Category Archives: #BrownleeGlobal

COVID-19 Prevention: Avoid Touching Your Face

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According to one infectious disease doctor, if you want to stay coronavirus-free there is one single thing you should avoid touching at all costs: YOUR FACE.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that COVID-19 is mainly spread from person-to-person, either between close contact or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. If those respiratory droplets land on your hand and make contact with any open skin, or the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose or eyes, you may be at risk.

To help control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), health officials say it’s very important for you to avoid touching your face. Touching your face (i.e., your mouth, nose, and eyes) allows the virus on your hands to reach moist, porous surface tissue, mucous membranes, where the coronavirus can enter your body and cause infection.

Not touching your facial mucous membranes, an area known as the “T-zone,” is perhaps the most important step you can take to prevent an infection, said William Sawyer, a family doctor in Sharonville, Ohio, and founder of Henry the Hand, a nonprofit organization that promotes hand hygiene.

“It’s the one behavior that would be better than any vaccine ever created,” Sawyer said. “Just stop this simple behavior. Stop picking, licking, biting, rubbing — it’s the most effective way to prevent a pandemic.”

On average, people touch their faces up to 23 times per hour, and once you’ve been told not to touch your face, it’s suddenly all you want to do.

Sometimes, it’s impossible to avoid touching your face. And since the virus can also live on surfaces for several days. if you touch a table that someone with the virus sneezed on earlier, then rub your eye, you could give yourself the virus. That’s why experts stress hand-washing as a key infection control measure. Wash before and after any hand-face contact, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

https://youtu.be/d914EnpU4Fo

Washing your hands, along with stopping as many other instances of face-touching as you can, is one of your best defenses in helping you avoid getting infected by the coronavirus.

If you touch your face unconsciously throughout the day, think of physically touching something else without upping your risk of bacteria exposure like your elbow or leg.

It’s not enough to simply instruct people to stop touching their face, said Elliot Berkman, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon who studies habits and behaviors; people must be able to “outsmart their habit” or form a different one. One way to do that quickly is to change something in your environment, Berkman said. Wear something on your hands or face that can serve as a cue, an interruption to an automatic action.

References:

  1. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a31287400/how-to-stop-touching-your-face/
  2. https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/infections-and-contagious-diseases/7-tips-to-avoid-touching-your-face#:~:text=7%20Tips%20to%20Avoid%20Touching%20Your%20Face%201,something%20in%20your%20hands.%20…%20More%20items…%20
  3. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/im-infectious-disease-doctor-never-130824101.html?utm_content=buffer77580&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=yahoofinance&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cDovL20uZmFjZWJvb2suY29t&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADaL0SbymCJYTgt_ubjhBliprjDZmkQY_uE26gedT7TZ7ZafQ5gnyFMgwcPrFOGADw7uC7zBgaKcI1qE6vqQqL3ONXN945sFyPA-ilqmkUBBAF4qHb08KA3RoXRqFEtS8VK0xoHpNlbcMXLjhLAV3FAgZ4qzHp2MJJEB2tXpynHp
  4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/03/03/coronavirus-prevention-face-touch/

Corporate Boardroom Equality and Inclusion

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America needs better inclusion and diversity in its corporate boardroom.

Addressing racial and gender disparity in the corporate boardroom has become a marketing priority in the past several months and less of a firm commitment to action for boardroom chairmen and chief executive officers, especially amid the global protests against racial injustice and inequality. Effectively, the numbers suggest that much work is needed to level the playing field.

Yet, many corporations claim to support diversity and inclusion, but the numbers simply do not add up. Recently, former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson spoke passionately on CNBC about the lack of inclusion and equality within corporate American. Yet, the company he ran for 13 years and its board of directors he currently leads as executive chairman reflects that lack of inclusion with only one person of color board member. Furthermore, instead of walking the talk, his appointed successor at AT&T was a non-diverse male.

“A board that better reflects all the communities it serves is in the interest of all stakeholders.” Brad Gerstner, founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital and a founding member of The Board Challenge.

Black leaders are underrepresented in America’s public and private boardrooms. Approximately 66% of Fortune 500 company board members are white men and 18% of members are white women, while only 9% of members are Black men and women, according to a report by the Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte.

Research by Black Enterprise found that 187 S&P 500 companies did not have a Black board member in 2019, a 2-percentage point improvement from the prior year. Furthermore, recent data for Fortune 500 boards indicates that white men hold 66% of board seats and white women make up 18%, but only 9% of board seats are held by African Americans (men and women), according to online talent marketplace theBoardlist, which is a founding member of The Board Challenge.

The lack of inclusion and ‘doing the right thing’ is not going to passively happen. Leaders and companies must step up to take courageous action to advance equality and inclusion. For example, the moment a S&P 500 company drops or refuses to engage a vendor or contractor because they lack gender and racial diversity will prove transformative in our society.

Additionally, every U.S. company is encouraged to take The Board Challenge which represent a pledge seeking “to enhance representation in the boardroom by asking companies to retain or add a Black director to their board”. The Board Challenge is asking all boards without a Black director to add a Black director in the next 12 months.

“Diversity does matter when it comes to results.” Arnold Donald, President and CEO of Carnival Corp.

True and full racial representation at the board level is in the best interest of companies, employees, customers and communities and helps to advance and support a more equitable society. According to recent research, people of color in leadership position means better performance and returns:

  • Diverse boards of directors are 43% more likely than non-diverse boards to achieve financial performance above the national industry median for companies in the top quartile versus bottom quartile, according to McKinsey & Company’s Delivering Through Diversity 2018 report.
  • More than nine in 10 directors (94%) agree that board diversity brings unique perspectives to the boardroom, according to PwC’s 2019 Annual Corporate Directors Survey. Additionally, 87% said board diversity enhances board performance and 76% said it enhances company performance.

“One objection we hear is whether companies can find the kind of diverse board talent they are looking for. It is 2020 – it is not a pipeline problem, it is a perspective problem,” said Guy Primus, CEO of Valence and co-founder of The Board Challenge.

References:

  1. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/nasdaq-continues-commitment-to-equality-by-becoming-a-signatory-of-the-board-challenge
  2. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-board-challenge-launches-pledge-for-us-boards-of-directors-to-add-a-black-director-within-one-year-301126074.html
  3. https://www.blackenterprise.com/power-in-the-boardroom-corporate-governance/

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

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Three in five Americans pay more attention to how their friends spend compared to how they save.

Americans remain optimistic that they will be wealthy at some point in their lives, and two in five believe they will achieve that goal within a decade. Yet, many obstacles and bad financial habits stands as road blocks to successfully accumulating wealth.

More than a third of Americans admit “their spending habits have been influenced by images and experiences shared by their friends on social media and confess they spend more than they can afford to avoid missing out on the fun”, according to Schwab’s 2019 Modern Wealth Index Survey.

Americans struggle to save, invest and accumulate wealth…they:

  • Live Paycheck-to-paycheck – A majority (59 percent) live paycheck to paycheck
  • Carry Credit card debt – Nearly half (44 percent) typically carry a credit card balance
  • Lack an Emergency fund – Only 38 percent have built up an emergency fund
  • Spend on Non-essentials – On average, they spend almost $500 a month on “non-essential items”

“The burden to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ has been part of American for decades, but it appears that social media and the fear of missing out (FOMO) have increased the pressure to spend,” said Terri Kallsen, executive vice president and head of Schwab Investor Services. “Spending is not the enemy, but when we allow social pressure or other forces to lure us into spending beyond our means, it can impact long-term financial stability and become a larger problem.”

People need to gain more insights about their own habits of saving, spending, investing and accumulating wealth. Schwab’s survey shows that more than 60 percent of Americans who have a written financial plan feel financially stable, while only a third of those without a plan feel that same level of comfort.

References:

  1. https://content.schwab.com/web/retail/public/about-schwab/Charles-Schwab-2019-Modern-Wealth-Survey-findings-0519-9JBP.pdf
  2. https://www.aboutschwab.com/modernwealth2019
  3. https://content.schwab.com/modernwealth/?bmac=VEH

Top Americans by Wealth own Most of U.S. Equity Stocks

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Top 10% of Americans by wealth own 87% of all U.S. equity stocks

The top 10% of Americans by wealth owned 87% of all stock outstanding in the first quarter, according to research from the Federal Reserve. That share has grown over the past decade, from 82.4% in 2009.  Fed researchers say the increase in wealth among the top 10% is largely a result of that cohort obtaining a larger concentration of assets. These increases were mirrored by decreases for households in the 50-90th percentiles of the wealth distribution,” Fed researchers said.

The percentage of Americans who own stock, either directly or through retirement or mutual funds, is falling. It most recently stood at about 55%, according to an April Gallup poll, down from a high of 67% in 2002.

“The middle class has essentially been left out of the stock market surge,” said Edward Wolff, an economics professor at New York University. “The rich have taken off from the rest of society.”

S&P 500 and NASDAQ indexes have closed at all time highs

The S&P 500 and NASDAQ have soared to a new high, wiping out its losses since the worst of the coronavirus-induced downturn in March. Stocks continue to shrug off historic unemployment rates and other economic warning signs.

The S&P 500, the benchmark U.S. stock index, has surged more than 50% since bottoming in March and is back at record levels, largely thanks to the unprecedented stimulus programs enacted by the Federal Reserve and Congress.

Although the stock market has erased its losses suffered during the pandemic, the economy appears to be telling a different story. It contracted at the sharpest rate on record in the second quarter, and the unemployment rate remained above 10% in July, after reaching nearly 15% in April.

The current disconnect between the stock market and the economy is extremely unusual.  The economy is not confirming the stock market’s strength. The stock market has surged since March 2020 lows, with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ indexes eclipsing all time highs in August 2020.

FOMC acknowledged that after the initial surge in job losses and plunge in economic activity, things have started to improve. According to the statement, “Following sharp declines, economic activity and employment have picked up somewhat in recent months but remain well below their levels at the beginning of the year.”

Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

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“Many experts believe there’s going to be a second curve, which is the mental health impact of COVID.” Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Active Minds

The pandemic has stressed the mental health and well-being of millions of Americans

During this unprecedented time of uncertainty and fear, it is likely that mental health issues and substance use disorders among Americans will be exacerbated. Since epidemics in the past have been shown to induce general stress and anxiety across a population and may lead to new mental health and substance use issues, according to The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Experts warn of an upcoming wave of mental disorders because of coronavirus. In the past, unprecedented times like a pandemic are almost always accompanied by increases in depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, a broad range of other mental and behavioral disorders, domestic violence, and child abuse, according to a recent opinion piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health.

“If the country continues to ignore the collateral damage — specifically our nation’s mental health — we will not come out of this stronger.” Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, chief strategy officer at Well Being Trust.

Preliminary data shows the pandemic has already negatively affected people’s mental health and well-being, particularly college students, according to Catherine Grus, the American Psychological Association’s chief education officer. More than one in three adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative implications on mental health and well-being of social distancing practices and job loss related to the economic recession on mental health is significant and growing

According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, more than half of Americans — 56% –reported that worry or stress related to the outbreak has led to at least one negative mental health effect.

Those negative mental health and well-being effects include trouble with eating or sleeping, drinking alcohol more, frequent headaches or stomachaches, shorter tempers, and other health problems. Among frontline health care workers and their families, 64% reported worsened mental health, as did 65% of those who had lost income.

Another recent report, released Friday from the Well Being Trust, said the pandemic could lead to 75,000 additional “deaths of despair” from drug and alcohol misuse and suicide due to unemployment, social isolation, and fears about the virus.

Disproportionate impact on African Americans and people of color

Additionally, it’s important to address the fact that the pandemic and the economic fallout has disproportionately affected Black Americans and people of color who have experienced higher mortality rates due to the coronavirus, as well as higher rates of unemployment.

Patrice Harris, MD, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, says COVID-19 worsened the mental and physical health problems that African Americans were already having.

“Pre-COVID-19, in the last 8 to 10 years, we have seen an increase in the number of suicide attempts in our African American youth, increased reports of stress and anxiety in African Americans in general and, unfortunately, we have also seen an increase in a [lack of] access to mental health care,” she says. “That is the foundation from which we have entered … [the] COVID-19 pandemic.”

Since the pandemic came to the United States, Harris says, much of the country has shown signs of more anxiety, stress, and worry. “If you add that to the foundation that we have pre-existing conditions around health and equity, then it just adds to the level of stress, anxiety, and trauma felt by the [African American] community.”

Access to needed health care services was a concern prior to the pandemic

It is imperative that our society focus efforts to educate Americans, especially students and people of color, on issues such as stress, depression and anxiety, and provide ways to cope with these maladies. Many Americans will likely require mental health and substance use services. Consequently, the pandemic spotlights both existing and new barriers to accessing mental health and substance use disorder services.

Among households that report skipping or delaying health care during the pandemic, 4% state that as a result, their or a family member’s mental health condition worsened. For people with insurance coverage, an increasingly common barrier to accessing mental health care is a lack of in-network options for mental health and substance use care.

Limited access to mental health care and substance use treatment is in part due to a current shortage of mental health professionals, which will likely be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People look at the pandemic and they tend to be drawn to the negative. If we can help shift people to look at the positive, it really helps because we know that neurons that fire together wire together.” Heather Aston, Program Manager, San Diego Access and Crisis Line

It’s helpful to learn about “distress tolerance” skills, which involve accepting that some problems are beyond one’s control. Instead of becoming mired in feelings of unfairness and anger, people can learn healthier ways of thinking and coping when they can’t escape painful situations like a pandemic and economic recession.

Even with the looming epidemic of mental health issues, experts say that people are resilient and can strive to protect their emotional well-being. People can develop their own psychological tools. Experts offer:

  • Try to to eat healthy, exercise daily and sleep well.
  • Try to stay socially connected with friends and families, even if you can’t see others in person.
  • Limit negative news and social media.

How Americans are coping during COVID-19

References:

  1. https://apple.news/ALqnj9J5YTs-o0uhQxsCYUw
  2. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200508/mental-health-emerging-crisis-of-covid-pandemic
  3. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2764404
  4. https://www.kff.org/report-section/kff-health-tracking-poll-late-april-2020-economic-and-mental-health-impacts-of-coronavirus/
  5. https://www.kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/
  6. https://www.paho.org/en/file/21250/download?token=KJPzGOuM
  7. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200610/covid-racism-are-dual-crises-for-black-americans

Myocarditis, Inflammation of the Heart Muscle

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Penn State doctor says 30-35% of Big Ten athletes testing positive for COVID-19 had myocarditis symptoms.

Cardiac MRI scans revealed that roughly a third of all athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus appear to have myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, said Penn State’s director of athletic medicine.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can lead to arrhythmia, cardiac arrest and death, especially in a person who doesn’t know they have it and performs rigorous exercise. The risk of myocarditis was a prime reason behind the Big Ten Conference’s decision to postpone the upcoming football season.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “In many cases, myocarditis improves on its own or with treatment, leading to a complete recovery.”

Even in mild cases of myocarditis, however, the clinic suggests that “persons should avoid competitive sports for at least three to six months.”

The cause of COVID-19 myocarditis is unclear. Some researchers speculate that the coronavirus may sometimes directly infect the heart.

Another possible culprit is the immune system’s response against the virus. When it fires out of control — a severe inflammatory reaction known as a cytokine storm — it can damage organs throughout the body, including the heart.

References:

  1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2020/09/03/big-ten-athletes-covid-had-myocarditis-symptoms-one-third-cases/5704234002/
  2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/09/03/big-ten-coronavirus-myocarditis/
  3. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200415/covid-19-can-trigger-serious-heart-injuries

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions | New York Times

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Updated September 1, 2020

  • Why is it safer to spend time together outside?
    • Pandemic life is safer outdoors. Outdoor gatherings lower risk because wind disperses viral droplets, and sunlight can kill some of the virus. Open spaces prevent the virus from building up in concentrated amounts and being inhaled, which can happen when infected people exhale in a confined space for long stretches of time, said Dr. Julian W. Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester. Thus, while the risk of outdoor transmission is low, it can happen.

      • “The virus load is important,” said Eugene Chudnovsky, a physicist at Lehman College and the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. “A single virus will not make anyone sick; it will be immediately destroyed by the immune system. The belief is that one needs a few hundred to a few thousand of SARS-CoV-2 viruses to overwhelm the immune response.”

  • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
    • In the beginning, the coronavirus seemed like it was primarily a respiratory illness — many patients had fever and chills, were weak and tired, and coughed a lot, though some people don’t show many symptoms at all. Those who seemed sickest had pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome and received supplemental oxygen. By now, doctors have identified many more symptoms and syndromes. In April, the C.D.C. added to the list of early signs sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. Gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhea and nausea, has also been observed. Another telltale sign of infection may be a sudden, profound diminution of one’s sense of smell and taste. Teenagers and young adults in some cases have developed painful red and purple lesions on their fingers and toes — nicknamed “Covid toe” — but few other serious symptoms.

    Why does standing six feet away from others help?

    • The coronavirus spreads primarily through droplets from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The C.D.C., one of the organizations using that measure, bases its recommendation of six feet on the idea that most large droplets that people expel when they cough or sneeze will fall to the ground within six feet. But six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Sneezes, for instance, can launch droplets a lot farther than six feet, according to a recent study. It’s a rule of thumb: You should be safest standing six feet apart outside, especially when it’s windy. But keep a mask on at all times, even when you think you’re far enough apart.

    COVID-19 risk factors for severe disease

    • Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. According to the CDC, “…6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.” Essentially, 94 percent of Americans who have died from coronavirus from the week ending February 1, 2020 to the week ending August 22, 2020 had, on average, almost three comorbidities that played a role in their death.
    • According to CDC’s report, the leading comorbidities among COVID-19 deaths were respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, sepsis, malignant neoplasms, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively.
    • “Anecdotally, there are several stories of cases in which people with COVID-19 had deadly heart attacks, yet these cases were coded as COVID-19 deaths. In one extreme case, a Florida man who died in a motorcycle crash happened to also have COVID-19 at the time, yet was coded as having died from COVID-19, not because of the motorcycle accident.” Many clinicians are putting COVID-19 on death certificates when it might not be entirely accurate because they died infected with coronavirus and not because of coronavirus.

    Sources:

    1. https://nyti.ms/31jGhk2
    2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

    Dexamethasone – first drug shown to reduce Covid-19 deaths

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    The most severe symptoms of COVID-19 are the result of the an infected person’s immune system’s overreaction to the virus. Dexamethasone is an anti-inflammatory drug that can rein in a person’s immune system attack.

    Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. It is used to treat many different inflammatory conditions such as allergic disorders and skin conditions.

    Dexamethasone is also used to treat ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, and breathing disorders. It may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

    This drug is relatively inexpensive and widely available steroid that blunts many types of immune responses. Doctors have long used it to treat allergies, asthma and inflammation.

    In June, it became the first drug shown to reduce Covid-19 deaths. That study of more than 6,000 people, which in July was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in patients on ventilators, and by one-fifth in patients on oxygen. It may be less likely to help — and may even harm — patients who are at an earlier stage of Covid-19 infections, however.

    In its Covid-19 treatment guidelines, the National Institutes of Health recommends only using dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 who are on a ventilator or are receiving supplemental oxygen.

    Steroid medication affects your immune system. You may get infections more easily. Steroids can also worsen or reactivate an infection you’ve already had. Tell your doctor about any illness or infection you have had within the past several weeks.

    References:

    1. https://www.drugs.com/dexamethasone.html
    2. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-drugs-treatments.html?referringSource=articleShare

    U.S. Economy and Stock Markets are Highly Disconnected

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    “The stock market isn’t the economy. The economy is production and jobs, and there are shortfalls in virtually every sector of the economy.”  -Janet Yellen, former Chair of the Federal Reserve

    We remain in the midst of a global crisis as the impact of COVID-19 infections continues to spread. As a result, we are experiencing an income crisis for a wide swath of the working population. The labor market decline was most catastrophic on low-end age earners. Those jobs have been the slowest to recover and many of those jobs have been loss permanently.

    financial markets reflect assessments of the value of assets today based on investors’ expectations for the cash those assets will generate.

    The U.S. economy is highly consumer-driven according to economists; our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) levels are guided primarily by consumer spending. The “V-shaped” recovery in retail sales data has been a boon to the bull market narrative. There is, however, legitimate concern over the potential impact if the Congress and Executive branch are unable to hammer out a compromise on extended unemployment benefits.

    Causes of the disconnect

    “Financial markets reflect assessments of the value of assets today based on investors’ expectations for the cash those assets will generate.” Vanguard Investments

    Hope-ism and federal intervention are buoying up the stock market. “Hope-ism” is the wishful thinking that makes investors believe that the economy will not only recover quickly, it will snap back with vigor as the virus is quickly vanquished.

    Federal intervention has been stratospheric over the past decade plus. Coming into the pandemic, the Fed had injected $5 trillion in Quantitative Easing (QE) from the 2008 recession. Now it has added another $3 trillion in the first round of COVID-19 relief and will likely add at least another $2 trillion, bringing the total to a whopping $10 trillion.

    The two, the U.S. economy and equity stock markets, will reconnect again. Either the economy will recover, as the stock market predicts, or the stock market will reprice and crash. In the following we discuss the causes of the disconnect and what investors should be concerned about as the disconnect corrects.

    Investors should expect a stock market correction. Greed will give way to fear. FOMO (fear of missing out) will become FOLO (fear of losing out). Also, there are plenty of other threats to the economy and stock market including a global debt crisis, cyber crime and terrorism, trade wars and socioeconomic unrest.

    References:

    1. https://www.marketwatch.com/articles/the-disturbing-reality-fueling-this-bull-market-51598004009?mod=mw_more_headlines
    2. https://seekingalpha.com/article/4368901-stock-market-will-reconnect-economy-what#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20reasons%20that%20the%20stock%20market,other%20way%20to%20reconnect%20is%20a%20market%20crash.
    3. https://www.barchart.com/story/options/146523/inside-volatility-trading-august-25-2020

    Ryan Clark

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    Ryan Clark, ESPN commentator, expresses his frustration about the shooting of Jacob Blake and the current state of racial affairs in the country.

    It has been extremely difficult not to feel frustrated and angry regarding another senseless shooting of an unarmed man of color at the hands of those sworn to ‘protect and serve’. From reports, this good Samaritian was attempting to de-escalate a domestic situation and was returning to his vehicle with his children inside when he was shot in the back.

    Our country has survived a cataclysmic Civil War and two devastating World Wars, but we seem unable to resolve the intrinsic problems of systematic racism and socioeconomic injustice that runs counter to the principles in which the country was founded and as documented in the U.S. Constitution.

    Yet, we should remain hopeful that our nation will collectively in the coming decades work to solve this deep rooted challenge. Additionally, we should maintain the perspective that it took many generations to create the problems, but hopefully it takes fewer generations to resolve.