Gabourey Sidibe to Pen Memoir
Actress Gabourey Sidibe’s journey to stardom hasn’t been easy, and now we’ll get to read about her story in a new memoir. Sidibe, who currently stars on the hit show Empire, will pen a book about her life. The novel will delve into her upbringing, experiences with Hollywood and depression, and her family. “I’ve been writing since I was a child, and have always had so many stories to tell that are too long, shady, and impolite to share in interviews,” said Sidibe in a statement. “It brings me much joy to add Published Writer to my resume of Actor and part-time Foot Model.” The book, which is untitled, is slated to be released in 2017. Read more.
Data Breach Affects 4 Million Federal Workers
A data breach, which is believed to have originated in China, could possibly be the biggest cyber attack in U.S. history. According to U.S. officials, nearly four million former and current federal workers might have had their personal information exposed. People’s names, social security numbers, and birth dates are suspected to have been hacked at the Office of Personnel Management; an agency that hires federal workers. “The ramifications are very serious. Potentially 4 million former and current federal employees have had their information compromised, and because OPM is the agencies that holds security clearances, that’s giving a potential enemy like China very valuable information,” said Susan Collins (R-Maine). “If a foreign country can invade OPM, apparently pretty easily, and steal the data of 4 million federal employees, just think what a determined adversary could do to our critical infrastructure.” Read more.
HUD and Associated Bank Reach $200M Settlement
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced that they have reached an agreement with Associated Bank, N.A. to address one of the biggest redlining cases by the federal government against a mortgage lender. “This settlement sends a strong message that HUD does not tolerate practices that unfairly restrict an equal and open housing market,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro in a statement. “Discriminatory lending practices have too often cut off too many credit-worthy families from the opportunities they need to thrive. This agreement will ensure that more Americans can fulfill their hopes and aspirations.” Associated Bank will pay $10 million in lower interest rate home mortgages to borrowers in majority-minority census tracts in Chicago, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and other cities over the next 3 years. The settlement is approximately $200 million. Read more.
Study Shows Black and Latino Retail Workers Get Paid Less
According to a new study, African-Americans and Latinos who work in retail are more likely to be paid less than White employees. The research, which was conducted by the NAACP and Demos, shows that managers, salespeople, and cashiers are less likely to be promoted, and receive lower wages at every level. “If workers from those racial and ethnic categories continue to be systematically excluded from opportunity, that means that our labor market will be serving less than half the population in a way that’s really meaningful for families who want to pursue the American dream,” said Catherine Ruetschlin, co-author of the report and a Demos senior policy analyst. There are 1.9 million African-Americans in the retail industry, 2.3 million Latinos, and 10 million non-Hispanic Whites. Read more.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
NEWS ROUNDUP: Data Breach Affects 4 Million Federal Workers…AND MORE was originally published on newsone.com
