2020 March Unite

March 2020 Volume 30/ Number 3 • Find Digital Version @ www.unitenewsonline.org •

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40th Annual Springfield St. Patrick’s Day Parade: March 14th SEE DETAILS ON PAGE 2

Building Empowering Connections

Stedman Graham To Speak At Springfield Leadership Event Ujima Kids Page aims to educate and empower children Crosstown BarBQ Celebrates 50 Years In Business

New SPS Preschool building will be named in honor of local educator Adah Fulbright 1873 - 1959

Owner of Amethyst Wrapps talks about her new business venture / PAGE 6

The 40th Annual Springfield St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off this year on Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at noon on C-Street in Springfield, MO. This year’s Grand Marshal will feature Nancy Brown Dornan, a Springfield native and long-time supporter of downtown development and the arts. She is the owner of Maschino’s and a partner in Historic Walnut Street Development Company.

This family-friendly event features contests that offer First, Second, and Third Place prices award in the following categories: Irish Pet Contest, Best Irish Group or Family, Best Dressed Irish Pet, Best Musical Entry, Best Contraption on Wheels, Best Decorated Auto, Best Individual Irish Costume, Best Youth Group Or Entry, Best Irish Float.

Parade Day Schedule of Events Saturday, March 14, 2020

12:00 – Vendors open at the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge (Commercial Street) Parade units begin forming (Benton Avenue & Division Street) 12:30 – Irish Pet Contest at the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge Pet registration closes at noon on the day of the contest.

2:00 – Parade begins at Benton Avenue & Commercial Street Parade registration closes at 1:30 pm on the day of the parade.

4:00 – Parade disbands (South Avenue and Elm Street) 4:30 – Celebration continues with Awards Ceremony at: Best of Luck Beer Hall, 313-B S. Jefferson Ave Donations and sponsorships make the parade possible. If you’d like to get your business registered in their 2020 parade program, please visit http://www.springfieldstpatsparade.com/.

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Working Together to Power Springfield Whether you have a material to sell or offer a great service—CU is looking for reputable vendors to help us keep our business up-and-running.

Call 417-831-8363 or log on to cityutilities.net, key search “Purchasing”, to learn about ways for us to work together.

It is the policy of City Utilities to offer equal opportunity to individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

City Utilities of Springfield • 301 East Central, Springfield MO • 417.863.9000 • cityutilities.net

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

National Women’s History Month Article PAGE 7 / Why The Census Count Is So Important PAGE 9

Tableof Contents

Community Talk on African American Heritage Trail in Lincoln Hall on the OTC Springfield campus

Page 4

Community Identity Leadership Program, Keynote speaker, Stedman Graham at the Doubletree Hotel

Page 5

Community New SPS Preschool building will be named in honor of local educator, Adah Fulbright

Community How-To-Festival: & Nonprofit Google Tools Workshop At The Library

Page 5

Business & Money Owner of Amethyst Wrapps talks about her new business venture Page 6 Business & Money Crosstown Barbecue Celebrates 50 Years In Business

Page 8

Page 7

Health & Wellness Health Disparities Found In Childbirth

Page 10

Unite News Building Empowering Connections | Page 3

A Closer look at the African American Heritage Trail

Springfield, MO—Missouri State University’s Dr. Lyle Q. Foster, will speak on the development of the Springfield-Greene County African American Heritage Trail. This event will take place on Sunday March 8th at 2 p.m. in Lincoln Hall (Room LCN 211) on the Springfield campus of Ozarks Technical Community College, just off Chestnut Expressway. It is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in Lot A and Lot O on the OTC campus.

Following the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to take a bus tour of selected sites on the trail. Space on the bus will be limited.

Light refreshments will be provided at the event. The presentation at Lincoln Hall is free and open to the public. However, there will be a $5 fee per person to reserve seating for the bus tour.

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UNITE. Volume 30, Number 3

MANAGEMENT MANAGING EDITOR & PRESIDENT Samuel G. Knox COPY EDITOR Tyra K Knox ASSISTANT EDITOR & DIGITAL STRATEGIST Amber Donaldson CONTENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Melesha Bailey CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Lyle Foster CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Tyra Knox CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Gwen Marshall CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Kathleen O'Dell CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Daniel Ogunyemi CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Francine Pratt CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Sativa Boatman-Sloan CREATIVE TEAM PHOTOGRAPHY, Amber Donaldson PHOTOGRAPHY, Erin Gamble FESTIVAL GRAPHIC DESIGN, Bradley Knox COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEMBER, Christopher Palma COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEMBER, Jasmine Bailey COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEMBER, Diana Vargas

The Unite. publication is a monthly newspaper published by Unite of Southwest Missouri, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization. Our mission is to promote a broader understanding and appreciation of the ethnically diverse talent, community resources and opportunities available in the Springfield/Greene County area. Distribution of Unite. is by free circulation at various locations. However, request for home delivery by mail may be directed to Unite. P. O. Box 1745, Springfield, Missouri 65801 and accompanied by $25. for one year’s postage and handling.

Those wishing to make a contribution or become a monthly sponsor should direct correspondence to the same address. Reader’s comments and questions are welcomed. The opinions expressed in these pages do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite. of Southwest Missouri, Inc. “The Unite Publication in accepting advertising in this publication, makes no independent investigation concerning the services of products advertised and neither endorses nor recommends the same and assumes no liability therefore.”

For further information, you can contact us at (417) 864-7444. Email: unitepublication@ yahoo.com

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Are you inspired to create a better future for yourself and others?

If so, Missouri State has a place for you.

With a campus community filled with diverse perspectives, voices and opinions, Missouri State is fulfilling its commitment to address the needs of a changing society.

The Unite News Publication is published by Unite. of Southwest Missouri, Inc.

ARE YOU READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? APPLY TODAY AND

www.jobs.missouristate.edu

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The Unite News Publication is in the process of updating content and the way we deliver news to our readers. We want to hear from you!

Your input is very important to us. Please help us out by taking our short 5 question survey by scanning the QR code. You may also send a letter to us by mail to: Unite P.O. Box 1745, Springfield. MO 65801

“If you would like to advertise your message in the Unite News Publication or on our website, please contact our office at (417) 864-7444. “

- Samuel Knox

Community: Events & People Letter To The Editor

February 5, 2020 Dear Samuel, I love the new format of Unite and I commend you and your staff on everything. I am writing because some of what is in this February issue is personal to me. I got a copy when I went to the beauty shop today and to see the pictures and information of someone I personally knew and someone I just finished reading about is amazing.

A lady in the picture of Hardick Brothers Grocery Store was named as Bea Hardy Curtis in a proceeding page. Her real name was Voda Beatrice Hardy Curtis and she was a bookkeeper at that store. She was also a neighbor to my family and Iived on Summit Avenue. Mrs. Curtis came from a pioneer black family, was well educated and taught school at Lincoln as a substitute when I was a student there. She and her husband E.C. (Nick) Curtis were prominent civic and social leaders here.

He was a World War I veteran and one of the founders of the Norval Staffered American Legion Post here, the African American Legion Post and a founder of the Community Youth Center.

There is much to tell about both of them, but I will leave it to mention another person in this issue who will be in Springfield February 28 and 29 at the Library Station. I will not be able to attend her presentation or see her, but I have just finished reading her book. “Stories from the Heart Missouri’s African American Heritage” by Gladys Caines Coggesuell which was gifted to me by a friend. That book and another came to me by mail on a day when I was bored and disgusted with my life. In 3 hours I had read the whole book and I came away enlightened, renewed, and in awe of all black people in Missouri have dealt with and achieved. I loved the pictures, the individual stories, the folk tales, the healing home remedies as there was so much that reminded me of my training, my upbringing, and the clever people I was privileged to live with, be around, and learn from. This book should be read by every black person and especially those growing up as I did in segregation and getting in on the beginning of integration.

Best wishes to you and yours, Norma S. Duncan

Sat, March 14, 2020 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM An awesome panel of innovative business leaders, facilitated workshops and keynote by Stedman Graham; leadership expert, bestselling author, educator, businessman, speaker, and podcaster to share with Springfield his experience and ideals presented in his New York Times bestselling book, “Identity Leadership.”

Stedman Graham is the Chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates, a management and marketing consulting firm that specializes in the corporate and educational markets.Graham delivers his identity message throughout the country and globally to corporations, professional associates, government and civic organizations, colleges and universities, and community groups. Graham’s mission is to transform people from followers to leaders and to change the way they think and learn.

Tickets are $75.00 each through eventbrite.com For a 15% discount on tickets, contact juspip8@ gmail.com or call: 417-353-1908

Thurs, March 5, 9:30 PM & Tues, March 10, 10:00 PM Join host Pam Grier in a tribute to the greatest soul hits and performers from the 1970s and 80s.

Features classics by The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Bill Withers, The Spinners, Isaac Hayes, Minnie Riperton and more.

On Ozark Public Television, PBS

How-To-Festival: & Nonprofit Google Tools Workshop At The Library Spring is on the way – a great time for renewal in your life. The Library has dozens of programs to help you make a fresh start. Here’s just a sample of events.

Learn a new skill, pursue a new hobby at the How-To Festival: Earth Day Edition, from 10 a.m.2:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, at the Library Center. It’s a one-stop how-to extravaganza with local experts joining Library staff in a lively series of lessons and hands-on experiences focused on sustainability, waste reduction and environmentalism.

••• If your nonprofit could use a boost, consider the Nonprofit Google Tools Workshop from 1-4 p.m.

Tuesday, March 31, at the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library. You will learn how to use Google tools to promote your organization, raise awareness and attract donors and volunteers. Seating is limited. Registration starts March 2; call 837-5011 to register.

••• Just for fun, spend Tuesday, March 31, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Library Center auditorium for An Evening with David Harrison and His “After Dark” Critters. Families with children in grades K-4 will love hearing the author and a team of actors read from his new release, “After Dark, Poems about Nocturnal Animals.” Other special guests and surprises will add to the festivities. Books will be available for sale and signing.

Kathleen O’Dell is community relations director of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. She can be reached at kathleeno@thelibrary.org.

Unite News Building Empowering Connections | Page 5

Owner of Amethyst Wrapps talks about her new business venture

U

nite Publication had the opportunity to sit down with Quinci Williams, owner of Amethyst Wrapps, and talk about her new business venture. Here is that interview.

Unite: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Quinci: I grew up in Kansas City with my two brothers and attended Paseo High School.

During my senior year, my Dad decided to move to Springfield and start a new church.

In Springfield I was able to complete school, have a daughter, and eventually get my Master’s Degree from Drury. I’m currently in the process of getting my Doctorate degree from Anderson Theological Seminary in Christian counseling. I hope to focus on the youth sector when I graduate.

Unite: How did you come up with your idea for your business?

Quinci: During a visit to Kansas City, I stopped in a Cato’s store and found a couple of wraps that I liked, went home and discovered that I could make my own pattern and that was that.

My mom, Bobbie Knox, one of the best seamstresses, passed her gift on to me, but I had forgotten about it until a friend asked me to sew bean bags for a church event.

Unite: What made you start your own business?

Quinci: You know, what’s funny is that my family has always been entrepreneurial and so we can’t just be still and accept the status quo.

I couldn’t imagine working again full-time for someone. I’ve worked all my life and I want to do something for myself. I want to do what I want to do to make my own money, the spirit of an entrepreneur, grow your business, do you business, whatever you can do to keep your hands busy do that.

Quinci Williams working on a project at her sewing machine

Unite: Tell me more about your business.

Quinci: So, I had started a non-profit prior to this business that was called the Amethyst Training Academy and with that in mind, I came up with Amethyst Wrapps. 12% of the sales I make for the wraps go into the Amethyst Training Academy. I want to train children to be self-sufficient and learn to do things with their hands along with education so that they will never have to be on the street and will always be able to have a flow of income that they created themselves. You will never have to be in a soup line if you have a skill.

Unite: Where can one purchase your wraps?

Quinci: We are on Facebook at Amethyst Wrapps and we’ve started selling in Suddenlies downtown, where a portion of the wrap sales will go to help rescue girls from sex trafficking.

I also participated in the Multicultural Festival and it was good to be a vendor there and I had fun with that. I had a couple of sales and I

Page 6 Building Empowering Connections | Unite News

started to get some orders. It just turned into something bigger than I thought. I thought I was only going to sell to family and friends.

We’ve officially been open for business since December. We are looking into expanding our wrap line by offering headgear, bottle wraps, and mug wraps. If you order custom wraps, those are on Facebook and have a turn around time of 1 week or you can get pre-made wraps at Suddenlies. I take payment form in cash, Cash App, or Square, but not checks.

Unite: Tell us more about your creative process.

Quinci: It’s a hobby that I forgot I had and now that it’s come back with a vengeance to the point where I sew in the evening and at night.

Because these wraps are custom-made, you can have anything you want. It’s very creative because I sit and I think and I dream up, well, it’s really not me. I sit there and the holy spirit gives me ideas, in my head and then I have Continued on page 7

Wrapps Continued from page 6

The Wraps can be found in “Suddenlies” downtown

to figure out how to get it on paper and how to maneuver it with this material, so every day it’s something different. Every single day.

So I just have to sit back and figure it out. My brother shared with me a scripture during my new venture, Exodus 35:35. “He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all

Women’s History Month has areas of history, politics, education, culture, the arts, math, its origin in 1987. It is a celescience; and the list continues. bration of all the great contriWomen are influential butions women have individuals who shape made to the world. and frame our society.

The great women Although March is we are celebrating the month we highlight are our mothers, the achievement of wives, daughters, women; we should celsisters, and aunts.

Gwen Marshall Unite Writer They have given of ebrate their accomplishthemselves to make ments every day of the America great. We must not year. Women have made great forget the tremendous impact strides in the advancement women have made in the of women’s rights, yet there

of them skilled workers and designers.” That really stuck with me because these are actually garments of praise, this is confidence that women will get when they put them on. They will say, “Oh, I do feel queenly; I do feel special.” So, I’ve had some custom tags that will be in every new piece I make that will say QW 2.35.35.

Unite: What does the future look like in the next year for Amethyst Wrapps?

Quinci: I am happy at this point in my life. I’d like to make a living at this and I’d like to hire people to come along and help me and we make a living together. I’d like to get some high school girls to come along and cut out patterns and start helping and to teach them that they can have their own style and they can make anything they want, they just have to know the basics. I want to pass along this skill that in today’s time seems to have been forgotten.

Written by Amber Donaldson, Unite Contributing Writer

is still much work to be done.

Women continue to make less money than men and in many countries around the world, have not gained the right to be educated or speak out against their oppressors. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s remember the struggle continues.

We need to empower our young people by building positive self-esteem, introducing them to positive female role models and most of all letting them know they can become anything they decided to become.

Did You Know?

1. Women from 1848-1920 did not have the same civil and political status as men, some of which were the right to vote in the United States, equal access to education and the right to own property.

2. The U.S. women’s suffrage movement had its roots in the abolition movement with

great women like Sojourner Truth. Many of these women were members of the American Anti-Slavery Society led by William Lloyd Garrison. The Abolitionist Society provided a platform for women to speak on behalf of slavery and women’s rights.

3. Susan B. Anthony, along with 15 other women voted illegally in the presidential election of 1872 in Rochester, New York. The women were later convicted of violating the 14th Amendment.

4. The women’s rights movement launched its own fashion craze. Along with the women’s rights movement came a radical new look in women’s fashion. In 1851, in Geneva, New York, Elizabeth Smith Miller debuted a kneelength skirt with pantaloons gathered at the knee. This new look was shocking to some who did not know women had legs. We have come a long way! Bloomers (pants) became

synonymous with the women’s rights movement and gave women the freedom to wear what they like to wear.

Pruitt, Sarah. “7 Things You Might Not Know About the Women’s Suffrage Movement.”

History.com. A&E Television Networks, 12 Jan. 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

Coming Events: Spring Break: March 16-20, 2020 Students Out - (School System Closed Mar. 20) ACT Test Date Registration Test Date: April 4, 2020 Regular Deadline: February 28 Late Fee Required: February 29 - March 13 Photo Upload/ Standby Deadline: March 27

New SPS Preschool building will be named in honor of local educator, Adah Fulbright Springfield, MO—In a unanimous vote, the Springfield school board agreed to pay tribute to Adah Fulbright by naming the district’s new preschool building in her honor. It will be named the Adah Fulbright Early Childhood Center.

“I was overjoyed,” said Betty Ransom, 1952 graduate of Lincoln High School, after the 7-0 vote.

Prior to the vote, the 85-year-old Ransom told the board that Fulbright — who taught her in the 1940s — deserved recognition and a place in Springfield’s history. “She devoted her life to her parents and to the thousands of children that she taught at Lincoln.”

A descendant of a pioneer Springfield family, Fulbright was born Dec. 1, 1873. She was part of the fourth graduating class of Lincoln High School in 1891 and attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

Her legacy includes teaching elementary at both segregated Lincoln schools during the first half of the 1900s.

Mark Dixon, director of the Bartley-Decatur Neighborhood Center, located at 918 E Calhoun St, noted the honor is historic. He noted a middle school in the district is named for George Washington Carver but no existing schools are named for black men or women from Springfield.

He described her as a “stately, God-fearing woman.” She was also a pianist and choir director at Gibson Chapel Presbyterian Church.

Dixon also pointed out that Fulbright started teaching before the April 1906 lynching of three men in Park Central Square, which created pandemonium in the black community and led many families to flee to larger cities in the north.

“Imagine the courage, the commitment, the dedication it would take to show up Monday morning to a class in which some of your students might be absent, never to return, and yet follow through on the Biblical admonition we find in Revelation 3:2, to ‘Strengthen that which remains’ not only that day but for the next 40 years,” Dixon said.

Fulbright founded the Literary Calm Chat Club in 1928 to promote fellowship among young female teachers interested in discussing the works of black authors. This club provided books for black students who were not allowed to use the city public library.

Fulbright taught until the end of the 1947-48 school year. She died Aug. 26, 1959, at age 85.

A plaque detailing Fulbright’s contributions will be part of the 36,000-square-foot center under construction just west of Carver Middle School on Battlefield Road. It is expected to open in August 2020.

Unite News Building Empowering Connections | Page 7

Crosstown Barbecue celebrates 50 years of serving barbecue in Springfield

by Jamie Thomas, Excerpts reprinted from 417 Magazine

Saturday, February 22 Crosstown Barbecue celebrated its 50th anniversary. The restaurant has been serving Kansas City-style barbecue in Springfield, MO for an incredible five decades.

For 39 of those 50 years, Steve Williams has been running the restaurant and is celebrating the milestone with live music and, more importantly, stories about his father Jess Williams, who founded the business back in 1970.

For the first 17 years that Crosstown Barbecue was open, Williams senior would commute from Kansas City to Springfield, sleeping in a small back room of the venue that still stands today.

Do you have any regulars who have been coming for most of this time?

Oh yeah, I’ve got people that have been coming here since 1970. They still tell me stories about my dad. I’ve had people come in to this day, and they say “man, your dad was an awesome guy.” I hear that all the time with people that are older, people that have grown up in the neighborhood. Our family has always been about giving back and just trying to make our community a little better.

How has the menu changed in all that time? Has it changed at all?

Oh, it’s changed. In 2002, I changed it up a little bit. It’s constantly changing because I create different barbecue sandwiches now.

Customers come in, say “I want this on this and put that on top,” and I’ll say, “wow, okay.” And I’ll try it. After that, I say, okay, well, I’m going to put it on the menu. And it’s funny because I name them after people. We’re also getting ready to start having soul food Saturdays from 3 p.m. to closing. We have a different menu

Owner Steve Williams reads stories to the standing room only crowd

along with the regular one, with different sides and different entrees.

How much has Springfield changed in the years Crosstown Barbecue has been open?

So much around me has changed. A lot of the industry’s kind of left this area. A lot of the people that said that they would be regular customers here were taken out of the area because of their jobs. Right now, everybody’s about convenience. For lunch, people don’t have a lot of time. But it’s funny, our lunches used to be mad fast, but now our lunches seem to last forever.

What do you think has kept Crosstown Barbecue going for this long?

Well for one, business-wise, we’re trying to keep the costs down. And then two, it’s about relationships. My father always told me that people like to do business with people they like. As much as they love the food, people would just come in for conversation, just so they can talk to my dad or talk to me. I think

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people like that right now, in the hustle and bustle of everything, you know? We appreciate the business and people want to be appreciated, we let them know that we do appreciate it.

You also coach basketball and run a youth ministry while you’re running Crosstown Barbecue?

Yeah. Running a business, coaching. And then in 2005, I started preaching. I accepted my call to the ministry and I’ve been ordained since 2009, I believe. I’m assisting ministers at the church at Turning Point Church. In 2009 I started an inner city youth ministry called Crossway Ministry. It targets kids from 12 to 18 years of age.

What advice would you give to a business owner hoping to make it this long?

Well, for one, I understand—I’ve learned—that nothing’s possible without God. I’m a man of faith and I realized that it was only God’s grace that’s allowed this business to continue and go through all the ups and downs. Some years I thought “man, I can’t make it.” But I hung in there and I worked hard.

Why the 2020 Census Count is Important?

Racially identified individuals, low income and individuals without homes are groups of people that have historically not been accurately counted. According to the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH), the 2020 Census is a chance to make sure our hard-earned tax dollars make their way back to Missouri and back to the Springfield area. For every adult and every child that is not counted in the census, our state loses $1,300 in federal dollars every year. Money that can go to schools, hospitals, roads and bridges.

Low participation in the 2020 Census could have negative consequences for our state and our local community. For example, as a result of the 2010 Census, Missouri lost a congressional seat and hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. Did you know that Missouri received approximately $16.5 billion in federal funds in Fiscal Year 2016, which were directly calculated from census data. For every adult and every child that is not counted, Missouri loses an estimated $1,300 in federal dollars.

Complete counting will already be hard for many areas across Missouri, with 9 percent of the population living in hard-to-count communities during the 2010 census. Households most at risk of being undercounted include those who are low-income, renters, people of color, young children, and immigrants.

The process for the 2020 Census count has changed for 2020 so please make sure you are counted. The new online platform is a hardship for roughly 20 percent of Missouri households that do not have computers or Internet access at their homes. One of the ways to address this issue is to have community centers to establish sign up centers.

Many faith-based and community-based organizations have computers and Internet access. If you are a faith-based or nonprofit organization, you may want to consider having Census 2020 sign up events at your establishments when you have activities at your location for other events. Materials and giveaways are available at no charge through the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments.

There are also opportunities to be a Census Taker for the 2020 Census with pay of $21 per hour and $0.58 per mile. For more information or to apply, call 855-JOB-2020. To apply online, www.2020census.gov/jobs. All of us can make it our personal responsibility to tell our friends, family, and neighbors to be counted. The MFH is working with several partners across the community to coordinate efforts to make sure every adult and every child is counted.

For more information, visit the MFH website: https://mffh.org/our-focus/census-2020/ or contact Community Partnership of the Ozarks to learn about resources available for organizations to establish community 2020 Census Count Centers. Materials are available in several languages. For other individual and family needs, please visit the Prosper Springfield website on the “Get Help” section: www.ProsperSpringfield.org.

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Unite News Building Empowering Connections | Page 9

Health & Wellness News

Health Disparities found in Childbirth

I

had the most amazing experience being present for the birth of my granddaughter.

She was born at a prestigious hospital, but at one point I was concerned about the care that mother and child were receiving. In the back of my mind, I wondered if it was because she was African American because I’ve heard of discrepancies in the care of Black women and babies during childbirth.

According to the National Partnership of Women and Families, many Black women are facing that same dilemma and are confronted with racial disparages. Many are dying in pregnancy and childbirth. Black Women: • In the United States are more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than women in any other race group.

• Are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women.

• Are more likely to experience preventable maternal death compared with white women.

• Are subject to heightened risk of pregnancy-related deaths that spans income and educational levels.

Pregnancy-related deaths has climbed over the past two decades, making the maternal mortality rate in the United States the worst in any industrialized country, according to a 2016 analysis published in The Lancet Journal.

It has become a public health and human rights emergency because many of these deaths could have been prevented. Many of the racial disparages comes from a lack of resources and poor quality of care for women in lower social and economic levels before, during and after childbirth.

Dr. Ana Langer, director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston states that

“Basically, minority women are undervalued.

They are not monitored as carefully as white women are”. When issues become present and complications arise, they are often dismissed.

The greatest need is to identify risk factors prior to pregnancy and recognize the symptoms during and after pregnancy. Unfortunately, research shows that many minority women receive a lower quality of care and are subject to discrimination in the health care field with 22% reporting discrimination Melesha Bailey when going to the doctor or clinic.

One surprising fact is that more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occurred after delivery. The leading causes of death are: severe bleeding after delivery, cardiovascular disease, stroke, weakened heart muscles and obesity.

Women have to make sure they follow up with their doctors after delivery and follow post-partum instructions.

It’s time to recognize the risk factors and make sure these women who pose the greatest risk receive the care needed for healthy mom and baby. Minority women are entitled to receive health care that is respectful, safe and of the highest quality. We as a community have to make sure health practitioners are monitoring and valuing these lives in order to decrease the mortality rates of mothers and children.

“Some hospitals and health care systems have implemented training on implicit or unconscious bias,” according to Dr. Emily Petersen, a medical officer in the CDC’s reproductive health division. Petersen said, “It’s time to think about how people’s backgrounds and unconsciousness attitudes may be affecting the care these mothers receive.”

The end goal is for pregnancy and childbirth to be an amazing experience for mother and child and that they have the best care before, during and after.

Page 10 Building Empowering Connections | Unite News

For more information please visit my website www.love4lifewellness or my Facebook page Melesha’s Love 4 Life Wellness for my blogs, recipes and coaching tips.

As you prepare for your IEP or 504 meetings for your child with Autism, there are local resources you can turn to that will provide help through this process. You don’t have to do this alone and can even have a team of people come with you to the meeting. Here are a few resources that will help guide you during this process.

MPACT or Missouri Parents ACT has a mission to empower families to advocate for themselves so that children with special educational needs can reach their full potential in education and life – through support, training, and education. Its always helpful to reach out to them if you have questions about your upcoming meeting about what steps to take or how to find resources. If given enough time, they can also try to coordinate to come with you to the meeting so that you have more people on your team to help advocate for your child. https://www.missouriparentsact.org/ or 800-743-7634 Abilities First Reach out to your First Steps or Next Steps coordinator and request that they attend the meeting with you. It’s a lot easier to have someone with you on your team when going through this emotional process. They can offer insights and suggestions to you on how to proceed during the meeting and help prep you for what the meeting will be like. https://www.abilitiesfirst.net Springfield Regional Center If you are in the very first steps of your child’s diagnosis, the Springfield Regional Center is the very first place you turn to to get accommodations. They will help set you up with Abilities First and have additional resources to help you throughout the process. They are located on Pythian Street in Springfield, MO. M.O.C.H.A. or Moms of Children Who Have Autism is a local mom’s group on Facebook that has people in similar situations to yours. Often, if you reach out in advance, other moms that have been through the IEP and 504 processes will help with advice or might even be able to attend the meeting with you or suggest additional resources.

Functional Behavior Assessment Request that the school conducts a Functional Behavior Assessment.

You have to do this in writing. Take your paper to the school and have them make a copy and keep the original in your child’s files at home.

This assessment is to help figure out why a student is acting a certain way. It assumes that the student’s behavior serves a purpose and they will try to figure out what is causing the behavior and find a way to help exchange it for positive behavior. If your child already has a 504 plan or is being evaluated for an IEP this is a great step to take!

http://bit.ly/FBASource

Tax Prep Services That Maximize Household Tax Returns

by Francine Pratt, Unite Contributing Writer

There are several resources in Springfield that can help individuals maximize their tax return. For example, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has been described as one of the best programs for individuals and families in the United States for those who qualify. Some individuals avoid filing taxes because they do not believe they make enough money in a year or pay enough to state and federal taxes.

I recently learned from Springfield’s Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, that individuals who pay a lower amount of income tax can still be eligible for other tax credits.

The IRS reports that one out of every five people who file for a credit tend to be eligible. In other words, 20% of individuals who are eligible to receive tax credits, claim them. While 80% of individuals do not claim the credit, they would have been eligible to receive.

During tax season, there are different services available for individuals to file their taxes.

There are firms that prepare tax returns at a cost. Some tax preparation firms charge fees to file taxes on behalf of their clients in order to offer them an immediate tax refund. These firms can be tempting to visit when an individual or family needs the refund right away to cover basic needs such as food or housing.

However, waiting to use free community-based tax filing services can help maximize the tax credits that individuals are eligible to receive.

In Springfield, there are several free tax filing services individuals and families can visit in the community or online. The VITA a program provides free tax preparation services for eligible individuals and families who make $56,000 or less annually. In 2018, VITA prepared 2,267 tax returns that had a $13.5 million impact on the Springfield economy. Another free tax preparation service for older adults or

individuals with a disability is Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE). TCE is eligible to individuals who are 60 years and older or considered to have 100% disability. This service is available through 17 counties across Southwest Missouri. Online sources such as Myfreetaxes. com also offer step by step state and federal tax filing for free.

While it can be difficult waiting to receive a tax return when an immediate financial need exists, exploring other options such as family, friends or community resources first, can increase a household’s overall annual income.

By accessing free tax services in our community such as VITA, TCE or Myfreetaxes.com, households will be able to file for more eligible tax credits, while maximizing the amount of money a household will bring home in a year.

Other resources are available through the Prosper Springfield website, www.prosperspringfield.org. Click “Get Help” to find

information related to almost any area of need related to education, health, housing, job/financial assistance and transportation.

Prosper Springfield is a collective impact initiative focused on a shared community vision to improve economic mobility in the Springfield community. The Prosper Springfield mission is to build community relationships and align community resources to create pathways that help move people to prosperity. The column will run every other Thursday. Today’s column was co-written by Prosper Springfield, Francine Pratt and MSU Graduate Assistant and Social Work student, Lauren Rogers. For more information about Prosper Francine Pratt Springfield, contact Francine Pratt at 417-888-2020.

When You Should Update Your Beneficiary Designations

By Sativa Boatman-Sloan, Attorney at Law When beneficiary designations are initially documented on retirement accounts and life insurance policies, you may assume your work is complete. On the contrary, these accounts often hold significant wealth, yet receive less attention than they deserve when it comes to estate planning.

When was the last time you reviewed your beneficiary designations? Consider these five triggers that warrant a closer look at your retirement documents.

Employment Change If you’ve changed jobs, received a promotion, or your employer changes 401k providers, you most likely were asked to fill out new forms designating beneficiaries.

It’s important to review your designations and be sure they are consistent with the rest of your estate plan.

To quickly get the forms turned in, you may simply jot down your spouse as the primary beneficiary and your children as the equal contingent beneficiary. It’s important to review your designations and be sure they are consistent with the rest of your estate plan.

Change in Marital Status You may remember to update your Last Will and Testament if you marry or divorce. However, many individuals overlook updating other accounts such as their IRAs, 401k accounts, CDs, savings, money market accounts, and life insurance policies. If you fail to update these accounts, the benefits will end up being awarded to an unintended designee.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of ex-spouses being awarded benefits when the intent was to have children, grandchildren, or current spouse as the beneficiary. Be sure to review all of your accounts, even vehicle titles and property deeds if they will transfer ownership upon death.

Addition of Kids and Grandkids You may consider adding your children and/or grandchildren

as beneficiaries. You may opt to do this individually within a policy or through a trust.

If you have several children as intended recipients, make it clear in your designations instead of only naming one of them and expecting them to distribute fairly. Remember, a sole beneficiary is not obligated to share funds with a family member who has not been designated in your documents. Even if the sole beneficiary decides to share funds with other family members, it could have important tax implications. You should consult with your tax advisor to consider the best designation for your situation.

Family Circumstances Change A good estate plan will change as an individual’s circumstances evolve. How you set up beneficiaries on various accounts when your children were young may no longer be appropriate as they are having children of their own.

Perhaps a previously responsible child may develop a drug or alcohol addiction or tends to spend money inappropriately. You may opt to leave your assets, including life insurance or retirement benefits, in unequal shares to your children for various reasons.

You may wish to name your grandchildren or extended family members as beneficiaries if your children have enough wealth. Additionally, you may have previously believed that a Trust was unnecessary but now it could be the best way to solve a problem regarding a beneficiary.

Death of a Beneficiary It’s not uncommon to outlive a beneficiary. Even if you’ve assigned contingent beneficiaries, it’s important to update your documents to avoid any complications so that the benefits go to the person(s) you desire.

If you can’t remember the last time you reviewed your beneficiary designations, it’s time. Periodic review helps ensure you’re consistent with your planning goals while being mindful of tax and other implications.

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