Black Superwomen More Likely to Have Pre-Term Births

Black women are twice as likely to have babies before the 37th week of their pregnancy…though 38-42 weeks is the norm.  Since we are more likely to give birth early, we are more likely to also have problems with our preganancy or our babies are more likely to have problems.  Supposedly 12% of Black women have a gene defect that causes a decrease in collagen…and collagen is the protein that strengthens the sac that the fetus grows in.  This decrease in collagen increases the chance of pre-term births.  Black women should eat healthy, exercise, take vitamins, stop smoking, and lose weight if they want to decrease their changes of pre-term births. [WJZ-TV 13 Baltimore]

DL Hughley on Obama and Black Women

I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show this morning and DL Hughley was on promoting his new show on CNN that will come on Saturdays at 10pm ET starting October 25th.  He’ll have guests on to discuss politics, entertainment and sports…you know, what Black folks want to talk about.  What was interesting was that he made a comment about Black women and Obama that had me thinking.  He said, and of course this is paraphrased: 

Black women hate to see a brotha with a White woman, and Black women LOVE Obama…so it’s ironic that without a brotha being with a White woman there would be no Obama. 

He said this in the context of discussing how if Obama wins the presidency, bigger than White America dealing with a Black president will be Black America dealing with a Black president.  He said that there are a lot of things that we will have to evaluate about ourselves…one major thing being that the Black man that made it where no Black man had ever been had been raised essentially outside of this country by White people.  I think the notion is fascinating …that it would take a Black man that is mixed and has excelled to be accepted by White America, and even more fascinating that maybe only a Black man that was raised outside of normal Black culture and without the normal burdens of a Black American could have the positivity and courage to reach for something so seemingly unattainable.  Makes you think, huh?