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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2018)
Page 2 The Skanner August 1, 2018 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now A New Generation of Freedom Fighters Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Black youth are taking up the mantle of leadership in America Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor W Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2018 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS ! • L i ke u s on F ebo m me • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n y toda ac it Updated daily. y • Opinion nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve Check out: TheSkannerReport.com Your One-Stop Hub for Community Newspapers Throughout the U.S. ithout being giv- en much direction, Black youth have seemingly taken matters into their own hands, relative to their future here in America, by strategizing, organizing and mobilizing. Whether on social media or through community activ- ism in the streets, Black youth are proactively pushing the agenda forward and forcing society to no longer ignore many of the issues that have impacted the Black communi- ty for decades. Many have de- cided to take an even greater step towards bringing about change, by getting involved with politics. These bold efforts to ex- press themselves in ways that are progressive and substan- tive have given Black youth a clearer vision for their future and an even greater sense of purpose that has given them an alternative to doing things that are detrimental to their future. Because many of their Black predecessors dropped the ball and failed to effec- tively protect them from the many dangers and pitfalls they have had to face without adequate support, it forced this new generation of Black freedom fighters to become Jeffrey L. Boney NNPA Columnist more knowledgeable about things. Black youth have chosen to stand up and fight for them- selves, in spite of the lack of collective support they have received from the Blacks who came before them who were beneficiaries of the civil “ Black Lives Matter was formed by a small rem- nant of Black youth who were sick and tired of being sick and tired rights struggle. That is why the Black Lives Matter movement was birthed and gained so much traction. Black Lives Matter was formed by a small remnant of Black youth who were sick and tired of being sick and tired. This energized group of young, African Americans wanted to do something about the issue of police brutality, as well as other critical issues that were negatively impact- ing the Black community, par- ticularly Black youth. Black Lives Matter isn’t the first example of young, African Americans creating movements and platforms to allow their voices to be heard and making a differ- ence. The hip-hop commu- nity was formed because many Black youth wanted to express themselves and need- ed an outlet to talk about the things they were dealing with in their respective communi- ties and facing in this country. Just as it has been since in- ception, hip hop has become a steady tool used by Black youth to influence society and make a difference. While there are a myriad of things currently impacting Blacks in America, the ad- vent of social media has given Black youth the necessary ac- cess to news and information to keep them up-to-speed on everything they need to know. Prior to social media, many young, Black people were disconnected from news and politics and had limited inter- est in things such as reading newspapers, watching news channels, listening to talk ra- dio or keeping up with major current events and social is- sues online. Now, through social media, Black youth have the ability to get this information in real time and in a way that is in- teractive and enlightening to them. This has caused many young, Black people to be- come more engaged in and ed- ucated about issues that truly impact their daily lives. As America finds itself in the midst of a crucial mid- term election, young, African Americans have chosen to get even more involved and are looking for more ways to make a difference, versus looking for leadership and assistance from older Blacks who many believe have aban- doned them or from tradition- al mainstream Black insti- tutions where they feel they don’t belong. Black youth have found themselves searching for answers and looking for quality leadership to help them navigate through these tumultuous waters called life in America. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com Scarred and Battle Tested from Heart Disease, Still Fighting W omenHeart (the first and leading voice for the 48 million American women living with or at risk of heart disease) story begins in Feb- ruary of 1999, when three women, united by heart dis- ease, formed an organization that was destined to become a lifeline for women across this nation. And at the same time, in February of 1999, a young mother in Charlotte, N.C. suffered a stroke while she was pregnant with her second child. Fortunately, she suffered no long-term defi- cits, but was horrified by her temporary left side paralysis. Five years later, this size six, 36-year-old woman would suffer the first of three heart attacks just five days after giving birth to her third child. It was May of 2004. She was misdiagnosed for an entire week despite an EKG showing an acute myocardial infarc- tion. She sought treatment six of seven days before someone finally listened. On that sixth night, she laid on her bed with one foot on the ground for the entire night, afraid to relinquish her physical attachment to earth, because she felt her body shutting down. She prayed. And she vowed that if she lived, she would raise her voice so that no other woman suffered her fate. Rhonda E. Monroe Board Chair-elect, Women- Heart After this week-long heart attack, she returned to the emergency room. She was rushed by ambulance to an- other hospital and taken to emergency bypass surgery. She had five coronary artery dissections, and she under- went an emergency quadru- ple bypass. Her heart was so remarkable that the surgeon literally held it in his hand and had someone capture a photograph. Eight months later, that same young mother learned that her bypass grafts had shut down. Her rejection frac- tion was only 21 percent. She was advised to get her affairs in order. It was then that I became in- timately acquainted with her. I marveled at her strength and resolve as we walked this journey together. She became a force of nature, moving heaven and earth in her fight for life. She underwent a re- peat bypass, had part of her heart cut off, 15 laser holes drilled in her heart, a peri- cardial window cut in the sac around her heart, three de- fibrillator implants, stents, angioplasty, and then some. She’s flatlined four times, and suffered from congestive heart failure. She’s experi- enced more heart issues than generations of a family. But I am happy to share with you that she is still with us. This is my story, and WomenHeart has been a lifeline for me. I became a WomenHeart Champion in 2007 and it changed my life. The sense “ The sense of sisterhood and friend- ship are truly priceless of sisterhood and friendship are truly priceless. Women- Heart is the nation’s only pa- tient-centered organization solely dedicated to advancing women’s heart health through education, advocacy and pa- tient support. At its core are WomenHeart Champions— women living with heart disease—who are trained to be community educators, support network leaders and advocates for women’s heart health in the communities in which they live. WomenHeart is a friend to many WomenHeart Champi- ons like me. Today, I speak to audiences of women living with heart disease and medi- cal professionals. I’m a little scarred and battle tested, I am no longer 36, I am no longer a size six, but I am still here. And I am determined more than ever now, to keep the vow that I made 14 years ago in May of 2004, so that not an- other woman suffers my fate. I, along with WomenHeart, am fighting for every heart with the same tenacity and vigor that saved my own. As an African American woman, I know that this dis- ease impacts women differ- ently than men, especially minority women. Heart dis- ease claims the lives of nearly 48,000 African American and 21,000 Hispanic women annu- ally. Which is why I am asking other women of color who are heart disease survivors to join the fight and become a Wom- enHeart Champion at the 2018 WomenHeart Science & Lead- ership Symposium. It’s the nation’s only free volunteer program that trains women with heart disease to be com- munity educators and sup- port network coordinators in their communities. They are real women living with heart disease, who share their sto- ries and important messages about heart health—all in the mission to save lives. Join me. To learn more or to sign up, visit www.WomenHeart.org/ empower.
