It's time to focus on the state of healthcare for Black women

July 1, 2020

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Amy McGrath wins her Kentucky primary, Hong Kong’s national security law goes into effect, and we consider updates on the ERA and the state of Black women’s health. Have a wonderful Wednesday.

– Two to take in. I’d like to direct your attention to a pair of very important—if very different!—stories on Fortune.com this morning.

The first comes from our colleague Maria Aspan, who has been tirelessly reporting on women’s health since she joined us last year. (If you haven’t seen it yet, I heartily recommend her recent investigation into the many dangers posted by breast implants; in the wake of her story, the FDA has increasingly cracked down on the makers of the devices.)

In her latest, Maria digs into the massive disparities in healthcare and outcomes for Black women —including the fact that, while Black women are less likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they are 40% more likely to die from it. The story is filled with disturbing information—including stats about the minuscule numbers of Black women who are included in medical studies of the diseases they face. It’s important reading.

****

A less literal matter of life and death—but still one with wide-ranging impact, is the Equal Rights Amendment. Emma has a story looking at, looking why, decades after its inception, the ERA is back in the headlines.

As anyone who knows their history (or has been watching Mrs. America! ) is aware, the ERA became the fulcrum of the culture wars over feminism in the ’70s, and failed to meet a Congressionally-imposed deadline to be ratified by 38 states by 1982. But some of its supporters never gave up—the Amendment has now hit that threshold, and is the subject of a lawsuit that will determine when the '82 deadline was legitimate.

Emma's story focuses on the amicus brief—signed by 93 organizations—in support of the ERA. The signatories include Apple, Google, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo, Hersey, the NFL, U.S. Soccer, and many more. Their argument is simple: equality is good for business. To read more about why corporate America is now backing this 40-plus-year-old amendment, read Emma’s full story here.

Kristen Bellstrom
kristen.bellstrom@fortune.com
@kayelbee

Today’s Broadsheet was curated by Emma Hinchliffe.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

- Close call. Amy McGrath won a close Democratic Senate primary in Kentucky that makes her her party's challenger to Sen. Mitch McConnell in November. McGrath was the more moderate candidate, coming out ahead of progressive Charles Booker. Time

- Taking effect. A new national security law, meant to quell pro-democracy protesters who objected to greater interference from mainland China and to the leadership of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has now come into effect. The law is tailored to target protesters, experts say. Guardian

- Lord Mayor Chu. Hazel Chu is the ninth woman and first person of color elected Lord Mayor of Dublin out of 352 people who have held the role throughout history. The Green Party politician's deputy will be Mary Callaghan, a Social Democrat. RTÉ

- Coronavirus tragedy. Andrea High Bear was the first woman in federal prison to die from the coronavirus. Before she died, she gave birth while on a ventilator. This piece tells her story: Elle

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Former Bridgewater co-CEO Eileen Murray was elected chair of Finra, Wall Street's self-regulatory arm. Bozoma Saint John will leave Endeavor and join Netflix as CMO. Karen Parkin resigned as global head of human resources at Adidas after employee complaints about company culture and lack of diversity; she said she was stepping down to "pave the way for change."

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

- Dealmaking queen. Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's "dealmaking king," has earned big by investing in Zoom. But Solina Chau, who is his longtime partner and heads a group that invests his personal wealth, made that bet. She's been behind many of his successful returns in the tech industry. Financial Times

- Bank on her. In 1960, Madeline McWhinney Dale became the first female officer of the Federal Reserve Bank; later, she was president of the First Women's Bank, the first bank largely owned and operated by women. The trailblazing banker died at 98 on June 19. New York Times

- China's crackdown. The Chinese government is taking radical steps to restrict its Muslim population—including forced IUDs, sterilization, and abortion. Many Uighur women sent to detention camps are there as punishment for having "too many" children. Associated Press

ON MY RADAR

Inside the Peloton community dedicated to Black women Zora

Awkwafina and Zendaya are among the 819 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Fortune

'Black women are the architects of cuisine' The Cut

PARTING WORDS

"Through our body language, there's that sense of, 'I see you, you see me.'"

-Madeline Maldonado, a New York restaurant beverage director, on the solidarity between people of color in the wine industry