All results / Stories / Jo-Carolyn Goode
Don’t Suffer Alone: STOP Domestic Violence
This time last year domestic violence was on the rise in Houston. Increasing by almost 10%, victims were now trapped in an enclosed space 24/7 with their abuser. No help from family and friends was available as all were practicing being socially distance while quarantining. Although staying at home to stay safe was enacted to keep everyone was safe from catching the coronavirus, it gave abusers the opportunity to take total control over their defenseless victim(s). Through various community partnerships with the city of Houston, a message was sent out to let survivors know that they don’t have to suffer in silence.
Houston Style Magazine Honoring the Influence of Women Educators
Education has always been of the utmost importance for generations of African Americans. It is something that once obtained can never be taken from. It is the passport to a successful life. Many Americans can thank a woman for having such an influence. There once was a time when it was against the law for African Americans to read and write. Yet, instill, brave souls risked life itself to learn and to teach others like them. For many people, their first teacher was probably their mother.
Harris County Department of Education’s Head Start Division to Host Job Fair March 22
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2024, Harris County Department of Education’s Head Start division will host a job fair at its administration building located at 6300 Irvington Blvd., Houston, TX, 77022.
U-Haul Welcomes House of Hue to Dealer Network
U-Haul Co. of Texas is pleased to announce that House of Hue LLC signed on as a U-Haul® neighborhood dealer to serve the Houston community.
Dr. Baxter Montgomery Hosts Star Studded Celebrity Heart & Soul of a Champion Gala and Symposium for Heart Health
You want a wake-up call about your health? How about the fact that the life expectancy of Americans has decreased by 2.6 years due to the way we live, and this is the number before COVID-19. Why has this happened? According to board certified cardiologist Dr. Baxter Montgomery, it is because of the food we eat. He is surprised that we are not sicker than we are with all the food we consume that is loaded with preservatives and chemicals. It all is enough to make you sick just thinking about.
Is There A Black Doctor in the House?
Where are all the Black doctors? They are hard to find. On average, about 5.7% of all the doctors in the US are Black according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although enrollment of African Americans in medical school is on the rise, 5.7% is still low when considering that there are 66.1% of active physicians with a US Doctor of Medicine degree.Where are all the Black doctors? They are hard to find. On average, about 5.7% of all the doctors in the US are Black according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although enrollment of African Americans in medical school is on the rise, 5.7% is still low when considering that there are 66.1% of active physicians with a US Doctor of Medicine degree. Looking back at the history of Blacks in medicine, it's easy to see why the numbers are so low. However, new data suggests that more black doctors are needed now than ever, and for some, it could mean the difference between life and death. On average, when put in a crowd of a diverse population with no identifying connections, a person will gravitate toward those of their own race. It's a natural behavior because people are more at ease with who or what they know. Generally, being of the same race is an easy commonality to draw towards. This same kind of thinking works in medicine as well. According to studies, Black Americans who have black doctors have more trust in them, practice preventative care, and ultimately live longer lives. "I think we as blacks relate more to people who look like us. Often, we have unspoken similar backgrounds that bring us to a common place of understanding when we have difficulties in our quests for higher education," said Dr. Creaque Charles, Pharm. D. at an accredited HBCU school of pharmacy. How to Improve Representation of African Americans in Medicine? The answer to that question lies in the problems that Blacks have with medicine. To understand the concerns, one must go way back in history to when enslaved men and women were forcibly brought over on ships to America. Those men and women were treated less than humans and stacked on top of each other like property. On that journey, they had to exist in deplorable conditions that were filled with human fecal matter, urine, and other forms of human waste. This resulted in them becoming gravely ill, and some died. None received medical care. The feeling continued when slave owners subjected their Black female slaves to forced sterilization to stop reproduction. Women were also exploited for their bodies to produce more strong slave labor. These women did not also receive any medical care. When the truth about an unethical experiment with Tuskegee men and Syphilis (dubbed the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis) came to light in 1972, prejudices grew.vDuring the era of the Civil War, Blacks were "doomed to extinction" by the medical community of the time, which thought the mental, moral, and physical deterioration of Blacks would send them to an early grave. The distrust of the medical community continues to this day as some doctors of other races may have prior biological beliefs about Blacks that can result in doctors thinking Blacks have a high tolerance for pain, so they may undertreat them for pain. Incidents like the above led some Blacks to believe that they receive better treatment than their own because they know the point of view from which they are coming. They understand it. "When people look at me and they can see themselves in me, that commonality serves as the foundation for a bond of trust," said Dr. Robbyn Traylor, chief medical officer of an urgent medical care clinic, who knows that any doctor can be excellent no matter their race. "There is a level of comfort that is understood and that can remain unspoken when brown and Black patients are treated by brown and Black doctors." A CNN article dives further into the issue of why there is not a surge of Black doctors. Those reasons include factors like the race being excluded from medicine, systematic racism, institutional racism, not being exposed to STEM or STEM careers as a child, and a lack of Black doctors as mentors are among the top reasons. History supports this when looking at the first Black person to earn a medical degree. Dr. James McCune Smith had to go all the way to Scotland to receive his degree in 1837 from the University of Glasgow. Dr. Traylor was fortunate as a child to be heavily exposed to the life of a Black doctor as both of her parents worked in the medical field. She was often at their heels as a child while they worked at one of the best trauma centers in the Texas Medical Center. "I was lucky enough to grow up in a community of people who made me believe that I had the intellect and attitude for medicine." Diversity Matters Diversity Matters After Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington enacted bans on affirmative action, the diversity of the medical schools in those states dropped by a third. Before Black students were wholeheartedly welcomed at these schools in the 1800s and 1900s, they had a choice of seven medical schools, according to research by the Duke University Medical Center Library and Archives. Now only two remain: Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Black students are more likely to attend black medical schools to seek out those who look like them and have proven that their dreams are achievable. Future Black doctors want to attend schools where they don’t have to feel as if they don’t belong. They want to go to schools where they are encouraged to do well, and those who are instructors and mentors truly believe that THEY can do well. Dr. Tamiya Sam, who is a registered pharmacist and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, knows that whether it is medical, pharmacy, dental, or nurse practitioner school, having a Black mentor matters. "The face of pharmacy is increasingly non-Black. I believe if there were more hands on and dedicated Black pharmacists who truly mentored Black pharmacy students, it would have a higher impact on their completion because they would serve as someone who has been there and genuinely wants to help them succeed." Rosa Terrance, DNP, APRN, GNP-C, agrees with Dr. Sam. "Mentorship absolutely matters and is influential in producing more providers of color. At all times, I make sure of two things: 1) I have a mentor who looks like me, and 2) I am acting as a mentor to someone else. There is a degree of comfort and trust that is birthed out of just being present with someone of your likeness in an otherwise underrepresented space." The Next Generation of Doctors African Americans have a responsibility to expose our children to all the world can offer them. African Americans have a responsibility as a race to step up and be mentors for brown and black children in all fields, not just the medical field. To improve race relations, Blacks must educate our non-Black counterparts. A change must come, and it must start now with each of us.
Holding Players More Accountable for Their Actions
Manny Ramirez, Jose’ Canseco, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Bobby Cox are some of the many professional athletes in baseball that have been charged with domestic violence at least once. Despite the charge, some of them continued to have careers in the game after paying penalties.
Stand Together to Honor a King
Anywhere there was a fight against an injustice Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would go. In April of 1968, King found himself in Memphis, TN taking on the case of sanitation workers who were working in life threatening conditions for little to no money.
America’s Problem: Protecting Students in Schools
School administrators across the nation are grappling with questions about one of the toughest decisions they have had to make in their educational careers, “How can they safety educate students amid a global pandemic?” Beyond student safety, they also have to consider the safety of faculty and staff.
Christina Morales: Proud of Her Heritage, Proud of Her Story
Being told that you are not good enough just because of your skin color is damaging to anyone no matter their race or age. It leads to far greater issues down the line. Having pride in your cultural heritage helps to build self-confidence and self-love while also claiming ownership of your ancestry and honoring the sacrifices, work, and love of those who came before you.
The Hungry Free Summer
School bells ringing are a bigger relief for some families than just getting children out of the house. It means that their children will have two well-balanced meals a day at school. One in six children across America doesn’t know where their next meal will come from. Texas is a distant 43rd for children’s overall well-being with a devastating 25% of the children living in poverty. Houston ranks second in the nation for children living with food insecurity. Harris County has the second highest rate of child food insecurity in the nation. A hungry free summer seems unobtainable but in summer 2019 it was made possible.
Top Places to Get Your French Fry Fix On
Easily one of the weaknesses of any food lover must be a batch of hot, golden, crispy French fries. That’s one of the ways McDonald’s rosed in popularity. But that was kids’ stuff (no shade McDonald’s you will always be the original king of fries) compared to the gourmet delicacies being served today. Fries are not merge side dishes adding to the shine of entrees.
Urban South Brewery's Fourth Year Anniversary Celebration
Urban South Brewery Houston is gearing up for a jubilant affair as they prepare to mark their fourth year in the brewing scene. From Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, the HTX Taproom will be abuzz with festivities starting at 11 AM each day, promising a weekend filled with live music, delectable food, engaging activities, and a bustling vendor market.
Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock Sworn in as METRO’s First Hispanic Woman Board Chair
Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock has made history as she takes the helm as the first Hispanic woman to serve as the Chair of METRO's Board of Directors. With a distinguished background in the energy sector, Brock brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for community advocacy to her new role.
Kyle Rittenhouse's homicide trial for Kenosha shootings opens with jury selection
Kyle Rittenhouse, the armed Illinois teenager who killed two people and wounded another during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer, went on trial Monday on homicide charges in a case that will test the distinction between self-defense and vigilante killings.
Dog Haus Kicks Off April Announcing New Food Promos!
Dog Haus is giving their guests plenty of chances to save this month with promos for National Burrito Day and 4/20!
Learn About Evolution of Modern Architecture @ Cinco Ranch Branch Library program - APR 13
Fort Bend County Libraries’ Cinco Ranch Branch Library will present a program on “Modern Architecture” on Saturday, April 13, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.
Fashion and Fellowship Bring the Faithful to the 2019 Audrey H. Lawson IMPACT Awards
Church folks are known are stepping high wearing their Sunday’s Best for the Lord on His day. Well, the family and friends of the Wheeler Avenue Inner City Visions Women’s Guild prove that Sunday’s Best can make a Saturday appearance, as well as the fashions, were fierce at the annual the 2019 Audrey H. Lawson IMPACT Awards Luncheon and Fashion Show. For 56 years blessings have poured out of this organization to provide scholarships for college students, help for the homeless, housing for the elderly, and other philanthropic projects following the ideals and heart of visionary founder Audrey H. Lawson.
Empowering Houston’s Youth Entrepreneurs: Lemonade Day Houston's 17th Season
As spring blooms across Houston, Lemonade Day Houston launches its 17th season, gearing up to empower young entrepreneurs in Grades K through 8. This free experiential program promises to cultivate valuable business skills while savoring the sweet taste of ownership. As spring blooms across Houston, Lemonade Day Houston launches its 17th season, gearing up to empower young entrepreneurs in Grades K through 8. This free experiential program promises to cultivate valuable business skills while savoring the sweet taste of ownership.
Evictions: Millions of Families in Financial Turmoil
The COVID-19 global pandemic is scary enough with just trying to stay healthy. Adding stress to that problem for many Americans is the lost of income as a result of layoffs and furloughs since many businesses had to close their doors. Lack of money on an already low-income family is compounded stress making the first of the month one of the scariest days ever.
