News Observer Los Angeles
Volume 35 Number 34
Serving Los Angeles County for Over 35 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
Major California Firms and Businesses Invest Billions in Black Enterprises
Where Will The Money Go?
Antonio Ray Harvey in joint investments and $40 million in grant funding California Black Media to more than 2,000 businesses owned by Black and Over the last month, several corporations have other underrepresented people across the country. stepped up to fund the Black community. The business loans of $100,000 to $4 million is intended to Two weeks ago, Netflix announced it will drop 2% of its help them overcome systemic economic disadvantage. Kaiser cash holdings, up to $100 million, into Black-owned banks and Permanente is also reserving $15 million in grant dollars to other financial institutions and organizations that directly increase access to formal training, business networks, and recovery support African American enterprises, initiatives or communities. and growth capital to help African American-owned businesses. “Banks that are Black-owned or led represent a mere “As a country, this is a moment to define who we one percent of America’s commercial banking assets,” the Los are and what we stand for. We must take strong action Gatos-based digital streaming service wrote in a blog post. to stop the physical, psychological, economic, and social “This is one factor contributing to 19 percent of Black families impacts of inequity and systemic racism so that we can having either negative wealth or no assets at all — more than create healthier communities where everybody, regardless double the rate of White households — according to the of their skin color, can feel safe and thrive,” Adams said. U.S. Federal Reserve,” the post continued. “Black banks Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s have been fighting to better their communities for decades largest healthcare and health management systems in the United but they’re disadvantaged by their lack of access to capital.” States, serving over 12 million members. It operates some 700 Kaiser Permanente has made a similar commitment. medical facilities, including 39 hospitals, with a network Last week, Kaiser Permanente revealed that it of 23,371 physicians, 63,306 nurses and 219,149 employees. will direct $100 million towards Black businesses in The news of Kaiser’s series of actions fall in line with other the form of investments and grants. It is the Oakland- large companies’ willingness to help make the Black community based health management consortium’s way of combating whole after centuries of slavery, injustice, racism and promoting equality, company officials say. legal segregation and widespread discrimination. “The tragic murder of George Floyd and so many But Black business groups and leaders have others has reverberated around the world, pushing us to demand questions about how programs such as Kaiser-Permanente’s will overdue change to a status quo that keeps communities of be implemented. The funding is sorely needed, Black business color in the margins and holds us all back as a society,” said advocates point out. Yet, putting it in the right places must be strategic. Greg A. Adams, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. “We don’t want it to be a situation where companies are Kaiser-Permanente’s plan is to direct $60 million just throwing money at us. They throw money at a problem
and then think it changes the situation. It’s just a bandaid,” said Salena Pryor, founder of the Black Small Business Association of California (BSBAC). “So the question is how are they going to actually make sure the money gets to the Black communities. That would be our concern.” BSBAC helps advocate for minority-owned businesses that struggle finding resources. In just over a few months, Pryor, a former legislative consultant, said her organization has grown from serving a handful of clients to representing 1,153 businesses and self-employed individuals across the state. She says her organization is still growing. Pryor explains that her concern about how the money will reach its target is warranted. Because on the back end, she said, the money will not only support Black businesses but show companies that they made the right investments. “All of that is important,” Pryor said. Facebook, based in Menlo Park, has also announced that it is investing $200 million to support Blackowned businesses and organizations in part of the company’s broader $1.1 billion investment in Black and diverse suppliers and communities in the United States. The social-networking platform is responding to the outbursts of protests against racism, police brutality and racial injustices that African Americans face across the country. Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg stated that the “need to take action” is highly necessary for the company. “The past few weeks have compelled us to confront the reality of violence and injustice which members of the Black Continued on page A2
Past Due Time for American Healthcare System to Protect Black Americans By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Assc. Today, Americans are facing unprecedented times. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, our country has fallen into an economic recession, and hundreds of thousands are protesting police brutality and racial injustice. But there is another epidemic in this country that must be addressed, and it must be addressed now. CNN’s Don Lemon said it best – “there are two deadly viruses killing Americans: COVID-19 and racism.” Because of the systematic racism that is rooted in our nation, racial disparities in American healthcare have caused illness, injury, and death in minority communities across the country. Black Americans suffer the most at the hands of the American healthcare system. Now, we are seeing COVID-19 shine a much-needed light on the harsh reality that has been plaguing an entire race for centuries. In my own home state of North Carolina, Black Americans make up 30 percent of COVID-19 cases and 34 percent of the COVID-19 deaths, even though they only make up 22 percent of the population. Really think about that math. How does it make sense? That means, 162 Black North Carolinians will die due to COVID-19, which is 70 more than would be expected based on the demographic makeup of the state. That is 70 more Americans who will die just because of the color of their skin. Unfortunately, these healthcare disparities are nothing new. Black Americans have long suffered from a severe lack of access to quality, affordable care, which predisposes them to increased rates of underlying conditions and illnesses. Due to the lack of access, Black Americans are often forced to travel very far for care. This usually means, if they have insurance, they must go to out-of-network facilities and often find themselves hit with exorbitant surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills are unanticipated costs related to out-of-network or emergency care a patient received. These bills can range from a $50 prescription drug to $30,000 in emergency transport. Not surprisingly, Black Americans suffer from a higher rate of surprise medical bills, at higher costs compared to White Americans. Congress holds the pen when it comes to reforming surprise medical billing in this country, but they are falling far short of what needs to be done. There are multiple bills in the House and the Senate that claim to rectify this injustice, but all of them still leave the cost to patients or providers without holding insurance companies
In a recent Congressional hearing, Dr. Rhea Boyd, a practicing physician and healthcare scholar said, “ensuring that insurance is not a barrier to healthcare is really critical, particularly for African Americans...” (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)
accountable. While Congress is trying to figure it out, we are seeing the administration miss the mark as well. In a Twitter thread on June 22, CMS Administrator Seema Verma may have misdiagnosed the real root of the issue – insurers. Because of the blatant and intrinsic greed, these companies are starving patients of care and putting the financial burden on their shoulders. In a recent Congressional hearing, Dr. Rhea Boyd, a practicing physician and healthcare scholar said, “ensuring that insurance is not a barrier to healthcare is really critical, particularly for African Americans...” Insurance companies make billions of dollars every year by using sly tactics like skinny networks to lure consumers in and then slap them with a surprise medical bill when they go out-of-network. It is time to put a stop to insurance companies making billions off the backs of hardworking Americans.
It is clear that Senator Lamar Alexander and Representatives Frank Pallone and Greg Walden, three of the members committed to eradicating surprise medical billing, are in the pockets of Big Insurance. The bills they are sponsoring do not even bring insurance companies to the negotiating table, let alone hold them responsible. We are halfway through 2020, and we still do not have proposed legislation that gets at the root of the surprise medical billing problem. We must get rid of skinny networks, improve access to care, and cover emergency services. It is time for insurance companies to pay, so we can save Black lives. Black Lives Matter. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association based in Washington, DC. and he regularly comments on public policy issues that impact the quality of life of Black America. Dr. Chavis was the first person to coin the term “environmental racism.”
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Thursday, July 9, 2020
7 Men Yelled Racial Slurs at Black Family in Oregon
LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (AP) – Seven men were arrested after police say they taunted a Black family by yelling racial slurs and using Nazi salutes during a Fourth of July incident in an Oregon beach town. The men challenged police to a fight when officers arrived to the beach in Lincoln City and set off fireworks that were banned, police said. They were arrested on suspicion of charges including riot, disorderly conduct, interfering with police and possession of illegal fireworks, the Oregonian reported. The men are from Clark County, Washington, police said. They were cited and released. The men arrested were: Gennadiy Kachankov, Antoliy Kachankov, Andrey Zaytsev, Oleg Saranchuk, Ruslan Tkachenko and Yuriy Kachankov. A seventh man refused to identify himself, police said. Listed phone numbers couldn’t be found for the men. It’s unknown if they have attorneys. The central Oregon beach community is about 88 miles (142 kilometers) southwest of Portland.
Ex-Officer Charged in Floyd’s Death Posts $750K Bond MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A former Minneapolis police officer charged in the killing of George Floyd has been released from jail, according to Hennepin County jail records. Tou Thao, age 34, is the third former officer accused in Floyd’s death to be released on bond. He posted $750,000 bond on Saturday, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. All four officers on the scene of Floyd’s death have been fired and face criminal charges. Floyd, who was Black and handcuffed, died May 25 while being arrested. A white police officer used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes as Floyd begged for air and eventually stopped moving. Besides the charges against the officers, Floyd’s death led to worldwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice. Thao is set to appear in court on September 11 on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Two other former officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, face the same charges as Thao. Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck, is charged with second-degree murder, thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence. He remains in police custody.
White Woman Charged in Racist Confrontation NEW YORK (AP) – A white woman walking her dog who called the police during a videotaped dispute with a Black man in Central Park was charged Monday with filing a false report. In May, Amy Cooper drew widespread condemnation for calling 911 to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man’’ when bird watcher Christian Cooper appeared to keep his distance as he recorded her rant on his phone. District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement on Monday that his office had charged Amy Cooper with falsely reporting the confrontation, a misdemeanor. She was ordered to appear in court on Oct. 14. After the backlash, Amy Cooper released an apology through a public relations service, saying she “reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions.’’ “He had every right to request that I leash my dog in an area where it was required,’’ she said in the written statement. “I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris.’’
Juneteenth Will Be a Paid Holiday in NC’s Wake County RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s Wake County says it’s the first in the state to make Juneteenth a paid county holiday. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that the county’s Board of Commissioners voted to approve the holiday during a virtual meeting on Monday. Juneteenth celebrates the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage. The holiday has reached a new level of recognition in the wake of protests across the country against racism, police brutality and other inequities. Wake County said in a news release that it’s the first to make Juneteenth a paid holiday in the state. The county has more than 4,000 employees. The cost of adding the holiday will be more than $500,000 a year. The city of Raleigh is among other localities in the region that are expected to discuss or vote on recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday.