Sugar harvesting pollution hits Black Fla. residents hardestIt took Steve Messam leaving his home in Florida to attend college out of state nearly two decades ago for him to notice a difference in his breathing. That's because Messam lived in Glades County, Florida, a majority-Black community where residents are both employed by the local sugar cane industry and surrounded by the "pre-harvest" burns it produces, creating pollution proven to be harmful to the environment and the health of its residents, writes Ray Levy Uyeda for Prism. During the cane burning season (October to March) the harmful ash from cane burning, or "black snow" as locals call it, has resulted in many residents missing school, staying indoors and using nebulizers to aid their breathing. Prism also points to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, which reveals the Glades communities rank in the 80-100th percentile for cancer risk and respiratory illness, compared to other areas in the region.
Read more about the history of sugar harvesting in Glades and what residents are doing to bring solutions to this ongoing issue →
With government support lacking, volunteers scramble to help Indigenous victims of health care fraudStolenPeoplesStolenBenefits, a four-member volunteer group, provides boots-on-the-ground support to Indigenous people across Phoenix, Arizona, where displaced members of the community may gather. Their mission? To bring relief to Indigenous people who have been the targets of behavioral health facilities that promise Medicaid-insured Indigenous people housing, job stability, and sobriety. In recent years, these predatory facilities have left many in worse conditions after they leave, not to mention have billed the state's Medicaid agency $668 million, often for services that were never provided to patients. One of the volunteers, Reva Stewart, who has been spreading awareness about fraudulent rehabilitation centers for two years, told Native News Online that the government's attention to this issue has been short-lived, and promises to close the facilities have not been fulfilled.
“They said they were going to be out here helping," she said. “It’s like our government does not care. I don’t understand.”
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Why travel is a wellness essential for Black women"I decided not to wait for the group chat. [I] decided not to feel beholden to others’ schedules or finances or desires," writes Kamaria Fayola, who traveled solo to Bali for two weeks last September. Amid heartache and feeling stuck in a rut, Fayola created her own (budget-friendly) version of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' where she learned how to find balance, surrender and "lean into what is." Read more of Fayola’s reflections published in Black Girl Times →
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Dr. Priya Kalyan-Masih is a doula and a professional childbirth companion who provides emotional support, physical comfort, and education to pregnant people before, during and after pregnancy. Her services are covered by Medi-Cal in California, a new doula benefit for lower-income individuals in the state
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: Anaya's Women Group