Black women boost labor unions, face epidural disparities, and are snubbed at Grammys
Plus, high-profile rap beefs and dancehall clashes, "superwoman schema" explored, Fearless Fund returns to court, Black women academics, British photographers, and Army soldiers speak out, and more.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK WOMEN NEWS
17 stories across global and national news, entertainment, education, health, politics, business, and more.
Black and Latina women helped propel gains for unions in 2023, finds a new study
NPR, Juliana Kim
“Being part of a union can make a major difference in a woman's paycheck and quality of life, according to Majumder. The NPWF found that among full-time Latina workers, union members made almost $14,000 more per year than their non-union counterpart in 2023. Among Black women, union members make about 20% more per week than non-union workers. For Asian American women, the difference between union and non-union members is about 7% per week. ‘Unions can really help reshape the workplace in a way that works for women,’ she said.”
Black women under 35 with high blood pressure may have triple the risk of stroke, study says
NBC News, Claretta Bellamy
“They found that compared to women who didn’t have high blood pressure, Black women who developed high blood pressure before 35 had 3.1 times the risk of having a stroke by middle age. Those who developed high blood pressure before 45 had 2.2 times the risk of stroke, and high blood pressure from ages 45 to 64 was tied to a 1.69 times higher risk of stroke.”
RELATED:
Cardiovascular disease kills more Black women ‘than all cancers combined,’ CDC reports, Atlanta News First, Staff and Talgat Almanov
For the first time, Black women are leading Democrats in early primary states
The 19th, Candice Norwood, Grace Panetta
“And for the first time, Black women are leading all three of these Democratic state parties as polls offer warning signs of Biden’s standing among Black voters. Christale Spain in South Carolina, Daniele Monroe-Moreno in Nevada and Lavora Barnes in Michigan are all the first Black women to be party chairs in their states — raising money and serving as the Democrats’ public face.”
RELATED:
In milestones, Black women from South Carolina and Indiana confirmed as federal judges, Indiana Capital Chronicle, Ariana Figueroa
Black women are less likely to receive epidurals during labor. Here’s why.
Yahoo, Taayoo Murray
“Dr. Stephanie Hack, ob-gyn and founder of Lady Parts Doctor, tells Yahoo Life that ‘while access is part of the problem since the number of maternity care deserts is steadily growing, especially post Roe v. Wade, there are racial dynamics at play as well.’ For example, research shows that Black Americans are frequently undertreated for pain compared to white patients. […]
The preference for labor pain management is also influenced by cultural and religious beliefs, a lack of prenatal patient education, language barriers, fears and for some Black Americans, historical distrust in the field of medicine stemming from years of mistreatment. ‘Anecdotally, many of my Black patients are hesitant to have ‘that needle in my back,’’ says Gaither.”
RELATED:
Chicago doctor on a medical mission to improve care for Black women, CBS News, Mugo Odigwe
Colorado OB-GYN breaks down alarming study for Black women who are pregnant, CBS News
Is It Time Beyoncé & Jay-Z Stopped “Showing Up” To The Grammys?
Refinery29 Unbothered, Kathleen Newman-Bremang
“Beyoncé has lost Album of the Year four times: to Beck, Taylor Swift, Adele, and most recently, Harry Styles. Beyoncé has more Grammys than all of these artists. She has more cultural impact, more innovation, more creativity, and legendary iconography than all of them combined (Adele would agree). During the commercial breaks at the Grammys, there was a line to get photos with Beyoncé consisting of all of the other biggest artists in music. She is the celebrity’s celebrity. She is the standard, the blueprint, the bar. The Grammys know how great she is or else they wouldn’t have awarded her the most awards in history. But, and Black women know this story all too well, our greatness will never stand a chance against white mediocrity.”
RELATED:
Why SZA's Grammys Snub Shows Once Again How Outstanding Black Girls Lose To White Mediocrity, The Root, Candace McDuffie
Uncovering Britain’s Groundbreaking Black-British Women Photographers
Another Magazine, Elodie Saint-Louis
“‘Blackness at that particular time in the UK was very different from the American version or even the British idea of Black today,’ says Gregory. In the words of Paul Gilroy – whose writings shaped how many of these Black women thought about and approached their artistic practice – Blackness was not ‘a phenotype or a physical description’ but instead an identity ‘collectively assembled in adverse circumstances and conditioned by the effects of systematic racism.’ Shining Lights reveals the ways in which these women embodied intersectionality before the phrase came to be.”
Black Woman-owned Vontélle Eyewear Secures Huge, 900+ Retail Store Deal
Blavity, Jahaura Michelle
“The names of the frames within the collection draw inspiration from influential African American figures who have made substantial contributions across a wide range of fields, including civil rights, literature, science, politics, law, innovation and public service, per Black News.
Vontélle co-founders Nancey Harris and Tracy Green are HBCU graduates. They initially met while attending Morgan State University in Baltimore. Additionally, the frame line also pays homage to some sororities and fraternities by including the popular color patterns of the organizations.”
Grant program for Black women comes under tough questioning in key anti-DEI lawsuit
AP, Alexandra Olson and David Fischer
“Judge Kevin Newsom, a Trump appointee, pushed back against the Fearless Fund’s argument that the grants are protected by the First Amendment because they are charitable donations. He asked the Fearless Fund’s attorneys whether the same protection would apply to a contest open only to white applicants. That’s a question frequently raised by Edward Blum, the conservative activist who leads the American Alliance for Equal Rights and who was behind the Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions.”
Black women suffer disproportionately from 'superwoman schema'
Good Morning America, Tesfaye Negussie, Cameron Harrison, Dhanika Pineda, and Alex Ederson
“Glenda Boone said that her daughters suggested she find support by scheduling her first meeting with a mental health therapist. If she didn’t, Glenda knew she was at risk of losing Lauren, too. She said it took a while to find the right therapist, and to let her guard down during therapy sessions. But once she did, Glenda said she felt a freedom that she had never before experienced. ‘I learned how to remove the mask,’ she said. ‘I was allowed to free myself, release myself. The mask of superwoman was mine. I could be all things to all people …. But my daughters let me know, and Lauren in particular … ‘You were there. But you weren’t present.’”
RELATED:
Suicide Rates Have Risen Steadily for Black Girls and Women, Health Day, Ernie Mundell
Stefflon Don & Jada Kingdom’s Clash Is A Win For Dancehall Culture—Like It Or
TRENCH, Nadine White
“While legions of fans lapped up the passa, with many hailing the affair as “exciting”, some patrons implored the ladies to abandon their differences and make peace while accusing them of giving dancehall a poor showing. Other critics suggested that Jada and Steff were behaving in a manner unbecoming of women, apparently holding them to different standards to their male counterparts who—by and large—are often free to lyrically battle without being policed in the same way."
Black Women: This Is What You Can Do If You Were Passed Over For A Raise Or Promotion At Work
Forbes, Janice Gassam Asare
“‘Don’t let your job application process be the last time you review your job description...bucket your tasks based on each bullet of your role and responsibilities that way you are able to clearly view anything outside of the scope of your role. Documenting your work in this way will showcase growth and add value to your role which in turn you can utilize as leverage when discussing your promotional opportunities. The key to advancement...is not waiting for the midyear [or] end-of-year review to hear from your employer on whether or not you will be promoted...you must begin this process from the moment you are hired.’”
Nicki Minaj Isn’t Afraid of Setting Fires — But Her Legacy Might Get Scorched, Too
Rolling Stone, Larisha Paul
“Gold, in its purest form, doesn’t tarnish. When mixed with lesser metals, however, it loses both shine and value. Minaj earned her title as a trailblazer over a decade ago, built a throne and has been relentlessly defending her crown ever since. But when a queen spends night after night running through the halls paranoid about being dethroned, questioning the security of the palace, and hiding behind villainous alter egos, she risks coming across as an unfit leader — one with a broken moral compass who doesn’t know when to call it quits.”
Stop policing Black women’s comportment
The Boston Globe, Renée Graham
“After Democratic Representative Cori Bush of Missouri defended her use of campaign funds, including hiring her now-husband, for security services, Republican Representative Troy Nehls of Texas quickly dove into his bag of racist tropes. He insulted her husband and blamed Bush’s temperament for the death threats she receives. […]
When pressed by a reporter as to whether he believed Bush deserved the threats, Nehls ignored an opportunity to bail himself out. ‘No, what I’m saying is, is that when you’re out there talking the way she does I’m not surprised people are pretty upset because she’s pretty radical. And maybe she should tone it down a little bit.’”
Is Academia Safe for Black Women? How Bias and Racism Affect Faculty Mental Health
Ms. Magazine, Natasha Crooks
“My journey as a Black woman in academia, focusing on researching sexual disparities among Black girls and women, has been marked by success but also overwhelming fatigue. The importance of my work has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health, and I will be going up for tenure early. Still, academia has robbed me of my joy and almost broken me.”
RELATED:
Black women at Harvard say Claudine Gay’s ouster reflects a system that wasn’t built for them, NBC News, Char Adams
How Trauma Impacts the Well-Being of Black Women Educators, EdSurge, Sarah Wright and Mi Aniefuna
Why are Black women only 2% of tenured professors?, NBC 4Washington
Platoonmates Killed in Jordan Saw Army Service as a Life Ladder
The New York Times, Dave Philipps and Sean Keenan
“Black women account for about 36 percent of all enlisted women in the Army, compared with just 14 percent of the civilian female population, and they have an outsize presence in the highest enlisted ranks: More than half of the Army’s female sergeant majors are Black. […]
The reasons are simple, she said. The Army was one of the first large employers to strip structural racism from its organization. Though other forms of racism persisted, the military in the Civil Rights era was one of the few places where Black women could find open doors and equal opportunity. Military service comes with benefits that can be rare in civilian blue-collar jobs, and recruits do not need to know someone or have a degree to be hired.”
HuffPost, Ruth Etiesit Samuel
“With the invite to Minaj, she attempted to capitalize on the public ridicule of a Black female gun violence survivor by another Black woman for the sake of viewership. Apart from the fact that Minaj does not need a broader audience to spew misogynoir, invoke Megan Thee Stallion’s late mother and embolden her crazed fan base, Fumudoh’s invitation raises questions about her integrity and utility. The fact that she entertained the idea points to an over-reliance on shock value in her interviews and undermines her talent.”
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