What Tami Said: Fat black women feel too good about themselves

We have a racial misogyny BINGO for you today. Fat black women feel too good about themselves.

The Huff Post quotes a study that states that hefty black women with high self esteem have serious issues. They are too crazy to loose weight. The comments on how disgusting black women are compared to white women are numerous. Poor black women live in communities bereft of healthy food alternatives. Black women are expected to care more for others than themselves. Black female obesity is also correlated with histories of depression & sexual abuse. Instead of investgating these confounding factors, it is so much easier to label black women as defective.

What Tami Said:

Trauma, PTSD rates especially high for Black vets

Trauma, PTSD rates especially high for Black vets.

ABWW Links of the Day

Native American Nightmare
Native Americans and Black Americans have a complicated history. Several nations enslaved us, black soldiers participated in removing Native Americans from their homelands and some nations welcomed slaves and fought off white encroachment together. Native American women have paid an especially high price as a result of racist Manifest Destiny ideology of white Americans. Native American women have the highest rates of physical and sexual abuse. A new study sheds light on the unthinkably brutal life of Native American women involved in prostitution. This article discusses the findings of the first studies the plight of Native American prostitutes in Alaska and the cross racial abuse that these women face.

Here’s How Deadly Breast Cancer is For Women of Color in the U.S.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) released three videos targeting black women as part of its outreach to women of color for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the NCI, nearly 27,000 African American women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. And while they are less likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they are more likely to die from it than any other race — and more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Three Feminists Talk About The Media’s Obsession With Unwed Black Women
The recent coverage of black women been the domain of everyone except black women. Colorlines.com interviewed out to three brilliant, self-identified black feminists to get their take on the media’s obsession with who black women choose to love, and how. What follows is a candid, hilarious and insightful part of the conversation on black love that we don’t often to get to hear.

Moment of Bliss – Awkward Black Girl Halloween Episode
Issa Rae is a producer/director/writer striving to make her mark on the entertainment industry. She received her B.A. from Stanford University, where she produced and directed four theatrical productions, including two stage adaptations of Spike Lee films. Because film was her true passion, she took time off from Stanford to attend the New York Film Academy where she honed her filmmaking skills. Upon graduating, Issa Rae has worked on various music videos and shorts. “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” often referred to as ABG, is Issa Rae’s third web series. It has been featured on several sites and publications, including Vibe and Clutch magazine.

Cynthia Church, A Warrior in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Cynthia Church, 63, a retired DuPont Co. computer analyst, launched Sisters on A Mission in 1995 after being diagnosed with her first of two bouts with breast cancer. She had noticed a lack of information and resources specific to black women and made it a “personal mission” to raise awareness.

Today, she and members of her organization give presentations at churches, community organizations and health fairs. They also hold workshops and support groups for breast cancer survivors and those struggling with the disease.

Church inspires others to volunteer through her own work, said Darlene Shorter, Sisters on a Mission president. Shorter met Church six years ago, following Shorter’s cancer diagnosis. The two spoke daily during Shorter’s treatment and Church answered questions about insurance and helped with her three children.
Florence Burton remembers the first time Cynthia Church approached her about joining a breast cancer support group for black women.

“I didn’t think I needed a support group,” said Burton, 68, of Wilmington. “Because I didn’t need to be sitting around whining and saying, ‘Oh, my name is Florence. I have cancer.’ “

But Church, a two-time cancer survivor, flipped Burton’s excuse around. You might not need a support group, Church told Burton, but someone in the group might need you.

More than 10 years later, Burton not only is an active member but the group’s chaplain. And Church’s persistence has built a modest support group into Sisters on a Mission, a 200-member organization dedicated to educating black women about breast cancer.

Her efforts were recognized Wednesday when President Barack Obama awarded her and 12 others the 2010 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor.

She was selected from 6,000 nominees for “exemplary deeds of service for her country and fellow citizens.”

“It means that all the years that the grass-roots organization has been going into the community, raising awareness about breast cancer, have not gone unnoticed,” Church said in an interview. “I think it’s a great honor that something like this is happening.”

By NICOLE GAUDIANO and WADE MALCOLM • The News Journal • August 5, 2010

Links of the Day

Fandom and its hatred of Black women characters
The only time that black women get unconditional l love in Sci Fi/Fantasy or in any other media genre is when they devote their lives to the white characters. They cannot have any kind of personal life and always sacrifice any attempt at one for the white cast mate. The most popular characterization of black women throughout the history of film and television has been the maid and the recent popularity of The Help just shows the need for many whites to see black women as extensions of own desires and not fully viable human beings. Narcissism is one of the attributes of whiteness. The fact that whites can write these characters with such little knowledge or interaction with black women, the fact that fans with same background feel free to hate these characters with such vitriol and the fact that many simply ignore and dismiss the assertions of black women about this phenomenon are examples of what I call racial sociopathy. Racial sociopathy is the inability to see POC as humans unless they fulfill white needs and desires, the inability to empathize with the experiences of POC, the compulsion to degrade and dismiss people of color for their own pleasure and the denial of all of the above in a blatantly racist manner.

This should be titled Taraji P. Henson: ‘There’s So Much Competition for Black Women In Movie Industry’ BECAUSE THERE ARE SO FEW ROLES! The real title totally miscontrues what Ms. Henson actually says.

Pan-Africanising women’s philanthropy: anatomy of an emerging social movement
It is about DAMN time!!! Panafricanism has a bad addiction to patriarchy.

Useful Information for Black Women During Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Black women contract the most lethal forms of breast cancer. I hate mammograms, but I am going schedule one soon.

Childhood Memories of Father Have Lasting Impact on Men’s Ability to Handle Stress

Not my usual post but I though this was interesting.

ScienceDaily
Aug. 13, 2010
Sons who have fond childhood memories of their fathers are more likely to be emotionally stable in the face of day-to-day stresses, according to psychologists who studied hundreds of adults of all ages.

Psychology professor Melanie Mallers, PhD, of California State University-Fullerton presented the findings August 12 at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

“Most studies on parenting focus on the relationship with the mother. But, as our study shows, fathers do play a unique and important role in the mental health of their children much later in life,” Mallers said during a symposium focusing on social relationships and well-being.

For this study, 912 adult men and women completed short daily telephone interviews about that day’s experiences over an eight-day period. The interviews focused on the participants’ psychological and emotional distress (i.e., whether they were depressed, nervous, sad, etc.) and if they had experienced any stressful events that day. These events were described as arguments, disagreements, work-related and family-related tensions and discrimination.

The participants, who were between the ages of 25 and 74, also reported on the quality of their childhood relationships with their mother and father. For example, they answered questions such as, “How would you rate your relationship with your mother during the years when you were growing up?” and “How much time and attention did your mother give you when you needed it?” The same questions were asked about fathers. The research controlled for age, childhood and current family income, neuroticism and whether or not their parents were still alive.

Participants were more likely to say their childhood relationship with their mother was better than with their father, with more men reporting a better mother-child relationship than women, according to Mallers. People who reported they had a good mother-child relationship reported 3 percent less psychological distress compared to those who reported a poor relationship.

“I don’t think these results are surprising, given that past research has shown mothers are often the primary caregiver and often the primary source of comfort,” said Mallers. “It got interesting when we examined the participants’ relationship with their fathers and their daily emotional reaction to stress.”

Men who reported having a good relationship with their father during childhood were more likely to be less emotional when reacting to stressful events in their current daily lives than those who had a poor relationship, according to her findings. This was not found to be as common for the women in the study.

Also, the quality of mother and father relationships was significantly associated with how many stressful events the participants confronted on a daily basis. In other words, if they had a poor childhood relationship with both parents, they reported more stressful incidents over the eight-day study when compared to those who had a good relationship with their parents.

Mallers theorized why healthy or unhealthy relationships may have an effect on how people handle stress as adults. “Perhaps having attentive and caring parents equips children with the experiences and skills necessary to more successfully navigate their relationships with other people throughout childhood and into adulthood,” she said.

She added it was difficult to come up with a concrete theory as to why men’s relationship with their father had such an influence on their emotional reaction to stress, especially since this study included adults of all ages who were raised during very different eras in the United States.

“The role of fathers has changed dramatically from the time the oldest participants were children,” added Mallers. “We do know that fathers have a unique style of interacting with their children, especially their sons. We need more research to help us uncover further influences of both mothers and fathers on the enduring emotional experiences of their children.”

ABWW Health Alert: Triple-Negative Breast Cancers Are Increased in Black Women

Please do those monthly exams and get annual mammograms.

Laurie Barclay, MD
April 13, 2009
Triple-negative breast cancers (negative for estrogen receptor [ER], progesterone receptor [PR], and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]), are 3-fold more common in black women than in nonblack women, regardless of age or body mass index (BMI), according to the results of a study reported in the March 25 issue of Breast Cancer Research.

“We investigated clinical and pathologic features of breast cancers (BC) in an unselected series of patients diagnosed in a tertiary care hospital serving a diverse population,” write Lesley A. Stead, from Boston University Medical Center in Massachusetts, and colleagues. “We focused on [Tneg] tumours ([ER], [PR] and HER2 negative), which are associated with poor prognosis.”

Between 1998 and 2006, 415 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancers and had available data on tumor grade and stage; ER, PR, and HER2 status; and patient age, BMI, and self-identified racial/ethnic group. Using contingency tables and multivariate logistic regression, the investigators evaluated associations between patient and tumor characteristics.

The patient sample had a wide range of racial and ethnic origins, with birthplace representing a total of 44 countries; 36% were white, 43% black, 10% Hispanic, and 11% other. Obesity, defined as BMI higher than 30 kg/m2, was present in 47%. Tumor receptor status was ER+ and/or PR+ in 72%, triple-negative tumors in 20%, and HER2+ in 13%.

Compared with white women, black women had 3-fold higher odds of having a triple-negative tumor (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6 – 5.5; P = .0001). In black women diagnosed before and after age 50 years, triple-negative tumors were equally prevalent (31% vs 29%; P = not significant). Similarly, prevalence of triple-negative tumors was similar in black women who were obese and nonobese (29% vs 31%; P = not significant). In the overall patient sample, the proportion of triple-negative tumors decreased as BMI increased (P = .08).

Limitations of this study include relatively small sample size and lack of data on clinical outcome or on potential confounders, such as parity.

“Black women of diverse background have 3-fold more Tneg tumours than non-black women, regardless of age and BMI,” the study authors write. “Other factors must determine tumour subtype. The higher prevalence of Tneg tumours in black women in all age and weight categories likely contributes to black women’s unfavorable breast cancer prognosis.”

New study on body image among black women

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 | 5:27 p.m. CDT; updated 10:34 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, July 27, 2010
BY Theresa Berens

COLUMBIA, MO. — Rashanta Bledman grew up in South Central Los Angeles, a mostly black and Latino neighborhood, where curves were prized. When she moved to a largely white college in Orange County, CA., she noticed she didn’t look like everyone else. Thinness was considered more important than shape, she discovered. Bledman had conversations about this with her friends, particularly her black, female friends.

“We didn’t want to be really thin, but we didn’t want to be heavy,” she said. “We wanted to have a small waist, but at the same time have curves.” Despite this, Bledman said she believed that the topic was not something that was discussed in the open — instead limited to small circles of friends.Today, talking about body image is part of Bledman’s academic work. Her studies have explored how black women feel about their bodies, because existing research had indicated a mixture of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the way they look.

Earlier this summer, her research won a graduate student award from the American Psychological Association’s. Bledman surveyed 79 black women, mostly MU students to find out how satisfied they were with their bodies. Using a set of images, she asked them to select their actual body shape and their ideal.Most participants said generally, they were satisfied with their bodies, but given the chance to change something, they would.“Many of the women said that they would have a smaller waist, a flatter stomach and a bigger butt,” Bledman said. “That’s a hard shape to really maintain, unless you’re, like, Kim Kardashian.”

Although she said her research cannot be generalized to the entire African-American population, she said she hopes her research will validate women’s experiences and let them know other women feel the same way. “There’s a societal idea that you should be thin, or you should look a certain way, and sometimes you can’t look that way,” she said. “It’s really hard for an African-American woman to look like a thin white woman.”

Columbia native Renella Ballinger, 45, identifies with Bledman’s findings. She said she is pretty satisfied with her figure but sometimes struggles to keep weight off. “I’ve always been naturally thinner,” Ballinger said. “The weight that I’ve gained has mainly come with age. I’m not really dissatisfied; it’s just hard to maintain without being active.”
“They call us thick,” she said. “We’re built that way.” Ballinger’s sister, Twanda Thomas, 41, agreed with the findings.
She said her concerns about weight have less to do with body image and more to do with health.
“I think we get more worried about (weight) because of diabetes and hypertension,” Thomas said

ABWW Shoutout to: Aretha Franklin and Condoleeza Rice

Now this is an unusual combination! I wish I was in Philly to see this. Condi surrounded by black folks that are not her relatives? This probably has not happened since she left Birmingham. Miracles do happen.

Reposted from theGrio
MATT MOORE, Associated Press
NANCY C. ALBRITTON, Associated Press
07/27/2010
Condoleezza Rice is no stranger to the whims of royalty. So when the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, decided the two should get together to play a song or two for charity, it was decreed. The former U.S. secretary of state and Franklin take the stage Tuesday evening at Philadelphia’s Mann Music Center in a rare duet for Rice, the classically trained pianist, and Franklin, the divalicious voice of a generation. Their aim is to raise money for urban children and awareness for music and the arts. “It is a joint effort for the inner-city youth of Philadelphia and Detroit,” Franklin told The Associated Press the night before their concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Their appearance will brim not only with Franklin’s catalog of hits, but arias from the world of opera and classical music.
“We decided to give it a try,” Franklin said. “So here we are, in the city of Brotherly — and Sisterly — Love.”

Rice, better known as a diplomat and national security adviser, will accompany Franklin singing her hits “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” Rice said she’s been practicing furiously for her performance of Mozart’s piano concerto in D Minor with the orchestra. Franklin’s repertoire will include songs from her new album “A Woman Falling Out of Love,” to be released later this year. Rice’s given name is derived from the Italian opera stage instruction con dolcezza, meaning “with sweetness.” Long a musician of note, she played from elementary school through college and beyond, in quartets and performing chamber music.

She has even played with cellist Yo-Yo Ma but “this will be the first time I’ve played with an orchestra since I was 18,” she said. When she learned that Rice played classical music, Franklin sent for one of her recordings “to hear what she sounded like.”Previously, she said, “All I had seen of Dr. Rice was in a political atmosphere. It just seemed foreign that she would be a classical pianist.”Franklin was surprised.”She really does play,” Franklin said. “She’s formidable.”The two met at a White House function, Rice recalled. “We were just talking and chatting and she said ‘You play, don’t you?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And she said we should do something together.” Rice told the AP their plan to play together was borne of their mutual appreciation for music and determination to keep it near and accessible to children.

Franklin, relaxing in her hotel suite and holding a single long-stemmed peach-hued rose, deplored school budget cuts of music and arts programs as “a travesty” that cannot be allowed. “Imagine what all of this would be without music. If you have to cut, cut something else. Not the music. We need the music. It soothes the savage beast. We need the music.” Rice, in a separate interview, agreed. “Nothing makes me more unhappy than when I hear people talk about music education in the schools as extracurricular,” Rice said. Both women lauded each other’s talents, and abilities, but Rice made it clear she’ll leave the singing to Franklin.”You do not want to hear me sing!” Rice said. “I’m a good choir musician, but I think I will stick to playing the piano.”

ABWW Health Watch: New study on vagina gel to reduce HIV/AIDS risk holds promise for women

David Ormsby,
San Francisco Examiner
July 25, 2010.
The XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna this week announced that a new vaginal gel has been shown to significantly reduce a woman’s risk of being infected with HIV. The microbicide gel contains an antiretroviral drug commonly used to treat people living with HIV, and was found in a clinical trial study to be 39% effective in reducing a woman’s risk of becoming infected with HIV during vaginal intercourse.

Black and Hispanic women have the highest rates of HIV infection in the country. In 2006, Chicago women accounted for 20% of diagnosed HIV infections, a percentage that has remained unchanged over the last six years. The gender gap, however, varies considerably by race and ethnicity. Women represent 29% of all HIV infections among Blacks, 17% among Hispanics, and 5% among Whites. The leading mode of transmission for women is heterosexual contact. Among female HIV infections diagnosed in 2006, 79% were transmitted through heterosexual contact, and 20% through injection drug use.

At the Chicago-based Children’s Place Association, which provides an early-learning program for HIV/AIDS-infected or affected children, the organization’s president, Cathy Krieger, is welcoming the news out of Vienna.
“If other studies confirm the vaginal gel outcomes, this could prevent thousands of new HIV infections in Chicago over the next two decades, saving the lives of not only adult women, but also improving the lives of their children.”

Krieger noted, “Approximately 65% of the mothers of the 83 children in our pre-school program have HIV/AIDS. We know that disease endangers not only the fragile health of the moms, but also puts at risk the academic and social development of their children.” And one Chicago lawmaker is promising legislative action if the gel proves effective.

“The breakthrough on HIV/AIDS prevention for women announced at the Vienna conference is deeply welcome news,” said State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), Chair of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee, the legislature’s leading HIV/AIDS expert.

“If further clinic trials were to confirm that the microbicide gel reduces HIV/AIDS transmission, I would sponsor legislation to ensure low-income Illinois women have access to the gel to save lives and save tax payers expensive HIV/AIDS treatment costs.”