2018

The lives of black mothers in the U.S. are in jeopardy. Although about 700 American women die each year from pregnancy or delivery complications, women of color are at a much higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. In fact, black mothers are 243% more likely to die than white mothers. As a result, black mothers are dying at three to four times the rate of white mothers in the U.S.

The reasons include disparities in access to healthcare, discrimination in poor or rural communities, and budget restrictions on free or low-income clinics that service women. Also, risk factors that lead to complications such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity affect black women at higher rates than their white counterparts, Black Enterprise writes in a report about this growing epidemic.

To combat these alarming statistics, a group of Democratic senators led by Sen. Kamala Harris of California introduced a bill on Wednesday to reduce the racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity. “Health equity for black women can only happen if we recognize and address persistent biases in our health system,” said Harris in a statement.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)(Wikimedia)

Under her new bill, titled the “Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (Maternal CARE) Act,” $30 million would be poured into two new grant programs that would support training against racial bias for medical workers and improve prenatal care. The programs are detailed in a press release as follows:

Implicit Bias Training Grants

Addresses implicit bias—bias in judgement or behavior resulting from implicit attitudes and stereotypes—by establishing competitive grants directed to medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professionals training programs to support implicit bias training. Priority is given for training in obstetrics and gynecology.

 

Pregnancy Medical Home Demonstration Project

Establishes a demonstration project to assist up to 10 states with implementing and sustaining pregnancy medical home (PMH) programs to incentivize maternal health care providers to deliver integrated health care services to pregnant women and new mothers and reduce adverse maternal health outcomes, maternal deaths, and racial health disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity.

“This bill is a step towards ensuring that all women have access to culturally competent, holistic care, and to address the implicit biases in our system,” said Harris.

Research suggests that racism and racial oppression induces chronic stress for black women, which, in turn, may factor into poor pregnancy outcomes for all black mothers, despite their level of education or income. “A large part of it is the biases that exist in the medical health professions that lead to these women not being taken seriously,” Harris, the only black woman serving in the U.S. Senate, told the L.A. Times. “Frankly, there are a lot of biases that exist…It’s a truth, uncomfortable as it may be.”

Earlier this year, tennis Superstar Serena Williams put a spotlight on the disparities that black women face when she revealed that she, too, suffered life-threatening complications during the delivery of her first child. Beyoncé also recently opened up in Vogue about the emergency C-section she had in order to save her life and the lives of her twin babies.

The post Sen. Kamala Harris Introduces Bill to Address the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis appeared first on Black Enterprise.

Otakon weekend once again has proven that old-school nostalgia, the need to nourish creativity, the frenzy for all things nerdy, and the desire to celebrate Japanese culture and animation can triumph nearly anything that comes its way. This convention has survived through a tremendous amount of adversity. Each obstacle has made the staff and convention stronger. I am proud of how Otakon has evolved over the years, and while not perfect, it has remained a loyal friend for the fans by the fans each and every time.

*Cue The Golden Girls’ theme song*

Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. is still a new venue for this veteran convention; however, its second year only solidified the belief that the move was 100% necessary. There is a far less crowding than during the last few years at the BCC. You feel like you can breathe much better, while still having easy access to the immense amount of activities. They have a giant game room with old-school arcade games, every iteration of DDR, table-top games, and new and strange indie games. Maker’s Studio was also a place I stumbled upon, where attendees would be able to bustle about creating cute things from ribbons, hot glue guns, and string. This year, people were able to make Teru Teru Bozu, long-established Japanese dolls that helped keep the bad weather away. They were super sweet to see hung up outside the studio, and were fun to make.

The Dealer’s Room housed a plethora of booths servicing your wildest Otaku needs including body pillows, medieval gear, wall scrolls, anime swag, hentai, and figurines. This is where all of the corporations come to stomp on every weeb’s wallet so come prepared whenever you dare enter. Expect a befuddled call from your bank later.

The Artist’s Alley is definitely more my own style; you come here to support artists of every background. The prints, keychains, accessories, and clothing are all super cute and unique and you walk away knowing you’re helping fellow nerds survive and thrive. Back in the day, I would definitely walk away from AA with numerous prints but in my adulthood, I managed to cut back.

A popular attraction at plenty of anime conventions is the Americanized version of a Maid Cafe. These events are organized by Otakon staffers and volunteers, and operate on a ticket-based schedule. There are different time slots and in order to gain entry into the cafe, one must purchase a ticket that is separate from the Otakon membership badge. You can drop by and be welcomed by the sweet and upbeat maids. I got an in-depth look at the operational function of the cafe from the Department Head/Head Maid Ichigo (Kat). Eager to step away from the fetishized history of maid cafes, Ichigo instead considers the work they do to be “Superior customer service.”

For those that do not know, Maid Cafes are a popular attraction that originated in Japan, the Akihabara district in Tokyo. They cater to everyone, but the original concept was to stoke the imagination of male nerds or “Otaku.” Maids, with their classic French outfits, innocent demeanors, and playful acts are chosen for their ability to interact well with their audience in tandem with staying in character. Jubilant energy and good acting are necessary to put on a memorable show for their patrons.

The Ota Maid Cafe is a labor of love for Kat Lemons; it requires yearly upkeep with set responsibilities like every other department. Operating mostly on a digital platform, Lemons fields about 100-150 applications each year. The maximum amount of maids accepted are 40-45 people. Essentially, anyone 18 years old and over can be a maid. It’s an inclusive space, with a hygiene and dress code. The duties include dancing, fleshing out your individual character, playing games with customers, setting up the space, plus serving drinks and food. All the maids were super pepped up. The dances were energetic and the patrons seemed to be having a good time spelling their names in the air with their butt and watching the performances. It was certainly a treat being able to understand how these cafes work from a logistical point of view, and was so happy to see such a huge supportive team behind it.

I have been a long-time convention goer on the East Coast (Maybe for about ten years?!? I am OLD), and what remains a huge part of the con scene is how diverse the audience it. Being held in the nation’s capital, especially at such a politically divisive time in our nation’s history, only emphasizes the struggles people of color and other marginalized folks go through. Here at Otakon, I noticed that we flourish in spite of those who wish to not just tear down those that are different, but those that are actively trying to evolve the communities they are a part of. The nerd community is no different. We each have our own unique stories to tell, whether it be through music, animation, storyboarding, stand-up, or interpretive dance. The ability to have a platform to tell our stories to possibly millions of people is significant, especially when there was a time where many marginalized people were barred from even trying to express themselves.

One voice actor that I feel has never been afraid to ‘voice’ their opinions (hehehe) is actor Sungwon Cho, AKA ProZD. They are an immensely popular YouTuber, with over 1.5 million subscribers, whose videos focus on nuances within the anime and gaming community, while also discussing socio-political topics that often intersect with the nerd world. I was able to interview ProZD about his experiences growing his acting career. He spoke of humble beginnings from finding his passion in doing radio plays with a friend in high school, which snowballed into his YT channel, a gigantic fanbase on social media, and a show on Crunchyroll, Anime Crime Divisions. By doings radio plays, he says, reading scripts, portraying the characters, even in an amateur setting, helped ignite his love for voice acting. This led to getting a foot in the door for other bigger projects.

On a personal note, being able to see ProZD become more and more popular and visible over the years, has been a huge inspiration for me. I love seeing people of color excel in this environment, especially in the face of big media companies and geek websites who refuse to highlight people that aren’t white. Seeing someone being able to call out bullshit in the world, especially racist nonsense, was eye-opening on a whole other level. I inquired as much to ProZD, if they choose to infuse political or social messages in their content, with which they replied that they sometimes do. “I’m not shy on my Twitter,” is one memorable quote, and if you follow their account you know this to be very true.

This was followed up with my question if they felt that they have a responsibility to represent POC in the VA/gaming community, where they stated, “I don’t want to say people have an obligation, because of how exhausting the environment is.” However, they do receive positive feedback on their work and that’s a great thing. I believe that we need more voices (hehehehehehe) like ProZD in our world, because they make it a much brighter place.

Otakon once again has proven to be the amiable titan of anime conventions on this side of the East Coast. What has made it live within the hearts of every Otaku is the continued steadfast loyalty towards its mission of celebration of Japanese culture and animation, alongside its love for its fans. I’ll see you next year Otakon.

Make sure to check out Otakon’s website and social media (twitter, Facebook) to be kept in the loop for any updates and announcements!

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The post Otakon 2018: A Con That Keeps Flourishing and Evolving appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Dragon Con has been on my bucket list of conventions to attend. From Thursday, August 30 through Monday September 3 an estimated 85,000 fans will descend to Atlanta, take over five major downtown hotels, and geek out 24/7.  Finally, I will be there this year as a newbie!

I will not be the only newbie at the convention.  Four of the cast members from the show “The Expanse,” will also be in attendance.  When Dragon announced the cast coming I got super excited! I am ecstatic that Amazon picked up the for a 4^th season!

Cas Anvar, who plays Martian Alex Kamal, was gracious enough to talk with me about Dragon Con.  It is always fun to talk with Anvar about the show and now about the con.  Enjoy!

TNE:                     Okay, so you’re excited about going to Dragon Con? And this is your first time-

Cas Anvar:          (Excitedly) Oh, my God!

TNE:                     If I recall correctly from our last conversation, I think this is one of the Cons that you wanted to go to.

Cas Anvar:          Oh, my God! First time going to Dragon Con, and you can’t even imagine how excited I am, and we all are. I have heard nothing but spectacular things about Dragon Con and I have been chomping at the bit to go for years. And you know, I heard that if San Diego Comic-Con is kind of like the biggest corporate Con in the world, I’ve heard that Dragon Con is the equivalent for the fans. It’s like the biggest fan-oriented Con in the world. And it’s the place to be if you’re a fan or an artist and you want to just have the best, most incredible time on the planet.

TNE:                     Now, Dragon Con is known for its cosplay.

Cas Anvar:          That’s why I’d heard, yeah.

TNE:                     So, is there any particular awesome cosplay that you wouldn’t mind seeing, either from the show or just in general?

Cas Anvar:          Hmm. Let’s see … I mean, I’m a huge fan of these hardcore, professional cosplayers ’cause the work that they do, the artistry, the professionalism . . .  They make costumes that are beyond even film quality, and I’m amazed by that. I’m a big fan of the really good Wolverine stuff, and Avengers stuff. But if we’re gonna see something from the show, I haven’t seen a real good Alex Kamal. I have not seen that yet. So, I would love to see that. I would love to see a protomolecule Julie Mao.

TNE:                     Oh, that’d be cool!

Cas Anvar:          Haven’t seen many of those yet. Or just a really hardcore tattooed, scarf tied Belter.

TNE:                     That could work too.

Cas Anvar:          Like one of the more extreme OPA Belters that do some real crazy shit with their hair and their tats.

TNE:                     Or even one of the Mars Soldiers in one of those suits.

Cas Anvar:          Oh yeah, I mean that … you’re right, actually. That’s gonna actually require a lot of work, but if you wanna build a Goliath armor, one of Bobbie Draper’s war machines, that would be phenomenal. That I have not seen. I haven’t seen the Martian Marines, like the armor that we wear on the Roci, or definitely haven’t seen Bobbie’s armor.

TNE:                     Well, we may be able to see it- at DragonCon. I mean, who knows?

Cas Anvar:          Well, I have seen Iron Man before, so that’s … if that can be done. . .

TNE:                     So now that you’re gonna be in Atlanta, is this also your first time in Atlanta?

Cas Anvar:          It’s not my first time in Atlanta, it’s DEFINITELY my first DragonCon.

TNE:                     Are there any places that you haven’t had a chance to go to before, but now hopefully you may be able to get to go? Or is it just mostly gonna be DragonCon, but you’re just happy to go to DragonCon anyway?

Cas Anvar:          What do you mean, like around the world? Or in Atlanta?

TNE:                     In Atlanta.

Cas Anvar:          You know what, I’m gonna be there for quite a few days, actually. I’m flying in I think … if everything goes well, I’m flying in on the 29th, ’cause there’s a lot of press that they’ve got me doing. So I’m actually gonna have some good amount of time to explore. I’m gonna be staying until the Con is over on the 2nd or the 3rd. I am looking forward … the only thing I can think of off the top of my head, because I haven’t done my research yet, I’d love to visit the set of The Walking Dead. But I don’t know if that’s gonna happen.

TNE:                     [Laughs]Of course, right? It’s all top secret.

Cas Anvar:          Yeah. But I will say this, I was working on a film in Europe about two, three weeks ago called The Operative. And the lead of the film is Diane Kruger, who is very very much in love with Norman Reedus, who is one of the leads on The Walking Dead. So maybe I can pull that string.

TNE:                     Yeah, you can send him a Tweet, be like, “Hey Norman, uh … can you help a brother out?”

Cas Anvar:          “Help a brother out.” I’d love that. You just gave me an idea. I think I’ll try that.

TNE:                     Just send him a Tweet, that’ll be happening. Well thank you, Cas, for taking the time to talk to me.

Cas Anvar:          Let’s do it, man. Let’s do it. I can’t wait. And what I would tell the fans is that the four of us are gonna be there for three panels. We’re doing one panel every day, and we’re doing signings every day, and we’re doing photo ops every day. And this is the first time the cast has come together to thank the fans for saving the show, because it literally was the fans that moved the mountain that got Amazon to pick us up. And this will be the first time that we have come together as a group to say thank you.

TNE:                     That will be awesome!

Cas Anvar:          And we are absolutely thrilled to be doing that at DragonCon, which is the penultimate fan convention in the world. So, come out in droves, and come see our three panels. There’s two topics: one is gonna be called “The Science of The Expanse, which is gonna be all the amazing science that we integrate into the show. . . We really use science as a character, and we use science to make the drama in the show even more intense. Which is very different than pretty much all other science fiction TV out there. They usually invent rules, and reinvent science. So we love that claim to fame.

And the other panel is going to be the . . . it’s called “Space Race: The Mosaic of The Expanse.” And it [is] really . . . very important aspect to television right now. And it is the diversity in the show. We’ve been hailed for our scientific accuracy and we’ve been hailed in the press and in the fandom for our ethnic diversity, and gender diversity in the sense that we have some of the most powerful female characters on TV in our show. Many of them are not white. So, we have like . . . in Season Three, we have eight female characters, and 70, 80% of them are not white. None of them revolve around a man, and all of them are pivotal and absolutely critical to the advancement of the stories. Many of whom save our butts.

TNE:                     Yes, I was gonna say, “Bobbie done saved y’alls butts.”

Cas Anvar:          Right?

TNE:                     Chrisjen saves y’all butts …

Cas Anvar:          Exactly! Avasarala is a force of nature.

TNE:                     Oh my gosh, I love her!

Cas Anvar:          Melba, Clarissa Mao, she saves the entire universe.

TNE:                     Yes!

Cas Anvar:          Right! And Drummer, let’s not forget Drummer. Drummer’s an amazing character who is a butt-kicker all to herself.

TNE:                     Yes, and she handles those other Belters with … Yes. Absolutely.

Cas Anvar:          Right, right. She does not let them forget who’s boss. So yeah, it is an incredibly diverse show, and we think that’s incredibly important and we’re having an entire panel where we’re going to be showing clips from the show, showing videos of the characters, and talking to the audience about how important it is to them to see a show where the world around us is being so well-represented and so accurately represented in terms of its ethnic and gender diversity. So those are our two panels.

TNE:                     Awesome.

Cas Anvar:          And there’s gonna be videos in both.

TNE:                     Yes, I’m hoping to make an appearance and have a good seat!

Cas Anvar:          Absolutely.

TNE:                     Well thank you, Cas.

Cas Anvar:          My pleasure.

TNE:                     And have a good day. . .

Cas Anvar:          Thank you very much. I’d like to. . . see you again. Take care.

TNE:                     Alright, bye bye.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my conversation with Anvar talking about season 3!

What are you most looking forward to at Dragon Con? Sound off below in the comments!

The post Dragon Con: Cas Anvar is a Newbie Too! appeared first on The Nerd Element.