WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 4
SEPTEMBER 6, 2021
Snapshots, August 30 - September 5 Supreme Court Anti-Abortion Ruling:
Bad News for Texas Black Women
black woman protesting to keep Roe v. Wade in place
2 black players vie for U.S. Open championship spot
2 Tennis Players Revive Black Male Profile At U.S. Open Not since the days of Arthur Ashe have men of African-descent had a major presence in the world of professional tennis. That all changed this week as two exceptional players, American Frances Tiafoe, 23, was edged out by 21-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime for a slot in the semi-finals at the prestigious U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in Flushing Meadows, Queens, N.Y. The two foes expressed mutual praise for each other's talent, but as always someone had to win. Auger-Aliassime said he hopes "this inspires other kids in New York and Canada and all over the world.” The young Canadian moves on to the quarter-finals against 18-year-old phenom Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
In a stunning blow to Texas women - especially black and other minority women who are less able to travel out of state for an abortion - the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a serious blow to women's rights and pro-choice by upholding a state law allowing its citizens to sue anyone aiding an attempted abortion and providing them with a bounty for turning in these people, in effect ending the practice of abortion in Texas. While the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, allowing abortions nationwide, is still in place, legal experts fear the precedent is now poised to conceivably overturn Roe altogether and possibly open the door to repealing other landmark civil and human rights rulings, including Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A prior Court ruling in 2013 already severely weakened if not destroyed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
2 COVID Safety Nets Ending, Millions Left Without Help For millions of Americans, Labor Day 2021 represents a perilous crossroads. Two primary anchors of the government’s COVID protection package are ending or have recently ended. Starting Monday, an estimated 8.9 million people will lose all unemployment benefits. A federal eviction moratorium already has expired. President Biden and the Democratic Congress, currently crafting a $3.5 trillion infrastructure package, seem unconcerned that the twin expirations mainly jeopardize their constituencies of black and brown Americans, who will determine continued party control of Congress in 2022.