July 30, 2023
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
African-American News&Issues
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
Vol. 28, Issue 28
FREE
Justice Clarence Thomas This person is very dangerous for black people for reversing everything we have fought and died for.
Janice Weaver
One Body Networking By: Afram News
Being Black in America What if you were told one day that you had a blood disorder that only affects 3 cases per Can Be Hazardous to rare million people? This was the case for Janice Weaver, Director of Community Relations Your Health for the City of Houston, as she was diagnosed By: Jazz Pazz
The mean life expectancy in the United States is 82.4 years, but in Harris County this can vary by about 20 years between ZIP codes. Average folks in Kashmere Gardens (77026) generally don’t see their seventieth birthday. In Sunnyside the most senior residents average about sixty-six years old. White people in Clear Lake (75407) can expect to live until at least ninety. Only about 6 % of the residents there are Black. The chronic stress of living in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Houston is a significant contributor to these statistics. Segregation influences one’s health.
Racism is clearly correlated with the increase in inflammatory diseases like gastrointestinal disorders and asthma. The stress hormones associated with discrimination are elevated in Blacks and result in premature aging. The poor air quality, the limited availability of affordable fresh food, and the inability to escape racial violence, all seep into the community and increase the susceptibility to illness. Black citizens in every neighborhood suffer historically worse medical outcomes than any other groups other than Native Americans, from maternal mortality to heart disease and cancer. Health on pg. 3
with TTP (Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura), a rare life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). When she first found out she had the blood disorder from her doctor, her reaction was, “Okay, I have it, can you treat it?” Weaver had signs of a stroke as well as tremors, which if not treated, TTP can cause strokes or early death. The reason she was having these issues was because “the blood had depleted out of my body,” she said. The doctors had to give her an implanted port so they could start the process of giving her the plasma freeze treatment. Networking on pg. 3