Always Black. Never Sorry.

Thanks for reading this week's issue of Notedd. We're a digital media platform that informs millennial women of color, particularly Black women, on today's news while celebrating and highlighting our culture throughout the world.

We produce a weekly newsletter, including the shortened version below, filled with a multitude of news, perspective, and cultural highlights written for Black women by Black women. Additionally, we provide access to our subscribers to share their unique perspectives within our community. 

Subscribe here to join our #NoteddTribe community and feel free to share your thoughts on what we notedd.

How y'all doing, #NoteddTribe? If you're like us, you're also walking in your power like Regina King did at the 93rd Annual Academy Awards. 

This year's Oscars was a great way to start the week. We were all graced with a traditional red carpet filled with notable fashions and historic wins for Black women and women of color. Despite the snubs and routine disappointments for categories such as Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Short Documentary, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson made history as the first Black women to win an Oscar for their talented hair and makeup work on "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," while Chloé Zhao became the first woman of color to win Best Director for her film "Nomadland."

Watching the Oscars also felt like watching things go back to normal, but despite the CDC's recent mask guidance and the vaccination rollout, let's remember to continue to do our parts. Speaking of vaccines, we received more responses to our thread. Learn more about the Tribe's vaccine experience, including their symptoms and recommendations -- wherever you are in your vaccination journey. Additionally, feel free to share your experience anonymously by using the below survey link.

COVID-19 Vaccine Survey

Let's get right to it, as there's a bunch to cover this week. As always, #staynotedd -- not only with the news but also through the pages you write in our new journals. You can now check out our new Stationery Shop inventory!

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1. The US Census Bureau finally released its final count of the country's population. Here are the six biggest takeaways and the top questions answered on how reapportionment may impact you.
2. As we analyze and celebrate the success of President Biden's first 100 days, we must give Madam VP Harris her flowers too. (If you missed the Presidential address, you can find the key takeaways here, including the announcement of a $15 minimum wage for federal contractors.)
3. Cheri Beasley, the first Black woman to be North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice, announced her 2022 Senate bid. If she wins, Beasley will become the state's first Black senator.
4. Vanita Gupta is the first woman of color to be confirmed as Associate Attorney General.
5. A provision in the recent COVID-19 relief bill set aside $1 billion over ten years, encouraging states to establish mobile crisis units with mental health practitioners trained in de-escalating to stand in for the police.

In Solidarity

Yesterday, we participated in Denim Day, honoring sexual assault survivors in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. As mentioned in our IG post, Black survivors have been a critical part of defining moments to call out sexual violence. However, statistics show that Black women, particularly Black trans women, are the most uniquely vulnerable to sexual violence due to both racism and sexism. 

According to a May 2020 report from TIME'S UP, "Black Survivors and Sexual Trauma," 

• As many as six in 10 black women report being subjected to coercive sexual contact by age 18;
• Black women report experiencing sexual harassment at work at three times the rate of white women; and 
• Half of all Black transgender women are survivors of sexual violence, and two-thirds of Black transgender people said they would be uncomfortable asking the police for help.

Check out this brief list of direct actions to show up for Black survivors every day. You can also participate in Ms. Magazine's first-ever Black Survivor Week of Action to support Black survivors and learn how to share this information with your community. As mentioned in the article, there is still a long way to go in the movement to address sexual violence, but there's power in at least taking the first step: support.

As we wrap up our month focused on well-being, here are some honorable mentions to try and add to your routine. Next month, we'll be sharing suggestions on all things: Beauty!

Vida created her reusable hot + cold therapy packs, Beloved Packs, as a simple and effective tool for pain and stress relief. Vida's mission is to promote healing of the mind, body, and soul. The website shares that it's lovely for backaches, stiff joints, cramps, pre + postpartum pain, arthritis, bumps and bruises, cystic acne, tense shoulders, or just to relax after a long day. Fun fact: The brand name inspiration stems from the Hebrew meaning of Vida: Beloved One.

To read the full issue on additional news we notedd and honorable mentions to try, visit the link here.

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