Vol 28 Issue 28

Being Black in america can Be Hazardous to Your HealtH

By: Jazz Pazz

The mean life expectancy in the United States is 82.4 years, but in Harris County this can vary by about 20 years between ZIP codes. Average folks in Kashmere Gardens (77026) generally don’t see their seventieth birthday. In Sunnyside the most senior residents average about sixty-six years old. White people in Clear Lake (75407) can expect to live until at least ninety. Only about 6 % of the residents there are Black. The chronic stress of living in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Houston is a significant contributor to these statistics. Segregation influences one’s health.

Justice clarence thomas

This person is very dangerous for black people for reversing

Racism is clearly correlated with the increase in inflammatory diseases like gastrointestinal disorders and asthma. The stress hormones associated with discrimination are elevated in Blacks and result in premature aging. The poor air quality, the limited availability of affordable fresh food, and the inability to escape racial violence, all seep into the community and increase the susceptibility to illness. Black citizens in every neighborhood suffer historically worse medical outcomes than any other groups other than Native Americans, from maternal mortality to heart disease and cancer.

Health on pg. 3

One BOdy netwOrking

By: Afram News

What if you were told one day that you had a rare blood disorder that only affects 3 cases per million people? This was the case for Janice Weaver, Director of Community Relations for the City of Houston, as she was diagnosed with TTP (Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura), a rare life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).

When she first found out she had the blood disorder from her doctor, her reaction was, “Okay, I have it, can you treat it?” Weaver had signs of a stroke as well as tremors, which if not treated, TTP can cause strokes or early death. The reason she was having these issues was because “the blood had depleted out of my body,” she said. The doctors had to give her an implanted port so they could start the process of giving her the plasma freeze treatment.

Networking on pg. 3

“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”

Janice weaver

Ed.D. - Editor

A Revival of God Consciousness

Bobby Mills, Phd

Count The Ways

America, we can count on this eternal truth: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24: 35). Let’s count the ways Jesus shall return, and in the twinkling of an eye those who have lived life in the glory of God shall be caught-up in the sky in the twinkling of an eye. Since Christian Right Evangelicals, The GOP, White Nationalists, Fox “FAKE” News, some spiritually confused Blacks, and other minorities desire to control everything on earth for Power, Privilege, and Pleasure, they can have this ole world, but give me JESUS.

Nevertheless, God gives us enough time to get it right with Him in His eternal truth, not the world’s truth. Therefore, Jesus vehemently declared: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5: 24). Jesus admonishes us to: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see

your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5: 16-18). America, we need to let the world see our multi-cultural democracy light shining, shining for the glory of Almighty God and all the Angels in heaven.

The (1619) Project, chattel slavery, enslaved Blacks as the property of Whites. The (1776) Project, The Revolutionary War, gave Blacks an opportunity to serve and die for freedom from taxation without representation (England). America, we should never forget that the first recorded death in the Revolutionary War was a Black man, Crispus Attucks. The greatness of America is stained with the blood of both free and slave Black individuals. Whites know other Whites very well, and Blacks know other Blacks very well. Therefore, Whites know that all they need to do is mix a little racism in any issue and confusion will abound. It is time out for racial politics in American democracy.

The Overflow

Watered Down Slavery

or his comments and no reasonable person would think it’s anything but racist. This may be the nail in the coffin as this is not only creating a culture of racism, it’s weakening our educational standards by the very indoctrination DeSantis railed about.

For more visit aframnews.com

If you haven’t looked at the new standards for teaching Black history in Florida, it is utterly ridiculous and insulting. Ben Crump said, “This irresponsible and disgraceful so-called black history curriculum is an insult to our ancestors.” I would also add the word disrespectful to the list. History is history. You can’t water it down, change it, or act like it doesn’t exist. It happened. It is very insulting to hear that enslaved people learned skills that were “applied for their personal benefit,” according to Governor DeSantis. It’s almost as if Black people should be grateful to have been slaves because they learned something. I am beyond offended and insulted by this new curriculum standard. DeSantis and Abbott have been the two governors in the news over controversial decisions they have made. Will Texas follow suit? A political science professor said in an interview responding to DeSantis’ comments stating, “There is no walking back this kind of policy

This comment speaks truth as these standards are just not acceptable. The sad part is, I don’t know if these comments will strengthen his race for president or cripple him. We saw Trump say whatever he wanted during his campaign, his presidency, and even now, and has gotten away with a lot.

I really believe that when Obama took office, it really started a chain of racism that had been suppressed for years. Now historical cases are being overturned and we are seeing the past become the present. America is at a crossroads where we must decide what country do we want to be. Do we want to be a country that has a continued culture of racism, or do we want to be an example of what unity can look like if we would all simply just get along?

The term “weathering” is how Arline Geronimus, a public health researcher at the University of Michigan describes this phenomenon. She compares the Black body to a rock that is constantly being worn down by a hostile environment and weakened by the stress and pressure of existing in a prejudiced culture. Strategies challenging education, shelter, income, and jobs all impact one’s physical and mental wellbeing. Entrenched racism within those social structures and institutions disrupts the health of all Black Americans.

The National Academy of Medicine knows and deplores that “racial and ethnic

minorities receive lower-quality health care than white people, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable.”

The Academy Award winning actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie knows this first-hand. She is the mother of six children who were born across the globe. In an article, she wrote for the American Journal of Nursing and discusses the fact that, “I have seen my children of color be misdiagnosed, at times in ways that endangered their health.” Her critique included the fact that medical professionals have overlooked and disregarded the circumstances that race and ethnicity pres-

ent, and how medical and nursing schools assumed white skin to be the model to study.

Serena Williams is another example of this travesty. None of her wealth or celebrity status could protect her from the lifethreatening crisis she suffered after the birth of her first baby.

Dr. Michael LeNoir, a physician based in Oakland, California endorsed these concerns. “Just being Black makes you tired. We’re the only population that probably does not benefit health-wise from increasing your

socioeconomic status.”

The reasons for this disparity are many, including self-sabotage. Blacks are less inclined to be vaccinated for preventable diseases such as the flu or COVID. Still, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund has ranked Texas as the most difficult state in the nation to access health care; it also distinguished us as among the costliest for uninsured patients, which nearly a quarter of us are. The state’s legislature has defiantly snubbed

the expansion of Medicaid despite the unmistakable financial rewards it would return.

Many Blacks do not have a personal physician, and when they do, the unconscious bias of white doctors as well as those of other ethnicities sometimes cause them to judge minority patients unsympathetically and indicate in their notes that they doubt the severity of their patients’ conditions. Black pain is frequently undertreated because some providers believe that Black people tolerate pain more easily than white people.

Although the scarcity of Black primary care doctors is a reality, most studies recognize that the life expectancy and over

all well-being of Black citizens are improved in counties with increased numbers of Black physicians. This may be because Black patients are more likely to follow medical recommendations after visiting Black doctors, especially those with hypertension and heart diseases, but it is also likely that improved communication and trust is the result of the commonalities the doctor and patient share.

“Weathering” is a reality for Blacks living in a discriminatory society. It is up to each of us to protect and boost ourselves and each from as many storms as we can.

For more visit aframnews.com

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Curtis Von

By: Afram News

Compassionate, powerful, inspiring, and extraordinary are a few words that come to mind when describing Curtis Von’s performance in the Ensemble Theater’s Rolling World Premiere of Phenomenal Woman. He is a multi-talented, diverse actor who portrays various roles in the play, but the role that stands out is the portrayal of Mr. Freeman. He is the man who took advantage of Maya Angelou’s innocence as a young girl.

Curtis admitted that he couldn’t enjoy the play until that part was over but handled it authentically and carefully. It was uncomfortable to watch but artfully done through dance that conveyed the uncomfortable feeling of the moment. Since entertaining was never a career goal, who knew that after accepting a challenge over a decade ago, Curtis Von would go on to star in over thirty films, 80 theatrical productions, numerous commercials, and form his own

production company?

Certainly not him, but that’s exactly what the Houston native did. Curtis Von quickly began to achieve success once word got out that he could memorize an entire script in less than 24 hours.

For more visit aframnews.com

Networking Cont.

Instead of looking at her diagnosis as a negative thing, she took it as “God knowing I would do something with it,” she said, which is why she created One Body Networking, which is a foundation that works to save lives through blood donations. “That is the reason I started the blood drives since I was at Methodist Willowbrook, during the whole course of that time of getting all the transfusions, they never once asked me or the family to try to figure out how to get the blood back into their bank assistance.” Weaver didn’t know where the blood was coming from, especially since she was receiving 15 units a day, and she wanted to pay it forward.

The name One Body Networking is biblical and is derived from a scripture in Romans that says, “We’re many members, but one body.” She further added, “Through the process of doing the blood drives, it’s always been a connection with somebody.

Texas Women Empowerment Center is the one that loaned me their building the first time that I did my first blood drive with them…And the different partners

coming in, so it just made sense to say, one body, one body network, and women and members, but one body… everybody has a role.”

The organization will celebrate ten years in September, and has received a great amount of support from colleges, churches, and a host of other individuals and organizations. One Body Networking also received the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center Small Hero Award. The organization went up against the Jewish Community Center as well as the Houston Museum of Natural Science, so winning that award was a big achievement. One Body Networking also made the calendar for the month of February for the

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s 2023 calendar.

There are many stigmas that can come with donating blood, but Weaver wants everyone to know that one donor saves three lives and that you shouldn’t be afraid to give blood. “It’s in your blood to save a life, and you have to have it in your heart to want to save a life.” One Body Networking has saved over 1500 lives and continues to save many more. Even through COVID, One Body Networking was still saving lives when many individuals were afraid to give blood during that time.

For more visit aframnews.com

Curtis Von as Malcolm X.

The Cast of The Ensemble Theatre’s Phenomenal Woman.

Phenomenal Woman Actors- Arlic Davis, Rita Hughes, Lakeisha Randle with New Ensemble Board Member, Melanie Lawson with her ABC Channel 13 Colleague Reporter, Brianna Cooper, and Curtis Von

Janice Weaver and Mayor Turner

Melodies By Melanie PerforMing arts sChool final showCase

By: Afram News

Melanie C. Bivens envisioned providing artistic exposure to underserved youth in Houston and surrounding areas through a high-

quality, affordable summer camp learning experience. After three weeks of learning the essential aspects of Musical Theatre through singing, acting, and dancing, the young

artist presented their final showcase. Excited, focused, and energetic, these young artists were terrific at their Summer 2023 showcase.

Melanie received her bachelor’s in

music education (BME) from Texas Wesleyan University and her Master of Sacred Music (MSM) from the University of Saint Thomas. Melanie is known for her dynamic Music Workshops where she inspires musicians, singers, and church leaders locally and as far away as Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa. Melanie loves

pursuing her musical passion.

Melodies by Melanie Performing Arts program utilize Celebrity Master Class Clinicians like Singing Sensation DeQuina Moore, Tony Award Winning Theater Educator

Roshunda Jones

Koumba, and Kendrick Brown. The little artists are getting exposed to working professional actors.

Congratulations to Melanie and her team for producing an awesome showcase. Thank you to the sisters of Lake Houston Friendship Society, Inc. for donating $2,500 to this worthy cause. Thank you for offering the little artists of Houston this great opportunity.

Sponsored by Acres Homes Chamber for Business and Economic Development, this scholarship will support individuals from Acres Homes that enroll in workforce programs at Lone Star College-Houston North Victory.

Melanie Bivens with her team and little artist after their successful showcase.

Lake Houston Friendship Society, Inc. presents Melanie Bivens with a check for $2,500 to support Houston Area little artists.

(L to R) Mary Cureau, Kae Shakir, Tanisha Rogers, Melanie Bivens, Arnissa Bennett, Trina Burkes, and Chandra Henson-Whittaker

Notice to Proposers Request for Proposal will be received by Lone Star College for:

• RFP #885 – Flight Instruction. Electronic submittals due by 3:00PM, Monday, August 14, 2023.

• WebEx pre-proposal meeting: Thursday, August 3, 2:00PM; call-in number 1-408-792-6300, Meeting #2622 397 7289

• Contact: pamela.johnson@lonestar. edu or (832)813-6782.

• Must Register to Bid: http://wwwappsdstc.lonestar.edu/istar/supplier.htm .   If registered, please ensure your registration is up to date. For assistance with the on-line registration process, contact MC-vendors@ lonestar.edu.

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