Tuesday Notes: Race vs. Ethnicity, Just Blaze and Michael Jackson...

US government ponders the meaning of race and ethnicity

Some Black Americans want their ancestors’ enslavement recognized in how they are identified. Some Jewish people believe their identity should be seen as its own ethnic category and not only a religion. The idea of revising categories for ethnic and racial identities, both in the census and in gathering demographic information between head counts, have fueled editorials and think-tank essays as well as thousands of written comments by individuals in what is almost a Rorschach test for how Americans identify themselves.

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget is set to decide on new classifications next year and is hosting three virtual town halls on the subject this week.

US government ponders the meaning of race and ethnicity - New York Amsterdam News

Some Black Americans want their ancestors’ enslavement recognized in how they are identified.

New York Amsterdam NewsMIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

Tom Sachs Promised a Fun Cult

The sculptor likes to call his studio part of his art practice. Working there could often be scary.

Tom Sachs Promised a Fun Cult

The sculptor likes to call his studio part of his art practice. Working there could often be scary.

CurbedKaty Schneider, Adriane Quinlan

Federal researchers find sudden unexplained deaths rose for Black infants

A new study has shown a huge racial difference in infant deaths. Researchers found that babies born to African Americans had the highest rate of sudden unexpected deaths in 2020. The authors concluded that Black infants die nearly three times the rate of white babies.

Federal researchers find sudden unexplained deaths rose for Black infants - New York Amsterdam News

A new study has shown a huge racial difference in infant deaths.

New York Amsterdam NewsNNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent Stacy M. Brown

How Not to Cover a Bank Run

When financial panic looms, reporters need to stick to the facts.

How Not to Cover a Bank Run

When financial panic looms, reporters need to stick to the facts.

The AtlanticBrian Stelter

Just Blaze Confirms Michael Jackson Version of JAY-Z's 'Girls, Girls, Girls'

Just appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the Bloomberg Originals series Idea Generation, released on Monday (March 13). While fans have always loved the MJ x Hov collab “Rock My World,” no one knew they also linked up on an A version of “Girls, Girls, Girls,” and Just revealed how he himself found out over the quarantine.

Michael Jackson Is On A Version of JAY-Z’s ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’

Just Blaze has confirmed there’s a Michael Jackson-assisted version of JAY-Z’s 2001 hit “Girls, Girls, Girls” – which he didn’t know existed until recently.

HipHopDXMarisa Mendez

DatPiff Mourned Amid Shutdown Speculation, Service Assures Hip-Hop Heads ‘We Promise, We Are Still Here’

As tributes were taking flight on Twitter on Monday evening, the official DatPiff account wrote, “Despite the rumors, we are happy to report that we will still be supplying you with all the mixtapes you love. We’re working through technical issues on our site and app, but still actively update our youtube! Thanks for all the love and concerns but we promise, we are still here.”

DatPiff Mourned Amid Shutdown Speculation, Service Assures Hip-Hop Heads ‘We Promise, We Are Still Here’

“Thanks for all the love and concerns but we promise, we are still here,” DatPiff’s Twitter account wrote as tributes poured in for the hip-hop staple.

ComplexJose Martinez

How to Safely Store Deposits If You Have More Than $250,000

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, and fear that the pain is spreading to other financial institutions, is raising an uncomfortable question: Is it safe to leave a lot of money in a single bank?

The answer, at least according to financial advisers, is generally yes. Thanks to banking legislation dating back to 1933, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. covers up to $250,000 per depositor in qualified accounts at insured banks.

Three Million U.S. Households Making Over $150,000 Are Still Renters

The number of renter households making $150,000 or more a year rose by 87% between 2016 and 2021 to more than 3 million, according to five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.  Overall, about 44 million households rented and the median income for all households was nearly $71,000 in 2021, according to the Census.

Three Million U.S. Households Making Over $150,000 Are Still Renters

High-earning Americans are more likely to rent than in the past as the cost of ownership rises and the supply of homes is limited.

The Wall Street JournalWill Parker

Art: Black Artists Lead Preservation of Nina Simone’s Childhood Home

In 2017, four African-American artists learned that the childhood home of singer and social activist Nina Simone in Tryon, N.C., was in danger of demolition, so they pooled their resources and bought the simple clapboard house for US$95,000.

These New York City-based artists—Adam Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Julie Mehretu, and Ellen Gallagher—purchased the property as a “political act,” aimed at preserving a piece of African-American history, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The modest, three-room structure tells the story of where the future “High Priestess of Soul” grew up after her birth in 1933 as Eunice Waymon, and of lives led in the Jim Crow south.

Black Artists Lead Preservation of Nina Simone’s Childhood Home

Black Artists Lead Preservation of Nina Simone’s Childhood Home

BarronsAbby Schultz

Technology x Africa: Nigerian credit-led fintech FairMoney acquires PayForce in retail-merchant banking play

Nigerian credit-led fintech FairMoney acquires PayForce in retail-merchant banking play

FairMoney has acquired YC-backed PayForce as the lender looks to broaden its financial services proposition to merchants.

TechCrunchTage Kene-Okafor