“Statistically, black men in America are at increased risk for just about every health problem known. African Americans have a shorter life expectancy than any other racial group in America except Native Americans, and black men fare even worse than black women. Some of it can be chalked up to poverty, the most powerful determinant of health, or to lifestyle factors. But even when all those factors are accounted for in studies, the gap stubbornly persists. Now researchers are beginning to examine discrimination itself. Racism, more than race, may be cutting black men down before their time.” [snippet from below] baltimoresun.com October 4, 2007
Racism may affect black men’s health
By Susan Brink
…………………….
[The snippet above is a heart breaker. This morning I found a note in our building elevator to the effect that a recently retired (African American) staff member is severely ill in the hospital. On checking I dissevered that he is dying from one of those cancers that can be discovered and treated with proper preventive care. Not just African Americans but all those with minimal medical insurance coverage — or none — are destined to discover only too late that a treatable condition will be the death of him/her. But there are additional factors with African Americans. I recall a medical conference jointly sponsored by Mt. Sinai Medical and CUNY philosophy which explored the problem of getting African Americans to proper medical care. We discovered that older African Americans were afraid to seek medical help in all too many circumstances because of cruel and deadly care that they had received from doctors either uncaring or even brutal (e.g. ones who removed a uterus with growths rather than restoring it, which was apparently a common practice in the South up through mid century).
Needless to say anyone with eyes and ears can read hostility and prejudice in others. Hopefully there is less of this now and more access to medical care for more people, but the Bush veto of medical insurance for children tells the story. He bills this as an escape from “socialism” and defense of private medical insurance programs. Bush presumably has not had to engage in the battles that most of us have to get such insurance plans to pay what is provided for on paper.
Our family must constantly battle and be careful to get advanced permission for life-saving procedures — we lose some of the battles or find that we are ignored by company representatives whose employers report huge profits, e.g. Cigna which no longer haunts us. Most recently we moved on to Medicare — fortunately all our doctors have accepted it so far — but one’s office called when the Medicare response was that we were not enrolled — we received our new cards several months ago. An attempt to contact by phone resulted in a promise from a recording of a call back in several days.
Bottom line — getting and paying for medical care requires almost a Ph.D. in the arts of prying monies out of medical insurance plans which pay employees to dodge and weave payments due. We need a civilized medical funding system such as every other developed country has which is funded and operated by government employees with no personal interest in defeating medical care for those of us who need it! Ed Kent]
– “A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope.” (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
– Ed Kent 212-665-8535 (voice mail only) [blind copies] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FindingHumaneJobs
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/ http://www.bloggernews.net
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Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWe share a common interest. This is moral imperative from where I view condition. I have
a project coming in June entitled, “RESURRECTION: The Revial of Black Men”. Appplication is biblically oriented and applicable for all people of faith and even for those who only hold to secular perspectives. The fundamental principles speak to us all. Here I share with you a work that is near and dear to my heart.
BROTHERS IN SEARCH OF Identity, Love and Relevance in the Era of HIV and AIDS” is the ultimate guide and flagstone approach for the personal development of Black Men in the 21st Century. Stand firm on the foundation of all the great ones who paved the way to a future dreamed about. Live out personal faith and values in properly developed relationships with women who will accept nothing less than the best of the mature Black Man ready to serve self, family, and community. BROTHERS IN SEARCH OF is the new gold standard for the personal development of Black Men in the 21st Century.
Get your CD at the listed Paypal link. When you place your order, you will receive a signed copy of the text, plus an e-book of FREETOWN REVISITED, the story of the only place in America where freed slaves got their forty acres and a mule.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=4765544
Black Man, Brothers, if you care about yourself and the future of the Black Man, get this CD and work through it with your family, friends, and loved ones. Ladies, listen to BROTHERS IN SEARCH OF for yourselves and the Black Men in your life.
For other audio, print, or video work by Oscar Crawford, email crawfordanddienst@yahoo.com for listings available. Oscar Crawford is a career human relations professional living in Chandler, AZ where he and wife, Bonnie are involved in writing, publishing, and film making.
Excerpts of BLACK MEN (BROTHERS) In Search of Identity, Love, and Relevance in The Era of HIV and AIDS.
What would be the identity crises of Black Men post emancipation? The Bull brother has had one role for which he has been totally programmed. What else does he know to do? He is now a free man. Who informs his mind and how long will it take to transition and transform his mind to a new experience of de facto liberation and emancipation?
What happens to the brother who has never known a sense of power upon emancipation? How will he protect himself and the woman and family in his life, now that he is free?
He knows that the experience of the woman in his life is that he cannot protect her and that she has no real feeling for him. What does he do with all his pain? Does he turn it inward? Does he become self - destructive? What about the model to be man he has seen? He has only seen it at the hand of the one to whom he has been subject.
Will he begin to treat Black Women as if they are objects or dehumanize them like his previous master? Will Black Women tolerate this behavior from the man who has only previously been her slave brother? What will the impact of this experience be in the 21st Century Black Man? Does anybody really care?
BLACK MEN (BROTHERS) IN SEARCH OF Identity, Love and Relevance in the Era of HIV and AIDS” is the ultimate guide and flagstone approach for the personal development of Black Men in the 21st Century. Stand firm on the foundation of all the great ones who paved the way to a future dreamed about. Live out personal faith and values in properly developed relationships with women who will accept nothing less than the best of the mature Black Man ready to serve Creator, self, family, and community. BROTHERS IN SEARCH OF is the new gold standard for the personal development of Black Men in the 21st Century.
http://crawfordanddienstcommunications.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/black-men-brothers-in-search-of/
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