Monday, February 28, 2005
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Democratic Party of Georgia College Internships
Democratic Party of Georgia College Internship
Positions Available: 12
Requested Majors: Political Science, English, History, Pre-Law, Public Policy, and Public Administration
Date Requested: Immediately or for the Fall, Winter, & Spring Terms
Time Available: Preferably Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm, some weekend opportunities depending on various needs
Job Description: Intern needed to assist Deputy Finance Director, Political Liaison, Finance Consultant, Comptroller, House Caucus Research and Fieldwork, and Executive Assistant with various assignments as needed. The position will not be paid.
Responsibilities include but not limited to: · Assist fundraising events or projects · Assist Congressional district state committee and county chair operations · General administrative duties including faxing, filing, copying, and answering phones. · Research various information related to the Democratic Party · Organize and update various contact information · Computer assignments using Microsoft Word and Excel
Qualifications needed: · Reliable and dependable · Basic Computer Skills · Friendly and flexible · Ability to work independently as well as under Supervision · Interest in Democratic politics and in current local and national events
Interested Students Contact: Tahir Duckett (404) 870-8201, tduckett@georgiaparty.com
Friday, February 25, 2005
Writer's 20-year stuggle with depression a window on a world where black men go untreated
Writer's 20-year struggle with depression a window on a world where black men go untreated John Head — father of three healthy sons, winner of professional awards and husband to a prominent physician — looked at himself one day and reached a conclusion about his life and all the things that he had worked so hard to achieve. It was time to kill himself.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/25/05 
No matter the distance he had traveled from the days as a boy growing up in Butts County: Feelings of worthlessness, sadness and hopelessness clogged his brain.
In comparison, death seemed soothing.
"I had this railing in my apartment, and I took the rope that I'd saved from my move," Head recalled last week. "I measured the rope and the distance from the railing, where I'd hang the rope, to a chair. I measured how long the rope would need to be. And I rehearsed it."
During his death rehearsal that day in 1996, he suddenly realized he'd be repeating the cycle, burdening his sons with the same loneliness he had endured as a black boy who didn't know his father.
Worse, his boys would grow up with the knowledge that their father had taken his life. It was at that moment that Head accepted, after 20 years, that he had a mental illness, depression.
"That was when I really knew that what I was going through was not only painful but deadly," said Head, 53." That was when I really opened up to the idea of getting treatment."
Head's experience led him to write "Standing in the Shadows: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men" ($22.95, Broadway Books), published last fall.
Mental health officials have hailed the book as a brave, personal story of how paralyzing depression can be to African-American men.
Beneath the personal poignancy, however, lies a disturbing undercurrent, said many mental health experts: If an accomplished, highly informed black man refused for 20 years to seek treatment for depression, how difficult is it for uneducated or poor black men to seek help?
As Black History Month winds down, some mental health experts who work with black males suggest that these questions deserve greater study and discussion.
They believe that depression is likely a key factor in a 233 percent increase in suicide in black males aged 10-14 from 1980 to 1995.
"Black men feel that they have to be twice as good as other people, that you can't be weak because other people will take advantage of you," said Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. surgeon general who oversaw the 1999 surgeon general's report on mental health in the United States. "Those [pressures] work powerfully against a black male seeking treatment for depression and other mental illnesses."
Studies suggest that an equal percentage — 12 percent — of black males and white males suffer from depression.
Fewer black men are treated for it, however. While only one-third of all Americans with a mental illness receive care, less than half that number of African-Americans receive mental health treatment, according to Satcher's 1999 report.
And about one in four African-Americans is uninsured, compared with about 16 percent of the U.S. population overall. African-Americans are less likely to receive antidepressants, and when they do, they are more likely than whites to stop taking them.
Particularly troubling to those who study and treat mental illness in black men is their disproportionately higher rates of incarceration than other racial groups. Nearly half the male U.S. prison population is black, and about 40 percent of those in the juvenile justice system are black. About 12 percent of the U.S. population is black.
Untreated depression and other mental illness in black men is a contributing factor, mental health experts believe.
"It's a very difficult and very serious situation for these young men and for society," said Dr. Alvin Pouissant, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and co-author of "Lay My Burden Down," which examines the escalating suicide rates of young black males.
Closer to home, psychiatrists who work with Atlanta's homeless and black youth said they see dozens of black males each year head to jail or juvenile justice when they should be in treatment centers.
"It happens all the time, and it's very alarming," said Dr. Raymond J. Kotwicki, medical director of community outreach programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at Emory University School of Medicine.
While all mental illnesses come wrapped in stigma, mental illnesses in black men are even more entangled. Historical racism and current cultural biases and expectations all play a part, mental health advocates said.
Nearly two-thirds of African-Americans believe mental illness is a shortcoming that can be overcome through prayer and faith, according to a study by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
In Head's case, his wife, a physician who is a researcher with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kept gently telling him that he was ill.
His own mind told him, though, that he was worthless.
He lived off and on with that feeling and an array of other negative emotions for years.
Head, former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter and editorial board member, had served as press secretary for former Mayor Maynard Jackson.
He had felt for years that he was a failure who would be exposed any day as a phony.
To admit that he had depression would be to advertise to the world that "one more black man was a failure," Head thought.
"There's this idea that your manhood is something the rest of the world is trying to deny," Head said. "So we learn as young boys not to be weak, not to show our shortcomings."
Head found a therapist he trusted. While he balked initially at the thought of taking medication, his doctor convinced him he needed it. It took a while to find the right antidepressant, but they finally did. Head continued with psychotherapy for several years but now goes in only occasionally.
Head considers himself fortunate. His wife, Dr. Claire Broome, stood by him throughout. His employer was understanding. He had insurance and a good income. He can't begin to imagine the difficulties that less fortunate black men face.
"It's almost impossible," Head said. "In those cases, access to mental health care is in an emergency room or behind bars."
Thursday, February 24, 2005
GA Legislative Alert
| HB 218 is a bill that would keep secret from the public “economic development” deals made by state and local agencies. This legislation is bad for property values, bad for communities, and bad for the environment. Every paper in the state has published editorials against this bill and many Republicans have expressed their opposition. The Governor supports this bill. To read the complete text of the bill, please go to http://www.legis.state.ga.us In addition to local and state agencies, 895 local development authorities would be exempt from providing any information about these deals (location, nature of business, environmental impact) until the deal was done, signed and sealed, and ready for the final permitting process--which very rarely derails a bad project. Rural areas of Georgia will be especially vulnerable to the abuse allowed by this legislation. This bill passed the House 118-52. TODAY, the entire Senate will consider HB 218. We need each of you to CALL the office of your Senator, give your name and address so they’ll know that you are a constituent and urge your Senator to vote AGAINST this bill. Please visit www.ajc.com to read an editorial in today’s paper from Attorney General Thurbert Baker which is relevant to this issue. To find out who your state Senator is: www.legis.state.ga.us Click on “Find Your Legislator”, then GA Officials and Agencies, then My Elected Official. Insert your address, press GO and the names of your state Senator and Rep. will appear. Or visit www.vote-smart.com. Please ask your friends and colleagues, especially those who may know Republican Senators, to contact them today--preferably this morning. |
This e-mail was generated by the Georgia for Democracy website by Page Gleason for Georgia for Democracy. To unsubscribe from this website, go to: http://www.georgiafordemocracy |
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
The President, the First Lady and Dick Cheney are flying on Air Force One. George looks at Laura, chuckles and says, "You know, I could throw a $1,000.00 bill out the window right now and make somebody very happy."
Laura shrugs her shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten $100.00 bills out the window and make 10 people very happy."
Cheney says, "Of course then, I could throw one hundred $10.00 bills out the window and make a hundred people very happy."
The pilot rolls his eyes, looks at all of them and says to his co-pilot, "Such big shots back there ... hell, I could throw all of them out the window and make 56 million people very happy."
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Javier Brown for VP of Programs
As I reflect on the political landscape of Georgia, my
heart gets heavy. Republicans have control of the
State House and Senate, and the Governor's mansion and
most Georgians are suffering from this. Our seniors
and children are going without healthcare, Class sizes
are rising, and to top it off, our security is being
compromised with talks of selling old police uniforms
through the internet. This “New Georgia” lacks
promises for the future. Fewer students will be able
to afford to go to college due to cuts in the HOPE
scholarship.
I think its time to send Governor Purdue a message
that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. We must stand
up and say we don’t want this New Georgia, we must
stand up and say that we demand more funding for
Peachcare, schools, and Hope Scholarship, we must
stand up and take back the house the senate and the
Governor’s mansion in 2006.
Today, I formally announce my candidacy for Vice
President of Programs for Young Democrats of Georgia.
Together we can bring back the old Georgia. Let us
work together to bring back the core values of the
Democratic Party to all.
My experience as president of the Atlanta University
Center Young Democrats has helped me learn how to
develop programs to strengthen chapters. This is the
type of experience essential for VP of Programs.
Let’s host grassroots trainings throughout the state.
Pat Pullar said it best, “we talk about grassroots but
we don’t have the seeds”. If we want to campaign
through effective grassroots methods, we must be
trained to do so. This is the year to train as many
young democrats throughout the state as possible. In
2006, we will have a strong army of activist to
campaign for candidates throughout the state.
We must begin to host regular programs with our
current elected officials. Rallies, speaker series,
and forums are perfect ways to discuss our issues as
active democrats to prepare for our next campaign
season.
We must start campaigning today for our next
elections; remain in constant contact with our
potential votes. A campaign does not start 3 months
before the elections but the day after the last
election.
I look forward to your support on April 9. Please Vote
Javier Brown for Vice President of Programs, Young
Democrats of Georgia
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