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Angie Brown: A Jim Crow Romance
No full textAngie Brown is a romance migration novel set in the Jim Crow era. Angie, the protagonist, determines to embrace all life has to offer despite the social restrictions facing young black southern women like her. Angie holds fast to her desire to find financial success, personal fulfillment, and true love, but she does not achieve her dreams alone, nor do they unfold in the same place. From Belle, her confidant; to Betty Yates, the teacher; to Chester, the pool hall owner; women and men from various social stations in life and different places share nuggets of wisdom with Angie. With their love and support, she overcomes tragedy, welcomes fresh possibilities, climbs the social ladder, and opens her heart to love. Angie\u27s progressive journey reflects the migratory trek of many African American Southerners of the Jim Crow era, who left the South for greater educational and economic opportunity. Her quest leads her from a small segregated community to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and eventually to the Midwest, including St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, and Southern Illinois. As Angie travels from place to place, she gradually comes into her own and learns key life lessons. Angie learns that struggle is universal. While doing domestic work, she discovers that whites, who live on The Other Side, also experience pain, suffering, and grave disappointment. Love eludes white women, too, and they, too, face gender discrimination. Having overcome her fair share of personal losses, Angie reaches across racial lines to console Gloria, a member of the Parker family, for whom Angie does domestic work. Her experience with the Parkers is juxtaposed to her dealings with the Mungers, a rich, Northern white family she meets. Although the Mungers are kind to Angie, she learns that life beyond the South is not perfect. Yes, she and other blacks face less virulent forms of racism outside the South, but economic stability and educational opportunity are not easily achieved
Violence in Jamaica’s High Schools
Get PDFThis research determines the presence of crime, the disciplinary policies and procedures, and security measures on high school campuses in Jamaica. Data was collected from 27 randomly selected public high schools in the parishes of Kingston, St Andrew and St. Catherine through the administration of interviews, self-reported questionnaires and focus group discussions. School administrators (principals), teachers, guidance counselors and resource officers were engaged in face to face interviews. Male students (n=405), ages 12 to 17 years old who were classified as disruptive students, were randomly selected from lists provided by principals and school guidance counselors to participate in the research. Data was analyzed using qualitative research data management software programs, including Atlas-Ti version 4.2. and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Version 15) software. Violence occurred because of: (a) administrators’ denial of school violence on their school campus, (b) non-caring school environment, and (c) poor implementation of school policies coupled with inadequate school security.. Violence on high school campuses in Jamaica mirrors the violence in the wider society; and school administrators often ignore or downplay the seriousness of violence in their schools. High schools in Jamaica fall into two categories: public and private. The public high schools are further categorized as Traditional and Non-Traditional High Schools. The better performing students in the GSAT examination usually go to the Traditional High School and the excellent performers among these are awarded various scholarships in the highly recognized high schools. Lower performing students are placed in the Non-Traditional High Schools. This research is focuses on Traditional High Schools that are public funde
Understanding the Development of Private Policing in South Africa
Get PDFPrivate policing has been spreading across South Africa. This paper interrogates the context of the development of private policing in the country. Drawing on insights from global security research, governmentality studies, and critical sociological and criminological theory, particularly postcolonial perspective, it addresses these questions: How do we make sense of the growth of private policing in South Africa, and what are the broader security policy implications of the proliferation of private policing in the post-apartheid state? It proposes that the development of private policing reflects a paradigm shift from the collective human security to the individualistic sense of security in contrast to the collective welfare that characterized pre-colonial indigenous social relations. Private policing is intended to contribute to addressing the resultant security challenges. It concludes that crime control mechanisms must transcend aggressive policing to address structural underpinnings of crime problems, including poverty, to ensure a collective human security, as part of the broader security policies in South Africa. This paper makes a contribution to the theoretical debate regarding the role of imperialist powers, the transnational capital, and the state, in promoting the development of private policing
Influence of West African ethnicity and gender on beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity in essential hypertensives treated with hydrochlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide-lisinopril combination
No full textObjective: To assess the effects of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) given alone and in combination with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) on beta-cell function in a negroid population to further explore possible ethnic differences in the effect of antihypertensive drugs on homeostasis model assessment - insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Materials and Methods: A total of 80 newly diagnosed Nigerian essential hypertensive patients were assigned to receive either HCT 25 mg daily or both HCT and lisinopril (Lis; 25/10 mg daily) in an open-label study for 12 weeks. The treatment groups were well matched in clinical and demographic baseline features. Changes in HOMA-IR from baseline to end of study (week 12), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum potassium, serum insulin, and blood pressure over the same period were also evaluated. Results: After 12 weeks, mean delta HOMA-IR (and %) was higher in the HCT monotherapy group; although, this change did not reach statistical significance in both groups -0.1 ± 7.1, P= 0.538 (HCT) and 0.6 ± 4.2 P= 0.913 (HCT + Lis); an insignificant increase was observed in FPG and serum insulin in both groups, whereas serum potassium decreased in similar fashion. Blood pressure reduction was similar in both groups. Analysis of HOMA-IR change according to gender in response to HCT mono- or combination therapy with Lis showed no significant difference. Conclusions: HCT monotherapy in hypertensive indigenous Nigerians, was not associated with worse metabolic effects when compared with combination therapy using Lis, an ACEI after 12 weeks. Low-dose thiazide diuretic as first-line antihypertensive medication may be safe in the short-term, further larger and long-term studies are needed to corroborate this finding
Extending Levelt\u27s Propositions to perceptual multistability involving interocular grouping
No full textLevelt\u27s Propositions are central to understanding a wide range of multistable perceptual phenomena, but it is unclear whether they extend to perceptual multistability involving interocular grouping. We presented split-grating stimuli with complementary halves of the same color (either red or green) to human subjects. The subjects reported four percepts in alternation: the two stimuli presented to each eye (half red and half green), as well as the two single color (all red or all green), interocularly grouped percepts. Increasing color saturation lead to increased reports of the single color percept in most subjects, indicating increased predominance of grouped percepts (Levelt\u27s Proposition I). This increase in predominance was due to a decrease in the average dominance duration of single-eye percepts, with grouped percept dominance largely unaffected. This agrees with a generalization of Levelt\u27s Proposition II, as the average dominance duration of the stronger (in this case single-eye) percept was primarily affected by changes in stimulus strength. Moreover, in agreement with Levelt\u27s Proposition III the alternation rate between percepts increased as the difference in the strength of the percepts decreased
Effects of Hydrogen Sulfide-Releasing Compounds on Aqueous Humor Outflow Facility in Porcine Ocular Anterior Segments, Ex Vivo
No full textPurpose: To investigate the pharmacological actions of hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-releasing compounds l-cysteine and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) on aqueous humor (AH) outflow facility in porcine ocular anterior segment. Methods: Porcine ocular anterior segments were perfused with Dulbecco\u27s modified Eagle\u27s medium at a constant pressure of 7.35 mmHg. After stable outflow baseline, explants were exposed to NaHS or l-cysteine. The increase in outflow generated by the H2S-releasing compounds was measured in the absence and presence of inhibitor of H2S biosynthesis (aminooxyacetic acid; AOAA), blocker of KATP channels (glibenclamide), and inhibitor of adenylyl cyclase (SQ 22536). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to assess trabecular meshwork (TM) morphology. Results: l-cysteine elicited a concentration-dependent increase in AH outflow facility, reaching maximal effect at 100 nM (150.6% ± 17.2% of basal level). This increase in outflow induced by l-cysteine was significantly (P \u3c 0.001) antagonized by AOAA (30 μM) and glibenclamide (100 μM). AOAA and glibenclamide had no significant action on baseline outflow, whereas SQ 22536 (100 μM) increased outflow for only an hour. In addition, NaHS produced a concentration-dependent increase in AH outflow, with a maximal effect at 10 μM (151.4% ± 22.9% of basal level). Likewise, the increase in outflow caused by NaHS was significantly (P \u3c 0.04) blocked by glibenclamide and SQ 22536. H&E staining revealed that l-cysteine or NaHS did not alter TM conformation. Conclusion: H2S-releasing compounds can increase outflow facility in porcine ocular anterior segment. The stimulatory action of these compounds on outflow is mediated, in part by endogenously produced H2S, KATP channels, and adenylyl cyclase
The Year 2014: A Banner Year for Institutional Racism
Get PDFThe Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs is dedicating this special issue to the profound and pervasive effects of institutional racism that were prominent in 2014. The year 2014 might be viewed as a remarkable year for institutional racism. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Section IV of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is no longer necessary
Examining the Impact of Institutional Racism in Black Residentially Segregated Communities
Get PDFThis article examines the impact of public policies in inner city communities. Using Ferguson, MO as an exemplar, the authors offer a contextual analysis of a community recently in the spotlight for the killing of an unarmed black man by a law enforcement officer. Through the lens of the social determinants of health, we examine “place” as a powerful determinant of health and community outcomes. We consider the implications of public policies and the subsequent impact on social and economic context. The authors highlight the existence of social, economic, environmental, political, and cultural factors experienced by Blacks in Ferguson, MO as contributory factors the vulnerability of the community. Specific policy implications are presented to address the fundamental causes of disparate outcomes by utilizing the social determinants of health as a framework for action
Race and Justice Outcomes: Contextualizing Racial Discrimination and Ferguson
Get PDFWhile scores of literature may hint at the tumultuous relationship between the criminal justice system and Blacks, such literature, however, fail to assess, comprehensively, the intersectional purpose of present criminal justice processes and race. This paper will examine contemporary applications of justice along racial lines. It is argued that current justice outcomes are advantageous to the status quo. It is no secret that the American system of justice has a race problem; however, if the goal is to administer justice then, as this paper argues, the current system needs to be seriously examined and rebuilt. The paper also argues that the criminal justice system is purposely selective, undemocratic, and contributes to the creation of criminal casting at the behest of white supremacy. A brief analysis of the Department of Justice’s report on Ferguson is used to articulate the arguments. Implications for future research are considered