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Jacob Latimore talks his role on “The Chi,” media’s depiction of Chicago and his acting career
00:05:20
Black people losing their jobs at an alarming rate was a focus of Friday’s (July 28) episode of “REVOLT Black News Weekly.” Global news anchor Mara S. Campo examined if it’s a case of backlash to diversity in the workplace, amongst other issues, after the strides made in light of the George Floyd protests of 2020. Also included were segments on alleged modern day slavery as well as a sit down with “The Chi” star Jacob Latimore, who gave his take on what the real Chicago is all about.
But first, there was an update on the three Texas sisters who were killed. Shommaonique Oliver-Wickerson, the mother of the victims, shared that all she’s wishing for is justice. “I would like answers before July, before my birthday and before [their] balloon release in July. That’s all I want,” Wickerson told “RBN.” The victims were sexually abused and killed a year ago, but the family still doesn’t have any answers. Initially, their mother was told the girls drowned. It wasn’t until after the autopsy report that it was revealed they were sexually abused, beaten and strangled.
Despite being a man with a criminal history, family member Paris Propps, who was reportedly watching her six children when the three little girls disappeared, has not been sought out for follow-up questioning or arrested. “REVOLT Black News Weekly” has yet to get a response despite contacting the Texas rangers for any information on the case repeatedly. “If my kids were a different color, it would be a different story,” said Wickerson. “Since that’s not the case, they don’t really care. This is Cass County. Cass County don’t care about Black people. They never have; they never will.”
As for jobs, Black people reportedly make up 90 percent of those who lost their gigs in June. “RBN” examined what’s behind the statistic, and it’s troubling. Although the national unemployment rate is at a 50-year low, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that Black unemployment is actually up. A recent study stated companies increased representation of Black executives on their senior leadership teams by 41 percent since 2020.
The rise in faces of color also meant new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions that increased by 67 percent. However, many of these roles have started to disappear in recent months. “I do think that diversity fatigue is a real issue and reality,” said LinkedIn marketing executive Andrew McCaskill. About 60 percent of diversity officers left their positions in the last three years, and many of these roles have remained unfilled and even job listings are down 20 percent. “While these numbers are hard reality, the wheels of the car are not falling off,” added McCaskill. “We had unprecedented hiring with Black Americans in the past two years and the reality is that car is not falling apart — it’s just slowing down.”
As many influencers are documenting, it’s hard out here for a job searcher. And its effect on Black families is also huge considering people have to pay their bills. There is also the implication of the anti-woke crusades seen over the last couple of years. That said, there was a deep dive on the topic of performative diversity and the aforementioned “DEI fatigue.”
Speaking of labor, “REVOLT Black News Weekly” also examined the $11 billion business that’s paying workers 13 to 52 cents an hour while in some states people are forced to work for free. It’s all totally legal thanks to a loophole in the law. Considering Black people make up 39 percent of the prison population, that means money is being made off the backs of their hard labor. “RBN” examined if prison labor is the new slavery, and it was shocking as the show spoke to one prisoner who made $1.36 a day with no time off including for sickness or bereavement. While convicts working for cheap may not seem like a big deal, the abuse they sustain is heinous. “I was called derogatory names plenty of times — from the N-word, to having my intelligence insulted, to being told, ‘This all you’re good for,’” said Johnny Perez, who did about 13 years for armed robbery. “And to argue back means you will be placed in solitary confinement, which is the underbelly of the threat of almost every behavior inside of these carceral settings. Did I feel like a slave? Absolutely.”
Although the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, it doesn’t apply to people convicted of a crime. Private and public prisons are making plenty of money by keeping their facilities filled and using the cheap labor. Last year, it was reported that the incarcerated produced $2 billion in goods and $9 billion worth of prison maintenance work annually. These numbers may be even greater since they are not monitored. Perez, 44, and others are leading the charge to get rid of prison labor horrors by pushing elected leaders to make change.
“RBN” also spoke to Jacob Latimore about what the media gets wrong regarding Chicago, the city depicted in his show “The Chi.” “No one is really [in the streets] or experiencing for themselves,” said Latimore. “It’s a lot of scare tactics and fear when you see a headline that says somebody got murdered or this amount of people got shot.”
Be sure to watch new episodes of “REVOLT Black News Weekly” every Friday at 5 p.m. ET via REVOLT’s app. Plus, tune into a quick clip from the latest installment above.