State of Black People

Black Holocaust Memorial - Sunday April 5, 2009 Washington, DC

Blackman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:02:41 +0000

Obama Faces Tough Decision

ishiztheman — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:18:22 +0000

This month the United Nations Headquarters is honoring the ratification of the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the crime of Genocide (CPPCG) established 60 years ago. A definition is given in the CPPCG on genocide, any act perpetrated with the intention of destroying a national, ethic, racial or religious group. The term genocide was termed by a prominent Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin who wrote the publication, Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. In 1933 he presented his works to the League of Nations. Lemkin’s ideas were an innovation for his time; CPPCG approved his draft in 1948.

The convention became realty in 1951 with a least 21 signatories making it international law. The United States failed to ratify the Convention until 1986; only after a Senator William Proxmire shamed his colleagues by giving 3,211 speeches about genocide in congress for 19 years starting in 1967 did United States become the 98^th nation to ratify.

As President Elect Barack Obama has stated he would like to establish a relationship with the Arab nations, Mr. Obama has also stated that he would stand with Israel and its right to defend itself in the United Nations and around the world, the second Conference on racism and discrimination is approaching. The Bush administration has said that American diplomats will not attend the so-called “Durban II. The United States boycotted the first Conference with a statement from then, Secretary of State Colin Powell “You do not combat racism by conferences that produce declarations containing hateful language, some of which is a throwback to the days of ‘Zionism of the equals racism’; or supports the ideas that we have made too much Holocaust; or suggests that apartheid exists in Israel” in part in 2001.The boycott if carried out will have a direct effect on the United Nation’s budget, which United States is responsible for 22 percent.

There was something else that had great significance happening at the first conference, the so –called African Americans being led by an international expert on Human Rights, Mr. Silis Muhammad was there voicing the argument ( The Oral statement of Mr. Silis Muhammad to the Plenary Session of the world Conference against Racism in Durban South, September 2001 and the Written Statement to the world Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, 2001) ,regarding their human rights and the violation Article 27 CPPCG, which United States ratified. African Americans were calling for an identity in the human family and to be recognized by the United Nations. It is well known that in the first Conference Israel’s policies were highlighted and addressed by the various Arab nations also the international community understands United States backs Israel ,so will Mr. Obama continue Bush’s policy against the Durban Conference or will he attempt to create a new policy by establishing a relationship with those who oppose Israel’s position. A tough decision lays ahead for the President-Elect, both in United States addressing the cries by so-called African Americans for human rights, the real reason for the boycott and the argument with the Arabs in international community.

Book review - The Slave Ship: A Human History

Blackman — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:13:37 +0000

Marcus Rediker subtitles “The Slave Ship” as “A Human History”, and that is an accurate description of its focus and method — and its strengths and most evident weakness. The book has as its primary focus British and American slave ships of the 18th century (when the transAtlantic slave trade was at its height and before it was outlawed), and how it shaped and warped those who sailed, voluntarily or involuntarily, aboard those vessels. Redicker constructs his history by drawing upon first-hand accounts, mostly written by seamen and ships’ captains, but also some from merchants and even a few slaves. He presents the horrific details of the psychological, social, and cultural impact of such a horrific business. It is said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Then, slave ships certainly proved — especially perhaps to their captains — an enormously corrupting activity. Even those who considered themselves as humane and compassionate people were inevitably stained and warped by the experience. But for all of Rediker’s obvious (and sometimes perhaps too obvious) horror at what happened, I think the book could have been even stronger and better if the author had provided more numbers and statistics to help quantify the enormity of the events; he makes passing references to studies of the numbers of Africans enslaved and the number who died in the process, but nowhere are these figures clearly presented for an overall portrait.

The book makes for unsettling reading, with murder, rape, and casual brutality leaping off nearly every page (and, as Redicker demonstrates, the brutality was not confined to use against the slaves alone, but also the crews). One aspect that I had never encountered before was that not infrequently slaves being transported from Africa across the Atlantic were pressed into service to supplement the crew in sailing the ship and even fighting off enemy privateers and often (this reminded me of tales from Holocaust death camps) they acted as “trustees” to keep other slaves in line.

The Slave Ship: A Human History

Holocaust and its Black Victims (49)

Prostate Cancer: What Black Men need to know

Blackman — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:34:23 +0000

After he experienced back pain and urinating problems, Jerry Hardy decided to see his physician. During his visit, his doctor tested his blood, then recommended a biopsy. That’s when Hardy suspected he could have prostate cancer.

“It was in the back of my mind,” says Hardy of Detroit, who had his prostate removed in 2000.
Hardy, 53, is one of many Black men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, his cancer was treatable. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Prostate cancer is a disease that kills Black men more than men from any other racial or ethnic group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re Black, health professionals report that you’re least likely to get screened for cancer or diagnosed early. And, according to researchers, your lifestyle also may affect your chances of early detection.

A recent study conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University detected challenges with overweight men.

“It may be more difficult to detect prostate cancer in an obese man or a heavier man,” says the study’s lead author, Jay H. Fowke, Ph.D., assistant professor of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “We looked at this both in Caucasian men and African-American men, and we saw the same effects.”
Hardy tells Jet that he is overweight, but he’s regularly had PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screenings since he was 44. These screenings are blood tests that determine the level of PSA (a compound that indicates if there is a problem associated with the prostate) found in the blood. The higher the levels of PSA, the higher the risk. Despite Hardy’s weight, his cancer was detected in a timely manner.
In addition to research related to weight, other recent studies suggest that men should watch their diets.

Dr. R. Lawrence Hatchett, a urologist and director of Southern Illinois Urology, agrees.
“We spend so much time talking about prostate cancer treatment, and how prostate cancer is more prevalent in African-Americans … but should we take a closer look at what African-Americans eat, and really say that screening is important, but screening means early detection. That doesn’t mean prevention,” Hatchett explains.

The CDC and the National Cancer Institute report that eating a low-fat diet and more fruits and vegetables may lower a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer. Hatchett recommends that men consume less animal fat, more antioxidants, along with foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids.
Hardy, who is affiliated with the Us Too International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, says he’s been leading a healthy lifestyle.

“I had previously been watching what I ate. But I do it more and try to exercise,” says Hardy, who says he walks every day.

Though early detection cannot prevent cancer, Dr. Durado Brooks, a general internist who is the director of the American Cancer Society’s prostate and colorectal cancers, says that screening may save your life.
“First of all, it can be treated very effectively–the cancer can be removed and those men can go on with a normal life.”

In addition, Brooks urges men who do find out that they have cancer to talk to men in their families, including their sons, brothers and fathers, who also may have a hereditary risk.
What Can Black Men Do To Protect Their Prostate Health?

* Get regular prostate cancer screenings: PSA (prostate-specific antigen) and DRE (digital rectal exam) beginning at age 45.
* Keep your weight in check.
* Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
* If you were diagnosed with prostate cancer get treated. And if you’re not sure, get a second opinion.
* If you find out you have cancer, talk to your sons, brothers and fathers, who may have a heredity risk.

Symptoms To Watch For.
The CDC reports that many men who have prostate cancer show no signs, However, some common symptoms include:
* Blood in the urine.
* Urinating frequently, especially at night.
* Weak or interrupted urine flow.
* Pain or burning feeling while urinating.
* Inability to urinate.
* Constant pain in the lower back, pelvis or upper thighs.
Source: Center for Disease Control

Study: Poverty dramatically affects children’s brains

Blackman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:52:45 +0000

This study on the affect of deliberate and contrived impoverishment of people on their brain development and as a consequence their cognitive abilities, has appeared in many periodicals.

It once again demonstrates the direct correlation between the systematic impoverishment and consequent destruction of the brain and impairment of the affected individual’s cognitive abilities and skills, with the devastating social, economic, and general consequences we see all around us. A reality that not only destroys individuals and families, but indeed handicaps whole national groups, nations and cultures in the world.

This criminal process clearly demonstrates the nefarious impact of what Dr. Nkrumah called a “new kind of violence” being used against us in the neo-colonialism phase of imperialism. Further it is part of the dangerous fallacy perpetrated against the peoples of the world — that propagates the primacy of the struggle for “economic reform” within the system as central, opposed to the struggle to capture and develop/enhance political power, which is the prerequisite to people developing their own socio-economic reality in line with their specific interests, needs and general realities.

This is a process that is going on all over the world, and of course, as we know, is very pervasive in Africa, but can also clearly be seen in Haiti, Colombia here in the US and other many other areas of the globe and encompassing many other peoples in addition to the African people.

We must combat the=2 0″economism” confusion that seeks to blunt and destroy our capability to make political revolution. In short, to keep us from liberating ourselves from “their”

– and you know who I am talking about, draconian economic control.

Click here to view the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-12-07-childrens-brains_N.htm

Roy Walker
www.panafricanperspective.com

7 ways for Black People to overcome the stress of America

Blackman — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:01:19 +0000

African descendants have a long history of being under extreme stress in America; it has become a regular part of our existence in this country. The extreme stress leads to hypertension and many other diseases that attack our bodies. I’m not going to begin to list all of the ways that we are under stress in this country, the list is too long to deal with in this post; instead, I’m going to focus on ways to overcome the stress we deal with on a daily basis. Generally speaking, stress speeds up aging, if you want to live a long abundant life here are some ways to reduce some of your stress:

1. Start your day with meditation and or prayer
When I say prayer here, I mean look at your mind as an empty plate. When we go out through our day this “plate” gets dirty; you may have lied to your spouse, seen a big sign for a Big Mac with extra cheese, encouraged to cheat on a test instead of studying, seen a sistah dress half nude and undesired thoughts entered your mind, a brother tempted you to cheat on your spouse. This country is so immoral and full of “dirt” our “plate” gets very dirty every day. Take time in your prayer and pray for the strength to overcome the many challenges that you deal with on a daily basis. Things you know aren’t positive for spiritual, mental and physical growth. This is washing your “plate” on a daily basis.

Spend time every day in meditative relaxation, with calming music if you desire. Start with five minutes and work your way to 15 or 20 minutes each day. Meditation is a way to reduce the output of stress hormones and avoid adrenal exhaustion, serious threats to your health.

Try this Stress Release Meditation: Breathe consciously, relax, and with each exhale focus on relaxing each area of your body in sequence, starting from the top of your head and moving all the way down to your toes.

2. Manage your mood with diet and herbs
Chinese Medicine considers the liver to be the center of your emotions. To allay stress and balance your emotions, keep your liver healthy and happy:

• Every day, eat lots of green leafy vegetables, barley grass, seaweed - anything high in chlorophyll - to keep the liver in good health.

• Take 500 mg dandelion daily for a month or longer to cleanse the liver and help release built-up anger.

• Take 400 mg white peony root daily for 1 to 3 months to soothe the liver and balance your mood.

• Schisandra berry protects the liver from chemicals and calms the spirit. For emotional anxiety, take 200 mg daily for a month.

Take these herbs anytime during the day and before bed in tea or capsule form. All the herbs are available from health food stores and Eastern medicine practitioners. Many of my patients have had remarkable results with Calm-Fort Elixir, an all-natural formulation of herbs to calm your spirit.

3. Suppress stress with positive thinking
Instead of letting your thoughts run wild with anxiety, say affirmations to yourself, such as “I can handle the tasks I have ahead of me. I enjoy my responsibilities and fulfill them well.” In fact, repeating positive affirmations can actually suppress the cortisol that the adrenal gland releases in times of stress - leaving you peaceful and calm.

4. Get stress out of your head and on paper
Writing in a journal every day can help you release thoughts and emotions that are causing you stress. Write from the position of an observer, recording your thoughts without any judgments. Just write it down so that you can see clearly what is going on inside. The next step is to identify the source of any anger or stress so you can begin to make changes. Looking into your thoughts give you the opportunity to gain insight into your feelings and reflect the underlying issues.

5. Unblock tension with exercise
The constant pressures of your job and family can lead to chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is a direct cause of muscle and joint pain. Clenched jaw? Lump in your throat? Chronic back and neck pain? These can all be manifestations of stress in your body. Release physical tension and clear these emotional blockages by using massage therapy, exercise, yoga, tai chi, or qi gong to get the circuits moving.

6. A Retreat to Avoid Burnout
Overloading your brain is a recipe for stress and health problems. Information overload is particularly harmful at midlife because we have less tolerance for stress, which can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease. Press the “reset” button on yourself. Give yourself a retreat from the stresses of modern life. Take one day out of the seven-day week to minimize “screen” time. Don’t watch TV, don’t check email, and don’t look at the news - it will be there tomorrow, and after a day of rest, you will be refreshed and ready to look at them.

7. Perspective from the Natural World
Use nature to reduce stress. Go outside, hike in the woods, walk on the beach, anything that puts you in contact with the natural world. It is difficult to feel stressed when you are surrounded by nature’s abundance of vitality and wonder.

The Face of AIDS

Blackman — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:15:43 +0000

The ethnic group that is most adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic is……African-Americans. To put things in perspective for you, African-Americans make up approximately 12% of the U.S, but 50% of the diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases in this country. In contrast, Caucasians make up roughly 66% of the American population, but only about one-third of the diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases. However, for some reason, the African-American community as a whole, doesn’t seem to take HIV/AIDS seriously enough. Now I know there are the BET “Rap-It-Up” commercials and the occasional segment on a nightly new program; there are also several grassroots efforts in individual communities that are being formed to increase awareness. However, collectively, HIV/AIDS is an issue that we seem to brush off, trivialize, or ignore altogether. We idolize figures that promote casual and promiscuous sexual relationships as badges of manhood and/or pride. Hopefully, this post will provide you with the perspective needed to renew the sense of urgency in our community that this pandemic warrants.

In looking at the African-American community as a whole, the statistics are startling. In 2005, the rate of AIDS diagnoses among African-Americans was 10 times that of Caucasians. Breaking it down by gender, the rate of diagnoses among Black men was 8 times that of White Men; among Black women, the rate triples to 23 times the rate of diagnoses among White women.

Unfortunately, when it comes to our youth, the situation remains grim. Of young persons under the age of 25 whose diagnoses of HIV/AIDS were made between 2001-2004 in the 33 states with long-standing HIV reporting, 61% were Black. In fact, recent research shows that Black youth between the ages of 19-24 are 20 times more likely to be infected with HIV than young persons of any other ethnic group.

Even with the few statistics above being what they are, many African-Americans take the idea of HIV/AIDS as something that is only rampant in Africa, or they believe that it’s something that CAN’T happen to them. They don’t feel the need to get tested because they “know for a fact that they aren’t infected”. I spoke with an individual, a Black male, who, at the time, was having sex with multiple partners on a regular basis. When asked about getting an HIV test, he responded, “If I’m sick with it, I’d rather not know.” When asked about his concern about the well-being of his sexual partners, his response was, “Well, if I get them sick, then at least I won’t die alone.” While this may not be the sentiment of everyone, the fact that it’s the sentiment of someone shows the need for increased awareness, education, and commitment to community survival. HIV/AIDS is not a small problem that only affects a few. It kills millions every year, and millions more become newly infected. It’s not a disease that’s far off on the other side of the world; it’s right in our own backyards, on our streets, in our homes. It’s time to wake up and realize the face of AIDS is not one that we’ve never seen, but the one that stares back at us when we look in the mirror.

Looking for more information on HIV/AIDS? E-mail me at ISDiffer@gmail.com or visit www.actionisnecessary.blogspot.com

Mumia Abu Jamal speak about the REVOLUTION

Blackman — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 11:40:42 +0000

Diabetes in the Black Community

Blackman — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:44:15 +0000

As I watched my Aunts cut up sweet potato pies, pecan pies, and cakes in my recent visit to Georgia; I thought to myself it is obvious why Diabetes is so prevalent in the Black Community. It is ironic that Sugar trade was a great part the Slave trade, and now sugar has us in bondage in another way. We have become sugar junkies and don’t even know it, it has become a socially acceptable addiction. The food stores and the doctors are both profitting from our addiction and the bad health resulting from the addiction. We really have to take this epidemic seriously, diabetes is occuring at early ages.

The following statistics illustrate the magnitude of this disease among Black people in America:

In 1993, 1.3 million African Americans were known to have diabetes. This is almost three times the number of African Americans who were diagnosed with diabetes in 1963. The actual number of African Americans who have diabetes is probably more than twice the number diagnosed because previous research indicates that for every African American diagnosed with diabetes there is at least one undiagnosed case.

For every white American who gets diabetes, 1.6 African Americans get diabetes.

One in four black women, 55 years of age or older, has diabetes. (Among African Americans, women are more likely to

Twenty-five percent of blacks between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes.

African Americans with diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes complications and experience greater disability from the complications than white Americans with diabetes.

How Many African Americans Have Diabetes?

National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) conducted between 1963 and 1990 show that African Americans have a rising prevalence of diabetes. (Prevalence is the percentage of cases in a population.) Most African Americans with diabetes have Type 2, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually develops after age 40. However, in high-risk populations, susceptible people may develop it at a younger age. A small number of African Americans have Type I or insulin-dependent diabetes, which usually develops before age 20.

NHIS conducted from 1991 to 1992 indicate higher rates of diabetes among African Americans than among white Americans. At age 45 or older, the prevalence of diabetes is 1.4 to 2.3 times as frequent in blacks as in whites. The greatest difference seen in NHIS was among people aged 65 to 74. Figure 1 details these 1991-92 NHIS statistics. Statistics collected in 1993 indicate that in this age group, 17.4 percent of black Americans had diagnosed diabetes, compared to 9.5 percent of white Americans.

What Risk Factors Increase the Chance of Developing Type 2 Diabetes?

The frequency of diabetes in black adults is influenced by the same risk factors that are associated with Type 2 diabetes in other populations. Three categories of risk factors increase the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes in African Americans. The first is genetics, which includes inherited traits and group ancestry. The second is medical risk factors, including impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, and obesity. The third is lifestyle risk factors, including physical activity.

How Do Diabetes Complications Affect African Americans?

Compared to white Americans, African Americans experience higher rates of three diabetes complications - blindness, kidney failure, and amputations. They also experience greater disability from these complications. Some factors that influence the frequency of these complications, such as delay in diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, denial of diabetes, abnormal blood lipids, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking, can be influenced by proper diabetes management.

Mumia Abu Jamal speaks about REVOLUTION

Blackman — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:01:20 +0000

As I looked at this video, it made me think, here is a Black Man that is doing more for the revolution of Black people, than Black People that have control over their daily agenda. We are at a important time in our history, almost like the point in time when Black People were so-called freed from slavery. The White man can’t take care of us anymore; America is Falling and in order to survive Black people must unite. Right after chattel slavery, Black men and women bonded together and made a way, we created our own schools, our own stores, and many other business that didn’t survive once we started to integrate with White America. Well White America is FALLING and they what us to fall with them. Listen to these important words from Mumia and begin to join forces with your fellow Black Man and Woman in the Revolution.

Blackman

State of Black People

Black Holocaust Memorial - Sunday April 5, 2009 Washington, DC

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