Dec. 15, 2013

Parents, Have Your Children Read to You Lately?
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) –While challenging, I can proudly report that I find my position as National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women thoroughly rewarding.  I can think of no greater responsibility or reward than leading women across the nation to the goal of empowering women of color and assisting in efforts designed to improve the quality of life for women and their families.  Chief among our efforts are programs and initiatives for academic and intellectual enrichment of youth.  An overview of our programs and initiatives can be found at our website. (www.nationalcongressbw.org)

As we expand our engagement with youth, we realize unsettling deficiencies in the academic development of many of them.  Among the most unsettling is the inability of far too many to read at the appropriate grade level.  More unconscionable than unsettling are the number of students who advance to middle and high school with reading grade-level equivalences mired at elementary levels.

It should be clearly understood that I do not speak of those who are limited by genuine learning disabilities.  I refer to those students who have been systemically victimized by inadequate schools or by the parental failure to hold students responsible for practicing the skills that promote and enhance reading development.  Wherever the fault, at some level, those who have been charged with "minding the store" have been derelict in their duties.

As a former teacher, I can claim experience in elementary, middle school, high school and collegiate education.  I have never known a student to achieve real academic success without grade-equivalent mastery of reading skills.  I should have to remind no one that reading is the gateway to other knowledge and that education is the best predictor of success in life.  The old axiom that "Reading is Fundamental" is more meaningful today than when we first heard that admonition.

In my interaction with youth, I’m often appalled by what has been called "their reading ability."  As they “read”, many can navigate the recitation of words in their correct order, but fewer among them can decode or interpret the intent of the writer, or the message that the writer wishes to convey.  For many during oral reading, as quickly as words cross their lips, these same words are forgotten or soon become remnants of the school day.  Too often, they fall, irretrievably, into the pit of a distant memory or of some "insignificant" school-time event.  In effect, these students are word speakers instead of real readers.

Unfortunately, greater potential seems to exist for these word speakers than for those lacking grade-level vocabulary skills.  Words whose meanings seem obvious to us and which seem grade-level appropriate for our students, simply have little or no meaning for those who struggle to sound them out.  If there’s no frame of reference, there's little hope that "challenged readers" will be able to place understanding or value on the words creating their frustration.  Instead of choosing to expand their vocabularies, many opt to skip over these challenging words.  Consequences of this technique soon become apparent in student performance.

Although there’s a direct link between academic failure and incarceration, there’re few examples of success after prison.  Malcolm X is legend for educating himself in prison.  It’s said that among the many books he read in prison, the dictionary held a special place.  As his knowledge of words increased, his ability to expand his ideas and critical thinking skills increased proportionally.  Self-taught, he transformed himself from prisoner to the great leader and orator who was admired around the world.

Malcolm was the exception.  We cannot accept that prison will become the educator of our youth.  A strong "first step" in solving this problem rests squarely with a concerned parent or guardian.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, 202/678-6788, www.nationalcongressbw.org)

Dec. 9, 2013

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for African-Americans dropped in November as the nation's nonfarm payroll expanded by 203,000 jobs, which was stronger than what many analysts had expected.

The jobless rate for blacks, however, was still much higher compared to whites, to Hispanics and to Asians, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning.

The unemployment rate for Blacks was 12.5 percent in November, compared to 13.1 percent in October. The November rate compares to 6.2 percent for Whites and 8.7 percent for Hispanics. The unemployment rate for Asians was 5.3 percent, but it was not seasonally adjusted.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the jobless rate in November for black men 20 years old and older was 12.5 percent, down from 13 percent in October. In comparison, white men in the same age group reported an unemployment rate of 6 percent, down from 6.2 percent in October.

The jobless rate in November for Black women 20 years old and older was 11.1 percent, compared to 11.5 percent in October, BLS reported.

White women 20 years old and older reported the nation's lowest jobless rate on a seasonally adjusted basis. Last month, their unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in October.

The nation's unemployment rate declined to 7 percent from 7.3 percent, BLS reported.

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research reported that the number of jobs created in November was the second-consecutive month that the economy added more than 200,0000 jobs.  In October, the nonfarm payroll expanded by a revised 200,000 jobs.

“It was impressive that the jobs gains were broadly spread across industries,” the Center for Economic and Policy Research reported. “Manufacturing added 27,000 jobs after adding 16,000 in October. This is the largest two-month gain since February and March of 2012.”

BLS also reported job gains in warehousing, health care, professional and business services, retail, construction, leisure and hospitality. The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted, however, that 7.7 million workers were employed part-time and that there 762,000 discouraged workers in November.  These are workers who have stopped looking.

Dec. 9, 2013

African-Americans Drew Strength from Mandela to Fight Racism in U. S.
By Trice Edney News Wire Staff

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – With formal memorial ceremonies underway in South Africa this week, African-Americans from all walks of life continued to recall the monumental legacy of former President Nelson Mandela. In interviews, many credited him for their strength amidst U. S. racial struggles.

"The more I learned about Mr. Mandela, the more determined I became to fight lingering injustice here at home,” said attorney Janice Mathis of Atlanta. “As a young lawyer I became more active. I worked for the ERA, registered voters, was elected as a delegate to the DNC. It was during the anti-apartheid campaign that I learned the importance of corporate social responsibility. Today I am more conscious of the global implications of public policy because of the ANC liberation movement. We must be careful to heed Mr. Mandela's edict that the liberation of South Africa came as the result of decades of struggle by thousands of committed people."

Just up from the civil rights movement and still pushing for the complete dismantling of the vestiges of racial segregation, Blacks across the U. S. demonstrated in the streets, pushing municipal governments and the U. S. Congress to divest funds and cease to do business with the South African government until Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and apartheid was dismantled.

"Although I didn't experience first-hand the inhumane ways of the Apartheid, It still deeply affected me because of my racial ties to Africa,” said Labert Davis, 49, a pharmaceutical sales representative of Farmington, Mich. He endured many years of imprisonment to stand up for his people. It has inspired me and encouraged me to continue to stand up for things I feel are right. And his movement reminded me that there was still hope for change."

Kim Burrell, 50, a bank teller in New York, said Mandela’s 27-year imprisonment made her more conscious of inequities here at home.

"It opened my eyes to the continuous struggles we face as people of color; it made me very much aware of [the] difference one individual is capable of making,” she said. “Most importantly, as an African-American, it made me so very proud to be able to claim Mr. Mandela's successes and victories as successes and victories for me and my African-American brothers and sisters worldwide."

The Congressional Black Caucus led the national anti-apartheid fight by applying economic pressure. CBC members sponsored 15 bills over 14 years, said a statement released this week.

“In 1985, CBC Member Representative William H. Gray (D-PA), chairman of the Committee on Budget, introduced H.R. 1460, a bill that prohibited loans and new investment in South Africa and enforced sanctions on imports and exports with the nation,” said the statement from CBC Chair Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), who was set to lead a CBC delegation to the official memorial this week. “Congress approved this legislation one year later, and it became known as the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986. This legislation called for a trade embargo against South Africa and the immediate divestment of American corporations.”

Pressures that ultimately led to the freedom of President Mandela and the first Democratic election on Feb. 2, 1990, came from around the world. U. S. media attention also played a significant role in dismantling apartheid and solidifying the legacy of Mandela.

“I’ve had great opportunity to meet and interview countless dignitaries, government officials and celebrities and have pleased to do so but rarely have any of them had me awestruck.  I can honestly say when I met President Mandela I was awestruck,” says broadcast journalist Ed Gordon, 53, of West Bloomfied Hills, Mich.  “He decided to give his life to a cause and found something that he said he was willing to die for.  He stood strong by that position; he didn’t do things like take offers to be freed when he was asked to compromise. “

Americans not only protested against apartheid, but helped to finance and provided strategic support to the grassroots fight against it.

Howard University Professor Dr. Vinetta Clara Jones of Bowie, Md. recalls an aunt who was married to South African freedom fighter Chucha Honono living in exile in Tanzania. Honono had been the headmaster of the school that Nelson Mandela attended and had done much of the writing for the underground movement to end apartheid, Jones said.

“When Chucha and my aunt would come to the United States to raise money for the anti-apartheid movement at various Universities, one of the Universities he would visit was Berkley. They would stay with my parents while they were in California. They would tell us stories about Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. This was before we were hearing about it in the newspapers. I heard about these things before the general public knew.”

Jones recalls the strength and vision displayed by Chucha, who she quoted as saying, ‘“Freedom is going to come sooner than a lot of people believe.”’

That is the kind of resolve that inspired African-Americans to hold on - even facing racism themselves, says LaVera Robbins, 61, a retiree living in Montgomery, Ala.

“He influenced me the same way Martin Luther King Jr. did,” Robbins said. “He taught me although I may go through struggles, don't give up. There is at least hope [for] a better day…With that perseverance, I have a better shot of obtaining the American Dream of success.”

One of the greatest character traits being attributed to Mandela this week is the character of forgiveness of the South African government and even those involved with the violent oppression of Blacks.

"Everyone knows Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and everyone knows the story. But we must realize he could've come out of prison a very angry man but he came out with a clean heart and clear mind,” said Keith Doley of New Orleans, an attorney, honorary consul to South Africa.

“He knew that ending apartheid could very well have South Africa in a bloody civil war but he was astute enough to know that that would not do his country well and that the only way the country could survive was through reconciliation."

Sabrina Monday, 52, a sales executive of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., says Mandela’s impact will be felt for generations.

“He taught me life-long lessons that I will pass on to my children. And prayerfully they will pass these lessons on to their children. These were messages of forgiveness, standing for what is right, believing big, and standing up when many will do whatever it takes to make you sit down,” Monday said.

Dozens of heads of state are expected at the official state memorial service to be held in Johannesburg this week, indicative of the universal impact of the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

"Mandela set an example of peacefulness while standing up for what you believe in for Blacks around the world, he was a constant reminder of hope in the midst of the struggles that stemmed from race and inequality,” said Steffanie Cadogan, 51, a Columbia, Md. school counselor.

Many see Mandela’s suffering and ultimate triumph as – not only an inspiration - but a lesson for the world.

“Most people would’ve cracked from that and lost all desire to do anything when they got out of there, especially in a hard labor camp,” marveled Rachon Lewis, 68, a veteran in Cincinnati. “He stayed focused, he came out, and he probably exceeded what he even thought he could do by becoming President.”

Agreeing, veteran civil rights activist, Julian Bond, former NAACP chairman, concludes:

“He set a high standard of bravery and perseverance that we would all do well to follow. He was truly a world figure who will not be soon forgotten and will long be missed. We can emulate his example and try to imitate his behavior, but we will not see his likes again soon.”

Edited by Hazel Trice Edney, a team of Howard University journalism students conducted interviews for this story. The students are Avery Allen, Kheprisa Burrell, Jazmyn Cadogan, Courtne’ Dixon, Brooke Davis, Brittany Donaldson, Taylor Gordon, Maya Cade, Shane Lewis, and Sydnee Monday.

Dec. 9, 2013

Complacency on Child Birth Mortality Rates Might Be Ending
By Rita Henley Jensen

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Women's eNews

NEW YORK (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Years of complacency about the worsening rates at which U.S. women - especially women of color - are dying or being injured during childbirth might be ending. In a one-week period last month maternal mortality in the United States suddenly gained significant attention in the political and corporate spheres.

In New York, the health committee of the City Council held on Nov. 13 a public hearing on the city's high maternal mortality rate among women of color. The city, where 9 percent of all African-Americans live, reported in 2010 that African-American women in New York City died nine times as often as White women from pregnancy-related causes.

Six days after the council hearing, Merck announced, in an unrelated event, a total of $6 million in donations to eight organizations to work toward reducing the number of U.S. women not living to see their child's first birthday. Merck, the drug-making giant based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., will be donating $150,000 each to four grassroots organizations providing direct care to pregnant women and new mothers.

The rest of the money - Merck would not specify an amount - will go toward a collaborative research project among six states with maternal mortality review boards to develop best policies and practices to reduce maternal deaths and three projects with health professionals to improve responses to obstetric emergencies.

These two developments could indicate a growing realization that healthy mothers are crucial to reducing racial disparities in maternal deaths and premature or low-birth weight infants.

Women's eNews is tied to both developments. With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation we have been reporting over several years on the unexplained and rarely questioned disparities in the high death rates among African-American women giving birth. After Women's eNews hosted a Brooklyn meeting in May of this year, based on our coverage, the staff of the City Council health committee contacted us for assistance in planning the hearing.

The same series of news articles and videos also informed Merck about the need for leadership in saving the lives of mothers in the United States, in addition to other nations.

"On behalf of Merck for Mothers I would like to thank Women's eNews for all of your dedication in helping to raise awareness of maternal mortality, particularly here in the United States," Dr. Naveen Rao, head of Merck for Mothers, a $500 million global initiative, wrote to us in an email. "'Healthy Births, Healthy Moms: Black Maternal Health in America' is a powerful series that will go a long way towards helping us reduce the growing rates of women dying from complications experienced during pregnancy and childbirth."

Increasing Death Rates

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. While across the globe the rates are dropping, by 2010 rates in the U.S. rose to 21 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the World Health Organization, twice the rate it was in 1990.

African-American families suffer a maternal mortality rate that's three to four times higher than White women in the United States, according to the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs. In addition, the number of maternal deaths in the United States may be significantly undercounted. Since 2007 the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped publishing current U.S. maternal mortality data on its website because data is reported inconsistently.

Outside the circles of maternal health advocates, the growing numbers of U.S. women dying from pregnancy-related causes, regardless of race, has failed to catch public attention. For example, who knows that there is a federal program that hears experts' testimony on what is needed to reduce maternal mortality in the United States? To find it you have to know what you are looking for and search "Task Force on Infant Morality" on the Health and Human Services website. The task force is said to be on hiatus and has no meetings planned.

As for African-American maternal health, reports from the Office of Minority Health make rare, if any, mentions of maternal death disparities. The same is true for many other organizations advocating for improved health in African American communities.

Dr. Priya Agrawal, executive director of the Merck for Mothers campaign, said mothers dying in childbirth are an "unacceptable tragedy." She added that the U.S. health care system does not have a standard routine for treating obstetric emergencies.

"If you see one hospital, you have seen one hospital," she said, emphasizing the lack of standard protocol for medical providers when mothers in labor are in urgent need of life-saving care.

"Every death must be counted and reviewed," Agrawal said, "and the lessons shared."

She added that the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United States are the same as elsewhere: post-partum hemorrhage, embolisms and preeclampsia.

Merck-Sponsored Programs

The four maternal care practice and policy organizations receiving grants for Merck-sponsored programs are:

• Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs: a collaboration among Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, New York, North Carolina and Ohio to strengthen the states' maternal mortality review boards and translate findings into policies and practices.
• Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses: a program to improve current responses to post-partum hemorrhage in Georgia, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
• American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: A New York State project to work with 10,000 health care providers and 130 birthing facilities to develop standard approaches for handling severe bleeding, blood clots and extremely high blood pressure.
• California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative: A large-scale implementation of strategies for all birthing facilities in the state to adopt quality improvement toolkits for hemorrhages and extremely high blood pressure.

The four direct-service organizations receiving Merck grants are:

• Baltimore Health Start to improve prenatal and primary care for women with chronic conditions.
• Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers in New Jersey to design a model for data-sharing among care providers of pregnant women with complex medical issues to coordinate care during pregnancy and beyond.
• Philadelphia's Maternity Care Coalition to support its Safe Start MOMobile, a home-visiting program for at-risk pregnant women.
• New York City's Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership to support preventive programs that reduce chronic health conditions among women of reproductive age.

At the New York City Council hearing last month, the chair of the committee, Maria del Carmen Arroyo, insisted that it was just the "beginning of the conversation" and promised to spend her next four years on the council pushing for better maternal health in the city. She also agreed to support a $2.5 million funding request for the Bronx Health Link, which provides prenatal care and post-delivery follow up care, and a related volunteer doula program in the heart of Brooklyn. The two boroughs of New York experience the city's highest rates of maternal mortality.

Deborah Kaplan, assistant commissioner for maternal, infant and reproductive health at the city's health department, was the first public official to testify at the hearing. Kaplan said the city's maternal morbidity rate - a measure of chronic poor health resulting from injuries sustained during labor--was 100 per 100,000 births, double the national rate.

Kaplan also said the city used two different time periods when reporting maternal mortality in 2010 (African-American women were reported to have died nine times as often as White women) and 2011 (African-American women were reported to have died three times as often as White women). She said in 2010, the city counted deaths up to a year after delivery and the following year counted deaths occurring only up to 42 days after delivery.

Rita Henley Jensen is founder and editor in chief of Women's eNews.