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Empirical evidence has shown that individuals from minority ethnic communities have been at an increased risk of COVID-19 infections and adverse clinical outcomes including hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and mortality. The COVID-19 vaccine has been heralded as key in ending the global pandemic. However, evidence suggests that although minority ethnic communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, vaccine delivery to these communities has been poor. A barrier to the vaccine uptake has been health information. Health information is an important variable in the health decision-making process. Lack of or wrong health information has serious implications. Health information leads to better understanding of personal health and appropriate utilization of health services and consequently improves an individual's health outcomes. This study sought to explore the health information seeking practices among participants from a Black ethnic minority community in the UK. This study interviewed six Black Africans from the UK. The study explored and highlighted the thoughts, perceptions, and experiences of the participants while health information seeking. This study found challenges in health information access, assumptions about health information and feelings of being dismissed, and an information void. Participants acknowledge that there is a lot that could be done to improve their health information experiences. Targeted health information and measures such as cultural sensitivity and competency could be important in improving health information seeking, not just for Black Africans but all ethnic minorities in the UK., (© 2023. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Background: The Schwartz equation is the most widely used serum creatinine (SCr)-based formula to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in children of European descent, but whether this applies to African children is unclear., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 513 apparently healthy African children aged 6 to 16 years were randomly recruited in school area of Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). SCr was measured using calibrated enzymatic method. SCr was normalized using Q-values designed for European descent children, due to the absence of Q-values for African children. Commonly used eGFR equations were applied in this population., Results: Normalization of SCr using Q-values for European descent children was effective in this cohort. The majority of African children (93.4%) have normalized SCr (SCr/Q) values within the reference interval (0.67-1.33) of children of European descent. The bedside-Schwartz equation was associated with significant age and sex dependency. However, the FAS-Age formula showed no sex and age dependency. The new CKiDU25 equation did not show a significant sex dependency. The recently introduced EKFC and LMR18 equations also showed no age and sex dependency, although the distribution of eGFR-values was not symmetrical. On the other hand, the FAS-Height and the Schwartz-Lyon equations showed significant sex dependency but no age dependency., Conclusions: The reference interval for SCr designed for European descent children can be applied to African children. Of all the equations studied, FAS-Age performed best and is most suitable because no height measurements are required. Establishment of specific Q-values for the widespread Jaffe-measured creatinine in Africa can further broaden applicability., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Pediatric Nephrology Association.)

Background: Although aging and being of African descent are well-known risk factors for masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH), data on MUCH among elderly black sub-Saharan Africans (BSSA) are limited. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the determinants of MUCH in younger individuals differ from those in the elderly., Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with MUCH in both elderly and younger BSSA individuals., Methods: In this study, 168 patients with treated hypertension were assessed for medical history, clinical examination, fundoscopy, echocardiography, and laboratory data. All patients underwent ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring for 24 h. MUCH was diagnosed if the average 24-h mean BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg, the daytime mean BP ≥ 135/85 mmHg, and/or the nighttime mean BP ≥ 120/70 mmHg, despite controlled clinic BP (≤ 140/90 mmHg). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess independent factors associated with MUCH, including elderly and younger adults separately. P-values < 0.05 were used to indicate statistical significance., Results: Of the 168 patients aged 53.6 ± 11.6 years, 92 (54.8%) were men, with a sex ratio of 1.2, and, 66 (39%) were aged ≥ 60 years. The proportion of patients with MUCH (27.4% for all patients) was significantly higher (p = 0.002) among elderly patients than among younger patients (45.5% vs. 15.7%). Diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-4.46; p = 0.043), anemia (aOR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.07-5.81; p = 0.043), hypertensive retinopathy (aOR, 4.50; 95% CI, 1.57-5.4; p = 0.043), and left ventricular hypertrophy (aOR, 4.48; 95% CI, 2.26-8.35; p = 0.043) were independently associated with MUCH in the elderly. In younger individuals, male gender (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI, (1.33-4.80); p = 0.029), obesity (aOR, 3.02; 95% CI, (1.26-5.32); p = 0.001), and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (aOR, 3.08; 95% CI, (2.14-6.24); p = 0.019) were independently associated with MUCH were independently associated with MUCH., Conclusion: MUCH is more prevalent among elderly than among younger BSSA individuals. Determinants of MUCH vary by age. MUCH prevention and management strategies should be age-specific., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Concurrent testing of numerous genes for hereditary breast cancer (BC) is available but can result in management difficulties. We evaluated use of an expanded BC gene panel in women of diverse South African ancestries and assessed use of African genomic data to reclassify variants of uncertain significance (VUS). A total of 331 women of White, Black African, or Mixed Ancestry with BC had a 9-gene panel test, with an additional 75 genes tested in those without a pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant. The proportion of VUS reclassified using ClinGen gene-specific allele frequency (AF) thresholds or an AF > 0.001 in nonguidelines genes in African genomic data was determined. The 9-gene panel identified 58 P/LP variants, but only two of the P/LP variants detected using the 75-gene panel were in confirmed BC genes, resulting in a total of 60 (18.1%) in all participants. P/LP variant prevalence was similar across ancestry groups, but VUS prevalence was higher in Black African and Mixed Ancestry than in White participants. In total, 611 VUS were detected, representing 324 distinct variants. 10.8% (9/83) of VUS met ClinGen AF thresholds in genomic data while 10.8% (26/240) in nonguideline genes had an AF > 0.001. Overall, 27.0% of VUS occurrences could potentially be reclassified using African genomic data. Thus, expanding the gene panel yielded few clinically actionable variants but many VUS, particularly in participants of Black African and Mixed Ancestry. However, use of African genomic data has the potential to reclassify a significant proportion of VUS., (© 2024 The Author(s). Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Ethnic and gender differences in plasma lipid composition have been widely reported among the general population, but there are scarce data on athletes., Aim: To assess ethnic and gender differences in lipid profile across a large cohort of Olympic athletes practicing different sport disciplines METHODS: We enrolled 1165 Olympic athletes divided into power, endurance, and mixed disciplines according to European Society of Cardiology classification. Sixty-two (5.3%) were Afro-Caribbean. Body composition and fat mass percentage were measured. Blood samples were collected and lipid profile was investigated., Results: Compared to Caucasians, Afro-Caribbeans had better lipid profile characterized by lower LDL (90 ± 25 mg/dL vs. 97.1 ± 26.2 mg/dL, p = 0.032) lower LDL/HDL ratio (1.39 ± 0.5 vs. 1.58 ± 0.6, p = 0.012), lower non-HDL-cholesterol (102.5 ± 27.4 mg/dL vs. 111.5 ± 28.5 mg/dL, p = 0.015) and lower TC/HDL (2.59 ± 0.6 vs. 2.82 ± 0.7, p = 0.010). Female Afro-Caribbeans showed lower TG/HDL ratio (p = 0.045) and TC/HDL ratio (p = 0.028), due to higher HDL (p = 0.005) compared to male Afro-Caribbeans. In Caucasian athletes, females showed even more evident differences with lower TC, LDL, and higher HDL with subsequent lower ratios compared to men. Moreover, endurance Caucasian athletes had lower LDL (p = 0.003) and TG (p = 0.017) plasmatic levels and higher HDL levels compared to non-endurance Caucasian athletes (p< 0.0001) CONCLUSIONS: Ethnicity and gender have a significant influence on plasmatic lipid balance in elite athletes and Afro-Caribbeans have favorable lipid profiles compared to Caucasians. Moreover, endurance sports, particularly in Caucasian athletes, are associated with better lipid profile compared to other type of sports., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

"Black Women and the Changing Television Landscape" by Lisa M. Anderson is a book that examines the portrayal of Black women on television throughout history. Anderson, an associate professor of women and gender studies, builds on her previous work to explore the complex and evolving representations of Black women in media. Using a semiotic approach and drawing on the work of Black feminist scholars, Anderson analyzes specific television shows and personalities from the 1950s to the present. The book goes beyond simplistic judgments and aims to understand the historical and cultural contexts in which these representations exist, as well as the agency of Black women in shaping them. It is a valuable resource for scholars in cultural, media, and television studies. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Black patients are at a higher risk of experiencing less safe and lower quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, compared to their White counterparts. Behaviors that healthcare professionals engage in that can facilitate or hinder high-quality care for this population are underexplored. We sought to explore Black patients' experiences with healthcare professionals during and after pregnancy, as a needs assessment to inform the development of training for healthcare professionals., Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews of Black patients who were in their third trimester of pregnancy or within 18 months of giving birth. Questions focused on experiences with healthcare professionals during pregnancy-related healthcare, including quality of care and discrimination. Thematic analysis was conducted using a combined deductive-inductive approach. Findings were considered in the context of the Institute of Medicine's Six Domains of Quality (equitable, patient-centered, timely, safe, effective, efficient)., Results: We interviewed 8 participants who received care from various clinics and institutions. Over half (62%) described experiencing discrimination or microaggressions during their pregnancy-related healthcare. Participants most commonly reflected upon experiences within the patient-centered care domain, regarding whether care was in alignment with their preferences, positive and negative interpersonal interactions, and varied experiences with patient education/shared decision-making., Conclusions: Black patients commonly report experiencing discrimination from healthcare professionals during pregnancy-related healthcare. Reducing microaggressions and improving patient-centered care is a key focus for healthcare professionals who serve this group. Training needs include addressing implicit bias, educating on common microaggressions, improving communication, and promoting an inclusive workplace., (© 2023. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

"Race and Radio: Pioneering Black Broadcasters in New Orleans" by Bala James Baptist is a book that explores the emergence and evolution of Black radio culture in the American South, specifically in New Orleans. The author examines the interactions between white business owners, pioneering Black disc jockeys, and the African American community, highlighting their contributions to the promotion of Black radio in postwar American society. The book also discusses the role of Black radio personalities in the Civil Rights Movement and the growth of Black-owned radio stations. Based on primary sources, the book provides valuable insights into the transformation of radio culture in New Orleans and its impact on racial equality. [Extracted from the article]

This paper examines anti-Black racism in the Ontario public school system. Using the West-Hill Catholic Elementary School (a pseudonym) as a case study, it foregrounds the selective application of punishments inflicted upon Black students, including those often motivated by racist perceptions on the part of teachers, principals, and School Boards. Using the theories of biological determinism1 and the culture of poverty2 as conceptual frameworks, this paper investigates the factors to which school authorities attribute violent behavior on the part of Black students. This paper provides recommendations aimed at mitigating anti-Black racism in the Ontario public school system. Plain Language Summary: Selective Punishment in the Ontario Public School System This paper examines serial cases of anti-Black racism, in particular incidents involving selective punishment within the Ontario public school system under the pretext of discouraging violent behaviour. Using the arrest of a four-year-old Black student at the West-Hill Catholic Elementary School, allegedly for violent behaviour, as a case study, in addition to data from the Toronto District School Board, the paper examines the theory of biological determinism, which is often used to represent Black students as intrinsically prone to violence. Also investigated is the culture of poverty hypothesis that attributes such behaviour on the part of Black students to environmental factors, such as family structure, upbringing and ethics. Drawing on academic publications, this paper argues that race plays a central role in determining who gets rewarded in the Ontario public school system and who gets punished for displaying behaviour construed, by school authorities, as a threat to the school environment. Black racism, in its many modalities, remains an enduring problem, one that requires a broad range of correctives, including changes to teacher education programs, professional development for teachers and school administrators, and the recruitment of Black parents as allies. It would also require non-racist policies to address knee-jerk reactions that have transformed some public schools in Ontario into bootcamps where 'refractory' students are punished with a view to discouraging their classmates from displaying conduct deemed to contravene established regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilizes critical race theory (CRT) to identify inequalities perpetuated by racialized epistemicide, the race-based discriminatory destruction of knowledge, through the loss of cultural heritage and the limitation of access to accurate narratives. We introduce the term reparative storytelling as a way to describe work centering oral and performance-based ways of knowing and remembering that establish the evidence needed for dignity, healing, and justice. By discussing the history of library services to the Black community in Huntsville, Alabama, this paper explains how racism and urban renewal perpetuated racialized epistemic injustice by destroying cultural heritage and narratives of marginalized communities. We demonstrate strategies and tools that can be used to unsilence library history and give people access to their past by using counternarratives for reparative storytelling. We believe that the archive combined with digital visualization, humanities, and storytelling tools can help us correct historical narratives by honoring neglected voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses systems psychodynamic concepts to develop theory about the persistence of racial inequality in U.S. organizations and to inform an approach for disrupting it. We treat White men as the dominant group and Black people as the archetypal subordinate group in U.S. society. In our theory, work contexts that conflate merit with idealized images of White masculinity provoke unconscious distress in White men who aspire to meet those ideals. An unconscious, multilevel defense system, comprising projective identification at the individual level bolstered by a social defense at the organization level, keeps this distress at bay. This system diverts attention away from the real culprit—work contexts that threaten White men's self-worth—by contriving and making credible a substitute problem—a shortage of "qualified" Black people. At the same time, the social defense fuels the very work contexts that pose threats to White men in the first place. The upshot is the persistence of racial inequality. We offer guidance on how to disrupt these dynamics by building mutually reinforcing holding environments where organization members can engage in intrapsychic and intergroup reparative work. We conclude by offering theoretical contributions to the literatures on race, organizational inequality, systems psychodynamics, and masculinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite disproportionate rates of mental ill-health compared with non-Indigenous populations, few programs have been tailored to the unique health, social, and cultural needs and preferences of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males. This paper describes the process of culturally adapting the US-based Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) Project to suit the needs, preferences, culture, and circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males aged 16–25 years in the Northern Territory, Australia. YBMen is an evidence-based social media-based education and support program designed to promote mental health, expand understandings of gender and cultural identities, and enhance social support in college-aged Black men. Methods: Our adaptation followed an Extended Stages of Cultural Adaptation model. First, we established a rationale for adaptation that included assessing the appropriateness of YBMen's core components for the target population. We then investigated important and appropriate models to underpin the adapted program and conducted a non-linear, iterative process of gathering information from key sources, including young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males, to inform program curriculum and delivery. Results: To maintain program fidelity, we retained the core curriculum components of mental health, healthy masculinities, and social connection and kept the small cohort, private social media group delivery but developed two models: 'online only' (the original online delivery format) and 'hybrid in-person/online' (combining online delivery with weekly in-person group sessions). Adaptations made included using an overarching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing framework and socio-cultural strengths-based approach; inclusion of modules on health and wellbeing, positive Indigenous masculinities, and respectful relationships; use of Indigenous designs and colours; and prominent placement of images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male sportspeople, musicians, activists, and local role models. Conclusions: This process resulted in a culturally responsive mental health, masculinities, and social support health promotion program for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males. Next steps will involve pilot testing to investigate the adapted program's acceptability and feasibility and inform further refinement. Keywords: Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Indigenous, Australia, male, cultural adaptation, social media, mental health, masculinities, social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians have examined vernacular duplex homes in Milwaukee's north side neighborhoods to write the history of the white working-class immigrants who settled this industrial metropolis during the early years of the twentieth century. African Americans moved into these neighborhoods in the later decades of the twentieth century. This paper explores how current Black residents construe the history of their neighborhood. To examine what such a historical narrative might look like, this paper presents three stories from a single city block: a twentieth century narrative of growth, a more recent story of decline, and a longer aspirational dream of a shared commons. Grounded in the material world that they observe around them, the current inhabitants assemble these diverse memories in anachronic ways, around multiple experiences of time such as nostalgia, a sense of disenfranchisement in the present moment, and an aspirational dream of a yet unrealized future. This ability to craft a complex narrative of place in a precarious world has emerged as a form of collective resistance against realities of racism, segregation, and urban disinvestment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the pivotal role emotions can play in the higher prevalence of disease and mortality in Black populations in North America. There is a large body of research on the potentially harmful effect of negative emotions upon physical well-being. However, many scholars continue to interpret this link via a biological and reactive lens of emotion. By largely disentangling the embodiment of emotions from the traditional biological framework to which they are typically tied, we seek to analyze the nexus of race, emotion, and health through political, historical, and even ontological lenses. This analysis leverages Barrett's theory of constructed emotion to elucidate the tangible impact of emotion on physical well-being and, in conjunction with Afropessimist metatheory on race, the potential contribution to understanding premature mortality among Black populations in North America. Barrett's theory offers insight into how the persistent experience of negative emotions related to race can disrupt the delicate balance of an individual's body-budget. The detrimental impact of White supremacy's affective classifications and associated emotion concepts on Black populations is a stark reality, contributing significantly to daily health challenges faced by these communities in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that xenophobia in South Africa is a result of intersecting historical, economic, and socio-political factors specific to the South African nationalist project embarked upon after independence. It will show how a confluence of the aforementioned factors in the country have, for the most part, contributed to an environment which is fertile for xenophobia and its expression through physical violence, especially towards other black Africans. This argument is significant because xenophobia is usually viewed from a resource scarcity perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides annotated book titles and journals related to various topics of interest. The titles include "Decolonial Pluriversalism," which explores decolonial theories and activism; "The Unfinished Search for Common Ground," which examines the life and work of Howard Thurman, an influential African American pacifist; "Anglicans and Pentecostals in Dialogue," which discusses ecumenical relations between these two Christian traditions; "A Womanist Reading of Hebrew Bible Narratives as the Politics of Belonging from an Outsider Within," which analyzes biblical narratives and their impact on the rights of Black people in America; "The Theology of Mercy Amba Oduyoye," which focuses on the work of a Ghanaian theologian addressing poverty and women's rights; "Anglican-Methodist Ecumenism," which explores efforts to reconcile these two churches; "An Ecumenical Odyssey," which examines the formation and reception of an ecumenical convergence document; and "Reimagining the Future with Alternative Forms of Storytelling," which offers innovative approaches to teaching about climate change. These resources provide valuable insights into a range of topics for researchers and those interested in diverse perspectives. [Extracted from the article]

The federal Housing Act of 1949 funded ‘urban renewal’, a programme to clear urban areas that White-run local governments deemed ‘slums’. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Roanoke joined hundreds of other American cities in levelling old neighbourhoods, usually home to Black citizens and other minorities. In this paper I recount my reporting in the early 1990s on the displacement of residents from neighbourhoods such as Northeast and adjacent Gainsboro. The city destroyed some 1,600 homes, twenty-four churches, Roanoke’s first post office, historic schools and around 200 small businesses. All were in one of the only sections where authorities allowed Black people to live. In scores of interviews people spoke longingly of life in their destroyed neighbourhoods and detailed an enduring distrust of their government and the local media that supported the clearances without reporting the consequences. After reading a copy of my 1995 report on how urban renewal uprooted Black Roanoke, Dr Mindy Fullilove visited the city, which would become a central case in Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What Can We Do About It. Today, Roanoke is still recovering from the devastation of urban renewal. Residents repeatedly evoke this history as they scrutinize contemporary redevelopment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in qualitative research on mental health within Black communities is rapidly growing. However, there are still debates on the conceptualization of depression among the Black community. This paper focuses on the researcher's experiences as a young Black South African experiencing depression, and their reflections on interpretivist qualitative research focused on the realities of Black South African youth experiencing depression. The paper highlights the importance of reflexivity in a qualitative study and how the topics researched by a Black South African experiencing depression which is still considered a taboo within some parts of the Black community. If a researcher is part of the population, it can be a disadvantage because they hold certain perceptions about this studied phenomenon based on their personal experiences. However, this paper argues that personal experiences and other intersecting social factors are important in research, especially on vulnerable and marginalized groups, to create more critical reflections in qualitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore what it means to be Black researchers exploring racial battle fatigue while simultaneously navigating our own racial battle fatigue. We undertook a photo-elicitation project to investigate racial battle fatigue among Black undergraduate and graduate students. Amid doing this work, we wrestled with how to responsibly complete this research while treating participants with care who had full lives, histories, and stories. Using scholarly personal narrative methodology, we make sense of our research process as a research team of five Black people (two faculty members and three graduate students). We share journal entries to underscore the questions with which we were grappling in the research process, ultimately, to help readers understand our answer to the question: What does it mean to center racial battle fatigue in educational research when Black researchers are navigating their own racial battle fatigue? We close the article with lessons learned from our process to leave readers with ideas to consider as they embark on their own journeys of researching a topic with which they are also experiencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite the advancements in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), the voices of traditionally underserved groups are still poorly reflected in dementia research. This study aimed to report on a PPIE partnership between academics and members of the public from underserved communities to co‐design Forward with Dementia—Social Care, a resource and information website supporting people receiving a dementia diagnosis. Methods: The PPIE partnership was set up in four stages: 1–identifying communities that have been under‐represented from PPIE in dementia research; 2—recruiting PPIE partners from these communities; 3—supporting PPIE partners to become confident to undertake their research roles and 4—undertaking research co‐design activities in an equitable fashion. Results: To address under‐representation from PPIE in dementia research we recruited seven PPIE partners from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ communities; remote/rural area; religious minorities and partners living with rare forms of dementia. The partners met regularly throughout the project to oversee new sections for the study website, refine existing content and promote the website within their communities. Conclusion: Strategies can be used to successfully recruit and involve PPIE partners from underserved communities in co‐design activities. These include networking with community leaders, developing terms of reference, setting out 'rules of engagement', and investing adequate resources and time for accessible and equitable involvement. These efforts facilitate the co‐design of research outputs that reflect the diversity and complexity of UK contemporary society. Patient or Public Contribution: This study received support from seven members of the public with lived experience of dementia from communities that have been traditionally underserved in dementia research. These seven members of the public undertook the role of partners in the study. They all equally contributed to the study design, recruitment of participants, development and revision of topic guides for the interviews and development of the website. Three of these partners were also co‐authors of this paper. On top of the activities shared with the other partners, they contributed to write independently of the academic team the section in this paper titled 'Partners' experiences, benefits and challenges of the partnership'. Further, they provided input in other sections of the paper on a par with the other (academic) co‐authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, individuals of African ancestry have a relatively greater stroke preponderance compared to other racial/ethnic groups. The higher prevalence of traditional stroke risk factors in this population, however, only partially explains this longstanding disparity. Epigenetic signatures are transgenerational and could be a plausible therapeutic target to further bend the stroke disparities curve for people of African ancestry. There is, however, limited data on epigenetics and stroke risk in this population., Purpose: To examine existing evidence and knowledge gaps on the potential contribution of epigenetics to excess stroke risk in people of African ancestry and avenues for mitigation., Materials and Methods: We conducted a scoping review of studies published between January 2003 and July 2023, on epigenetics and stroke risk. We then summarized our findings, highlighting the results for people of African ancestry., Results: Of 104 studies, there were only 6 studies that specifically looked at epigenetic mechanisms and stroke risk in people of African ancestry. Results of these studies show how patterns of DNA methylation and non-coding RNA interact with lifestyle choices, xenobiotics, and FVIII levels to raise stroke risk in people of African ancestry. However, no studies evaluated epigenetic patterns as actionable targets for the influence of psychosocial stressors or social context and excess stroke risk in this population (versus others). Also, no studies interrogated the role of established or novel therapeutic agents with the potential to reprogram DNA by adding or removing epigenetic markers in people of African ancestry., Conclusion: Epigenetics potentially offers a promising target for modifying the effects of lifestyle, environmental exposures, and other factors that differentially affect people of African ancestry and place them at relatively greater stroke risk compared to other populations. Studies that precisely assess the pathways by which epigenetic mechanisms modulate population-specific disparities in the risk of stroke are needed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Africa is blessed with vast arable land and enriched with valuable natural resources encompassing both renewable (like water, forests, and fisheries) and non-renewable (such as minerals, coal, gas, and oil). Under the right conditions, a natural resource boom should serve as an important driver for growth, development, and the transition from cottage industry to factory output. However, despite its wealth, Africa is often associated with the notion of a resource curse. Negative outcomes are often linked with mineral wealth. This paper investigates the causes of adverse health outcomes in resource-rich regions. The study provides empirical support for the natural resource curse with particular emphasis on the environmental health risks in Africa. We explore the multifaceted connections among mineral deposits, environmental risks, conflict events and population dynamics, shedding light on the complexities of resource-rich areas., Results: We amalgamate georeferenced data pertaining to 22 specific mineral deposits with information on the prevalence of reliance on compromised infrastructures at a spatial resolution of 0.5 ∘ × 0 . 5 ∘ for all of Africa between 2000 and 2017. Through comprehensive econometric analysis of environmental health risk factors, including reliance on contaminated water sources, open defecation, unimproved sanitation, particulate matter concentration, and carbon concentration, we uncover the intricate pathways through which mineral deposits impact public health. Our findings revealed the significant role of in-migration in mediating environmental health risks. Moreover, we found that the activities of extractive companies amplify certain environmental risks including reliance on unimproved sanitation and practices and particulate matter concentration. Conflict events emerge as a key mediator across all environmental health risks, underlining the far-reaching consequences of instability and violence on both local communities and the environment., Conclusion: The study contributes to the discourse on sustainable development by unraveling the nuanced associations between mineral wealth and health challenges. By drawing attention to the intricate web of factors at play, we provide a foundation for targeted interventions that address the unique environmental and health challenges faced by mineral-rich communities., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Violence is a serious public health issue and constitutes a historical social phenomenon with diverse causes and consequences, and multiple manifestations. The main victims continue to be populations left vulnerable and marginalised, where dimensions including gender, class, race and social belonging intersect. Although studies to explain the phenomenon of violence do address ethnic and racial issues, they tend not to consider violence as stemming also from institutional racism. This paper examines data from a qualitative and quantitative study drawing on focus groups and semi-structured interviews to evaluate symbolic and structural violence experienced by young black people from 15 to 29 years old residing in peripheral neighbourhoods of two Brazilian state capitals - Recife and Fortaleza. The focus is on their standpoints that situate the intersectionality, especially among race/skin colour, territorial belonging and class, in the very definition of identity. In both capitals, the young black people revealed a common reality: life projects constrained by economic limitations and by the concrete or symbolic demarcation of social spaces to which they are denied access.

Population overlap and the variation within and among populations have been globally observed but is often difficult to quantify. To achieve this, numerous different methods need to be explored and validated to assist with the creation of an accurate biological profile. The current lack of databases for postcranial macromorphoscopic traits indicates the need to further investigate if the method can be employed repeatably in a forensic context. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of eleven postcranial macromorphoscopic traits in a South African sample. A total of 271 postcrania of adult black, coloured, and white South Africans were assessed. The intra- and inter-observer agreement ranged from fair to almost perfect except for the accessory transverse foramen of C1, which had poor agreement between observers. Only seven traits differed significantly between at least two of the groups. Univariate and multivariate random forest models were created to test the positive predictive performance of the traits to classify population affinity. The classification accuracies for the univariate models ranged from 33.3% to 53.0% and ranged from 54.6% to 62.1% for the multivariate models. Based on the variable importance, the traits assessing spinous process bifurcation were the most discriminatory variables. The results indicate that the postcranial MMS approach does not outperform current methods employed to estimate population affinity. Further research needs to be done for the method to have practical applicability for medicolegal casework in South Africa., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper addresses a critical gap in measuring and reducing implicit prejudice: biases against Black women and people with intersectional identities. Though social psychologists have published many methods to measure and interventions to reduce implicit prejudice against Black people, these methods often target biases against Black people or Black men rather than Black women. Thus, these methods may leave Black women out because the mental representations of Black women and Black men differ and the mental representation of Black people is more similar to the mental representation of Black men than Black women. This paper advocates for an intersectional approach to measuring and reducing implicit prejudice that accounts for the unique prejudices faced by Black women. Specifically, this paper argues that researchers should tailor their methods to account for how the mental representations of Black women and Black men differ including differences in stereotypic content and ambivalence. The paper concludes by acknowledging the difficulties related to developing long‐lasting interventions, the need to move beyond reducing implicit prejudice, and the value of studying the men and women of additional racial and ethnic groups and other intersections like sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper problematizes the anthropocentrism that dominates critical responses to Yvonne Vera's Butterfly Burning (1998). It considers how Vera inscribes colonial issues within the landscape and emplaces nature in decolonial thought. Contrary to claims that most African writers have resisted the ecocritical paradigm, I argue that writers such as Vera exhibit an environmental consciousness. In my reading, I focalize the everyday experiences of ordinary people as they relate to nature in the wake of colonial modernity. While colonialism was dehumanizing to black people, Vera underscores the environmental injustice and capitalist phallocracy that undergirds it. The paper draws from and builds on the growing body of work on postcolonial ecocriticism, suggesting that postcolonial and ecocritical discourses can productively enrich each other in deconstructing toxic modernities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Elite schools in the UK are bound to the history of British colonialism. This paper examines the material ties between these schools and the transatlantic slave trade. We combine multiple sources to examine which schools and their alumni accrued substantial economic capital derived from the enslavement of Black people. We find two principal connections: first, in donations and foundations of schools from those who made their fortune in the slave trade; and second, through income of boys attending these schools. Drawing on the Legacies of British Slavery dataset, we show that schools with alumni benefitting from the slave trade include the most prestigious British private schools. Moreover, this paper traces the histories of several secondary schools founded by, or in receipt of, substantial donations from slave-owning families. We argue that extractive, violent forms of colonial capital accumulation have been central to, the formation and maintenance of these elite educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a reply to a comment on a recent paper that investigated the relationship between race and language markers of depression. The comment raised two critiques of the prediction analysis. The authors of the paper provided details of their analyses, including sample sizes, validation metrics, and training and test set sizes. They also discussed the possibility that the language of Black individuals explains less of the variance in depression than the language of White individuals. The authors used a specific language model called BERT to evaluate the predictive performance of different feature sets. They acknowledged the suggestion to use a different model called RoBERTa but explained their reasons for prioritizing interpretable feature sets. The authors also noted that all models performed relatively poorly on data from Black individuals compared to White individuals. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The high prevalence of dementia among Black Africans, coupled with their lower engagement with dementia specialist services in the UK, underscores the urgency of understanding lay knowledge and beliefs about dementia in the group. Studies reporting lay knowledge of dementia in the UK tended to conclude that Black Africans lack dementia knowledge, presumably based on biomedical assumptions, without taking into consideration the Black Africans' lay dementia knowledge and beliefs about dementia. The current study, therefore, investigated the Black African populations' lay knowledge and beliefs toward dementia in Africa, comparing how this relates to the findings in the UK literature. Methodology: The researcher thoroughly searched electronic databases from September 2017 to October 2022 for qualitative research exploring how Black African populations perceived and experienced dementia, which informed the Black Africans' dementia knowledge in Africa and the UK. The review included qualitative studies with African populations published in peer-reviewed journals with available abstracts and full text in English. Studies outside the UK and Africa, as well as quantitative research and studies with health practitioners, were excluded. A grounded theory approach informed the thematic analysis. The researcher reported the Black Africans' lay knowledge and beliefs toward dementia, informed by participants' experiences and meanings of dementia. Results: Twenty-two studies (n = 22) met the eligibility criteria and were appraised and included in the review. All the UK papers were a multi-modeling of ethnicity in the study. Nine studies (n = 9) were conducted in the UK. Thirteen studies (n = 13) are conducted in Africa, (5 [n = 5] studies from South Africa, 2 [n = 2] from Tanzania, 1 [n = 1] from Congo, 2 [n = 2] from Uganda, 2 [n = 2] from Nigeria, and 1 [n = 1] from Ghana). All the studies were valuable. The researcher identified and developed 4 themes as they emerged from the studies: (i) Dementia witchcraft paradigm, (ii) Dementia older age paradigm, (iii) Dementia disease and illness paradigm, and (iv) Dementia identity paradigm. Discussion/Conclusion: The lay knowledge and beliefs about dementia among Black African populations were foregrounded in sociocultural distinctiveness, and some understanding intersected with biomedical knowledge about dementia. Further empirical study in the UK is essential. Implications for policy and practice: A better understanding of lay knowledge and beliefs about dementia among Black African populations can improve dementia care, providing culturally sensitive and tailored support for Black African communities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: To establish if Black adults and adult ethnic minorities, defined as any group except White British, were represented in UK-based COVID-19 vaccination randomised controlled trials (RCTs) when compared to corresponding UK population proportions, based on 2011 census data. Design: Systematic review of COVID-19 Randomised Controlled Vaccine Trials Setting: United Kingdom Participants: Randomised Controlled Trials of COVID-19 vaccines conducted in the UK were systematically reviewed following PRISMA guidelines. MeSH terms included "Covid-19 vaccine", "Ad26COVS1", and "BNT162 Vaccine" with keywords such as [covishield OR coronavac OR Vaxzevria OR NVX-CoV2373] also used. Studies that provided (A) participant demographics and (B) full eligibility criteria were included. The following key data was extracted for analysis: number of participants analysed, number of Black adults and number of adult minority ethnicity participants. Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome is the mean percentage of Black adults randomised to COVID-19 vaccine trials deemed eligible within this review. The secondary outcome is the mean percentage of adult ethnic minorities randomised. Results: The final review included 7 papers and a total of 87 sets of data collated from trial sites across the UK. The standard mean percentage of Black adults included in the trials (0.59%, 95% CI: 0.13% - 1.05%) was significantly lower compared to the recorded Black adult population (2.67%) indicating that they were under-served in UK based COVID-19 vaccine RCTs (p < 0.001). Adult ethnic minority presence (8.94%, 95% CI: 2.07% - 15.80%) was also lower than census data (16.30%), indicating they were also under-served (p = 0.039). Conclusion: The findings show that COVID-19 vaccine trials failed to adequately randomise proportionate numbers of Black adults and adult minority ethnicities. More inclusive practices must be developed and implemented in the recruitment of underserved groups to understand the true impact of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coccidioidomycosis occurs after inhalation of airborne spores of the endemic, dimorphic fungus, Coccidioides. While the majority of individuals resolve the infection without coming to medical attention, the fungus is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia in the endemic region, and chronic pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease poses significant personal and economic burdens. This review explores the literature surrounding human susceptibility to coccidioidomycosis, including chronic pulmonary and extrapulmonary dissemination. Over the past century of study, themes have emerged surrounding factors impacting human susceptibility to severe disease or dissemination, including immune suppression, genetic susceptibility, sex, pregnancy, and genetic ancestry. Early studies were observational, frequently with small numbers of cases; several of these early studies are highly cited in review papers, becoming part of the coccidioidomycosis "canon". Specific genetic variants, sex, and immune suppression by TNF inhibitors have been validated in later cohort studies, confirming the original hypotheses. By contrast, some risk factors, such as ABO blood group, Filipino ancestry, or lack of erythema nodosum among black individuals, are repeated in the literature despite the lack of supporting studies or biologic plausibility. Using examination of historical reports coupled with recent cohort and epidemiology studies, evidence for commonly reported risk factors is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early american Black Blueswomen—such as Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone—perform Blues as a praxis that both critiques and transforms the ways in which american Black people were—and continue to be—excluded from the construct of the human subject. Merleau‐Ponty's account of inter‐subjectivity is predicated on his account of the human subject who is always‐already in a social milieu in which they are never taken for an object. Subjectivity is affirmed through the subject's ability to differentiate itself from objects via sight. In this way the human subject is sensorially, affectively, epistemically, and axiologically organized as eye‐forward. The human subject's ability to exceed objectification runs counter to the lived experiences of a number of precaritized peoples, specifically, american Black people. If being seen without being objectified is the lived experience of the subject, then subjectivity is an exclusive way‐of‐ being in the world. Rather than inhabit this exclusion from human subjectivity as a lack, american Black people—as is evidenced by Blues—create a social otherwise with distinct ways of living—not just surviving or enduring—created within, but not wholly determined by, the pornotrope or the wake. This paper begins to sound out a way that this social otherwise breathes life into its own socio‐ethical experience via a turn to the aural. This paper takes up Blues to explore what expressive and affective ways‐of‐ being in the world are possible with an ear‐forward sensorial organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the history of the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), the organization that in the late 1960s originated a new identity, "Asian American," and a new social movement, "the Asian American Movement" (AAM). Despite its significance, the scholarly coverage of AAPA has been rather cursory. This essay presents the most extensively researched study of AAPA and is the first published article based on AAPA's papers at UC Berkeley, the newly released FBI files on AAPA, and extended interviews. It develops the concept of "Political Asian America" that, as constituted by AAPA, embraces ideas that are at once pan-Asian and Third Worldist, local and global, and antiracist and anti-imperialist. The article examines AAPA's politics and practices through (1) developing the concept of Political Asian America; (2) examining AAPA's intertwined goals of Asian American liberation and Third World radicalism, while raising complex questions about the tensions in coalitional work when Asians and Blacks are racialized differently; and (3) studying AAPA's internationalist politics that pivoted away from a domestic analysis of race alone. In addition, the secondary aim of the article explores a brief history of the growth of AAPA chapters to show AAPA infused themes of Political Asian America into the nationwide AAM. While short-lived, AAPA's politics continued to influence Asian American activism to the present through the ongoing organizing of its former members and its ideas that traveled across time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits Fleeming Jenkin's anonymous review of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, published in the North British Review in June 1867. This review is usually revered for its impact on Darwin's theory of descent with modification. Its classical interpretation states that Jenkin, a Professor of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, made a compelling case against natural selection based on the fact of "blending inheritance" and the "swamping" of advantageous variations. Those themes, however, are strikingly absent from Jenkin's text. They were later read into Jenkin's text by scholars trying to explain how Darwinian selection was reconciled with Mendelian genes and the birth of the Modern Synthesis. While many scholars have tried to measure Jenkin's effect on Darwin, the value of the 1867 review remains unclear. This paper re-examines its content and concludes that Jenkin's "able review" was in fact written by an engineer whose competencies in biology were very low. Focusing on the figure of the shipwrecked white sailor isolated on an island inhabited by Black people, this paper also underlines the racial assumptions behind Jenkin's review. "Blending inheritance" is thus a theme linked to theoretical reworkings on the question of race and skin colors, taking its root in Galton's typology of heredity. Darwin was probably mostly unimpressed by Jenkin's review. The problems raised by the review were not so much "blending inheritance" and "swamping" but a conundrum of problems related to the effects of intercrossing on variation and reversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the concept of racialization to an analysis of research on the child welfare system's racial disparities and its interactions with Black African immigrant families. This conceptual paper makes the argument that Black African immigrants are an important population of focus for U.S. child welfare system research, and that the use of a racialization lens is necessary to interpret the experiences of the increasingly diverse, Black-racialized population with the child welfare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a critical race perspective and the narrative view of one faculty member, this paper discusses some teaching practices implemented for undergraduate Black students who attend a Hispanic-serving institution. The findings of this work offer Black-Centered Active Instruction (BCAI) as a pedagogy to engage the students. BCAI centers the specific needs of Black students who are within the minority, pushes for active engagement with Black students both in and out of the classroom, and encourages the creation of safe Black spaces for undergraduate students. The implication of this work encourages educators to consider the history of antiblackness within American culture, primarily minority spaces, and apply this to similar practices in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are Owed (2021), queer Black Mexican American poet Ariana Brown's most recent poetr y collection, defies the notion of mestizaje which idealizes the indigenous past and minimizes Black Latinx collective consciousness. I analyze Brown's poetic voice's alienation from Mexicans and Mexican Americans, which is rooted in Mexico's history of exclusion of its African origins in its nation-building projects. Despite this exclusion, she finds empowerment by connecting to historically marginalized Black figures and finding solidarity with Black people who share a history of enslavement in spite of geographic differences. Even with a traumatic past under the yoke of enslavement, she finds consolation through the remembrance of her collective history by identifying with African ancestors. By forefronting and incorporating these ancestors and Black figures into her personal narrative, she reclaims power and thus challenges the dominant narrative that excludes Blackness. This paper posits Ariana Brown's poetic voice and presents us with alternatives to the traditional concept of Latinidad through a profound identification with her African heritage in celebration of Blackness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Examining lung cancer (LC) cases in Virginia (VA) is essential due to its significant public health implications. By studying demographic, environmental, and socioeconomic variables, this paper aims to provide insights into the underlying drivers of LC prevalence in the state adjusted for spatial associations at the zipcode level. Methods: We model the available VA zipcode-level LC counts via (spatial) Poisson and negative binomial regression models, taking into account missing covariate data, zipcode-level spatial association and allow for overdispersion. Under latent Gaussian Markov Random Field (GMRF) assumptions, our Bayesian hierarchical model powered by Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) considers simultaneous (spatial) imputation of all missing covariates through elegant prediction. The spatial random effect across zip codes follows a Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) prior. Results: Zip codes with elevated smoking indices demonstrated a corresponding increase in LC counts, underscoring the well-established connection between smoking and LC. Additionally, we observed a notable correlation between higher Social Deprivation Index (SDI) scores and increased LC counts, aligning with the prevalent pattern of heightened LC prevalence in regions characterized by lower income and education levels. On the demographic level, our findings indicated higher LC counts in zip codes with larger White and Black populations (with Whites having higher prevalence than Blacks), lower counts in zip codes with higher Hispanic populations (compared to non-Hispanics), and higher prevalence among women compared to men. Furthermore, zip codes with a larger population of elderly people (age ≥ 65 years) exhibited higher LC prevalence, consistent with established national patterns. Conclusions: This comprehensive analysis contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay of demographic and socioeconomic factors influencing LC disparities in VA at the zip code level, providing valuable information for targeted public health interventions and resource allocation. Implementation code is available at GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Income inequality is a distributional phenomenon. This paper examines the impact of U.S. governor's party allegiance (Republican vs Democrat) on ethnic wage gap. A descriptive analysis of the distribution of yearly earnings of Whites and Blacks reveals a divergence in their respective shapes over time suggesting that aggregate analysis may mask important heterogeneous effects. This motivates a granular estimation of the comparative causal effect of governors' party affiliation on labor market outcomes. This paper uses a regression discontinuity design (RDD) based on marginal electoral victories and samples of quantiles groups by wage and hours worked. Overall, the distributional causal estimations show that the vast majority of subgroups of Black workers earnings are not affected by democrat governors' policies, suggesting the possible existence of structural factors in the labor markets that contribute to create and keep a wage trap and/or hour worked trap for most of the subgroups of Black workers. Democrat governors increase the number of hours worked of Black workers at the highest quartiles of earnings. A bivariate quantiles groups analysis shows that democrats decrease the total hours worked for Black workers who have the largest number of hours worked and earn the least. Black workers earnings more and working fewer hours than half of the sample see their number of hours worked increase under a democrat governor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates Black and White consumers' preferences for Black versus White people in United States advertising contexts over 66 y, from 1956 until 2022, a time in which the United States has experienced significant ethno-racial diversification. Examining Black and White consumers' reactions to visual advertising over more than half a century offers a unique and dynamic view of interracial preferences. Mass advertising reaches an audience of billions and can shape people's attitudes and behavior, emphasizing the relevance of clarifying the influence of race in advertising, how it has evolved over time, and how it may contribute to mitigating discrimination based on racial perceptions. A meta-analysis of extant experiments into the relationship between the depicted endorser's race (i.e., the model in a visual ad) and the reaction of Black and White viewers pertains to 332 effect sizes from 62 studies reported in 52 scientific papers, comprising 10,186 Black and White participants. Our results are anchored in a conceptual framework, including a comprehensive set of perceiver (viewer), target (endorser), social/societal context, and publication characteristics. Without accounting for temporal dynamics, the results indicate ingroup favoritism, such that White viewers prefer White models and Black viewers prefer Black models. But by controlling for the publication year, it is possible to observe a time-dependent trend: Historically, White consumers preferred endorsers of the same race, but this preference has significantly shifted toward Black endorsers in recent years. In contrast, the level of Black consumers' reactions to endorsers of the same race remains largely unchanged over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health qualitative research has largely failed to achieve full inclusion of people with disabilities and Black people and Latinx/as. Although there is a small, but growing, community of academic researchers from each of these communities, there has been limited involvement of non-academic community members in research. While Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has informed the inclusion of marginalized groups in research for decades, instances of full inclusion of disabled Black people and Latinx/as in public health research have been minimal. One way to ensure the inclusion of Black/Latinx community members with disabilities is to involve them as peer researchers. As part of a qualitative study examining pregnancy experiences of individuals with physical disabilities from Black/Latinx communities, academic researchers trained four peer researchers to conduct interviews and analyze the data. This paper describes our approach, which may serve as a model for training peer researchers in qualitative research methodology for future studies. All peer researchers were women who identified as Black or Latina parents with physical disabilities. This approach was chosen due to the study's focus on the intersections of disability, race, ethnicity, and pregnancy, and applied a disability justice lens. Although CBPR offers important principles for research existing literature suggests CBPR is not always inclusive and power sharing. Therefore, we developed a research training model which places a unique and timely focus on the intersections of CBPR, racial and disability justice, the importance of building the capacity of Black and Latina disabled peer researchers, and its importance to building community relationships and trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the writing of Black activists, planners, and critics to reconcile two opposing perceptions of the Model Cities Program: an initiative known for its elevation of Black elected officials and a program that used the guise of citizen participation to stifle more radical forms of dissent. In 1966, Model Cities emerged in part from the call for a domestic Marshall Plan for Black Americans. Yet as the program began making incremental changes to the country's neighbourhoods from 1967 to the early 1970s, participants and critics instead began to see Model Cities' relationship to Black Americans as a new form of colonialism. To determine how this shift occurred, this paper analyses this critical commentary against the archival evidence of Model Cities implementation in the cities in which it appeared. Situating these authors' arguments within the parallel emergence of Black studies and participatory planning as well as within larger Cold War diplomatic history, planning history, and African American intellectual history reveals how visions of revolution turned into a program of representation. Meanwhile, the plans these figures produced as part of Model Cities point to what a revolutionary program might yet be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic inequality is a significant and growing issue in the U.S., particularly within Black communities. Improving Black entrepreneurship is critical to addressing the economic gaps. In this paper, we discuss a unique, newly established educational program focused on cannabis education at Medgar Evers College (MEC) in New York. One of the goals of the new program is to increase Black entrepreneurship in the rapidly growing cannabis industry. For decades, cannabis use and distribution were criminal offenses that led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black individuals compared to White individuals. As it is being decriminalized across the country, and medical and recreational use spreads, the tool formerly used for Black incarceration can now become a tool for advancing Black entrepreneurship. To work and/or operate a venture in the cannabis industry requires students to understand a range of issues and build a strong foundation of broad knowledge. We discuss the emerging curricula and illustrate some of the elements that will help spur successful new venture creation led by Black and minority entrepreneurs in this exciting new field. Some early successes and lessons learned are discussed, which can help other educational institutions looking to create or improve their own cannabis-related curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper serves as an introduction to this special issue, Advancing Health Equity among Black Communities, in which we provide an overview of the papers included. Specifically, we summarize the papers covered in the special issue and highlight some of the common themes. The impetus for this special issue originated from a culmination of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued murders of Black people by police officers, and an unsettling political climate (e.g., Galea & Abdalla, 2020). While the impact of individual racism has been studied extensively, the insidious and pervasive impact of structural racism is less understood. Structural racism is a system in which embedded values, practices and policies facilitate and perpetrate the continued differential treatment of people based on race and becomes an almost hidden influence on the way an institution functions. For this special issue, prevention scientists were invited to submit conceptual and empirical research reflecting their understandings of structural racism as it operates in U.S. systems (e.g., education, justice, housing, workforce) and contributes to health inequities in the lives of Black Americans. The submissions also demonstrate how prevention scientists can leverage translational science to impact policies, practices, and procedures to promote equitable and sustainable change for Black communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What does it mean to say that black testimony is impossible? This paper addresses this question, guided by Elizabeth Alexander's 1994 essay "'Can you be BLACK and Look at This?': Reading the Rodney King Video(s)." Alexander studies the Rodney King event in terms of the language and memories that are shared between black people. Drawing from her thinking, this essay focuses on bearing witness and considers whether black testimony can exist not bound to a juridical structure. Following Linette Park and Jacques Derrida, the later part of this essay discusses the 2018 documentary Visiting Julian Cole (who currently is in a vegetative state after being assaulted by security and police in Bedford, UK) to reflect on the unsayable secret that is saved for memory and mourning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the processes of racialization in Portuguese right-wing political movements through two prominent nationalist fanpages. It employs a mixed-methods approach that includes both quantitative and qualitative official data. The sample covers 72 months, from January 2017 to December 2020, encompassing a total of 3670 posts on Facebook. The main findings reveal that the fanpages utilize different discursive strategies, sometimes focusing on publishing static images and other times on sharing news links. From these publications, the fanpages garnered more than 1.4 million interactions, demonstrating consistent growth in their follower bases over the years. Emotional responses played a significant role in the interactions, particularly with Love, Sad, and Angry reactions standing out. The results also reveal that Portuguese nationalism maintains a dual ideology concerning race: ethno-exclusivism and ethno-pluralism. This observation affirms the dual nature of nationalist fanpages, where narrative elements converge and diverge based on the intended goal. Thus, individuals from Africa and Afro-descendants can be portrayed as both national heroes and social scum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]