Cervical Cancer and HPV: What Black Women Need to Know

A big Thank You! goes out to Black Women's Health for helping bring this topic to the forefront.

Good Morning!

As you may or may not know January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. This is a important health topic for all women especially African-American Women. I am taking part in the pledge and today I want to encourage you to do the same.

I do know someone, a close personal friend that has been affected by cervical cancer and also like Tamika ( feat. guest on show) had a hysterectomy after undergoing a partial hysterectomy a year earlier. In my girlfriend's case her cervical cancer had returned even after treatment and therapy so a full hysterectomy had to be performed around the age of 27. It was a very scary time for her.

I was so uninformed until she started to share her story for which I am grateful for because it made me take a second look at my own health. Today on BlogTalk you will also get to hear another woman share her experience with cervical cancer. I do know that because of my Girlfriend I wanted to know more I wanted to understand why?

If you know someone but haven't been able to ask or know what to do as a caregiver in that situation tune in, read and learn the facts. This is a great time to start a sharper focus on your health and that of your partner, friend or loved ones so please pass this along.

If you are unable to tune in on BlogTalk Radio today you can still do your part links provided below by taking the Promise to Me pledge, reading up on cervical cancer and simply taking a moment to participate in the Cervical Cancer poll from Black Women's Health Imperative.


Join in Wednesday, January 20, 2010, at 3 p.m. EST on BlogTalkRadio for the "The Black Women's Health Report with Eleanor Hinton Hoytt.

Listen online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/blackwomenshealthreport
as Eleanor Hinton Hoytt discusses cervical cancer and why Black women should be concerned about it.

Cervical Cancer is preventable!

Get the facts from our special guest, Deborah Arrindell, vice president of Health Policy of the American Social Health Association, and listen to Tamika Felder's, a cervical cancer survivor, inspiring story.

You can ask Deborah and Tamika your questions by calling 646-381-4662 when the phone lines open at 3:15 p.m. EST or submitting your questions to asktheexpert@blackwomenshealth.org

Before you tune-in, take a few moments to do the following:

1. Take the poll on cervical cancer.

2. Read Black Women's Health fact sheet on cervical cancer, share it with family members and friends and visit Promise to Me to get more facts

3. Make the commitment. Black Women's Health is a partner of the Pearl of Wisdom Campaign, they along with I would like to encourage you to take the “ Pearl Pledge” to schedule your Pap test today, request a HPV test and ask your family members and friends to do the same.


To see the pledge and other related links :

Black Women's Health-Cervical Cancer Fact Sheet:
http://www.blackwomenshealth.org/atf/cf/%7B0476F7B2-7EA9-4F30-8C97-DFF275C0CE5B%7D/CC_Factsheet_2008.pdf

Pearl of Wisdom Pledge
http://www.pearlofwisdom.us/pledge

Black Aids Institute takes on ACOG-American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist guidelines for Pap Smear,asking the ?-is it right for "Us"
http://www.blackaids.org/ShowArticle.aspx?pagename=ShowArticle&articletype=SITEFEATURE&articleid=750&pagenumber=1

Center for Disease Control:Facts on Cervical Cancer
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/

Poll on Cervical Cancer
http://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Poll/Default.asp?ievent=258430&en=9hILLUMwF7KHIWNGLdIHKUNFKqITJZMJLjIOIVMGKrJ5H
Tamika's Story
http://www.tamikafelder.com

Promise to Me
http://www.promisetome.com

Alarming Report on Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Correction Facilities

No matter what crime a person may have committed, rape should never be part of the punishment."-Lovisa Stannow

A long-awaited report from the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics(BJS)finds that youth in juvenile corrections facilities are sexually abused at alarming rates and are victimized significantly more often than adult inmates.

The Commission's report emphasized that sexual abuse is an especially complex problem for younger inmates, explaining that "juveniles are not yet fully developed physically,cognitively, socially, and emotionally and are ill-equipped to respond to sexual advances and protect themselves." The Commission also found that many corrections facilities do a poor job preventing, identifying, and responding to the sexual abuse of those in their custody.

• Mandated by Congress, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission(Bipartisan) led by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton in June 2009 issued a comprehensive report on sexual violence in U.S. detention facilities.


• Approx. 93,000 youth are confined to juvenile facilities,more then half 16 or younger
  The detained youth who participated in survey reported sexual abuse at a rate of 12% or almost 1 to 8 at their current facility.


• survey did not include the youth who are locked up in adult facilities,of who according to Lovisa Stannow, Executive Director of Just Detention International are at a greater risk for abuse.
• 9,198 youth detainees participated in survey given in 195 facilities from all fifty states and the District of Columbia.


• 80 percent of the reported abuse was perpetrated by a member of the facility's staff.


• 95 percent of youth who alleged abuse by staff reported at least one female perpetrator.


• Victimized youth usually endured repeated sexual abuse,often more than ten times,
  and frequently by multiple perpetrators.


• 65 percent of youth who had previously been sexually assaulted at another facility also reported having been sexually abused in their
  current facility.


• Youth with sexual orientation other than heterosexual reported being sexually abused by another inmate at a rate more than ten times higher than that of youth who identified as heterosexual.


• By law, The Department of Justice has until June 2010 to codify final standards based on those recommendations.

Additional Links to this report and stories like it :

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2113
(Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth 2008-2009)

http://toysoldier.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/sexual-abuse-scandal-rocks-texas-juvenile-prison-system/
(blog on Sex scandal in Texas over 700 allegations)

http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/about/PubLNo108-79.txt
(Prison Rape Elimination Act)

http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/colorofjustice/coj.html
(trend: youth to adult facilities)

Plea Agreement Reached in Hibbing Gang Rape

Andrew Jonathan Williams








A former Hibbing Community College Football Player pictured above reaches an agreement within the court pleading guilty to a lesser charge stemming from a Gang Rape in 2006.



Mr. Williams made a plea agreement to second degree criminal sexual conduct on Monday. Under these terms he will serve 45 days in jail and have two years of probation, in addition he will not have to register as a sex offender as long as he complies w/ sanctions the judge ordered



At a previous hearing in December of 2008, a public defender argued that Williams couldn't get a fair trial in Hibbing because the community lacked racial diversity. Starr( Judge) denied the motion. This case is considered racially charged as reported in the local newspapers because the victim is a White female and the four accused are African-American Males.



The other three gentleman are: Talon Deante Jackson, Daily Whitten and Terrance Dominque Laverity. All have been charged for being involved, each have pleaded not guilty to first degree criminal sexual conduct as of today the court date has yet to be determined


Interesting Tidbits:


*Hibbing Community College Football disbanded after charges were made school cite poor academic performance from several players as reason for the school no longer having a team

*The area has had other incidents of Tension, regarding requiting of out-of-state-players and the fact that most are Minorities.

*This is not the first incident of Rape or misconduct at this college or the other community colleges in the area.

* Local residents angry enough to interfere and take matters in their own hands. one incident involved the beating of another gentleman based on the fact he was the first African-American he and friends seen after his daughter reported being raped by a "Black Man"

*Talon D. Jackson was arrested in 2008 on possession of firearm and aggravated assault at a community college in Orlando, Florida


For more on this story check here:

http://www.hibbingmn.com/articles/2010/01/06/news/doc4b42ac2f0875c390325157.txt
http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_14130572
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/156518/


For background on this and related stories follow the links below:

http://moderntribalist.blogspot.com/2006/10/three-college-football-players-and.html
http://www.startribune.com/local/11555836.html
http://www.wesh.com/news/15344662/detail.html