Trending Black News & Culture

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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 nearly two centuries, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) 

have consistently punched above their weight against near insurmountable odds 

to prepare America’s Black scholars and other students of color 

to enter society with a comprehensive education.”

(See https://uncf.org/annual-report-2023/the-hbcu-effect-is-real)

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Vice President Karmala Harris and the following notables graduated from HBCUs: Nathaniel S. Colley Sr., Yolanda Adams, Stacey Abrams, Debbie Allen, Lonnie Johnson, Jesse Jackson, Pam Oliver, Alice Walker, Tarji P. Henson, Marian Wright Edelman, Langston Hughes, Raphel Warnock, Julian Bond, Ralph Ellison, Glayds Knight, Katherine Johnson, Nikki Giovanni, Rosa Parks, Spike Lee, Keith Ellison, Samuel L. Jackson, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King Jr., Althea Gibson, Thurgood Marshall, W.E. B. DuBois, John Lewis, and Earl G. Graves.  Given the profound educational and economic impact of HBCUs, we must maintain and enhance HBCUs.  

The September 19, 2024 United Negro College Fund’s 2024 HBCU Economic Impact Report included the following information: “HBCUs generate $16.5 billion in direct economic impact nationally. If they were a company, the nation’s HBCUs would place in the top 50 of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies in job creation.  Collectively, 136,048 jobs exist as a result of HBCUs.  On average, for each job created on campus, 1.5 off-campus jobs exist because of spending related to the institution  …The 51,269 HBCU graduates in the class of 2021 can expect work-life earnings of $146 billion, 57% ($53 billion) more than the $93 billion they could expect without their degrees or certificates.”

Nevertheless, like glaciers, many HBCUs are melting down.  More specifically, an October 2024 Pew Research Center report indicated, “…As of fall 2022 – the latest semester with available data – there were 99 HBCUs nationwide, and they collectively enrolled just under 290,000 students…  While 18% of all Black college students in the U.S. attended HBCUs in 1976, only 9% did in 2022.  Still, HBCUs accounted for 16% of the bachelor’s degrees that Black college students earned in the 2021-22 school year…  In 2022, more than 80% of the student body was Black at 65 of the 99 HBCUs.  But at eight HBCUs, more than half of the student body was not Black – including Saint Philip’s and West Virginia State University. At each school, just 9% of students were Black…  West Virginia State now serves mainly White students.)  (See Enrollment at HBCUs: A closer look).  Meanwhile, nearly all HBCUs have significant financial risks, largely because of institutional racism. 

A September 22, 2022 Forbes article indicated, “Compared to their predominantly white counterparts, the nation’s Black land-grant universities have been underfunded by at least $12.8 billion over the last three decades…  Inside the men’s dormitory at Tennessee State University (TSU), the heating and cooling unit is a rusted relic from the 1960s…  ‘Two thirds of our buildings are in substantial need of repair,’ says Glenda Glover, president of this historically Black institution in Nashville.  A contracting firm recently pegged the bill for TSU’s deferred maintenance at $427 million, a nearly unreachable sum for a school with an operating loss of more than $80 million a year on just $116 million in revenue and a puny $63 million endowment...”

Fortunately, a May 2024, White House announcement indicated, “Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a new record in Federal funding and investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) totaling more than $16 billion from Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through current available data for FY 2024. This new reported total is up from the previously announced over $7 billion, and captures significant additional actions already undertaken.  …President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to ensuring whole-of-government investment efforts in HBCUs continue at full momentum through the rest of FY 2024.”  In addition, of great importance are HBCUs partnerships with historically White colleges and universities.  Consider, for example, some Pitt related activities.

Across the University of Pittsburgh, there are a significant number of individual research collaborations with various scholars at HBCUs.  In addition, there are other partnerships, including the important work of the President of Howard University and the Pitt Chancellor as founding members of the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness initiative as well as members of the Fulbright Scholars Advisory Board. Regarding the Presidents for Civic Preparedness initiative, it is important to note that “…this coalition of over 100 campus leaders from diverse ideologies, backgrounds, and institutions is committed to preparing students for active civic engagement…  these commitments move beyond oversimplified debates around free speech versus diversity and inclusion. Instead, they prioritize meaningful engagement with diverse voices and viewpoints, underline the importance of supporting free inquiry for democratic understanding, and recognize diversity as a cornerstone of both American democracy and campus life.” (See The Civic Commitments - College Presidents for Civic Preparedness).

It is also noteworthy that the former Pitt Dean of Education, Valerie Kinloch, now serves as President of her alma mater Johnson C. Smith.  James R. Martin II, Pitt’s former Dean of Engineering and, subsequently, Vice Chancellor for STEM Research and Innovation, now serves as Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.  Significantly, Pitt professor Khirsten L. Scott recently delivered the distinguished lecture, On the Edge of Legacy: Embracing the Fullness of HBCU Stories for a Thriving Future, at her HBCU alma mater Tougaloo College.  The foregoing follows the rich historical Pitt-HBCUs connections as exemplified by Frederick Humphrey who [1] graduated from Florida A&M University; [2] earned a doctorate at Pitt; and [3] went on to serve first as President of Tennessee State and, subsequently, President of Florida A&M University.  

If we are not to lose a precious national resource, to experience the consequences of a true “climate change” in higher education, then we must heed Adriel A. Hilton’s and Cheron Hunter Davis’ July 28, 2024 comments, i.e., “…America’s HBCUs are monuments to the beginnings of higher education for Black Americans. However, these institutions, with their rich legacies and historic campuses, are crumbling before our very eyes…  The only way to save our HBCUs — tributes to the brave work of our Black ancestors — is through financial support or donated time and expertise. Please contact an HBCU and offer what you can. Honor our Black forefathers, show that their legacy is not forgotten, and demonstrate that together, we can ensure these vital institutions stand strong for generations to come.”  (See We Must Help Save America’s Historic Black Colleges | Diverse: Issues In Higher Education).   

Jack L. Daniel

Co-founder, Freed Panther Society

Contributor, Pittsburgh Urban Media

Author, Negotiating a Historically White University While Black

November 22, 2024

While HBO has yet to officially lock in a Hal Jordan for its upcoming Lanterns series based on DC’s comics, the network has found its John Stewart.

Today, HBO announced that Rebel Ridge and Old star Aaron Pierre will play Lanterns’ John Stewart, a new recruit to the Green Lantern Corps. who partners up with veteran Lantern Hal Jordan to solve a “dark, earth-based” murder mystery that requires their expertise. As Deadlinenotes, Kyle Chandler has reportedly been in talks to join the series as Jordan, and Pierre narrowly edged out Homecoming’s Stephan James for the Stewart role.

Lanterns, which doesn’t yet have a solid release date, is one of the more high-profile live-action projects set to kick off Warner Bros. and DC Studio’s new universe of interconnected comic book adaptationsconsisting of films like James Gunn’s Superman and series like Creature Commandos. It will probably be a while before we know more about what Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy is cooking up for the boys in green. But as long as it’s been since we got a good John Stewart story on the small screen — Justice League Unlimited finished airing in 2006 — it could be very worth the wait.

The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

About Aaron Pierre: Aaron currently stars as the lead in Jeremy Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge” which debuted on Netflix on September 6th and was the #1 title worldwide on Netflix for three weeks in a row. In December, Aaron will take on the titular role of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins’ animated "Lion King” prequel for Disney.

Aaron was most recently seen leading the NatGeo series “Genius: MLK/X,” as civil rights leader Malcolm X, Garth Davis’ “Foe”alongside Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan, Clement Virgo’s “Brother” and Barry Jenkins’ award-winning limited series “The Underground Railroad.” Aaron is currently filming “The Morning Show.”

He is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, Hamilton Hodell, Sloane Offer Weber Dern and Narrative.

He played Gordy the weatherman on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and earned an Emmy nom for his turn as the older Kunta Kinte on 'Roots.'

John Amos, the actor known for his roles in "Roots," "Good Times" and more, has died. He was 84.

Amos died on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles, a representative for the actor confirmed Tuesday to USA TODAY.

"It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned," read a statement from his son, Kelly Christopher Amos. "He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold ... and he was loved the world over."

"Many fans consider him their TV father. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor. My father loved working as an actor throughout his entire life ... most recently in 'Suits LA' playing himself and our documentary about his life journey as an actor, 'America's Dad.' He was my dad, my best friend, and my hero. Thank you for your prayers and support at this time."

Amos starred as the older version of Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed miniseries "Roots" and as James Evans Sr. on the classic sitcom "Good Times."

Source: USA Today

~NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease Offers An Individualized Educational Curriculum~

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2024 -- Today, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) launched NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease, a new interactive, online learning tool that allows people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), to learn more about kidney disease based on their individual health status. This interactive learning experience offers content in a dynamic and engaging way. An initial online survey encourages people to answer questions regarding their health and receive information tailored to their particular stage of kidney disease and what they need to do to manage their CKD and achieve optimal kidney health. Financial support for this educational tool was provided by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis).

This innovative tool offers various essential learning journeys – CKD stages 1-5, dialysis, and kidney transplantation and addresses conditions related to CKD, including pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. To tailor a learner's journey, this tool captures information about each learner's kidney health, such as whether they have been told they have CKD, what laboratory data they have available about their kidney health (i.e., serum creatinine with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), etc.) and whether they have any co-morbidities (i.e., pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity). People who are unsure if they have CKD are given basic information about CKD and questions to ask their healthcare team.  

NKF is committed to being a credible source of information for every person living with CKD or a kidney transplant.

This learning experience features cloud-based responsive learning. The learning journey branches into different paths based on each learner's responses incorporating text, graphics, videos, and other visuals into manageable segments that allow the learner to focus on a particular topic or subtopic. The online learning tool also includes links to other NKF resources, so the learner can explore specific aspects of living with CKD.

This interactive, curated educational tool is a great first step in dealing with a CKD diagnosis. You can find more information about NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease here: kidney.org/ckd-journey.

"NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease was developed for adult learners because there are many obstacles to patient education that arise not only in primary care but also in specialty care settings," said Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, NKF Chief Medical Officer. "This innovative tool offers those living with CKD at varying levels of health literacy the individualized health information they need to navigate their kidney health journey. People living with kidney diseases want to know what kidney disease means and what can be done to improve kidney health on an individualized basis."

Many people rely on information found online to help them better understand the health information their clinician told them about during their last office visit. NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease will help people living with CKD filter through the volumes of information available on the internet based on their particular kidney health journey. Having comprehensive, evidence-based, freely available resources that guide people through essential information is a benefit to busy clinicians. Information provided in an easy-to-understand format helps patients understand what they can do today to take better control of their kidney health.

"Learning you have kidney disease is oftentimes frightening and frustrating because there is a lot of new information to parse through; those living with CKD need information that is understandable and actionable," said Kevin Longino, NKF Chief Executive Officer and a kidney transplant recipient. "NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease was created for those who might be overwhelmed by their diagnosis and all the information on the internet, doctor visits, and social media forums. NKF is committed to being a credible source of information for every person living with kidney disease, or a kidney transplant, so they can make informed decisions about their particular stage and type of kidney disease."

CKD is a widely unrecognized public health crisis affecting an estimated 35.5 million U.S. adults among whom approximately 90% of those don't even know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. (approximately 80 million) are at risk for kidney disease. Kidney disease is considered a silent killer so people with certain risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and a family history of kidney disease, gout, or hyperkalemia (high potassium) are all at risk for kidney disease and will all benefit from utilizing this educational tool and learning more about their overall kidney health.

For more information about NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease, please visit  kidney.org/ckd-journey and for more details about CKD or kidney disease, visit kidney.org.

About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 35.5 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and approximately 90% don't know they have it.  About 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease.  Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history of kidney disease. People of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are almost 4 times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure.  Hispanics are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.

About Kidney Equity For All
Historically, access to kidney health has remained inequitable, with persistent disparities disproportionately affecting underserved populations and impacting the entire kidney patient journey. To address these disparities, NKF is urging industry and community leaders to join them on their KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™ mission by allocating resources to improve healthcare access and outcomes in communities of color. This is a tangible opportunity for businesses to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into their operations. For more information on KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™, visit www.kidneyequityforall.org.

About The National Kidney Foundation is the largest patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. It is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, please visit www.kidney.org.

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SOURCE The National Kidney Foundation

The stars above and on Earth aligned as an inspirational message and lyrics from the song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by hip-hop artist Missy Elliott were beamed to Venus via NASA’s DSN (Deep Space Network). The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent the transmission at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12.

As the largest and most sensitive telecommunication service of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, DSN has an array of giant radio antennas that allow missions to track, send commands, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the Moon and beyond. To date, the system has transmitted only one other song into space, making the transmission of Elliott’s song a first for hip-hop and NASA.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” said Brittany Brown, director, Digital and Technology Division, Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who initially pitched ideas to Missy’s team to collaborate with the agency. “Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting.”

The song traveled about 158 million miles (254 million kilometers) from Earth to Venus — the artist’s favorite planet. Transmitted at the speed of light, the radio frequency signal took nearly 14 minutes to reach the planet. The transmission was made by the 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, located at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow in California. Coincidentally, the DSS-13 also is nicknamed Venus.

Elliott’s music career started more than 30 years ago, and the DSN has been communicating with spacecraft for over 60 years. Now, thanks to the network, Elliott’s music has traveled far beyond her Earth-bound fans to a different world.  

“I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when “The Rain” (Supa Dupa Fly) becomes the first ever hip-hop song to transmit to space!,” said Elliott. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!”

Two NASA missions, selected in 2021, will explore Venus and send data back to Earth using the DSN. DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), led out of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is slated to launch no earlier than 2029. The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), launching no earlier than 2031, is lead out of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. NASA and the DSN are also partnering with the European Space Agency’s Venus mission, Envision. A team at JPL is developing the spacecraft’s Venus Synthetic Aperture Radar (VenSAR).

In continuous operations since 1963, NASA SCaN’s DSN is composed of three complexes spaced equidistant from each other — approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude — around the planet. The ground stations are in Goldstone in California, Madrid, and Canberra in Australia.

The Deep Space Network is managed by JPL for the SCaN program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate, based at NASA Headquarters.  

For more information about NASA’s Deep Space Network, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/communicating-with-missions/dsn/

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.

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