Eugenics

Harry C. Alford  |   OW Guest Contributor
May 2 2013

Beyond the Rhetoric

Let me first say that I believe a woman should have the right to an abortion. It is the law, and each person has his or her own decision to make. However, since the court decision, Roe v. Wade, the amount of abortions in this nation have been on a steady rise. Black abortions are now at an epidemic rate, and a lot of God’s children are being snuffed out without a chance of life.

Jun 28 2012

Victims of state sterilization program denied compensation

The North Carolina Senate dashed the hopes for compensation to victims of a government program that, for nearly 50 years, sterilized its residents by passing a budget June 20 without funds to compensate victims.

Gregg Reese  |   OW Staff Writer
Dec 29 2011

Eugenics movement flourished in the ’40s and ’50s

Over the summer North Carolina has make strides toward offering restitution for its shameful history. It’s Eugenic Task Force began hearing the horrendous testimonies of some of the men and women who endured irreversible surgical sterilization as part of a state-sponsored policy that was enforced from 1929 until 1974.

For the duration of the program, about 7,600 people, including youth as young as 10 years old, were sterilized to allegedly rid society of undesirable characteristics.

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.”