[RSCT] Fwd: First Bernie, then Isaac...are YOU next? - A Public ServiceAnnouncement by U-Savior]]

[jwall5]

  This came from  www.blackwaxx.com. Might be something to use for 
various discussion in any of a number of classes. Jim Wallace
- - - - - -
by U-Savior

My beautiful Black brothers and sisters,

 
I'm sure you've all heard by now the sad news of the passing of two greats
in the entertainment industry, Original King of Comedy Bernie Mac followed
in a matter of hours by Isaac Hayes whom we all know as Black Moses.

 
I won't get into a long tribute as to the contributions these two giants
have made in television, film and music as well as our cultural landscape.
You can Google or Wikipedia all of that information yourself, if you don't
know already.

 
But what I will say is that they were both taken from us way before their
times, as has been the case with many of our icons including James Brown,
Barry White, Curtis Mayfield, Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor.

 
The Black community suffers from a serious health crisis. We are dying too
young. We have been the victims of substandard medical and preventive care
for too long. Some of how this happens is outlined in the studies of
researchers like Harriet A. Washington, author of Medical Apartheid.

 
We receive substandard care in doctor's offices and hospitals. We are not
properly educated about supplements, exercise, disease prevention,
lifestyle, psychology and diet. The supermarkets in our neighborhoods don't
carry high quality produce and meat. Scandals involving ACS (The Agency for
Child Services) and medical experimentation on children of color have been
uncovered. I don't need to remind you of the Tuskegee experiment, the
quarter-water/asthma connection or the public assistance/mandatory
immunization/autism connection. We know that ghettos and poorer
neighborhoods have a higher concentration of fast food restaurants than
upscale mostly white communities. Commercials for health products are
targeted to white audiences as opposed to Black. 
 
What we should take away from the deaths of Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac is
that Black celebrities are not immune to medical racism or any other racism
for that matter. And more importantly, these experiences that we witness in
the media mirror our own personal ones. How many of us have uncles and
aunts, mother and fathers, children or siblings who are suffering from
diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart disease or are
HIV positive? How many times do we need to hear that these are 'black"
diseases before we start to question whether or not some or all of these are
preventable? And if they haven't yet died from these diseases, how many
afflicted loved ones experience limited mobility, and a deteriorated quality
of life which leads to stress and depression? 
 
We've got to work harder as a people to stay healthy. We need to be around
for the coming generations. We can't pass knowledge, information and the
wealth of our experiences down to them from the grave. The conspiracy lies
in the perpetuated idea that Black people are simply "prone" to certain
diseases genetically, without addressing the fact that a popularized (and
detrimental) way of life is also to blame.

 
Revolution then peace,

 
U-Savior

 
 



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