Religious, spiritual support benefits men and women facing chronic illness, study finds

Religious, spiritual support benefits men and women facing chronic illness, study finds

Like It Or Not, "The Help" Depicts One Side Yet A Realistic View of Black-White Women Relations

When writers--entertainment, academic, historical, or social observers—attempt to narrate the details of the complex, dynamic, and often disgraceful relationships between Blacks and Whites in the South during the pre and post Jim Crow eras, it is sure to cause a ruckus. The blockbuster movie based on Kathryn Stockett’s book-“The Help” is no exception. I, unlike a couple of my close friends and African American women scholars whom I admire and respect—actually enjoyed the movie and give it four stars on artistic delivery and realism.

While I understand, I disagree with Dr. Melissa Harris Perry’s position, which she articulated on the Lawrence O’Donnell show and in her tweets that the movie is “ahistorical and deeply troubling” or that the movie “reduces systematic, violent racism, sexism & labor exploitation to a cat fight that can be won with cunning spunk” or when she tweeted sarcastically, “Thank God magical black women were available to teach white women [how to] raise their families and to write books!!”

I also respectfully disagree with the assertion posited by the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH) who declared in a position paper: “Despite efforts to market the book and the film as a progressive story of triumph over racial injustice, The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers.”

Like most works of art, even those inspired by history, the truth is in the eyes of the beholder. I contend, notwithstanding the validity of several concerns brought forth by the ABWH or Dr. Perry, “The Help” simply tells on side of many stories and depicts only a smidgen of manifold representations of black life in the south during the pre and post Jim Crow eras. It in no way tells the whole story or represents all of the lived experiences of black folk. Grant it, not too much original creativity went into the development of the characters; many people, no doubt, especially those of us who grew up in the south and especially in households headed by Black women domestic workers—found the characters uncomfortably yet intimately familiar.

I grew up in a small southern town (Chapel Hill) in a household headed by strong Black women domestic workers. The experiences and behaviors of Aibileen, Minny and even Yule Mae were far from “ahistorical” or “disturbing distortions” but resonate with the experiences and behaviors of many black women domestic workers whom I learned important valuable life lessons from in my family and community; women who worked for White families or in white-owned establishments as housekeepers, CNAs and cooks. Lessons like learning how to code switch, persevere against the odds and indignities or to master what the great Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar expressed in his poem We Wear the Mask: “We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes. This debt we pay to human guile; with torn and bleeding hearts we smile, and mouth with myriad subtleties.”

While the Black women domestic help in the movie may have glamorized to some degree the overplayed stereotypical “mammy” caricature—the docile, poor black woman maid who just loved herself some white folk—the Black women also personified Dunbar’s poem by showing that the maid or “the help” was a mask they wore and a role they played not who they were as a person or the sum of all the hopes and dreams they held for themselves and their children as Americans. Just because they didn’t overtly challenge the systems of oppression under which they were economically controlled, didn’t mean that they didn’t exercise agency over how much they allowed their circumstances to affect them psychologically and emotionally.

The actions and behaviors of the black women domestic workers e.g. Aibileen, Minny and Yule Mae exemplified skillful coping techniques and survival mechanisms. They used humor to ridicule the ignorance and amoral actions of their employers. They concealed their humiliation and endured demeaning treatment and derogatory accusations by looking at their jobs as a means to an end and nothing more. To suggest that their behaviors and responses were merely primitive and reflexive responses to their subordinate social status (or simply a matter of staying in their place) is a bit condescending and intellectually shallow.

Viola Davis (Aibelinee); Octavia Spencer (Minny); Aunjanue Ellis who played Yule Mae Davis and of course the phenomenal Cicely Tyson—all deserve Oscars—not nominations but actual Oscars. Emma Stone who played the lead character Skeeter-a southern young lady transitioning into woman hood and moving in the direction of her own moral compass despite the extraordinary pressure to conform to the status quo of the Jim Crow south also deserves at least an Oscar nomination. However, if the Oscar nominating committee follows its traditional standards the white woman who “saves the day” will no doubt get the Oscar and the Black women whom she helped to liberate will no doubt get the Oscar nominations. But what’s new right? Another unnerving but true account of history—just like the plot of The Help.

What About Raising Credit Scores of Working Class as Part of Debt Ceiling Debate

So let me get this right--poor, working, and middle class folk don't pay their bills or are slow paying, they are considered reckless and fiscally irresponsible credit risks therefore their credit scores drop and they aren't able to get any additional credit until they show six to 12 mos of timely payments or pay some thing off; US doesn't pay its bills, continue to show fiscal irresponsibility and the most viable option is to simply raise the debt ceiling. Wow! what a bargain if same strategy could "trickle down" to the masses.

I have an alternative solution to propose if some body could get it to the president and Congress for me that would be great:>) We the American people --those who are in the majority--you know the ones who actually make waaayyyyy less than $250,000/year. What if we give you the green light with our approval of raising the debt ceiling, forget about the issue that has gotten yall's panties in your craw--e.g. cutting the Big 3 (Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security) and protecting the insanely wealthy by offering them more tax breaks. I propose that we keep every thing as is and simply raise every working class and poor person's credit score to 800 (leave all the rules in place in terms of what constitutes a good credit rating); forgive the outstanding mortgage payments of the working class families whom you apparently forgot to come back and bail out after you bailed out wall street--you know the folk on main street. The American people will have more disposable income again, access to credit (and possibly less people will be reliant on Medicaid and social security to make ends meet); restraints will be lifted in terms of making purchases and more money will start moving through out the system and not just aggregated at the top and true economic stimulus will occur. Then the US can pay its bills.

Wait, I am not finished. Since Boehner and the "Repugs" as my girlfriend calls them want to see cuts in the big three while protecting the top 2 percenters--let's still have this debate say starting back around January or February of2012 when the 2012 election cycle is in high gear. Then it will be in its appropriate sphere of discussion and debate. Don't try and dress it up now as if it is truly about demonstrating to the American people that we have fiscally responsible and astute members of Congress in office now--its too late!

Fourth of July Wish--Lessons We Must Always Remember As Americans

Happy and Safe Fourth of July Wishes to All Americans and Infinite Gratitude to Our Courageous Soldiers and Veterans!

And, Happy Birthday to our nation's first daughter Malia Obama!

May this day be a reminder of the enormous debt that was paid so that we all might live together in brotherhood. May we forever be reminded that the true strength of our nation lies not in the power or size of our military but in the power and size of our compassion and commitment to justice, peace and liberty within our borders and throughout the world. May we always understand that only love can overpower hate. May we never take our liberties and freedom for granted or as guarantees. May we always remember that God has truly blessed America and it is in our service to others that we bless God; to whom much is given much is required. May we be enlightened to the fact that we are all God's creation and He has no respect of persons, race or ethnicity, political party, or economic status. May we always strive for social harmony, civil discourse and collective responsibility; these are the tools necessary to erase partisan divides and economic inequalities. May we never take more than we give, use more than we need;, and accept the fact that global warming is real whether we believe it our not; we must do our part to preserve a clean, healthy and livable space on earth for our children and future generations. May our hands and hearts always be open to give to the poor and help those who are counted among the least of us; eradicating poverty must become our next shared world vision and mission. And may peace never be seen as a simple moral conviction that has little merit but the very guiding principle deeply rooted in our democracy.

Remember to thank and pray for a soldier or veteran. And finally, I leave you with the words of Emma Lazarus' The Colossus--part of which as you know are engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"




The one and only Ray Charles singing America The Beautiful

When a Nation Turns Its Back on God

Daily Devotional
By Dr. Charles Stanley
Thursday, May 26, 2011

Read | 2 Chronicles 33:1-25

Hezekiah was a god-fearing king who brought about reformation among the Israelites. His son Manasseh, however, was an evil ruler. He had watched his father walk with God and live according to Scripture. Yet he chose to ignore the Lord.

Manasseh worshipped false gods, even to the point of sacrificing his sons by fire in order to praise Molech. He practiced much evil—including witchcraft and sorcery— and led Israel astray, thereby provoking God to anger. The king, along with the people, paid a high price for his rebellion.

This story illustrates the Lord’s intolerance of a nation’s disregard toward Him. Now consider our country. We, too, are a nation that pushes God aside—one that has turned away from the only true God and embraced idols. Perhaps these aren’t statues of stone, but we worship money, sports ability, fame, and reputation, to name a few.

The United States of America was founded on biblical principles with the intent to guarantee freedom of worship. But over time, we have removed the Lord from many aspects of public life. Prayer in schools, for instance, was deemed unconstitutional. What was once a “nation under God” has turned into a country that tolerates a growing number of sins and yet belittles absolute truth.

If a nation turns its back on the Lord, His judgment is inevitable unless the people repent and make Him Lord once again. As believers, our responsibility is to pray that God would draw the heart of our country back to Himself—and to help the gospel and truth spread through our land.

Copyright 2011 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.

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WWDKD: What Would Dr. King Do If He Were Alive Today?

Monday, April 4 2011 marked the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shot and killed at the age of 39 while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis TN by the infamous James Earl Ray. Dr. King is most often venerated for being the spokesperson for the Montgomery bus boycott (1955), spearheading the Selma-to-Montgomery march (1965) and of course delivering his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 at the historic March on Washington. There is a tendency, however, to keep Dr. King ‘s legacy nicely embalmed between 1955 and 1965 while paying very little attention to his stand against the Vietnam war, his conceptualization of the Poor People’s Campaign, and his support of labor rights and the sanitation workers in Memphis.
Dr. Cornell West describes most of the homage paid to Dr. King on his birth and death dates as “Santa Clausification” or the “sanitization.” In an interview with Tavis Smiley on PBS (January 12, 2007), Dr. West made this provocative statement:
“He [Dr. King] just becomes a nice little old man with a smile with toys in his bag, not a threat to anybody, as if his fundamental commitment to unconditional love and unarmed truth does not bring to bear certain kinds of pressure to a status quo. So the status quo feels so comfortable as though it's a convenient thing to do rather than acknowledge him as to what he was, what the FBI said, ‘The most dangerous man in America.’"
Professor James Cone, author of the book Martin & Malcolm & America articulated it this way:
"By making Dr. King’s birthday a national holiday, everybody claims him, even though they opposed him while he was alive. They have frozen King in 1963 with his 'I Have a Dream' speech. That is the one [speech] that can best be manipulated and misinterpreted.”
Towards the later years of his life, Dr. King’s world-wide public acclamation (remember he won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of 35)—had waned to public disdain and contempt. Even those whom Dr. King considered among some of his closest allies began to abandon him and publicly denounce his strategies in the fight for poor people and his stand against the Vietnam War.
I can’t help but wonder—what if Dr. King were alive today? Would his answers to poverty, war, and human rights be the same? Would he have become a political insider or an elitist or would he still stand hand in hand with the “common folk” and still be considered “one of the most dangerous men in America?”
On the issue of America’s involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and our trigger-happy world leaders who are quick to go to war with very little regard for the innocent victims -- mostly the poor, women and children—I think Dr. King’s answer would be the same as he stated in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech:
“We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. We must find new ways to speak for peace and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”
On the issue of deepening poverty in the US which is now higher than it was in the 1960s when President Johnson declared a war on poverty, I think Dr. King would still say that it is a poverty of spirit that has led us back to this shameful place where many children and our elderly in America go to bed hungry amidst extravagant riches and often undeserved wealth (just ask the top 1 and 10%). Dr. King would probably refer back to a passage from his last book Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community and reiterate:
“We must work passionately and indefatigably to bridge the gulf between our scientific progress and our moral progress. One of the greatest problems of mankind is that we suffer from a poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually.”
And to President Obama, while expressing how proud he is of his great accomplishments and showing that there is hope for his dream becoming a reality, he would also express some discontent and remind the President that his word is his bond to the people who elected him and that people are counting on him not to be the great friend maker on the play ground but a drum major for justice. He would probably remind President Obama that:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.”

Pulbic and Low-wage Workers Are Easy Prey for Political Predators

It is clear from Wisconsin to Ohio to North Carolina and places in between—the public-sector and low-wage workers have become targeted prey for a sociopolitical system that thrives off of predatory labor policies and practices that exploit the labor of public and low-wage workers. For example, policies that deny workers the rights to collective bargain or management practices that make it all too convenient to label and fire workers who protest unjust or unsafe working conditions as “difficult and unruly, insubordinate” or “confrontational” or exhibiting “detrimental personal conduct.” These were the major claims that were put forth by the town of Chapel Hill in its case against the two sanitation workers whom they fired—Clyde Clark and Kerry Bigelow. Bigelow and Clark became scapegoats for a myriad of problems plaguing the Public Works department in Chapel Hill; problems that started at the top with poorly trained, inept, and unqualified managers who demonstrate mastery in shifting the blame and passing the buck yet who show rudimentary skills in effective employee management.
Assassinating the character of public workers who protest or rating workers’ job performance as “unsatisfactory” or “poor” are methods used by managers and employers to devalue, discredit and undermine the rights of workers while also garnering public support and sympathy. After all, who wants a sanitation worker with a bad attitude on their route, right? Or who wants to supervise a worker who is disgruntled because his constant pleas to management to implement safety standards and measures on his route have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears. I mean who do these workers think they are complaining about bad working conditions-they should be glad they have a job right? WRONG!
The mechanisms used to politically disarm and shut down workers are manifold and in full play by the far Right and anti-union allies. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under the Clinton Administration was spot on when he wrote in a recent column (3/2011): “It's far more convenient to go after people who are doing the public's work -- sanitation workers, police officers, fire fighters, teachers, social workers, federal employees -- to call them "faceless bureaucrats" and portray them as hooligans who are making off with your money and crippling federal and state budgets.”
The “frontal assault” on America’s public-sector and low-wage workers is happening at a time when the income gap between the top earners and the middle and bottom is spiraling out of control. According to 2009 Census data, the income gap between the richest and poorest Americans has grown to its largest margin ever in American history (read Tim Noah’s The Great Divergence). The top-earning 20 percent of Americans – those making more than $100,000 each year – received 49.4 percent of all income generated in the U.S. , compared to the 3.4 percent earned by the bottom 20 percent—persons whose earnings are below the poverty threshold (which was 21834 for a family of four in 2008 and 21756 in 2009). The middle income earners ($50000 earners) saw their wages declining on a fast track to the bottom in 2008.
According to Tim Noah (Slate Magazine, 9/14/2010), the richest 1 percent account for 24% of the nation’s income University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Timothy Smeeding in an article by Hope Yen (9/2010 Huffington Post) made the following observation: "More than other countries, we have a very unequal income distribution where compensation goes to the top in a winner-takes-all economy."
While unimaginable and often undeserved wealth (wealth gained by birth right and very little individual labor) is converging at the top, poverty in America is deepening and at its highest level since the 1960s when President Lyndon Johnson launched a war on poverty. The poverty rate climbed from 39.8 million people in 2008 43.6 million people in 2009 and unfortunately, race does matter. Poverty rose among all race and ethnic groups, but was particularly higher for blacks (25.8) and Hispanics (25.3) than whites (9.4 percent) in 2009. And because poor children are often connected to poor families, the child poverty rate rose from 19 percent in 2008 to 20.7 percent in 2009.
Equally troubling is America’s current jobs’ crisis, which is occurring during one the worst economic recessions in American history. The average unemployment rate in the US in December 2010 was 9.6. For African American males was 18.4 at the end of 2010 and for African American women it was 13.8 compared to 9.4 for White males, and 7.7 for White females; and 12.7 for Hispanic males and 12.3 Hispanic females. The unemployment rate for African Americans in the general working age population (16 and older) at the end of 2010 was 16.0 and 8.7 for Whites.
The problem with wealth, income and even employment status is that often they are intricately interconnected to social capital and political power. Few public workers are well connected to the power establishment or have connections with the right social networks to be able to stop tyrannical elected officials (e.g. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker) or employers from enacting policies that work against the best interest of workers and neutralize workers’ rights. Without the right social capital—friends in powerful positions and the “right places” middle and low-wage workers going up against government and capitalists is like David going up against Goliath. The proverbial stones in workers’ sling shot are (1) their critical mass and strength in numbers that far outweigh their opponents; and (2)a voting populace that has not become apathetic or hoodwinked by a carefully constructed and often politically-motivated narrative e.g. the tale of two rebel sanitation workers who were supposedly out of control and terrorizing women in one of the more affluent areas of town or labor unions that are sucking the state’s budget dry (as argued by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker) or pitiful cries from undeserving beggars who simply want a hand out as others have suggested.
I am encouraged by the mobilization that is happening on the ground by and to support workers. I believe that while money and political power may trump a lot of things, they can never overtake the power of the people, united, mobilized and committed to justice. Just take a look through America’s history—it has ALWAYS been a movement of, by and for The People that have kept “big money” and scoundrel politicians from running amuck and swindling the public’s trust.

"Distrust, Discontent, and Partisan Rancor"

Results from a survey conducted by the Pew Research Foundation published in an article titled "Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor" deserves another look as we try to sort through this very politically hostile, economically unstable, and morally deficient climate. The report, published on April 18, 2010 proposed the following:

By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days. A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government – a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials.

Rather than an activist government to deal with the nation’s top problems, the public now wants government reformed and growing numbers want its power curtailed. With the exception of greater regulation of major financial institutions, there is less of an appetite for government solutions to the nation’s problems – including more government control over the economy – than there was when Barack Obama first took office.

This article then and still is now, a MUST read for any one who is trying to make sense out of a world that more and more is making very little.

For access to the article click on the following link: http://people-press.org/report/606/trust-in-government or the title of this blog post.

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King (January 15, 1929- April 4, 1968)


Dr. King would have been 82 years old on January 15. His legacy is still a sober and fresh reminder of how love can overcome hate and sadly how hate if un-diffused or unextinguished can lead to irreparable harm. Hate has the potential of consuming and destroying even the good. But I still believe the love is the greatest power and able to cover a multitude of sins. Love however takes courage and isn't for the faint of heart. Love takes patience and isn't for those who seek the quickest or easiest solution.

Dr. King put it this way in his book Strength to Love (1963:

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. We never get rid of an enemy by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity. By its very nature hate destroys and tears down; by its very nature, love creates and builds up. Love transforms with redemptive power."

Interestingly if we were to lay today's current society against the backdrop on the days in which Dr. King penned this book, you would find almost eerie similarities in terms of the social ills and crisis Dr. King identified as threatening human progress. His preface to Strength to Love starts as follows: " In these turbulent days of uncertainty the evils of war and of economic and racial injustice threaten the very survival of the human race. Indeed, we live in a day of grave crisis."


Another one of my favorite books by Dr. King is his last published book: Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community. In this book that is rich with wisdom and instructions for how to build what Dr. King referred to as a beloved community and "great world house" he wrote one of my favorite passages from his voluminous body of masterfully written documents:

"We must work passionately and indefatigably to bridge the gulf between our scientific progress and our moral progress. One of the great problems of mankind is that we suffer from a poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually."

It is troubling when we see people turn up in large numbers to some church service, march, rally or service project on the day the nation pauses to celebrate Dr. King's life and on the following day go back to living life hating, feeling entitled to privilege or unconcerned about the least of those around us. IN other words, people who celebrate Dr. King on Monday but are quick to go about hating on Tuesday. Dr. King was much greater than the man who gave that powerful sermon not on the mount but on the nation's mall. The very essence of who he is and was can best be identified as love personified.