| August 2007 |
Vol 2, Issue 15 |
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In the Black
Newsletter
West Fresno Town Hall at Macedonia Church (08/13/07)
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| Greetings! |
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What happens in a relationship when there is a sense of mistrust because of a perceived lack
of sincerity, forwardness, and commitment to open communication? Without
purposeful action to remedy such apprehensions, the relationship spiral towards
a dismal end where both parties are viewed as adversaries centered on
destroying the other. How is this problem magnified when the relationship is
between a community and their political and social leaders?
This is a dilemma facing many urban and ethnic communities across the country
and Fresno is no different.
Over the
summer, residents of southwest Fresno have been bombarded with scenarios of displacement and
real life dangers that have piled on years of feeling neglected
and disregarded by their representatives at all levels of government. From gang
violence to the Running Horse 'gone wild', the attendance at recent town hall
meetings demonstrates residents' frustration with the circumstances surrounding
their quality of life. At the most recent town hall meeting hosted by
Councilmember Cynthia Sterling, residents repeatedly raised concerns about the
lack of communication from City Hall. Their fears regarding the Trump Running
Horse, redevelopment and eminent domain stemmed from mixed messages transmitted
by mainstream media. These rumors and media stories were put to rest in a
truth-telling setting where Sterling, Mayor Alan Autry and current owner, Mick
Evans along with a host of city officials from police, redevelopment and city
management provided the community with an in-depth explanation of past and current events surrounding Running
Horse.
What I
heard was not that residents were resistant to development but objected to the
fact of not knowing. For most people, one of the greatest fears is uncertainty
or unpredictability. It's what drives the purchase of insurance of any type
(reallocating risk) to the value of modern technology that allows accuracy and access
to information. The politics of yester generations, where information was held
tight and confidential by the government, leaving citizens in the dark is over.
Due to technology--instant messaging, camera phones, television/radio news, the
internet along the Freedom of Information Act, people can readily obtain
information on just about any subject within a short period of time thus
demanding its government to respond respectively.
One good
outcome from the last town hall meeting was the Mayor's commitment to
continuous communication and the establishment of a community communications
task force. The taskforce compromised of Dr. Mary Curry, Keith Kelley, Les
Kimber, LaVera Williams amongst others were charged with setting the governance of
the task force including how to increase the composition of the group and act as
a liaison between City Hall and the community. Some may ask, why is direct contact the form
of communication key to maintaining a respectful relationship between leaders
and an urban ethnic community? Despite today's many mediums, leaders must not
forget that direct oral communication leaves residents with a sense
of sincerity and openness from their representative and the opportunity to express their concerns.
Hopefully,
the taskforce will take this as an opportunity to open a true channel of
communication between an often disfranchised group of residents and those with
the given authority to be their voice in our representative government. Sincerely,
Tate Hill II
Editor
Agree or disagrree? Share your comments by posting a message on the Urban Knowledge Blog |
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What we don't know may kill us:
The dangers of undiagnosed adolescent hypertension |
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Last
week, the Journal of American Medicine reported that over one million
children go undiagnosed for hypertension or high blood pressure (HBP). The lead
author, Dr. David Kaelber of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and Harvard Medical School, estimates 2 million U.S. adolescents and teenagers have
high blood pressure but 75% of them don't know it. This is particularly
alarming as 33% of California's African-American adults have
been diagnosed with hypertension and are more likely than any other racial/ethnic
group to have it according to two separate reports conducted by California
Health Interview Survey in 2001 and 2003. With the rise of childhood obesity, a
major contributing factor to hypertension--which in adults can lead to organ
damage, stroke, kidney disease and more-- the country and the black community is
on the edge of a health epidemic. Think not? Here the numbers:
- 29 % of
black children in the 5th, 7th and 9th grades
are obese while 15% black teens are overweight, 42% and 50% more than whites,
respectively.
- Approximately
18% of black children reported eating two or more fast food meals the previous
day. Almost 1.5 times more than white adolescents in the report by California
Health Interview Survey.
- 17% of
black children in a 2006 study published by BioMed Central Pediatrics had high
blood pressure and 31% more likely to have it than whites.
- According
to the American Heart Association, African-Americans have one of the highest
rates of HBP in the world.
That's
why organizations like the West Fresno Healthcare Coalition (WFHCC) is working with
the African-American Campaign under
the Network for Healthy CA
and The CA African American 5 a Day to educate black families about the risks associated with obesity, HBP and diabetes
and how we can curve the dilemma. "Eating five servings of fruits and
vegetables, reducing the consumption of high sugary foods, and doing a minimal
30 minutes of exercise" says Yolanda Randles, WFHCC director are preventative
steps families can take to live healthier lives. The healthcare coalition
regularly provides nutrition classes and food demonstrations in the community
encouraging healthy lifestyle changes. If you are interested in learning how to improve
your family's, church's or personal health, contact WFHCC at 559-264-7185.
Statistical
Resource: California Pan-Ethnic Health Network's searchable database
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Fresno AIDS Walk: Why black Fresnans need to participate in HIV/AID
awareness and prevention in our community
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According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2002,
AIDS was the leading cause of death among African-American women ages 25-34 and
the second leading cause of death for African American men ages 35-44
Though African Americans make up
only 12 percent of the of the United States population, in 2004 they accounted
for 50 percent of all diagnosed AIDS cases.
In California, as of December
31, 2006,
there were 143,946 cumulative reported AIDS cases; 25,590 of these cases
were African Americans. This represents over 18 percent of all AIDS cases, yet
African Americans constitute less than 7 percent of California's population.
In the July 2007 monthly report by
the CA Department of Public Health- Office of AIDS, black children represent 21%
of all cumulative pediatric HIV cases in California.
Fresno AIDS Walk
October 6, 2007
9 AM
Roeding Park
890 W. Belmont Ave @ Fwy 99
www.aidswalkfresno.org
The 2006
Fresno AIDS Walk raised $5,000 with hundreds of walkers. The proceeds benefited
several local programs including Community Center Hospital's C.A.R.E. and
Cornerstone Foundation's (operated by Cornerstone Church) Red Ribbon AIDS Project. For more information call (559) 445-WALK (9255) or info@aidswalkfresno.org Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Outreach Advisory Board
A great resource
for black pastors and churches
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Sister Blog (literally)- In the Black: Fresno's Black Collegiate Connection
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Check out
In the Black: Fresno's Black Connection,
a sister blog hosted by Fresno State's Tanya Crabb. Designed as a
comprehensive web guide for Fresno's black students, I found myself
clicking on several links on the one-stop shop for Fresno's online community.
FYI-
Tanya is a sista to know. She's a serious networker (yes, I know it's not officially a word but she does it like it's a profession), great contact for Fresno State, and she is continuously looking for
ways to empower students in their pursuit for education.
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Looking for In the Black Writers
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 Do you have something to say? Are you passionate about a particular subject? Have you said, "they need to write to
about ..."? Well, here's your chance!
In the Black is looking for other Issue writers, opinion editorals, and reviews of local restaurants, shops and entertainment venues from a black prospective.
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Food for Thought:
The
truth is more important than the facts
- Frank Lloyd Wright
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| In the Black, a publication of the Urban Knowledge Blog
Disclaimer: This is an editorial publication. The comments above are solely of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views or ideologies of any organization or person outside of Urban Knowledge. If there is a numerical or factual error, please inform us and we will publicly rectify it via email. Comments received may be republished, unless you indicate otherwise, for the betterment of other readers. Thank You. |
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