Julianne Moore gets it. And I am so glad she does!

I think it’s so AWESOME that our efforts at Moms Clean Air Force are attracting all of my favorite celebrity women, like Julianne Moore! It’s cool to know that I share a passion for clean air with women whose work I so admire! Check out the video. Ms. Moore really says it all!

Go HERE for Juliane Moore’s MCAF Video…and to join us!

Cartoon Credit: Thanks Liza Donnelly, Fellow MCAF Mom

Congratulations to everyone who spoke out, wrote letters, blog posts and op eds. Congratulations to all who called legislators to task and stepped up to get the truth out.

Today, we made history.

Today, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson unveiled the Mercury and Air Toxics rule. (read the announcement HERE) This is a landmark clean air achievement that has taken a 21 year hard labor to birth. And like all births, labor pains at the end have been the most intense, because of all of the resistance from the energy industry and their legislative co-conspirators.

Generations of children- some whose health has been profoundly affected by air pollution, have long awaited this action by the EPA.  Lisa P. Jackson made it happen and our activism and attention also played an important role to make this a reality…Just in time for the holidays.

So kudos to you all and happy holidays!

Go to Mom’s Clean Air Force to see Liza’s other clean air cartoons!

Also, Go HERE to read the very informative Twitter Chat event with Lisa P. Jackson about clean air, mercury and what Moms can do!

Lisa P. Jackson Tweeting about Clean Air

Ohhh, did I just scream that?!?                       Meant to!

New Moms listen up!

Click HERE to hear what this wise women has to say!

The Yale study found that despite promises from the industry to curb marketing to youth,  young folks are exposed to “a massive amount” of marketing for sugary drinks. This study,  the most comprehensive and science-based assessment of sugary drink nutrition and marketing ever conducted,  indicates that manufacturers are employing more sophisticated marketing, by incorporating social media, and smart phones, rewards for purchasing sugary drinks, community events and cause-related marketing. So that kids are being appealed to in ways that escape the awareness of their parents.

All parents should care about the nutritional implications of this marketing onslaught. The study looked at 14 different beverage companies and examined the nutritional quality of close to 600 products.”  The products examined included full-calorie soda, energy drinks, fruit drinks, flavored water, sports drinks, and iced teas, as well as diet energy drinks and diet children’s fruit drinks.  In addition to using misleading labeling and sugar contents that are through the roof, some other key findings point out that:

• Even though pediatricians warn against highly caffeinated energy drinks for children and teens, the companies clearly target teens for these drinks.
• In 2010, teens saw 18 percent more TV ads and heard 46 percent more radio ads for energy drinks than adults did. Teens also saw 20 percent more TV ads for energy drinks in 2010 than they saw in 2008.
• Since companies are not legally required to list caffeine content on product packaging, parents have no concrete way to monitor their children’s intake.

For parents of color, we ought to be doubly alarmed because these beverage companies are gunning for our kids…and they are not even subtle. Just look at the numbers. The YaleNews.com reports:

• Black children and teens saw 80 percent to 90 percent more ads compared with white youth, including more than twice as many for Sprite, 5-hour Energy, and Vitamin Water.
• From 2008 to 2010, Hispanic children saw 49 percent more ads for sugary drinks and energy drinks on Spanish-language TV, and Hispanic teens saw 99 percent more ads.
• Hispanic preschoolers saw more Spanish-language ads for Coca-Cola Classic, Kool-Aid, 7 Up, and Sunny D than Hispanic older children and teens did.

Am I the only one who is angered and insulted by this decision to target our kids, when the African-American community is already struggling with significantly greater health and healthcare challenges? This is a personal affront to me as a parent because the beverage industry’s targeted attack is saying several things about me and my community. They are implying:

1. That I am silly enough to think that just because they say something is “all-natural” or contains “real ingredients,” I’m supposed to run out and buy it for my kids even though it is still full of sugar and totally devoid of nutrients;
2. Even if they don’t assume that I am silly, they are assuming that I, as a parent, am not paying attention. We might all be busy but we are not all absentee; and
3. Their defensive responses, as reflected in Susan K. Neely’s, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, statement shows that they are not willing to take responsibility for their products’ detrimental impacts nor their inappropriateness for youth. Neely’s statement, in part, says:

This report is another attack by known critics in an ongoing attempt to single out one product as the cause of obesity when both common sense and widely accepted science have shown that the reality is far more complicated.

I am so tired of big business portraying watch-dog organizations who seek truth and who pursue better protections and safeguards for families as lunatic fringe people with no creditability. There is nothing complicated about the sugar content of their drinks and the health problems they significantly exacerbate.

We parents really need to step up and call an end to the media manipulation of our kids and ourselves. Even if you have your own love affair with sugar and/or caffeine, surely you can appreciate that apathy with regard to the quality of your child’s diet is literally a killer! Beverage companies need to stop their shameful marketing onslaught of communities of color, who they perceive as an easy and less informed market. But we parents have to step up; take a strong stand for the protection of our children and vote with our dollars.

You ought to know:

• Electrolyte replenishment is only needed after extended (over an hour) and exhaustive exertion. Most of our kids are not running marathons. Orange juice is just as good after most kid’s sports activity—soccer, basketball, baseball, etc. It has more than adequate, if not better (certainly more potassium), electrolyte replacement than the commercial sports drinks like Gatorade. OJ provides additional nutrition and not all of the sugar and additives that sports drink have. We need to stop associating Gatorade with athletic achievement. That’s all marketing. Help your kids see through the hype. See through the hype yourself!

• Have you looked at what’s in that Capri Sun drink that you are packing in your child’s lunch? Capri Suns are not juice. As ColorLines.com points out, Capri Suns’ little 6-ounce child-sized drink pouch contains about 14 grams of added sugar. The American Heart Association recommends children aged 4 to 8 consume no more than 15 grams of added sugar per day. So that little packet of liquid that is rarely ever enough to quench even a small kid’s thirst provides nearly a full day’s sugar allotment. Good Grief!

• Energy drinks are popular and have become a part of a pop culture that teens connect with. But no matter how much the beverage industry tries to convince you that caffeine is safe for everybody, the unregulated use of energy drinks (with their high concentrations of caffeine) are not healthy for teens. Just ask the poison control centers, who have seen a tripling of calls related to energy drink consumption and caffeine poisoning.

• If you are not aware of all the forms of sugar in drinks—sucrose, glucose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, etc- you may think you are choosing a health drink when you are consuming something far from healthy. Be informed so that when you pick a drink, you know what you are getting and what you aren’t. (Go here for the truth about Vitamin Water and here to learn more about high fructose corn syrup)

My family is already trying to cut down the sugar consumption in our household. This is a struggle because each of us has a serious sweet tooth. We love candy. We LOVE chocolate. And don’t even get me started about ice cream. The thing about sugar is I want to choose how I will consume it. I refuse to  passively consume my allotment of sugar unknowingly, like in a fruit drink, when I would prefer to eat a dove chocolate bite or a scoop of ice cream. We are trying to be deliberate about how we cut back and from where our sugar comes. But we are also very clear about the evils of sugar and how it contributes to all kinds of ills. Not just obesity, but inflammation disorders, poor complexion, and let’s not forget cavities.

So  now, in light of this study, my effort to curb sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks has taken on a whole new meaning. We’re going to stick mostly with water. And when we want something sweet, we’ll go with 100% juice. I am no longer handing my money over to companies who treat me like a stupid consumer who can’t make a half-way intelligent decision about own my family’s health!

I had the honor and the utter pleasure of co-hosting a discussion among women who are using social media to power their actions for health. This was a mighty exciting group of women, who are doing some awesome things online and beyond.

Renee Ross (@ReneeJRoss) gathering forces on matters of health at Blogher.com

Helen Jonsen (@WorkingMotherHj) editor of WorkingMother.com

Tonya Lewis Lee (@TLewisLee) writer, producer and activist focused on health, education and justice.

Simone I. Smith (@simoneismith) entrepreneur, mother of four and cancer survivor who devotes her time and resources to the fight against cancer.

Karyn Brianne (@thefabgiver) co-founder of The Red Pump Project. The red Pump Project is a non-profit that raises awareness about impact of HIV/AIDS on women & girls…and the reason I rock my red pumps in March every year!

Emily McKhann (@emilymckhann), founding mother of TheMotherhood.com

And me, @MaDonnaNegra, representing the Mom’s Clean Air Force and my commitment to spreading awareness of clean air issues and why the health consequences of air pollution in my community is a national disgrace and a social justice issue whose time has come.

Those who joined the discussion at TheMotherhood.com, discussed activism online, including the following questions:

What inspires you to act?         What matters are important to you as a woman and a mother?          

What can you do about about it?         And how can you find other like-minded mother-activists to join or to join you?  

It was well attended and so, so informative! This discussion was everything we hoped it would be and MORE!

See the summary of the discussion HERE

We mothers in Texas are watching and wondering if anyone really cares about us, our children and our health. We are working to keep our voices in the mix, but we need some hope and encouragement. Fortunately, good things are happening! Read More

In case you missed this passionate plea for education. Here is the First Lady’s memorable statement on her visit to Great Britain, her first foreign visit. She tells about her life and why education is so very important for this generation. And a special message for the future women of the world. Watch it . Share it. Take it to heart! Go HERE.

I am Kelley Williams-Bolar. I am a concerned mother who will do what it takes to keep my children safe and in the best educational environment I can put them in. 

I am Kelley Williams-Bolar. I will fight for my and my children’s rights for equal opportunity and equal access. 

I am Kelley Williams-Bolar. I, too, am working (hard) for the betterment of my family’s socio-economic advancement and stability.

Kelley Williams-Bolar is the Akron, Ohio mother who used her father’s address to get her kids into a better school in the suburbs. For this she was convicted of a felony for defrauding the school district and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, three years of probation and 80 hours of community service.

Actually, I cannot claim Ms. Williams-Bolar’s name in an effort to stand in solidarity with her. Fortunately for me, I do not live in public-subsidized housing. I have not had to falsify my kids school records (as countless people are compelled to do) to get them in “the right” schools. And I have a spouse who provides the larger part of our family income. I’d like to think that I could stand up and fight for injustice, as Ms. Williams-Bolar did, for my family. But all I can do is symbolically stand by someone who did and express my disdain for a system so steeped in privilege as to jail yet another undeserving person.

Only a privileged judge can look a struggling mother in the eye and detrimentally alter her already difficult life by making her an example. Only a privileged judge can single out a single mother among the other families that took the same action as she—a single mother who had the gumption to make hard decisions and sacrifices, and the gumption to stand up and fight for them– and treat her as someone who deserved to spend time in jail… who deserved to be thrown away. As this devoted mother was being led away in handcuffs, pleading on behalf of her children who had never started a day without her, this judge was unmoved. The blinders of privilege permit that. Never mind that Williams-Bolar was only units away from attaining her credentials toward a teaching career that is now foreclosed due to the felony conviction.

When I heard that Ms. Williams-Bolar was being tried as a felon for lying about her residency so that her daughters could attend a school in the district in which her father lived, I imagined that her children would then be handed over to her father, who could then legitimately enroll them in the coveted school in question. How ironic that would be. And I thought about the claim that families who lie their way into the school district cheat the district’s taxpayers since those families are not making a contribution there. I wondered how much of the taxpayers money had been squandered on these two outsiders, these children…some of it their grandfather’s tax money, I imagine. I wondered how many of the wealthy residents of that district falsify and manipulate their tax forms to avoid such taxes. I thought how ironic that is, too.

I am devastated for Ms. Williams-Bolar and her family. I feel the need to apologize to her for our collective hypocrisy and our propensity to only accept certain lies from certain people. (See the Piano-in-the-bay story and how leniency for felonies is dispensed in Florida ) Lying is a privilege Ms. Williams-Bolar now knows she does not have. There’s that word “privilege”, again. I use this word in place of the word “racism” because I believe this is a case of the haves vs. the have nots. This is an economic disparity issue. And since so many people of color are poor, economic disparity often masquerades as racism. Unfortunately, they look and feel the same. Ms. Williams-Bolar was reminded that she and her family did not belong at that more affluent school. And she was reminded that she and her family were not welcome. She did what so many folks do—she lied to get what she wanted for her kids. And for that, she was treated more harshly. She ended up where so many brown folks end up– in jail. But those folks in jail with her are also mostly poor, too.
It’s so hard to unravel racism from classism and it may not be worth the effort– not for folks like Kelley Williams-Bolar. The results are the same– disrespect, disparate treatment and disenfranchisement.

However you feel about honesty and taxes, you have to acknowledge that Ms. Williams-Bolar was treated wrongly. I am not asserting that Ms. Williams-Bolar is a heroine– just that her punishment far outweighed her crime. For this, I stand with her as a mother who cares foremost about her children’s welfare. And I support the efforts to rectify this injustice.

Click HERE for Three Ways You Can Help Kelley Williams-Bolar!

Side note: After publishing this post, I noticed that I misspelled “lion’s share” as “loin-share,” when explaining that my husband provides the lion’s share of our family income. I’m thinking this was a Freudian slip that rightly acknowledges the degree to which a husband can more easily earn the lion’s-share of the family income since men historically earn more than women for the same job!  Then I decided lion’s share was not a good metaphor for earnings but was more appropriately used for consuming, and I took it out altogether! This has nothing to do with this story other than to rationalize my poor proofreading and tangentially to point out the inherent difficulties a single mother faces to provide for her family alone.


UPDATE: September 7, 2011– Governor Reduces Charges to Misdemeanor
According to the Associated Press, Gov. John Kasich reduced the charges against Kelley Williams-Bolar. She served her nine days in jail for felony charges, but the parole board declined to recommend a reduction in her sentencing. According to Change.org,  support for Williams-Bloar went viral in one of their most popular of efforts to date. Change.org was also joined by ColorOfChange.org, in petitioning the governor’s office on behalf of Williams-Bolar.

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How many times have you received a progress report and only then discovered that your child was struggling in a class- no forewarning from the teacher–no call , no email, no note- just a bad grade when its too late to effectuate any change?

How many times have you discovered after the term has already started that your child had been assigned to the “crazy” teacher because you didn’t know you could submit a request before teacher assignments were made?

How many times have you stayed up much-too-late helping your child with a project that seemed too demanding for one-day’s notice, only to find out after-the-fact that your child misunderstood the directions?

These kind of situations often occur when a parent is out of the information loop. The thought that you may be missing key information and insight about your child’s academic progress should keep you up at night! Parents are dangerously mistaken if they assume that all resources relevant to helping their children are going to be delivered to them in their child’s take-home folder. You must take steps to get yourself plugged in. And the first step must be to connect with your child’s teacher.

Here is a simple truth: If you, as a parent, have not connected with your child’s teacher, directly and personally, you are not optimizing your child’s educational experience. I do not believe that there is an exception to this statement. In the present school environment, private or public, parents who are paying attention know that parental involvement is the key to getting want they want in the way of outcomes. These parents know that school resources are limited and that these limited resources are expended on those families who are aware of the resources and demand them. If you are not involved, that is, if you have not, at least, met and conferred with your child’s teachers, your child is not receiving all of the help, information, opportunities or care that he or she could be getting. You may not even know what you and your child are missing.

The MSNBC series, Making the Grade, does a good job of addressing what schools need to do to help parents who are under siege meet the demands of managing their children’s academic lives. There is much that must be done to facilitate parental involvement, especially working, single and young parents.

Here’s an excerpt:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640

Often, when African-American families join a private school community, they are so preoccupied with fighting the negative perceptions they feel the greater community has about them (and Blacks in general). We Black parents believe the other parents and teachers assume we need financial help and that our children are academically deficient. [I am not, by this assertion, suggesting that Black parents are paranoid or overly sensitive. We are often (OFTEN) confronted with overt statements from other parents and students about our ability to afford to be at these independent schools and whether our kids can cut it). But even if the greater community does harbor these assumptions, we Black parents need to understand two important realities. One, that more White families receive financial aid than Black at most predominantly White private schools. And two, nearly everyone else in the school is receiving some additional academic assistance. The financial aid assumption is a topic worthy of its own discussion---for another time. I'd like to focus on the academic support topic here.

It seems that every other community except the Black community recognizes that students cannot achieve in the current competitive academic environment without help. Often we Black parents send our bright kids to these private schools with the handicap of our we-can-make-it-on-our-own beliefs . We consider it a sign of weakness to seek and ask for help. While we are busy trying to appear qualified, independent, worthy (and teaching our children to do the same) by functioning in silence and alone, the school's teachers and administrators are construing our actions (or inaction) as lack of concern on the parents' part and ambivalence on the students' part. Then once the teachers have concluded that we don't care enough to get help or advocate for our kids, they feel no obligation to communicate with or extend themselves to us. After all, they have a whole population of parents who are relentlessly hounding them about their children's needs! Black parents must jump in there, and demand services for our children and information for ourselves. When we don't step in we perpetuate the very perceptions of inferiority that we want to avoid.

By taking the steps to meet the teacher in the first weeks of school, you send the message that you are a proactive and concerned parent; and that you want to stay on top of your child's progress. You have opened up the lines of communication to the teacher and let your child know that you are an active part of their school experience. It is a way to let teacher and child know that you are still in charge of your child's education.

Much has been said about the importance of the learning triangle- the idea that the most effective learning happens when there is a direct connection between each essential participant in the educational threesome- parent, child and teacher. Even if you do little at home to support or contribute to the learning experience, you should at least keep close watch on what is happening at school. This is how problems are both solved early and avoided altogether.

Amazing things happen when you show up at school and introduce yourself to the teacher. When you let the teacher know that you are interested in optimizing your child's educational experience, the teacher feels he or she has an ally at home. The child feels he or she has an advocate. The teacher comes to know you and what you want from her. The child knows that the adults in charge of her academic future are talking and working together. You feel empowered because you have someone to call with questions and concerns.

Even in the worst scenario, where you and the teacher do not develop a friendly symbiotic relationship, the teacher knows that he has a watchful parent to deal with and thus, more care is taken with your child. In every case, the initiation and cultivation of the parent/teacher relationship is a win-win proposition.

How to establish a relationship with your child's teacher:

1. Meet with the teacher privately within the first two weeks of school. Even if you meet at Parent Night, make sure you have some one-on-one time.

2. Make sure you let the teacher know:

a. You are interested in being involved. Let her/him know your situation and your limitations, so that the two of you can work out how you can best take part in the classroom or other school activities.

b. That if a problem ever arises, you would like to know as soon as possible, whether it is academic or social. You want to be informed.

c.To feel free to call you anytime and for any reason.

3. If you have concerns or your child has any learning or social issues, tell the teacher. (example: "my child is young for his grade, so he is likely behind in some developmental ways." Make sure you inform the teacher of issues. But present the information in a positive light that reflects optimally on your child.)

4. Give the teacher all of the ways to contact you. And ask for all of her contact information. Ask which form of contact is best or preferable.

5. Thank the teacher for taking the time to get to know you.

By letting the teacher know that you want to be contacted, you are not implying that your child is a problem. You are simply clearing the way for communication. And communication is the key. In most cases, the positive response you receive by taking just these initial steps will astound you and put you on the right track to optimizing your child's school year.

Posted by Gina L. Carroll at 01:28:40 Permanent Link Comments (2)
[Originally posted 07/2005]

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Comments
1-Probably the most valuable point made in this commentary is the idea that a parent without much time to support learning at home can maximize their input in their child’s learning experience by simply meeting the teacher and thereby begin to take advantage of the triangle learning model. This is a much needed eye-opener for parents with little time and/or income. (Comment this) Written by: John at 2005/07/20 – 03:02:01

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