More than US Richard Swoope

We are at a very critical juncture in American History, in which we have found our democracy to be at stake. Our nation is more polarized than it has ever been before. We are dealing with a massive economic recession, leading the world in COVID-19 deaths/cases, and facing record unemployment numbers. Americans are largely unhappy. 9/29/20 marked the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden. On today's episode of #MoreThanUS, we reflect on the debate by diving into many of the topics that were discussed. We also take a snapshot at the outlook for November. I've invited Ramses back to the show and welcomed Diamond and Jalita to the conversation. As always, follow the Instagram page @MoreThanUS and feel free to share your thoughts. 

Today's episode of #MoreThanUs takes us to Eastern Europe, to a country known as "Belarus". This former USSR country has been embroiled with election fraud and civil unrest for the past couple of weeks. We will look at the dynamics of the unrest, what the global response has been, and the strategic position of Belarus in Eastern Europe. As always -- follow @MoreThanUsNews on Instagram to stay abreast of developments and happenings. 

There are roughly 200 million people of African descent living in the Americas who are currently unable to pinpoint their specific African heritage. AfroRoots is an NYC-based startup that seeks to provide insight into the origins of all African descendants in the Americas, using state-of-the-art genetic approaches to ancestry inference. Thereby encouraging underrepresented communities to engage in genomics. Another primary focus of AfroRoots is to stimulate more travel to Sub Saharan Africa and bring about business links from these populations in the Americas to populations on the African continent. In today's episode, we sit down with AfroRoots CEO, MG Bishop, to discuss his motivations for starting the company, how he has been able to scale effectively, and his vision for AfroRoots. Find details about how to connect with AfroRoots below! 

www.AfroRootsDNA.com

Discount code: MORETHANUS

Instagram: @afroroots.dna

This episode of #MoreThanUS explores the contingency around the future of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The Dam began construction in 2011 and is finally nearing completion. Ethiopia is hopeful that the Dam will provide a stable source of power for the more than 65% of the country that is affected by sporadic power outages. Egypt is hopeful that Ethiopia will abide by its rules and not fill the dam to quickly and threaten the main water source for over 100 million Egyptians. What will happen? Let's see! Reach out with thoughts/questions @MoreThanUSNews on Instagram.

This episode of #MoreThanUS takes a look at the early beginnings and lives of Belvin (@bels.bites/@b_liles) and Kara (@MyLifeIsKara). Two young African Americans, respectively from Detroit, MI, and Salisbury, MD, who had varying experiences with race relations in America that have shaped their perspectives on how they view the world. Belvin and Kara's conversation is important for America because it sheds light on the realities of being black and growing up in white spaces, the frustration of self-expression that has been masked for years, and exploring positive forms of "reclaiming our time/space".  

There also is a feature from an up-and-coming artist, WhoIsMarco (@85Countach), with his song "Necessary". Marco takes time to reflect in this minute-long artistic piece to share his thoughts and pain on current race relations in America.  

As always, follow the news page on IG @MoreThanUSNews. 

This episode of #MoreThanUS is a candid reflection on the racial tension in America. A reflective look at my thoughts on America currently. It's important to take time to care for your mental health, especially if you are a black American now. Reach out to me @MoreThanUSNews if you are struggling to find productive ways to channel your emotions and energy. As always, be safe and vigilant. #RIPGeorgeFloyd and everyone that came before him and will come after him.