Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Another Brilliant Black Doctor Sounding the Alarm
An excerpt from Zenger -
America’s First Black Female Transplant Surgeon Says Organ Donation Is Racially Lopsided
The number of organ donors in the black community is alarmingly low. Velma Scantlebury is working to change that.
By Vandita Agrawal
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| Dr. Velma Scantlebury, who earned her Doctor of Surgery in 1989, has performed over 2,000 transplants. (Courtesy of Velma Scantlebury) |
The nation’s first black female transplant surgeon says that while donated organs are allocated equitably along racial lines in America, African-Americans continue to face unique disadvantages in the life-saving process she has worked in since 1989.
Velma Scantlebury told Zenger that the black community needs greater awareness about the need for more organ donors among nonwhite Americans. She points to the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program, founded in 1991.
African-Americans have a more difficult time getting on kidney transplant lists, even though they are more likely to have end-stage renal disease. They trail whites in access to kidney transplants. Scantlebury said her black patients face inequality in health care, poor treatment by some doctors, lack of insurance, late referrals to specialists and a lack of health literacy.
“They are often diagnosed late, due to a lack of equity of health care. When referred to transplant, many have difficulty navigating the system to get the required tests. Hypertension and diabetes are more common in African-Americans, and despite this, many patients are neglected when it comes to getter their kidney function checked,” said Scantlebury, who has performed more than 2,000 transplants.
https://www.zenger.news/2021/07/05/nations-first-black-female-transplant-surgeon-advocates-for-better-care-for-african-americans/
First Black Female Chair of Surgery @ Albany Medical College
https://www.blackenterprise.com/meet-the-first-black-female-chair-of-surgery-at-a-u-s-academic-health-science-center/Albany Medical College appoints the first Black female chair of surgery at an academic health science center in the US: Dr. KMarie King Learn more: https://t.co/diQSAaBLYd @KmarieMD @amcollsurgeons @societyofBAS @womensurgeons pic.twitter.com/4hNtgDfGHT
— Albany Med (@AlbanyMed) July 6, 2021
"Is Angela Working?"
An excerpt from The Mirror -
Woman escapes date with 'violent' man with life-saving secret signal to club DJ
The woman asked the DJ at a Liverpool pub the question that alerted him to her situation. He knew exactly what she meant and helped her to leave with the aid of a security guard
By Tim Hanlon
A distressed woman needing help to escape a potentially violent date used a private signal to the DJ at a Liverpool pub to get away.
She was saved by asking the DJ if Angela was working and, knowing immediately what she meant, he helped her out of the difficult situation.
At the city centre pub, the DJ responded by saying yes, Angela was working and told the nervous woman to get inside the booth with him.
He then called for help from security, and asked a guard the same question, which led to the woman being helped out of the back of the venue and into a taxi.
The man, who shared the episode on a Liverpool hospitality industry Facebook page, is now calling on other venues to train its staff to know what to do in these types of situations.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-escapes-date-violent-man-24495152
Four Phrases to Use When Stopped by Cops
An excerpt from Good -
The Four Magic Phrases to Use When You’re Stopped by the Cops
Everyone should know their rights.
By Brandon Weber
Whether it's a traffic stop that turns into “We smell something in your car" or a “driving while black" situation, you have rights when you're pulled over, and it's for the best if you actually use them. So how does this work, anyway? Well, you have rights when you're pulled over. These have been established via case law, and ultimately, some stem from the Constitution itself. In order, here are the magic phrases, along with some graphics to help you remember.
1. “Am I free to go?"
In any situation involving the police, you can ask this question. Some people ask it slightly differently: “Am I being detained?"—which is a version of the same question. Basically, if they've got nothing on you, they have to let you go. If they answer no to that question, you are in fact not free to go. In that case, you are suspected of doing something, and it's their job to try to get you to admit to it or to say a bit too much and incriminate yourself.
https://www.good.is/articles/4-magic-phrases-cops
One Smart Cookie - Historical Spelling Bee Winner = 14 Year Old Black Girl!
From HuffPost -
Spelling Bee Champ Is A Speed-Reading Math Whiz Who Holds 3 World Records
Zaila Avant-garde, 14, also made history at this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee.
By Elyse Wanshel
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| Zaila Avant-garde competes in the first round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals in Orlando, Florida, on July 8. JIM WATSON VIA GETTY IMAGES |
This year’s spelling bee champ is F-A-S-C-I-N-A-T-I-N-G.
Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana, made history Thursday when she became the first African American winner and the second Black champion in the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s 96-year history.
But that may not even be the most interesting thing about the teen.
Zaila, who dipped her toe into competitive spelling just two years ago, knows how to speed-read and discovered that she could divide five-digit numbers by two-digit numbers in her head, according to The New York Times.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spelling-bee-champ-speed-reading-math-whiz-3-world-records_n_60e856eee4b0b0220ededff8?ncid=NEWSSTAND0001
Tuesday, July 6, 2021
He's A Chess National Master!
From the NY Times -
Remember the Homeless Chess Champion? The Boy Is Now a Chess Master.
By Nicholas Kristof
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| Tanitoluwa Adewumi two years ago. Credit...Christopher Lee for The New York Times |
Once upon a time a 7-year-old refugee living in a homeless shelter sat down at a chess board in school and learned how to play. His school then agreed to his mom’s plea to waive fees for him to join the chess club.
The boy wasn’t any good at first. His initial chess rating was 105, barely above the lowest possible rating, 100.
But the boy, Tanitoluwa Adewumi — better known as Tani — enjoyed chess as an escape from the chaos of the homeless shelter, and his skills progressed in stunning fashion. After little more than a year, at age 8, he won the New York State chess championship for his age group, beating well-coached children from rich private schools.
I wrote a couple of columns about Tani at that time, and readers responded by donating more than $250,000 to a GoFundMe campaign for Tani’s family, along with a year of free housing. It was heartwarming to see Tani running around the family’s new apartment, but I wondered: Is this kid really that good?
It turns out he is. This month, as a fifth grader, Tani cruised through an in-person tournament in Connecticut open to advanced players of all ages and won every game. He emerged with a chess rating of 2223, making him a national master.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/opinion/sunday/homeless-chess-champion-tani-adewumi.html
Twin MDs fight entrenched racism in medical world
Another Brilliant Sista!
From Blavity -
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, Who Helped Develop COVID-19 Vaccine, Joins Harvard’s Faculty
Corbett plans to expand vaccine research in her new laboratory with the goal to create universal vaccines.
by Sìmone Stancil
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| Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett / Photo Credit: Timothy Nwachukwu |
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, one of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) lead scientists, is joining Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as an assistant professor, the university announced.
Corbett is most widely known for playing an integral role in the development of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, which has proven to be up to 94.1% effective, according to the CDC.
“I am delighted to welcome Kizzmekia to the School. Working in public health is a calling, and I am proud to work each day supporting an amazing team of researchers who have devoted their professional lives to helping others live full, happy, and healthy lives,” Michelle Williams, dean of the faculty at Harvard Chan School and angelopoulos professor in public health and international development, said.
“Kizzmekia is a natural fit here. Her success in the lab is matched only by her commitment to using science to improve people’s lives, especially for communities that have too often been left behind by advances in health care,” she added.
As a professor in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Corbett is spearheading the new Coronaviruses & Other Relevant Emerging Infectious Diseases (CoreID) Lab to study and understand the correlation between hosts’ immune systems and viruses that cause respiratory illness. Her goal is to create novel and potentially universal vaccines.
https://blavity.com/dr-kizzmekia-corbett-who-helped-develop-covid-19-vaccine-joins-harvards-faculty?category1=news&category2=Wellness
FAMU's Dillard Tops Golf Ranking
From PGA Tour -
Florida A&M’s Mulbe Dillard IV tops final APGA Collegiate Ranking
Top-five players earn APGA Tour playing privileges and benefits in 2021
By Chris Richards
After a record-setting four years at Florida A&M, Mulbe Dillard finishes his career as the No. 1 player in the APGA Tour Collegiate Ranking.
The top-five players in the 2021 APGA Collegiate Ranking have been finalized, with Florida A&M University’s Mulbe Dillard IV finishing No. 1 and earning an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s REX Hospital Open. Dillard’s teammates Mahindra Lutchman, Cameron Riley and Prince Cunningham also finished in the top five, while Michigan State’s Andrew Walker finished No. 2 and rounds out the inaugural class of the APGA Collegiate Ranking.
“The path to professional golf has never been stronger for Black golfers, and I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the top players in this year’s APGA Collegiate Ranking,” said Ken Bentley, co-founder and CEO of the APGA Tour. “This year’s inaugural class is an important step forward as the APGA Tour continues to grow and provide opportunities in professional golf to Black players.”
All five players receive APGA Tour membership and entry into this season’s tournaments, starting with the APGA Tour event at TPC Louisiana, May 31-June 1. Additionally, this year’s class receives travel costs associated with playing APGA Tour events and the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.
https://www.pgatour.com/university/news/2021/05/26/florida-a-and-m-mulbe-dillard-iv-tops-final-apga-collegiate-ranking.html
HBCUs Matter
From Blavity -
These 6 Black Philadelphia Judges All Graduated From The Same HBCU
HBCUs have produced 80% of the Black judges in the country.
by Tomas Kassahun
Six Black Philadelphia judges sat down for an interview with CBS Philly to talk about their common denominator: Hampton University, one of the most renowned HBCUs in the country.
Judges Roxanne Covington, Jonathan Irvine, Kai Scott, Mark Moore, Sharon Williams Losier and Lillian Harris Ransom, expressed their gratitude for HBCUs and emphasized the need for more diversity in courtrooms.
"When I come out from the back, you’ll see people’s faces change when they see you,” Irvine told the news station of being a Black judge in the city. “I don’t know whether that’s good or bad. You need to see diversity. Sometimes, you need to see people who look like you.”
Scott said it's not only important for the court to have diversity in race, but also in terms of gender and socioeconomic background.
“It’s important that the bench represents the entire community,” she told the station.
https://blavity.com/these-6-black-philadelphia-judges-all-graduated-from-the-same-hbcu?category1=news&category2=politics
Black Women Surfers
From the NY Times -
Making Waves
By Gabriella Angotti-Jones
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/04/opinion/black-women-surfers.html?referringSource=articleShare