Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bank of America today announced that it directed more than $13 million in 2020 to Native American communities across the U.S. disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. The funds included capital investments into Native American Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and philanthropic grants to nonprofits and institutions focused on meeting health, hunger and jobs-related needs in Native American communities as part of the banks overall efforts to advance economic opportunity and racial equality. Bank of America also donated personal protection equipment (PPE) masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to Native American communities last year.

Among the investments were $10 million to Native American Bank, the only national American Indian-owned community development bank in the country, to provide capital for small businesses, affordable housing, community facilities such as schools and healthcare clinics, and consumer lending needs. An additional $3.1 million was in the form of grants to nonprofits serving Native American community needs - nearly half of these grants went to local nonprofits in states serving some of the highest proportions of Native Americans, including Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

According to National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), many Native Americans experience lower life expectancy, lower educational achievement levels, high unemployment rates and are among the poorest populations in the United States. The prolonged health and humanitarian crisis has exacerbated the need for critical services and support for this vulnerable population. Navajo Nation, for example, has experienced more coronavirus cases per capita than nearly any other place in the United States, and during the height of the pandemic the rate of infection among the Navajo people was more than eight times the overall rate in New Mexico alone.

The economic needs in tribal communities continue to be a challenge that we, as a society, need to address, said Andrew Plepler, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance at Bank of America. These challenges have been further exacerbated by the coronavirus. There is an urgent need to invest in tribal and native-owned small businesses, healthcare and jobs development, to mitigate some of the enormous economic and health risks these communities currently face.

Organizations receiving grants include: American Indian College Fund; First Nations Development Institute; National American Indian Housing Council; National Congress of American Indians; Partners in Health, in collaboration with Community Outreach & Patient Empowerment; Our Native American Business Entrepreneurship Network (ONABEN); Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corp; United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY); Navajo Technical University; Mesa Community College; Denver Indian Center; Denver Indian Health and Family Services; Indian Pueblo Cultural Center; Native American Connections; First Nations Community Health Source; Oklahoma City Indian Clinic; Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma; Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma; and First Nations Oweesta Corporation.

Bank of America has provided critical financial services to Native American governments and territories for more than 60 years, and is also the largest investor into CDFIs at $1.6 billion across the U.S.

Bank of AmericaAt Bank of America, were guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. Were delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. Its demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.

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Bank of America Directed More Than $13 Million to Native American Communities Hardest Hit by the Coronavirus in 2020 - Business Wire

CHARACTER: STORMFRONT

Stormfront, season twos addition to the not-so-superheroic team The Seven on Amazon PrimesThe Boys, revels in take-no-prisoners barbs exposing personal and systemic flaws like misogyny and corporate overreach. But her acerbic tough love demeanor masks a more sinister agenda: Shes secretly a Nazi. Yeah, shes tough-hate, says Cash with a chuckle. Stormfronts way in is this, Im going to tell it like it is, anti-big corporation, punk rock, say-what-I-mean empowerment. But shes actually rallying the troops.

Tapping the charisma that sweetens Stormfronts vitriol was crucial, and Cash keyed in on the villainess playful yet eviscerating banter with The Sevens leader, Homelander. My entire goal is just to fuck with him, make him uncomfortable and throw him off balance.

The character reflects the hate-fueled rhetoric thats become all too consumable in the current sociopolitical climate. Theres a lot of talk about why we should all be afraid of the other, says Cash. That polarization is represented in her ability to use peoples fears and give them an outlet. Its sadly representative of whats happening in our culture we go back to really old, horrible ideas about hate. Exploring that mindset was a valuable exercise in examining Cashs own biases. To have to go that deep into somebody you really dont agree with is what makes acting interesting, what makes being humans interesting, she says. [And its] something that everyone should be doing anyway."

This story first appeared in a January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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'The Boys,' 'Lovecraft Country' and 'The Undoing' Actresses Talk Playing Anti-Heroines - Hollywood Reporter

Mumbai, January 15, 2021: Association of Mumbai Professionals (AMP), a non-profit working globally for the upliftment of Indians, held itsNational ExecutiveMeet(NEM) on January 9 online with over 200 Leaders & Members in attendance from all over the Country & Abroad.

This meeting was organised to conduct a review of the Organisations achievements during 2020 and to plan the activities and projects for 2021. The gathering consisting of AMPs Leadership Team, State Heads, Chapter Heads National and Internationaland select Guests deliberated on how to ensure young professionals take upCommunity BuildingandNation Building.

The Chief Guest for the day, Moulana Md. Wali Rahmani Sahab, Founder Rahmani 30 & Gen. Sec. All India Muslim Personal Law Board congratulated and appreciated AMPs solid work down the years advised the participants that while working as a team, there may be differences of opinion but our personal ego should not come in the way and spoil the successes achieved. He further added that mot just the underprivileged but even well-off people needed guidance about the Education of their children and we need to tackle the poverty of Knowledge too.

Aamir Edresy, President-AMP, while welcoming the participants said 2020 has been a very challenging year all over the World and AMP was no exception. However, we took the challenge head-on and inspite of the pandemic achieved great success. Our online programmes reached many College Students and Young Professionals helping them secure jobs and grow in their respective fields. Our new crowd-funding platform- IndiaZakat.com achieved great success and helped more than 500 families through 5000 Donors, raising more than 1.6 Crores.

The next session was on theAchievements of AMP in the year 2020by Asad Khan, a Telecom Professional and AMP National Co-ordination Team (NCT) Member. He went on to highlight the various new projects launched during the year like IndiaZakat.com, TheIndiaMentors.com and Ampowerjobs.com, projects which have the potential to transform the Community. He also spoke of the previous projects like AMPsSchool Development Programmes, Career Guidance Seminars, Employability Training Programmes, Online Job Fairs, Job Drives and Skill Training Programmes.He also went on to mention how AMPs WebTalk & Webinars have helped students as well as professionals around the Country and Abroad.

Subsequent to this there were presentations by AMP State Teams and Project Teams who highlighted their activities, achievements and plans for the next year. These were by the upcoming State Teams in the Country and the various Project Teams like Employment Assistance Cell (EAC), IndiaZakat.com (IZC), TheIndiaMentors.com (TIM) and Ampowerjobs.com (AJC) and certain initiatives like NGO Connect, Scholarship Guidance centres and Campus Ambassadors.

After this Razak Shaikh, Mutual Fund industry professional and Head AMP Projects, elaborated on the Plans for the year 2021, which intend to take AMPs work in Education & Empowerment across to the masses. He said to the participants To ensure that we benefit the needy and underprivileged to the maximum extent possible, each one of us has to work on one project at a time for the entire year to make a difference.

Edresy in his concluding remarks reiterated that to make an impact on the society and the Nation, we need to be focused and consistent. We do not have change our tracks midway but stick to the path and goals set. He said activities like NGO-Connect and Campus Ambassadors have got the potential to transform the community and our Nation.

He also appealed to the participants and all the AMP Members & Volunteers to contribute generously to AMP Angel Fund as through a small contribution of Rs. 2000 or more they could help in running AMP back office and thus support all the various activities in AMP Chapters world over.

After this, the participants were treated toAMP Annual Performance Awardsby Iftekhar Bidkar, Marketing Research professional & Head EAC projects. Close to 40 Leaders & Volunteers were honoured with awards for their performances and contributions in AMP Growth includingSpecial Awards,Top-Performer Awards,Face of the Year,Emerging & Exemplary LeadersandBest Employeeof the year Awards. (More details will be shared in next mail).

Soheb Selia, Entrepreneur and AMP General Secretary said In 2020 due to the pandemic and most of the activities done online, we were able to manage with the limited funds which were collected in Angel Funds last year. With various challenges in front of us and new projects launched we need more personnel at our AMP back office, hence I appeal all at AMP to contribute generously to AMP Angel Fund 2021.

The Meeting ended on a positive note with all the award winners and participants pledging to take the wonderful work done by AMP in the Community and the Society further helping in Nations Development.

Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) is a Platform for all Muslim professionals and volunteers to share their knowledge, intellect, experience and skills for the overall development of the Society at large. AMP will shortly be completing 13 years of existence, working in domains of Education & Economic Empowerment.

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AMP's ambitious plans unveiled for 2021 at its National Executive Meet to impact thousands of lives across the Country! - Punekar News

Coming together to serve our neighbors where were needed most is the strongest way to honor Dr. Kings values of leadership, selflessness, and equality--values that are as relevant today as 50 years ago.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) January 15, 2021

Throughout the month of January, hundreds of veteran volunteers will lead and support service efforts across the country to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The veterans are volunteers with The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization that empowers veterans to find growth, purpose, and connection through community impact.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to millions of familiesfood insecurity and financial hardship among themand it is estimated that nearly one in six Americans will struggle with hunger as a result. In response, the nonprofit is organizing 60+ in-person and at home service opportunities that combat food insecurity, bolster pandemic recovery and connect veterans to each other and their neighbors alongside food banks, homeless shelters, schools and more.

Dr. King spoke about the ability of the average person to serve their community, and the importance of ending food insecurity in achieving equality. New for this year, The Mission Continues is also offering virtual service opportunities that can be completed within an individual household including food and clothing drives and DIY-build projects that can be donated to local organizations. The home service projects offer a unique way for anyone to virtually join veterans in a movement of creating a stronger country through service.

Veterans are, once again, stepping up to serve during a crisis. Our communities are facing challenges like never before - Americans are struggling to put food on their table and suffering from social isolation and division, said Mary Beth Bruggeman, US Marine Corps veteran and president of The Mission Continues, Coming together to serve our neighbors where were needed most is the strongest way to honor Dr. Kings values of leadership, selflessness, and equality--values that are as relevant today as 50 years ago. Our service will look different across the nation this year, but the collective impact will be no less meaningful.

The Legacy Of Service Campaign is made possible with support from Americorps and Raytheon Technologies, and projects are planned to take place in Washington, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, San Antonio and others. In St. Louis, veterans will lead a coat drive to supply residents with winter supplies, while volunteers in Atlanta will distribute canned goods. In San Antonio, veteran-led volunteers will build capacity for an urban garden providing produce to the city. All in-person events will follow strict safety and social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

These projects are just one example of the many opportunities to serve with The Mission Continues. Veteran volunteers are engaging in pandemic recovery efforts and creating long-term impact in communities across the country. To help support The Mission Continues or learn how you can participate in this years service campaign, visit http://www.missioncontinues.org.

The Mission Continues is a national veterans organization dedicated to the empowerment of veterans as community-based leaders. We invest in veterans and under-resourced communities, developing new skill sets and equipping a growing veteran volunteer movement with the tools to drive positive change. Our programs in 50+ cities nationwide deploy veteran volunteers alongside nonprofit partners and community leaders to combat food insecurity and strengthen communities. Through this unique service model, veterans are provided opportunities for connection and personal growth while generating visible community impact. To learn more, visit http://www.missioncontinues.org.

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Military Veterans Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Through Service Helping Communities Recover From COVID-19 - PR Web

Is your life what you imagined it would be? From the many conversations I have had over the years for too many the answer is no. They tell me that life gets in the way, circumstances change, and they find themselves with responsibilities. Or they tell me that life doesnt work like that or they just havent had their lucky break yet. Or maybe theyre waiting for the right moment. And so it goes on.

Did you know that nothing changes unless you change it? If you want to live the life you imagine that you can live, should live, or want to live, then you have to be the one in control. Its not always easy. If you dont feel empowered to direct and control your life, it can get away from you.

No matter what you are seeking - more wealth, less weight, a happier marriage, a better job it can only happen if you do something about it. Tired of people treating you poorly? Do something about it. Tired of being sick and unhealthy? Do something about it. Want your kids to do what they are told without ever arguing? Do. well, that might be impossible, but you can make it better. The point is, nothing changes if nothing changes. If you want something to be better, its up to each of us to take the necessary steps to see that it happens.

Personal empowerment is a collection of beliefs, actions and skills all working together to help you live a life that you design. Personal empowerment begins with a bit of self-awareness. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Its important to have a positive but realistic view of yourself.

The awareness thats required doesnt stop with your skills and abilities. It also includes your values and your goals. To be empowered you have to know what you want for your life and why.

Imagine deciding to choose a career based simply on the salary you might earn. Some people do make this choice; however, if theyre not motivated by money or dont feel like their values are aligned with their career choice, ultimately theyll end up unhappy and unsatisfied. The characteristics of empowerment are important.

Another element or component of personal empowerment is a positive mindset and a belief in yourself. Its not enough to want to achieve a goal; you have to know that you are capable of achieving your goal. If you dont, you wont.

Finally, while its not talked about often as a dimension of personal or self-empowerment, its also important to be ready, willing, and able to go after what you want. Someone can set goals and then plan and learn for years. However, if they dont actually follow through and take action, nothing happens.

When we think about what Personal empowerment is it comes down to belief in yourself, and follow-through. Its important because without some degree of personal empowerment, your life will live you. Youll continue to be a victim of circumstance and youll continue to live a life that isnt really what you want.

You might be wondering if these dimensions of personal empowerment are something that youre born with or if they need to be learned?

Thats a topic I will cover in the next post.

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Thanks for reading! You can find more of my articles at Paul Duxbury - Learning and Development in Focus

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What Is Personal Empowerment and Why Is It Important?

Self-empowerment is the process which leads people to exert greater control over their lives. I have personally done so by starting a personal blog.

Self-empowerment includes cultivating skills that would ultimately allow you to influence certain outcomes and produce tangible results. This is different from merely feeling self-empowered. People may feel self-empowered by listening to a moving speech, but as new research correctly shows, people wont in fact be empowered unless theyre able to measurably change an area of their lives.

Today I will share with you three key steps that I have used to help me experience self-empowerment.

The idea that self-empowerment requires awareness sounds like a cliche. But Id like to offer a different view on the idea of expanding awareness.

I find its best to think of self-empowerment as the ability to be conscious of ones choices so that you can choose who you want to become.

I opted for this definition because I noticed that when people are dis-empowered, they lose sight of what they are capable of. So the first step to becoming self-empowered is to fully apprehend that you do have options. Sometimes these options not immediately within reach, but theyre there. So if youre unemployed and think you have absolutely no choice, then think about this:

The purpose of these questions is not to make you feel bad about yourself, but to show you that you do have a choice, and its up to you to do something about it.

You might not be the only culprit in your dis-empowerment. There might be other people in your life who keep bringing you down. These could friends, family and even partners. And if you keep letting them have a say over you, then youre never going to take responsibility for your life. Its safe to let others direct your life since youll always have someone to blame if things go wrong. Stop giving away your power and let go of immature thought patterns. Continuing on this route will only fuel feelings of inferiority, and youll believe that youre less than others.

When you feel inferior, youre going to believe them when they tell you to accept things the way they are, and to just adapt. Theyre going to tell theres no way out and that youre stuck, and if you dont take responsibility, then you wont make it.

Now, I am here to tell you that youve been told to believe a big fat lie. No, you dont have to live according to other peoples standards.

There are things you can do today to let go and begin a process of positive change.

You first have to understand for yourself how youve been conditioned to react to things around you. Are you following a dis-empowering pattern or an empowering one? You need to identify those patterns before you can change them.

Heres a self-empowerment exercise that can be of value to you.

Exercise:

Next time you catch yourself feeling dis-empowered, I urge you to take a step back and observe your mind go through its typical reaction pattern. Let your mind go through the entire rehearsal and observe it as it unfolds. What feelings come to the surface when youre dis-empowered? Do you feel weak? anxious? alone? Watch your physical reaction. Do you sweat? Does your face turn red?

This how I use this exercise:

I let myself experience the dis-empowering emotions that arise in a clam (higher-order) state of mind as though the real me is separate from the mind and body that are undergoing this experience. This helps me take proactive action and not react.

You can rise above your material weaknesses and decide how you want to respond to these thoughts. The first step to becoming self-empowered is to realize that you do have options.

Courage is the second pillar of self-empowerment. It is your anchor for any real and lasting transformation in life. Courage will help you overcome your fears, try new things, to quit things that dont work, to find new relationships, and to start your first business. Courage will also make you help, love, learn, give back, forgive, start over, to stand up for yourself, to stand up for others, to say yes, and to say no. Courage, in my view, is the most fundamental value.

But you might say, I dont have enough courage yet.

Thats fine. I ask you to focus not on what you dont have, but on what you can become once you employ your abilities to their full capacity. Dont hold yourself back by thinking you need to be absolutely ready before taking action. The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, said that the most admirable actions are not those that come from the person who does them naturally. Rather, they come from the person who struggles to do them but finds a way to do them anyway. Thats courage.

A paradigm shift in your thinking is a precursor to self-empowerment.

A paradigm is a belief system within which you define yourself and the world in a coherent way. The coherence of these beliefs depends on the web of principles, values, and judgements that you have formed about who you are. In any given paradigm, events are interpreted in accordance with the rules of that paradigm and as such derive their credibility from it.

In other words, you think that your beliefs about yourself and the world around you are true as long as they fit in the greater scheme of that paradigm.

We all live within paradigms. We all have beliefs about who we are and why we are the way we are. While some paradigms are empowering, others can be dis-empowering. For example, a person who lacks self-confidence might believe that social situations provoke anxiety and such situations must be avoided.

People justify their low self-confidence by appealing to the set of beliefs they have about themselves and about social situations; such as beliefs about strangers, beliefs about social rejection, and belief about awkwardness around new people. These beliefs will make your perception of your low self-confidence level true. This happens because each belief coheres with the rest of the beliefs that are members of that paradigm.

So creating a change in oneself, in my view, has to start with a paradigm shift in your thinking. The self-empowering paradigm that I want to suggest here is a growth-oriented paradigm.

Many of the personal challenges that people experience such as low self-confidence, lack of productivity, certain financial challenges; etc., arise from living in a performance-oriented paradigm. This paradigm contains rigid and fixed beliefs about oneself and the processes of doing something well.

The person that operates within that paradigm is concerned with how they look. Theyre preoccupied with how others see them. Theyre trapped in a constant evaluation of themselves and their performance. This is an unhealthy paradigm to be in because you will never leave your comfort zone for the fear of letting yourself and others down. People who are performance-oriented also tend to be judgmental and are less likely to do well in team projects. I encourage you to let go and to make mistakes. People can be so self-absorbed that they wont even remember your mistakes.

On the other hand, a growth-oriented paradigm is one in which you dont judge yourself. You take on experiences because you know that becoming good at something requires working and probably failing along the way. Dont take yourself too seriously. Youre not a robot. Focus on growth and learning as opposed to saying: I should know how to do this, or I wont try it. A growth oriented paradigm allows you to take chances, to meet new people, to learn new skills, and to grow your earnings. It allows you to live an exciting fulfilling life.

There are two key elements to a self-empowered life, and they are competency and knowledge.

Having a good sense of your skills and strengths will give you a rough estimate about which of the areas youre likely to do well and which of these areas will challenge you. Understanding what youre not good at is both a humbling and exciting. Youre not expected to know everything about whatever you want to do. Trust me, people do appreciate it when you say I am not really good at this, or thats not my strength. Approach your weaknesses with a curious mind and focus on learning.

If you want to embark on a new journey, then you need to identify what you need to know in order to get there. But dont stop yourself from taking action. Every journey is a process of discovery and it is impossible to know everything you need to know ahead of going through the experience. Learn as you grow.

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The 3 Core Fundamentals of Self-Empowerment

Sikivu Hutchinson speaks to the crowd gathered in Leimert Park Saturday about ending rape culture and sexual violence against Black women and girls. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

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If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-779-7233.

By Katie Licari

Since the coronavirus pandemic became widespread, there has been a nationwide spike in domestic violence. In addition to an increase in the number of reported cases in domestic violence, there has been an increase in first time domestic violence reports and there is an escalation of domestic violence causing more severe injuries. The National Domestic Violence Hotline recorded a 9% increase in calls for help from March 16, two days before stay-at-home orders went into effect in California and nearly every other state and Washington, D.C. followed suit in the coming weeks, to May 16.

About 40 people gathered in Leimert Park Saturday afternoon as part of a community rally to increase awareness around domestic violence and the impact sexual violence has on BIPOC communities in South LA. #Standing4BlackGirls, which coordinated the event, is a local partnership of Black gender justice organizations, including the Women's Leadership Project, California Black Women's Health Project and The Positive Results Center. The event comes during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which has been recognized every October since the 1980s.

Historically, the BIPOC community has been disproportionately impacted by domestic violence. Particularly, Black women are most likely to be killed as a result of domestic/intimate partner violence. "There is a basic need for accessible resources," said Sikivu Hutchinson, who leads the Women's Leadership Project. "I think the way [domestic violence] issues are being addressed is still very piecemeal, and a microcosm of that particular dynamic is the fact that you have [Black] girls who are crying out for therapy and crying out for resources."

The Women's Leadership Project is a Black feminist mentoring, civic engagement and personal empowerment program made for South L.A.'s school-age girls (a companion program, Young Male Scholars, is for the boys). Over the summer, two students in the program, Kim Ortiz and Mariah Perkins, conducted a study about the impact of sexual violence in their high school community. Forty-six percent of survey respondents said they had been sexuallly abused or assaulted, and 70% said they hadn't received any services to deal with the trauma.

"When I first saw the survey responses, I was kind of shocked because I didn't realize how many people have had situations where they don't talk to anyone about.I didn't know that could happen in my community," said Ortiz. "I feel like I want to make a change in my community because I'm surrounded by these people. I want to help them in any way I can."

Brianna Parnell, an alumna of the Women's Leadership Project and current student at Sacramento State, said, "I'm a Black girl. A lot of times we have to fight our own battles, and we have to be our own nurses. So, it's like, we come out here, and we have the support of other Black girls."

The #Standing4BlackGirls coalition advocates for more resources for BIPOC sexual abuse and assualt survivors, including trauma-informed mental health care where practitioners are trained to understand how racism and sexism compound the trauma of abuse. The group also advocates for prevention education to teach young people about sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Hutchinson says that she understands personally the dire need for increased resources and services. Herself a survivor, Hutchinson recalls what it was like when she was a child being abused. "There were no outlets, there were no advocates, there was no language. There was no #MeToo movement that validated my experience," she said. "The same kind of victim-blaming and victim-shaming and erasure that Black girls are experiencing now was tenfold then, because these systems were not in place to recognize and humanize Black girl survivors."

While all groups and gender identities are impacted by domestic violence, there are specific historical and systemic nuances in how sexual violence is experienced in the Black community.

"There is a big regime of silence that is imposed upon Black girls and women when it comes to these experiences. You are not supposed to rebuke in any way, shape, or form Black patriarchy," said Hutchinson.

"We are seeing the victims who were brutalized by R. Kelly being victim-blamed and shamed in our community as somehow trying to undermine a good Black man, and that rhetoric has been used to demonize Black women and girls," Hutchinson continued. This has not been dealt with in a lot of our discourse about Black community self-determination. We want to put that [discussion] on the table."

Quincy Reese and a few of his co-workers who came out on Saturday said they wanted to show solidarity to the cause. They brought juices and snacks for attendees from the smoothie and juice bar, Neighborhood Organics, they work at together.

Reese said the things like rape and sexual abuse often happen without being talked about. "We want to let the women know that we got their backs at all times," Reese said. "We just want to do our part to let them know...we're with them in the fight."

According to Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager, who was originally slated to attend and speak at Saturday's event, the role of policing and the criminal justice system within the BIPOC community is another factor for many survivors when seeking help to stop domestic violence.

"We are given bail at higher rates, we are on probation for longer terms. [Blacks are] 8% of the population [in Los Angeles County], and we are three-quarters of the population that's incarcerated," said Kamlager. "The reality is that survivors in many communities do not see law enforcement as a viable option for themselves and their families."

Kamlager, who represents several majority-Black Los Angeles communities including Crenshaw, Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights (in addition to Mid City, Windsor Hills, all of Culver City, and parts of West L.A.) introduced the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems (CRISES) Act before the state legislature in February. Known as AB 2054, the CRISES Act funds alternatives to policing in emergency situations like public and mental health crisis, individuals experiencing homelessness and intimate partner violence. It was designed to provide options for communities where trust in law enforcement is low.

The bill was vetoed by Gov. Newsom earlier this month. If it had passed, it would have provided three years of grant funding, about $16 million, to community-based resources, including those for domestic violence.

"Many of these organizations are already doing the work," said Kamlager. "They just don't have the funding that they need to scale, [and] the CRISES Act would have afforded that level of scalability." Although it didn't pass this legislative cycle, she plans to reintroduce the CRISES Act next year.

Chava Sanchez contributed to this story.

CORRECTION: This story initially listed Peace Over Violence as a Black gender justice organization; it is actually a community partner of the #Standing4BlackGirls coalition We regret the error.

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Weekend Rally In South LA Held To Raise Awareness of Domestic Violence in BIPOC Communities - LAist

CHICAGO, Oct. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) announced today they have ranked #16 on the 2020 IDC FinTech Rankings, placing the global information and insights company as the top credit reporting agency on the list.

The Fortune 500-style ranking categorizes and evaluates the top global providers of financial technology based on calendar year revenues from financial institutions for hardware, software and service providers and represents the leading enterprise organizations to the financial services industry from around the world. Last year, TransUnion ranked #31 on the prestigious list.

A FinTech industry leader, TransUnion is at the forefront of lending innovation, providing solutions that help FinTech lenders find and make tailored offers to more consumers. TransUnions unique integration of trended credit and alternative data, in addition to traditional credit data, offers FinTechs deeper consumer insights and provides greater certainty. The information helps FinTechs incubate, diversify and accelerate growth by turning data into action.

Since the early days of the FinTech industry, TransUnion has played a vital role as a partner that helps foster innovation, said Jason Laky, executive vice president of financial services at TransUnion. At the heart of TransUnions FinTech leadership are our unique trended credit and alternative credit data assets, augmented by our Innovation Lab, Startup Credit Kit and Prama suite of solutions. Our team has worked with many of the leading FinTechs through various phases of growth, positioning TransUnion at the center of the FinTech lending ecosystem.

IDC Financial Insights publishes a comprehensive report about the years findings that is available to view or download here.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences, and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

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TransUnion Ranks 16th in the Latest IDC FinTech Rankings - GlobeNewswire

Kay Switzer explained the importance of STI testing and how it relates to sexual health and empowerment.

This weeks Feminist Friday, presented by Kay Switzer, discussed the importance of sexual health and how to feel sexually empowered.

During her presentation, Switzer, an outreach coordinator for the Family Planning Council of Iowa (FPCI) and a sexual health activist, focused on the Title X program and how it is crucial to stay educated on and informed about your personal sexual and reproductive health.

I think conversations like this sometimes are hard to have because we want to feel accepted, and its hard to be vulnerable when talking about such sensitive topics, Switzer said.

According to Swtizer, the Title X program, a federally funded grant program that provides free or low-cost reproductive health care to people based on income, is important to Iowans because you are able to have access to family planning and health services and sexual education.

Switzer then noted there are two organizations in Iowa that receive Title X funding, the FPCI and the Iowa Department of Public Health. These organizations then spread the funds between clinics throughout Iowa in hopes to provide as many people as possible with reproductive health care.

Family planning isnt just about pregnancy anymore," Switzer said. " It encompasses all sexual health.

For example, while Title X funded clinics that provide pregnancy testing and many birth control options, they also provide services such as STI testing and treatment, pap smears, wellness exams and vaccinations.

Once people become aware of this program and how it works, you can have access to these services, Switzer said.

Switzer then gave a brief overview of the FPCI, which was established in 1980. According to Swtizer, FPCIs mission is to provide quality reproductive health care and family planning services to all people in Iowa who desire such services. They accomplish this goal by providing STI testing and treatment services, continuing nursing education credits, encouraging conversations between caregivers and children about sexual health and, of course, providing Title X services.

Switzer then shifted the conversation to the importance of being educated on sexual health and feeling sexually empowered.

Growing up is hard enough, and wanting answers to those awkward, sexual questions we had as teenagers, that was important, Switzer said.

She noted that many children today are receiving misguided and false information about sexual health from friends and the internet. She also added that sex education classes dont give enough information, and many family members are too embarrassed to discuss the topic of sexual health with their children.

Those children become young adults, and many of them go off to college or the workforce believing all the myths that they were once told to be true, Switzer said.

Switzer urges young people to educate themselves on sexual health and to confront what they were told as children. According to Switzer, it is up to you to learn and grow as you age; this includes taking power over your sexual health and identity.

Feeling strong in your commitment to stay healthy in your sexuality is the first step to feeling empowered, Switzer said. You can be an advocate, a supportive partner and be a sexually liberated person while being mindful of your sexual health.

She then provided seven tips to becoming sexually empowered. These tips include:

Embracing safer sex It is important to be knowledgable on the possibilityof becoming pregnant and contracting STIs.

Understanding your rights You have the right to consent to each sexual activity you have and you do not owe anything to your partner.

Recognizing the power of choice You dont need to be sexually active in order to feel empowered.

Recognizing gender role stereotypes It is important to challenge how society believes men and women should speak and act.

Owning your gender identity and sexual orientation Fight back against gender stereotypes and be proud of who you are.

Forming your own beliefs on empowerment Take time to consider what you find empowering, not what others think or say is empowering.

Always respecting yourself and remembering youre worthy of other peoples respect.

Switzer concluded her presentation by reiterating the importance of Title X and its effect on sexual empowerment.

I hope today that you recognize that sexual empowerment comes from healthy sexual practice; it doesnt matter what the orientation is, Switzer said. We get to be in charge of what our sexual health looks like.

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Feminist Friday on the importance of sexual health and empowerment - Iowa State Daily

NASSCOM interacted with the industry during an online policy roundtable organized by NASSCOM on 16 October 2020, to discuss NITI Aayogs draft discussion paper on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA). The roundtable saw participation from companies who are both actual (for instance, existing Account Aggregator licensees) and potential stakeholders in the DEPA framework. For background on DEPA, please read here. The program for the roundtable was as follows: Overview of DEPA, by NASSCOM team Learning from the Account Aggregator Experience (Speakers: Krishna Prasad, CEO, Onemoney and Prashant Paliwal, CEO, Yodlee Finbit) Learning from an Information Provider/User: Improving the DEPA (Speaker: Ashish Singhal, Head of Credit Business, Experian) Discussion on Areas of Concern The discussion during the roundtable, raised several points with respect to the implementation roadmap for DEPA mission and the foreseeable challenges in the operationalization of DEPA. In particular, the following issues were highlighted by participants: Operationalising DEPA There is a need to ensure timely onboarding of stakeholders, especially, information providers to get the DEPA operational as soon as possible; There is a need for alignment of incentives amongst various stakeholders (data principal, consent manager, information provider and information user) in order to ensure that the quality of service is maintained across the ecosystem, and data sharing happens effectively; There is a need to ensure both high-quality and high-variety data sharing, in order to develop some of the solutions envisaged under the draft discussion paper. Currently the DEPA stops at enabling the availability of data, without considering ways of enabling higher-variety and quality of data; While the discussion paper highlights that the consent manager would be a separate entity engaged only in the business of consent management and it will also be data blind, there is need for detailing in the paper to ensure implementation Simplifying the architecture for asking for granular consent without making it too burdensome on the data principal; Institutional Coordination for DEPA There is a need to highlight the role of sectoral regulators in implementing the DEPA and the need for creation of a dedicated channel of communication between the regulator and stakeholders for continuous improvement, given the evolutionary nature of DEPA; Sectoral regulators should enable participation of more entities as an information provider/user (for example, credit bureaus), and providing an enabling legislative framework for leveraging the consent-based data sharing framework in the most valuable way; There is a need to establish data security standards that need to be followed by stakeholders, and the need for an authority to monitor the implementation of these standards (possibly the Data Protection Authority (DPA) proposed to be established under the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019); and There is a need for greater awareness among data principals about their rights and consequences of sharing or not sharing data, the availability of consent management services etc. The issues mentioned above, and additional issues are being examined by NASSCOM, as we work to formulate a comprehensive response to the DEPA draft discussion paper. We appreciate the inputs that have already been sent to us in this regard and request Members who havent sent their inputs yet, to share their inputs latest by 6 November 2020 to garima@nasscom.in.

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