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- Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) intro bill to give rights for domestic workers.
- Uber announces that executive pay will be tied to its new diversity goals.
- Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ) wants to help small businesses hire military Reservists.
- ¡Wepa! Lin-Manuel Miranda partners with Puerto Rico tourism program to drive visitors to the island.
- Warren 2020 brings on a new director of engagement. Read to the bottom!
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U.S. Women's Soccer World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe with CNN's Don Lemon in make up in NYC last week.
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Women's March co-organizer Carmen Perez with her son last week in Oklahoma.
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Kamala Harris and Pramila Jayapal Intro Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
Domestic workers -- including house cleaners, nannies, home care workers, and others -- have been excluded from civil rights protections against workplace sexual harassment and discrimination because the law does not apply to employers who have fewer than 15 employees. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) want to change that. The duo on Monday introduced the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act, the first-ever national set of legislation ensuring the rights and protections of millions of domestic workers throughout the country. “Domestic workers are one of the fastest growing workforces in our country,” said Harris. “They provide essential care and support to aging parents, people with disabilities, children, and homes. However, our nation’s domestic workers have not been afforded the same rights and benefits as nearly every other worker, and it’s time we change that.” The legislation includes domestic workers in common workplace rights and protections like paid overtime, safe and healthy working conditions, and freedom from workplace harassment and discrimination. It also would create new rights and protections that address the unique challenges of domestic work such as written contracts, affordable healthcare, retirement benefits, fair scheduling, support for survivors of sexual harassment, and grants for workforce training. “Domestic workers have been excluded from basic protections since the New Deal – and domestic workers are the future of work,” said Jayapal. “The courageous working-class women, women of color and immigrant women who are demanding their rights today are unwilling to be excluded any longer. When domestic workers win, everyone wins: this bill will protect, stabilize and expand this important workforce in one of the fastest growing industries in the country.” More here.
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Catherine Cortez Masto Moves to Ensure Transparency of Presidential Pardons
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) wants to ensure transparency and accountability in the pardon process in cases involving investigations of the president or his relatives. She teamed up with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to introduce the Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act, which would require the Justice Department to provide all records of the relevant investigation to the appropriate congressional committees should the president pardon someone in connection with an investigation in which they or one of their family members is a target, subject, or witness. The lawmakers said the mandatory requirement would create a powerful disincentive for any president who wishes to use the pardon power as an instrument of obstruction in an ongoing investigation by ensuring Congress has the opportunity to assess whether there may have been a conflict of interest or other impropriety. “President Trump has repeatedly touted his ‘absolute power to pardon’, even when considering self-serving pardons for close personal, business and campaign associates - many of whom are currently embroiled in federal investigations,” said Cortez Masto. “We need more transparency in the pardon process to ensure that justice isn’t being obstructed. Both Congress and the American people deserve access to detailed, objective information to understand whether a president is using the pardon power to protect himself or those loyal to him.” More here.
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Cory Booker and Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass Want Certain Prisoners to Get a ‘Second Look’
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) wants federal prisoners who have spent over a decade behind bars to get a shot at having their sentences reduced or being released. The White House hopeful teamed with Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) on Monday to introduce the Matthew Charles and William Underwood Second Look Act. The bill would not only give prisoners a “second look,” but it would also create a rebuttable presumption of release for petitioners who are 50 years of age or older, meaning the burden shifts to the government to demonstrate why the petitioner should remain behind bars. Despite the fact that recidivism rates are significantly lower for people released from prison who are 50 and older, roughly 250,000 individuals aged 50 and above remain behind bars, costing taxpayers about $16 billion annually. “There are hundreds of thousands of people behind bars – most of them people of color – who were sentenced under draconian laws during the height of the War on Drugs that we have since recognized were unfair,” said Booker. “But many of the changes we’ve made to these laws have not been retroactive. That means there are now an enormous number of people in prison who have served lengthy prison terms, are not a threat to the community, and are ready for re-entry, but are stuck under these outdated sentencing laws.” The bill is named for 65-year-old William Underwood, who is currently serving a life sentence in New Jersey without the possibility of parole for a nonviolent drug crime he committed in 1988. The bill is also inspired by Mathew Charles, the first person released from federal custody under the First Step Act, which was signed into law in December 2018. “Last year when the First Step Act was signed into law, we intended it to be just that — a first step. Now we begin our follow-up,” said Bass. “We’ve made progress in our efforts to reform our criminal justice system so that Americans today aren’t subjected to the over-criminalization of the 1980s. This bill is a step to ensure that with that progress, we aren’t forgetting those who did fall victim to the War on Drugs and are sitting in prison due to draconian sentencing practices for crimes that don’t fit the punishment.” More here.
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Presidential candidate Julián Castro caucusing in Iowa last week.
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Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) with hosts of The Breakfast Club in NYC earlier this month.
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Tim Scott Moves to Protect Flood-Prone Communities
Federal flood insurance has become more expensive in some places, putting it out of reach for many people who live on floodplains. And many who have insurance are seeing rebuilds that do not proactively protect against future flooding. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) is aiming to ensure stronger protections for flood-prone communities. He and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) have introduced the Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act, which would help to compel FEMA and local governments to proactively reduce flood risk rather than simply rebuilding properties time and time again, putting unnecessary strain on the NFIP. Additionally, the bipartisan bill would set deadlines for FEMA to develop criteria to govern these repeat loss plans and determine any appropriate sanctions for failure to act, require FEMA to report to Congress every two years on implementation progress, and authorize FEMA to target special assistance to communities working to address these repeatedly flooded areas. "Whenever I walk through the remains and aftermath of a hurricane, I’m reminded of how critical the NFIP is to the Palmetto State. Our legislation will help tackle the enormous debt the program is in while preparing communities to safeguard their homes and businesses before disaster strikes,” Scott said. More here.
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Andy Kim Wants to Help Small Businesses Hire Military Reservists
Economists recently found that job applicants who list active service in the nation’s military Reserves on their résumés are 11% less likely to be called for an interview, perhaps because their service requires Reservists to be absent from their jobs for extended periods of time. While legal protections exist to limit potential adverse effects, Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ) thinks more can be done to make it easier for small businesses to hire Reservists. He and Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) last week introduced the Patriotic Employer Protection Act, which would strengthen programs intended to protect small business owners whose employees are military Reservists deployed on active duty. The legislation would restructure the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan (MREIDL) program and the Repayment Deferral for Active Duty Reservists program so that they better reflect the current deployment trends of Reservists. The bill would allow these programs to be used for any Reservists being ordered to active duty for a period of more than 30 consecutive days, broadening the program to more people in need. “I’ve seen small business owners who have done the right thing by hiring military Reservists for key positions but worry about the uncertainty posed if they’re transferred to active duty and deployed overseas,” said Kim. “This bipartisan bill would strengthen key programs and give these patriotic small business owners the peace of mind they need to put more of our Reservists to work without worrying if a single deployment will severely impact their business.” More here.
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Elijah Cummings Comes for Betsy DeVos’s Emails
But her emails! Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is in hot water after a recent report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed DeVos did not forward emails sent from her personal email to her official account as required by law. House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings (D-MD) wants to know what’s in these emails and sent a letter on Monday demanding that DeVos turn them over. The Committee is expanding its Federal Records Act investigation into whether the Department of Education is in compliance. “New information has now come to light indicating that you and other Department officials violated the Department’s prohibition on using personal email accounts to conduct official business, violated the requirement in the Federal Records Act to forward these emails to your official account within 20 days, and violated the requirement in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to produce relevant records in response to public requests,” Cummings wrote. “This new information also indicates that you withheld from the Committee information it has been seeking on a bipartisan basis over the past two years.” The Committee has been investigating this issue for more than two years under three different Republican and Democratic chairs. Read the letter here.
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Journalist María Elena Salinas in Portugal earlier this month.
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Politico's Laura Barrón-López at Latino Talks last month in DC.
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Rift Arises Between Republican Latinos and Trump Campaign
The GOP last month launched its effort to win over Latinx voters by sending VP Mike Pence, who as far as we know is not Latinx, to Florida to launch “Latinos for Trump.” We may now have more insight into why Pence served as the primary messenger and not a prominent Latinx supporter of Donald Trump. Behind the scenes -- tensions between the campaign and Latinx surrogates from the last election had been boiling over for months, reports ABC. Latinx organizers from the 2016 cycle are upset the campaign launched the initiative under that banner -- a name they had been fundraising under since the last presidential election. The advocates and surrogates have been fighting the campaign, which has issued legal threats, over its decision to launch its own Latinx coalition under the same name. The Trump campaign has issued multiple cease and desist letters threatening legal action against the "Latinos for Trump" organization since April, according to ABC. The campaign also filed a letter to the Federal Election Commission disavowing the group. “After all this time spent, they are cannibalizing and taking credit for our work," said Marco Gutiérrez, the former president of "Latinos for Trump" -- he was removed as president last week after the group claimed he was “breaching his non-disclosure agreement." Jazmina Saavedra, who has worked in California as "Latinos for Trump’s" spokesperson since 2016, also expressed her shock. “We all said, 'What's going on?' We started calling each other asking if anyone was invited and no one was,” Saavedra said. The re-election campaign has sought to ramp up its outreach to the Latinx community as Trump’s caging and inhumane treatment of migrant children and their families at the southern border, as well as his immigration policies and rhetoric overall, have drawn significant criticism from many Latinxs. The president has falsely claimed that his approval rating among Hispanics is 50%. A recent UnidosUS poll showed a yet-to-be-determined Democrat nominee was favored 62% to 21% over Trump, while only half of self-identified Republicans said they would definitely vote for Trump. Similarly, two of three Latinxs in an Univisión poll said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, even if they don’t know who that will be. While just over 18% of voters said they were undecided, 62.8% said they would vote for anyone but Trump. More here.
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Bronx City Councilmember Makes it Official
It’s official. Bronx City Councilmember Ritchie Torres is running for Congress in NY’s 15th Congressional District. He says his goal is to be a "national champion for the urban poor." The 31-year-old Bronx native is the first openly gay candidate to be elected to legislative office in the borough. Torres was first elected in 2013 to represent the 15th Council District in the Central Bronx and is the Chair of the new Oversight and Investigations Committee of the City Council, where he is tasked with investigating matters within the Council’s jurisdiction concerning property, affairs, or the government of NYC. Earlier this year, Torres investigated Kushner Cos. -- which is run by the family of presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner -- and he found that nine of the buildings the company runs in NYC are being done so illegally. As a councilman, Torres has focused on legislation protecting the city’s affordable housing stock, improving mental health resources for the LGBT community, tackling the city’s opioid epidemic, and reforming the NYPD’s daily interactions with New Yorkers. He estimates that he has already raised more than $500,000. New York’s primary is April 21st next year. More here.
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Attorney Tony Balkissoon with wife, CNN's Laura Jarrett, welcoming their newborn son, James Anthony, earlier this week.
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CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta (R) greeting a fan on set at CNN in Atlanta last week.
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John Leguizamo Acquires Hispanicize
The NGL Collective, an independent Latino media and entertainment company co-founded by actor John Leguizamo and David Chitel, has acquired the Hispanicize Media Group (HMG) and all of its assets, including the Hispanicize conference and digital platforms Hispanic Kitchen and Latina Moms. There was no Hispanicize conference this April, when it is traditionally held, leading to speculation about HMG’s future. However, Media Moves’ Verónica Villafuente reports that NGL’s Chitel said the company is working on a “re-envisioned” Hispanicize, which will take place in Los Angeles this October 18th-19th. The annual Hispanicize conference, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, has become an influencer magnet that attracts many social media entrepreneurs looking to network and connect with brands. Other assets acquired by Leguizamo’s company include Hispanic Kitchen, which offers Latinx cooking enthusiasts original and curated content to over 1.7 million followers, and Latina Moms, a lifestyle, beauty, and destination powered by social influencers, celebrity moms and other contributors. NGL also acquired HMG's AI tech. "With HMG's social distribution, we'll have a broader platform that will leverage relationships with influencers, publishers, owned and operated assets and proprietary technology with machine learning. We now have the ability, technology and footprint to deliver Latinx across social like no one else can," said Chitel. More here.
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Obama Raises Millions More for Foundation
Former President Barack Obama continues to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for the proposed construction of the Obama Presidential Center in historic Jackson Park as well as for an expanding number of domestic and international programs. On Monday, the Barack Obama Foundation released its latest list of donors. Aliko Dangote, who has been described as “Africa’s richest man,” donated more than $1 million. The 62-year-old Nigerian businessman plans to contribute a total of $5 million, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He’s the Chairman and CEO of the Dangote Group, a collection of an assortment of business enterprises. Dangote traveled to Johannesburg last July for Obama’s 2018 “Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture.” He also was on a panel at the Obama Foundation’s 2018 Africa summit titled, “Innovating for the next generation.” Power couple Steve Spielberg and Kate Capshaw’s Wunderkinder Foundation also surpassed the $1 million donation mark. Spielberg and Capshaw were among the major donors for the portraits of Obama and former first lady Michelle at the National Portrait Gallery. Other million-dollar contributors include Houston Astros owner James Crane, also a frequent golfing buddy of Obama’s; Freada Kapor Klein and her husband, Mitch Kapor, via the Kapor Center for Social Impact; Microsoft Chairman John Thompson; Chicago’s MacArthur Foundation; and others. Luci Baines Johnson, the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, is also among the donors in the $10K-$100K range. The Foundation still has to complete a federal review process before it can break ground. That process has stalled, and there’s no time frame for how long it could take. See the full list of donors here.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda Partners with Puerto Rico Tourism Program
Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda is helping drive tourism to Puerto Rico. The 39-year-old playwright appeared in an eight-part online series called, “Discover Puerto Rico with Lin-Manuel,” which Discover Puerto Rico unveiled on its website. In the short videos, Miranda is seen strolling on the beach with actress-musician Denise Quiñones as well as dancing salsa in San Juan. He also tours the public art scene, which includes a mural of his grandfather and himself. Miranda also visits Vega Alta, where he spent summers with his grandparents. And he and his father hang with locals in a plaza that honors his late grandfather in one of the video interstitials. “We knew bringing tourists back to the island was key for Puerto Rico’s economic survival and prosperity,” Miranda said to The Washington Post. The island is still struggling after being devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and, as regular Beat readers know, is in the midst of political turmoil. “I believe Puerto Ricans will never completely leave Hurricane Maria behind, and quite frankly, they shouldn’t. That experience is a part of them. What happened serves as a reminder of why we must continue to build a more sustainable, unique and unified Puerto Rico. That process continues.” Miranda brought his record-breaking play, Hamilton, to San Juan earlier this year, which was expected to generate about $15 million for the Flamboyan Arts Fund -- a Miranda family effort to support Puerto Rican artists. “Puerto Ricans are the most resilient people in the world. My uncle’s family and their hometown did not have electricity for six months. People went ahead with their lives, helping themselves and helping each other. Much more still needs to happen, but things have been improving. I hope this series will entice many people to visit and learn what Puerto Rico is all about and all it has to offer,” Miranda told the Post. Check out the videos here.
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Actor David Oyelowo, Neicy Nash, Oprah, Tera DuVernay, and Ava DuVernay vacationing over the weekend.
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Javier Flores Bueso with MSNBC's Richard Lui last month in NYC.
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Uber Announces Exec Pay Will Be Tied to Diversity Goals
Uber on Monday released its third diversity report, and with it, the company also said executive pay would be tied to meeting its newly announced two three-year goals. The report found that Uber is still overwhelmingly white and Asian, but the company has made some progress in the number of Black and Latinx employees. Uber is now 9.3% Black and 8.3% Latinx, versus 8.1% Black and 6.1% Latinx last year. Black women make up 5.3% of its overall workforce in the U.S., Black men 4%, Latinas are 3.7%, and Latino men are 4.6%. However, when you look at the number of Black and Brown people in higher-paying tech jobs, the numbers fall -- Uber’s tech team is 3.6% Black, 4.4% Latinx, and 2.7% multi-racial. When you look at the company’s support staff, community support representatives, people at Uber’s driver support Greenlight hubs, leasing specialists and self-driving operators -- which tend to be lower-paying roles -- Black people make up 32.4% of Uber’s support staff. Latinxs are 22.8% of support staff. Of note: there are more white men (30.1%) than there are Black and Latinx people (17.6%) and white men make up 42.8% of the leadership team. To help grow the number of diverse employees in mid- to senior-level jobs, Uber aims to increase the percentage of underrepresented employees at levels L4 -- typically transactional roles -- and higher to 14% within the next three years. It is also looking to increase the percentage of women at levels L5 and higher (manager and above) to 35%. The ride-sharing giant is also testing a "Rooney Rule" approach for mid-career hires, and Uber Chief Diversity Officer Bo Young Lee (pictured) wrote that the goal is to expand the Rooney Rule approach to all its hires in the future. Their 2022 diversity and inclusion goals will be tied to the compensation of several of its senior executives -- CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Chief Financial Officer Nelson Chai, Chief Legal Officer Tony West (brother-in-law of presidential candidate Kamala Harris), and Chief People Officer Nikki Krishnamurthy. “I’m a strong believer that in order for true inclusion to be created, you have to look at how people in the organization who have the most intersectional identities are thriving,” Lee said. “Most of the gains, historically, when women have thrived, are gained by white women. Black and brown women often gain the least.” See the full report here.
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Fashion Industry Looking to Fill DNI Roles
There have been quite a few blunders in fashion in the past few years. There was the racist monkey shirt from H&M, the recent reports highlighting Adidas’ lack of diversity at its corporate headquarters, and Gucci’s racist sweater. Regular Beat readers will recall that in February, Gucci announced Gucci Changemakers -- a $5 million community fund and scholarship program, that builds on diverse design hires. External council members include Dapper Dan, Bethann Hardison, DeRay Mckesson, Cleo Wade, Michaela Angela Davis, and Will.i.am. Earlier this year, Gucci announced that they would hire a Global Director for Diversity and Inclusion, as well as Regional Directors for Diversity and Inclusion; launch a diversity awareness initiative for Gucci’s 18,000 employees; create a multicultural design scholarship program in 10 cities around the world; and hire five global designers to fill positions in the Rome headquarters. They’re still looking to fill these positions. Meanwhile, Chanel has hired Fiona Pargeter as its first head of Diversity and Inclusion. The hire has prompted GQ to ask if diversity positions are the hottest new roles in fashion. Burberry is now reportedly looking to fill a similar role in its corporate ranks. More here.
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Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-CA) speaking last week on Capitol Hill about the mistreatment of migrant children
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Actress and activist Yara Shahidi on a family vacation this week in Bermuda.
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Warren 2020 Names Director of Public Engagement
Alencia Johnson is joining Senator Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) presidential campaign this month to serve as Director of Public Engagement. Johnson was most recently the director of constituency communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, where she was responsible for national communications campaigns engaging communities of color and new audiences -- focusing on African-American, Latino, youth, faith, and LGBTQ. The VA native also coordinated communications strategies with campaigns for candidates endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and served as a spokesperson for the organization. Before joining Planned Parenthood, the Christopher Newport University graduate worked on President Barack Obama re-election campaign as surrogate booking coordinator. Before that, Johnson was part of the corporate communications team at GEICO Insurance. More about her here.
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| FOMO
Today, 12:30P: The Urban Institute hosts, "Black Homeownership Gap: Research Trends and Why the Growing Gap Matters." 500 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, July 17th, 6P: The Raben Group hosts the Honorable Martha Bárcena Coqui, Ambassador of México to the United States, for "The U.S. and México Today," a discussion of key issues currently shaping U.S.-México relations. Raben's Estuardo Rodríguez will moderate the conversation. 1341 G Street, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Saturday, July 20th - Wednesday, July 24th: The 110th NAACP Annual Convention, convening policymakers, activists, and organizers to strategize about the work NAACP has to do to ensure that the integrity of our democracy and shape the wellbeing of our communities. Cobo Center, 1 Washington Blvd, Detroit, MI. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, July 24th - Saturday, July 27th: The National Urban League hosts its 2019 Annual Conference, Getting 2 Equal: United Not Divided. NUL will host the nation's leading political, business, and community leaders to convene, share ideas, and discover solutions to issues that have historically plagued underserved urban communities across the country. Indianapolis, IN. Click here for more information.
Thursday, July 25th, 6P: Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries hosts his 7th annual Hip Hop On The Hill event. Opera Ultra Lounge, 1400 Eye Street N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Thursday, July 25th: APAICS hosts the 2019 Women’s Collective Summit, bringing powerful AAPI women together to share, to inspire, and to take bold action towards creating a more representative democracy. Pavilion, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
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