with murder and two counts of attempted murder. Wyatt is one of six men charged in the incident, although the only facing a murder charge. One of the men charged was also injured in the shooting.
At his funeral, Micah was remembered as intelligent and spirited and a lover of music.
Micah loved to deejay, following in the footsteps of his uncle, and had been given the nickname “DJ Dew” when he hit the turntables to mix up some music during family events, including his own birthday parties, his family wrote in his obituary.
READ MORE: Florida reggae DJ set free after fatally shooting his girlfriend’s rapist
Micah also loved his family and playing football. He will be remembered for his “bright smile and huge personality that made it easy for anyone to fall in love with him,” the family added in his obituary, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He was an extraordinary kid who will be greatly missed.”
The post Hundreds attend Atlantic City funeral for 10-year-old Micah Tennant appeared first on theGrio.
The elite and wealthiest aren’t dissuaded by price tags when faced with decisions to buy necessities but the working-class choices are certainly impacted by sticker shock. Evaluating alternatives and trade-offs is how many Americans survive and stretch weekly budgets because money is hard to come by and time is an elusive commodity.
If money is needed to buy one thing, the question for working families never changes: what do I have to give up? According to the study of economics, this question is best summarized by the concept called opportunity cost. This cost represents a benefit that you miss when you choose one option over another.
We can apply this economic principle to politics as well. For example, the inquiry and related hearings to impeach President Trump have a monetary cost but it’s minuscule compared to the alternative actions that Congress could focus on to benefit working-class Americans. Let’s do a simple analysis of a few alternatives Congress could get done to help rural and urban America.
The USMCA was negotiated by the White House administration in conjunction with government officials in Canada and Mexico. The objective was to enhance trilateral trade relations and replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to make trade terms fair and equitable for each country.
The anticipated outcomes are to abate tariffs, remove harmful non-tariff trade barriers, boost trade, improve wages and employment conditions for Mexican workers, and create American jobs.
The United States International Trade Commission report estimated that USMCA would create ~176,000 U.S. jobs, while increasing American exports to spur a rise in real gross domestic product by 0.35% or $68 billion, annually.
Augmenting exports would bolster salaries and wages in the U.S. for the average worker at a time when unemployment rates are at historic lows across every demographic to include blacks.
Under the proposed USMCA, union workers benefit too. For example, USMCA requires up to 45% of auto parts to be manufactured by U.S. workers earning at least $16 per hour. The job security measures support and encourage car manufacturing supply chains to produce in America, which protects the automobile industry.
The proposed bipartisan Senate legislative bill provides financial relief to patients in need of costly prescription drugs while also reducing the Medicare cost burden on taxpayers. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that ~$100 billion will be saved over 10 years, and Part D premiums will be reduced by $6 billion.
Additionally, the legislative package establishes sorely needed patient protections by limiting costs to a $3,100 out-of-pocket cap for individuals and abolishing unlimited patient cost-sharing for certain beneficiaries. The current reality for many Americans is that an illness or unforeseeable catastrophic event could exhaust life savings or even bankrupt households.
In all, the new act and complementary measures seek to restructure the prescription drug market by making the market more transparent and competitive, leading to lower prices for high-cost drugs.
Earlier this year, President Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed on a $1+ trillion infrastructure bill but they are at an impasse on how to pay for the unprecedented spending package.
The fiscal issues of how to pay for infrastructure spending is not the only holdup. First, the two-year Russian collusion investigation delayed talks. Despite the investigation yielding no results, the new obstacle is the current impeachment inquiry.
According to a research report by Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, the infrastructure bill would create 11 million skilled labor jobs in various industries to include construction, infrastructure, telecommunications, and transportation.
A potential new job opportunity is good news for existing skilled laborers in the urban community. But it is also a great chance for gainful employment for formerly incarcerated men and women—a demographic that is often marginalized as they seek viable ways to reenter society. Especially, those gradually coming home as their sentences are commuted under the First Step Act.
While Congress and the White House flirt with the possibility of reaching an infrastructure deal, people are waiting for an apprenticeship break or experienced workers seeking gainful employment on long-term projects.
According to Dave Bauer, president of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association expressed that every $1 invested in transportation construction and maintenance generates between $2.00 and $2.20 in economic activity across all sectors of the economy.
Regardless of your political views, partisan politics often block or halt legislation that benefits the working-class. To sustain the current economic gains the black community has experienced under the current administration must be compounded with greater opportunities and an infrastructure bill that can help pave the way.
This is an opinion piece that does not necessarily reflect the views of BLACK ENTERPRISE.
