New Mayors Have
Urban League Ties
Alvin Brown, Jacksonville, Florida’s first African American mayor, and Michael Hancock, Denver’s second Black mayor, have strong Urban League roots and both have made job creation in their cities job number one.
Brown is a former president of the Greater Washington Urban League Guild. Hancock credits his background as the former President of the Denver Urban League and his two-terms as President of the Denver City Council with inspiring his run for City Hall.
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How to Help East Africa /
Thanks for Helping Browder
East Africa is experiencing what U.S. State Department officials say is quickly becoming one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades. Read more and donate at ABC News.
We achieved our goal of raising $240 for the ASA Restoration Project. Thanks to K. Howell, who joined Port of Harlem publisher Wayne Young, for helping us become victorious.
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Maternal Mortality Rates Increases for
African-American Women
By Marjorie Valbrun
America’s Wire
High rates of obesity, high blood pressure and inadequate prenatal care cause death from childbirth more often for African-Americans in the United States than for Whites and other ethnic groups. Nationally, Blacks have a four-times greater risk of pregnancy-related death than Whites—a rate of 36.1 per 100,000 live births compared with 9.6 for Whites and 8.5 for Hispanics, according to a 2008 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The problem is particularly acute in New York City, where Blacks are nearly eight times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than Whites, and in California where pregnant Blacks are four times as likely to die of childbirth.
 Dr. Kerry M. Lewis (left) , chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Howard University’s College of Medicine and chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, says the mortality rate reflects lack of access to specialized health care that integrates comprehensive skills and technology. Too often, he says, patients are treated by family practitioners, nurse midwives, general obstetricians and gynecologists instead of specialists trained in high-risk pregnancies and medical problems that can cause complications during birth.
Obesity and hypertension are the major contributors to the Black maternal mortality rate, leading to death from strokes, renal failure and other complications associated with obesity, Lewis says. To a lesser extent, sickle-cell disease, a genetic disorder more common in people of color, also causes complications, he adds.
Lewis, who also chairs the District of Columbia section of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology, says the increase in C-sections has compounded the problem because they can lead to hemorrhage, infections and pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots in the lungs. One-third of the births in the United States are now by C-section compared with 20 percent a decade ago.
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Summer Time Children’s Reading
by Wayne A. Young
Bella and Harry
Two dogs visit Venice, Italy and help small children discover another land, its food, geography and culture in a very fun way.
African Thought of It
A very basic book covering what Africans have invented including coffee, The Great Zimbabwe Wall, soul and samba music. However, I was very disappointed that the authors did not include inventions that people seldom attribute to Africans such as Southern American porches and architecture columns.
How Back-Back Got His Name
The book shares a very interesting tale in which children can learn various life lessons. Though the authors’ main objective was to teach tolerance, I was reminded most about respecting all of the Earth’s creatures.
 Grandma’s Gift
Diversity starts at home and this book is a great story about the relationship between a young man and his grandmother. You can use the story to introduce English-speaking African-Americans to our Spanish-speaking African-American cousins. We featured author Eric Velasquez in the November 2010 - April 2011 print issue of Port Of Harlem. Most people know Velasquez as an illustrator and we featured the book Our Children Can Soar, in which he has an illustration, in Snippets |
Things to Do
Sex in an Epidemic
GMHC
446 West 33rd Street - 7th floor
(between 9th and 10th Avenues)
NYC
Thursday, Aug 11, 6p-8p
free
The Akwa Ibom State Association (USA) Convention
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Miami, FL
Th-Mo Aug 11-15
7th Annual O’Jays Celebrity Celebration Weekend & Scholarship Fund
Canton , Ohio
Aug 12-15
Mary J. Blige
Fillmore Silver Spring
8656 Colesville Road
Th, Sep 15
$89.50
Sewing Classes in Metro Gary
Spyceware Comfortable Home Goods
Antique Mall of Crown Point
103 W. Joliet 2nd Floor
Crown Point, IN
219-608-3445
indefinite, $45-$150 |
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In Texas, the state executed Mark Anthony Stroman (left) for a murder he once said was fueled by "patriotism," but which the state argued was motivated by pure hatred. After the 911 attacks, the admitted White supremacist killed an Indian man. His target were people whom he perceived were of Middle Eastern background in revenge and retaliation for the worst domestic terror incident in U.S. history. He also killed a Pakistani man and seriously wounded a Bangladeshi man.
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