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Volume 7 Issue 46…Dedicated to the
Dialogue on Race…November 19, 2004
Bessie Blount: Inventor and Scientist
Born November 24, 1914 in Hickory, Virginia, Bessie Blount
fulfilled her desire to benefit humankind with her invention of medical devices
to assist the physically disabled and skill as a forensic scientist. She studied at Panzar College of Physical
Education and at Union Junior College in New Jersey before completing her
physical therapy training in Chicago.
While working with World War II amputees, Blount devised ways to
assist them in regaining their independence.
She taught amputees do things without feet and hands. In 1951, Blount invented an electric feeding
device that allowed amputees to feed themselves. The device, which delivered food through a tube, could be used
for ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients. By biting down on the tube, the patient
signaled a machine to send the next morsel.
Blount donated the device to France with the statement "that
a Black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind." She was unable to market it in the United
States and the Veterans Administration (VA) showed no interest in using
it. In 1952, the French government
began utilizing the device that helped make life better for hundreds of
disabled veterans.
Blount patented the "portable receptacle support," which
also allowed people to feed themselves. It used a brace around the neck to support a bowl, cup or dish. In
1953, she appeared on the Philadelphia television show "The Big
Idea." She was the first black and
the first woman to receive such recognition.
Blount invented a disposable cardboard emesis basin, which she
fashioned out of old newspaper, cake flour and water and baked in an oven. Her invention was never patented in the USA;
the Veteran's Administration was unwilling to use it. Slightly modified, these basins are currently in use all over the
country of Belgium. US hospitals
continue to use the old standard kidney shaped basins of 1913.
In 1969, Blount began a career in forensics. She served with law enforcement departments
in New Jersey and Virginia. By 1972,
she had become a chief document examiner.
In 1977, she became the first black woman to train and work at Scotland
Yard, after J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI turned down her application.
Blount used her forensic skills to examine and research the
authenticity of African slave "papers" and pre-civil war documents.
In addition, she worked with material from Native-American treaties made with
the US government. (Sources: www.aaregistry.com and www.inventors.about.com)
On Fire in Europe
On the heels of the release of Word: Poetry on Fire, an exciting
new DVD documentary from Urban Thought Productions and Greater Good
Entertainment, featured poets Aqiyl Thomas and Yohannes Sharriff, the Atlanta
Vibe duo, head overseas. Bearing CD's
of their work and copies of this groundbreaking DVD, our intrepid artists will
share the remarkable energy of the Atlanta Vibe with our extended family in
Europe.
The DISH asks
our readers to help these young artists on their mission. Presently, they have secured dates on the
9th of December in Amsterdam and the 19th and 20th in London, England. They are seeking opportunities to connect,
perform and build between the 10 and the 17th as well as the 20th through
26th. Please forward all requests and
information queries to yohasha@yahoo.com or aqiyl@aol.com.
The DISH
would like to thank all our readers for their unwavering support of Atlanta
Vibe endeavors. And, to all our
European readers, thanks in advance for opening your hearths and hearts to
these young artists.
William Blake (1757-1827)
I Saw a Chapel
I saw a chapel all of gold
That none did dare to enter in,
And many weeping stood without,
Weeping, mourning, worshipping.
I saw a serpent rise between
The white pillars of the door,
And he forc'd and forc'd and forc'd,
Down the golden hinges tore.
And along the pavement sweet,
Set with pearls and rubies bright,
All his slimy length he drew
Till upon the altar white
Vomiting his poison out
On the bread and on the wine.
So I turn'd into a sty
And laid me down among the swine.
By John Burl Smith
The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), which began in 1991, attempts
to address inequities in women's health research. Established by the National Institute of Health (NIH), WHI is a
15-year national study of the major causes of death, disability and frailty in
postmenopausal women of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds. The multi-million dollar project, which
involves over 161,000 women, focuses on strategies for preventing heart
disease, breast and colorectal cancers and osteoporosis and providing practical
information to women and their physicians.
The WHI randomized clinical trial has three components, i.e.,
hormone therapy, dietary modification and calcium/vitamin D supplements. Women in the hormone replacement group take
hormone pills or a placebo to determine their impact on the prevention of heart
disease and osteoporosis, as well as, any risk associated with breast
cancer. Dietary modification consists
of evaluating the effect of a low-fat, high fruit, vegetable and grain diet on
the prevention of cancer and heart disease.
Participants either followed their usual eating pattern or a low-fat
eating program. Woman in the
calcium/vitamin D component started 2 years after joining one or both of the
other study groups. The supplement's
effectiveness in preventing osteoporosis-related fractures and colorectal
cancers was evaluated.
Published in connection with the WHI, an observational study was
announced by the America Heart Association (AHA). Lead researcher Dr. Judith Hsia of George Washington University in
Washington, DC, said results revealed that, "Despite similar levels of
physical activity, white women appear to have a greater reduction in their risk
of developing diabetes than women of other races." The study of nearly 100,000 postmenopausal
women included 74,240 white, 6465 African American, 3231 Hispanic, 2445 Asian
and 327 Native Americans. 2.2% of white
women, 6.2 % of African American, 4.5 % of Hispanic, 3 % of Asian and 5.7 % of
American Indian women reported diabetes.
Hsia said due to population size (too small) Native American woman were
not included in the analysis.
Hsia concluded that for white women, "exercise demonstrated a
strong inverse relationship with diabetes risk." According to Hsia, this link did not hold true for the other
ethnic groups. Taking a quantum leap,
she claimed, “The difference between ethnic groups could be due to genetic influences. I do not mean to imply that exercise is of
no benefit to minorities." Hsia
noted that before adjusting for risk factors such as cholesterol, education,
smoking and alcohol consumption active African American and Hispanic women were
less likely to develop diabetes than their inactive counterparts.
The results of this study seem biased or racially motivated. Rather than confirmed by examination, the
diabetes was "reported" by participants. There is no discussion of cultural influences or environmental
factors, such as diet, which could explain these results. Hsia's reference to genetics to explain an
observed increased incidence of diabetes seems to have the same intent as
educators that blame genetics for the racial disparities in standardized tests
scores. Citing genetics implies the
problem is innate, rather than related to cultural or environment factors, such
as eating pork, beef, chicken, diary products and other modified foods.
We all recognize the advantages of regular exercise. Rather than making unsupported racial statements,
the AHA could have stressed the need for physical activity time after lunch for
school children as a way to prevent childhood obesity and diabetes.
Soul Food
Every ethnic group has its special cuisine, which is served at
family dinners, especially birthdays and holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. As blacks prepare to celebrate the USA holiday
season, which begins with Thanksgiving, a look back at the origins and
development of our "soul food" seems apropos given the state of black
health and nutrition.
To appreciate the irony of the transition from slave rations to
"soul food" or the comfort food of black Americans, one must be
familiar with traditional African cuisine and the diet forced on southern
plantation slaves. Web sites www.foxhome.com and www.cuisinenet.com provide interesting historical
information on the development of "soul food" or black folks' food.
The early African diet contained little meat and lots of
vegetables, nuts and fruits. This made
it heart healthy and very satisfying.
Along the Middle Passage from freedom into slavery, the diet of captured
Africans' changed as they were forced to "made do" with whatever
slave masters' provided. The average
food ration for slaves consisted of little meat, generally the parts of the swine
no self-respecting white man would eat, such as the hog's intestines, known
today as the delicacy chitterlings, pig's ears, tails and feet, corn meal and
molasses. Lard, swine fat, was used as
flavoring in cooking vegetables and for making cornbread.
Slaves supplemented these meager rations with whatever could be
hunted at night, usually squirrel and possum, fish from local streams and
rivers and wild vegetation. They were
allowed to have vegetable gardens. So
again, with little meat and lots of vegetables, slaves "made do" and
in the process, had better diets than slave masters, which according to cuisine
historians, consisted of mostly fatty foods, few vegetables, lots of sweets and
alcohol, which made them lethargic in the southern heat. Slaves ate few sweets and were forbidden to
consume alcoholic beverages.
Thanksgiving, the end of the harvest season, was a special
occasion. Slaves received extra
portions of meat. An early Thanksgiving
meal could conceivably have consisted of vegetables, particularly greens cooked
with ham hocks and/or a generous amount of lard, chitterlings, cornbread and
molasses.
Along with slaves, foods native to the African continent found
their way to North America. And, as
Africans became cooks on southern plantations, they creatively introduced a
variety of dishes, changing the diet of whites and enslaved Africans.
Today, soul food includes lots of meat, including beef, chicken
and pork and pork fat cooked with vegetables to add that special "soul
food" favoring. Soul food has made
the transition from providing comfort to being a health hazard.
Black Diet and Diabetes
Soul food has come under intense scrutiny as more blacks suffer
with obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Today, unlike when blacks slaved in the boiling heat on a diet that
consisted of lots of vegetables and a little meat, most of us do not engage in
anything approaching such strenuous work.
Moreover, our diets consist of considerably more beef, chicken and
pork. During slavery, the only fat
blacks worked in the master's house; field hands were lean and strong.
The pharmaceutical industry would like for blacks to believe we
have a genetic predisposition for heart disease and diabetes, so it can
successfully market "magical" pills and snake oil elixirs as cures. Fact is, like other ethnic groups, obesity,
heart disease and diabetes in blacks are lifestyle related.
Leading a healthier lifestyle by changing some aspects of the
"soul food" diet and getting more exercise is a more realistic
alternative to questionable medicines.
Remember, livestock is no longer raised on family farms. Today, the meat in your local supermarket
comes from cows, pigs and chickens raised in feedlots, which carries with it
negative connotations, such as growth hormones, mad cow disease and
vaccine-resistant strains of food borne illnesses and considerably more
fat. The most important way to reduce
the negative consequences of the soul food diet is to reduce its meat content.
There are dozens of vegetarian groups that provide recipes and
healthful hints on ways to eliminate meat from your diet. Soul food cooking generally entails lots of
frying with saturated fat, such as lard. You can bake and broil, and cook with
olive oil and other non-saturated fats. Use lemon juice and fresh herbs and spices instead of salt to
season your dishes.
This Thanksgiving, think heart healthy! For more healthful tips on avoiding the risks of obesity, heart
disease and diabetes, consult the vegetarian "soul food" connection
on the World Wide Web.
The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is a proverbial sponge
that readily absorbs lessons from his environment. The greatest lesson learned from the recent actions of our
national leaders is to take whatever you want.
This lesson has made our children more warlike, so fights among students
frequently erupt. When asked for
comments after an altercation, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro responded with a question. "Wasn't I right to defend myself
against naked aggression?"
Disgruntled wants to know: Contrary to economic analyses of doom and gloom found mostly in alternative
media, the US stock market has proven to be quite resilient. Even profit warnings, historically high US
trade and federal budget deficits, soaring consumer and government debt and a
steep increase in the producers' price index have not dampened this investor
class euphoria. Of course, on the
ground, average US workers grow increasingly concerned about long term
unemployment, falling real wages and the declining purchasing power of the
dollar, rising fuel and food prices and outsourcing of jobs that pay more than
the minimum wage. One wonders, what
will happen when these dual realities collide?
Disgruntled says: "Give
not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend
you." This bit of wisdom from
Matthew Chapter 7:6 holds special meaning for blacks struggling to look and
live like their former slave masters and all manners of bending over backwards
to achieve assimilation. As we contemplate
celebrating another commercial holiday season, blacks should seriously reflect
on the meaning of this biblical quotation and proceed with caution.
Disgruntled feels: Discouraged! The recent US national elections have left those on the left feeling
left out. In particular, the media
driven dribble about "values' has those who did not vote for the incumbent
wondering, "What national elections are they talking about?" There is nothing moral about unjustified
warfare or spendthrift. And, while the
right has staked a claim on being pro-life, the incumbent they feverishly
supported enjoys talking about killing and seems quite willing to lead this
nation into an era of endless warfare, rather than peace-seeking
diplomacy. It is all so dreadfully
discouraging that some of us on the left have left the discourse altogether.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes & Telephone
Calls
Email thaslett@comcast.net I absolutely agree with your extreme
caution and assessment. In the US,
their may well be well-documented, high rates of hypertension, heart disease,
and heart attacks among black people, but a number of black doctors have
demonstrated that this is not a 'genetic fact' separate from history. But the
*genetic fact* belief is the overriding opinion. Merely one example of the work
done by black doctors is this very persuasive and overlooked article: P.D. Curtin. "Slavery Hypothesis for
Hypertension among African-Americans: The Historical Evidence" _American
Journal of Public Health_ Vol. 82 No.12 (December 1992)
Email http://grist.org Before
the election, many observers had considered Bush's omnibus energy bill dead in
the water. But now it's lurching back
to life, like a killer in the last 15 minutes of a bad horror movie. Language that would shield producers of the
gasoline additive MTBE from lawsuits is still a sticking point, but if the bill
is broken into smaller, more digestible bits, many are likely to make it into
law -- including a provision that would open the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil and gas drilling.
Email www.guardian.com Coca-Cola has had a bad year in
India. Indian farmers have come up with
what they think is the real thing to keep crops free of bugs. Instead of paying
hefty fees to international chemical companies for patented pesticides, they
are spraying their cotton and chili fields with Coca-Cola. In the past month
there have been reports of hundreds of farmers turning to Coke. But as word gets out that soft drinks may be
bad for bugs and a lot cheaper than anything that Messrs Monsanto, Shell and
Dow can offer, thousands of others are expected to switch.
Email www.nytimes.com The Food and Drug Administration and drug
makers will use tiny radio antennas on the labels of millions of medicine
bottles to combat counterfeiting and fraud. Among the medicines that will be tagged with radio frequency
identification (RFID) are Viagra, one of the most counterfeited drugs, and OxyContin,
a pain-control narcotic that has become one of the most abused drugs in the
United States.
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