Nationally-Syndicated Cartoonist Champions Organ And Tissue Donation
Washington, DC - The Coalition on Donation and award-winning cartoonist of Mama's Boyz, Jerry Craft, have teamed up to illustrate the critical need for African American organ and tissue donors. Over the past decade, there has been a 166 percent increase in the number of African Americans waiting for organ transplants, with African Americans comprising an alarming 35 percent of all patients awaiting kidneys. This increase may be attributed, in part, to the escalating number of African Americans with conditions that can lead to the need for transplants, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Call 866-538-7448 or visit www.donatelife.net.
New Book Helps Black Families Trace Their Roots
Phoenix, AZ - The African-American Family's Guide To Tracing Our Roots is for every African American who has ever thought about researching their family history!
Award-winning historian/author Roland Barksdale-Hall helps readers rethink past events which explore vital health matters, better understand our families, increase our level of awareness about cultural and historical identities, and develop better understanding of the events, that help to shape our families' values, beliefs, and attitudes.
Call 866-566-3144 or visit www.amberbooks.com.
Fihankra And 20/20 Group To Build 500 Homes And A Boarding School In Ghana, West Africa
Philadelphia, PA - A large area of land was set aside in Ghana with the intent to provide both a spiritual and customary home for Diasporan Africans wishing to repatriate to Ghana. The portion of land upon which the township is being constructed is part of that larger land area. The township, named Ye Fa Ogyamu, means we have passed through fire and reflects the trials of Africans of the Diaspora over centuries of separation from their ancestral homeland. This historic venture comes at a time when the world's attention is being captured by events in and concern for the Motherland as exemplified by the recent Live 8 Concerts and G8 Summit.
Call 215-247-1545 or www.dzertclub.com.
Sen. John Kerry Launches Initiative To Reduce The Root Causes Of Health Disparities For Minorities
Washington, DC – Senator John Kerry and the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (HPI) launched an initiative to curtail health disparities in America by addressing the social and economic conditions that increase diseases among minorities, which were so evident among many low-income Gulf Coast residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The initiative, PLACE MATTERS: Addressing the Root Causes of Health Disparities, has identified 100 counties in America with the largest numbers or concentration of minority populations and is developing a structure that will provide strategies and tools for local officials to track and accelerate progress in addressing economic, social, political, and environmental inequalities that lead to poor health.
Black Heritage Commemorative Society Announces The Issuance Of Black American Commemorative Stamps
New York, NY - School curriculums do not devote enough time, nor place enough emphasis on important African Americans. Most children know who Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman are, but how about Salem Poor--the heroic American revolutionary who earned citations for heroism fighting at Bunker Hill, or Charles Drew-- a pioneer scientist, who can be credited for saving millions of lives through his important discoveries in blood plasma research? How can you learn about your history, or teach others, when these people are not given the attention they deserve in historical textbooks?
Call 800-240-2276 or visit www.blackhistorystamps.com.
A New Distinct Web site For Families Living With Autism
Middletown, NY - With one in 166 children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and one in six children diagnosed with a developmental disorder or behavioral problem, many families may not know what to do or where to go for help. The new web site AutismConcepts.com created by an African American family raising an adolescent child with autism, shares credible and relevant information with other families. The Internet is an easy and convenient way for parents to meet, share their experiences and other information. In addition to the usual facts found on autism-related web sites, AutismConcepts.com also shares information, research, and resources related to African Americans, directly linking to the sources.
Call 845-978-3182 or visit www.autismconcepts.com.
Safeway Announces Its First African American Senior Vice President, Corporate Brands
Pleasanton, CA – Safeway Inc. recently announced the appointment of its first African American Senior Vice President, Corporate Brands. In this newly created position, James D. White will oversee the company’s entire Corporate Brands organization, including marketing, manufacturing, finance, and outside sales functions. White holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Missouri and an MBA from Fontbonne College. He currently serves on the Board of Keane Inc., an information technology and business process company headquartered in Boston. White will join Safeway shortly after the completion of Gillette’s planned merger with Proctor and Gamble.
Metro State’s Minority Enrollment Grows
Metropolitan State College of Denver enrolled a record number of students this fall, putting the urban campus in the number-two slot as having the second largest undergraduate enrollment in Colorado.
With regard to minority students, Metro State has gone from 4,922 students of color in fall of 2004 to 5,094 in fall of 2005 – an increase of 3.5 percent.
Sixty-nine new African American students enrolled this fall semester bringing the percentage of African American students there to six percent, and the total number of all students of color to 24 percent.
American Indians had the largest percentage increase at 17.9, going from 207 to 244 students.
Hispanics, at 13.2 percent (2,787 students), represent the largest ethnic minority group.
Eighteen new students have brought the total number of Asian students to 804, a 2.3 percent increase from last year.
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Dahlia Square Demolition Begins
The Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA), in conjunction with the City and County of Denver, the Federal government, and Parkhill Community, Inc., has begun the demolition and cleanup of the former Dahlia Square Shopping Center to prepare the parcel for future redevelopment. Once touted as the largest Black-owned shopping center in the country, Dahlia Square had fallen into disarray and a number of redevelopment efforts failed to materialize over the past two decades. The current plan emerged within the past two years with the help of the City and County of Denver, the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, the Federal government, the state of Colorado and a variety of community organizations.
District 8 Councilwoman ElbraWedgeworth
and Mayor John Hickenlooper
Now owned by Parkhill Community, Inc., a non-profit affiliate of Brownfield Partners LLC, the property is being demolished, cleared, and remediated for potential residential and commercial activity. Cleanup is expected to be finished late 2006. Denver Health’s Park Hill Family Practice Center, which will relocate to temporary facilities at 38th and Grape later this year, will return to the site as a part of the redevelopment.
Cold Weather Water Tips From Denver Water
October’s early snowstorm serves as a not-so-gentle reminder: Property owners who hope to escape the expense and inconvenience of frozen, broken water pipes in their homes and businesses should prepare now. To help residents get ahead of cold-weather plumbing breaks, Denver Water offers a checklist of preventive measures based on the experience of its customer service employees. Certain steps, taken early, can help prevent pipe breaks when the mercury dips.
The main tips offered are:
--Know the location of your water shut-off switch and test it regularly.
--Turn off and drain automatic and manual sprinkler systems before first freeze.
--Turn off outdoor faucets and be sure to disconnect hoses from them.
--Winterize unheated or vacant buildings.
--Insulate water pipes that may be vulnerable to the cold or have caused problems before.
Tupac Statue Unveiling A Rousing Tribute
On September 13, nine years to the day after Tupac Shakur’s passing, the official unveiling ceremony for a brand new memorial bronze statue of the late rap legend proved to be a rousing celebration of life. Over 1,000 people turned out for the unveiling, which was held at the Peace Garden at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA).
Tupac Shakur Statue
The statue occupies the center of the six-acre Peace Garden, surrounded by poetry and quotations from Tupac’s body of work. The seven-foot sculpture sits atop a three-foot base and features rap's top-selling superstar adorned in a suit and holding a copy of his famous book of poetry penned when he was only 19, The Rose that Grew from Concrete. The statue was designed by noted sculptor Tina Allen, who has earned a reputation immortalizing great figures from African American history ranging from Nat King Cole to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, Tupac is the first rap star ever to be memorialized in bronze.
In order to complete the Tupac Center, the Foundation requires an additional $3 million. For more information or to contribute to TASF, visit www.2paclegacy.com or www.tasf.org.
Stars Line Up For Library Fundraising
Faced with ongoing budget problems for Denver’s libraries, former Mayor Wellington E. Webb and Colorado Black Chamber President Bob Willis have recruited notable African Americans to help raise money for the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library (2401 Welton St., Denver). The advisory board members for the "Friends of the African American Research Library" include Chauncey Billups of the NBA Detroit Pistons; Philip Bailey of the musical group Earth, Wind and Fire; Dianne Reeves, jazz singer and Grammy winner; Pam Grier, movie actress, all Denver natives; and Trevor Pryce of the NFL Denver Broncos.
The $16 million library – the only such African American research facility west of the Mississippi River – opened in 2003 in the historic Five Points neighborhood in northeast Denver. The facility includes a full branch library on the first floor; a research area on the second floor; and a third floor dedicated to the history of African Americans in Colorado and the region. The library, however, faces several needs including more research space and money for a full-time guard. The library system’s proposed $28.4 million budget for 2006 is $30,200 less than this year.
For more information, call the Blair-Caldwell Library at 720-865-2401.
Denver City Librarian Rick J. Ashton Announces February Retirement
Rick Ashton, City Librarian of the Denver Public Library since 1985, today announced that he plans to retire on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006. In a letter presented at a meeting of the Denver Public Library Commission, Ashton, 60, said, "We have reached the end of a chapter, and it is time to turn the page." He thanked Mayors Federico Peña, Wellington Webb, and John Hickenlooper for their support and credited the Library Commission, staff, and citizenry for the advancement of the Library. Although the budgetary difficulties of the City and County of Denver and the State of Colorado have had an adverse effect on the Denver Public Library in recent years, Ashton has continued to emphasize the Library's service commitments. A major planning effort to develop focused library service for Denver's changing and growing population is underway.
Ashton did not announce any future plans. The Library Commission designated Letty Icolari, the Library's Director of Human Resources, to serve as Interim City Librarian beginning March 1. The Commission will undertake a national search for Ashton's successor.
For more information, visit www.denverlibrary.org.
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