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30 Dec 08
Collapses, Bailouts & Layoffs: More at risk than just finances
We didn’t need economist to tell us
that the country had landed in a recession that had begun in December 2007. In Michigan we’ve known it all along. To
paraphrase Malcom X, we didn’t land in the recession, my brothers and sisters - the recession landed on us. Job losses, layoffs and foreclosures have been
equal opportunity assailants on families both gay and straight. Non-profit organizations have seen significant drops in contributions
as the needs of the community grow. It
has been especially hard on LGBT organizations that have been traditionally underfunded. Ruth Ellis Center, Affirmations,
Karibu House and others have always been experts at stretching the dollar but now have to be magicians to make ends meet.
But with record unemployment the traditional year-end contribution bounce is more important than ever. To keep doors open
and programs in place. Year-end
letters are outnumbering Holiday Cards some days in my mailbox with requests coming from not just LGBT organizations, but
social justice agencies, various diseases advocates, the humane society and even the Carter Center. In many instances corporate support is also dwindling as businesses
downsize hoping to ride out the recession. Support from the auto industry has been reported to probably decrease as part of
streamlining concessions made to appease legislatures deliberating their bailout loans. But there’s no bailout in store for us, so we all will have to
dig a little deeper, tighten our belts a little tighter to help our own family and community. It’s
scary economic times but there’s more at risk. For years, the LGBT community has seen more progress towards equality in the business world than in the legislature.
While states have denied our families equal protection, recognition of our marriages, protection in the workplace and
from hate crimes and used anti-marriage amendments to strip domestic benefits, corporations have lead the way in instituting
nondiscriminatory policies, diversity programs, and partner benefits. HRC’s
Corporate Equality Index shows an unprecedented 260 major U.S. businesses earned the top rating
of 100 percent, up from 195 last year which should bode well for the LGBT community. Following the lead of these major businesses
many in the fortune 500, many smaller companies have incorporated more fair minded policies in the work place. These policies
have allowed more and more LGBT Americans to be out in the work place, an action in and of itself promotes equality. It is
a proven fact being out is one of our greatest tools to end discrimination and promote equality. Policies promoting equality
developed in the boardroom, transform communities for the workforce out.Unfortunately in the month of December 2008 there have been 85, 753 layoffs (and the month’s
only half over) at America’s 500 largest public companies. Companies like, AT&T, DuPont, JP Morgan
Chase, Viacom, PepsiCo, Bank of America, Whirlpool, Anheuser Busch, 3M, Dow Chemical, GM, Ford, Cummins, and Wyndham Worldwide,
all scoring 100 % on HRC’s equality index, are among the employers with layoffs in December.Maybe I’m just being paranoid but I think we need to be afraid,
very afraid by this recession. Hard times bring out the best and the worst in people. When fighting over
crumbs it is easy to turn one person against another, one race against another and turn back the hands of time, and breeds
intolerance.Today many “foreign”
cars, made right here in America, employing Americans, have become targets of intolerance. The current crisis in the auto
industry has led to acts of vandalism on “foreign cars.” Tires have been slashed and insults, reminiscent of those
smeared on foreign autos some thirty years ago, are again being scrawled on windshields and keyed in paint. Incidents of foreign/immigrant workers, especially if they are brown,
being harassed by co-workers and immigration officials has not gone away but only been replaced by economic headlines in the
paper. But any Monday, in southwest Detroit, you will find along Vernor protests by Latino/a workers and activists against
injustices suffered by this community.Homeless
families can be found in every community. Those who can move do, but what of those who can’t? These
are the people coming to our centers, calling on our community for help. -The youth at Ruth Ellis, the
support groups at Affirmations, the callers to Karibu Houses Hotline. And the numbers are growing every day. Triangle
Foundation has been responding to increased reports of hate crimes, reporting a 133% increase in anti-LGBT crime in
2007In November
we voted for change but business went on as usual. Now the financial “house” is crumbling before our eyes and
everything is on the line.There’s
no bailout coming for us, so we must be the change we want by truly embracing community, looking out for those most vulnerable
in the LGBT community but reaching out to others in need as well. It is more important than ever to be out, to put a human
face to the LGBT community to remind others that we are struggling just like them and are asking for not special rights but
the same rights as every other American in good times and bad. And in these hard times we must come together as Americans, gay and straight to find new solutions, new ways
to redefine, rebuild and respirit our communities from the ground up. Together we can.
4 Oct 08
Breast Cancer: The race for the cure is ours
My
sister did the “Breast Cancer Three Day.” When she first told me she was going to walk sixty miles over three
days I thought she was crazy. I thought she was crazy not because I don't share her commitment to breast cancer awareness,
but because she had trained with me in 2004 when I trained for my participation in a marathon for stroke research. It kicked
my butt then, its four years later and she's my older sister!! I knew she was very serious and would do it – that's
my big sister.
Breast
cancer is a life threatening reality for all women. One out of every eight women, that's 12.6% of all women, will be diagnosed
with breast cancer in her lifetime. It's an equal opportunist affecting women regardless of class, social status, race,
ethnicity, gender (yes, men get it too) or sexual orientation. Lesbians have a higher incidence of certain risk factors known
to be linked to breast cancer as many chose not to have children and delaying/never becoming pregnant is just one of the risk
actors.
Although the number of breast cancer survivors is growing, its still killing too many women. It’s the most
common cause of death from cancer amongst our Latina sisters and the second most common cause of death from cancer for all
other women. We don't have to engage in any special, risky behavior. Just being a woman with a family history of breast
cancer, delaying pregnancy until after 30 or never becoming pregnant, early menstruation, late menopause, use of oral contraceptives
and daily consumption of alcohol puts us at risk. I have had conversations with women who have delayed
mammograms or don't do self examinations. They've said they are too young or cancer doesn't run in their family.
If this is your excuse you're only fooling yourself. You are never too young to develop breast
cancer. Just ask Christina Applegate, the star of “Samantha Who?” who at 36 was diagnosed with breast cancer and
recently underwent a double mastectomy to rid it from her body. There have been survivors and deaths in
women as young as 20.
There had been a history of breast cancer in Applegate’s family so she was vigilant but many women don't
know if there is a family history. In the past talking about your cancer was taboo, there was a stigma about it so many of
our mothers, grandmothers, aunts did not talk about it. I heard an interview with one woman who, after
she was diagn osed, discovered her grandmother had been a breast cancer survivor. She remembered her grandmother having a
scar on her chest and always being careful to wearing clothing to keep her breasts covered but no one discussed the cancer.
It’s
that dangerous secret in the family closet that can be putting you at risk, especially for our LGBT sisters whose communication
with their biological families is often difficult or nonexistent. If they can't bring themselves to talk about you being
gay, expecting a conversation about a family history of breast cancer might be totally impossible.
Not
having breast cancer in your family history can also give you a false sense of security. My sister was
not doing the 3-day in memory of a family member who had succumbed to breast cancer. She did it to find a cure for all women
for this insidious disease. She did it to help research to fight and ultimately provide a cure for breast cancer She has two
beautiful granddaughters, friends, co-workers – she did it for them. That’s my big sister.
Thirty
five years ago approximately 75% of women diagnosed
with breast cancer survived their disease at least 5 years. Mastectomy was the only accepted
surgical option for breast cancer treatment. Only one randomized trial of mammography for breast cancer screening had been
conducted. Clinical investigation of combination chemotherapy, using multiple drugs with different mechanisms of action, and
of hormonal therapy as post-surgical treatment for breast cancer was in its earliest stages. Thanks to
the efforts of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, institutes like the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, events like th e Breast
Cancer Three Day and thousands of women just like my sister who took to the streets “just because”
today nearly 90% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive their disease at least 5 years. Combination chemotherapy has become standard in the treatment of women with early stage breast cancer. Hormonal therapy
with SERMs is now standard in the treatment of women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, both as therapy and in
the treatment of advanced breast cancer. There are drug treatments being used to treat breast cancers that overproduce a protein
called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 or HER2. This protein is overproduced in about 20% of breast cancers. The study of large groups of related individuals has led to the identification of several breast cancer susceptibility
genes, including BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, and PTEN/MMAC1. Women who carry20mutations in these
genes have a lifetime risk of breast cancer that is roughly 10 times greater than that of the general population. Progress
towards a cure is being made everyday but we/women must keep fighting, educating ourselves and our daughters and walking/running
to raise funds for this much needed research
I wasn’t up for the 3-Day
but I support the Race for the cure by making regular contribution, even buying breast cancer stamps for all my mail. I do
monthly self-exams, and have annual mammograms. I have taken and encourage my friends to make lifestyle changes and choices
as preventative measures. Healthy eating and regular exercise really contribute to breast cancer prevention.
But
I was still at risk even though no one in my family has ever been diagnosed. I was concerned when my doctor told me they needed
to redo my mammogram. I was annoyed that I had to take another day of to be squished and squeezed again. My concern turned
to worry when after the first set of x-rays they called me back in for a second set, then a set on a different machine, then
an ultrasound before I was taken to a little room to wait to speak with the radiologist.
I
was shocked by the news that I would need a core biopsy and devastated when the results of that core biopsy meant I would
have to have surgery. I had done all the right things, contributed to the Komen Foundation, ate right, exercised, had no family
history but I had precancerous/cancerous cells in my left breast.
The good news is
that because of advances in technology my lump was found three years earlier than it would have been with the old technology.
I have friends, family and a partner who are there for me. And I have a big sister who did the Breast Cancer 3-day, walking
60 miles never realizing that when she did it for a cure, she was doing it for me.
10:43 am est
20 Apr 08
Re-Post: If you thought Slavery ended with Lincoln Think again
The only
way we will end racism is to understand how this evil has lived on and impacted lives long after the Emancipation Proclamation.
I strongly recommend these two books "The Shadow of Slavery - Peonage in the South 1901-1969" by Pete Daniel and
"Slavery by Another Name:The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II" by Douglas A.
Blackmon.
In a recent radio interview of Douglas Blackmon - a caller related the story of his immigrant/white grandfather
who was enslaved under these practices. So you see it is not just a black thing. Racism is an equal opportunity manifestation
of hatred. If we don't acknowledge, understand and learn from its history, things will never really change.
7:16 pm est
13 Feb 08
Books, Books and More books
Just returned from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in New York. WOW!!!!
People
are doing some amazing work out there. In preparation for National Reading Month in March I am contacting schools to do readings.
It has been mostly rewarding as the librarians and teachers have been enthusiastic. We must encourage children's literacy
especially for our most at risk populations. I know for me reading provided a gate way to different worlds and possibilities.
Books still are a wonder and joy to me - my very best friends. So In March read a book yourself; Read to a child; Share a
favorite book or Give a book as a gift.
2:18 pm est
15 Dec 07
Season's Greetings!!!!!
Here's wishing you and yours a happy holiday season. My Book "Wild Fruit Hidden in Open Spaces"
is at the printer. Whoopee!!!! I willlbe doing poetry readings from it at a location near you. I have gone back to working
on my colllection of short stories "The 26th". And I have actually found time to read two more incredible books
- "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and "The Kite Runner" bu Khaled Hosseini.
3:31 pm est
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Welcome to my web site! I've always
loved writing and had dreams of being a famous novelist. Well I'm not signing books in the mall or sitting on Oprah's
couch but I am living my dream. Come explore my world of words, buy a book (or two) and be a part of my next project. Welcome
to my website!
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| With the "real" Jack With The Curly Tail |
My ideas come from you my friends, my community, even your pets. I hope
you find something that suits your fancy today and come back again and again for more. I look forward to hearing from you.
Credit cards are accepted:
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Speaking Out on issues affecting all communities
Michelle E. Brown is a member of the following
organizations: National Council of Negro Women,
Inc. - Human Rights Campaign - Black Pride Society - Detroit Summer
Michigan Equality - Michigan Coalition for
Human Rights - Women Against AIDS Committee
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| Activist - Speaker - Writer - Poet |
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| "When it comes to building strong communities, I like to think of myself as a renaissance woman. |
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Now
Available
Wild Fruit Hidden in Open Spaces
Musings in Prose and Poetry
Early praises for "Wild Fruit":
" The International Library of Poetry Editor’s Choice Award ..... artistic accomplishments
and unique perspective--characteristics found in the most noteworthy poetic works."
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Michelle E. Brown
winner of the
2007 Media Award
22nd Annual Pride Banquet
2008 Semifinalist
International Open Poetry Contest
Your book
and reading caused such wonderful conversations in classrooms. To share a
few comments: TODAY'S AUTHOR WAS AWESOME. THANK YOU
I had comments from my students : * "she was the first black author I have
seen" * "she gave me ideas
on how to write" * I like how
she had someone from Africa draw the pictures" "The book was so simply written with so much to say."
All of the students were focussed and the depth of subject
ran through their minds like the Mississippi with it's saturated tributaries! And your kindness and sincerity disarmed even those 'cool, hardened'
fifth graders who are feeling like they own the town, which, as a matter-of-fact, they have earned. I
can't thank you enough for giving two hundred students such a wonderful experience of sharing your book and yourself
with us. I am still taking orders! Sincerely, Beverly Hedden Vandenberg Elementary School Southfield, MI |
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Read my viewpoints on diversity, life
as a community and other current topics and issues. Published in "Between The Lines" each month.
http://www.pridesource.com
Keyword :
Michelle E. Brown
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