Alicia Keys is sharing her story in her book “More Myself,” and in it, she reveals that she found herself in some pretty precarious situations early on in her career.
The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter detailed an uncomfortable incident with a photographer who insisted on having total privacy while he took her picture in 2000 when she was just 19.
“When I emerge from the dressing room, there’s just the two of us on set. ‘Open up your shirt a little,’ he directs while firing off a flurry of camera snaps. My spirit is screaming that something is wrong, that this feels sleazy. But my protests, lodged in the back of my throat, can’t make their way out,” she writes in the memoir, according to the Daily Mail.
Singer Alicia Keys speaks during a press conference at KIIS-FM’s “Jingle Ball 2001” December 19, 2001 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Sebastian Artz/Getty Images)
“‘Pull the top of your jeans down a bit in the front,’ he urges. If I say no, what doors will be closed to me? I swallow my misgivings, tuck my thumb between the denim and my skin, and obey.”
The mother of two didn’t name the photographer she described but admitted she was humiliated by the experience.
Host Alicia Keys speaks onstage during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
“This isn’t about me showing some skin, which I’ll do on my own terms, for my own purposes, in the coming years. It’s about feeling manipulated. It’s about being objectified,” she writes.
“I am beyond embarrassed, ashamed that I’ve sold part of myself … Had Jeff [Keys’ manager] been in there, he would’ve voiced what I couldn’t at the time: ‘Hell no. Close that shirt. Take your hand off your tit. And you’re not going to yank down your jeans’.”
Alicia Keys continues to inspire fans across the country through her work and her candor and “More Myself” is sure to give us a glimpse of what her journey has been like.
Netflix is taking a deep dive into the criminal justice system in its upcoming docuseries, The Innocence Files.
The streamer just dropped the first official trailer for the project directed by Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Roger Ross Williams, Jed Rothstein, Andy Grieve, and Sarah Dowland.
The nine-episode documentary series examines the work of The Innocence Project, the nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
The series will focus on eight actual cases the organization worked to overturn. Subjects include Chester Hollman III, Kenneth Wyniemko, Alfred Dewayne Brown, Thomas Haynesworth, Franky Carrillo, Levon Brooks, Kennedy Brewer, and Keith Harward.
Here’s the official description:
The Innocence Files shines a light on the untold personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the nonprofit organization the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have uncovered and worked tirelessly to overturn.
The nine-episode series is composed of three compelling parts – The Evidence, The Witness and The Prosecution. These stories expose difficult truths about the state of America’s deeply flawed criminal justice system, while showing when the innocent are convicted, it is not just one life that is irreparably damaged forever: families, victims of crime and trust in the system are also broken in the process.
The Innocence Files is executive produced and directed by Academy Award® nominee Liz Garbus, Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney, Academy Award® winner Roger Ross Williams; with episodes also directed by Academy Award® nominee Jed Rothstein, Emmy Award® winner Andy Grieve and Sarah Dowland.
Luenell is sticking up for her daughter, Da’Nelle, who is on the receiving end of backlash after being put out the house because the 20-something wouldn’t take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
Last month, Luenell let her fans know that she had made the difficult choice to ban her daughter from her home.
“I have to make the best decision for me and my husband who is already suffering from COPD,” she wrote in the Instagram caption at the time.
“I’m sure most of the millennials think we are dramatic and overreacting because they’re not as ‘woke’ as they think they are … Why am I sharing this publicly? Because maybe some of You might want to think of the activities of Your children outside of your house these days as well. The millennials are not listening and not taking proper precautions. This is our LIVES we are talking about people especially if you are in a certain age category. I’m bummed but it is what it is.”
The funny lady is now speaking on the matter again.
“I had no idea that the sh-t was going to go viral. I don’t do things to go viral,” the 61-year-old recently explained while appearing on Claudia Jordan’sFox Soul show, which is now airing via Instagram Live.
“Then my daughter called me, because I guess when she woke up, people were all over tagging her,” she said. “What had happened was, she got drug really, really badly on social media. ‘How could you do this?’ ‘Tramp a–.’ Yeah, and she didn’t have a problem with the quarantine. She had a problem with the posting.”
“She was like, why do you want to always put stuff on there? What do you want likes and stuff?” the outspoken actress continued. “I said ‘Hunty, mommy has half a million followers. I don’t need no likes, I don’t buy no — I don’t need no clicks, likes, I don’t give a f–k about that sh-t.”
Luenell clarified that she posted the message to get through to other stubborn – and perhaps sheltered – young people who were unwittingly making light of the global pandemic because they’d never experienced that sort of hardship before.
“[Nipsey Hussle] was like the biggest thing they’ve been through,” she opined. “Tragedy is not new to our generation.”
She also points out that the fear of asymptomatic people putting their more immunocompromised loved ones at risk also played a factor.
“I did it so maybe granny might say, ‘You need to get somewhere and sit your a– down,’” she concluded. “I see that, even though NeNe [Leakes] and I are not fans of each other, we agree on one thing. She has decided that maybe she needs to tell her son to sit down somewhere, too.”
The comedian pulled down her Instagram post to protect her daughter, but maintained that her mindset hasn’t changed.
“For it to go to Shaderoom, BallerAlert, JasmineBrand, my daughter ain’t never had nothing like that happen to her, and for that, I’m sorry,” she said. “But she still can’t come here. Sh-t.”
If adulting still feels as simple as it seemed when you were a kid, money is likely a big part of the equation — and in a good way.
All millennials aren’t broke. A recent study conducted by Coldwell Banker revealed that 618,000 millennials have another “m” in their stat box — and it’s for millionaire. These high earners have different career paths (from entrepreneurs to tech executives), come from varied ethnic and racial backgrounds and are from different parts of the country.
In fact, there is really only one thing millennial millionaires have in common: all of these “rich” young adults own real estate. On average, 7-figure earning 20-30 somethings own three properties and have a real estate portfolio valued at $1.4 million.
Sounds nice, but this type of investing isn’t limited to those who are already rich.
Photo: Adobe Stock
You don’t have to be a cash money millionaire to be living really well, or to consider investing in real estate — thousandaires (those earning high five to six figures) are perfectly poised to invest.
Financial institutions such as City National Bank offer an array of services, including investment management, mortgage loans, and lines of credit that create the opportunity for high earners the opportunity to jump into any market.
Don’t overthink the move. If your income significantly exceeds your bills and you’re ready to start building your financial stability — meaning you’ve checked off a lot of the debt boxes that can be a financial noose (think student loans and credit cards), and have established a stock investment portfolio, it’s time to start looking at real estate as a means of diversifying your streams of income.
Despite countless studies and articles that tout real estate as a wealth building must, many people with the credit and cash to invest don’t take the leap.
One reason some well-to-do young African Americans are hesitant to invest is the tales and childhood experiences from the foreclosure crisis of the early 2000s, a period when many Black households, well, just lost out. Back then, the market permitted excessive lending on primary residences and investment properties, where mortgages exceeded income and potential rent rolls.
Housing For Young Family Concept. Young Black Father, Mother And Daughter Sitting Under Symbolic Roof Dreaming Of New Home Over Yellow Background
Middle-class Black folks overextended on loans and without the historical financial stability of other communities (read: parents with money to bail you out) many families lost their homes and wealth. Luckily, a lot has changed in a decade, the most important being our community’s access to information and resources.
Savvy, real estate investment moves have long been a staple in building financial stability, and wealth. Looking to join, or solidify your standing in, the millionaires club? There are many ways to get into the real estate investment game.
Single Family Residence. Location is everything when you’re investing in a single residence because your stream of income is dependent on securing a property that leaves renters clamoring. Nowadays, single residences aren’t relegated to one-tenant and a flat rate. Resources such as AirBnB and Craig’s List allow owners to test the market to determine how to maximize their investment.
Multi-Unit Residence. The great thing about having more than one unit is you’re reducing your risk since you’ll have two or more tenants paying monthly. The flip side is that more money means more duties. For example, you have to set up systems to collect rent and handle grievances fairly.
Commercial Property. That strip mall you order your favorite sushi from, someone owns that—ditto on your favorite bar, movie theater and gas station. That someone can be you. Commercial spaces are great investments because the tenant, which will be a business entity v. an individual, is typically responsible for much of the upkeep in their unit and generally signs on for longer-term leases (five years or more).
REITs. If “landlording” is simply not in the cards for you real estate investment trusts give you the benefit of ownership without any of the responsibility. REITs pool your money with other investors to finance property acquisitions. There is a team in place to handle all of the duties: property management, rent collection, etc. Each month investors are paid dividends based on their shares from rental income.
Texas governor Greg Abbott has banned all abortion procedures, but will allow church services to be held during the coronavirus outbreak.
According to Forbes, Abbott banned all abortions last week. However, a Federal District Court blocked the ban Monday, after Planned Parenthood and other organizations filed a lawsuit. An appeals court reversed the district court decision Tuesday, allowing the ban to remain in place until the case made its way through the courts.
Hours later, Abbott issued an order limiting social gatherings and in-person contact with the exception of services deemed essential by the federal government and “religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship.”
The original executive order outlining healthcare services issued by Abbott on March 22 did not mention abortion at all. The order was designed to preserve the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital capacity during the coronavirus outbreak.
The next day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement saying he believed the order included “any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”
Abortion services in the state ceased all surgical abortions but continued providing medical ones, until providers learned Friday those must be suspended as well. Paxton is well known for challenging abortion rights in the state.
“Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care,” the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a March 18 statement cosigned by seven other medical organizations. Delaying abortion weeks or even days can “increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible,” and the “consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being.”
Pregnancy carries greater health risks to the mother than terminating a pregnancy, particularly in Texas, which ranks sixth in the nation in maternal deaths. Additionally, Dr. Daniel Grossman, professor at the University of California San Francisco, said “a lot more gloves, gowns, and masks” are used for pelvic exams, ultrasounds, and delivery if a woman continues her pregnancy.
For African American women, the inability to get an abortion can have devastating effects. Especially during the coronavirus outbreak where medical care outside of the virus is at a standstill and unemployment is skyrocketing.
Self-grooming has become an unavoidable necessity for millions of Americans across several states as governors and mayors shut down barbershops and salons in an effort to enforce social distancing mandates aimed at limiting the spread of the deadly and highly contagious COVID-19 virus. As a result, self-grooming products for those forced to take a DIY approach to haircare, mani/pedis, and other personal care needs are among the areas of entrepreneurial opportunity emerging from the coronavirus crisis.
St. Lucian immigrant and Shark Tank winner Joshua Esnard is one of those with a self-grooming product to meet a key demand in the current environment. His invention, The Cut Buddy, is a DIY-barbering tool created to help people do their own haircuts and beard trimming.
“I created this when I was a kid,” says Esnard, who was recognized as a 2018 BE Modern Man of Distinction. “I couldn’t go to the barber. Either it was too far away, or I couldn’t afford to. Now, with this pandemic, hopefully, my invention can help people feel a little bit better about their haircuts and themselves every day.”
The Cut Buddy is a stencil that, when held against one’s head, allows anyone to give themselves (or someone else) a barber-quality line-up, edge-up, or shape-up to their haircut or beard. Esnard was just 13-years-old when he created the self-grooming product as a solution to the same struggle many people are now challenged with during the current pandemic: “How can I cut my own hair?” After numerous failed attempts and mangled hairlines, Esnard traced out a stencil that would prevent him from making errors and give him crisp, barber-quality results.
Patented in 2015 and released in 2016, a YouTube influencer campaign helped The Cut Buddy go viral, with 4,000 units sold in just one hour. Esnard says that PayPal’s fraud system automatically froze his account because the large and sudden increase in cash flow triggered a shut-down designed to prevent suspected money laundering.
Since its viral release, The Cut Buddy self-grooming tool has been featured in GQ, Forbes, NBC’s The Today Show, NPR, and Black Enterprise. Esnard went on the ABC hit television show Shark Tank and struck a deal with Daymond John, giving up 20% of the company for $300,000. The Cut Buddy has since partnered with Andis Co. Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of electric clippers and other tools for professional barbers and hairstylists. Esnard says that as of the end of 2019, over 500,000 Cut Buddy haircut stencils have been sold worldwide.
In response to the current crisis, The Cut Buddy and The Cut Buddy PLUS are available at a 15% discount at checkout at TheCutBuddy.com with the promo code: DIY2020. The self-grooming products are also sold on Amazon. Esnard, now 33, looks back on his self-grooming invention of two decades ago and how it might be more helpful now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, than ever before. “It’s only a haircut tool, but I’ve seen how much it means to people to feel good about how they look every day,” he asserts. “I hope this can help people’s lives feel a bit more normal.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden added Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s name to the list of women he is eyeing for his running mate.
Biden, who said previously he would choose a female vice president, told MSNBC’sBrian Williams that he has been weighing Whitmer, along with a handful of other female vice-presidential possibilities, for several months but would ultimately narrow it down and pick a candidate this month.
Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Biden is also considering Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) and Stacey Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, among others.
“She made the list in my mind two months ago,” Biden told Williams about Whitmer. “There’s probably going to be a list, I’m in the process of — Brian, we’ll have it by mid-April, putting together an organization that will run the background checks … by the second or third week in April.”
“I’ve thought about some of the women who I believe are ready to be president and I think I can work with and would be willing to work with me. It’s going to be somewhere between six and 10 of them,” Biden added.
Former Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams and former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris. (Photo: Getty Images)
As Michigan governor, Whitmer may be particularly appealing as she is a well-liked governor who heads up a must-win swing state for Democrats come November. Whitmer endorsed Biden ahead of her state’s Democratic primary and helped him score a victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Whitmer has also proven that she is tough and unafraid to take it to President Donald Trump, who she has publicly criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Facing a dangerous abdication of leadership from Donald Trump during this pandemic, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been a tenacious fighter for Michigan families,” Biden released in a statement.
“Donald Trump could learn a thing or two from Governor Whitmer — speed matters, details matter, and people matter.”
Amid the coronavirus, outbreak, also known as COVID-19, there has been a huge call for donations of medical supplies for healthcare professionals working on the front lines of the crisis. Due to the shortage in necessary materials such as N95 masks and gloves, many doctors, nurses, and other essential workers have been left vulnerable to contracting the virus themselves as they treat patients.
Mississippi-based entrepreneur Alexis Williams is the founder of a local African and Hawaiian inspired clothing boutique called Aloha Glamour. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Williams started selling reusable face masks with Ankara prints for use as protective measures against the spread of COVID-19.
“My masks are 100% cotton, reversible, reusable and machine washable,” says Williams in a statement “My masks are not meant to replace surgical masks, but it is a contingency plan for those who don’t have the ability to get surgical masks because of the shortage. It is not medical-rated, but it is good enough to filter other hazardous particles and bad smells. The response to it has been overwhelming and we want to do anything we can to help out.”
While the masks are not N95 certified, they are big enough to wear on top of the mask, which helps with keeping your hands off your face. For every face mask sold, Williams will be donating a free one to local healthcare workers.
“I decided to encourage my other customers to help provide masks for those on the front line in this pandemic battle,” Williams said. “I asked them to make contributions so my business could provide face masks for someone in public service for free. Several of my customers have responded by donating to help in this important effort.”
The IRS is requiring retired seniors, people drawing disability and other groups to file a “simple” tax return in order to receive their one-time payments from the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan.
On IRS.gov, the agency said distribution of the economic impact payments will start in the next three weeks, but cautioned that “some people who typically do not file returns will need to submit a simple tax return to receive the stimulus payment.”
The stimulus package provides one-time payments of up to $1,200 to some adults and $500 per child.
This news didn’t go over too well for roughly 40 Democrat and Republican congressional leaders who joined forces in asking the Trump administration to eliminate this requirement.
“This filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities,” Richard Neal (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul.
“Crucial filing resources, like Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly, are not available to provide assistance due to the COVID-19 crisis,” Neal said in the letter.
Neal also sent off a letter to the Free File Alliance asking the group of tax preparers to work with the IRS to provide free assistance to these impacted groups, according to Fox News.
“I believe that free tax preparation assistance can go a long way in easing the burden on non-filers who may need to file a return and helping our country during this pandemic,” Neal wrote.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), agreed with Neal and is asking the IRS to clarify its stance.
“During this unprecedented time of need, requiring seniors to go through the confusing and laborious tax return filing process before receiving desperately-needed stimulus checks is unacceptable,” she wrote in a news release.
Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, questions witnesses during a House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry hearing on Capitol Hill November 21, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)
“Thousands of seniors across my district do not file tax returns because their main source of income is Social Security. North Country seniors should not have the added burden and stress of figuring out how to file tax returns before receiving the checks that Congress allocated for them. I represent one of the largest constituencies of seniors in the country, and I will continue to be their advocate. This policy must be clarified immediately.”
IRS.gov appears to have been updated to explain that “Social Security beneficiaries who are not typically required to file tax returns will not need to file to receive a payment,” however no updates have been made thus far on other groups expected to file the simple tax form.
The IRS said it will continue to update its site as more information becomes available.
As millions of Americans lose their jobs and go without healthcare, President Donald Trump has decided not to reopen Healthcare.gov marketplaces to new customers.
Trump opted not to allow a special enrollment period, which would have reopened the Affordable Care Act’s Healthcare.gov marketplaces for a set time period for the uninsured or those soon to be, as the country grapples with unprecedented calamity in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump had been mulling the idea for about a month, but decided to explore other options outside of Obamacare, a White House official told Politico.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a Cabinet meeting at the White House December 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images)
People who recently lost their jobs still qualify to find a health insurance plan on the marketplaces, however, they must show proof that they lost their insurance coverage. If Trump would have allowed a special enrollment period, it would have made the process less cumbersome for people to enroll, as it would not have required that paperwork.
Further, it would have given additional people, who previously opted not to buy health insurance this year, another avenue to do so, according to The New York Times.
Trump’s decision isn’t shocking for people who have followed his stance on Obamacare. He is still calling for the law to be overturned and replaced, and has even joined a lawsuit with other Republican-leaning states hoping the Supreme Court will rule to cancel the law in its next term.
People celebrate in front of the US Supreme Court after ruling was announced on the Affordable Care Act. June 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. The high court ruled that the Affordable Care Act may provide nationwide tax subsidies to help poor and middle-class people buy health insurance. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Recently, Trump told reporters: “What we want to do is get rid of the bad health care and put in a great health care.”
Some politicians have criticized Trump’s decision, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who is challenging Trump in the 2020 presidential race. Also, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a statement, slamming “Washington Republicans” for taking part in a “crusade against the health and safety of the American public.”
“By blocking uninsured Covid-19 patients from getting health care, Trump and his allies have decided to bankrupt American families,” Fabiola Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the group, said in the statement, according to the Times.
“The American people deserve to know if House Republicans will stand up for the millions of Americans who face the challenge of being jobless and uninsured during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
It remains unclear what other options the Trump administration will make available for Americans who have lost their jobs and healthcare benefits.
The mayor of Los Angeles on Wednesday told everyone in the nation’s second-largest city to start wearing masks to combat the coronavirus, but California’s governor isn’t ready to take that idea statewide.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he’s focused instead on keeping people inside. He also announced the state may need 66,000 additional hospital beds, 16,000 more than previously forecast, to handle the crush of illnesses expected during the second part of May.
At an afternoon news conference, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he had been awaiting advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on mask-wearing but with the COVID-19 rate surging had decided to wait no longer.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti listens as California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks in front of the hospital ship USNS Mercy that arrived into the Port of Los Angeles on Friday, March 27, 2020, to provide relief for Southland hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Admiral John Gumbleton, United States Navy stands behind Mayor Garcetti. (Photo by Carolyn Cole-Pool/Getty Images)
The mayor said all 4 million residents who are performing essential tasks such as food shopping should wear homemade, non-medical face coverings, or even bandannas, as people in other COVID-19-struck countries have done.
“To be clear, you should still stay at home. This isn’t an excuse to suddenly all go out,” Garcetti said.
He also said people shouldn’t use medical-grade masks, which are in short supply and are needed by health care workers and first responders.
The mayor said even a “tucked-in bandanna” could slow the spread of the virus and the masks also are good for reminding people to keep their distance.
“I know it will look surreal,” he said, donning a mask. “We’re going to have to get used to seeing each other like this … This will be the look.”
Los Angeles County reported more than 500 new cases on Wednesday, a 17% hike over the previous day.
Garcetti’s announcement came after Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser urged that people who need to go out in public should use something — even bandanas or neck warmers — to cover their mouths and noses to protect others and themselves.
The governor had been expected to release guidelines for masks, but at his own news conference Newsom said he did not think they should be a substitute for keeping a safe distance from other people and taking additional measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at the California justice department on September 18, 2019 in Sacramento, California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, California attorney general Xavier Becerra and California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols held a news conference in response to the Trump Administration’s plan to revoke California’s waiver to establish vehicle emissions standards for greenhouse gas emissions and standards to require manufacturers to sell zero emissions vehicles. Under the federal Clean Air Act, California is allowed to set its own vehicle emissions standards that are at least as protective as the federal government’s standards. The state has received 100 waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for higher standards than federally mandated over the past 50 years. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“They are not a substitute for a stay-at-home order. They are not a call to get folks to find N95 masks or surgical masks and pull them away or compete against our first responders,” Newsom said.
Newsom focused instead on adding thousands more hospital beds than previously stated. He now projects needing 66,000 more hospital beds for the anticipated peak of cases in late May — 16,000 more than his prior projections.
In Riverside County, Kaiser said the virus is transmitted in droplets that can be spread through coughs or sneezes, so some type of covering could help even if it’s not a hospital-grade mask.
Kaiser issued the recommendation because the state’s fourth-largest county was seeing infections rise faster than predicted. At the current rate, he said Wednesday that it would run out of hospital beds April 12 and ventilators by April 26.
“When the situation changes, the rule book changes,” Kaiser said in a news release. “We’re seeing our numbers increasing even sooner than we predicted, and that means our strategy must change too.”
U.S. and global health authorities have said people who are not health care workers shouldn’t wear a mask unless they’re sick — to prevent infecting others.
The World Health Organization recommended people caring for a sick relative wear a mask. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed — as long as the person who was ill was not able to wear a mask.
But there has been some conflicting direction. Austria said this week it would require masks for grocery shoppers. President Donald Trump suggested people who are worried should wear a scarf.
California’s public health officer, Dr. Sonia Angell, said face coverings could prevent the spread of the virus, but if worn incorrectly or handled improperly could lead to infection. They could also lead people to let down their guard and not stay the recommended distance of 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from others.
Palm trees stand behind a street art piece by artist Pony Wave depicting two people kissing while wearing face masks on Venice Beach on March 21, 2020 in Venice, California. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a ‘stay at home’ order for California’s 40 million residents in order to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Californians may still go to the beach without violating Newsom’s order as long as they maintain social distancing and adhere to other public health measures related to the coronavirus. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“When we speak about the potential downfalls, which we also must acknowledge, they can be that if people have these masks on, they feel somewhat immune, they feel like they can get closer to other people,” Angell said.
The spread of the virus statewide has, so far, been slow enough to give the state time to prepare for an expected spike in cases that could overwhelm hospitals if extreme measures aren’t taken to keep most people home and away from others.
The state had nearly 10,000 virus cases and 215 deaths reported Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is keeping a global tally.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Newsom has been talking in the past week about increasing hospital beds in the state by two-thirds to add 50,000 new beds at locations that could include convention centers and arenas to cope with peak demand next month. On Wednesday, he increased that number.
“Modeling shows we’ll need roughly 66,000 beds towards the end of May,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said at a news conference with the governor.
Newsom had bad news for parents Wednesday when he said schools should plan to teach from afar for the rest of the academic year.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond provided similar guidance to districts Tuesday evening. The decision on whether students will return to the classroom will ultimately be up to school districts.
Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist, teacher and patriarch of a New Orleans musical clan that includes famed performer sons Wynton and Branford, has died after battling pneumonia brought by the new coronavirus, one of his sons said late Wednesday.
He was 85.
Ellis Marsalis III confirmed in a phone interview with The Associated Press that his father’s death was brought about by the virus that is causing the global pandemic.
“Pneumonia was the actual thing that caused his demise. But it was pneumonia brought on by COVID-19,” said the younger Marsalis, speaking of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Harry Connick Jr. and Ellis Marsalis perform at the 57th NBA All-Star Game, part of 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend at the New Orleans Arena on February 17, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
He said he drove from Baltimore on Sunday to be with his father as he was hospitalized. He said others in the family also were able to spend time with their father.
Four of the jazz patriarch’s six sons are musicians: Wynton, the trumpeter, is America’s most prominent jazz spokesman as artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Branford, the saxophonist, led The Tonight Show band and toured with Sting. Delfeayo, trombonist, is a prominent recording producer and performer. And Jason, the drummer, has made a name for himself with his own band and as an accompanist. Ellis III, who decided music was not his gig, is a photographer-poet in Baltimore.
Said Ellis III: “I was with him in the hospital for six or seven hours yesterday. Branford was with him Monday, I was with him yesterday and Jason was with him today. He passed right after Jason departed.”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the musician’s death in a somber news release Wednesday night. The elder Marsalis had continued to perform regularly in New Orleans until December.
“Ellis Marsalis was a legend. He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz,” Cantrell said in her statement. “He was a teacher, a father, and an icon — and words aren’t sufficient to describe the art, the joy and the wonder he showed the world.”
Because Marsalis opted to stay in New Orleans for most of his career, his reputation was limited until his sons became famous and brought him the spotlight, along with new recording contracts and headliner performances on television and on tour.
“He was like the coach of jazz. He put on the sweatshirt, blew the whistle and made these guys work,” said Nick Spitzer, host of public radio’s American Routes and an anthropology professor at Tulane University.
The Marsalis “family band” seldom played together when the boys were younger, but in 2003 toured up East in a spinoff of a family celebration that became a PBS special when the elder Marsalis retired from teaching at the University of New Orleans.
Harry Connick Jr., one of Marsalis’ students at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, was a guest. He is just one of the many now-famous jazz musicians who passed through the Marsalis classrooms; others include trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Terence Blanchard, saxophonists Donald Harrison and Victor Goines, and bassist Reginald Veal.
Pianist Ellis Marsalis (L) and host Harry Connick Jr. attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center 2017 Gala “Ella at 100: Forever the First Lady of Song” on April 26, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center)
Marsalis was born in New Orleans, son of the operator of a hotel where Marsalis met touring black musicians who could not stay at the segregated downtown hotels where they performed. He played saxophone in high school but was also playing piano by the time he went to Dillard University.
Although New Orleans was steeped in traditional jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll was the new sound in the city’s studios in the 1950s, Marsalis preferred bebop and modern jazz.
Spitzer described Marsalis as a “modernist in a town of traditionalists.”
“His great love was jazz a la bebop — he was a lover of Thelonious Monk and the idea that bebop was a music of freedom. But when he had to feed his family he played R ‘n’ B and soul and rock and roll on Bourbon Street,” said Spitzer.
The musician’s college quartet included drummer Ed Blackwell, clarinetist Alvin Batiste and saxophonist Harold Battiste playing modern.
Ornette Coleman was in town at the time, and in 1956 when Coleman headed to California, Marsalis and the others went with him, but after a few months Marsalis came back home. He told the New Orleans Times-Picayune years later, when he and Coleman were old men, that he never did figure out what a pianist could do behind the free form of Coleman’s jazz.
Back in New Orleans, Marsalis joined the Marine Corps and was assigned to accompany soloists on the service’s weekly TV programs on CBS in New York. It was there, he said, that he learned to handle all kinds of different music styles.
On returning home, he worked at the Playboy Club and ventured into running his own club, which quickly went bust. In 1967 trumpeter Al Hirt hired him. When not on Bourbon Street, Hirt’s band was appearing on national TV — doing headline shows on The Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show, among others.
Marsalis got into education about the same time, teaching improvisation at Xavier University in New Orleans, and in the mid-1970s joined the faculty at the New Orleans magnet high school where he influenced a new generation of young jazz musicians.
When asked how he could teach something as free-wheeling as jazz improvisation, Marsalis once said, “We don’t teach jazz, we teach students.”
In 1986 he moved to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond as coordinator of Jazz Studies, a post he kept until 1989 when the University of New Orleans lured him back to set up a program of jazz studies at home.
Marsalis retired from UNO in 2001, but continued to perform, particularly at Snug Harbor in New Orleans, a small jazz club that anchored the city’s contemporary jazz scene — frequently backing young musicians who had promise.
His melodic style, with running improvisations in the right hand, has been described variously as romantic, contemporary, or simply “Louisiana jazz.” He is always on acoustic piano, never electric, and even in interpreting the old standards there’s a clear link to the driving bebop chords and rhythms of his early years.
He founded his own record company, ELM (taken from his initials), but his recording was limited until his sons became famous. After that he joined them and other musicians on mainstream labels and headlined his own releases, many full of his own compositions.
He often played at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. For more than three decades he played two 75-minute sets every Friday night at Snug Harbor until he decided it had become too exhausting. But even then he still performed there on occasion as a special guest.
Marsalis’ wife, Dolores, died in 2017. He is survived by his sons Branford, Wynton, Ellis III, Delfeayo, Mboya and Jason.
The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has caused economic devastation across the country. Small business owners have been some of the hardest hit by the fallout after many cities issued mandatory stay-at-home orders, closing down all non-essential businesses to contain the virus. The health crisis has created a looming threat specifically for black business owners who make up 4.3% of business owners in the U.S and who are at a disproportionate disadvantage when it comes to securing small business loans.
“There’s this old saying, ‘When America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia,’” Ron Busby, president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. told HuffPost.
Many businesses have had to halt their operations completely while others are taking advantage of other streams of revenue through digital content. The need to adapt to the changing landscape has pushed many entrepreneurs to go into crunch mode if they expect to keep afloat during a difficult time. Social media has also provided a way for independent businesses to stay connected to their customers with the use of Instagram Live streams.
“I’m hearing from people that are already feeling the crunch and are even going to feel it more in the next couple of weeks,” Busby said. “But I’m excited that our firms that are prepared, are taking this time to be locked away in their own homes, are really trying to think about their businesses and how they’re going to come out of this.”
Other businesses are seeing an increase in business as a result of the virus outbreak. OneUnited, the largest black-owned bank in the country, has seen a huge increase in its virtual banking since the start of the pandemic.
“To some degree, we’ve seen a positive impact, and I say this cautiously, because it’s still early, but we think that people are becoming much more comfortable with doing business online,” said President and CEO Teri Williams. “We’re seeing an increase in customers. Also, people are trying not to go into branches. Our online business is actually growing, but it’s early in this whole experience.”
