Black Family Faces Jail Time For Cheering At Graduation, Plus Other MyBrownBaby Fresh Links

A proud Black family deserves jail time for cheering on their loved one at graduation?
A ColorOfChange.org petition

Overcome with joy at the sight of graduate Lanarcia Walker receiving a diploma, her father let out a “You did it, baby!” as she strode across the stage. For that show of emotion — and for violating a “no yelling” policy — they were ejected from the ceremony. However, two weeks later, The Walker family was served with court papers; Superintendent Jay Foster had filed disturbing the peace charges against them! They may be facing real jail time, and hefty fines they say they cannot afford to pay. There are other ways to deter noise making at a graduation besides criminalizing proud Black families. This is a classic example of Black communities being overcharged for seemingly innocuous actions. The Walker family are due in court this Monday, and it’s unclear if the Tate County District Attorney will press charges or not.

Join us in demanding Superintendent Jay Foster drop the charges against the Walkers. With enough public outrage, we have a chance at getting him to walk back this egregious behavior

 

Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping May Benefit Children Years Later
Tara Haelle for NPR
Delaying the clamping of the cord allows more blood to transfer from the placenta to the infant, sometimes increasing the infant’s blood volume by up to a third. The iron in the blood increases infants’ iron storage, and iron is essential for healthy brain development. “The extra blood at birth helps the baby to cope better with the transition from life in the womb, where everything is provided for them by the placenta and the mother, to the outside world,” Rabe said. “Their lungs get more blood so that the exchange of oxygen into the blood can take place smoothly.

Throw Away the Script: How Media Bias Is Killing Black America
Kirsten West Savali for TheRoot.com
If institutionalized racism is the poison, then mainstream media is the hypodermic needle that pushes it deeply into the veins of society, rendering the humanity of black people invisible. And an increased awareness tells us that some media professionals don’t even realize they’re dealers. Relying on a well-worn template that frames black people as thugs and cultural malignancies by default is not news; it is propaganda that serves only to reaffirm for many Americans what they think they know about black people.

When Talking About Race Upsets Your White Mother
Diana Emiko for Medium.com
“I want her to know that nothing’s inherently bad about white people. But there is something inherently bad about white racism/privilege/guilt and doing nothing about it. I want her to know that she is my mother through and through. But in my lifetime, I will never be read as white and cannot identify like her. It doesn’t mean that I dismiss her, yet it seems hard to convince her of anything else.”

Confessions of Moms Around the World
Video by The Atlantic
“We interviewed 10 moms living in various countries and asked them what it’s like to be them and what makes motherhood in their country unique. Their answers speak volumes about how our families and communities can influence the way we raise our children. And they might make American moms wonder whether they should really be jealous of Swedish women and their supposedly ultra-egalitarian husbands.”