Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 January 1998 — Page 3

SATURDAY. JANUARY 10,1906

THE INDIANA ROUS RECORDER

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Opinions • v * , Y : Preparing the Pan-Afri«an world for the 21st century As we enter a new year, there is an increasing awareness that the world is moving irreversibly towards a milestone event, the end of a century and the climax of a millennium. As we approach the dawning of die 21st century and the advent of the third millennium AD, one might wonder what die world might look like in this new historical epoch and reflect on the question: will African people be ready for the coming of a new age? W.E.B. DuBois prophesied that “the problem of the twentieth century will be the problem of the color line.” Regrettably his prophesy proved to be true. Racism and white supremacy not only damaged the aspirations of Africans in the U.S. and the Pan-African worid, it thwarted the quest for self-determination of people of color on a global scale through colonialism and neocolonialism. Though the nations of Africa and the Third World rose up to overthrow colonial rule, Africans and other people of color have yet to overcome the devastating impact of the rape and pillage of their human and material resources by the nations of Europe. Led by the U.S. there is now a “new world order” complete with multilateral financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank and international trade agreements like NAFTA and GATT which render the nations of the developing world vulnerable to the whims of Europe and the west. Racism and white supremacy are alive and well in America and the world. It would appear DuBois’ prophesy will continue to hold true into the new century. In many respects Africans are the least prepared people to face the continuing challenges of racism and white supremacy. Though most of the regions of the world are moving towards various forms of economic and political consolidation there is only faint hints of movement towards greater unity within the Pan African World. Instead, with rare exception, the African continent is plagued by corrupt leadership, racked by ethnic conflicts, afflicted by grinding poverty and hampered by EuroAmerican domination. The Situation in the diaspora is a little better. Most of the nations of the Caribbean are struggling for survival, still subservient to their former colonial masters. African people the worid over are fighting to overcome the debilitating effects of the holocaust of enslavement and centuries of brutal oppression by Europe and America. But all is not lost. As the old folks put it, “we sure ain’t what we wanna be, sure ain’t what we’re gonna be, but we sure ain’t what we were.” Despite the most enormous odds faced by any people on the planet, the soul of Black folks keeps irrepressibly percolate ing, pushing our people to move forward despite monumental barriers and obstacles. It is this spirit/soul of our ancestors that we must continually tap as we continue to tackle the difficult problems and dilemmas facing the Pan African worid into the 21 st century. As we continue on this sojourn, we must listen/hear and learn from the voices of our ancestors: the spirit/voice of Harriet Tubman insists that we must never be satisfied with an inferior or subservient status, that we must shake off the shackles of enslavement; Mary McCloud Bethune reminds us that preparation for the 21st century means that we must obliterate ignorance among the masses of our people by prioritizing education; the spirit voice or Carter G. Woodson warns us that our education must be centered in our own history and culture to be liberating; the spirit/voice of Martin R. Delaney advises us that to be free African people must be an “essential part of the ruling element” economically and politically of any nation/society in which we might live. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad demands that we cultivate self reliance and “do for self; “Garvey, Malcolm and Nkrumah insist that African people must unite to assert our global Black Power as African people; Martin King encourages us to create a worid based on a “revolution of values,” that we constantly strive to build a “people oriented” as opposed to a “thing oriented” society and worid; Fannie Lou Hamer tells us that it is not enough to complain about the problem, that if we are “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” then as African people we must stand up and fight to change our condition as an oppressed people. As we enter a new year and contemplate the birth of a new century and millennium, our ancestors are demanding that we not be discouraged by our current plight or wallow in the misery of the moment. Our ancestors are admonishing the Pan African world to be prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century and a new millennium. They are encouraging us to continue the heroic straggle to restore the race to its historic place as a leading force for justice, order and truth among humankind. The ancestors are calling on their progeny to be at the forefront of the straggle for a new society and worid. “Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will.” By Rou Daniels

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LETTERS

Thousands of babies born with HIV

Each day around the worid, 1,000 mothers give birth to babies infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Most come from poor, developing countries. These women, who are infected themselves, have no real prevention options that can help keep them from passing the virus to their unborn children. As a result, many African countries and others in the developing worid are watching as 20 years of progress that has been made in reducing the number of children who die during infancy and childhood is wiped out. This global tragedy is in direct contrast with the situation in the United States and other industrialized nations. In the U.S., the number of infants and children with AIDS who are bom to HIV-infected mothers has been cut in half in recent years. This is because a research project in the United States and France, which ended in 1994, showed it is possible, with a lengthy, complicated regimen of the drug AZT, to reduce the number of mothers who pass HIV to their infants during pregnancy and childbirth by almost two-thirds. Government and public health officials in this country then moved fast to make sure that pregnant women routinely have the chance to be tested so they will know if they are infected with HIV and that this AZT drag regimen (we will call it die U.S. regimen) is made available to HIV-infected pregnant women. The ability to be routinely counseled and offered HIV testing and to have the U.S. regimen made available is now the “standard of care” for HIV-infected pregnant women in this country and in other industrialized nations. This is not the case in most of Africa and die rest of the developing worid. Fust, the U.S. drag regimen calls for doctors to begin giving

AZT to HIV-infected pregnant women early in their pregnancies while pregnant women in developing countries usually do not even see a doctor until much later. The regimen also calls for AZT to be administered intravenously, which is impossible tq do because of the lack of equipment and trained personnel in remote areas where many women in developing countries give birth. This drug regimen is costly, at least 80 times die per person annual health budget for many developing nations. Because of all these barriers to implementing the U.S. regimen in developing countries, researchers and public health officials from the United States, Europe and developing countries met to agree on ways we could work together to identify solutions to mother-to-infant HIV transmission in die developing world. It was agreed that studies should be done to determine whether shorter, less complex and less expensive regimens of AZT could be identified that would be safe and effective. These studies have been going as planned in many developing countries for years now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, two U.S. government agencies are collaborating with several foreign countries to help them conduct the studies. However, this effort is not without criticism. Most of the arguments have to do with the research design, called placebo controlled trials. What this means is studies are designed to give some of the pregnant women placebo or inactive pills instead of AZT. The reason this is done is because it is the best way to tell, in a timely manner, whether or not the shorter regimen of AZT is more effective than nothing at all, which is what pregnant women in the developing worid

now receive. It also is the only way to tell if AZT is safe for pregnant women and their babies in developing countries. AZT has been tested with pregnant women in die U.S. and France and was found to be safe. But, it has never been tested in a developing country where prenatal care is sparse, where malnutrition is a problem, »d where other infections, such as malaria, could affect die toxicity of any drag. Critics of this research believe all of the women in the studies should be given some amount of AZT. Unfortunately, it’s not drat easy. There is no way to determine whether or not die drug is safe for use in developing countries if all women in the studies receive AZT. No one, in good conscience, wants to recommend widespread use of any regimen of AZT without being sure it is safe for pregnant women. In addition, we don’t yet know if the short course regimen will be of any benefit If it is not effective or it proves unsafe, then we , must move quickly to explore other preventive options. Currently, HIV-infected women in the developing world have no real options to keep them from passing the virus to their children. This research is the best hope for finding a solution quickly. The lives of millions of unborn babies depend on it Dr. Helene Gayle Director CDC’s National Center for HTV, STD and TB prevention. ■y - . i

"Christmas tame early this year"

I am Jewish. I do not celebrate walked down to my basement to Christmas, although I certainly watch TV. An hour or so later I acknowledge it and enjoy spend- was on the phone wishing a friend ing this time of year with friends happy holidays when one of my who celebrate the holiday. Over smoke alarms upstairs went off. the years, I have heard many The siren sound was painfully friends say, “Christmas came eariy lou d- However, having just have this year.” While I am an obser- moved in and still getting used to vant Jew, I believe the Lord can my new Estridge Group home, I work in mysterious ways. This is thought it was possibly a false written with all due respect to alarm. I am learning a lot about GodL as well as friends who pray my new home. Had it not been for to Jesus Christ. the extremely loud and irritating Late Christmas Eve, after lieht- noise, I may have ignored the ing my Hanukkah candles, I alarm. Thankfully, I did not. My kitchen was on fire! Somehow my

menorah had caught fire. had engulfed my menorah and y j I have a fairly sophisticated se- were spreading from the kitchen curity system in place at my house, sink. Had I disregarded the single including several smoke alarms alarm, I would have been trapped and carbon monoxide detectors, (wife no way out) in my basement Ironically, none of the smoke and possibly died. I was able to alarms which are wired to the se- extinguish the fire (I keep a fire curity system went off. Only fee extinguisher handy) with minimal Estridge-installed smoke alarm damage to my new home. Only worked. The alarm company had my menorah was lost previously installed several The gift given me feat night did alarms, none of which worked. , not come wife pretty paper, a box > The builder-installed smoke or bow. It was a gift nevertheless, alarm saved my life. It certainly as well as a biasring, caused me to get oat of my basement and upstairs where flames Jeffrey Cohen

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Put your mind in geur before you spook ----- - ■ - l —

In today's society the old saying, “Put your mind in gear before you speak or act,” is something all employees should live by. In most workplaces a friendly, caring and fcn environment is usually welcome, but ftm can spell lawsuit if it’s carried loo far. There used to be a time when a joke or prank among co-workers was a means to pass fee time or to alleviate boredom. But in modem workplaces where being politically correct is a necessfty a once

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