Anecdote Of The Week: Never Be Afraid To Ask Questions

“I was ten days past my due date with my first child and my doctor continued to tell me not to worry. But I went on the internet and saw some research that said there was a higher risk of stillbirth when you are overdue. That freaked me out. At my next appointment the doctor did a stress test, and said we were both fine, and was about to send me home. But I happened to ask the technician what other tests were important at this stage, and she mentioned one that measured your amniotic fluid level. My husband and I asked if we could have that test. It showed my fluid was dangerously low, which is what can cause stillbirths. They wouldn’t let me go home. I went to Labor & Delivery immediately.

Later at the hospital, my husband and I asked the nurse why the line disappeared on the baby’s heartbeat monitor whenever I had a contraction. She panicked, ran for the doctor, who yelled at her for not noticing it sooner. The baby was in distress because of low fluid. In ten seconds, the delivery room turned into an operating room. It was traumatic. I learned to never turn over the ultimate responsibility of your and your baby’s life to the doctor. What if we never asked those questions? No matter how many degrees they have, or how much you would like to trust them, you really cannot.” -From, “The Mocha Manual To A Fabulous Pregnancy” By: Kimberly Seals-Allers

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Book Excerpt Of The Week: “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome” By: Dr. Joy Leary

“One of the beliefs that Black people have been taught about themselves is that as a group they could and should not trust one another. Sowing the seeds of distrust was an important tool employed by slave owners as a way of preventing slave uprisings. In some cases this worked so well that some slaves would even alert the slave master to potentially troublesome slaves. If slaves shared a general distrust of one another, they were less prone to unite against a common enemy, namely the slave owners.

However, there was a time when Black people would learn once again to trust an rely upon one another. This was during segregation, when Jim Crow laws legally separated Blacks from Whites, creating virtually two completely separate societies. Under Jim Crow legislation, the law allowed for segregation so long as the conditions for Blacks were equal to that of whites. Despite the fact that the conditions were rarely, if ever at all equal, Blacks managed to build a strong fortress of protection around themselves. The scars of slavery still lingered, but with the reconstruction of family and community the process of healing had begun. In some places, Black segregated towns excelled economically and socially even beyond the towns of their White neighbors.” -From, “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome” By: Dr. Joy Leary

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

TODAY IS BUY BLACK FRIDAY

PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:
The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.

The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.

As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.

The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.

The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”

BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:

Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].

To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.

ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.

I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.

-Elsie Law AKA Starface

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email