A few weeks before the start of Black History Month, Apple released a new Black Unity Collection 2024 to support organizations in the United States that advocate for the rights of black people and that support them pro bono.

With the Black Unity Collection 2024, the tech giant is celebrating the strength and resilience of black people. Black Unity introduces new means of expression inspired by the incredible spirit and beauty of the black community.

Black History

The first of February marks the beginning of Black History Month, which honors the great contributions of the black community to U.S. history. During the month of February, America celebrates the achievements of African American men and women.

 

Black history brings with it much pain, injustice and cruelty. Years in which black people were slaves, humiliated and subjected to rampant harassment. All those wonderful men, women and children who were blamed and fingered simply because of the small amount or lack of melanin…

The symbols

The blossoming flowers and bright colors in Apple’s collection represent Pan-Africanism and symbolize generations working together to tackle injustice and break down systemic barriers. The Apple Watch Unity Bloom watch face features a beautiful floral design that signifies an ongoing commitment to striving for a more just world.

The surprises don’t end there. The watch has a feature that is triggered when you lift the wrist – the flowers begin to bloom and fill with vibrant hues.

iPhone and iPad owners can share their empathy and support with the new Unity Bloom wallpaper for their Lock Screen, which features an outline of flowers that fill with color when the display is turned on.

Beyond the visible

Many traditions, endless talent, incredibly beautiful art, strength, spirit, energy… Words are not enough to describe how incredibly talented and beautiful black people are! And with the talent and creativity Apple has shown us in this new collection, they have proven once again why they are among the best.

The reason for Trump’s first tweet since January 8, 2021, is his arrest in Atlanta on 13 felony charges related to election interference in the state of Georgia.

The former president, who is seeking re-election in 2024, tweeted shortly after his arrest photo went viral on social media.

Here’s what Trump wrote:

“I was ARRESTED today in the notoriously violent Fulton County Jail in Georgia, even though I have committed NO CRIME. If you can, please make a contribution to get Crooked Joe Biden out of the White House and SAVE AMERICA during this dark chapter in our nation’s history.”

Trump matched the call to action with the words “ELECTION INTERFERENCE, NEVER GIVE UP!” and a photo of himself that caused a furor on social media yesterday.

Musk, a day after promoting Trump’s interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, retweeted Trump with the words “Next Level”.

Musk’s endorsement has led consumers to question what the entrepreneur’s next move will be and whether he has any intentions of going into politics.

Being out of work
Last November, Alex Gable received the happiest news of all, namely that he had become a parent. However, just a few months later, his happiness is marred with a notice of an all-employee meeting at the software company where he works.

Four hours later, Mr. Gable, 30, found himself forced to break the news to his wife. Months after choosing the company for its generous paternity leave policy and openness to work-life balance, he was fired, ironically while on paternity leave.

Worried by the unpleasant news, the now unemployed father is filled with anxiety about how he will raise his child.

Economic disruption
Workers in the technology and media industries are experiencing a period of huge economic disruption. After showering their employees with perks, in a tight labour market and a war for talent, companies have turned to mass layoffs, including Alphabet, which laid off 6% of its workers last month, and Microsoft, which cut nearly 5%.

These are the same companies that have expanded benefits in one particular area in recent years: paid parental leave and child care benefits.

Today, however, some of their employees are spending the first weeks of parenthood adjusting to life without work. LinkedIn and Twitter are evidence of this, with their accounts of workers who have been fired while on parental leave. This affects mental health, as has happened to many laid-off workers in a variety of fields, including immigrants whose visas are employment-related.

Technology workers believe their companies tricked them after offering them not only a job, but a lifestyle with childcare, mental health support and paid time off.

For new parents, the generous leaves are part of the lure. Many of them had assumed that their parental leave came with some legal protection, and were upset when they learned that they were caught up in the mass redundancies. Taking parental leave does not protect against mass layoffs unrelated to the leave, the New York Times reports on the subject.

There is no federal paid family leave policy in America. About 23% of private-sector employees have paid maternity leave, according to September 2022 data from career site Zippia. More than 90% of women take the full amount of leave offered, compared with about two-thirds of men, according to a study by Boston College’s Center on Work and Family.

But over the past five years, companies have increased family benefits for some workers in what human resources experts have called a “golden age” of corporate benefits.

The companies don’t keep their promises?

Tech companies have been particularly generous with parental leave compared with other industries. Google has increased its parental leave to 24 weeks from 18 in 2021, Meta offers parents 20 weeks, and Microsoft gives 20 weeks to birth mothers and 12 weeks to non-parents.

“It’s jarring because people do view it as job-protected leave without understanding that there are limits on the protection. Many people view it as a time when they’re not in a position to be job searching.”

said Megan Bisk, head of the employment law practice at Ropes & Gray.

The New York Times also shares the story of Nikki Woodall, who was an engineering recruiter at one of the largest tech companies in the world, agreed to share her experience without naming her employer. She had worked at the company for five years when she told her bosses she planned to go on six months’ maternity leave from last summer. Their family-friendly attitude gave her the confidence to break away from work completely. She says she quit without a second thought, “My job is in jeopardy.”

A month before she was due to return, she received a private email informing her that her job was closing.

The economic crisis has its consequences, and no matter how big a company you work for, or what position you hold – you can never be sure of keeping your job.