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Op-Ed: We have 2 weeks to complete our work. We can do this. This is how we will win this election – Essence

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If we all do our part in the subsequent two weeks, Kamala Harris will be our next president. But our job is difficult. We cannot vote alone. We need to help others mail their ballots and get to the polls. We can’t simply talk to individuals who agree with us about our hopes for a Harris presidency and the hazards of Trump. We need to talk to people who find themselves considering not voting and even voting for another person.

This is our task now. I’m not saying it is often easy. And it can’t at all times be fun. So I’m writing this article to offer some suggestions – and belongings you can say – that will make this job a bit easier.

We all know that there will be nothing higher than waking up after November 5 and seeing how well we did our job – seeing how much it paid off to change this election and seeing that Black people got here out on top. Because that is what it’s all about, ensuring that Black people come out ahead in this election.

We need to make this clear to everyone in our lives before they vote. This means talking to our entire family, even people who find themselves difficult to talk to; and the people we work with, even when it isn’t at all times comfortable to speak about it; and our friends and neighbors whom we see on the salon or barbershop, during school pickup, at church, or on the last picnics of the season, or anywhere else. Everyone we can talk to, we need to talk to.

But how will we get there?

#1 – Volunteering. Resources like voting.org, Black voters matter and Color Change Voting Being Black provides tools to assist you to talk to Black voters across the country — ensuring they’re ready and able to vote.

On these sites you can check your voting registration and be sure that you have not been faraway from the voter rolls by right-wing Republicans. You can use them to help family and friends do the identical. You can also enroll to volunteer – alone or with a bunch of friends – to do what matters most in the ultimate weeks of the election: texting other black voters, calling voters, donating to… voting programs, neighborhood walks door-to-door, organizing events to motivate more people to vote, and more.

#2 – Talk to people you already know. This can be difficult – talking to friends who may not yet agree with you. Someone may inform you, “I’m not involved in politics.” But you have to tell them: “If you don’t take care of politics, politics will take care of you. And if you realize that after the November 5 election, it will be too late.”

Sometimes it’s about saying the one thing they can’t ignore: the one thing they can’t deny that makes the election alternative and its urgency seem so real. For example,

Donald Trump executed more imprisoned black men than the federal government has killed in a long time. He wanted to look tough and Black people paid the value. Harris and Biden stopped it. But Trump will surely start it once again on day one. This is because Trump only cares about his popularity with the loudest white supremacists, not people like us.

Sometimes it’s about talking in regards to the reality we will all have to live with if we let Trump back in. In 2016 hate crimes increased by over 200% in places where Trump held campaign rallies. And after taking on the White House, they will rise even higher. Now he is gathering all this hateful energy against Haitians, leading to: over 30 bomb threats in schools, government buildings and officials’ homes where he told his mob to aim: Springfield, Ohio. This level of anti-blackness will not end with Haitians. We are all a part of the group of Black folks that he will order his mob to attack. And if he is within the White House, he will attack us: he will tell his Justice Department and the police to attack us by entering our neighborhoods, and he will tell his IRS and Social Security to attack us by canceling our advantages, and who knows what next.

Sometimes it’s about being clear and sober about Kamala Harris. She will give us an incredible opportunity to move ourselves and this country forward, even when she can’t do the whole lot for us, especially if a Republican Congress stands in her way – as they did with Obama. But it will move the Government forward in delivering what we need and deserve by way of health and childcare and the fight against discrimination. He will pursue economic opportunities for us. And like Obama, sometimes we’ll have to push her. The difference is that when Black people push a Democrat like Obama or Harris, we can move them. I used to be involved in this under Obama, and we won so much – especially in health care. But we cannot have any illusions in regards to the situation under Trump: we will never find a way to put pressure on Trump. We have no probability with him.

And this is one other issue: talking about Trump’s plans for us.

You may have heard of Project 2025. But what is it? This is Trump’s program plan, which might expand executive power – similar to a dictatorship – and hand over your entire decision-making process in the federal government to right-wing extremists. We all know who they’re and what they do.

Project 2025 features a plan to eliminate job protections for 1000’s of presidency staff and replace them with people loyal to Trump. Black staff create over 18% workforce on the federal level, so this is a direct threat: we have been kicked out of the federal government and will probably be the primary to leave. Project 2025 also plans to destroy the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides money to low-income people to buy food. They will attack diversity programs across the country. One results of this is an enormous shortage of black doctors. The scope of negative impacts on Black people is countless. You can see me speak about it here. You can read more here.

Sometimes we see people forget what happened when Trump was the last president, and we need to remind them of that. When Trump left office, the black unemployment rate was over 9%and the Covid pandemic, which he and his administration downplayed and allowed to spread, has resulted within the disproportionate death of Black Americans, at twice the speed of white Americans. The Trump administration halted consent decrees that finally began to regulate corrupt and racist police departments and halted Justice Department investigations into violent police departments. Trump appointed essentially the most Court of Appeals judges in a long time –none of them were Black– and appointed three Supreme Court justices who ended Affirmative Action, abortion rights, and more.

Vice President Kamala Harris has proven achievements working with President Biden to create record numbers of jobs, keep unemployment low, improve maternal care, solid the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, and far more.

Our work in the approaching weeks will not be easy. However, we need to talk to people. And we can’t leave anyone behind. As you saw within the Paint the Polls Black series, hosted by Global Black Economic Forum and with the support of Essence, we must make sure the exchange of data, dispel myths and mobilize to vote. If you have not seen the series, you can watch all of the content on YouTube.

No matter what anyone cares about – climate change, discrimination within the workplace and employment, quality education and health care, reproductive health care, inexpensive housing, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ+ rights, stopping corporations that cheat us with fines and costs at every step – we have to show them that what they care about most will be within the November elections: either they will get it (or they will have a probability to get it with Harris), or they definitely won’t get it with Trump – and in truth, the whole lot will worsen. Our job is to be sure that people know.

We can do this.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Health matters: WNBA star Napheesa Collier on her commitment to women’s reproductive health

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Napheesa Collier will not be only a WNBA superstar for the Minnesota Lynx and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, but additionally the mother of her daughter Mila and an advocate for women’s reproductive health rights.

It recently decided to partner with Opill®, the primary and only every day contraceptive pill available over-the-counter within the United States. This breakthrough represents a major step forward in women’s health care by providing a convenient and accessible contraceptive option. With Opill, women not need to visit health care facilities for prescriptions, making it easier than ever to take control of their reproductive health.

The collaboration relies on Opill®’s long-standing partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). “One of the reasons Opill® partnered with the WNBA is the great passion of players who use their platform to support causes they believe in,” said Leila Bahbah, leading women’s health brand at Perrigo within the US. “Napheesa exudes this passion, and together we plan to educate and empower people to take control of their reproductive health.”

Collier advocates for girls and says she is willing to have conversations, even in the event that they are difficult. “I just truly believe in everything they do at Opill®. I believe it’s important to talk to people who may become pregnant and to women about the reproductive health and contraceptive options available to them,” Collier tells ESSENCE.

He continues: “I want people to know that if they want contraception, Opill® is a great option. It is the first over-the-counter drug approved by the FDA. It is inexpensive, available. You don’t need a prescription to get it. I think that’s a key thing in today’s climate.”

Collier notes that within the off-season, he tries to travel to various colleges to talk to students about their reproductive freedoms. “Talking about this topic is essential to remove the stigma as it should not be considered a shameful topic or something that should not be discussed openly. My mother was a nurse, so it was casual to talk about it in our house, and I want to pass it on to other people too, so I’m very excited about it,” she says.

In the present political climate, many ladies with daughters are concerned about their future and reproductive health. Collier, included. “Especially because I am the mother of a young girl, it is very important to me to be able to raise her in an atmosphere where she knows her reproductive rights and health, that she has access to affordable health care and contraception if she wants it and that she can ask me these questions and have open conversations.”

Collier continues: “It’s back to education. Again, I think it’s harmful that we can’t have open conversations about birth control and other issues that are usually taboo. I think it’s harmful. I think this does a lot of harm to women. It hurts. This is harmful to our society. Being able to talk about these issues and empowering women to learn about their rights and bodies creates a safer and healthier society.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Yes, despite what you’ve heard on TikTok, you still need to use sunscreen

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Summer is nearly here. But as an alternative of using sunscreen, some TikTokers just do that encouraging followers throw it away and forgo sunscreen.

They argue that it’s healthier to forgo sunscreen to get the complete advantages of the sun.

Here’s what the science really says.

How does sunscreen work?

Due to the acute UV environment in Australia, most individuals with pale to olive skin or other risk aspects for skin cancer must accomplish that protect yourself. Applying sunscreen is a key approach to protecting areas that aren’t easily covered by clothing.

Sunscreens work by absorbing or scattering UV rays before they reach the skin and damage DNA or supporting structures corresponding to collagen.

In this photo I (Katie) apply sunscreen only to the appropriate side of my face. Sunscreens absorb and scatter UV light (right side), although it can’t be seen with the naked eye (left side). The photo on the appropriate also shows where sun spots (dark spots) accumulate on my skin and where I do not care to apply sunscreen evenly – under the attention, on the cheek and completely missing the ear.
The creator provided/UQ

When UV molecules hit DNA, the surplus energy can damage our DNA. This damage might be repaired, but when the cell divides before the error is repaired, it causes a mutation that may lead to skin cancer.

The energy of the UV particle (photon) causes the DNA strands to break and reconnect incorrectly. This causes a tumor within the DNA strand, which makes accurate copying difficult and might introduce mutations.
NASA/David Herring

The most typical skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Melanoma is less common but most definitely spreads throughout the body; this process known as metastasis.

Two against three At least the Australians will one skin cancer during their lives they usually reconcile 80% all cancers in Australia.

About 99% of skin cancers in Australia are attributable to overexposure to UV radiation.

Excessive exposure to UV radiation also affects the looks of the skin. UVA rays are able to penetrate deep into the skin, where they break down supporting structures corresponding to elastin and collagen.

This causes signs premature agingcorresponding to deep wrinkles, brown or white spots and broken capillaries.

Sunscreen may also help prevent skin cancer

Consistently used sunscreen reduces the danger of skin cancer and slows skin aging.

In Queensland studyparticipants either used sunscreen day by day for nearly five years or continued their usual use.

After five years, the danger of squamous cell cancer was reduced within the day by day group 40% compared to the second group.

Ten years later, the danger of developing invasive melanoma was reduced within the group of individuals taking the drug day by day 73%

Do sunscreens block the health-promoting properties of sunlight?

The answer is a little more complicated and involves a personalised risk-benefit trade-off.

First, the excellent news: spending time within the sun has many health advantages don’t rely under the influence of UV radiation and aren’t affected by the use of sunscreens.

A woman applies sunscreen
Sunscreens only filter out UV rays, not all light.
Ron Lach/Pexels

Sunscreens only filter UV rays, not visible light or infrared light (which we feel as heat). Importantly, a number of the advantages of sunlight are obtained through Eyes.

Visible light improves mood and regulates and possibly reduces circadian rhythm (which influences the sleep-wake cycle). myopia (myopia) in children.

Infrared light is being researched as a treatment for several conditions skin, neurological, psychiatric AND autoimmune disorders.

So what is the good thing about exposing your skin to UV radiation?

Sun exposure produces vitamin D, which is crucial for healthy bones and muscles.

Vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly common amongst Australians, peaking in Victoria at 49% in winter and lowest in Queensland at 6% in summer.

Fortunately, individuals who deal with sun protection can avoid vitamin D deficiency taking a complement.

Skin exposure to UV radiation could have advantages independent of vitamin D production, but these haven’t been proven. It may reduce the danger of autoimmune diseases corresponding to multiple sclerosis or cause the discharge of a chemical that may lower blood pressure. However, there aren’t enough details about these advantages to say whether sunscreen can be an issue.

What does this mean for you?

Exposure of the skin to UV radiation may provide some advantages that could be blunted by sunscreens. This determines whether it’s value giving up these advantages to avoid skin cancer how susceptible you have skin cancer.

If you have pale skin or other aspects that increase your risk of skin cancer, try to use sunscreen day by day on all days when the forecast UV index reaches 3.

If you have darker skin that rarely or never burns, you might want to skip using sunscreen on daily basis – although you’ll still need protection when you’re outdoors for prolonged periods of time.

For now, the balance of evidence suggests that it is healthier for people susceptible to skin cancer to proceed using sunscreen, supplementing with vitamin D as needed.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

Recipe for change: eliminating health disparities and economic empowerment – the essence

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Throughout the 12 months, the Global Black Economic Forum held quite a few select conversations focused on solutions to the most pressing economic and social issues facing marginalized communities. One of those issues – too often missed – is the link between Black health and wealth. If we do not start eliminating health disparities and inequalities today, we cannot give you the chance to construct wealth for the future.

This intersection was the focus of an event we hosted in August as a part of our cooking talk series. It was held on Martha’s Vineyard, round the corner National Medical Scholarships (NMF), the Black World Economic Forum had the opportunity to satisfy with NMF’s unapologetic leader, Michellene Davis. Recognized by Modern Healthcare magazine as certainly one of the 25 most influential minority leaders in healthcare, Michellene’s profession has involved policy advocacy and social change.

Her organization is devoted to increasing the variety of Black, Indigenous and physicians of color through fellowships, service-learning programs, mentoring opportunities and clinical research leadership training.

The conversation revealed two easy and interconnected data points: In the next decade, the United States will experience:huge shortage of doctors while becoming a majority non-white nation. These two trends highlight the need for greater diversity on this field. Studies have shown that patients of color see racially and ethnically diverse physicians. Treatment results are frequently higher.

However, the percentage of black doctors in the US is growing at an alarmingly slow rate – it has only increased by 4% over the last 120 years.. In the face of conservatives’ regressive and destructive attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, there has never been a greater need for us to redouble these efforts. The more we are able to improve health outcomes, the higher we’ll give you the chance to seize and compete for economic opportunities in the future. Given the urgent need to deal with health care workforce disparities and their direct impact on Black economic outcomes, it’s equally essential to acknowledge the broader economic opportunities that may drive wealth creation in our communities.

The competition for certainly one of the best economic opportunities in the history of tourism and hospitality – the 2026 FIFA World Cup – was the focus of our other curated conversation. Organized round the corner East Point Congress and Visitors Bureau, we sat down with its president, Chantel Francois. In her position, she is responsible for the development of the tourism industry in the city of East Point, Georgia. Previously, she led economic development and tourism promotion efforts in Atlanta, Trinidad and Tobago.

Francois described how local businesses run by entrepreneurs of color can leverage global events like the FIFA World Cup to extend their brand visibility, increase sales, and even start their very own businesses. She emphasized the importance of partnerships with event organizers, teams and athletes in constructing company awareness. This cooperation can also be crucial as the city government works with many stakeholders to make sure the safety of tourists and maximum economic opportunities for the area people.

When it involves such major events, it is usually essential to instill a way of community pride in each sector wherein an organization competes. This pride translates into a robust bond with travelers that may make them proceed to interact with small businesses or spark curiosity in them to learn more about the community. The 2026 FIFA World Cup has the potential to place tens of millions of dollars into the pockets and communities of individuals of color, and it’s crucial for businesses to begin planning now in the event that they have not already.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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