Three factors tend to stand out when it comes to obesity in African Americans. The first is their culture. Studies have shown that African-Americans tend to have a better acceptance of larger body sizes than other cultures. This can be good and bad. Because of their tolerance for larger body sizes, obesity has become the norm leaving African-Americans with more obesity/health-related illnesses when compared to other cultures. African-Americans tend to feel less guilty about overeating. They also tend to shy away from dieting.

The second factor is the environment. Not necessarily where they live, but what is available to them in regards to nutrition. There are nutritious foods available, but the cost is overwhelming for many African-American people, especially if they are feeding their entire family. In many African-American neighborhoods, there are fast-food restaurants on every corner. These fast-food restaurants offer fried, fatty foods that are full of sodium, and then you have the sugary drinks to wash the food down.

The third factor, which seems to be repeated from generation to generation, is family and upbringing. Many African-American families do not make nutrition a top priority. One popular tradition is “soul food,” which is fine if done in moderation, but this food has a very high-fat content, sugar, and sodium content for flavor. Continuous consumption of these foods without exercise causes our system to gain weight continuously.

African-Americans can decrease the obesity trend by significantly decreasing their intake of fast foods and increasing the amount of physical activity. This will not only decrease the effects on obesity but can also decrease the possibility of becoming a diabetic, which is also prevalent in African-American communities. Statistics show that compared to the general population, African-Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes, 13.2% of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diagnosed diabetes. African-Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes when compared to the Hispanic population.

© EthLeen

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The people of Africa as well as other areas of the globe can enjoy some of the same freedoms as the people in the United States of America due to a London-based human rights organization known as Article 19. Article 19 was established in 1987. It takes its name from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, ‘Everyone has the right of freedom of opinion and expression; the right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impact information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.” Article 19 monitors threats to free expression around the globe and provides legal counsel for all whose rights have been violated.

Article 19 has a strong presence in Africa. Recently, it helped Kenya get a victory for freedom of speech. Here is what article 19 accomplished for the people of Kenya;

Article 19 welcomes the decision by the High Court, which declared eight sections of Security Laws (Amendment) Act 2014 unconstitutional. “Article 19 welcomes the decision by the High Court that several sections of the Security Laws (Amendment) Act 2014 are unconstitutional, in particular those which unduly restrict freedom of expression.

You may wonder how this helps Africans who already reside in the United States. The answer is simple. Having the peace of mind of knowing that being an African that once lived in Africa and now having the ability to learn all that is happening in their home country with very few restrictions, with the help of Article 19, gives them peace of mind and hope that things will continue to change for the better and that they can always stay in contact without restrictions.

©EthLeen

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What is the school dropout rate?

According to the Institute of Education Sciences, “The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a General Educational Development [GED] certificate).”

Statistics don’t lie

Pbs.com paints this disconcerting picture of the American school dropout situation:

Despite significant progress over the past decade, graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students remain very low in many states, and significant gaps persist. In an era of limited opportunities for those without high school diplomas to find jobs, one-third of African-American students and 30 percent of Hispanic students are still not graduating high school.

Although Whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics children drop out of school, the latter two are the most affected.

The reasons for increasing cases of dropouts

One of the key reasons for this sad state of affairs is the lack of role models. The US has a minimal number of African-Americans or Hispanics in positions of leadership or business. As such, there are no successful people for young people to look up to, especially those who have attained influential positions owing to education. Most role models are in sports where education is not a prerequisite for success.

No parental reinforcement

The other contributory factor for high rates of school dropout in these two population groups is lack of parental reinforcement. Parents of these children do not create academic spaces within their homes. Children are not given the freedom to make decisions of their own, and they are burdened with household chores when they should be studying.

Lack of support systems

Lastly, Hispanic and African-American children live in neighborhoods and communities devoid of support systems. These include neighborhood organizations, afterschool programs, and informal social networks. These are forums in which parents and families share information that aids their children in excelling in academic work, thus averting isolation and eventual dropping out of some students.

© EthLeen

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But first, Umar Abdullah-Johnson gives an interesting definition to the term ADHD. He states, “With nearly most Black children being reared in single parent households it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the ADHD diagnosis has been on the rise, which in most cases has nothing to do with any neurologically-based brain dysfunction, but rather a family-based emotional dysfunction that I refer to sarcastically, but truthfully as “Absence of Daddy from Home Disorder,” which is the real ADHD.”

Here are some of Umar Abdullah-Johnson’s reasons for African-American marriage failure in the U.S.:

Searching for Security: Unmet Emotional Needs from Childhood – Because many come from dysfunctional families or had relationships that were dysfunctional they tend to search for things they never had such as security, attention, acceptance, intimacy, love, approval and trust. This is done unconsciously. You must become consciously aware of how your poor relationships continue to show in your romantic behavior.

Self-Hatred: Looking for Someone to Love You – Many African-American people replay old abusive memories in their mind when something goes wrong in their lives. You tend to spend a significant portion of your life trying to find love, but then fail. You cannot reciprocate that love because you do not love yourself. Until you are able to love yourself, you will never be able to give love in return.

Material Meltdown: Buying Happiness – Umar Abdullah-Johnson states, “Money buys pleasure, it can never buy happiness .In fact, the pleasures that money buy often lead to addictions that destroy relationships.”

Escaping Misery: Looking for a Way out of Your Pain – You tend to reach for a new relationship to help you with your pain. You do not have the discipline our resolve to ease your own pain or problems. As soon as that relationship no longer gives you which you need, you disregard it. You must develop a relationship with yourself first.

Post-Traumatic Relationship Disorder: The Ghost of Relationships Past – Umar Abdullah-Johnson states, “Between relationships we all need a period of fasting, where we give our minds and souls the opportunity to heal and rest, before we attempt to “get it right the next time.”
These are a few examples of relationship failure, according to Umar Abdullah-Johnson. If any ring true for you, seek therapy before a relationship.

©EthLeen

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Health – Black women are dying from preventable diseases, social ills and causes. The examples she gives are heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, just to name a few. Staying healthy in the black community is extremely difficult because the social scene concentrates heavily on food. Black women also suffer from a variety of issues that affect their health such as exhaustion, spiritual loss and depression due to society’s perception that African-American women are indestructible, Superwoman.

Financial Freedom – Many black women, regardless of their education and employment status, are living paycheck to paycheck with little to no chance of financial freedom.

Education – Many African-American women are earning college degrees, but there are many more black girls and women without high school diplomas. The professor also states that many who earned degrees do it in the fields of the humanities. She feels that black women need to expand their field of study to things like science, math, computer science, engineering and business. This will make a real change in the future of African-American opportunities.

Interpersonal Relationships and Communication – The professor states, she hates to fight with a black men. She feels, as every woman should, her opinion matters and should be listened to. At times her opinion might be, could be, should be and will be different from others and everyone should respect that. She also hates fighting about and with black women. She states, the majority of women do support each other, but she feels this has changed recently with the reality TV shows that show black women in a bad light. She states, “Some sisters are completely hateful and utterly disloyal to black women in general for inexplicable, bizarre, and unfathomable reasons. Since I started commenting and posting on blogs, I have been stunned at the number of black women that are ready, willing, and able to tear down other black women for just wanting to SUPPORT and EMPOWER black women!”

Pro-Black Women Leadership and Political Representation – The professor feels black women need to be in leadership and political positions. Black women need to run for office and challenge for leadership in some of these established organizations. When they run, we need to support them in any way we can. Having people in power who actually know and care about black women can only benefit us.

This is one black woman’s opinion. What is yours?

©EthLeen

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