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Dear Readers:
experts provide you with answers.
We are a part of exciting times with the evolution of The Power Broker Magazine.
Fourth will be the Power Broker’s Product Testing & Reviews covering products you may already use or should know more about.
Allow me to introduce myself…..my name is Lena Graham (also know as “Lena G”), and I will be taking you on a beauty journey of knowledge and awareness over the next few months.
I will also be out and about attending community and business events and relaying feedback to you, our readers.
We have several new features that I know you will love! First is the Power Broker “Make Over of the Month Story,” that lets you nominate someone (yourself, a friend or family member) simply by writing us and telling us why you deserve (or neeeeeeed) a makeover. Second is the Power Broker Beauty Editor’s corner, where we will feature articles on trendy topics about beauty, fashion, style, makeup and much much more. Third is our weekly Tips, Tricks and Tidbits what will be launched via the Power Broker website and to its Facebook and Twitter families for you to submit questions and have our team of
I am ecstatic to become the newest member of the Power Broker Family. Please don’t hesitate to reach me at lena@powerbrokermagazine.com or 305.349.3357. And if you already have a nominee for our Makeover of the Month this August or September, send us your story at makemeover@powerbrokermagazine. com or join us on Facebook or Twitter to get alerts about upcoming contests, giveaways and value-added information. You can view our latest make-over online as well at www.powerbrokermagazine. com. Yours Truly – Lena G
CONNECT TO US: www.powerbrokermagazine.com | facebook.com/powerbrokermagazine facebook.com/GypsyGallardo | twitter.com/powerbrokermag
JILL SCOTT WHO IS YOUR
Stop right here and right now and picture in your mind one person (woman or man) who’s truly beautiful, from the inside out? Not necessarily the sister or brother with the perfect “coke bottle” or “six pack.” I’m not talking about the outside package or that “picture perfect” body, hair or face. I want you to go deeper than that. The person I want you to picture may be very imperfect on the outside (at least by the world’s standards), but they’re gorgeous anyway….not so much for how they look, but for who they are. When a person is genuine, happy, and healthy – emotionally and physical – what shows on the outside is a warm smile, dancing eyes, and this sense you get that they’re settled – and happy – with who they are. For me, the first person that comes to mind is Jill Scott always fresh, fly and “speaking” to the camera, if you know what I mean. Whether she’s sporting red sequence stilettoes on stage, or wearing those borderline “frumpy” dresses she wore in HBO’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, Jill is beautiful from within. It’s not about how “fine” Jill is, it’s about how “FINE” Jill is, whether her career is flying high or temporarily cooled down.
I don’t know much about Jill’s diet and exercise habits (yes, she has dropped serious pounds lately). But I do know that she inspires me “to do me.” She’s that role model of a woman who walks fully in her God-given talents, gifts, and dreams…….and by “fully,” I mean with total confidence, humility, and acceptance that all of life is part of the divine process – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Who is your Jill Scott? And what about you? Are you “there yet?” Are you fit, fine, with peace of mind about where life is going (even if you don’t know how to get there?). Me, personally, I only know of one to radiate “perfect peace,” and that’s to have “perfect peace.” Phillipans 4:4-9 is the perfect place to start. In honor of Jill, and all those other truly beautiful men and women out there, this guide to Healthy beauty is dedicate to health and beauty on the inside – nutritional, emotional, and spiritual especially. “One is a fabulous number” –
Gypsy C. Gallardo, Publisher, The Power Broker magazine (Summer 2012 Release)
Publisher Gypsy C. Gallardo Co-Founder Lonnie Donaldson Associate Editor Gwendolyn Reese Creative Director Misha Wong Fashion Editor Audrey “Pat” McGhee DIGITAL media MANAGER Kimberly Webb Beauty Editor Lena G THE DIGITAL GUIDE: This Guide to Healthy Beauty is available in digital format; visit www.powerbrokermagazine.com, and click on DIGITAL MAGAZINE to view the full guide.
P O Box 15006, St Petersburg FL 33733 T: 727-866-0873 E: reachout@powerbrokermagazine.com CONNECT TO US: www.powerbrokermagazine.com facebook.com/powerbrokermagazine twitter.com/powerbrokermag
Why Sylvia Russell revived the historic pageant to help our girls discover their inner beauty - Business Sponsors Needed for 2013 Several years ago, Sylvia Russell and a group of volunteers dusted off a faded memory to re-introduce the “My Black is Beautiful” annual pageant. They did it for all the same reasons the pageant was first introduced in St. Petersburg back in May of 1975. Back then it was called The Miss Black St. Petersburg pageant, but the central theme is the same. “The pageant is about allowing young girls to grow in confidence in who they are as individuals,” says Russell. “My goal is to educate girls, and help them build confidence in and embrace their heritage. Feeling beautiful on the inside makes a huge difference in how you see yourself on the outside.” The St. Petersburg Little Theater cosponsors the annual event, now moving into its 4th year as a major Black History Month production for girls ages 7 to 18. The Power Broker interviewed Russell about her reasons for reigniting the pageant, and how the community can
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help her cause: Q: Why did you revive the tradition? What motivated you? Sylvia: I revived the tradition because I have a daughter and there was nothing in the city that catered to her, a bubbly young girl that liked to play dress up. I was very surprised to be chosen to perform in a play at the St. Petersburg Little Theater, and when I saw that there weren’t a lot of African American performers, I wanted to raise awareness in the black community. Also because I remember being a young girl who had big ambitions, and needed someone to help me build confidence in myself. Q: Was the St pete littleTheater behind the idea of reviving the pageant? Sylvia: The late John Conlon, former President of the St. Pete City Theater, was behind the idea 100%. He
saw it as a great way to integrate the Theater and introduce young and old in the urban community. There are many opportunities at the Theater for people interested in performing. And because the girls actually perform for the pageant, we thought it was a perfect fit. Q: What are the pageant winners doing year-round to support community service? Sylvia: Because we are a very young pageant, we are still implementing programs that will carry on year round. This year we participated in the MLK Parade to build awareness, and the pageant itself is preceded by several weeks of training on public speaking, professional and personal etiquette and poise, and theater. I’d also like to introduce a summer “Beauty Boot Camp� that will help girls build confidence, learn life skills, make new friend and prepare them for the 2013 pageant.
Q: How can a local business sponsor the pageant in 2013? Sylvia: Local businesses can cosponsor the pageant or purchase ads in the souvenir book. Sponsorships range from $100 to $500. Businesses, and community residents, can also make a donation toward our goal of honoring pageant winners with scholarship monies for the school of their choice.
How to register a young lady for the 2013 pageant:
Girls ages 7 to 18 are eligible to enter the pageant, and contestants will complete several weeks of training prior to the pageant. Registration is $25. For information: Sylvia Russell 727-768-1654 or at missblackbeauty2010@yahoo.com
The Urban League announced this May that its nationwide search for a new CEO “concludes at its beginning–with a hometown hero whose deep roots stretch throughout the community, state and nation.” Watson Haynes, II, a St. Petersburg native, was installed May 7th with 30 years of leadership experience that includes senior posts, such as CEO of the Coalition for a Safe & Drug Free St. Petersburg, Executive Director of Bridges to America, and Co-Chair of Concerned Organizations for Quality Education for Black Students. Board Chair Gail Simpson said “Watson is the ideal leader to guide the Urban League…His proven track record, coupled with connections that transcend all local boundaries, will elevate our organization’s impact.”
Attorney Kamilah Perry was selected as 1 of only 3 candidates sent to the Governor for possible appointment to the 13th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. Perry may be best known as former president of the Edgecomb Bar Association. Will Archie draw competition? Mayor David Archie may run unopposed in the March 2013
Tarpon Springs city election, which could re-elect him to a second term. His recent announcement that he’ll seek re-election may have been designed to “serve notice” to would-be competitors. We won’t know for months whether Archie will have to battle to keep his seat; candidate qualifying is not until late November. Archie was installed as Mayor of the 23,500-person City in 2010 after 5 years as Vice Mayor. murphy leaves the royal Theatre, relocates to d.C. Herbert Murphy has resigned and relocated to Washington, D.C., after 19 years as a director with the Boys & Girls Clubs, at its Royal Theater location in St. Petersburg’s Midtown community. Murphy was stationed at the Theater in 1993, and is credited as an early proponent of the building’s renovation. The Royal was ultimately rehabilitated and re-opened in 2004, with the help of philanthropists such as Bill Edwards and public agencies and the City of St. Petersburg.
TEmpErS COOlEd, bUT NO rESOlUTION He may not have intended to pick a fight, but Sevell Brown clearly signaled a “bring it” attitude when State Rep. Darryl Rouson proposed to transform the Martin Luther King holiday into a day of service, which would reschedule the 26-year old King Parade in St. Petersburg, said to
be one of America’s largest. Brown, the parade’s founder, upon hearing that Rouson had won $500,000 in state funding to implement public service projects on King Day, threw down his gauntlet. While Brown created an online petition to “reject Rouson’s MLK Day of Service,” the Representative took to the airwaves outing the “debauchery” and drunkenness often associated with the “after the parade.” Meanwhile, Rev. Louis Murphy, Sr. urged a cooling of tensions and a sitdown meeting to discuss how both the parade and service day can co-exist. His sentiment was backed by a June 15th Tampa Bay Times editorial “Room for common ground on King holiday.” In late June it appeared a showdown was averted, but then following a June 26th meeting of the two men, Brown issued a third open letter rejecting Rouson’s proposal. What’s the ultimate outcome? Stay tuned. We’ll bring you the complete update in our Presidential Election edition (releasing Oct 3rd). Heritage project draws praise, criticism, and still needs nominations Gwen Reese and John Wilson were selected as Chair and Vice Chair of the new St. Petersburg African American Heritage Project Steering Committee, launched by Mayor Bill Foster last year with a core vision to create a walking trail of the community’s historic people and places.
movie houses open to blacks). Added trail segments will spirit visitors through areas like Methodist Town and Gas Plant. The Project has drawn quiet but consistent criticism as yet another indicator that this Mayor is more about symbolism than the substance of economic development. But Reese notes that the same vision can be seen in cities like Boston, where black history trails are drawing tourism dollars and creating jobs. Though the City hasn’t allocated funding to the Project, Reese notes that the Committee has only recently arrived at a point where a budget can be developed. “We invested months developing the Project. We can now prepare a concrete budget for City review.” The group still needs “and wants,” says Reese, more nominations of people and places to be featured trail. “I hear the most wonderful stories about what someone’s father or grandmother did in the community, and I always ask “Why not nominate this person, so we can capture their role in history?” Reese, a life-long advocate and leader of groups like the Community Alliance, The PACT, and NAACP, was born less than a block from the historic center of the black community.
The trail’s first leg is expected to be in place by December along the famous 22nd Street corridor, once the business hub of the segregated black community. Sites sure to be prominent are the iconic Manhattan Casino (which hosted legendary African American performers) and the Royal Theater (one of only 2
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Rev. Edward Leftwich with Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston
CONEY INSTALLED AS CEO After a prolonged search process, the Board of the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa (CDC of Tampa) has a new CEO: Ernest Coney, Jr., who’d served as interim CEO for better than a year. Coney has a 6-year track record with the CDC, since 2006 when he came aboard as Chief Operating Officer. Even farther back, Coney’s mother, Chloe Coney, founded the CDC in 1992 to push for redevelopment in the East Tampa community. The younger Coney has already expanded the CDC’s portfolio, with a new grocery store development expected to complete its $5 million financing by this September, and a second retail venture in the making. polk, leftwich appointed to bradenton CCrA leadership this Spring Late this Spring, Mayor Wayne Poston announced major changes to the leadership of the City’s Central Community Redevelopment Agency, which oversees redevelopment of a
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majority-African American low-income area of the City. When the Agency’s Executive Director Sherod Halliburton transitioned into an Executive Vice President role this February with the Manatee Community Federal Credit Union, the City’s Director of Planning & Community Development Tim Polk was appointed Interim Executive Director of the CCRA. Separately, the Mayor appointed Rev. Edward Leftwich to the agency’s Board. Leftwich, who resides in St. Petersburg, also works at the Bradenton Housing Authority as a consultant to Washington, D.C.-based developer, Telesis. mclemore Named State director, black Women for Obama Tampa’s Ersula McLemore was chosen this May as state Chair of Black Women for Obama (BWO), a grassroots organization devoted to the President’s re-election. Ersula was selected by BWO founder, Patricia Wilson-Smith, author and host of Press Pause on Atlanta’s WAEC 860 AM. Ersula, who is also an author and host of the Princess Memories radio show at www.kepxradio.com, says, “We are the mothers, wives, and providers who believe our nation is still in need of a leader who will fight to bring stability back to our families. We believe that without strong schools, our nation will not remain a world leader, and we want a country where fear of how to pay for medications doesn’t compete with how you feed your family.”
The Florida chapter is spearheaded by Gloria Campbell, Tanya Akbar, Doris Ross Reddick and Carol Page. Ersula says the team is growing fast, but not fast enough. “We’re counting the Saturdays until October 6, the last day to register before the November 6 election. Join us!” Visit www.blackwomenforobama. org or ersulamclemore@ blackwomenforobama.org. lou brown becomes central leader; could politics be in his future? If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his father and grandfather were also central figures in St. Petersburg’s African American community. The youngest Brown, 28, now serves as captain, for both the NAACP and Agenda 2010, in the influential People’s Budget Review project that’s so far involved 5,500 city residents in the City’s budgetsetting process for 2013. An attorney by day – as Assistant Director of Legal Affairs for Minor League Baseball – Brown spends his evenings and weekends manning several leadership posts – as Political Action Chair for the St. Petersburg NAACP, Co-Chair of the Agenda 2010 group, and Legislative Chair of the Pinellas County Young Democrats.
Is politics in his future? Brown confirms that yes, he is considering potential elected offices,
and has been asked by several key community leaders to consider a run. Speights steps down; sets focus on core business goals Dianne Speights had almost become synonymous with the Weekly Challenger during her 5 years as the paper’s General Manager. But Speights left the post last February, calling it a “bitter sweet” moment. In 2006, she was asked by owner Ethel Johnson to help keep the business open, and committed to serve 6 months to give Johnson time to find a general manager. “I stayed on for 5 1/2 years, because I saw it as so important to strengthen the paper’s business foundation. The 40th Anniversary Celebration was my first signature event to help breath energy and faith in the future of the paper.” Speights also launched a new digital version, and oversaw the Challenger’s first-ever circulation audit. “However, it was time to hand over the reins and focus on my core business,” she said. Management of the paper has transitioned to Lyn Johnson, daughter of founder Cleve Johnson. Speights came to the Challenger after 30 years with Bay County and Pinellas County Schools, retiring in 1997 as an Area Community Involvement Administrator. She joined Mary Kay in 1978, and today provides leadership and training as an Independent Sales Director.
Are African Americans obsessed with style? Or is it just part of “who we are?” Money tells a story by gypsy C. gallardo
There’s absolutely no denying that black people as a whole have a special affinity for style.Somehow, more than most other ethic groups, it seems, African Americans like to look good! From head to toe,
Black consumers are 24% more likely than other consumers to spend extra for a product that is consistent with the image they want to convey.
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we spend more than whites and Hispanics, on hair care, jewelry, clothing, fragrances and footwear. In fact, for us, just about any special event – a concert, football game, or family reunion– most often comes with the added price tag of getting our hair done, nails done, and a new outfit of course (if we can afford it at the time, that is). Why is that? Some people attribute it to our famously trendsetting culture, almost like a DNA imprint that makes us more colorful, musical, rhythmic and stylish than others.
Others attribute the penchant – at least in part – to internalized racism and an obsessive drive to lighten our skin, straighten our hair and present ourselves as acceptable to the world. But even the “natural” sisters and brothers, who don’t do processed hair, tend to be just as fashionable as the rest of us. A sister with sister locks spends just as much on shoes as the next woman, and a brother with dreads is just as likely to have the newest kicks.
HOW MUCH MORE DO WE SPEND
prOdUCT CATEgOrIES
Ethnic Health & Beauty Care Feminine Hygiene Fresheners & Deodorizers Personal Soap & Bath Women’s Fragrances Sanitary Protection Deodorant Men’s Toiletries
9.54 1.88 1.76 1.60 1.52 1.26 1.24 1.23
*Ratio of black consumer purchases (as share of their income), compared to all Americans. Source: Nielsen Homescan, 52 Weeks Ending 12/25/2010
DO WE SPEND TOO MUCH ON STYLE? It depends on how you look at it and who you ask. For some folks – black or white – style is a preferred form of luxury. I know people who would rather spend extra cash on a nice vacation or new electronics, but there are some who see “style” as a top priority. But I will say that African Americans could stand to cut back some. Although the average white household spends 18% more on apparel than the average black household, A. white households earn an average 38% more per year, and B. they save 4 times as much money.
Earns Saves Spends on clothes % of earnings spent on clothes
African Americans spend this much mOrE than non-black households:
Black Americans spent 79% more on clothing in 2010 than the amount of money they saved ($2,275 on apparel and services, compared to only $1,270 saved). That’s a total flip flop compared to Asian and white American families, who both saved more money than they spent on clothing.
Everybody apparently spends more on clothes than they give to their churches and religious institutions. American church members tithed an average $854 in 2009.
$85,316 per year $5,588 $4,908 5.00%
TAKING A PAGE FROM THE ASIANS! We typically compare our health and wealth statistics to white Americans, but we should be taking a page from the Asians. They sell a huge part of that $10 billion in black beauty products we buy every year! And they’re doing far better than white Americans (and miles better than us, economically speaking). Asians spend much more on clothes than black and white families, but they apparently make their clothes work for them (and they can clearly afford it). Asian families spent an average $4,908 on clothes in 2010, almost as much as black & white families combined.
$64,817 per year $5,503 $2,810 4.30%
$45,727 per year $1,270 $2,275 5.75%
*Ratio of black consumer purchases (as share of their income), compared to all Americans. Source: Nielsen Homescan, 52 Weeks Ending 12/25/2010
Afira DeVrie (UWay Chief Dev. Officer); Felicia Harvey, Bridges Chair; Meisha-ann Martin; Diana Baker (UWay CEO); and Donna Yarborough.
Cassie Montes & Ricardo Kraus, United Way
PUSH TO DIVERSIFY LOCAL NON-PROFIT BOARDS GETS A STRONG START
T
he United Way stepped into new territory this June when it launched the new Bridges Leadership initiative, with a core goal of creating more diversity on non-profit boards in the region. Over 60 attendees were present for the debut at Tampa’s Centre Club, and many of them will be among the minority professionals asked to donate time at a leadership level with the United Way and its partners. Diana Baker, United Way CEO, said “We are an organization of inclusion and Bridges is one more step toward getting diverse professionals in our community involved.” For details about 16 Guide to Healthy Beauty
Bridges events, contact Cassandra Montes, Business Development Manager at 813.274.0944 or cmontes@uwtb.org. Courier named finalist in state, national awards Hats off to the Florida Courier newspaper for recent honors from 2 journalism organizations. The staff was selected as a finalist in the Public Affairs category by the Society of Professional Journalists for its coverage of redistricting. Winners will be named as part of the 62nd Annual Green Eyeshade Awards, which draws hundreds of categories from media outlets in 11 states. Separately, 3 staff
were selected by the Florida Press Association (FPA) as award finalists: publisher Charles Cherry in the Feature Story category for his Back to Africa series, and creative director Angela van Emmerik and sports writer Andreas Butler in the Sports Page category. FPA winners will be selected at its Convention this July.
TROUTMAN EARNS NATIONAL HONOR This June, Dr. Adewale Troutman was named the 2012 recipient of the Dr. James T. Black Award from the 100 Black Men of America at its national conference in Atlanta, for his work in eliminating health disparities. Troutman relocated to Tampa in 2010 to serve as Director of Public Health Practice & Leadership at the University of South Florida, and is recognized as a world class scholar, advocate and advisor to national government agencies.
In 2011, Dr. Troutman was elected president-elect of the American Public Health Association, and was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. Other roles include serving as cochair of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on eliminating health disparities; and on the executive committee of the National Academy for Health Equity.
A
ccording to the Florida Department of Corrections, in 2011 nearly 5,000 ex-offenders returned back to Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties from state institutions, but 30-66% will reoffend within three years without support. Currently, there are more than 100,000 veterans in Pinellas County alone, and with the end of the war, thousands of veterans are returning to Florida. Block Team USA, Inc., a 501(c) 3, non-profit organization, provides affordable transitional housing options and other services for exoffenders, veterans and other challenged individuals in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. Evidence of failed state funded programs litter neighborhoods throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. Block Team’s strategies address the question of how to integrate ex-offenders, veterans and others back into neighborhoods and communities in a manner that leads them to self-sufficiency. Block Team addresses the key factors limiting reintegration into society for ex-offenders, and our military veterans. Without groups such as Block Team, local communities will continue to suffer with rising crime rates, unemployment and increased homelessness creating a vicious cycle that drains the neighborhoods and communities in Pinellas and Hillsborough
counties. There are more than 850,000 unemployed veterans nationally, and it is harder to establish the exact number of homeless veterans. Ron Gary, Executive Director of Block Team, and Retired Sergeant First Class states, “We see the critical disconnection leaving ex-offenders, veterans and others without an opportunity to improve their situations. Our organization feels a sense of urgent obligation to help them.” “Ex-offenders leave prisons with maybe a bus ticket and ‘gate’ money, about $50 to $90,” says Ronda Gary, Director of Administrative Services and co-founder of Block Team USA, Inc. “ They can’t afford first/last month’s rent, which is huge, can’t get hired, so they drift. We stand in the gap for these individuals giving them access to housing, education, employment, and other critical services that will help them become selfsufficient and to keep them out of the system.” “We’re working fast to open our first transitional house and develop corporate (community) partners for jobs, and to prepare clients to overcome traditional challenges,” Ron Gary states. “Often we must educate employers on the benefits the Federal Bonding Program and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit provides to businesses that hire the kind of clients we serve,” says Ronda Gary. For more information, call 813-319-4519 or email us at info@blockteamusa.com
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After 30 years in the background of black women’s hair preferences, “the natural” is back in style! Natural hairstyles never truly faded from black culture after the 1970’s Afrocentric surge in braids, dreads, and fros. But the past few years have seen a huge uprising of women saying “NO” to chemical relaxers to straighten their hair, and “YES” to letting their God given hair grow free! Some beauty industry analysts think the recession led droves of us to scale back on those expensive weave and relaxer do’s. But others – especially natural hair bloggers, entrepreneurs and women across the country – are calling it “liberation.” In the words of one Washington D.C. based attorney who went natural last year, “I’ve told people, you could be living instead of spending half your life and budget on your hair.” The Power Broker tracked some of the latest trends & styles to inspire…….
All month, Sharee Bryant had been hearing women talk about hair. She’d overheard two women in a grocery checkout line talking about a $62 shampoo conditioner combo for black women who decided to forgo chemically straightening their hair. She’d heard a woman at church questioning why so many young women in the pews had the temerity to show up with their hair in its natural state – curly and kinky. And she had read online about the black women driving from as far away as Chicago to the Spring World Natural Hair Show in Atlanta. So by the time Bryant -- an Atlanta-area insurance agent who’s taken to wearing her natural hair in Bantu Knots since cutting off her chemically relaxed bob last year -stood in a 35-minute line outside the April hair show, she had a list of the products she wanted to touch, sample and smell. Still, what Bryant, heard next took her by surprise. “Go to the beach. Wherever you want to go this summer. Ladies, what you need is a Prota Organic Weave,” a railthin woman with a headset microphone announced from a booth near the front of the sprawling exhibit space.”You can have the man you want, the life you want,” the woman continued. “I can change your life for $15. We’ve got what you need, organic weave.” The pitch wasn’t just persistent, it had deeper resonance. For black women, how they wear
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their hair is complicated by a deep well of personal, social and commercial interests. Despite a recent record decline in the sales of chemical hair relaxer and a boom in beauty products, websites, and blogs aimed at black women with natural hair, the question of when and why so many women chemically relax their hair or go natural remains very much open. “I really feel like this may be the year that the natural finally went mainstream,” said Bryant. Prota’s pitchwoman was doing her thing just a few feet away from where Bryant had stopped to inspect a $27 jar of curl cream. “I’m really kind of surprised -- maybe even a little offended -- that weave woman is here. As far as I’m concerned, she’s like a money changer in the temple.” In the early 20th century, a black beauty-products operation created by Madam C.J. Walker made her the nation’s first black millionaire. Today, black hair care is nearly a $10-billion industry. But in the last two years, chemical relaxer sales have dropped by 12%, according to Mintel, a market research firm.
“In this business, that’s a very, very big dip,” said Kat Fay, a senior analyst at Mintel. “Of course, those years do coincide with the recession. And we know that it can be expensive to maintain a relaxer or a weave. But there are some real indicators that the growing popularity of natural hair may be taking hold here.” The sight of black women with curly, kinky and Esperanza Spalding-sized hair has grown so common that in July, CNN published a sort of natural black hair etiquette guide on its website. The story explored white curiosity about black women’s natural hair and the historical and cultural reasons why touching a black woman’s hair without invitation is rude.
on one aisle and everything else aimed at everyone else on another is disappearing. All sorts of companies are adopting packaging language – like “wash & go,” “twist set” and “braid out,” -- that is common to the
But black hair -- the price tag of a single weave, the harsh chemical relaxers and the reasons why millions of black women spend money to get and maintain them -- might have remained almost exclusively a conversation between black women, if it were not for Chris Rock, Fay said. – In 2006, Rock and HBO produced the documentary “Good Hair,” exploring why straight, long hair remains the prevailing beauty ideal for black women. The movie also put a new phrase in the national vernacular calling chemical relaxers “creamy crack.” On screen, Rock explained that the movie was inspired when his daughter asked him why she didn’t have “good hair.” The cultural weight and social value of straight hair is very strong, and Fay is not aware of a single company that has stopped producing relaxers, despite the sales decline. But some of the world’s best-known black hair companies, such as Bronner Brothers and L’Oreal’s Mizani, which built their reputations on relaxers, have also started producing natural product lines, said Michelle Breyer, one of the founders of NaturallyCurly. com, an online retailer that caters to women (of all races) with curly or kinky hair. Today, there are stores with entire sections dedicated to curly hair, Breyer said. And the practice of planting black hair products
online natural hair blogs. Perhaps no one knows this better than Alicia Nicole Walton, the writer and psychotherapist behind CurlyNikki.com, a natural hair blog. Walton does more than just evaluate products, she pays attention to the emotional and social issues that surround black women’s hair in a series of posts called On the Couch. Walton grew up in a home where chemical hair treatments were banned because of a bad experience her father had with a Jehri Curl. But in college, Walton had a harder time getting to a salon to have her hair straightened with a straightening comb. Then she damaged her hair after using a flat iron too often at home. Her boyfriend -now husband -- pointed out that Walton’s moods and self-esteem seemed to rise
and fall around the appearance of her hair. When it was straight, Walton was up. When it was not, she was down. Walton decided this wasn’t emotionally healthy and began experimenting with her hair in natural styles. Her father wasn’t pleased. “He said, ‘Please don’t sacrifice your career for this hair choice. How will you get a job with that hair?’ But that was the thing: What I was doing wasn’t really a choice, like dying your hair pink. This is what grows out of my head.” For older African Americans, appearing in public with one’s hair un-straightened can seem a lot like going somewhere without pants, Walton said. But in the hair show, packed into the Georgia International Convention Center, the politics of natural hair seemed to take a back seat to commercial interests. Thousands of black women approached sales staff -- black and white -- for advice about hair. White-owned companies continue to dominate sales, but many small-to-medium black-owned companies are trying to infiltrate the market. And most of the ones interviewed for this story view white women with curly hair as the next customer frontier to grow their businesses. But there are also signs that natural hair has yet to become completely socially acceptable. Each year, a number of workplace discrimination suits are filed related to African Americans wearing their hair in its natural state. In 2007, a Glamour Magazine editor told a group of female attorneys gathered for a session on corporate fashion do’s and don’ts that natural hair -- afros, dreads and other “political” hair styles -- was an absolute don’t. Glamour wound up apologizing to its readers and says the editor in question resigned. Natural black hair remains such a charged issue that late last year when
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Sesame Street’s white head writer, Joey Mazzarino, wrote a musical skit for his adopted Ethopian daughter, he created a sensation. Mazzarino’s daughter made it clear that she wanted long, blonde hair. The song he wrote in celebration of natural black hair and then assigned to one of the show’s puppets, “I Love My Hair,” went viral. One person who went nowhere near the Prota weave display at the Atlanta natural hair show was Yaisa Strickland, an attorney who cut off her mid-back-length relaxed hair last year. When she did it, Strickland was unsure she would be able to live with the look. So she did her “big chop” in Atlanta, the “weave capital of the world,” as Strickland said. If she’d felt awkward after her cut, she was sure she could find a talented stylist somewhere nearby to attach a weave. But when it was done, Strickland liked what she saw. And there was something else. “I know that sounds dramatic, but I used to spend 6 to 8 hours a month in the salon,” said Strickland, who wears a modern afro often called a TWA -- the “teeny weeny afro.” “I used to have to plan when and how to exercise because you don’t want that straight hair that you’ve invested in to get wet off-schedule. But since I cut my hair, I’ve told people, you could be living instead of spending half your life and budget on your hair. I really cannot imagine going back.”
From the THE LATEST NATIONAL NEWS ON CLOSING THE HEALTH GAP...
a
HIv among black women in 6 U.S. cities near African rates new study released in March shows black women in some parts of the U.S. being infected with HIV at rates similar to African countries. Researchers found that in baltimore; Atlanta; Newark; New york City; raleighdurham, N.C.; and Washington, the annual rate of infection was 24 per 10,000 black women (compared to 28 per 10,000 black women in the Congo!). Ignorance & poverty: The study also found that 40% of black women did not know the HIV status of their last sexual partner, and over 40% of them had an annual household income of $10,000 or less. Experts estimate that 85% of black women are infected through heterosexual sex. Their rate of new HIV infections is 15 times as high as white women, and 3 times as high as Latina women.
BLACK BOYS & YOUNG MEN AT HIGHEST HIV RISK!
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The Centers for Disease Control’s latest data say that black men who have sex with men (MSM) make up 73% of new HIV infections for black men, and 37% among all MSM. More new HIV infections occurred among young black MSM (ages 13–29) than any other age and race group of MSM; and new HIV infections for young black MSM increased 48% from 2006–2009!
News Flash:
The numbers don’t lie: HIV infection rates strongly indicate that black men having sex with men (MSMs) are “on the down low” also having sex with women, as one of the major factors in the high numbers of black women being infected. ‘Doc McStuffins’ TV Show Gives Black Girls, Aspiring Doctors Hopee The pig-tail wearing title character (Doc McStuffins) of a new animated TV series is becoming a symbol of pride for black women in medicine and their Daughters, the Huffingtonpost. com reports. The young
front lines Doc dreams of becoming an M.D. and, for now, runs a home clinic for stuffed animals. Dr. Myiesha Taylor, who watches Disney’s “Doc McStuffins” with her 4-year-old, says the show sends a muchneeded message to minority girls.”It’s so nice to see this child of color in a starring role, not just in the supporting cast.” Taylor said. “And she’s an aspiring intellectual professional, not a singer or dancer or athlete.”” A 2012 report by the American Medical Association says there were 18,533 black female physicians in 2010, less than 2% of a total 985,375 U.S. doctors, and barely 6% of the 300,000 female physicians.
Are Blacks predisposed to be more overweight than Whites Whites? A new study in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine found FROM 2003 exercise is less likely TO 2008, THE to lead to weight loss AVERAGE for black girls than LIFESPAN for white girls. Both INCREASED FOR groups of girls in the ALL GROUPS: study consumed the same calories each day White men, from 75.3 and exercised at similar years to 76.2 years levels. But, 85% of the black men, from 68.8 black girls who engaged to 70.8 years in moderate exercise White women, from at 12 years old were as 80.3 years to 81.2 likely to be obese by black women, from the time they reached 75.7 to 77.5 years 14 as those who hardly exercised at all. For white girls, the results were almost exactly Researchers say the gap reversed, with only between black and white life 14% likely to become expectancy is lower than it’s obese by age 14.
Blacks Living Longer, Life Expectancy Gap Shrinks Researchers found recently that, while whites in the U.S. typically live longer than blacks, that gap in life expectancy may be shrinking. Why? Because fewer African Americans are dying of AIDS and heart disease, and more whites are dying from unintentional injuries – especially prescription drug overdoses.
ever been, since data were first recorded. In whites 20 to 54, drug overdoses surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death related to unintentional injury during the study period.
Michelle Obama Cookbook: First Lady Releases ‘American Grown’ Late this May, First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled her secrets in the kitchen with a 271-page cookbook that
Compete to Win:
heavily emphasizes homegrown garden vegetables, and showcases the use of her White House garden creations.
More fuel for idea that racism drives health disparities for black Americans: National Exoneration Registry reveals over 2,000+ wrongful convictions The University of Michigan and Northwestern University law schools released an alarming registry of wrongful convictions this May of cases spanning decades and including both male, female, black, Latino and white suspects, and found that 50% (half!) of false convictions were of African-Americans. The report cites that most of the convictions came from falsified crime scenes, eyewitness mistakes and misconduct by police and prosecutors.
Census: Minorities Surpass Whites In U.S. Births The Census reported this
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May that for the first time, racial minorities make up more than half of the children born in the U.S. New 2011 census estimates highlight sweeping changes in the nation’s racial makeup. Minorities have increased to 114.1 million, or 36.6% of the total U.S. population, and 50.4% of U.S. births. That compares with 37% in 1990.
The Angelou Center for Women’s Health & Compete to has Win:kicked The Wellness off Angelou Center for a national competition Women’s Health & - “Health Inspirations,” Wellness has kicked off women to aencouraging national competition share how they’ve been - “Health Inspirations,” inspired towomen practice encouraging to a share how they’ve been or new health behavior inspired a health changeto a practice negative new health behavior or behavior. Enter the change a negative health contest at facebook.com/ behavior. Enter the contest MayaAngelouCenter. at facebook.com/
White People More Likely To be Prescribed Antidepressants
Maya Angelou Opens Women’s Health &Wellness Center This May, the 84-year old Angelou announced a new partnership with Novant Health, a system of 13 hospitals, to unveil the Angelou Center for Women’s Health & Wellness in her hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. The new facility is the second of the kind for Angelou, which is also focused on closing the health gap for minorities. Angelou says her women’s health center will offer clinical programs, in heart, cancer and surgical services, as well as maternity, emergency, bone and joint health.
New research from the University of Michigan School of Public Health says Caucasians are 1 ½ times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than Hispanic and African-American patients being treated for major depressive disorders. In a statement, Rajesh Balkrishnan, associate professor, said: “This study confirmed previous findings that sociological factors, such as race and ethnicity, and patient health insurance status, influence physician prescribing behaviors.”
Celebrities Shining a Spotlight on Addiction! Recent celebrity addition woes should be a wake-up call! Whitney Houston’s autopsy results showed
cocaine and marijuana in her system, but her death was ruled an accidental drowning. And while cocaine was not the cause of death, that and heart disease, which caused a 60% blockage in one of her arteries, were listed by the coroner as contributing factors.
Separately, newsone.com reported this March that “Dennis Rodman is Sick and Broke!,” allegedly struggling with alcohol addiction and unable to meet child support obligations: “Rodman’s battle with the bottle has been documented on the “Celebrity Apprentice” [which] led to an intervention that included famed NBA coach Phil Jackson and family and friends.”
Are you or someone you know struggling with addiction? We help you hel from physical, mental and verbal abuse
Black-Owned HealthFocused Shopping Network Seeks Investors The black-owned Healthway Shopping Network is now a public
company as of March 19th, when the SEC gave a green light for the company to sell 13.5 million common shares to the public at $2 per share to raise $27 million in its’ initial public offering. Healthway will operate a 24-hour TV heath shopping channel, selling all-natural health products. For more info, visit healthyway shoppingnetwork.com.
New Explanation: Why Black Women 2x as Likely to Die from Cervical Cancer New research could help explain why black women are twice as likely to die from cervical cancer: They seem to have more trouble healing from Hpv (human papillomavirus), the virus that causes the cancer. Researchers at the University of South Carolina studied 326 white and 113 black students with Pap and HPV tests every 6 months over 4 years. At checkups, blacks were 1.5 times more likely to test positive for HPV infection. Two years after initial infections were found, 56% of black women were still infected, versus only 24% of whites. About 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer occur yearly in the U.S. The vaccine is recommended for girls starting at age 11. paps cost $15 to $60 and Hpv tests run $50 to $100.
Black youth most
affected by teen dating violence Excerpt from article by Dr. Tyeese Gaines for thegrio.com
Apryl Cornell was only
15 years old when her boyfriend began abusing her. “At first everything was good,” she recalls. ”[But then], he started telling me who I could hang out with and what I could wear.” Cornell says her boyfriend forbade her to wear certain clothes, like shorts, in public. And, to avoid more conflict, she stopped spending time with friends.
The abuse soon escalated. During one episode, Cornell’s boyfriend struck her in the head so hard, she blacked out. During another, he tried forcing her to have sex against her will. Cornell says, “He said he was sorry. He said he loved me.” She adds, “I was kind of scared, but I made him promise not to hurt me. I was worried that no one would believe me if I told.”
Maverick
[mav-er-ik, mav-rik]
a. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, artist, or politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates. Synonyms: nonconformist, individualist; free thinker.
i
t didn’t make sense to anyone when Lena G decided that “make-up” was her passion, at least the business side of make-up, but it didn’t take her long to make a name in the Central Florida market. “My background is Marketing, I worked with Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) for years until 9-11 when our funding was cut and the station I was with went down to a skeleton crew. For me, that meant lay-off!” She shakes her head recalling, “I had no idea what to do. I remember sitting in my car after the news and thinking, ‘Okay Lena, what the heck do you do now?’” Graham took this time to reinvent herself. She’d already dabbled with make-up and contemplated cosmetology school. “After the lay-off, I thought, I might as well do something I like. We spend way too much time doing things that we don’t like to do.”
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She got questioning looks from family and friends, but nevertheless ventured on a path unknown, “They wondered why I would give up corporate America to ‘play in hair’.” After finishing cosmetology school, Lena says it was only a matter a time until she realized salon life was “NOT” for her. “I’ve worked in every type of salon, from the most upscale to the most “ghetto.” I will never forget going to work one day to find a padlock on the door of the salon. We had been paying booth rent, but the owner had not been paying her rent. All of the stylist looked at each other like, ‘Really? Is this a movie or is this really happening?’”It was after that when Lena decided it was time to kick her make-up craft into high gear. “Getting that first make-up job was the absolute worst. No one wanted to hire me without any experience. It was interview after interview and no after no.” Good thing persistence is one of her strong points. “I was at a women’s conference and saw M.A.C providing make-up applications. I went up to person who looked in-charge and said, ‘I want to work for your company.’ She laughed and said “You’re so cute. Here’s my card. Call me on Monday.”
After months of calling Graham finally landed an interview, “I remember telling the manager, I’m not the best makeup artist but I learn quickly and I’m a hard worker. If you give me a chance, I promise you will not regret it……when I got the job I was in awe. This was at a time when M.A.C. was the most sought after cosmetic company and there where very few brown girls working there.” That was the catalyst Lena needed. There was no stopping her from there. Four years later she left the company and ventured out on her own, establishing Lena G Creative Design, providing make-up and hair services for B.E.T., Elle Girl, CNN, Nickelodeon, Good Morning America, and most recently, the Power Broker magazine. Lena’s company – LGCD, Inc. – today has two notable subsidiaries: Absolutely Gorgeous Brides, a mobile bridal salon, and Studio 277 Image & Make Up
Studio. She’s also launched her own organic skincare line for women of color. “I wake up every day and love what I do. It’s not easy but I wouldn’t give it up for anything!!!” Fast forwarding to 2012, Lena says she’s honored to be the Power Broker’s new Beauty Editor, which adds to her roles as a Creative Director for several production and photography Studios. For more about lena g: www.lgcdinc.com or lena@lgcdinc.com. To contact lena about beauty articles for the power broker: lena@ powerbrokermagazine.com or 305.349.3357 Nominate someone for the power broker monthly makeover: makemeover@powerbrokermagazine.com receive alerts about upcoming contests & special offers: www.powerbrokermagazine.com facebook.com/powerbrokermagazine twitter.com/powerbrokermag
The Healthy way to do Soul Food Everybody knows somebody who needs to eat healthier. The Power Broker’s top recommended tool for getting your diet in gear is the new Healthy Soul Food Recipes magazine cookbook by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The Heart Association says AfricanAmericans are almost twice as likely as white Americans to have a stroke. This latest Soul Food cookbook celebrates the culinary creativity of African-Americans with 45 easyto-follow, heart-healthy recipes for traditional soul food dishes that
Three-Cheese Macaroni Bake Serves 6; 1/2 cup per serving
Cooking spray 4 ounces dried whole-grain elbow macaroni 1/2 cup grated low-fat mild Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese 1/3 cup fat-free sour cream 1/4 cup fat-free milk 1 large egg white 2 tablespoons grated onion 1 tablespoon shredded or grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided use 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (lowest sodium available)
are typically considered unhealthy. Dishes featured include Potato Salad, Seaside Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo and Sweet Potato Bread Pudding, all designed to meet Heart/Stroke Association dietary guidelines. Healthy Soul Food Recipes is available at supermarket checkout stands nationwide for only $3.99 this summer, and on ShopPower.org, while supplies last. For info on Power To End Stroke or to register for the campaign, visit PowerToEndStroke.org. Power To End Stroke is nationally sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership.
1/2 teaspoon no-salt-added all-purpose seasoning blend 1 medium Italian plum (Roma) tomato, cut into 6 slices 1 tablespoon plain dry bread crumbs (lowest sodium available) 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray 1-quart baking dish or 9 x 5 x 3-inch glass or ceramic loaf pan with cooking spray. 2. Prepare pasta using package directions, omitting salt. Drain well in a colander. Set aside. 3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together Cheddar, ricotta, sour cream, milk, egg white, onion, 1 tbsp Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, and
seasoning blend. Stir in pasta. Spoon into the baking dish. Arrange tomato slices on top. 4. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, garlic powder, and remaining 1 teaspoon Parmesan. Sprinkle over the casserole. Lightly spray with cooking spray. 5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown around the edges. Nutrients per Serving: Calories 143 Total Fat 2.5g Cholesterol 10 mg Sodium 157 mg Carbohydrates 19 g protein 10 g
Zesty PecanCrusted Tilapia
Serves 4; 3 ounces fish per serving Cooking spray 4 tilapia fillets (about 4 ounces each), rinsed and patted dry 1/4 cup ground pecans (about 1 ounce) 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 1 medium lemon, cut into 4 wedges 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange fish on baking sheet.
2. In small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients except the lemon. 3. Using your fingertips, gently press the pecan mixture so it adheres to the top side of the fish. 4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the fish. Cook’s Tip: You can replace tilapia with other thin mild white fish, such as sole, or cod.
Nutrients per Serving: Calories 159 Total Fat 7.0 g Cholesterol 57 mg Sodium 205 mg Carbohydrates 2 g protein 24 g
Recipes reprinted with permission from Healthy Soul Food Recipes, Copyright © 2012 by the American Heart Association.
AbOUT THE AmErICAN HEArT & STrOKE ASSOCIATIONS
The Heart Association and Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke— America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. Heart is the nation’s oldest
and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The Stroke Association was created in 1997 as a division of the Heart Association. To learn more about the Heart Association, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit heart.org, or about the Stroke Association, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit strokeassociation.org
Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child joins Kirk Franklin, Dottie Peoples, Marvin Sapp and many other celebs as national ambassadors of the Power to End Stroke campaign
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my story I VICTORY AFTER A 20-YEAR BATTLE TO CONTROL HER EATING & WEIGHT magine...
• Not being able to fit in restaurant booths and having to dine at a table instead. • Having to wear 2 hospital gowns when being admitted to a hospital one to cover the front and one for the back • Watching nurses struggle to take your blood pressure because the Velcro cuff unravels as it fills with air • Attending a college class and being unable to fit in a standard classroom chair (I had to take a free-standing chair and scoot up to the desk portion of another) • Having to ask the flight attendant to borrow a seat belt extension as everyone waits for you to buckle up before the plane can take off • Being asked to exit an amusement park ride because the locks can’t be securely fastened
I vividly remember spectators waiting in line and looking at me with pity, laughter and astonishment. It was
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one of the worst days of my life, and I can give countless examples of what it felt like to be obese (illnesses not included). Where did I go wrong? In high school I was 168 pounds and by the time I finished college in 1996, I was an overwhelming 360 pounds. After gaining 192 pounds, I was on the verge of diabetes, with a body mass index (BMI) out of control and arthritis setting in. In 2001, I thought I’d finally found the answer to permanent weight loss-gastric bypass surgery. I quickly lost 150 pounds and thought my weight worries were over. However, what I learned after the gastric surgery, is that it gives you a huge head start, but if you stretch your pouch back to the size of your original stomach, allowing more caloric intake, you end up where you started, struggling just like everyone else. As a result of a failed relationship, by the summer of 2007, I had regained 70 pounds, going up to 280. I won’t lie. I tried the easy way out by attempting to seek approval for the lap band (on top of my gastric bypass), but was unsuccessful with the insurance company. I felt like such a failure!
my Turning point: Finally, I had to bite the bullet and do it naturally. Under the care of my primary doctor, I started my second major weight loss journey. It included the use of dietary supplements such as Alli, eating healthier and smaller portions, drinking water and exercising. In the New Year 2009, I began a wellness campaign, “FitandFine09,” with coworkers and friends, in an effort to increase cardio endurance and promote group support. Through this exchange, my sister introduced me to LIVESTrONg.COM and MyPlate. This tool worked wonders for me! I’m obsessed with keeping track of things. From the food journal, to tracking my calories, weight, inches and documenting my fitness activity, I was hooked. The articles are a wealth of fitness information and I even share them with external users and got several people to join after
me. By the summer I had finally conquered a lifelong goal of running one mile straight and it was absolutely incredible! By year-end I had lost the 70 pounds I regained in 2007, but still, there was something missing.I had the cardio strength I desired, but now, I wanted to build physical strength and to tone my body. The Fitness Factor: On January 4th, 2010, (a very cold winter day) I became a faithful member of a local fitness boot camp in my area. I also launched my second wellness campaign, “SlimandTrim2010.” I’ve become stronger than I ever imagined I could be. I completed a 5K race in May and was able to run the entire 3.2 miles nonstop! What an incredible feeling! I’ve also gained so much strength and visible muscle tone. My current weight is 191 (with a goal of 175). I’ve lost nearly 10 inches from my overall
body frame and dropped 2 dress sizes. Becoming and remaining a faithful member of the LIVESTrONg.COM on-line community keeps me accountable, and the progress I can visually see--via the website--gives me the extra strength and motivation to keep going. my Words of Advice: Don’t ever quit. Losing the weight slow and steady and learning about my relationship with food was a huge difference this time around. There is no magic cure. No matter what, in the end, it all boils down to the basics: eating right, exercising and drinking water. Understand that we are human and all make mistakes. Never deny yourself any indulgence, just do it in moderation as a reward, but never stray too far for too long. Make healthy eating and exercise a lifestyle, not a phase. This is not a phase for me. It’s a lifetime commitment. weight plateau of around 200 pounds.
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was more than a notion. It was stressful; consuming all of my time, most of my energy and often leaving me feeling overwhelmed. I began to seriously think about the importance of being healthy. I was by no means unhealthy. I was rarely sick and maintained my bi-annual checkups. “I’m worth it” is a phrase I once used quite frequently to justify my extravagance in purchasing jewelry, shoes, handbags and clothes. But in 2011 the phrase took on a new meaning. It was no longer about, ‘I’m worth buying whatever I want,’ and more about ‘I’m worth living the life I want and deserve,’ a healthier and happier life, free of disease in all its forms. On a deeper soul level I understood that life was intended to be so much more than what we, in our limited consciousness, envision it to be. What happened in 2011 to change my perspective? I found myself being a full-time caregiver for both of my parents - one expected, the other completely unexpected. It
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I was, however, overweight and taking high blood pressure medication, and after my caregiver duties, I was often fatigued. I’ve shopped at Great American Natural Products in St. Petersburg for many years, but in June 2011, during one of my visits, I casually mentioned to Louise, the owner, that I wanted to lose weight and she mentioned a program she offered. I took a brochure and DVD and spent some time reading about the Ideal Protein program. My first thought was, “It’s too expensive” and I can’t afford this” but my second thought
was “I’m worth it,” and so I embarked on an incredible path that absolutely changed my life. After four months and shedding about 30 pounds I was told by my doctor that I no longer needed to take my blood pressure medication. Eight months and 70 pounds later I feel better than I can remember feeling for quite some time. I achieved my weight goal, but more importantly I formed healthier eating habits that are so ingrained that I no longer want to consume the foods that are not good for me and I am not deprived of foods I enjoy. I have desserts and, even more importantly, my martinis, but I have no desire to over indulge in either. In November, my daughter was describing her experience with the Gentle Touch Wellness Center and I found myself thinking, “Everything she is sharing resonates with my spiritual beliefs and my commitment to alternative health practices.” I knew at a soul level that I needed to pursue this and I
promptly called and scheduled a consultation. Upon entering the facility I felt comfortable and welcomed. The decor was Zen; orchids, fountains, soft lighting, and the music worked together to create a sense of peace, calm and harmony. The staff was respectful and friendly. The consultation was thorough and honest. I was told by Dr. Colette, “If I can’t help you, I will tell you.” I knew they could help me and I claimed it. When I returned the next day they declared what I already knew, my spine had not begun fusing and they could definitely help me. We then mapped out my health plan; the number of visits per week and the types of treatment, which included adjustments, acupuncture, massage, bio-electric muscle stimulation, hydrobed, laughter, and genuine caring. My half-way re-evaluation revealed a significant, visible improvement to the curve in my neck and improvement to my lower spine. Today, I am 70 pounds lighter, more flexible, with significantly less pain and discomfort. I am eating healthy foods prepared in healthy ways. I am drinking more water and the increased hydration has given me clearer skin, and better digestion and elimination. I am healthier than I’ve ever been; I feel beautiful inside, and that inner beauty is radiated outward and is very visible. For me, health and beauty are synonymous; you can’t have one without the other. As I have learned, the mentality of “I am worth it” is more about our inherent right to health and happiness than it is about material things. I’ve achieved personal health and happiness because I know I’m worth it and so are you.
TUrN THE pAgE TO HEAr mOrE FrOm gWEN’S pHySICIAN ANd NUTrITIONIST.
As a natural healthcare provider and founder of Gentle Touch Chiropractic & Wellness Center, I frequently see patients who are looking for a cure for a health problem, but don’t want to submit to taking drugs or having surgery. Many times we find that they suffer from problems that, in fact, are best handled by a natural approach. What I find most important is to really take the time to listen and understand the patient and their health concerns, which happens so rarely in doctor’s offices these days. But when done, the correct diagnosis and treatment become obvious. I normally spend at least an hour doing an initial consultation, as it takes that much time to understand the patient’s concerns and find out exactly what is causing the health issue.
that is NOT the truth. A thorough consultation and exam often finds an actual health problem causing the loss of vitality, and when a proper care plan is created, their symptoms disappear.
After many years of practice, I’ve seen a lot of patients who aren’t even aware that they’re experiencing health problems. They may have noticed that they feel like they are 60 years old when they’re only 40. They tell me they feel exhausted all the time, or they’ve lost the ability to do the activities they used to enjoy. Many want to go to the gym, but feel that it’s just too much effort.
For this reason, I urge everyone to get checked out. Gwen was fortunate. Although x-rays showed that problems had already started, her spine had not degenerated to the point of no return.
And therein lies the vicious cycle of not feeling healthy and energetic, and realizing that their vitality is slipping away. Most people see this as “agerelated,” but I’m here to tell you that
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Checking out even mild symptoms is important, as there is a point at which health can become so far deteriorated that it’s difficult, if not impossible to regain health. This happens long before the average person notices they’re losing their health. For example, there is a point where the spine degenerates so far that the bones are no longer mobile or will even fuse together, generally without any pain or signs that it’s happening. Once it does, there is little that can be done to restore it or prevent further damage.
Because the health of the spine affects nerves that control virtually every part of our bodies, the effects of chiropractic care can be broad and remarkable: improved energy, reduced blood pressure, and loss of symptoms like acid reflux, chronic fatigue, uncontrollable menstrual bleeding, plantar fascitis, hair loss and weight gain.
In addition to chiropractic, our office provides acupuncture, massage and nutrition, plus a wide variety of other conventional and natural therapies, many of them similar to therapies your grandma used to restore your mother’s health. As a benefit to our community, I offer free wellness lectures, and even a free initial 1 hour consultation. If you are interested in experiencing a revitalization in your health, or to maintain wellness, please contact me at my office: 727-2353265 or events@gentle-chiro.com. DISCLAIMER: The patient and any other person responsible for payment has the right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other services, examination or treatment which is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to this ad.
About Dr. Colette Cseszko Dr. Cseszko has practiced Chiropractic in the Bay Area since 2002. She attended Sherman College of Chiropractic in South Carolina, graduating with the highest possible academic distinction of Summa Cum Laude, and before that, received a bachelor degree in Biology & Psychology from The University of the State of New York. She became certified to practice Medical Acupuncture in 2005, and is now enrolled in a Post Doctorate program in Clinical Nutrition through the prestigious University of Miami Medical Department. Board Certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Dr. Cseszko is licensed in Florida and Canada as a Chiropractic Physician, and is qualified to practice both Chiropractic and Medical Acupuncture. A member of several professional associations, she also served on the board of the Pinellas County Chiropractic Society.
As a 37-year old woman who’s been overweight since adolescence and morbidly obese for at least 10 years, I’ve tried dieting many times. In the past I’ve done Weight Watchers, Atkins, calorie counting, water fasting, and the list goes on and on. I won’t say that I failed, because I realize now that I learned very useful things each time I tried to get my weight under control. I restarted my weight loss journey on March 26th of this year, and so far have lost 50 pounds – my biggest success so far. Here are a few tips I learned about making the breakthrough.
“Breakthrough”
5tips
by mrs. Kimberley Webb
How to Breakthrough AFTER 20 YEARS, VICTORY IN WEIGHT LOSS
1
rely on god, not on self. I have always tried to “push” my way through diets, but this go round I’m “resting” in the fact that I can accomplish this through the Lord’s strength. At first, it was all Him, but he’s grown me in faith along the way, and now it’s me and God “faith working with works.”
2
Create an accountability team. This is what I enjoyed most about Weight Watchers in the past. The weekly weigh-in helped me stay on-track, and group meetings were a great source of encouragement. These days, I weigh-in at my sister’s house every Friday. I chose her place because I knew she’d call to see why if I missed a weigh-in. I joined Curves Gym, where they do your weight and measurements monthly, and the ladies there are the best cheerleaders anyone could ask for. I’m also part of an online weight-loss challenge with 600 women from all over the country, sharing recipes, exercise tips and weekly weigh-ins via video.
3
Celebrate every success. I’ve had weeks where I lost 8 pounds and weeks where I lost 1. I am sure I’ll have weeks where I don’t have any loss. But even if the scale doesn’t give me
the number I want, I know that I’m better than I was 3 months ago. I can walk farther and exercise longer. I have so many successes every day that I don’t allow myself to get down about what the scale says.
4
don’t put off shopping until you reach your goal. Money is tight for me, but I love thrift shopping. It’s hard to shop in thrift stores at a size 32 or 5X, but there are tons of cute options in 2X-3X. I’ve bought several nice 26/28 & 22/24 outfits to stock my closet, just waiting for me to wear them. In fact, I just got into a pair of size 26 shorts that I bought a month ago!
5
Try new foods. I used to hate veggies, but now fruits and vegetables make up at least 50% of my diet. I used to think that food had to be fried or smother to be “good.” With websites like www.skinnytaste.com I’ve been able to enjoy delicious low-calorie dinners that the whole family enjoys. By changing my mind about food, I stopped feeling deprived.
Kim Webb is the Digital Media Manager for the Power Broker, as well as a wife, mother of 4 and founder of Project Juffure, a non-profit dedicated to reviving the village to make life better for our children.
Wardrobe Tips for Women Losing Weight How to look fabulous in-between sizes
Roughly 90% of American women fall victim to cellulite or unwanted weight, especially thanks to the added stress, hormones and not-so-great diet habits of the average American! So once you’ve made up your mind that it’s time to get rid of the excess pounds for good, what do you do about your wardrobe? What if your closet is full of size 12’s, but you’re currently at a “healthy” size 16? HErE ArE A FEW TIpS TO HElp yOU THrOUgH THE TrANSITION: #1 KEEP THINGS UPBEAT! It’s depressing to stare at a closet full of clothes that you can no longer wear, so be sure to keep your spirits upbeat along the journey. A recent weight loss trend is to create a “vision board” of magazine clippings that show women at your ideal weight, whether it’s a 4 or 14. #2 USE YOUR CLOTHES AS A SECRET WEAPON. Nothing
motivates me more than the thought
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of fitting into that one perfect outfit. So put your old, smaller sizes to work. Try displaying your hottest outfit on a mannequin in your bedroom for inspiration; or wearing an outfit that’s a half-inch too tight (with a body shaper, of course) to remind you of that “next level” of weight loss; or psyching yourself out by refusing to buy another stitch until you can fit into your next size down.
#3 DITCH THE BAGGY CLOTHES! Put more shape and
style into your clothing choices; and if you’re working with limited funds, start with vibrant accessories. Even when donning dark colors like navy, accent them with cheery hues like turquoise or pink; and use belts and scarves to transform baggy clothing into fitted pieces that compliment your figure.
#4 KEEP YOUR WARDROBE:
Having your wardrobe altered as you trim down can save a ton of cash, and get you over the hump until you’re comfortable investing in new clothes. Prices like $8 to alter a pair of slacks can fit most pocketbooks. For a personal referral to a seamstress near you, write us: fashioneditor@ powerbrokermagazine.com.
#4 USE BLACK, BUT WITH SPLASHES OF COLOR: While
you’re between sizes, black is a great slendering option, but be sure and add spice with accessories – scarves, belts, and jewelry. Even 10-year old black slacks can be reborn with the right blouse and accents.
Raven Symone, Star Jones and Jennifer Hudson give us examples of how to handle wardrobe changes during weight loss.
#5 SLIM YOUR CLOSET AS YOU GO! It takes a serious
commitment to get rid of those larger sizes in your closet (the ones we keep for when we’re on the heavier side). But some people say it motivates them to see their weight loss as permanent. Once you reach size 14, give away those 16’s. Then, once you reach size 10, let go of the 12’s and 14’s.
As a token of love and support, the Power Broker will give away one $50 gift card each month to a person on a weight loss program who needs help re-stocking their closet. Enter to win by writing us about how you’re losing weight: fashioneditor@ powerbrokermagazine. com.
What if you have no money, and you need new clothes? It’s a reality for some of us that we have very few pieces of clothing that we can wear. One friend told me how, at size 28, she could only fit into 2 pairs of pants, day after day. That alone kept her slightly depressed. One option is to search online for clothing give-away sites near you. For example, go to www.211tampabay.org, click on Get Help and enter “clothing” in the search box. Over 2 dozen free clothes closets are located throughout Pinellas County.
Recycle your clothes as you shed pounds Now that you feel good and look amazing, what do you do with those treasures you aren’t wearing? May I suggest you bless someone through a program such as the CARE Clothes Closet that gives away free clothing for women in need (donate by calling 727-822-0443 or by drop-off at 945 20th Street S. in St. Pete). You can also set-up a garage sale and make some extra money.
The Power Broker’s
1
st
New Me Make-Over
After 7 years in print, the Power Broker is breaking new ground once again by helping people discover (or rediscover) their inner glow! For the rest of the year, the Power Broker’s new Beauty Editor will do one make-over per month for one deserving woman or man who tells us why they want or need a “New Me.”
NEW MOM ASKED US TO MAKE HER GORGEOUS AGAIN
company shirts because that’s the only thing that fits since having the baby.
Hello Power Broker Magazine,
With a great career and husband, I can’t let mommy work have me looking “busted.” I want to be Fly at home, Fly at work, and Fly at the day care. PLEASE HELP RESTORE THE GLAM!
First up, our expert team of stylists took on the medium-light-weight challenge to revive the faded style of a young professional, based here in Tampa who recently had her first baby.
I know that I’m desperately in need of a DIVA makeover. I no longer want to be plain Jane and have to wear
“
“BEFORE HER POWER BROKER MAKE-OVER” “AFTER A “NEW ME” MAKE-OVER”
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I’m in need of a makeover from Head to Toe!!! Since I’ve had my baby six months ago and have returned to work, I’m just trying to get through the next feeding and diaper change.
Step-by-Step Transformation, from Frumpy to Chic The Power Broker’s first “New Me” make-over happened at Total Beauty Spa, nestled away in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Chelsea arrived bright and
Best, Chelsea Hall Padgett Director of Diversity Initiatives Florida Division American Cancer Society, Inc.
early for her pampering session. We could see right off the bat that her naturally polished facial features were obscured by a mushroom of a hat. And Chelsea’s mane of lustrously thick hair was sorely in need of a new style. Our makeover candidate was introduced to her very own personal make-over crew – hair stylist, make-over artist, and photographer before moving right
along to a much awaited wardrobe consultation with me, Beauty Editor Lena G, followed by a hair and make-up consultation with beauty expert Sylvia K. Russell. Lena G does an overall consultation with Chelsea to review key decisions
Sylvia and Chelsea opted for a short bob cut with layers to frame her oval face, and afterwards, Chelsea gives the photographer a picture perfect smile.
CREDITS: Creative Director: Lena Graham
A stylist of over a decade, Sylvia first applied a relaxer to Chelsea’s lovely locks, then added some highlights to bring out the chisel in Chelsea’s cheek bones. That was capped by a layered cut that was “red carpet” ready.
Her very own selection, Chelsea wanted to see her curves draped in black for her “after” photo.
Images: LTS Studios St Petersburg and B& J Productions
Hair & Make-Up: Sylvia Russell of Total Beauty Salon & Spa, St Petersburg Florida 2244 1st Ave, North St. Petersburg Florida , 33713 727-321-7497 www.atotalbeautysalon.com Wardrobe & Styling: Studio 277 www.lgcdinc.com
LOCAL CANCER SURVIVOR/ NATIONAL PIONEER RELEASES HIS MEMOIRS:
“Don’tTell Me I Can’t”
“
Not bad for a poor kid from 25th Street and Ridge avenues, deep in the heart of the Philadelphia ghetto.”
“As they removed the covering and unveiled my likeness in wax, I realized I had finally arrived. In the lobby of Bank of America, flanked by Ken Lewis, the bank’s CEO, and many more seasoned banking professionals, I was overwhelmed. This was the biggest reward I had ever received. My former colleagues, in the consummate act of loyalty, admiration, and friendship, wanted to honor me for being a trailblazer.” Those are the opening words of the compelling story of Robert Samuels’ life, born 1938 (misha change this to black the 1938) in Philadelphia, to later become “a pioneer, a rebel, civil rights activist, a successful black banker, and a national leader in the war against cancer,” says his wife and publicist Lillian Samuels. She says “Readers of Don’t Tell Me I Can’t will discover Bob’s triumph over poverty, racism, a career that consumed his life, and the challenges of alcoholism, depression, sexual obsession, and finally cancer.” Samuels’ long list of kudos
50 Guide to Healthy Beauty
started early. In 1969 he became one of the first African Americans hired by a major New York bank, and five years later made it to vice president. It was during those years that Samuels founded the New York City Urban Bankers Association, then the National Association of Urban Bankers, which grew to 3,000 members in 33 states by 1997. “Prejudice followed,” he acknowledged, but it didn’t deter him. After moving to Tampa in 1992, Samuels was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He says “I was totally ignorant about the disease, unaware that black men are particularly vulnerable. My questions were endless: Would I become impotent? What treatment should I undergo?” To survive, he decided to learn everything he could about the disease. Since then he’s toured the country educating audiences about prostate cancer. As founding chairman of both the National Prostate Cancer Coalition and the Florida Prostate Cancer Network, Samuels says his goal was to move prostate cancer into the public spotlight. “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t” carries that torch.
HOW MANY MEN GET PROSTATE CANCER? The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for the U.S. in 2012: About 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer About 28,170 deaths from prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the most common cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. It’s the second leading cause of cancer death in men, behind only lung cancer. One man in 6 will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and 1 in 36 will die of this disease.
WHAT TO DO
The American Cancer Society recommends that men get informed and talk with their doctor or health care provider about whether to be screened for prostate cancer. Men at average risk of prostate cancer should begin screening at age 50; men at high risk, at age 45. This includes African-American men and men who have a father, brother, or son found to have prostate cancer. Learn more at www.cancer.org.
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS? While we do not yet know exactly what causes prostate cancer, we do know that certain risk factors are linked to it.
AGE: Prostate cancer is very rare in men under 40. The chance of getting it goes up quickly after a man reaches 50. Almost 2 out of every 3 prostate cancers are found in men over 65. RACE: It’s more common in black men, and African American men are also more likely to have a more advanced disease when it’s found and are more likely to die of the disease. FAMILY HISTORY: Prostate cancer
seems to run in families. Men with close family members (father or brother) who have had prostate cancer are more likely to get it themselves.
PROSTATE CANCER
*
Know the Facts*
*Excerpts from the American Cancer Society’s Prostate Cancer Guide
WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?
The prostate is a gland found only in males. It’s just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. In younger men, it’s about the size of a walnut, but can be much larger in older men. Male hormones such as testosterone cause the growth. Some cancers can grow quickly, but most grow slowly. Autopsies show that many older men who died of other diseases also had prostate cancer that never caused a problem during their lives. In many cases, neither they nor their doctors even knew they had it.
At least 58% of Type 2 Diabetes cases can be prevented, suggests a national Diabetes Prevention Program study over more than a decade
Why saddle yourself with Type 2 diabetes, if you can avoid it? Type 2 diabetes is one of the hottest topics in health care these days, partly because it’s rising at an alarming rate – especially for African Americans. Although there is no known way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, many, if not most, Type 2 cases can be prevented or managed for a healthy lifestyle. The biggest reason for the rise in Type 2 is America’s obesity issue. Over the past 50 years, the percentage of Americans with diabetes escalated from under 5% in 1958 to almost 25% (that’s one in every four people). So, think about four people you know – your mother, auntie, cousin and best friend, and one of them has diabetes or is pre-diabetic. And the numbers are even worse for African Americans. Again, it’s the obesity issue. More of us tip the scales with weight issues. Type 2 diabetes was previously called “adult-onset diabetes.” In adults, Type 2 accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it.
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Because more African Americans are overweight, way more of us are developing Type 2 diabetes. As a group, we’re nearly 2 times more likely than nonblack people to have diabetes.
2x
Simple Steps to Prevent Type 2 or lower your risk Just a few lifestyle changes can dramatically lower your chances of developing Type 2. Control your Weight Excess weight is the single most important cause of Type 2 diabetes. Being overweight increases the chances of developing Type 2 seven fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. Losing 7 to 10% of your current weight can cut your chances of developing Type 2 in half!
get moving—and Turn Off the Tv Every 2 hours you spend watching TV, instead of doing something more active, increases the chances of developing diabetes by 20%. It also increases the risk of heart disease (15%) and early death (13%).Working your muscles more often and making them work harder improves their ability to use insulin
and absorb glucose. Long bouts of hot, sweaty exercise aren’t necessary to reap this benefit. Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day reduces Type 2 risk by 30%. The TV-diabetes link appears to come from the fact that the more TV people watch, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese. Plus TVwatching often comes with unhealthy diet patterns.
What to drink instead? Water is an excellent choice. Coffee & tea are also good caloriefree substitutes (as long as they’re not loaded with sugar & cream). And coffee mayactually protect against diabetes.
Choose whole grains over processed carbs Studies on the whole grain consumption of 160,000 women, found that women who averaged 2 to 3 servings of whole grains a day were 30% less likely to develop Type 2 than those who rarely ate whole grains. Eating an extra 2 whole grain servings a day decreased Type 2 risks by 21%. That’s because whole grains cause less stress to the body’s insulin-making machinery. In contrast, white bread, white rice, mashed potatoes, donuts, and bagels cause sustained spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, which may lead to increased diabetes risk. Researchers estimate that swapping whole grains in place of even some white rice could lower diabetes risk by 36%.
Limit red meat & ditch processed meat! The evidence is growing stronger that eating red meat (beef, pork, lamb) and processed red meat (bacon, hot dogs, deli meats) increases diabetes risks, even in small amounts. Research on roughly 440,000 people found that eating just 1 daily 3-ounce serving of red meat increased Type 2 risk by 20%. Eating even smaller amounts of processed red meat each day—just two slices of bacon, one hot dog, or the like—increased diabetes risk by 51%. Try swapping meat for healthier protein sources, like nuts, low-fat dairy, poultry, or fish.
Skip the sugary drinks! Researchers found that women who drink 1 or more sugar-sweetened drinks per day had an 83% higher risk of Type 2, compared to women who drank less than 1 per month. And for every added 12-ounces of sugary beverage you drink per day, your Type 2 risk rises 25%. And beware - studies suggest that fruity drinks aren’t necessarily as healthy as food ads suggest. Women in the Black Women’s Health study who drank 2 or more servings of fruit drinks a day had a 31% higher risk of Type 2, compared to women who drank less than 1 serving a month.
If you Smoke, Try to Quit Add Type 2 diabetes to the long list of health problems linked to smoking. Smokers are roughly 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers, and heavy smokers have an even higher risk. Alcohol Now & Then may Help Some studies indicate that moderate consumption decreases Type 2 risks. Up to 1 drink a day for women, and 2 for men—increases insulin’s efficiency at getting glucose inside cells. If you already drink, keep your consumption moderate. If you don’t drink, no need to start—you get the same benefits by losing weight, exercising more, and changing your eating patterns.
Special thanks: The “Simple Steps” above are edited and excerpted from the Harvard School of Public Health’s “Simple Steps to Preventing Diabetes”.
The
”
COSTTO “FLOSS By the Power Broker research team
Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” documentary says African Americans (mostly women) spend $9 billion per year on hair care alone, including weaves, perms and wigs, and other market research shows that black Americans are the nation’s biggest spenders on beauty products. The list of “beauty boosters” Americans use is a long one. Even if you count only the beauty products that change the size, length or shape of one of your natural body parts, the price tag is huge. False buttocks, lashes and breasts can be minor costs compared to maintaining a weave! The Power Broker found that, on average, the biggest flossers spend up to $5,491 per year to maintain their preferred look, while the average person spends about $2,051 per year to enhance their natural beauty.
56 Guide to Healthy Beauty
{
{
Some of us go all out to enhance what God gave us, with a full gambit of “beauty boosters” – from false lashes and acrylic nails to high-priced body shapers and buttocks padding. If you add color contact lenses and year-round weave to the menu, people who substantially enhance their natural beauty can spend an average $5,491 per year to do it.
{
By our calculation, the “cost to floss” depends on how many body parts you cover, sew, tuck, perm and preen to present yourself to the world.
Most of us enhance our natural beauty in some way, shape, or form. The typical 40+ year old woman who has her nails done and feet pedicured, plus a perm every 8 weeks, and regular hair coloring spends along the lines of$2,051 per year (including an investment in Spanx and control tops).
{
“Cha ching!” is the sound of cash registers all across America, ringing up the billions of dollars in sales for people who want to floss, gloss, and enhance their natural beauty. Just how much? And how much is too much?
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
It’s all about you and your own personal preferences and pocket book! But here are three tips for sizing up whether you spend too much on your beauty habits: “Look within” to examine whether you’re going overboard with beauty boosters for reasons of low self-esteem.
1
2
Think about whether your beauty habits are cutting into your other financial commitments. Is the cost of upkeep on your hair preventing you from tithing 10% of your income to your church or house of worship? How much do you spend on beauty every year compared to how much you add to your savings account?
Be honest about whether you’re wasting money to accommodate and keep bad habits. For example, are you spending $200 on girdles and body shapers in order to avoid taming bad eating habits?
3
WEAVE: Year-round weave styling (est. $2,000 to $8,000 per year) or braid styles such as micros ($1,200 to $1,800 per year) LASHES: False lashes with an average 2 week life (est. $975 per year)
WASH & SETS:
A wash & set every two weeks, with perms every 8 weeks and 8 colors per year (est. $1,305 per year)
Nails
Acrylic or gel nails every 2 weeks plus a pedicure once a month (est. $706 per year)
BUTT ENHANCERS
Sites like siliconbody.com offer buttenhancing panties, padding (no panties required), and a full-line of other body shapers and enhancers from $25 to over $100 per.
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A WOMAN CRIES FOR HELP IN THE GRIPS OF CRACK COCAINE ADDITION There is help for people desperate to heal from addictions, be it crack cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, or prescription drugs, and Marty Watkins found herself one day on the front lines of the struggle. I work in Operation PAR’s Park Center location, and one day around Christmas week in 2011, I overheard a woman in the lobby begging for help and treatment. She was desperate for us to help her. Our front office staff gave her our Access Center phone number and encouraged her to call right now from one of our phones. We don’t do client programs at that location, but we often get people coming in for immediate help. The women spent maybe 15 minutes on the phone with our staff from the Access Center before she hung up. I went out to the lobby and introduced myself and asked what I could do to help. She
THE WOMEN SAID SHE WAS SUSPENDED FROM HER JOB AT THE SALVATION ARMY FOR 2 DAYS AND HAD TO GET INTO “DRUG TREATMENT” TODAY OR SHE WOULD LOSE HER JOB
was afraid, disheveled, and panicked.
I invited her into my office and began to do a “Marty” assessment on the level of care she needed. She was a crack addict with several prior treatment episodes, and had relapsed. She knew she was going to die or end up in jail if she didn’t get into treatment. I connected her right away to our Women’s Empowerment Initiative (WEI), an intensive outpatient program where she would get treatment 4 days a week....just what
58 Guide to Healthy Beauty
she needed. I called the Program Director, Renee Carter-Gura, told her the situation... Renee called me back within 5 minutes with a 1:30 pm intake appointment at the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Center right near the woman’s home in St. Petersburg. It was about noon. I made sure the women had enough gas in her car and told her to get something to eat/drink and be there at 1:30. She started crying, hugging my neck, and thanking God for the miracle. I called Renee the next day to make sure she made it. Renee said she was all signed up, and ready for treatment. Now for the wonderful part.....about a month later, I am working at my desk and a women comes to my door. I asked if I could help her and she said, “oh no, I came to see YOU.” It took me a few moments, but then I remembered that she was the women from Christmas. She was all cleaned up, big smile on her face, standing up straight and didn’t look anything like she did before. She was clean and sober... again. She’d made a special stop at our office just to see me and thank me for “saving her life.” Her visit showed me that she “lived” because of our help.... it gave me goose bumps all over my body to the bone. I thought to myself....”now this is what it’s all about”...this is why I continue to work here at PAR after 23 years. We save one life, one family at a time....year, after year, after year.
& High Fashion Here in the Bay
This is a “take two” for TFM, which hosted the 1st annual HAUTE show in 2011, and the TFM team promises to bring an even stronger array of designers to the 2012 Tampa Bay edition on Friday September 7th.
If any one group keeps urban fashion at the forefront in Tampa Bay, it’s “The Fashion Movement” Executive Team, led by Executive Producer Lacey Smith. Together, they host year-round up-scale affairs – fashion shows, auditions, and designer competitions – that draw hundreds, sometimes thousands, to see the newest and hottest looks for the season. The latest “TFM” (that’s short for The Fashion Movement) sensation is “HAUTE – the accessory show” coming September 7th to the Hunters Green Country Club in Tampa. “Want to update your wardrobe in a minute? Add a cool, new piece of accessory” says the fashion movement, and see it all at HAUTE – from jewelry and purses, to hats, belts and shoes. The event will spotlight the contributions that accessory designers make to the fashion industry, says Lacey, who leads all creative aspects of the show. And the show emphasizes the unique and creative works of independent and emerging accessory designers, especially some of Tampa Bay’s rising stars. 60 Guide to Healthy Beauty
YOUR INVITATION TO HAUTE
Enjoy smooth jazz, delicious bites and drinks all while mixing and mingling with sponsors, media/
press, models, designers, boutique buyers and fellow fashion lovers. The evening will begin with an opening reception. TFM welcomes you to meet and greet, eat and drink, while enjoying the live mannequin presentations throughout the event’s space. Models will then hit the runway displaying the designs of participating designers.
Participating designers work will also be displayed in a boutique setting and available for sale to attending patrons. Location: The Hunters Green Country Club 18101 Longwater Run Drive, Tampa, FL 33647 Cocktail reception: 7:00 pm Runway show opens: 8:30 pm Tickets: $30.00 To purchase tickets: http://hautetheaccessoryshow. eventbrite.com/ For more info: 813.863.1710
Connect to the Fashion Movement to receive invites to upcoming events: The Fashion Movement (TFM) markets itself as a multi-faceted FASHION events production, marketing and consulting company based in Tampa, Florida. Its mission is to provide a forum where designers of garments and accessories, models, artists, performing artists, make-up artists, stylists and other visionaries in the fashion, style and beauty industries can promote and market their brands.
www.facebook.com/ TheFashionMovement twitter.com/#!/ThefashionMvt www.theracque.com
Your Age, Habits & Ailments Affect Your Dental Health
CHANGES AS YOU AGE
Not only your age, but several common medical conditions create serious risks for your dental health. Asthma, allergies, cancer, psychological disorders, hormone imbalances, thyroid disorders, diabetes and high blood pressure can all affect your oral health and create these common questions:
You may notice that as you age it’s tougher to keep your teeth white. This may be true for a couple of reasons smoking, foods and drinks high in soy and color additives.
1
Plaque builds faster and in greater amounts as we age.
2
Dentin (a bone-like tissue under the enamel) changes your teeth to look darker.
3
Medicines that cause dry mouth (antihistamines and allergy medicines) can increase cavity development. Age is a factor in some people’s loss of taste. Certain diseases, medications and wearing dentures can all be reasons for this. Dry mouth occurs when the saliva glands do not work properly. Saliva is vital to keep your mouth moist, wash away food and neutralize the acids produced by plaque. Left untreated, dry mouth can increase tooth decay. Dry mouth can make it difficult to eat, swallow, taste and even speak.
62 Guide to Healthy Beauty
It can be caused by certain medical conditions and a long list of medications: Bronchodilators (used for asthma) Decongestants and diuretics Muscle relaxants & sedatives Anti-anxiety, anti-depressant medications Anti-hypertensive medications Anti-Parkinsonian medications Oral contraceptives, hormone replacements & thyroid medications
All of these can cause swelling, sensitivity and abnormal bleeding and changes in the teeth and oral tissue. It’s important to let your dentist know about all of your medical conditions and history, especially if you’ve been ill or in the hospital recently. Your dentist also needs to know the herbal medicines, overthe-counter products, prescriptions, doses & frequency that you are taking as well as the name of your physician. This will ensure that your dentist is able to treat you in the most safe and effective way possible.
Cancer treatments (radiation and chemo-therapy and medicines)
Diabetes
puts your dental health at risk
I
f you’ve been diagnosed with Diabetes Type I or II, your risk of developing periodontal disease increases significantly. Research shows that by decreasing the bacteria that lives in gum pockets, blood sugar levels can be better managed. Studies indicate that people with gum disease were more likely to develop heart disease, and in pregnant women, more likely to deliver premature and low birth weight babies. While we did not know that gum disease causes these conditions, research has established
a connection. In the meantime it is a fact that controlling gum disease can save your teeth. Whether periodontal gum disease is stopped, slows down or worsens depends a great deal on how well you care for your teeth and gums every day. The top treatment goal is to control the infection, and though the types of treatment vary, depending on the extent of the gum disease, all of them require that the patient keep up good daily care at home. The doctor may also
suggest changing some behaviors, such as quitting smoking and improving home care techniques. Your dentist may start you on antibiotic therapies – oral or placed in the gum pockets - to control infection. For a free consultation about your dental health:
T
he Power Broker team will select one beautiful Tampa Bay woman to be on the cover of our “Black Holiday” edition, releasing this November 2012. We’re in search of “healthy” beauty for this Cover Girl Contest, so if you or someone you know is beautiful “inside and out,” here’s how you can compete to be on the cover of Tampa Bay’s “most read” magazine for African Americans. WHO’S ElIgIblE? Any woman, age 18 or older, with a positive attitude, a healthy lifestyle, and a “story” to tell our readers – whether it’s about how you maintain good health, or how you built your career or triumphed over adversity. THE WINNEr Our Cover Girl winner will receive a professional photo shoot, with make-up and stylists on hand; a cover spot on a major regional magazine
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to add to her resume or portfolio; a feature article to tell “your story” in the Power Broker; plus a $500 package of gifts and prizes from retail & corporate sponsors, including the clothes she wears during the photo shoot. HOW TO ENTEr OUr COvEr gIrl CONTEST If you or someone you know could be a Power Broker Cover Girl, send us up to 3 high-resolution photos, your full contact information (via email, cell, facebook, twitter and website, if applicable), and up to 200 words telling us why you should be our winner. Submit materials or questions to us at: Lena Graham, Beauty Editor for the Power Broker magazine lena@powerbrokermagazine.com or 305.349.3357. Visit us online at: www. powerbrokermagazine.com
yOU CAN HElp US SElECT OUr COvEr gIrl The Power Broker Publisher & Beauty Editor will ask readers to vote on 10 finalist in our Cover Girl contest. Voting begins September 24th 2012 and ends October 1st 2012 on the Power Broker facebook pages.
gET rEAd TO CAST yOUr vOTE. bECOmE OUr FrIENd Or FAN AT:
Whitni Walker
facebook.com/powerbrokermagazine facebook.com/GypsyGallardo
OUR
CONTESTANTS SO FAR
Courtney miller
SOmE OF THE lOCAl bEAUTIES COmpETINg TO bE
THE 1ST pOWEr brOKEr COvEr gIrl davida Antoinette bowen
(stage name – davida belove)
dEAdlINE TO SUbmIT yOUr pHOTO: September 17th 2012 by 5 pm
Women’s Health Planned Parenthood of Southwest & Central Florida has health centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Ft. Myers, Lakeland and Winter Haven that provide low-cost, high-quality family planning, reproductive health services, and sexuality education. Our confidential affordable services include parent/teen education; birth control; cancer screening; pregnancy testing; adoption referral; GYN exams; sexually transmitted disease and infection testing & treatment; HPV vaccines; HIV counseling & testing; and vasectomy services. For an appointment or to learn more: 1.800.230.plAN or www.myplannedparenthood.org
pinellas – St pete
8950 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N #102 St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2289
Hillsborough – Tampa
8068 North 56th Street Tampa, FL 33617-7620
polk – lakeland
2250 East Edgewood Drive Lakeland, FL 33803-3643
polk – Winter Haven
908 Spring Lake Square Winter Haven, FL 33881-1352
manatee – bradenton 1105 53rd Ave. E., Suite 201 Bradenton, FL 34203-4897
Sarasota – Sarasota 736 Central Avenue Sarasota, FL 34236-4042
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HIv & AIdS TESTINg, prEvENTION & rESOUrCES The AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP) provides a myriad of support services and referrals for the HIV/AIDS community. In adition to a full range of services in Pinellas County (see list below), and surrounding conties. Learn more at www.asapservices.org
ASAp SErvICES INClUdE: Mental Health Counseling • Substance Abuse Counseling (including therapy groups) • Department of Health Eligibility Screening for Ryan White Programs and Services • Family Case Management • Ryan White Case Management • Project AIDS Care (PAC) Case Management • Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services (CRCS) • VOICES (Condom Negotiations Skills classes) • Limited Emergency Financial Assistance Medical Co-Pay Assistance Program • Food & Personal Needs Pantry • Brighter Seasons for Children • Free Rapid HIV Testing • Advance Care Planning Monthly Client Dinner Social Support Group • HIV Update Classes • Eligibility Requirements Apply *
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Visit ASAP in one of three locations in Pinellas County (free HIV testing at all locations): ST. PETERSBURG: 3050 1st Ave South 727-328-3260 4601 34th St. South Flamingo Resort 727-321-7600
CLEARWATER: 1214 Cleveland St. 727-449-2437
diabetes resources rEdUCE yOUr dIAbETES rISK & gAIN TOOlS FOr HEAlTHy lIvINg THrOUgH THE ymCA’S dIAbETES prEvENTION prOgrAm. If you are at high risk for type 2 diabetes, the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can help you adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles that will help you reduce your chances of developing diabetes. The program helps those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes eat healthier, increase physical activity and lose a modest amount of weight in order to reduce their chances of developing the disease. Based on research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the program reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%. AbOUT THE prOgrAm In a classroom setting, a trained lifestyle coach facilitates a small group of participants in learning about healthier eating, physical activity and other behavior changes over the course of 16 one-hour sessions. After the initial 16 core sessions, participants meet monthly for added support to help them maintain their progress. prOgrAm gOAlS: • Reduce body weight by 7% • Increase physical activity to 150 minutes per week WHO CAN pArTICIpATE? In order to qualify for the program, you must be at least 18 years old, overweight (BMI > 25)* and at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes or have
been diagnosed with prediabetes† by a healthcare provider.(†Individuals who have already been diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes do not qualify for this program.) WHAT pEOplE ArE SAyINg…
This program has helped me to reinforce much of what I already know, but also gave me the ability to achieve it this time and continue to progress towards a more healthy and happy lifestyle. I have a lot more energy now and am able to be more active with my kids. I enjoy riding my bike, swimming, walking and other activities. It has been a great help to me and I look forward to maintaining this healthy lifestyle in the years to come. - Todd, YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program Participant
In the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, you give and get encouragement and motivation from others as you learn practical ways to take control of your health. Not only do I work out every day at the Y, its become my social network. I’m grateful that I saw the flyer and made that first call. I felt supported right away.The Y not only helped me improve my life, they’ve helped me prolong it. These days, it just feels good to be alive.” - Wade, YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention FOr INFOrmATION AbOUT prOgrAm FEES, FINANCIAl ASSISTANCE Or TO FINd OUT IF yOU QUAlIFy plEASE CONTACT: Danielle Mauck dmauck@stpeteymca.org 600 1st Avenue North, Suite 201 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • Phone 727.895.9622 • www.stpeteymca.org
Freedom from Alcohol & Drug Addiction Since 1970, Operation PAR has been helping families experiencing the harsh realities associated with substance abuse and mental health issues. Operation PAR provides integrated addiction and mental health services at sites in Hernando, Pinellas, Pasco, Lee and Manatee counties.
Good For Drugs for elementary and middle school youth at community locations in Pinellas County. Contact: Juanita Sparks, JD, CPP jsparks@ operpar.org, (727) 893-5438 Family Safety & Adult Prevention Program, Parenting Wisely – Free court-approved parenting classes for families at risk of losing their children and involved with Child Protection Services or non-custodial parents seeking custody or visiting rights. Services also available to the general public seeking to improve parenting skills. Children may accompany parents to classes. Contact: Genny Phaire, (727) 893-5438
Our Help Preventing Substance Abuse
Our Help with Juvenile & Family Services
LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Pinellas County – a community coalition which focuses on preventing underage drinking, youth tobacco use, prescription drug use and other illicit drug use in Pinellas County. Contact: LiveFree! Executive Director Jackie Griffin jgriffin@ operpar.org, (813) 503-5658
Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center – assessment services for youth detained or arrested by local law enforcement. Contact: Tom Camp (727) 464-7450
SunCoast Keep Kids Drug Free Prevention Center –a community Speaker’s Bureau which provides free community education on a variety of prevention topics. Contact: Jackie Griffin jgriffin@operpar.org, (813) 503-5658
Juvenile Case Management – coordination of services for DJJ involved youth, arrested youth or youth waiting for residential substance abuse treatment. Contact: Tom Camp (727) 464-7450
COBRA (Creating Outstanding Blossoming & Responsible Adolescents) – provides free training called Too Good For Violence, Too
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Juvenile Outpatient Program – outpatient substance abuse treatment services for youth ages 11-17. Contact: Tom Camp (727) 464-7450
Adolescent Residential Center –substance abuse treatment for youth ages 13 -17 Contact: Tom Camp (727) 464-7450
U-Turn-New directions Toward recovery & Independent living – outpatient substance abuse treatment for homeless youth residing at one of the Family Resources Transitional Living Facilities. Contact: Tom Camp (727) 464-7450 bay Area young Offender reentry program – outpatient substance abuse treatment for youth release from commitment programs Contact: Tom Camp (727) 547-4508 pAr Adolescent recovery Integrated Services (pArIS) –outpatient substance abuse treatment services for youth ages 12-17 living in the Childs Park community (St. Petersburg) or the North Greenwood Community (Clearwater) Contact: Tom Camp (727) 464-7450 AdUlT OUTpATIENT & rESIdENTIAl Case management – service coordination services for substance abusing adults, families with substance abuse issues and pregnant women who are dealing with substance abuse issues Contact: linda Jeremiah (727) 524-4311 COSA at the Child development & Family guidance Center - Day treatment substance abuse services including an aftercare component, parenting classes and a Therapeutic Developmental Center for children (birth – 5 years) for families at risk of losing custody of their children, pregnant alcoholics or addicts, adults seeking reunification with their
children, and dually diagnosed males or females with children (birth – 5 years). Services offered in South St. Petersburg and in Largo. Contact: linda Jeremiah (727) 893-5444 Women’s Empowerment Initiative – intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment services for substance/alcohol abusing parenting and pregnant women in black & Hispanic communities and their minor children (up to age 17). Services offered in South St. Petersburg and Largo. Contact: renee Carter-gura (727) 538-7245 pAr village – residential substance abuse treatment for substance abusing pregnant or parenting women and their minor children. Contact: laurie Schoepe (727) 538-7245 Intersection – outpatient or intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment services for substance abusing adult males and females. Contact: drew Wagner (727) 5387245 medication Assisted patient Services –Outpatient Methadone Detoxification, Outpatient Methadone Maintenance and Buprenorphine treatment in Clearwater or South St. Petersburg. Contact: John persha (727) 507-Hope (4673) Inpatient Detoxification – inpatient medical detoxification services for adults dependent on drugs and alcohol. Contact: Carol Thornton (727) 524-4311
F GET FIT FINANCIALLY & GET YOUR MORTGAGE TUNED UP!
SCHEdUlE OF FINANCIAl FITNESS ClASSES – 2012 JUNE: Tuesdays 5, 12, 19, 26 OR Thursdays 7, 14, 21, 28 JUly: Tuesdays 3, 10, 17, 24 OR Thursdays 5, 12, 19, 26 AUgUST: Tuesdays 7, 14, 21, 28 OR Thursdays 2, 9, 16, 23 SEpTEmbEr: Tuesdays 4, 11, 18, 25 OR Thursdays 6, 13, 20, 27 OCTObEr: Tuesdays 2, 9, 16, 23 OR Thursdays 4, 11, 18, 25 NOvEmbEr: Tuesdays 6, 13, 20, 27 OR Thursdays 1, 8, 15, 29 (off for Thanksgiving) dECEmbEr: No Classes
HOME BUYER EDUCATION Every 3rd Saturday of the Month ALL CLASSES CONVENIENTLY HELD HELD AT OUR OFFICES:
Neighborhood Home Solutions 1600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S.St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 | (727) 821-6897 www.nhsfl.org
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eeling Overwhelmed? Let Neighborhood Home Solutions Help….Learn how to maximize your income and get the most bang for your buck by creatively saving on routine expenses and developing a family budget. Learn how to improve your credit scores and how to develop the correct financial plan. Learn about mortgage payment assistant programs for qualified buyers. WEEK 1: your goals – your Choice Get excited about your financial goals, and gain confidence that you can take control of your finances. Topics: Money & Individual Responsibility; Goals; Needs, Wants, Desires; Expense Classifications; Take Control Tools; and the Key Points of Budgeting. WEEK 2: your money – your Future Understand the impact savings (or the lack of savings) on your financial well-being, and set a realistic plan to build your savings. Topics: Deposit vs. Non Deposit Accounts; Types of Financial Institutions; Savings Tools & Tips; Reducing Spending; Difference between Savings & Investing (Risk); Types of Credit; The 5-“C’s”; The Language of Credit.
WEEK 3: your Credit – your responsibility Learn how to use your credit to achieve your goals, instead of limiting your future! Topics: Using Credit & Credit Cards Responsibly; Debt Load; Risk Levels of Debt; The Ratios; How to read your Credit Report; and Strategies to get out of Debt. WEEK 4: your Identity – your Safety This module is designed to inform clients about laws that help them protect the wealth they are building. Clients also learn how to choose and utilize safe and reliable financial tools and how to avoid predators. And, finally, clients are introduced to steps to protect their identities. Topics: Financial Tools for Safety; Record Keeping; Predatory Lending; Identity Theft; Loan Look-Alikes; Laws to Protect.
SPONSORED BY: THE JUVENILE WELFARE BOARD OF PINELLAS COUNTY
Nurse Family Partnership
The Nurse-Family Partnership is a nurse home visitation program that improves the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of low-income, first-time parents and their children. The program is funded by the JWB Children’s Services Council of Pinellas County, and has operated out of the Pinellas County Health Department since 2011. AvAIlAbIlITy ANd ACCESS dETAIlS: • The program is available countywide. • The program is provided at no cost to participants. • Intake can be obtained by calling (727) 524-4410 ext 7863. HOW TO rEACH THE NUrSEFAmIly pArTNErSHIp: For general program questions, please contact Shelly Personette, Nurse-Family Partnership Nursing Supervisor, at the number below. Pinellas County Health Department – Mid-County Center 8751 Ulmerton Rd., Suite 1200, 1st Floor Largo, FL 33771. (727) 524-4410 ext. 7863. For more information: http:// pinellashealth.org
Healthy Families Pinellas
H
ealthy Families is a nationally accredited home visiting program for expectant parents and parents of newborns experiencing stressful life situations. The program improves childhood outcomes and increases family
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self-sufficiency by empowering parents through education and support. Parents voluntarily participate in Healthy Families so they can learn how to recognize and respond to their babies’ changing developmental needs, use positive discipline techniques, cope with the dayto-day stress of parenting in healthy ways, and set and achieve short- and long-term goals. The program is funded by the JWB Children’s Services Council of Pinellas County and Healthy Families Florida (through the Department of Children and Families), and operates out of the Pinellas County Health Department. AvAIlAbIlITy ANd ACCESS dETAIlS: • The program is available countywide at no cost to participants. • Prenatal Intake: Call (727) 824-6900 ext. 4537 (intake times can be arranged M-F 8:00 – 5:00 p.m. and after normal hours, with evening and weekend appointments). • postnatal Intake: Parents who deliver at Healthy Families participating hospitals (Bayfront Medical Center, St. Petersburg General Hospital, Morton Plant Hospital and Mease Hospital) will be assessed for eligibility at the birth of their baby.
HOW TO rEACH THE HEAlTHy FAmIlIES prOgrAm STAFF: For general program questions, please contact Ray Hensley, Healthy Families Program Director at (727) 588-4040 ext. 3181 or (727) 824-6900 ext. 3181 South County Teams Pinellas County Health Department – St. Petersburg Health Center 205 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 824-6900 ext. 6958 Contact: Sue Caddell, Program Manager mid County Teams: Pinellas Park Location - 8800 49th Street North – Suite 403, Pinellas Park, FL 33782 (727) 824-6900 ext. 4803 Contact: Stuart Nussbaum, Program Manager mid-County Teams: Largo Location Pinellas County Health Department – Largo Health Center 12420 130th Avenue, Largo, FL 33774 (727) 824-6900 ext. 3181 Contact: Ray Hensley, Program Director
School Based Health Services
M
edical services are provided by an ARNP, Pediatric Physician; mental health services are provided by a License Clinical Social Worker. These services are offered at School Based Health Clinic. Students attending these schools will receive services at no cost. Sports and school physicals are offered during the summer for all students attending or registering for Pinellas County Schools.
North County Teams: Pinellas County Health Department – MidCounty Health Center 8751 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33771 (727) 824-6900 ext. 7820 Contact: Andrea Whidden, Program Manager
Availability & access details: Student can access these services during school hours. Summer time hours by appointments only. School Based Health Clinics are located at Northeast High School, Gibbs High School, and Boca Ciega High School. For general information about the program, call Vienna C. Adams, R.N., BSN, Assistant Community Health Nursing Director Pinellas County Health Department, at (727)-824-6900 X 4562.
For more information: http://pinellashealth.org
For more information: www.pinellashealth.com
ON THE HUNT
A Power Broker quarterly report on new business opportunities & milestones
TAMPA NATIVE JOINS TECHNOLOGY ELITE
always have cell phones. His break came from winning a spot in Y Combinator, a program that funds tech start-ups in small sums (averaging $18,000), then temporarily relocates them to Silicon Valley to get in shape to attract private investors. That’s where Johnson pitched SendHub to investors like Governor Jeb Bush, one of many now backing him. This May, SendHub launched a new iPhone app for large group texting. Until now, group texting was a clunky process, but SendHub offers a web interface that makes it as easy as e-mail. Johnson says that gives SendHub a huge potential customer base of corporations connecting to large staffs; schools updating hundreds of students; and non-profits like churches, to easily reach members. The app allows them to quickly build a contact base without collecting emails or Facebook usernames.
Johnson graduated from Tampa Catholic High School and Florida State University, earning the Golden Torch Award for the FSU student athlete with the highest GPA. He completed his Master’s in 2006 as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
E
arly this year, Tampa’s Garrett Johnson became one of the precious few black entrepreneurs in the nation backed by technology venture capital, when his company (SendHub) secured $2 million in seed funding from Kapor Capital and Menlo Ventures. The firm’s genesis came from Johnson’s volunteer project to design a new software for his nephew’s school. But he quickly transformed it into a commercially viable tool. Johnson’s original application was designed to help teachers bridge the digital divide for poor families who didn’t have home computers, but almost
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SendHub is free to users sending up to 1,000 messages a month, and offers plans starting at $10 monthly for unlimited messaging. The firm now has 200+ paid users. For more on Johnson and his company: www.sendhub.com. mama ‘Nems out-of-business We thought for sure that Mama Nem’s would be one soul food restaurant that would stick, but no. The regionally famous soul food eatery in Orlando is permanently closed, according to urbanspoon.com and road reports from two Orlando-based readers of the Power Broker. The shut-down may have been at least partly catalyzed by controversy surrounding the owner. It’s unclear, but a slew of women have organized a small army of detractors against Pastor Jonathan McKnight of Orlando’s Sanctuary of Praise church. A blog at www.exposingjonathanlmck night.com has dozens of posts of supposedly first-hand testimonies lambasting the Reverend.
UdS rEvIvES dEAl WITH CITy TO FINISH THE mANHATTAN CASINO
You can hear Aminta on “Hot to the Minute” on Fridays @12PM broadcasting on www.RhinoOnAir. com. Stay connected via Facebook at iRadioWorldwide
For a minute there, it looked as though the deal was dead, when the City of St. Petersburg’s Economic Development Department rejected the one and only proposal it has received when it asked for bids from qualified firms to re-open the historic facility as a new retail & entertainment venue. That proposal, submitted by Urban Development Solutions (UDS), seems to be revived and moving along. The City re-opened talks with UDS in March, and is backing the firm’s effort to win State of Florida Tax Credits that will complete the project’s financing structure.
Black-Owned Health Shopping Network Seeks Investors The black-owned Healthway Shopping Network is now a public company as of March 19th, when the SEC gave a green light for the company to sell 13.5 million common shares to the public at $2 per share to raise $27 million in its’ initial public offering. Based in Palm Beach County, Healthway will operate a 24hour TV heath shopping channel, selling all-natural health products. For more info, visit healthywayshoppingnetwork. com.
St. pete-based Internet radio Station Open to Investors, partners The silky-voiced Aminta Voyce, whom we fell in love with as the Midday Café show host on the former 96.1FM & 1150AM WTMP, has taken to the cyber airwaves with the live, new weekly radio show called “Hot To The Minute” broadcasted on www.RhinoOnAir.com.
Public official uses private funds to start something big, investors wanted He didn’t wait for the City to approve a plan or funding, which was highly unlikely given that the City of St. Petersburg may cut another $10 million from its budget this year. So Councilman Karl Nurse took his City hat off, to self-fund the first step in his vision to rehabilitate dozens of homes in the time-worn Melrose-Mercy Pines neighborhood of South St. Petersburg.
Aminta says she and her business partners are open to potential strategic partnerships and investors. “We’re experiencing phenomenal growth in listenership and exposure for RhinoOnAir.com.” The team expects a significant increase in the number of advertisers and sponsors joining in 20122013. And it appears that internet radio is one of the industry’s hottest growth frontiers. Recent stats say that roughly 79 million people (37.5% of the US population) listen to online radio. By 2015, that number is expected to increase to 67% or 157 million listeners, but already, according to some research, more people listen to online radio than to satellite radio, high-def radio, podcasts, or cellphone-based radio combined.
Nurse unveiled his first home renovation on June 26th, after months of replacing all the major parts of the 50-year old home – from roof and electrical to central air & heat and new floors. “There wasn’t any profit in being the first to start rehabbing homes in the neighborhood,” he said, especially with housing prices still depressed. But that wasn’t his aim. “The goal was to help spark neighborhood renewal and show that many houses can be made over into safe, attractive and efficient homes at a much lower cost than building new houses.” He’s also working to revive the neighborhood association, an effort that drew 30 local residents to a recent organizing meeting.
Nurse said, “The real satisfaction was to see the boards come off the windows of two other houses on the block as we neared completion of this first house. You can see the street coming back to life.” The new home will be rented to two sisters who’ve rented an apartment for 10 years. “They’re looking forward to having a home with a large yard,” says Nurse. “Their rent will be enough to at least cover my expenses. I have been fortunate in life and it is time to invest in my town.” He’s starting on another house nearby in July, but says “As I run out of funds for this project, we need to transition to private sector groups that will continue the renewal.” His hope is to organize a partnership with private developers – non-profit and for-profit – to renovate dozens of foreclosed homes in Midtown, and help develop a full blown neighborhood renewal plan. In the meantime, Nurse hopes to keep making progress, one house at a time. For more details, contact Karl Nurse at 727-4223297 or karl@baytechlabel.com.
They’re Baaack! Tampa’s “Community Conversations with the TRIO” After six weeks off the air, the “Trio” is back on WTBN radio! That’s Dr. B. Lee Green (Dr. Gee), Sean Dickerson (Sean D), and Michael Dove (Main Man Michael Dove), co-hosts of the weekly Community Conversations with the TRIO radio show that first kicked off in March of 2011. It was the creation of 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, in partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center and other health groups to promote healthy living - especially among black men, who die at higher rates than any other race group from nearly a dozen diseases, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDs. But the Trio recently expanded to a twohour show, and an all new format. “We realized there was much more work to
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do,” says Michael, “One hour was not enough, and health was just one of many topics to discuss in our community.” So, after a brief hiatus for May and part of June, the three-man team is back in the broadcasting booth, with a wider variety of guests, and several new segments. “Around the Town” is the new community spotlight to showcase hot topics; and “That’s Just Crazy,” strictly for laughs. Michael says “As always, we’ll have guests from all walks of life to have conversations with our community.” He also says the new format creates opportunities for new partners, sponsors and investors. Community Conversations reaches an audience of over 7,500 people each week (and counting), with a station signal that spans 7 counties; live streaming on the web at www.bayword. com; and a WTBN app for smart phones and tablets. To learn more contact Sean Dickerson at TheCCTRIO@gmail.com or 813.842.2185; ask about our “Live Remote” package. You can hear “Community Conversations with The TRIO” on Saturdays at 10am on AM 570 & 910 WTBN. Stay connected on Facebook: Community ConversationsThe TRIO; Twitter: @TheCCTRIO; YouTube: TheCCTRIO3; or blog: http:// TheCCTRIO.blogspot.com.
MyPlannedParenthood.org
Someone you know wants her daughter to be safe, responsible & healthy. • Parent & teen education • STD & HIV testing • Cancer screenings • HPV vaccine • Birth control • GYN exams
Visit one of our Health Centers in Tampa, St. Pete, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakeland, or Winter Haven. 800.230.PLAN