Author: Carma Henry

Installation of Pastor Kevin Lamár Peterman at Historic DC Church Indicates Next Power Move for Social Justice in America

      Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has confirmed an increase in leptospirosis cases and related deaths as Jamaica continues to grapple with public-health challenges following Hurricane Melissa.

     When our Boyd H. Anderson High School boys’ varsity basketball team was invited to compete in a prestigious tournament in Houston, Texas, I knew it would be a special experience for our players. But none of us expected the trip to turn into a once-in-a-lifetime reunion that connected nearly fifty years of Broward County basketball history.

       With it being cold and flu season, there is much conversation in the community about vaccines.  Some people are cheerful about Florida’s new policy that will end the vaccination requirement for school entry, being the first U.S. state to do so, beginning December 2025.  They believe that parents should be free to decide whether to vaccinate their kids against diseases like chicken pox and Hepatitis B, rather than the government making that decision. But the law proposal has also alarmed some medical professionals, who said that lower vaccination rates will weaken herd immunity and could cause highly contagious diseases like measles and polio to come back in schools, which would be very dangerous. Dr. Renard Rawls, MD, a gastroenterologist in Jacksonville, Florida, with more than 25 years of experience, says, “A vaccine mandate not only protects those who are vaccinated but also others in our community who cannot get vaccinated due to chronic conditions that may compromise their immune system. We, as a society, rely on herd immunity to keep everyone safe. Without a requirement for vaccinations, we might lose this protection. The policy puts individual freedom against the safety of the public’s health”. Others are happy to see this requirement being lifted.  One mother who would like to remain anonymous said, “I don’t want the government telling me what to do with my children.  Whether or not they get vaccinated should be a decision I make as a parent and not a politician.”  

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, introduced the Urban and Rural Diabetes Initiative Act (H.R. 6241) yesterday in honor of National Diabetes Month, which is celebrated in November. This bill will establish an initiative to provide grants to public and non-profit healthcare providers for diabetes prevention, care, and treatment programs in medically underserved urban and rural communities. The bill is cosponsored by 21 of the Congresswoman’s congressional colleagues and endorsed by the American Diabetes Association. 

   Racism is not merely prejudice or bias; it is a systemic serial killer that stalks Black lives across generations. It weaponizes institutions, social policies, and cultural norms to inflict harm, shorten lifespans, and deny dignity. Unlike a lone assailant acting in the shadows, racism is a coordinated structure—visible, persistent, and lethal.

   The audit found a funding shortfall of $398 million for the voucher program during the 2024-2025 school year. It also found missed cross-check opportunities and ineffective survey processes, which led to funding inequities in some public schools.

     There comes a time when we must speak plainly, especially when the winds of accusation begin to blow unevenly across our political landscape. Today, I stand in support of confronting double standards —not to dismiss the seriousness of the charges brought against her, but to demand a level of scrutiny, fairness, and consistency that our nation seems increasingly unwilling to apply equally.

Make Collecting Family Health History Part Of Your Thanksgiving Plans

Patience. Just the word alone can make most of us take a deep breath. In a world of same-day delivery, instant streaming, and quick-turn responses, waiting feels almost foreign. We live in a time where everything is designed for speed, answers, results, even relationships. Yet, spiritually speaking, the moments that shape us most deeply are often the ones where we have no choice but to wait.