An Open Letter to the Women’s Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (National Collaborating Organization), and Charleston Communities:
On behalf of the Board of Directors of The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., I offer heartfelt prayers and condolences to the AME community and the entire City of Charleston, SC. We are all shocked and saddened by the senseless murders at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Our ties with the late Rev. Clementa Pinckney and the people of Charleston run deep. Dolly Adams, a member of our Board, shared that her husband, Bishop Adams, presided at the pastor’s wedding and christened his child. Rev. Pinckney was also related to another member of our board. BWA joins those who mourn the dead and pray for the wounded. It is disheartening to know that such hatred continues to exist in our country and the world.
It is ironic that on a day of euphoria when America’s promise for all shone bright — and the first female African-American Attorney General was sworn in by the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, before the first African-American President — a young man so consumed by prejudice and rage sought to take us back to a time when divisiveness, fear and suspicion reigned. We are not going back, and it is a tragedy that he could not grasp that, in an inclusive society, there is room and opportunity for everyone.
The struggle continues, but it will not be won if, as Americans, we live our lives in silos. Look up, reach out, and stay strong. We will overcome.
Sincerely,
Gwainevere Catchings Hess
OTHER NEWS
Black Women’s Agenda Supreme Court Alert Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action
On Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in a 6-2 decision, the United States Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved change to the Michigan Constitution prohibiting the use of affirmative action in its state public college admissions. This decision upholds a 2006 Michigan ballot initiative where voters approved a prohibition on race-based admissions at state schools. This decision does not change the ability of schools in states that do not have such bans to consider race as one of the factors in their admissions process. Dealing a blow to affirmative action, the Court upheld the ballot initiative as one method of challenging race-conscious admissions policies.
SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH LEARN THE SIGNS, RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS, GET HELP
A noted author once wrote, “People assume you aren’t sick unless they see the sickness on your skin.” This month, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. (BWA) invite you to join the “I’m Into Mental Health” campaign supporting Mental Health Awareness Month by becoming Inspired, Informed, and Involved.
A HEART TO HEART ABOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to our health. Take heart disease, for example. What you don’t know can prove fatal. Problems affecting the heart and its blood vessels are the number one killer of women in the United States.
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