5 Biggest News Stories of the Week: July 28

As the saying goes, the news never stops — but there’s a lot of it out there, and all of it doesn’t always pertain to our readers. In this weekly news roundup, we’ll cover the top news stories that matter most to our diversity focused audience.

1. The Devastating Impact Racial Bias in Healthcare Has Had on Black Women

The new Hulu documentary “Aftershock” has brought attention to the rate at which Black women are dying due to pregnancy complications. 

The documentary follows the families of two Black women who died after doctors didn’t take them seriously. Both women, 30-year-old Shamony Makeba Gibson and 26-year-old Amber Isaac Rose, had caesarian (C-section) births. Gibson died two weeks after giving birth to her second child from a blood clot and Isaac from blood loss during an unscheduled emergency C-section. 

Dr. Sonja Wiley, Associate Professor and Diversity Advisor in the Office of Business Student Success at Louisiana State University, is an example of another Black woman who wasn’t heard and suffered from infertility issues. 

“I wasn’t taken seriously at all,” she said. “A doctor told me I just wasn’t having sex right.”

She eventually found out she had endometriosis, which she was never told about by doctors. There’s a misconception that Black women cannot have infertility issues and don’t feel pain, she said. 

To solve racism in healthcare, Dr. Wiley said healthcare professionals need to be educated on understanding the needs of people of color. 

Check back to Fair360 Enterprise next week to read the full article.

2. Biden Urges Democrats To Quickly Pass Surprise Legislative Agreement

After climate change agenda talks were stalled last week by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, President Biden is urging congressional Democrats to “quickly pass the surprise legislative agreement that has breathed new life into his legislative agenda,” CNN reports

The agreement announced on Wednesday by Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer addresses some Democratic goals, including the investment of $369 billion into energy and climate change programs. The bill would also allow Medicare to negotiate the price on some medications and cap out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 for those using a medicare drug plan.

Biden said the bill is far from perfect and doesn’t include many of his priorities, but “it’s a compromise. But it’s often how progress is made, by compromises,” he said. 

“So, pass it. Pass it for the American people. Pass it for America,” he added.

3. What You Need To Know About Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month has been celebrated in the United States since July 1990 when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. It’s a time to share the experiences of people with disabilities, recognize disability as an identity and explore how disabled individuals bring joy to their communities.

According to Dr. Carlie Rhoads, Program Metrics and Evaluation Specialist at the American Foundation for the Blind, the best way to celebrate Disability Pride Month is by amplifying the voices of people with disabilities. 

“The disability community is hurting from a lack of representation, especially when compared to the representation of more typical people. This representation extends from our day-to-day lives to employment, to government, to positions of leadership, and even media of all sorts,” she wrote in a blog post for AFB. “This month affords us all a great opportunity to lift up the disability community and shine a spotlight on people who are often marginalized, forgotten or explicitly discriminated against. All voices should be equally given a chance to speak!”

4. Universities Form Business School DEI Collaborative

Business schools in the U.S. have joined together to form the Business School, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Collaborative.

Its board is made up of eight schools and one industry leader, Bernard J. Milano, retired former president of the KMPG Foundation and The PhD Project. 

The goal of the new organization is to advance DEI and belonging in higher education. This will be accomplished by “hosting conferences to discuss best practices and programs, granting awards, and serving as a resource for educators and businesspeople who are interested in increasing the opportunities for historically underrepresented groups,” according to the Business School DEI Collaborative’s website

Schools involved in the organization include the University of Alabama, University of Georgia, Louisiana State University, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University and more.

5. Parents, Some Faculty Push Back on Promoting DEI at American Colleges

Like the Business School DEI Collaborative, some other American universities are requiring faculty to sign DEI statements for tenure or promotions to make DEI a top priority on college campuses, but some parents and faculty have pushed back, claiming that DEI initiatives “challenges the diversity of viewpoints and opinions of students within the college environment,” Fox News reports. 

Some say it also encourages a culture of intimidation and fear. At the University of Washington in Seattle, approximately 40% of the faculty rejected or refused to vote on an initiative that would require faculty members looking to advance their careers to sign a statement saying they support DEI. 

Victor Balta, senior director of media relations at the school, said the legislation failed despite getting 63 “yes” votes, which was a margin of 26 points over “no” votes. 

He added that “placing value on diversity, equity and inclusion introduces more perspectives to these discussions, not fewer.”

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