ART News & Culture

The Ebony Canal is a documentary film that examines the HERstoric portal between the disparities of infant mortality and the current state of maternal health orbiting Black women. Despite the undercurrents, the mission aims to foster a new wave of solution-driven practices. The vision is to move maternal health forward in the journey to save Black mothers and Black babies.

Black infants have 2.4 times the infant mortality rate as White infants according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society. Data identifies specific risk factors for health disparities with big implications to close the gap for babies, their moms, their families and our community.

Message from Pittsburgh Film Director Emmai Alaquiva, regarding the film receiving two Emmy Awards:

"This moment is a reflection of a journey paved with resilience, community, and the relentless voices of changemakers who stand boldly in the quest for truth. From the mothers who trusted us with their stories, to the partners, friends, and collaborators who carried this vision forward, this belongs to all of us.

Every frame of this film was built on love and the belief that storytelling can shift culture. To every person who poured their spirit into this project you are the reason this canal flows with power and purpose.

These Emmys are not just awards, they’re testaments to the collective hustle and heartbeat of a global movement that refuses to be silent. Thank you all for walking with us on this journey. We shall continue to flow for the best is yet to come."

To learn more about the Film Click here.

Bunker Projects, the Pittsburgh nonprofit gallery and tuition-free residency program, has announced the 24 artists selected for the 2025-2026 residency cohort.

This year, Bunker Projects received more applications for its residency program than ever before—nearly double the amount from 2024—proving that the need for its programming, and role as a safe place for artists to create, is more relevant and urgent than ever.

“When you look at this group of artists, you see a bit of everything going on in contemporary art today,” says Bunker Projects Co-Founder and Creative Director Jessie Rommelt. “They have a lot to teach each other, and we have a lot to learn from them, too. I couldn’t be more excited to work with this group of people.

“Being an artist isn’t like any other career path,” Rommelt continues. “Artists experience a marathon of financial uncertainty and personal risk—and also have a need for sustained devotion to their practice. Our ultimate goal with the residency at Bunker Projects is to give artists a truly meaningful season in their careers—one that sets the stage for them to refine their own philosophy, engage with the community and create important new work.”

Bunker Projects’ 2025-2026 residents are a diverse, multitalented group of individuals from Pittsburgh and beyond working in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to collage, photography, film, performance, and more. Each resident artist spends one month working in one of Bunker Projects’ two studios, which are housed in the same building as its gallery. Residents also live rent-free on-site in Bunker’s building in the heart of Pittsburgh’s vibrant Bloomfield-Garfield neighborhood. 

Residents’ studios are open to the public each month, allowing residents to interact with members of the community and expand their networks, and community members to engage with emerging artists in their actual workspaces.

Bunker Projects residents have gone on to show at the Andy Warhol Museum, Art Basel and the Philadelphia Museum of Art and in major cities like New York, Toronto, London, Austin, Los Angeles and more. 

The 2025-2026 Bunker Projects residents are:

Jesus Torres

Elise Thompson

Ajunie Virk

Steve Alexis 

Izsys Archer

Javier Robelo

Baillie Vensel

Emerson Voss

Txai Sibley  

Nathan Bussard

Juliet Phillips

Mono Feo

Xinan Helen Ran

Finn Dugan

Young One

Patricia Renee Thomas

Tommy Bruce

Izzy Knapp

Jacq Groves

Okyoung Noh

Anika Todd

Katie Bullock

Nathan Wright 

Higu Rose

For more information, visit bunkerprojects.org/residency. 

ABOUT BUNKER PROJECTS

Founded in 2013, Bunker Projects is a woman-led nonprofit gallery and artist residency located in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield-Garfield neighborhood. By blending the production, exhibition, and interpretation of art, we center the work of local and visiting artists. Bunker Projects provides a unique environment for artists to advance their careers and build community. Equity and sustainability are core beliefs, as we work to uplift people from diverse backgrounds in the arts.​ For more information, visit bunkerprojects.org

On February 24, 2025, at age 88, Roberta Flack’s life force departed this planet.  Among other valuable jewels, she left us with iconic songs such as “Killing Me Softly,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and “Tonight I Celebrate My Love.”  One of her lesser-known songs, “Go Up Moses,” seems particularly relevant as we grapple with the chaos induced by the most recently elected American President and his designated DOGE sidekick. 

Recall that, as one source of inspiration, enslaved Africans in America made metaphorical use of the biblical story regarding Moses as they pleadingly sang:

“Go down Moses
Way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go!”

As they yearned for a hero to seek a major concession from Pharaoh, the enslaved neglected another option they had regarding how to acquire their freedom.  Many years later (1971), Roberta Flack underscored an extraordinary alternative when she sang, 

“Go up, Moses, you've been down too long
Go up, Moses, sing your freedom song
Go up, Moses, you've been down too long
Go up, Moses, sing your freedom song”

The above “flipping of the script” was in keeping with Roberta Flack’s sustained roles as a civil rights activist.  As noted by Sharon Fountain in her February 24, 2025 article “Iconic Soul Singer and Freedom Fighter dies at 88, “…Yet, beyond her musical genius, Roberta Flack was a true champion of civil rights and social justice. Her artistry was inseparable from her activism, and throughout her career, she used her public platform to elevate the voices of marginalized communities…  Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, expressed profound sorrow at her passing. According to his statement, ‘She was also a freedom fighter and activist. I first met her when I was 12 years old at a rally for Operation Breadbasket. She was a huge supporter of Operation Breadbasket and Rev. Jesse Jackson. In the last 25 years, she has always supported and was present for events of the National Action Network…’” 

Given the anxiety and depression permeating American society today, particularly matters regarding equity and social justice, it is also worth reflecting on what else Roberta Flack advised in addition to “going up, not down.”  Again, “flipping the scrip,” she sang,  

“My people, let pharaoh go
You don't need him; you don't need his tricks, you don't need his trinkets
Let pharaoh go
Pharaoh doesn't want, but he needs you
My people, let pharaoh go
Without you there is no pharaoh

So, all you have to do to let him go is to let him go
Just wake up tomorrow morning and say
"Bye, pharaoh..."

In 2025, we do not need the “tricks and trinkets” provided by companies as well as educational, governmental, and private entities that recently abandoned efforts related to equity and social justice.  We don’t need to “go down” to these Pharaohs and beg them to “let us go.”  Instead, understand that our freedom rests, in part, by “letting them go,” e.g., by doing things such as not clicking on their “Presidents Day Sales,” “Black Friday Sales,”  etc. apps; and selectively buying from companies.  “Let us go up” by participating in the February 28, 2025 Economic Blackout (See Everything You Must Know About the Feb. 28 Economic Boycott).

Imagine if, during the upcoming “March Madness,” NCAA Division One basketball players let Pharaoh go by refusing to play during the tournament.  There would be multi-million-dollar adverse consequences for the “March Madness Industry” if we collectively let Pharaoh go by refusing to watch any televised 2025 Division One NCAA Basketball games.  There would be more buckling of Pharaoh’s knees if students/parents refused to take their tuition, room and board dollars to historically White institutions of higher education that renege on their stated commitments to equity and social justice. Consider the possibility of faculty, administrators, staff and trustees leaving institutions that fail to adequately address equity and social justice.  

What would happen if, instead of begging Pharoah to let them go, more folks followed Shonda Rhimes example, i.e., resign from the Kennedy Center Board after Pharoah declared himself the Board Chair?  Pharaoh will fall when we have more precedents such as “21 DOGE staffers resign, saying they refuse to 'compromise core government systems'” (Story by Lora Kolodny, CNBC).  

Following the mysterious dismissal of Joy Reid as was also the case with Melissa Harris Perry and Tiffany Cross, what if people “let MSNBC go”?  What if we “go up” and make greater use of the traditional Black mass media as well as the emergent Black electronic media?  For example, try “going up” by listening more often to SiriusXM Urban View: Talk That Empowers daily shows.  

If banks provide significantly fewer mortgages for Blacks in Black communities, then why continue to do business with them?  Instead, for example, we must “go up” by reading and acting upon the research of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group whose mission statement indicates, “PCRG was organized in 1988 as a coalition of community-based organizations to provide a coordinated response to the bank practice of “redlining” – the refusal of conventional mortgage credit in low-income communities…”  (See Mission & History — Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group).

In sum, adding emphasis to “letting Pharoah go,” consider Carter G. Woodson’s statement, “If the Negro in the ghetto must eternally be fed by the hand that pushes him into the ghetto, he will never become strong enough to get out of the ghetto.”  Moreover, as poignantly demonstrated during his first month in office, “Pharaoh doesn't want, but he needs you.  My people, let pharaoh go. Without you there is no pharaoh!”  

Jack L. Daniel

Co-founder, Freed Panther Society

Contributor, Pittsburgh Urban Media

Author, Negotiating a Historically White University While Black

February 26. 2025

For Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, seeing isn’t always believing, especially when it comes to how the medical field is depicted on TV. That’s why the assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine in the School of Medicine served as a consultant with writers of “The Pitt,” a hospital-based drama set in Pittsburgh that recently premiered on HBO Max.

“For better or for worse, media changes lives, that’s why it’s important that it be accurate,” she said.

Most people aren’t going to reference the New England Journal of Medicine when they have an ailment, they are going to think back to something they skimmed on social media or saw on television, she added.

Owusu-Ansah viewed her time with the showrunners as an opportunity to connect with people beyond the confines of patient care.

“As a doctor, there’s power in saving lives, but we’re doing that in the hundreds, maybe even thousands,” she said. “The media can reach millions of people.”

In addition to her role in the School of Medicine, Owusu-Ansah is the medical director of prehospital and EMS at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh — fodder for the personal experiences she shared with “The Pitt” producers and writers.

Though she has to stay mum on the plot points she’s influenced on the show, Owusu-Ansah was happy to share that Episode 8 references the Freedom House Ambulance Service, a groundbreaking EMS initiative created by Black Hill District residents to serve their community.

“You can’t talk about Pittsburgh without talking about Freedom House,” she said.

It was a University connection that introduced Owusu-Ansah to the world of script advisement. Her colleague Beth Hoffman, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, regularly partners with Hollywood, Health and Society, a program led by the University of Southern California Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center. Hollywood, Health and Society offers free resources to entertainment industry writers and producers, including a database of volunteer experts dedicated to ensuring accuracy in health care stories.

As for what’s next, Owusu-Ansah has declared 2025 “the year of the book” and is committed to finishing writing her memoir. She’s also pitching a short film, “In Good Hands,” based on her book-in-progress, to film festivals.

While her professional objectives are wide ranging, everything she tackles is motivated by the same creed.

“Making a difference on this Earth is my biggest driver,” Owusu-Ansah said.

Photography courtesy of the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation

By Nichole Faina

For the first time ever, parents of previous Gerber Babies joined the selection panel and were captivated by Sonny’s bright smile and sunny disposition June 25, 2024

 Early childhood nutrition leader Gerber hasofficially announced the winner of the 14th annual Photo Search and the 2024 Gerber Baby. Akil McLeod, affectionately known as Sonny, along with his loving family, captured the attention of the selection committee with a captivating photo and story of the joyful energy he brings to his family. 

Sonny recently celebrated his first birthday and resides in Arizona with his parents, Dominque and Akil McLeod Sr., and big sister, Sage. Sonny loves reading his squishy ABC book, playing with his toy cars and watching football with his family. He can’thelp but giggle when people make silly faces at him or when he plays Peekaboo with his sister. As part of his tenure as the 2024 Gerber Baby, Sonny will work with Gerber to support in its mission to help babies everywhere continue to grow with love.  

“Every day it’s an honor to watch Sonny conquer so many tiny achievements, from giggles, to trying new foods, to standing up and everything in between. He’s a light in our lives and brings joy to everyone around him” said Dominque, Sonny’s mom. “We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate his first birthday than to be chosen as the 2024 Gerber Baby. We look forward to all the adventures in the year ahead collaborating with Gerber to share his sweet smile with families across the country.” 

Passionate about community service, Sonny’s family donates time and energy to supporting community organizations. This innate passion for giving back continues to motivate Dominque and Akil Sr. to raise Sonny and Sage to demonstratekindness, respect others, be resilient, and lead by example.   

“After 14 incredible years of Photo Search, this year, we are grateful our former Gerber Baby families could join us in selecting Sonny as our 2024 Gerber Baby.Sonny immediately captured our hearts with his joyful smile and his family’sinspiring demonstration of what it means to grow with love,” said Chandra Kumar, President of Nestlé Infant Nutrition. “Inspired by the tens of thousands of photos submitted each year, Gerber Photo Search offers us a unique opportunity to connect with the families of today and reinforces the importance of our mission to helpbabies grow up healthy and happy.”  

This year, for the first time ever, parents of previous Gerber Babies joined the selection panel alongside a diverse panel of Gerber employees. The families – including those of Zane, Kairi, Isa, Magnolia, Lucas, Riley, Tate, Levi, Paxton, Isla and the 2023 Gerber Baby, Maddie – each brought their unique perspective to the selection process and collaborated with Gerber to help choose Sonny as the 2024 Gerber Baby.  

In addition to selecting Sonny as the 2024 Gerber Baby, Gerber is celebrating more babies than ever before by announcing 10 additional babies as winners of Inchstonemoments to be announced on Gerber social channels. Inchstones will be awarded for how submission photos captured the many moments, big and small, that make a baby’s first years so special.  

Launched more than a decade ago, Photo Search was inspired by countless photos sent by parents who see their little one in Gerber’s iconic baby logo. As this year’s Photo Search winner, Sonny will serve as the 2024 Gerber Baby and be featured on Gerber’s social media channels and marketing campaigns throughout the year. Additionally, Sonny and his family have been awarded a $25,000 cash prize, free Gerber products for up to one year, a new wardrobe provided by Gerber Childrenswear, as well as prizes from Brooklinen, Canon, UPPABaby, Little Tikes, Motherhood Maternity, and ezpz! Gerber will also match Sonny’s cash prize with a donation to support March of Dimes’ maternal and infant health programs. 

Follow the conversation on Gerber social channels to see more about Sonny and hisfamily and for more information on our first-ever Inchstone winners! To learn more, visit gerber.com.  

2024 STATE OF BLACK AMERICA®, “THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964: 60 YEARS LATER” EXAMINES TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT OF LANDMARK LEGISLATION, CURRENT THREATS

Contributors Include President Joe Biden, Kimberle Crenshaw, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, Sen. Cory Booker

Semi-Annual Equality IndexTM Tracks Economic & Social Status of Black America Since “Three-Fifths” Compromise of 1787

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has been transformative in changing American life in a material way. Doors have been opened, and new access has been achieved. But the promise of full equality is still elusive.

“The Civil Rights Act of 1964 promised ‘a more abiding commitment to freedom, a more constant pursuit of justice, and a deeper respect for human dignity,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “Sixty years later, our ‘abiding commitment to freedom’ is undermined by discriminatory voter ID laws, gerrymandering, the shuttering of polling places in predominantly minority neighborhoods, limits on early voting, and reckless purging of voter rolls. Our ‘pursuit of justice’ is derailed by persistent racism in policing and sentencing, the dismantling of diversity and inclusion policies in employment and education, and lack of access to financial services, housing and healthcare. And our ‘respect for human dignity’ is called into question by an unraveling social safety net, a poverty-level federal minimum wage, and other economic policies that uplift the wealthy at the expense of working families.”

For Black America, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first time that the United States government addressed the racial caste system that had been protected for centuries by unjust laws and systemic brutality of nonwhite people in this country.

Sixty years later, the fight for equality is far from over.

The State of Black America® 2024, “The Civil Rights Act of 1964: 60 Years Later,” paints a picture of American life before and after the passage of “America’s Magna Carta.” This year’s contributing authors use their experiences as elected officials, civil rights advocates, and esteemed academics to analyze the ways in which each title of the Act created the nation we know today.  They also unpack the threats to the freedoms protected by the law and share their perspective on strengthening civil rights protections for the 21st century.

The 2024 Equality Index, the National Urban League’s semi-annual calculation of the social and economic status of African Americans relative to whites, is 75.7, an increase of 1.8% from the 2022 Index of 2022. Rooted in the Three-Fifths Compromise of 1787, which counted enslaved African Americans as “three-fifths” of a person, the Index would be 100% under full equality.  

“In 20 years, the overall Equality Index has moved 2.7 percent,” Morial said. “At this rate, it will take another 180 years to achieve parity.”

This year’s report includes a special progress report on the Biden Administration’s commitment to racial justice.  In 2020, Joe Biden became the first general election candidate to put forward a policy agenda for Black America, Lift Every Voice. Three years into his presidency, the National Urban League has evaluated his commitments and tracked his accomplishments and the business that remains unfinished.

Featured authors include:

• Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States of America
• Tim Murphy, Chair, National Urban League Board of Trustees & Chief Administrative Officer, MasterCard
• Kristen Clarke, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights
• Kimberle Crenshaw, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
• Cory Booker U.S. Senator from New Jersey
• Marcia Fudge, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Patrice Ficklin, Fair Lending Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Peter Flegel, Executive Director, Government of Canada Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat
• Dr. Shavon Arline-Bradley, President & CEO, National Council of Negro Women
• Claire Garvie, Senior Associate, Center om Privacy & Technology, Georgetown University Law Center; Adjunct Professor of Law
• Charlotte Burrows, Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Melanie Campbell, Executive Director & CEO, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation
• Wendy Greene, Director, Center for Law, Policy & Social Action and Professor of Law, Drexel University
• Damon Hewitt, President & Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• Janai Nelson, President, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fud
• Ayana Parsons & Arian Simone, Co-Founders, The Fearless Fund
• Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network
• Julian Wallace, Education and Research Associate, NACDL
• Maya Wiley, President & CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The full report is available at StateOfBlackAmerica.org.

Source: The Urban League

FROM NBC:

The book focuses primarily on the drag icon's first 40 years of life, before he co-created “RuPaul's Drag Race,” for which he’s earned three Emmy Awards as its host.

After first being announced and available to pre-order in October, RuPaul‘s memoir “The House of Hidden Meanings” debuted on Tuesday, and it's already a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon. 

The book only focuses on RuPaul’s first 40 years of life, before he co-created “Drag Race,” for which he’s earned three Emmy Awards as its host. The wide-ranging book starts off with his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, and goes on to tell stories from his time in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to falling in love with his husband, Georges LeBar, and becoming sober.

“I’m so excited and so anxious at the same time, because I reveal so much of myself,” RuPaul said on Instagram where he announced his memoir. “You know, this world today it feels so hostile and it’s such a scary place to be vulnerable in, but I did it. So, get ready.”

Read more from NBC

FROM the GRIO:

In celebration of Women’s History Month and the 65th anniversary of Barbie, Mattel honors Viola Davis and Black beauty.

Barbie fever is not over just yet — at least, not for actress Viola Davis. This week, Mattel announced the Academy Award-winning actress as its latest addition to the Barbie universe. In honor of both Women’s History Month and the 65th anniversary of Barbie, the brand debuted its annual collection of dolls honoring global storytellers using their platforms for good, with Davis representing the United States alongside fellow international entertainers Helen Mirren, Shania Twain and Kylie Minogue. Designed in these women’s likenesses, each of the collection’s one-of-a-kind dolls was meticulously crafted to embody each role model’s unique essence.

“Honestly, I wanted this Barbie to make little 6-year-old Viola squeal,” Davis said in a statement shared with theGrio. “It is my biggest gift to her…my lifelong mission and legacy to make her feel pretty, seen, and worthy. No words…just joy.”

Read More at the GRIO

FROM the BBC:

Donald Trump supporters have been creating and sharing AI-generated fake images of black voters to encourage African Americans to vote Republican.

BBC Panorama discovered dozens of deepfakes portraying black people as supporting the former president.

Mr Trump has openly courted black voters, who were key to Joe Biden's election win in 2020. 

But there's no evidence directly linking these images to Mr Trump's campaign.

The co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a group which encourages black people to vote, said the manipulated images were pushing a "strategic narrative" designed to show Mr Trump as popular in the black community.

A creator of one of the images told the BBC: "I'm not claiming it's accurate."

The fake images of black Trump supporters, generated by artificial intelligence (AI), are one of the emerging disinformation trends ahead of the US presidential election in November.

Unlike in 2016, when there was evidence of foreign influence campaigns, the AI-generated images found by the BBC appear to have been made and shared by US voters themselves.

One of them was Mark Kaye and his team at a conservative radio show in Florida. 

They created an image of Mr Trump smiling with his arms around a group of black women at a party and shared it on Facebook, where Mr Kaye has more than one million followers.

Read More from the BBC

Former network anchor and co-host of "CNN This Morning” Don Lemon has settled a dispute over his 2023 firing, former CNN executive Allison Gollust confirmed to Forbes Wednesday, in an undisclosed agreement that comes 10 months after Lemon said he was "stunned" by his sudden ousting.

TheWrap on Tuesday cited unnamed sources in reporting CNN would pay Lemon his full salary for the 3.5 years that was left on his contract when he was fired by the network last April, which amounts to roughly $24.5 million.

Gollust, who replied on behalf of Lemon to an email sent to his agents at United Talent Agency, confirmed the settlement, but did not confirm any details.

Lemon recently announced he would launch a new show called The Don Lemon show on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and said he was coming back "bigger, bolder, freer."

Read More From Forbes

Pop and R&B/hip-hop superstar Beyoncé makes her debut on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Feb. 24) with her first two entries on the survey: “Texas Hold ‘Em” at No. 1 and “16 Carriages” at No. 9.

As previously reported, the songs start at Nos. 2 and 38, respectively, on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

Both tracks were released Feb. 11, as announced in a Verizon commercial that aired during CBS’ broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII, ahead of the March 29 arrival of Beyoncé’s album expected to be titled Act II, which follows her 2022 Renaissance LP.

“Texas Hold ‘Em” drew 19.2 million official streams and 4.8 million in all-format airplay audience and sold 39,000 in the U.S. through Feb. 15, according to Luminate. “16 Carriages” rides in with 10.3 million streams, 90,000 in radio reach and 14,000 sold.

Notably, the Hot Country Songs coronation of “Texas Hold ‘Em” grants Beyoncé No. 1s on seven of Billboard’s multimetric song charts as a solo artist: the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. She’s the only act to have notched No. 1s on that combination of rankings.

Only Justin Bieber has led more hybrid song charts – eight, among Billboard’s menu of 14 such surveys – having ruled the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, the Holiday 100, Hot Latin Songs, Hot Rap Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Source: Billboard 

Black Americans have the highest incidence of cardiac arrest outside of the hospital and are significantly less likely to survive.[1] Cardiac arrest in Black neighborhoods is associated with alarmingly low treatment and survival rates and recent studies have shown lower rates of both bystander CPR and bystander AED use in these neighborhoods. Recognizing the unique intersection of American Heart Month and Black History Month, the American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of service saving lives, marks the occasion by honoring three individuals for their work to improve access to equitable health and change health outcomes.

In ceremonies in New York City on Feb. 1 hosted by CBS News National Correspondent Michelle Miller, Buffalo Bills safety and cardiac arrest survivor Damar Hamlin received the Association’s Voice of the Mission Award, recognizing his historic efforts to spread awareness about the need for CPR education and providing opportunities for training particularly for young athletes. As the national ambassador for the American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ initiative, he is committed alongside the American Heart Association to ensure everyone, everywhere is empowered with the lifesaving skill of CPR and has access to AEDs (automated external defibrillator) in their community, schools, workplaces and places of worship.

The Voice of the Mission award is one of the highest volunteer honors annually bestowed by the Association. It recognizes an individual who has made a major impact in driving awareness or education by using their voice to amplify the lifesaving mission of the American Heart Association. The recipient of this award must have demonstrated success at telling their personal story. The recipient must also have inspired others to take action.

“Damar Hamlin is an incredible role model for the next generation. He has turned his recovery into a meaningful journey that has led to thousands learning the lifesaving skill of CPR,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “Together, the American Heart Association and Damar’s charity, the Chasing M’s Foundation, are turning a nation of bystanders into a nation of lifesavers with CPR and AED training.”

In addition, American Heart Association Impact with Heart Awards were also presented to two local community leaders who have developed and implemented specific local entrepreneurial innovative solutions that provide tools and resources to support both physical and mental well-being.

Andrew Suggs, a 2019 National EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator finalist, is the CEO & Founder of Live Chair Health in Baltimore. Through Live Chair, barbers are trained and equipped with cuffs to measure blood pressure, scales to check body mass index (BMI), and health risk assessments to detect clients' likelihood of developing hypertension.

The concept for Live Chair Health was born in the chair of a Maryland barbershop in 2017, after Andrew’s father had congestive heart failure and three cardiac arrests. Its early days were spent convincing Black men to track their vital signs while getting their hair cut. In the cultural context of the circle of trust between barber and client, Live Chair Health has helped thousands of members overcome a deep-seated resistance to sharing personal information for their health and wellbeing.

Ashley Williams, also from Baltimore, is an educator, emotional wellness advocate and mindfulness expert with more than a decade of experience in the field of emotional wellness. She founded Clymb after watching stress in children struggle with rage, misbehavior and anxiety at the school where she worked.

Clymb is a Baltimore-based organization that offers web-based emotional health software for school-age children designed to enhance their emotional intelligence and develop healthy coping strategies. One of the American Heart Association’s social impact funds, the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund, first supported Clymb, in 2021. Since then, the organization has expanded its services outside of Baltimore to schools across the country including additional language options to help young people develop emotional intelligence skills.   

“As we acknowledge 100 years of service by the American Heart Association, we deeply value the power and passion of volunteers and community leaders who share in our mission to end health inequities to ensure health care access and quality care for people everywhere,” said Marsha Jones, American Heart Association volunteer board chair and former executive vice president and chief diversity officer for The PNC Financial Services Group. “From Damar using his voice to inspire people to understand the importance and value of CPR to the creative innovation spurred by Andrew and Ashley’s work on the ground in communities, we are committed to ensuring equitable health for everyone everywhere as we enter our second century.”

The American Heart Association Social Impact Funds were launched in 2018 to support community-based solutions that reduce social and economic barriers to health equity. Nine out of 10 new businesses need capital and women-led startups receive less than 3% of all venture capital investments.[2] For many entrepreneurs and startup organizations, this lack of support can be a barrier to success and leave communities without resources. Helping these champions advance their work across maternal health, food security and healthcare access complements the work of the American Heart Association’s strategic goal to confront nonmedical, social and economic barriers to health and help everyone live longer, healthier lives. The funds are devoted to evidence-based, sustainable solutions led by local nonprofits and small businesses across diverse markets and issues. The EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator simultaneously supports social and digital health entrepreneurs and organizations who are driving change through health justice in their communities and specifically target food insecurity, transportation, access to healthcare, STEM, youth education and more.

NEW YORK – February 8, 2024 –  Among U.S. audiences, Black consumers spend over 81 hours per week with media — 31.8% more than the general population, according to the latest Nielsen’s Diverse Intelligence Series report, “The global Black audience: Shaping the future of media.” With record-setting engagement and influence, what Black audiences expect from media—and how they access it—is changing. 

In the quest for representative content, 73% of Black American audiences pay for three or more streaming services. Black audiences also feel that they could be better represented in the advertising targeted towards them. In the United States alone, 67% of Black audiences agree that they wish they saw more representation of their identity group while watching TV. The demand is also high in other countries, based on Nielsen’s research. 

The issue of representation also extends to advertising, as 35% of Black Americans believe brands portray Black people the same way. 66% of Black consumers are willing to cut ties with brands that devalue their community. Nielsen’s report underscores the value and importance of building trust with Black audiences— not only because of their buying power, which is expected to top $2 trillion in the U.S. by 2026 —but also because Black-created and Black-inclusive content has become more influential than ever.

“Brands and programmers trying to connect with Black America have their work cut out for them to push beyond ‘urban’ and represent the spectrum of African American traditions as well as emerging nuance from the expanding Black immigrant and Black first-generation perspectives,” said Charlene Polite Corley, Vice President, Diverse Insights & Partnerships, Nielsen. “When considering any kind of engagement with Black audiences, it’s key to remember that Black culture is vast and expansive, and the global exchange of influence needs to be taken into account.”

The report, covering Black audiences in the U.S., Brazil, Nigeria, U.K. and South Africa, examines the untapped power and influence Black people have on the media landscape. With the African and Caribbean-born Black population growth increasing in the United States (about one in five Black Americans are immigrants or children of Black immigrants), Black experiences with media are becoming more globalized, setting the stage for brands and programmers looking to engage with this diverse audience in a rapidly expanding media landscape. 

Black people are engaging more than ever with media content from creators across the Black Diaspora, pointing to the increasing influence of the African continent on Black culture and media habits across the globe. On average, 57% of respondents across general audiences in the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom agree. More than half of first-generation Black Americans say they’re following a Black creator based outside of the U.S., and seven out of 10 Black respondents from the U.K. said they followed Black creators from other countries. 

Black audiences are changing how they consume news and information.

• Black Millennials rely heavily on social media for access to news content — naming social media, YouTube and cable TV as top news sources in Nielsen’s study.
• Black Millennials were more likely among all Black people and among Millennials overall to feel that local TV news isn’t a reliable information source, pointing to a need to differentiate the value of local journalism and maintain trust. 

Black audiences are quickly embracing cable-free content viewing. 

• As of September 2023, broadband-only (BBO) TV homes, which access TV content through an internet connection, had grown to account for nearly 44% of Black U.S. TV households — up from less than 13% back in 2019.
• While 3.2% of total TV usage is with free, ad-supported television (FAST) services like Tubi, Pluto TV and Roku Channel combined, Black viewers spend nearly 4% of their total TV time with Tubi alone.

For more details and insights, download the full report here. Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook (Nielsen Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and X (@Nielsen_DEI).

Black women in the U.S. were, on average, six times more likely to be murdered than their white peers for the years 1999 through 2020, according to an analysis of racial disparities in U.S. homicide rates by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. The study indicates that Black women are more likely than white women to be killed by guns.

The study is the first to analyze homicide trends spanning two decades among women aged 25 to 44—the ages at which women are most likely to be murdered. The findings are published in The Lancet(link is external and opens in a new window).

It is well known that homicide rates among Black women in the U.S. are disproportionately high compared to white women and that Black women tend to be murdered at younger ages and higher rates than other women of color in the U.S., including Native American and Alaska Native women. Despite these facts, data on the disparities remains limited.

“As a scholar whose research examines intimate partner violence, I have long known that there were disparities in homicide rates between Black and white women. To uncover the fact that Black women are murdered at rates as high as 20 to 1 is heart-breaking and underscores the urgent need to make substantive structural shifts,” says Bernadine Waller, PhD, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral research fellow in the Psychiatry Department at Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a dual appointment at New York State Psychiatric Institute.

The study findings also show that:

• Homicide rates among Black women were significantly higher than for white women in all 30 states analyzed, with the biggest differences in states with the highest racial inequities.
• The greatest disparity in homicide rates was in Wisconsin in 2019-2020, when Black women were 20 times more likely to be murdered than white women.
• Black women in the U.S. were more likely than white women to be killed by a firearm, particularly those in the Northeast and Midwest.

The evidence suggests a strong link exists between higher homicide rates and the effects of deeply entrenched racial inequities—which manifest through factors such as educational attainment, unemployment, and wealth distribution—across the U.S. This suggests that measures to reduce structural racism in the U.S could help prevent elevated rates of homicide among Black women. Understanding how disparities in homicide rates change over time at state and regional levels may help identify areas where intervention is needed most.

The authors used CDC WONDER public health data to carry out a cross-sectional analysis of homicide death rates for Black and white women in the U.S. between 1999 and 2020. The analysis focused on women aged 25-44 years in the 30 states with enough homicides (more than nine in any year) for analysis. Results were produced for five time periods: 1999-2003, 2004-2008, 2009-2013, 2014-2018, 2019-2020. The method of homicide was analyzed for four U.S. regions: South, Midwest, West, and Northeast.

The findings indicate Black women in the U.S. consistently had higher homicide rates compared to white women between 1999 and 2020. The overall homicide rate among Black women in 2020 was 11.6 per 100,000 population, compared with 3.0 per 100,000 among white women. This was virtually unchanged from 1999, when the rate among Black women was 11.6 per 100,000 compared to 2.9 per 100,000 in white women. While disparities in homicide rates fell between 1999 and 2013—due to a decrease in homicide rates in Black women—they increased from 2013 to 2020. At the state level, there were differences in how disparities in homicide rates decreased or increased between 1999 and 2020.

Homicide rates among Black women were higher than their white peers during all periods in every state analyzed. While the greatest inequities in homicide rates were in Wisconsin in 2019-2020, when Black women were twenty times more likely to be murdered than white women, the greatest disparities overall, were in the Midwest, where Black women in 2020 were over seven times more likely to be murdered than white women.

Notably, states with the greatest disparities in homicide rates were in parts of the country with a high proportion of people of low socioeconomic status living close together. These areas also tend to have histories of slavery and lynching and are places where especially tense Black Lives Matter protests took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our findings indicate that the greatest inequities are in the areas of the country where concentrated disadvantage is pronounced. Thus, focusing on historical structural racism’s long-lasting legacy in the U.S. is imperative. Efforts aimed at reducing disproportionate homicide deaths among Black women can be implemented through addressing the role of structural racism when it comes to policies and practices that increase Black women’s risk and lessen Black women’s access to much-needed resources,” said Victoria A. Joseph, MPH, a co-author of the paper and a data analyst in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Gun deaths among Black and white women in the U.S. increased, with women in general more than twice as likely (odds of 2.44) to be killed by firearms in 2019-2020 compared to 1999-2003. However, Black women were more likely than white women to be killed by a firearm (odds of 1.38).

The odds of gun deaths among Black women increased over time compared to white women. In 2020, Black women in the Northeast were three times more likely than white women (odds of 3.02) to be killed by a firearm, while firearm homicides among Black women in the Midwest were more than six times higher (odds of 6.31) than among white women. In the South, Black women were around one and a half times (odds of ~1.5) more likely to be killed by a firearm. The West’s sample size was too small to be included in this part of the analysis.

“Available data indicate that homicides in the U.S. continued to escalate in many areas of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, which also intersected with widespread national protests after the murder of George Floyd. These trends reflect systems that have long disserviced communities of color, and underscore that sustained investment and vision to support underserved communities are critical to reverse racial injustices that impact health and wellbeing,” said Katherine Keyes, PhD, senior author of the paper and professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (grants MH131137, MH096724).

Source: Columbia University

WENDY WILLIAMS: THE MOVIE AND PREVIOUS LIFETIME DOC
WENDY WILLIAMS: WHAT A MESS WILL ENCORE
ON FEBRUARY 23 LEADING UP TO NEW DOCUMENTARY

View Official Trailer

 – After Wendy Williams was placed under a financial guardianship and her hit talk show was unexpectedly canceled, she was determined to make a career comeback.  Opening the doors to her private life like never before, cameras chronicled her comeback journey to reclaim her life and legacy despite facing health issues and personal turbulence.  With unparalleled access granted by Wendy to film with her and her family for nearly two years, what was captured was not what anyone expected. The four and a half hour, two-night documentary event, Where is Wendy Williams? will debut on Saturday, February 24 and 25 at 8pm ET/PT on Lifetime. On the Friday night prior on February 23, Lifetime will encore Wendy’s biopic, Wendy Williams: The Movie and her 2021 documentary, Wendy Williams: What a Mess.

“Wendy has been part of the Lifetime family for over a decade and during that time, we partnered with Wendy for her revealing biopic and doc,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming, A&E, Lifetime and LMN. “But her story is not finished.  There is so much more to it.  Nobody truly knew the depths of Wendy’s reality so we hope that what our cameras captured can help shine a light on what she is facing now.”

“I’m gonna tell you something, if it happens to me, it could happen to you,” said Wendy Williams in the documentary.

“This was a complex project – and it became a labor of love for everyone involved,” said executive producer Mark Ford, Creature Films. “We are grateful to Wendy and her family for their utmost commitment to honesty, even when painful – in this documentary.”

Over the course of nearly two years, cameras chronicled the former television host and radio star Wendy Williams’ on the next phase of her life, following the end of her iconic talk show.  The documentary provides a raw, honest and unfiltered reality of Wendy’s life after she was placed under financial guardianship, shedding light on the vulnerabilities that has turned Wendy into the Hot Topic herself. Suffering mental and physical issues, Wendy’s delicate state of mind, erratic behavior and declining health were all captured by the cameras. Where is Wendy Williams? is the story of Wendy’s journey to resurrect her career, and what filmmakers discovered along the way. But many questions remain – who truly has Wendy’s best interest at heart? Is she healthy now? And Where is Wendy Williams?

Throughout the airing of the program and on Lifetime’s social media platforms, Lifetime will drive messaging to mylifetime.com/WendyWilliams, directing viewers to a range of resources including SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), NAMI for Mental Health Resources, and information and resources for Graves’s Disease and Lymphedema.

Where is Wendy Williams? is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Creature Films for Lifetime. Executive producers include Wendy Williams, Kevin Hunter Jr, Will Selby, Tara Long, Mark Ford, Pat Lambert and Erica Hanson who also serves as showrunner. Brie Miranda Bryant serves as executive producer for Lifetime.

The United States Mint (Mint) will begin accepting  pre-orders for products in the Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program on January 4, 2024, at noon EST. Orders are expected to begin shipping in early February.

Authorized by Public Law 117-163, this program celebrates the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The public law directs the Mint to produce $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half dollar clad coins as part of the program. 

Pricing for the gold product options is based on the Mint’s Pricing of Numismatic Gold, Commemorative Gold, and Platinum Products table. Introductory sales prices are in effect until February 5, 2024, at 3:00 pm EST, after which regular pricing will take effect. The household order limits of one for each gold option are in effect for the first 24 hours.

The Honorable Ventris C. Gibson, Director of the Mint, signed 250 Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) for the 2024 Harriet Tubman Three-Coin Proof Set (24CR). These COAs will be randomly inserted into unmarked sets and will be fulfilled when shipping begins. Pre-order your set when sales open at noon on January 4 and keep your fingers crossed for a chance to be one of the lucky recipients.

“Every coin produced by the United States Mint helps to tell a story that teaches us about America’s history or connects us to a special memory,” said Director Gibson. “We hope this program will honor the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman and inspire others to learn more about this amazing woman.”

Surcharges in the amount of $35 for each $5 gold coin sold; $10 for each silver dollar sold; and $5 for each half dollar sold—totaling $50 for each three-coin set sold—are authorized to be paid to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., in Auburn, New York, to advance their missions.

The Mint accepts orders at usmint.gov/ and 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers with TTY equipment may order at 1-888-321-MINT. Visit catalog.usmint.gov/customer-service/shipping.html for information about shipping options.

More Information