DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Vatican repudiates colonial-era 'doctrine of discovery'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Thursday formally repudiated the colonial-era "doctrine of discovery", used centuries ago to justify European conquests of Africa and the Americas, saying "it is not part of Catholic Church teaching". The Vatican acknowledged in a statement from its culture and human development departments that papal documents from the 15th century were used by colonial powers to give legitimacy to their actions, which included slavery. The Vatican departments admitted that the bulls, which gave political cover to Spanish and Portuguese conquests in Africa and the Americas, "did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples". Argentine-born Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, has made several outreach gestures towards indigenous people. Last year, he travelled to Canada's Arctic region to apologise for the oppression of the Inuit people.

☆ Victor LaValle’s Latest Mixes Horror With a History of the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Chanelle Benz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

LONE WOMEN, by Victor LaValleVictor LaValle’s enthralling fifth novel, “Lone Women,” opens like a true western, with a scene of dark, bloody upheaval and a hint of vengeance. When we meet Adelaide Henry, the grown daughter of Black farmers, she is in a daze, dumping gasoline all over her family’s farmhouse. We don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing, what happened to her family or, most important, what else she has or hasn’t done. Adelaide will soon escape to the harsh beauty of Montana as one of the “lone” women acquiring a homestead of 320 acres from the federal government. If she can survive three years there, cultivating the land and making it habitable, the land will become hers.

☆ A publisher removed references to Rosa Parks' race in a draft of its textbook to comply with Florida's laws, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A publisher removed references to Rosa Parks' race in a draft of a Florida textbook. Studies Weekly changed the language to comply with the Stop Woke Act, The New York Times reported. The publisher told the Times that it withdrew from the state's review. DeSantis signed into law the Stop Woke Act and the Don't Say Gay Act in 2022. The FDOE has also amended the Stop Woke Act to ban critical race theory from being taught in schools.

☆ San Francisco officials weigh giving Black residents $1 homes and $97,000 a year of as part of a massive reparations plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

San Francisco policymakers are considering reparations for many of its Black residents. Proposals include giving qualifying residents $5 million, $97,000 a year for 250 years, or $1 homes. Supervisors unanimously supported the presentation from the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee, but its proposals remain far from reality. If enacted, though, San Francisco's reparations plan stands to become one of the most substantial packages ever approved in the United States. "This conversation we're having in San Francisco is completely unserious," John Dennis, chair of the San Francisco Republican Party, told the AP.

☆ In Selma, Biden presses for voting rights on 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SELMA, Alabama, March 5 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden pressed for the passage of measures to strengthen U.S. voting rights during a visit to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday to commemorate the 58th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when state troopers beat peaceful protesters marching against discrimination. It also came as his efforts to pass voting rights legislation have stalled in Congress. Coverage of the brutality of that day against the marchers, including John Lewis, a Black civil rights activist who went on to become a U.S. congressman, shocked the nation and helped spark the 1965 Voting Rights Act. DeSantis recently rejected an Advanced Placement high school course in African American studies claiming that it contained a political agenda, drawing criticism from civil rights leaders and educators. In January, Biden spoke at the Atlanta church of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.Biden's visit to Selma follows Vice President Kamala Harris's trip there last year for the anniversary of the march.

☆ Chris Rock unleashes on Will Smith and wife Jada a year after Oscars slap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In March 2022, Smith walked on to the Oscars stage and slapped Rock's face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Pinkett Smith said she was protesting the fact that Will Smith and other Black actors were not nominated. Rock, who also is Black, joked about Pinkett Smith at the Oscars that year and again last year. Pinkett Smith admitted to an affair that she called an "entanglement" in 2020. Netflix agreed to pay $40 million for two Rock comedy specials under a deal reached in 2016, according to a person familiar with the matter.

☆ Marianne Williamson opens long shot 2024 challenge to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Biden, 80, is the oldest president in U.S. history and would be 86 at the end of a second term. Biden's political advisers say they aren't worried about the Democratic primary and say Biden is anxious to defeat Donald Trump again in the general election. Williamson insists her 2024 campaign is about far more than just making a statement. A Texas native who now lives in Beverly Hills, California, Williamson is the author of more than a dozen books. She ran an unsuccessful independent congressional campaign in California in 2014 and supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 progressive challenge of eventual Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

☆ The US Navy is changing the name of a warship to honor a former slave who escaped to freedom on a stolen Confederate ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The ship, formally known as USS Chancellorsville, will be named USS Robert Smalls. Robert Smalls was born into slavery but went on to become a prominent sailor and politician. Del Toro on Monday said he is "proud" to rename the ship after Robert Smalls. "Robert Smalls is a man who deserves a namesake ship and with this renaming, his story will continue to be retold and highlighted." The USS Chancellorsville was commissioned in 1989 and is assigned to Carrier Strike Group Five in Japan, although it is scheduled to leave active service in 2026.

First-generation Black wealth builders might not have been exposed to the value of financial advice. This may result in first-generation Black wealth builders making financial mistakes and not being as proactive with their finances. Many first-generation Black wealth builders tend to sit on a lot of cash and have a fear of the stock market because of their upbringing. Pressure to support others before securing your own financial futureOften, first-generation Black wealth builders find themselves trying to balance financially supporting others while building wealth and progressing in their careers. As a first-generation Black wealth builder, family members may expect you to support them financially.

Cassie Gibson was teaching a unit on slavery last spring to her sixth-grade U.S. history class in Polk County, Fla., when she noticed a paragraph in a textbook that gave her pause. The passage struck her as potentially violating a 2022 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis —which he dubbed “Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act”—that prohibits, among other things, teaching that people should feel guilt over past actions by members of their racial group. She said she worried what her students might say about the passage at home and how their parents might react.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Kevin McCarthy tweet saying ‘not my job’ to speak out against other Republicans created as satire
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The purported tweet (bit.ly/3ZeMnPE) reads: “Listen, it’s not my job to speak out everytime a Republican congressperson calls for Civil War or giving slavery another shot. It’s simply not my job.” The image shows a picture of McCarthy in the top left corner and his real Twitter handle, @SpeakerMcCarthy. The fake screenshot (bit.ly/3ZeMnPE) was originally posted by satirical Twitter account @FaithRubPol (www.twitter.com/FaithRubPol), but has since been deleted for “violating Twitter rules” (here). One person called McCarthy a “spineless coward” (bit.ly/41pnxyr), while another said, “Someone needs to explain to Kevin his job duties” (bit.ly/3ZeAzN3). The tweet was not posted by Kevin McCarthy; it stems from a satirical account.

☆ Mitt Romney says Marjorie Taylor Greene's pitch for a 'national divorce' is insane
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mitt Romney thinks Marjorie Taylor Greene's idea to break up the US is unhinged. "Mitt Romney is so bad I couldn't even vote for him for president against Barack Obama," Greene told the outlet. Greene's idea for a national divorce has also received pushback from other members of her party. Spencer Cox called the Georgia congresswoman's call to break up the United States "evil" and "destructive." Representatives for Romney and Greene did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ U.S. Forced Labor Crackdown Is Tough, But Opaque
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The U.S. has mounted an aggressive crackdown on imports over concerns about Chinese forced labor, but the campaign is an opaque one, with little detailed data on which companies or sectors are being targeted. January alone saw 282 shipments stopped over forced labor concerns, according to Customs data. Luis C.deBaca helped lead the U.S. fight against forced labor in the Obama administration and now teaches law at the University of Michigan. Photo: Luis C.deBacaChina has rejected allegations that it uses forced labor in Xinjiang. The agency added that it is “committed to transparency” and is developing an interactive web-based tool to provide forced labor enforcement statistics.

☆ ChatGPT created a lesson plan on the American Civil War, but educators who looked at it warned the subject might be more than AI can handle
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jordan Hart | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider asked ChatGPT to create a high school-level history lesson to test the accuracy of OpenAI's anti-cheating tool. The tool failed to detect the lesson plan created by AI, so we asked an education expert for his opinion. We asked ChatGPT to write a 45-minute lesson plan for high school students on the American Civil War. But even though Insider asked for a 45-minute lesson, ChatGPT provided a total of 55 minutes. "This exact lesson plan could be taught very differently depending on the teacher, so I am curious how a more robust lesson plan would look."

☆ Minimum wages are going up, but typical workers still don't make enough to get by in any U.S. state
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"So the longer the gap between federal minimum wage increases, the more likely some states went ahead and raised their own state-level minimum." CNBC Make It compared state minimum wages with the average living wage for one adult with no dependents according to MIT's Living Wage Calculator, and found that no state offers a minimum wage that is in line with the living wage. Those setting minimum wages are 'probably using house rents from 2012'When it comes to how states calculate their minimum wages, many use a cost of living index. In Georgia, the minimum wage for employers that don't fall under the Fair Labor Standards Act is $5.15. "And that takes the form of not having a minimum wage or just following the federal guidance or having extremely low sub minimum wages."

☆ How small-business owners can address pay equity, according to a startup founder trying to build generational wealth for employees of color
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yemi Rose is the founder of OfColor, a startup helping workers of color build generational wealth. Rose shared his insights on how small businesses could reach pay equity for employees of color. Before starting OfColor, Rose spent 16 years workings for financial and consulting firms like Thomson Financial and KPMG. In a conversation with Insider, Rose shared his thoughts on how small-business owners could reach pay equity for their employees of color. Before launching OfColor, Rose wanted to become an expert on the systems dictating wealth across America.

☆ Judge suggests abortion might be protected by 13th Amendment despite Supreme Court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Monday suggested in a court order in a criminal case against a group of anti-abortion activists that the federal right to abortion — which was overturned last year by the Supreme Court — might still be protected by the Constitution's 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment covers several rights, including citizenship rights and a prohibition against the government depriving "any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The amendment's due process clause was a keystone of the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade that established the federal right to abortion. Kollar-Kotelly in her order, which was previously reported by Politico, wrote that the 13th Amendment "has received substantial attention among scholars and, briefly, in one federal Court of Appeals decision." A 1990 paper by a Northwestern University School of Law professor found that the 13th Amendment, with its prohibition against involuntary servitude, provides a textual basis for the right to abortion.

☆ Aristocratic British family whose ancestors owned 1,000 slaves to apologize and pay $120,000 to reparations fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A wealthy UK family is to pay reparations to Grenada, where their ancestors once owned 1,000 slaves. The Trevelyan family owned six sugar plantations in Grenada. They plan to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves. Should my family pay reparations to the people of Grenada because we had owned slaves here? The Trevelyan family received £26,898 at the time — the equivalent of nearly £3m ($3.6 million), per The Guardian.

Summary Pope received vibrant welcome in KinshasaAddressed DR Congo's struggles with war, exploitationNow heads to predominantly Christian South SudanArchbishop of Canterbury joins for South Sudan legKINSHASA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis wraps up an emotional visit to Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday and heads to neighbouring South Sudan, another nation struggling to overcome decades of conflict and grinding poverty. On Wednesday, he heard harrowing stories from victims of conflict in eastern Congo who had witnessed the killings of close relatives and been subjected to sexual slavery, amputation and forced cannibalism. The pope will be joined for the whole of his visit to South Sudan by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the global Anglican Communion, and by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields. It is the first joint foreign trip by the three Christian leaders, who have called it a "pilgrimage of peace". South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 after decades of north-south conflict, but civil war erupted in 2013.

☆ College Board Shrinks Advanced-Placement Curriculum for African-American Studies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Douglas Belkin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last month the original curriculum for an AP class on African-American studies advanced a political agenda. The College Board on Wednesday released a revised version of its curriculum for a new advanced-placement class that covers African-American studies—days after the draft was denounced by the governor of Florida as indoctrination. The new curriculum makes optional some topics from the pilot version including Black Lives Matter and reparations for slavery and adds optional subjects such as Black conservatism.

☆ Learning about the Black Lives Matter movement will now be optional in a new AP Black history class after Florida Gov. DeSantis publicly rejected the course
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The College Board released its new framework for its AP African American Studies course Wednesday. The course makes topics like Black Lives Matter, reparations, and queer studies optional for students to learn. But much of its modern content — like Black Lives Matter, affirmative action, Black queer studies, and reparations — has been both watered down and labeled as optional for a required research project. Queer theory. Now, who would say that an important part of black history is queer theory?

☆ Nikole Hannah-Jones makes a case for reparations with ‘The 1619 Project’ series
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Candice Williams | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The fight for reparations has been going on for centuries in federal and state governments. “I don’t think there’s anything else that can be done besides a federal program, direct payments to Black American descendants of U.S. slavery,” Darity said. “Every time there is a local or state reparations bill that’s moving forward, it just further legitimizes the larger federal effort,” she said. “So I definitely am an advocate of both.”The subject of state reparations and the return of land are discussed in the series, along with the idea that reparations should be more than just a cash payout. If the federal government were to ever issue reparations, Darity surmised that Black Americans might begin to feel a sense of equality.

☆ Disney World closed Splash Mountain after allegations of racism. Not everyone's happy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Walt Disney World has closed its famous Splash Mountain water ride, the Magic Kingdom attraction that for years had been criticized for having racist roots. Goodbye, Splash Mountain,” read the caption of one video that had more than 1,300 likes Tuesday afternoon. The website for Tokyo Disneyland does not indicate if or when its Splash Mountain ride will close. A representative for Walt Disney World did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday. Splash Mountain is no stranger to controversy: In 2018, it made headlines when Walt Disney World banned a man who rode it while holding up a "Trump 2020" sign.

☆ Companies Rush to Trace Sprawling Supply Chains as Sustainability Rules Loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The rules come as businesses, especially small and midsize companies, have a limited view of their supply chains and are struggling to broaden their oversight, sustainability analysts say. Imagine that in the landscape of supply chain,” said Tim Constable, partner at law firm Dentons advising companies on supply chains. There are a host of other regulatory developments threatening to affect companies’ supply chains. Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg NewsUnilever has a sprawling global supply chain, with around 54,000 suppliers in 150 countries. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated the program is.”Internet-of-things startups can go beyond aggregating data and instead track actual items.

☆ At meetings, Proud Boys sing 'Proud of Your Boy,' a weepy ode to mom from Broadway's 'Aladdin,' documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Laura Italiano | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Proud Boys are urged to sing a Broadway show tune at meetings, a new court document reveals. The song is "Proud of Your Boy," a weepy ode to making mom proud by the title character in "Aladdin." The anthem is 'Proud of Your Boy," an emotional ode to winning mom's approval from the hit musical, "Aladdin." "Do the 'Proud Boys' know their anthem was written by a gay Jew?" The Southern Poverty Law Center, which calls the Proud Boys a violent, right-wing hate group, has also noted that the song "Proud of Your Boy" inspired the group's name.

Search resuls for: "Slavery"

25 mentions found