African Descent

David L. Horne, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Jun 2 2011

Practical Politics

We’ve been invited to the table.

The African Union, the linear descendant of the Organization of African Unity, and the spiritual descendant of governmental leaders who were also Pan Africanists, has called us to the negotiation and discussion table to engage on the issue of Africa’s future. Historically, this is the first time we, the Diaspora as a whole, have been so honored.

May 23 2011

Genome study

Some men of African descent may have a higher genetic risk of developing prostate cancer, according to research conducted at the Keck School of Medicine.
 
The genome-wide association study, published in the journal Nature Genetics on May 22, determined a marker of risk for prostate cancer in men of African descent, who tend to more susceptible to prostate cancer than men of non-African descent. The research team was led by Christopher Haiman at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, part of the Keck School.
 

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Mar 10 2011

Some scholars say racism has fashioned what most Blacks believe

Ralph Basui Watkins, Ph.D., associate professor and dean of African American Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, is a minister at the First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles. An unconventional preacher, he has taken excursions to Africa to seek out the truth about the religion he has followed so closely all of his life. When he began to investigate African spirituality and the roots of biblical texts, his discovery changed his perspective.

Terri Schichenmeyer  |   OW Contributor
Feb 17 2011

Author: Peter Firstbrook

There are days you wish you’d listened closer.

Your grandfather told you many things about his grandfather: how he survived, how he lived, how he relaxed. You wish you had paid attention to what was said, but you were just a kid. Now, you wish you could tell those tales to your own children.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Oct 28 2010

Olmec display up at LACMA

Black history does not start with slavery, but it begins with the conception of mankind and transcends all of the world’s history. Although popular teachings reject the great accomplishments of African and African American people, researchers and historians have confirmed Black people are the foundation of civilizations throughout the world, including the Americas.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”