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How a Caring Community, Including Head Start, Propelled My Life

NNPA NEWSWIRE — I remember Head Start as one of the few safe havens in my community. The teachers formed a protective cocoon, shielding us kids from real-life hazards that were immediately outside those doors. Head Start was a place of love and hope, and I relished that environment. I craved love as a child, and that’s where I found it.
The post How a Caring Community, Including Head Start, Propelled My Life first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

8 months ago

July 8, 2024

Oakland Post

Churmell Mitchell

I was an adventurous and curious child growing up in Decatur, Alabama. Still, even good traits can be channeled in the wrong direction when the environment pulsates with the effects of poverty and brokenness. My mom, a single mom, was a hard worker who had multiple jobs, one of which was cooking at the Head Start program I attended. Mom had abusive partners and our household featured all the horrors that come with domestic violence. My dad was in and out of my life and seemed to wrestle with whether he wanted or understood fatherhood. That, combined with being caught between him and my mother when they weren’t getting along, meant I didn’t establish a positive relationship with him until much later. I had to grow up early, and there are things I experienced and saw that no child should.

I remember Head Start as one of the few safe havens in my community. The teachers formed a protective cocoon, shielding us kids from real-life hazards that were immediately outside those doors. Head Start was a place of love and hope, and I relished that environment. I craved love as a child, and that’s where I found it. Getting it was a high for me. I spent all of my childhood, teenage years, and some of my early adulthood years, chasing that high.

A Village Is Formed

I strongly believe in God, and though life was turbulent while growing up, God put people in my life to bridge gaps where I was missing nurturing and guidance. They were part of a village, an informal support system for me. Aunt B was the cornerstone of this village. She was a white woman in our neighborhood who invited my brother and me to her house to do minor household projects. She paid us in popsicles and good company. I mention her race because, even in the 1990s, the vestiges of segregation and discrimination permeated my community and socialization.

I had learned implicitly and explicitly not to trust white people. But Aunt B tore those walls down. My brother and I grew to trust and love her; the same is true of her family toward us. I remember early on while getting to know her, I asked her very pointedly, “Can I love you?” as I ached to feel parental love. Not only did Aunt B let me love her, but she also loved me right back. Through Aunt B, I learned that true love goes way beneath the skin’s surface. This lesson informs so much of my work as a church ministry leader.

Another person in my growing village was a strong black woman named Edith Garner. Ms. Garner took me under her wing in my preteen and early teen years. She counseled me. She took me to church. When I would cry about my parents not loving me, Ms. Garner deftly explained that they did love me but didn’t know how because of emotional wounds. I use this wisdom as foundation in my work today as a parenting coach. Amid a disrupted home life, a stream of individuals like Aunt B and Ms. Garner at different points provided listening ears, stern admonishment when I needed it, a place to sleep, food, and most of all, love, especially during some of the darkest moments in my life, and darker clouds were coming.

Surfing

He had hit her again. I had reached my limit. I got my gun. I would set my mother and our household free from the abuser once and for all. Though I spent years trying to protect my mother, I couldn’t stay at home any longer while the abuser remained. It hurt me, but one of us had to go. As I prepared the weapon, resolute in ending the nightmare, my mother stopped me physically. She put herself between me and a decision that would invariably lead to a lengthy prison sentence. So, at 16 years old, I left home. I would couch surf, stay with different friends, and people I knew. My girlfriend’s family let me stay with them for a while if I agreed to attend church. I didn’t mind because the church affirmed me, and there, I started to see a glimpse of my future as a motivational speaker and leadership developer.

A year went by, and I was living in a friend’s basement, and on the surface, I tried to make things appear normal. I remained active in school and extracurricular activities, including football. But things were far from normal. Every day, I would arrive at school early and shower in the locker room so no one would know my status. It had been two years of sleeping at friends’ houses, in my car, scrounging for food in the streets. I was weary. The stress of instability was overwhelming. I felt abandoned. I was having suicidal thoughts; I asked God, “Do you love me?” I found an affirmative answer through the Christian scriptures: nothing can stop God from loving us. I chose to trust and believe that, and it gave me hope.

Cloudy With a Chance of Sunshine

In my senior year of high school, I moved back home to help care for my mother, who was recovering from surgery. The abuser was gone, and it was a step in the right direction to healing our relationship. With help from a few additional folks who joined my village, I was encouraged to apply to college. I knew I wanted to attend college but didn’t understand the process. With guidance from teachers and others, I applied to and was admitted to Auburn University to study Exercise Science and secured a starting position on the football team. During my college years, life was going in a positive direction: I was a sought-after youth speaker for churches and other organizations, was married, and had an event planning service. The dark clouds seemed to be clearing, and it felt like daybreak was coming.

Daybreak Arrives

Sometimes, life is darkest before a breakthrough. While at college, I suffered a knee injury, which ended my football career opportunities, including my chance to play at Auburn University. My marriage dissolved, and I became homeless again, with two small children. A few faculty members learned about my situation and rallied the university to find a way to assist me. I’m in awe of how this village worked together to ensure I got the support needed to finish school and care for my children.

Today, I work across several fronts as an author, speaker, ministry leader, and Head Start director to deliver hope where there’s little of it. Hope is the engine that keeps you moving forward when everything around you tells you to give up. I want my story to resonate with everyone with childhood trauma, living in poverty, or any other adversity. I hope to encourage them to take a leap of faith and dare to hope; there’s something good on the other side.

The post How a Caring Community, Including Head Start, Propelled My Life first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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NAACP Sues Trump Administration Over Dismantling of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The lawsuit comes after a series of drastic actions following the ouster of CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. President Trump replaced Chopra with Russell Vought, who immediately instructed staff not to perform any work tasks and ordered the closure of the agency’s headquarters, taking steps to cancel its lease.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 14, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The civil rights organization argues that the move undermines protections for Black, elderly, and vulnerable consumers, leaving them exposed to financial exploitation. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the administration’s actions, calling them a reckless assault on consumer protections. “Once again, we are witnessing the dangerous impacts of an overreaching executive office. The Trump Administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau opens the floodgates for unethical and predatory practices to run rampant,” Johnson stated. “We refuse to stand idly by as our most vulnerable communities are left unprotected due to irresponsible leaders. From seniors and retirees, disabled people, and victims of disaster to so many more, our nation stands to face immense financial hardship and adversity as a result of the elimination of the CFPB. If our President refuses to put people over profit, the NAACP will use every tool possible to put Americans first.”

The lawsuit comes after a series of drastic actions following the ouster of CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. President Trump replaced Chopra with Russell Vought, who immediately instructed staff not to perform any work tasks and ordered the closure of the agency’s headquarters, taking steps to cancel its lease. Vought also suspended all investigations, rulemaking, public communications, and enforcement actions. Keisha D. Bross, NAACP Director of Opportunity, Race, and Justice, said the organization maintains its commitment to restoring the bureau’s critical role in protecting consumers. “The CFPB is an agency of the people. From the protection from junk fees to fighting excessive overdraft fees, providing assistance to impacted victims of natural disasters, and holding predatory practices accountable, the NAACP stands firm in bringing back the CFPB,” Bross said. “The NAACP will fight to hold financial entities responsible for the years of inequitable practices from big banks and lenders.”

The lawsuit, filed alongside the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the National Consumer Law Center, the Virginia Poverty Law Center, and the CFPB Employee Association, argues that the administration’s actions violate the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. According to the complaint, the Trump administration has taken deliberate steps to dismantle the CFPB, including firing 70 employees via form email, canceling over $100 million in vendor contracts, and shutting down the agency’s consumer complaint system, which processes hundreds of thousands of cases monthly. The plaintiffs warn that these actions will leave millions of Americans defenseless against financial fraud and predatory lending practices. The lawsuit details the harm already inflicted by the agency’s closure. Among those affected is Rev. Eva Steege, an 83-year-old pastor with a terminal illness who was seeking student loan forgiveness through a CFPB-facilitated program. Her meeting with CFPB staff was abruptly canceled, leaving her without recourse to resolve her debt before passing.

The NAACP and other plaintiffs seek an immediate injunction to halt the administration’s actions and restore the CFPB’s operations. The legal challenge argues that the President has no unilateral authority to dismantle an agency created by Congress and that Vought’s appointment as acting director is unlawful. President Trump has made no secret of his desire to eliminate the CFPB, confirming last week that his administration was working to “totally eliminate” the agency. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a key player in Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” celebrated the move with a social media post reading “CFPB RIP.”

If successful, the lawsuit could force the administration to reinstate the agency and resume its enforcement actions against financial institutions accused of predatory practices. “Neither the President nor the head of the CFPB has the power to dismantle an agency that Congress established,” the plaintiffs argue. “With each day the agency remains shut down, financial institutions that seek to prey on consumers are emboldened—harming their law-abiding competitors and the consumers who fall victim to them.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Robert Kennedy and Healthcare. Is There Trust?

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer is the new face of healthcare in America. He was confirmed by the US Senate in a vote split along party lines, 52-48. Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voted with Democrats opposing the nomination.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 14, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

“When you erode trust you lose your democracy because it is based on trust,” according to Black Obama Administration Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. She is responding to the United States Senate’s confirmation of Robert Kennedy Jr. as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer is the new face of healthcare in America. He was confirmed by the US Senate in a vote split along party lines, 52-48. Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voted with Democrats opposing the nomination. The Alabama-based former Surgeon General declares, “We’ve had anti-vaxxers for years, but they became prominent during COVID,” creating “new” trust issues.

From Benjamin’s professional understanding, “that’s when we started to see people not trust science,” loudly. Her position is that as health matters changed over time so did the medical responses. Controversy swirls around Kennedy’s anti-vaccination stance, however, he is lauded for his posture on preventative medicine. Benjamin is hopeful Kennedy will focus on prevention as she denotes it is “the key to solving many problems in our healthcare system.” When Benjamin was the nation’s top doctor from 2009 to 2013, the Obama administration released a national prevention strategy, which she deemed “a roadmap.” During that job, she worked to move Americans “from sickness and disease to one of health and wellness.” Benjamin is hopeful that this new administration will “focus more on prevention.”

One of the pressing issues Secretary Kennedy will face is the shortage of healthcare professionals. “We’ve had workforce issues for a long time. The number of doctors, the number of nurses and we don’t have enough to cover everyone.” Benjamin points out there are regional issues with a lack of healthcare professionals. “You see those decreases particularly in rural areas.” There is a short-term fix according to Benjamin, “We have to turn to telemedicine because we don’t have [enough] doctors.” She cautions, ” It will get worse before it gets better.” With February being American Heart Month, Benjamin recommends particularly for those in the Black community to “be as healthy as you can…so you can be resilient and respond to things.” She acknowledges that overall when it comes to our health and wellbeing, “we have to train ourselves where to go for trusted information.”

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American Heart Association Partners with the Black Press for Groundbreaking Black Health Symposium

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The event brought together leaders in healthcare and media, emphasizing the critical need for collaboration in addressing health disparities impacting Black Americans.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 13, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

For the first time, a major corporation has chosen to broadcast a significant health initiative exclusively through the Black Press of America. The American Heart Association (AHA) partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to present “Changing the Future of Health for Black Communities: Public Health and Media Symposium,” a virtual event streamed live on NNPA’s YouTube channel as part of Black History Month. The NNPA is the trade association representing the more than 200 African-American-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States, which only known as are commonly known as the Black Press of America.

Initially planned as a hybrid event in Washington, D.C., the symposium transitioned to a fully virtual format due to inclement weather. The event brought together leaders in healthcare and media, emphasizing the critical need for collaboration in addressing health disparities impacting Black Americans. The panel featured distinguished health professionals, including Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th U.S. Surgeon General and founder of the Bayou Clinic; Dr. Keith Churchwell, president of the American Heart Association; and Katrina McGhee, AHA’s chief marketing officer. Media figures included Sharí Nycole, co-host at Reach Media; Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr., NNPA president and CEO; and April Ryan, senior White House correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief for BlackPressUSA.com. Sybil Wilkes, the veteran journalist known for her role on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, moderated the discussion.

Black Health in Crisis

Dr. Churchwell laid out stark statistics highlighting the disproportionate impact of cardiovascular disease on Black Americans. “Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the Black community,” Churchwell said. “Between 2017 and 2020, nearly 59 percent of Black men and women over the age of 20 had some form of cardiovascular disease, including coronary disease, stroke, and hypertension. In 2022 alone, almost 65,000 Black men and 59,000 Black women died from cardiovascular disease.” Hypertension remains one of the most prevalent health concerns. “The incidence of hypertension in the general population is 47 percent, but among Black men, it’s 57 percent, and among Black women, it’s 58 percent,” Churchwell said. “That’s the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.”

Dr. Benjamin emphasized that addressing these health disparities requires more than just medical intervention. “We’ve learned that to truly reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities, we must address social determinants of health, such as poverty, education, and access to care,” Benjamin said. “Studies show that poverty and dropout rates are as important a health risk factor as smoking.” She stressed the necessity of prevention, adding, “Quality health outcomes depend on access to the right information, tools, and technology. But it also depends on communication—our patients understanding us, and us understanding them.”

Media’s Role in Shaping Black Health Outcomes

NNPA President Dr. Chavis underscored the Black Press’ role in disseminating accurate health information and combating misinformation. “We must recognize that Black media has the power to inform, educate, and sustain critical messaging about health,” Chavis said. “One-shot messaging doesn’t work. We must repeat these messages consistently to keep them in the consciousness of our community.” April Ryan pointed out how urgent the matter is in Black communities. “We are still the community with the highest number of negative health outcomes in almost every category,” Ryan said. “We need to continue this conversation beyond today. This isn’t about a news cycle—it’s about life and death.”

Sharí Nycole stressed that the media must inform and lead by example. “We can’t just tell people what to do—we have to model it,” Nycole said. “We need to be visible examples of prioritizing our health, whether through social media, community events, or personal engagement.”

CPR: Creating a “Nation of Lifesavers”

The symposium spotlighted the AHA’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign to ensure more Black families are equipped with CPR knowledge. The initiative gained national attention following Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest, which immediate CPR mitigated. “Nearly three out of four cardiac arrests that happen outside a hospital occur in the home,” McGhee said. “This means the life you save is likely someone you love. Yet Black people are the least likely to receive bystander CPR. That must change.” Churchwell pointed to a recent AHA study revealing that while bystander CPR rates have improved nationwide, Black women are the least likely to receive immediate CPR assistance. “This presents a massive opportunity for intervention,” Churchwell said. “More people need to be trained, and we need to break down whatever barriers are preventing Black women from receiving life-saving care when they need it most.”

A Call to Action

Chavis announced that the NNPA will make Black health a top editorial priority and extend coverage beyond Black History Month. “We cannot afford to lose a single day without focusing on healthcare,” Chavis said. “Health is not just an issue for February. It’s an issue for all 12 months, every single year.” Ryan asserted that it’s crucial to make health a communal effort. “We have to hold each other accountable,” she said. “Host CPR nights with your girlfriends, bring healthcare conversations to the barbershop, get cholesterol checks at your church health fair. These small changes can save lives.”

McGhee also urged action. “We need to move from awareness to action,” she said. “One person in every household should know CPR. If you don’t, today is the day to start. Visit heart.org/nation to learn more.”