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Honorable Discharges for 110 Buffalo Soldiers Convicted in Aftermath of 1917 Houston Riots

Maria

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Nov 14, 2023

Honorable Discharges for 110 Buffalo Soldiers Convicted in Aftermath of 1917 Houston Riots

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth formally gave the greenlight to overturn the court-martial convictions of 110 Black soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, popularly known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The Army said in a news release that officials made the decision based on a suggestion from the Board for Correction of Military Records and to atone for the unfair treatment of soldiers after the 1917 Houston Riots.

“After a thorough review, the Board has found that these Soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials,” Secretary Wormuth stated. “By setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight.”

The Houston Riots, which erupted on August 23, 1917, stemmed from racial tensions and provocations against members of the 24th Infantry Regiment. The catalyst for the riots was the violent arrest and assault of two Black Soldiers, leading to a group of 110 soldiers seizing weapons and marching into the city. Clashes ensued, resulting in 19 deaths.

The subsequent trials of the soldiers were marred by irregularities, according to historians, culminating in the largest mass execution of American Soldiers by the U.S. Army. The Army’s immediate regulatory change, prohibiting future executions without proper review, followed the initially secretive executions.

The South Texas College of Law, in October 2020 and December 2021, petitioned the Army for a review of the court-martial. Retired general officers also submitted petitions requesting clemency for the soldiers.

“We cannot change the past; however, this decision provides the Army and the American people an opportunity to learn from this difficult moment in our history,” Under Secretary of the Army, Gabe Camarillo, said in the release.

At the Secretary’s request, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records meticulously reviewed records related to the court-martial cases, officials affirmed. The unanimous decision was that significant deficiencies permeated the proceedings, rendering them fundamentally unfair. The board recommended setting aside all convictions and characterizing the soldiers’ military service as “honorable.”

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Review Boards Michael Mahoney, overseeing the review, agreed with the decision. “With the support of our experts, our dedicated Board members looked at each record carefully and came up with our best advice to Army leaders to correct a miscarriage of justice,” Mahoney added.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it actively supports family members affected by the correction of records, offering assistance upon receipt of the amended documents.

“It is a long time coming, but it is justice that is finally achieved,” John Haymond, a historian, told the New York Times, which reported that the Army acted after it received a petition requesting clemency for the soldiers that had been written by Haymond and Dru Brenner-Beck, a lawyer. The duo cited trial transcripts and other records to show that the soldiers had been denied due process and other basic rights. “This isn’t a political action. This is the Army internally fixing a problem that was the Army’s problem 106 years ago,” Haymond asserted.

Family members of the 110 Soldiers may be entitled to benefits, and guidelines for applying to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records can be found at https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/abcmr-app.html. Online applications can be submitted at https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/online-application.html or through mail to Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA), 251 18th Street South, Suite 385, Arlington, VA 22202-3531.

Applications should include documentation proving a relationship to one of the 110 formerly convicted soldiers.
Family members and interested parties can request a copy of the corrected records from the National Archives and Records Administration, following the NARA Archival Records Request procedures at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott Suspends Presidential Campaign

Maria

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Nov 14, 2023

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Republican Sen. Tim Scott Suspends Presidential Campaign

By Aaron Pellish, Jeff Zeleny and Eva McKend, CNN

(CNN) — Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is suspending his presidential campaign, he announced in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

“I love America more today than I did on May 22. But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign,” he said.

The announcement Sunday night took many of Scott’s aides and donors by surprise. Two people close to his campaign said they were not given advance notice, even though it was becoming increasingly clear Scott was facing an uphill struggle to break through in the GOP primary.

The super PAC supporting Scott pulled its slate of television ads in October, and, following last week’s third GOP presidential debate, decided not to make a new investment.

Scott’s presidential prospects dimmed over the last several weeks, beginning with the super PAC’s decision to pull its ads. Last month, the Scott campaign said it was going “all in” on Iowa in an effort to gain on his primary rivals by targeting the first nominating contest on the GOP calendar.

Scott kept the decision to exit the race close to his vest, people linked to his campaign said, but the timing was more surprising than the announcement itself. His team had been worried about qualifying for the fourth Republican debate next month, after being the last candidate to meet the donor and polling thresholds to make last week’s debate. He had been hoping a strong debate performance would jumpstart his candidacy, but even he conceded to advisers and allies that hadn’t happened.

By leaving the race now, people close to his campaign said, he can return to the Senate without an embarrassing finish in Iowa. He preserves the possibility of a future political run — and leaves without getting in the crosshairs of Donald Trump, should the former president become the nominee.

“Tim ran an optimistic, hopeful message — but that’s not where the Republican base is right now,” a GOP official who supported Scott told CNN.

Scott told Fox News’ Trey Gowdy that he will not back another Republican candidate, saying he believes “the best way for me to be helpful” is to withhold an endorsement in the primary.

Scott said he has no intention of accepting a vice presidential nomination, reaffirming a position he repeated frequently on the campaign trail.

“I ran for president to be president,” he said. “I think I was called to run. I was not called to win, but I certainly was called to run. … Being vice president has never been on my to-do list for this campaign, and it’s certainly not there now.”

Prominent Scott donor and metal mogul Andy Sabin told CNN he’s “disappointed but not surprised” that the senator decided to step aside and said he now plans to back former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the GOP primary.

Scott launched his campaign in May, hoping to bring an optimistic message to a Republican field dominated by figures such as Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who portrayed America as a nation in decline. He made his personal story a central narrative of his campaign, often speaking about growing up in poverty in South Carolina raised by a single mother and using those experiences to counter Democratic arguments on a wide range of issues, from criminal justice to education to economic policy.

“The truth of my life disrupts their lies,” he said often at campaign events.

The South Carolina senator entered the race with a major cash advantage after he converted his Senate campaign account into a presidential fund. This gave him a $21 million head start on fundraising and allowed him to flood the airwaves with early advertising in Iowa and New Hampshire. Scott’s TV spots became so ubiquitous in early states that by the summer, audience members at campaign events were able to quote lines from his ads back to him.

Scott campaign officials often touted his war chest to explain his path to the nomination, arguing they’d have the resources to stay in the race through the South Carolina primary while other candidates would face pressure to drop out.

Yet it was the Scott campaign that began to feel pressure in the fall after Trust in the Mission PAC, the super PAC supporting the senator’s White House bid, cut the remainder of its $40 million TV ad reservation, citing difficulties with “breaking through” to Republican voters. The announcement came shortly after the release of fundraising reports showing the campaign burning through its cash reserves at a high rate.

In response, the Scott campaign pivoted its strategy to a single-minded focus on Iowa, shifting staff and TV ad reservations into the state and significantly increasing his visits. The focus on Iowa was accompanied by a more aggressive rhetorical approach, with Scott increasingly leveling sharp criticisms at President Joe Biden and Republican rivals such as DeSantis, Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a notable departure from an earlier more affable approach to campaigning.

As perhaps the most prominent Black Republican politician in the country, Scott frequently leaned into conversations about race as a means to boost his fundraising and court voters. He cited his own experiences to suggest that America’s struggles with racism were largely in the past. At the second Republican primary debate in California, Scott grabbed headlines when he outlined in stark terms his belief that the country has transcended the history of slavery and Jim Crow-era segregation, while also excoriating anti-poverty programs created in the 1960s.

“Black families survived slavery. We survived poll taxes and literacy tests. We survived discrimination being woven into the laws of our country. What was hard to survive was [President Lyndon] Johnson’s Great Society, where they decided to … take the Black father out of the household to get a check in the mail, and you can now measure that in unemployment, in crime, in devastation,” Scott said during the debate.

A devout Christian, Scott also made his faith a recurring theme, often quoting Bible verses at campaign events. His campaign prioritized outreach to Iowa evangelical voters and community leaders, who make up a significant coalition of Republican caucusgoers. Scott quickly came out in support of a 15-week federal ban on abortion and pushed his rivals to do the same, drawing praise from anti-abortion groups and leading evangelical political figures.

Scott’s exit from the presidential race marks the latest chapter in a political career that began in 1995, when he won a special election for the Charleston County Council. He held the seat for more than a decade before his election to the South Carolina House in 2008. After one term as a state lawmaker, Scott won a US House seat representing South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

Scott joined the US Senate in 2013 after Haley, who was serving as governor, appointed him to fill a vacancy left by GOP Sen. Jim DeMint’s retirement. Scott retained the seat in a 2014 special election, was reelected to a full term in 2016 and won a second full term last year.

Scott has expressed more openness than most Republicans to working with Democrats in Washington – he has led bipartisan policing overhaul talks alongside Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, which ultimately broke down. But he also owns one of the most conservative voting records in Congress. He rarely broke with Trump during the latter’s presidency, and, on the campaign trail, he frequently touted his conservative stances on taxes, criminal justice and education.

Throughout the campaign, Scott’s criticism of Trump – the front-runner for the GOP nomination – was relatively tame compared with his attacks on other primary contenders. He often expressed support for policies enacted during the Trump administration, most notably the 2017 tax cuts he helped draft in Congress, but regularly argued that Trump lacked the support in key swing states needed to carry Republicans to victory in a general election.

“I think if you look at the results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada … one of the things that you want to know is: ‘What’s the difference between Tim Scott and other candidates, Donald Trump specifically?’” Scott said to reporters at an Iowa campaign event in October. “The difference is I believe that I am the most electable candidate we have in the field.”

Scott suggested on Sunday that he’s going to keep looking for “another opportunity” to launch a White House bid.

“I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’ I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘No,’ but I do think they’re saying, ‘Not now,’” Scott said. “And so I’m going to respect the voters … and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

UCLA Project Explores Solutions, Responses for Addressing Hate

Maria

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Nov 14, 2023

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UCLA Project Explores Solutions, Responses for Addressing Hate

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media

Aaron Ellis, 43, has personally experienced the pain and animosity victims of hate incidents suffer.

On Jan. 30, Ellis, an editor for a press release service and a Black resident of San Dimas, was dressed in his workout clothes and wearing a backpack filled with bricks to increase the intensity of his workout when as he started to walk around his Charter Oak neighborhood in the San Gabriel Valley, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cruiser pulled up and directed him to halt.

Within moments, Ellis reported that the officer aggressively slammed him against the cruiser hood, frisked and handcuffed him, and tossed him in the backseat of the patrol car. Someone had accused Ellis of peeking into parked vehicles. Ellis, barely 10 minutes into his 45-minute workout, said he was dumbfounded and terrified.

“The deputy said they got a call that someone matching my description was trying to break into cars,” Ellis recalled. “I said that was absurd because I just started walking. I was on the street so short of a time I didn’t have a chance to come around cars.”

The officer, Ellis remembered, acted like everything about him was suspicious. Not having his ID with him didn’t help. Two additional police cars arrived, and the deputy who detained Ellis said they would release him if they could verify that no crimes had occurred.

Ultimately, Ellis was released. After a tense exchange with the deputy, he walked home and told his wife what occurred.

Ellis’ dad filed a complaint at a sheriff’s station.

The actions and presumed biases of the person who called 911 and the Latino deputy who detained Ellis were rooted in hate, Ellis believed.

“I can’t think of any other reason someone would call the police on me and say some heinous, straight-up lies unless it was race based,” he said. “As far as the actions of the police, they were just responding to a call. How I was treated though — they didn’t give me a certain benefit of the doubt they would have given other people.” UCLA’s Initiative to Study Hate aims to understand and mitigate the kind of hate Ellis experienced at the hands of law enforcement and other forms this societal issue takes. For example, how hate shows up in groups, institutions and even organizations that form to fight against it.

The three-year social impact project, launched in October 2022 with the support of a $3 million unanimous donation, brings together scholars from various specialties to explore topics such as the impact of social media hate speech on youths, racial bias in health care settings, the neurobiology underlying hate, and the unexpected areas where hate appears in daily life.

The initiative’s director, David Myers, the UCLA Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, recently said in a press release that hate is pervasive and vexing.

“But in just one year, we have gained important new insights into how it functions and how we might better address it,” he said.

During the study’s first year, researchers investigated topics including the treatment of Black youth experiencing suicidal thoughts, the roles of Black and Latinx youth in gun prevention programs, the hyper-sexualization of Asian women and the crimes in the U.S. motivated by race and gender, and how partisan media has spurred right-wing extremism.

Researchers discovered that hate speech on social media affected 80% of fifth to 12th graders with 47% cyberbullied. Additionally, 75% of unhoused peoples experienced discrimination within a month, with over half stating they had been harassed or threatened.

The project will launch a podcast series within the next year and work in partnership with the California Commission on the State of Hate to develop resources and guidance for governments and communities to reduce and respond to hate activity. Another partnership with UCLA’s Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies will put a spotlight on antisemitism in the U.S. and across the globe.

The research is set to continue. A team will explore historical approaches to combat hate and how its definition can hinder its mitigation. Another group will broaden its study of hate and cyberbullying on social media to include college students. Other researchers will analyze hate’s impact on youth and the media and information landscape, racism in childbirth, and anti-Black hate.

In an email to California Black Media (CBM), Meyers said future initiatives to study hate will examine Islamophobia and Antisemitism in response to the headline-grabbing news pouring out of the conflicts in Israel and Palestinian lands.

Initiative fellow and social scientist Kevin Gatter said the project brings scholars together to push through challenges.

“This initiative is a testament to the importance of drawing from other fields in order to produce research that will have a greater impact,” he said.

Hate crimes and incidents are on the rise in California – and they continue to impact Blacks more than any other race. According to the California Department of Justice, in 2022 hate crimes involving racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia increased by more than 20%.

Ellis said, overall, most of his experiences with people in his area are friendly. Now, he is concerned about the source of the hate he experienced.

“The ones who lurk in the shadows are who I worry about,” Ellis said. “The person who called the police on me, I still don’t know who that is. That is why I don’t go down that street.”

Myers said the UCLA initiative is more than a school project.

“We don’t want to simply to know how hate works,” he said. “We want to eradicate it.”

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

Report On The Thoughts Of Those Concerned With The Conflict In The Middle East

Maria

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Nov 12, 2023

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By Shawn Smith-Hill, Contributing Writer

The responses gathered reflect a profound familiarity with the conflict, transcending
mere media reports. The younger generation, while attempting to find reliability among
social media news sources, grapples with the historical complexities and deeply rooted
religious underpinnings that have fueled the conflict for decades.

A respondent, who identified as both Israeli and Palestinian, put forth a compelling case
for the conflict’s rooted religious nature. They emphasized how colonial interference had
shattered the region’s previous secular harmony, leading to the current state of
animosity and hostility that exists today. Their passionate appeal for empathy and
listening echoed the sentiments of many caught in the confrontation.

The sentiment surrounding media influence showcased skepticism, with the belief that
media narratives often fit selective agendas, hindering a holistic understanding.
Additionally, misconceptions, particularly regarding indigenous ties to the region, were
illuminated, emphasizing the complexities of heritage and religious identity.

In the midst of the unsettling appearance of humanitarian catastrophes, participants
emphasized the need for resource sharing and shared responsibility for the region.
There was a loud cry for peace, emphasizing the terrible consequences of genocide
and the urgent need to prevent more killing.

Despite global attention, there’s a stark lack of concrete action. Respondents
highlighted the need for more than mere rhetoric—practical measures to deliver
humanitarian aid and alleviate suffering are urgently required. While specific
humanitarian organizations weren’t mentioned, there was a call for unified efforts to aid
civilians in Gaza and other conflict-affected areas.

The call for humanitarian aid is loud and clear, urging global actors to transcend words
and engage in decisive action to alleviate the suffering of civilians trapped in the cycle of
violence.

This report encapsulates the sentiments and concerns shared by those involved in or
deeply concerned about the Israel-Palestine conflict, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the situation and the urgent need for both understanding and humanitarian
intervention.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

Stay Informed! For stories like these and more click here. https://sdvoice.info/

At Annual “Many Shades of Pink” Event, Breast Cancer Survivors/Sheroes Sparkle

Maria

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Nov 12, 2023

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At Annual “Many Shades of Pink” Event, Breast Cancer Survivors/Sheroes Sparkle

By VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF

Community-based organization, Many Shades of Pink, founded by breast cancer survivor,

Wendy Shurelds, held its annual “Many Shades of Pink” fashion show on San Diego State University (SDSU) campus this past weekend. Many Shades of Pink’s mission is to “support, empower and provide high-quality breast cancer & health resources to women of color in the safety and security of our own environments. Our success is measured by the value we provide to those we serve.” The organization is positively impacting health outcomes for African American and other women of color with breast cancer.

“Many Shades of Pink are ‘Boots on the Ground’ to break every chain to end breast cancer health disparities,”said one enthusiastic attendee.

For full stories and photos only published in print, pick up a paper at a newsstand near you, or check out our latest edition of our newspaper.

Forever Chemicals Are Heading for a Black Belt Landfill

Maria

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Nov 11, 2023

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Forever Chemicals Are Heading for a Black Belt Landfill

By Willy Blackmore, Word in Black

For nearly 50 years, the Emelle Hazardous Waste Facility in Sumter County, Alabama, has been a destination for some of the most unwanted substances in the country.

One of just 60 specialty landfills in the United States, the facility handles what your average dump cannot: PCBs, heavy metals, and waste containing dioxin. As of late, it also takes in nearly 40,000 gallons of a foam used by firefighters that contain PFAS, better known as forever chemicals.

Why does the nation’s most dangerous waste have to end up in a county that is nearly 70% Black?

But the foam doesn’t come from Alabama.

According to an investigation co-published in October by AL.com and Wisconsin Watch, the foam is being trucked down from Wisconsin — the Emelle facility receives waste from across the country and a few overseas military bases, too — where state officials decided that putting it in a landfill was the best available option for disposal (and is arguably better than burning the foam or dumping it in the sewer, as other states have done).

The decision has reignited a long-standing debate over the Emelle landfill, which sits in Alabama’s Black Belt. Why does the nation’s most dangerous waste have to end up in a county that is nearly 70% Black?

“I don’t think it’s fair for you to take your waste and ship it to an almost all-Black county,” Dorthy Oliver, who used to work in the landfill’s records department, told AL.com.

The landfill was first opened in the late 1970s by a group of investors that included James Parsons, the son-in-law of the notorious segregationist and former Alabama Governor George Wallace. The site was said to be chosen because it sits atop a 500-foot thick section of Selma chalk, as the deposit of dense stone that runs beneath a swath of Alabama and into the Florida panhandle is known.

Large trenches cut into chalk (which in the early years were unlined) were thought to be the perfect place to store hazardous waste. The stone is particularly thick in Emelle, and as the New York Times reported in 1985, “it will take a drop of water 10,000 years to work its way through the formation to the water below” — an aquifer that’s a major source of drinking water. But maps of the formation show that it’s not the only area rich in Selma chalk.

Emelle shares one thing in common with many other hazardous-waste landfill sites: its demographics. According to a 2007 study, the populations of communities with hazardous waste facilities are more than half people of color, and in towns where there are three or more such facilities, that percentage jumps to nearly two-thirds. In Emelle, 81% of the dwindling population is Black.

No matter how thick the protective chalk might be, there are inherent risks to storing hazardous materials in a landfill like Emelle’s, which used to market itself as the “Cadillac of Landfills” in the ‘80s. At the time, the EPA found that the landfill was illegally storing millions of gallons of PCBs, and Chemical Waste Management, the company that runs the landfill, was fined $600,000.

PCBs and other toxic chemicals, including pesticides and heavy metals, were found in monitoring wells in the 1980s as well. But a grassroots campaign that sought to close the landfill was unsuccessful, and it has continued to operate over the decades — becoming entrenched both as a key employer and a major contributor to the local tax base.

PFAS were already a problem in Alabama before Wisconsin started sending firefighting foam to Emelle. Testing conducted by Waterkeeper Alliance in 2022 found PFAS in 95 of Alabama’s 114 waterways. That includes the Cahaba River, which Birmingham draws its drinking water from. The so-called forever chemicals, which do not readily break down in the environment (or in the body), are linked with a variety of health problems, including fertility issues and certain cancers.

Wisconsin would have said, because they’re majority white, they would have said, ‘We ain’t going to have it.’

DORTHY OLIVER

Even if the Cadillac of Landfills can keep the PFAS contained in all of that chalk (the newer trenches are lined), there’s a certain existential threat to living alongside such large quantities of forever chemicals and other toxic waste. And there’s the question of fairness, of why it’s Emelle that has to cope with that best-case scenario — and the potential ills that might result from a leak or any other kind of spill or disaster at the facility.

Dorthy Oliver, the former landfill employee, is confident in how the landfill is run and the manner in which the waste is stored, but she can’t see things working the other way if Emelle was sending toxic chemicals north. “Wisconsin would have said, because they’re majority white, they would have said, ‘We ain’t going to have it.’”

What to Do About Infant Mortality

Maria

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Nov 11, 2023

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By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black

A new report reveals fewer American babies are living until their first birthday. The data, released on Nov. 1 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealed a 3% rise in infant death rates — the largest year-to-year increase in two decades, according to the agency.

A total of 20,538 infants were lost between 2021 and 2022, the CDC’s “Vital Statistics” provisional report notes.

Black infants remained at the highest risk of death of all races and ethnicities at 10.86 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, compared to a rate of 10.55 in 2021. Despite the increase, the CDC said the change was “not statistically significant.”

American Indian and Alaska Native infants saw the greatest uptick in deaths, rising from 7.46 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 9.06. Numbers for Pacific Islanders increased from 7.76 to 8.50, Hispanic infants from 4.79 to 4.88, and white infants from 4.36 to 4.52.

Dr. Elizabeth Cherot, President and CEO of March of Dimes — a family health nonprofit — said her organization is disheartened by the report.

“It’s disappointing to see such a significant increase in infant deaths after the country has witnessed a steady decline over the last 10 years,” she said in a statement.

Asian infants were reportedly the only group to experience a decrease during the 2021-2022 period, dipping from 3.69 to 3.50 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Leading Causes of Infant Death

The researchers gathered data by reviewing infant birth and death records. Among the leading causes of death, they found an increase in newborn bacterial sepsis — a body-wide infection spread through the bloodstream — and pregnancy complications.

Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related cause and nearly four times more likely to birth low-weight or preterm babies, a common cause of infant death, according to the CDC.

“Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias,” the CDC wrote. “Social determinants of health prevent many people from racial and ethnic minority groups from having fair opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health.”

Dr. Sandy Chung, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, called the rise in infant deaths “disturbing and disappointing.” Despite spending more on health care than any other high-income country, the United States has the highest infant and maternal mortality rate.

“We live in a country with abundant resources. Yet the infant mortality rate in the United States is shockingly high. There are many different reasons for this,” Chung said in a statement. “We do know that families in poverty face many challenges including access to nutritious food and affordable health care. Racial and ethnic disparities related to accessible health care — including prenatal health services — are just one of the many possible reasons for lower birth weights of babies and sometimes, infant deaths.”

Resources for Black Families

Black Love: A docu-series with six seasons of love stories on Black couples. The film project features interviews with a husband and wife who search for healing after the loss of an infant. Watch the original episode on Oprah.com and the after-show on YouTube.
Black Moms in Loss Support Group: A free virtual support group for Black mothers grieving the loss of a pregnancy or infant. The group meets on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST and is a partnership of Sisters in Loss and Postpartum Support International. Sign-up here.
The Mourning After: A Black Infant Mortality Anthology: A new book by Black maternal advocacy non-profit Zeal of Xander, Inc. that highlights the experiences of Black women who have lost their children to miscarriage, preterm labor, terminal medical diagnosis, and stillbirth. The anthology features essays from providers and aims to raise awareness about the Black infant mortality crisis.
Sisters in Loss Podcast: A podcast dedicated to “replacing silence with storytelling around pregnancy and infant loss and infertility of Black women.” Founded by Erica M. Freeman, a grief specialist who experienced a stillbirth and a miscarriage, the episodes cover contributing factors for infant loss, healing and overcoming grief, finding refuge in spirituality and community, and more. Listen here.

Racial Disparities Highlighted as October Breaks Global Temperature Records

Maria

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Nov 10, 2023

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Racial Disparities Highlighted as October Breaks Global Temperature Records

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Weather officials and experts have confirmed that last month was the hottest October ever globally, surpassing pre-industrial averages by a staggering 1.7 degrees Celsius (3.1 degrees Fahrenheit), weather officials confirmed. This milestone marks the fifth consecutive month of record-breaking temperatures, setting the stage for the hottest year ever recorded.
The extent of the temperature surge, which exceeded the previous record set in 2019 by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.7 degrees Fahrenheit), has astonished experts.

And as extreme weather patterns increasingly become the new normal, it is not surprising to find that African Americans are disproportionately affected. Research from the Gallup Center on Black Voices underscored the disparities in confidence, preparedness, and resource accessibility between racial and ethnic groups. Black and Hispanic Americans report lower levels of confidence in their preparedness and less access to vital resources compared to their white counterparts.

While most respondents across all racial and ethnic groups agree that they have access to reliable weather warnings and someone to call for help during extreme weather events, the margin is narrower for Black and Hispanic Americans. White Americans outpace both groups by approximately ten percentage points on each measure, indicating a higher level of preparedness and ability to recover.

According to Gallup, the most significant divide emerges in the perception of community support during natural disasters or extreme weather events. Compared to white Americans, Hispanic adults lag by 13 percentage points, while Black adults fall behind by 18 points. Relocation statistics, which show that 14% of Black Americans and 11% of Hispanic Americans have relocated, either temporarily or permanently, due to extreme weather events, are further evidence of this disparity.

The climate crisis is exacerbating these disparities, with the Copernicus Climate Change Service noting that a contributing factor is the reduced capacity of oceans to mitigate global warming, which is historically responsible for absorbing up to 90% of excess heat from climate change. This drop in oceanic regulation and El Niño’s effect (a natural climate cycle that raises ocean temperatures temporarily and changes global weather patterns) make it look like more warming is coming in the coming months.

According to Gallup researchers, 2023 has seen a notable increase in unusual weather events like floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, tornadoes, and wildfires. This trend is expected to continue, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicating a high likelihood of an increased frequency and severity of such events in the coming decades.
“2023 has been a notable year for abnormal weather events, which have caused considerable impact to life and property,” Gallup researchers concluded. “According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is very likely that these types of events – floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, tornadoes, wildfires and more – will increase in frequency and/or severity in the coming decades.”

Overhaul Needed: Tackling Youth Incarceration and Racial Disparities

Maria

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Nov 10, 2023

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Overhaul Needed: Tackling Youth Incarceration and Racial Disparities

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In its report, “System Reforms to Reduce Youth Incarceration: Why We Must Explore Every Option Before Removing Any Young Person from Home,” the Sentencing Project challenges the prevalent practice of youth incarceration. The study highlights the inefficacy of youth incarceration and underscores the urgent need for state and local youth justice systems to prioritize alternative-to-incarceration programs.

Research shows that it is rarely necessary or effective to incarcerate adolescent offenders, the authors concluded. Instead, incarceration often heightens the likelihood of repeat offenses, impedes educational and employment prospects, and exposes youth to harmful environments. Unsurprisingly, these negative impacts disproportionately affect youth of color, particularly African Americans.

According to the Vera Institute of Justice, more than eighty percent of all arrests involve low-level, nonviolent offenses associated with poverty. Further disconcerting, although Black males comprise just 13% of the total population, they represent an astounding 35% of those incarcerated. Additionally, compared to their white counterparts, Black youth are over four times more likely to be detained or committed to juvenile facilities.

The Sentencing Project said it wants youth justice leaders and legislators to recognize and fix the current failed strategy, and deal with the racial inequalities. The organization supports using alternatives to incarceration in most cases, except when there is a clear danger to public safety. The Sentencing Project’s report delineates a comprehensive agenda of state and local reforms, drawing from successful implementations nationwide. The authors note proposed changes that include not sending children to state-run youth prisons for certain crimes, providing incentives to local courts to avoid sending kids to state custody, and using the funds saved from releasing kids for other programs.

Officials at the Sentencing Project suggest making changes at the local level. They recommend reducing the number of individuals who are sent to prison early in the legal process. It also suggests changing the way probation is done so that it helps people succeed in the long term. Finally, the report recommends not putting young people in jail for breaking probation rules.

To effectively reduce youth incarceration, the report authors emphasized the need for collaboration between justice systems, families, and community partners. The authors insists that staff members who are highly motivated and trained must implement alternative-to-incarceration programs per core principles. They argue that efforts should be made to address the biases causing racial and ethnic disparities in confinement in the American youth justice system.

“The research is clear that incarceration is not necessary or effective in the vast majority of delinquency cases,” said Richard Mendel, Senior Research Fellow at The Sentencing Project. “Most state and local youth justice systems continue to employ problematic policies and practices that often lead to incarceration of youth who pose minimal or modest risk to public safety. It’s essential that state and local jurisdictions seize every opportunity to keep young people safely at home with their families, in their schools, and communities.”

Revolutionary Study Explores Heart PET Scans as Game-Changer for Early Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia Detection

Maria

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Nov 10, 2023

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Revolutionary Study Explores Heart PET Scans as Game-Changer for Early Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia Detection

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a major study showing how positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the heart could be used to find people likely to get Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia. Health officials said the research, the brainchild of specialists from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), marks a significant advancement in the early detection of these crippling neurodegenerative disorders.

This discovery, led by scientists from the NINDS and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could change how early these crippling neurodegenerative conditions are found.

In the pioneering investigation, scientists delved into neurotransmitter levels by employing PET scans on the hearts of 34 individuals with known Parkinson’s disease risk factors. The scans gave new information about the people who later were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia. Lewy bodies—abnormal alpha-synuclein protein deposits—are the root cause of both conditions.

The research took place at the NIH Clinical Center; currently the sole facility offering 18F-dopamine PET scanning. PET scans employ a radioactive tracer to visualize metabolic or biochemical processes within body organs.

Norepinephrine, derived from dopamine, is notably deficient in the brains of people living with Parkinson’s, health officials explained in the study. Dr. David S. Goldstein, the principal investigator for NINDS, has previously shown that people with Lewy body diseases have very little cardiac norepinephrine. He explained that nerves that supply the heart typically release this neurotransmitter.

The new study, led by Dr. Goldstein, found that people who were at risk and had low 18F-dopamine-derived radioactivity in the heart were much more likely to develop Parkinson’s or Lewy body dementia over time than people who had the same risk factors but normal radioactivity.

“Imagine the scans are frames of a movie. The frame at 8 minutes during the first evaluation is already enough to identify the people who are likely to go on to develop a central Lewy body disease years later,” Goldstein stated.

For the research, 34 individuals at risk for Parkinson’s were engaged, and subjected to cardiac 18F-dopamine PET scans every 18 months for up to approximately 7.5 years or until diagnosis. Those who took part had at least three things that put them at risk for Parkinson’s – a family history of the disease, anosmia (loss of smell), dream enactment behavior (a sleep disorder), and orthostatic intolerance symptoms, like feeling dizzy when standing up.

Eight of the nine participants who had lower cardiac 18F-dopamine-derived radioactivity on their first scan were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia. Remarkably, only one of the eleven participants with normal initial radioactivity developed a central Lewy body disease. All nine participants who developed a Lewy body disease exhibited low radioactivity before or at the time of diagnosis.

Researchers noted that the study supported the idea that synuclein disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, affect the nerves that control automatic body functions like blood pressure and heart rate. Officials said Goldstein’s extensive work, among others, showcases synuclein aggregation in nerves related to gastrointestinal organs, skin, and glands in both conditions.

“We think that in many cases of Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies, the disease processes don’t actually begin in the brain,” Goldstein remarked. “Through autonomic abnormalities, the processes eventually make their way to the brain. The loss of norepinephrine in the heart predicts and precedes the loss of dopamine in the brain in Lewy body diseases.”

Health officials declared that finding biomarkers for diseases before they show symptoms, in the “preclinical period,” is very important for testing that can help with early intervention. Parkinson’s motor symptoms do not show up until dopamine-producing neurons in parts of the brain that control movement are severely damaged or lost.
“Once symptoms begin, most of the damage has already been done,” Goldstein emphasized. “You want to be able to detect the disease early on. If you could salvage the dopamine terminals that are sick but not yet dead, then you might be able to prolong the time before the person shows symptoms.”

The study concluded, “Using PET scans to find people with preclinical Lewy body diseases could lead to testing preventative measures like changing your lifestyle, taking dietary supplements, or taking medicine.”

Surge in Air Travel Complaints Prompts DOT to Overhaul Consumer Reporting System

Maria

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Nov 10, 2023

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Surge in Air Travel Complaints Prompts DOT to Overhaul Consumer Reporting System

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said it has responded to a significant increase in consumer complaints about air travel services as it released data revealing a substantial surge in grievances against airlines and ticket agents during the first quarter of 2023.

The Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR), delayed due to the high volume of complaints, will now showcase consumer submissions, including complaints, inquiries, and opinions, instead of focusing solely on complaints from June 1 to December 31, 2023, DOT officials said. Civil rights complaints will continue to be reported as usual.

In March 2023, the DOT received 7,492 airline service complaints, a 12.8% increase from the previous month. It also represents a significant 70.1% surge compared to March 2022. For the first quarter of 2023, the Department received a staggering 24,965 complaints, indicating an 88.4% increase from the same period in the previous year.

Complaints related to the treatment of passengers with disabilities also saw a notable uptick. In March, the DOT received 224 disability-related complaints, a marked increase from the previous month and a substantial rise compared to March 2022. For the first quarter of 2023, the DOJ registered 636 disability-related complaints, reflecting a notable surge from the previous year.

The DOT announced it would invest in modernizing its consumer complaint application system to address those challenges. The Department secured an $8 million grant from the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to enhance its capabilities further. Officials project the upgraded system to operate by January 2024, with additional improvements planned through TMF funding in subsequent years. The initiative aims to improve the customer experience for the tens of thousands of consumers who use the system each year.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also emphasized the Department’s dedication to ensuring fair treatment for airline passengers, highlighting the importance of data gathered in the ATCR for enforcement activities and rule adequacy assessments.

“The DOT is committed to combating all forms of discrimination and will take action against carriers that violate Federal anti-discrimination statutes,” Buttigieg stated, adding that efforts are underway to enhance lavatory accessibility on single-aisle aircraft and to potentially allow passengers to stay in their own wheelchairs when they fly.

Nigerians Outraged over Government Spending Plans as Millions Face Hardship

Maria

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Nov 10, 2023

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Nigerians Outraged over Government Spending Plans as Millions Face Hardship

By Nimi Princewill, CNN

Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) — Nigeria’s government has come under fire over a budget that included a 6 billion naira ($6.3 million) presidential yacht and luxury cars, as the country grapples with mounting debts and a cost-of-living crisis.

Lawmakers rejected the plans for a presidential yacht before approving the N2.1 trillion ($2.7 billion) supplementary budget on Thursday, following a public outcry. The money was allocated instead to a student loan program.

The budget still allocates funds for purchasing SUV vehicles for the presidency, amounting to N2.9 billion ($3.6 million), and to cover the cost of renovating the president’s residential quarters, estimated at N4 billion ($5 million).

It also includes official vehicles worth N1.5 billion ($1.9 million) for the First Lady’s Office, despite the fact that Nigerian laws do not formally recognize this office.

A ‘spending problem’

Nigerians, many of whom who are struggling to make ends meet, reacted in anger to the proposed budget, prompting the lawmakers to make changes.

“Nigerians are facing some of the harshest economic realities of their existence. It shows a remarkable lack of empathy for the President to spend so profligately at a time when soldiers fighting the war on terror are dying and should be better motivated to build morale, pensioners are being owed, civil servants take home pay can no longer take them home, and fuel and food inflation is approaching 30%,” said former presidential aide Reno Omokri in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Anti-corruption activist Yomi Ogunsanya told CNN the budget “insults the sensibility of Nigerians,” and called plans to renovate the president’s residence and buy new SUVs “wasteful.”

“These are wasteful spendings… Nigeria doesn’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem.”

Government ‘hypocrisy’

Other analysts say it is “hypocrisy” for the government to spend on luxuries while impoverished citizens suffer hardship caused by the president’s economic reforms.

More than 80 million Nigerians live on less than $2 a day, representing “the world’s second-largest poor population after India”, according to the World Bank.

“Does it make sense that our government would borrow money to finance their ostentatious and luxury lifestyles at a time the president urged the pauperized nation to tighten their belts?” Nigerian lawyer and political analyst Ken Eluma Asogwa asked during a phone interview with CNN from Abuja.

“It is very provocative that amid all these fiscal challenges, the federal government is bent on wasting resources on mundane things … and maintenance of the luxury lifestyles of its functionaries.”

Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga said in a statement issued before the yacht was removed from the budget that it was “an operational naval boat with specialized security gadgets suitable for high-profile operational inspection and not for the use of the president.”

Onanuga added that “the naval boat was ordered by the navy under the previous administration.”

Nigeria owes over a billion dollars, according to its debt management office, and plans to borrow more this year.

It’s not immediately clear if the supplementary budget will be partly funded with borrowed money. CNN has reached out to the budget office for clarity.

Local media reported Thursday that the Nigerian House of Representatives reallocated the amount for the presidential yacht to the student loan scheme before passing the spending bill.

The supplementary budget was also approved by the country Senate after MPs from both parliaments merged their report on the budget.

Onanuga, who is Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, did not comment on the government’s plan to acquire luxury vehicles for the presidency.
However, CNN has reached out to the presidency for comment.

Economic woes

Nigerians have been grappling with above-average inflation for years.

However, the devaluation of the local currency, which has pushed it to record lows against the dollar, has led to even more price spikes and greater hardships.

Nigeria’s imports-driven economy relies on the dollar for international trade. In June, the Nigerian government announced it was lifting controls on foreign currencies, an economic reform it said would enable the local currency exchange freely against the dollar. But this has further weakened the Nigerian naira, which currently exchanges at over N1000 to a dollar on the black market.

Nigeria’s inflation rate hit 26.72% last month – its highest level in 20 years. Food inflation also rose to more than 30% year-on-year in September, 1.3% higher than the previous month. Transport costs had already risen sharply after Tinubu ended a fuel subsidy during his inaugural speech in May, saying it was unsustainable and a drain on public finances.

In an Independence Day address in October, Tinubu asked Nigerians to make sacrifices until his economic reforms began to take effect, urging them to “endure this trying moment.” However, many have pointed out that no attempts have been made to curb the huge costs of its government.

Tinubu runs a 48-member cabinet that data intelligence company Stears says is the largest of any Nigerian president since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

Last month, Nigeria’s Senate unveiled plans to acquire luxury vehicles for its 469 members despite the country’s struggling economy. Sunday Karimi, who heads the Nigerian Senate’s services committee, told local media that the decision was made because of the bad state of the roads in the country.

According to Karimi, senators “need the vehicles for oversights, to travel all over our constituencies,” adding that “If you look at Nigerian roads all over the federation, we have a serious problem because… most of our roads are terribly bad,” he said.

Anti-corruption activist Ogunsanya told CNN that Nigerians were yet to reap the benefit of monies saved from the removal of the fuel subsidy.

“You said there’s no money, you want to remove subsidy. You have removed it, and people are still feeling the impact. And then that same money, instead of channeling it to productive ventures and see how it can ameliorate the sufferings of the people, it is just (being used) for their own selfish benefits to live large in luxury,” he said of the government’s actions.