Washington, D.C. based HBCU (Historically Black College and University) Howard now boasts an ice skating team! According to Watch the Yard, the Howard University Ice Skating Organization marks the first intercollegiate ice skating team to be on an HBCU campus. The organization says it seeks to “shed light on the lack of diversity within the world of figure skating.”  The team has already hit the ice in its first competition, and the organization plans to not only teach skating but to compete at various collegiate levels. 

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How to positively raise children

Don’t underestimate the role that positive parenting has in forming autonomous, emotionally aware adults. Love Black Girls tapped the expertise of child/adolescent therapist and counseling professor Dr. Lacretia Dye, and others, to outline five guiding principles of positive parenting. Key among these is helping your child develop decision making skills, such as having a voice on extracurricular activities and choices that may impact others in the family. Other key positive parenting practices include positive reinforcement, being observant and responsive to needs, effective communication and parental self-care. 

“You cannot offer anything you do not have,” Dr. Dye says. “Children are always co-regulating, so caregivers taking care of their (own) emotional state is important to the well-being of the children in their presence. Any healthy thing done for yourself as a caregiver will also benefit the child.”Read more →

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Equity still a goal in Moreno ValleyBlack residents of California’s Moreno Valley, located in the Inland Empire, are making strides forward despite continuing to face barriers to health, education, and wealth equity, according to a Black Equity Fund report by Black Voice News’ Mapping Black California data unit. Based on the data in the region, life expectancy for Black men in Moreno Valley is 72, eight years shorter than the regional average (77 years) and 12 years less than Asian men (90 years). The report also found that Black communities across the Inland Empire are overrepresented among the houseless population. Despite these challenges, the Black Equity Fund supports grantee organizations who work to address the issues – such as the Time for Change foundation, which provides housing services to children and women. 

Read about the Black population in California’s Moreno Valley→

Highlighting the innovators transforming health outcomes in our communities

Ayolanda Bandele is one half of the Minneapolis parent-coaching group Black Family Blueprint. They are focused on activating historically black families to employ strategies that strengthen parenting, support intimate relationships, and increase the collective capacity to build social capital. →