Midmorning With Aundrea - October 27, 2020

(Part 1 of 4) The coronavirus pandemic has been hitting minority \-owned businesses disproportionately hard.

And a curriculum used by 2500 schools throughout the U.S. emphasizes stress reduction techniques and empathy.

That a recent u-s chamber of commerce poll shows the impact of the coronavirus is hitting minority- owned businesses disproportionatel y hard.

Many are finding it difficult to secure loans to help their stores survive and now the economic impact is guiding some black and brown voters as they head to the polls.

Skyler henry reports from ohio with the pressure minority business owners are facing.

Pkg for many, the ripple of effects of this year have been burdensome...just ask kevin johnson.

"i'm a smal business owner."

The cleveland- based entrepreneur runs a medical assistance small business that helps seniors -- the group, initially, most feared to be impacted by the coronavirus.

"we had to g straight through because our customers need us, regardless of what's going on, they've got to have that help."

Johnson also sits on several small business boards in the area and watched helplessly as his peers were forced to shut their doors...in some cases for good.

Many of the owners unable to secure a financial boost from the government.... were black "are they sayin hey we need to find an alternative way for us to stay afloat?"

"i would say tha for a lot of minority companies, that ship has already sailed."

Nearly 66 percent of minority-owned businesses nationwide are concerned about the future of their shops compared to the 57-percent of non-minority owned small businesses... a closer gap than five months ago, but still wide enough to leave entrepreneurs uneasy.

"i've done more fo the black community than any other president since abraham lincoln."

Presidential candidate "i'm gonna expan black homeownership and affordable housing, investing in black communities and business."

Case western reserve university professor ayesha bell hardaway says while candidates, at times, marginalize black voters -- the impact of this year from the economy, to the pandemic, to the calls for racial justice make this election especially significant.

"everyone is usin the word equity.

It's a buzzword at this point right?

It's a thing that you say in order to make it clear that you recognize all of the injustices that exist for marginalized communities and people in this country."

A multi-layered issue for johnson -- "the time tha we're able to rally around a purpose that says that the great words 'we the people' are inclusive and not exclusive."

And with days to go before the election, it's a heavy topic for many voters, but one they say needs to be addressed.

Skyler henry, cbs news, cleveland, ohio tag according to a cbs news poll, 90% of black voters across the country say they'd vote for joe biden.

That's better than hillary clinton's numbers from four years ago.

Both campaigns are focused on minority votes especially in crucial battleground states.

As parents work to keep their kids' education on track, many are also focusing on their children's ámentalá health.

The american academy of pediatrics says that since the start of the pandemic in march, 14 percent of parents reported worsening behavioral health for their children.

Across the country, 73 percent of school districts offer social and emotional learning programs, which have been linked to improved behavior, relationships and grades.

Dr. tara narula reports those programs may be need now ámore than ever.á nat jett meditation track: jett holmes starts every school day with a mantra track: along with reading, writing and math, jett is learning about áfeelings.á it's all part of something called "ruler" - curriculum used at 2500 schools around the country.

Nat marc @training track: marc brackett developed the program at yale university.

Sot marc: emotions matter for everything, /if we can't manage our feelings, it's hard to be creative and it's hard to focus.

Track: in his book, "permission t feel"-bracket outlines 5 steps for mastering emotions: recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, regulating sot finn: emotions are a lot more complex than i'm happy right now or i'm sad 39:43 ariana the hardest part is recognizing how you feel... track: "ruler uses a color- coded tool to help students identify their feelings we asked students from new york's lab school to show us how it works: finn: when i'm feeling red and i feel like an intense anger and frustration.

Ayalet: when i'm feeling yellow, i feel super happy and super energized.

Stella: blue, sad and overwhelmed sylvie: when i'm feeling green / tranquil and relaxed.

"i dream a worl by langston hughes"- lesli poem with mood meter shirt; track: because of the pandemic, leslie gill and her sister lauren aren't able to practice the ruler concepts as they usually do - with their classmates.

57:37 leslie: we have to write about how we think the other person feels so then you see the different perspectives / because you might be thinking that this person feels one way but it is actually that they feel the opposite nat track: parents are áalsoá offered ruler training to reinforce what their children learn at school.

It's helping jett and his family navigate the pandemic átogether.á sot 3 shot 8:20 edwin: as a male, i was kind of raised to not be emotional, / these kids are being introduced at a young age and they're able to define their feelings and their emotions it took me years of therapy to do this.

Narula: what do you think parents could do a better job of in terms of talking to their kids about their emotions?

Sylvie: the best way to make teenagers feel comfortable opening up about their emotions is if you guys do the same.

So i hope, like parents definitely know that they can be vulnerable too we as parents don't have to have all the answers.

We just have to be compassionate.

We have to ask the questions and guide our children.

Dr. tara narula, cbs news.

People will take their scares anyway they can get them.

We'll