Let’s face it, blacks living below the poverty line — and some above it — have bigger fish to fry, literally, than Michelle Obama’s health initiative. Lack of nutrition education and the misperception of the impact it could have, along with, quite frankly, lack of interest in it, are so deeply ingrained in the culture of underprivileged blacks that it could render the first lady’s initiative ineffective.
An extremely noble effort, Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is geared toward impacting the unhealthy lifestyles of today’s families, which is the primary culprit in over half the nation’s children being over their healthy weight. But, with little resources, substandard education, and cultural strongholds to contend with, poor blacks will more than likely miss the boat, again. She spoke to the changes she was able to make within her own family, but she’s part of the first family of the U.S., with access to all the tools that she needs to make it happen. It’s not that easy for rest of the population.
When in the trenches with struggling blacks, it’s apparent that, generally speaking, most information meant to advance us by revolutionizing our thinking is considered to be for “them.” We feel that many enriching tools are simply out of our reach, even when they are practically handed to us. So, how do efforts such as “Let’s Move” not leave us left behind?
While there is no clear answer to that question, a good start might be to effect change in as many controlled environments as possible. Schools, churches, etc., where there are opportunities for mass dissemination of information and incorporation of change into actual activities can have an immediate impact. It’s home life, though, that presents an almost insurmountable challenge.
Single-parent homes, with the only parent working long hours to stay afloat, and the convenience and relative inexpensiveness of fast food and quick bites for dinner won’t likely change anytime soon. That being said, somehow empowering other places where we congregate, such the workplace, to educate and impact cultural challenges, creating more after-hours controlled environments for children, and possibly offering government incentives to producers of healthier fare to make it more affordable, could be good approaches, albeit the tip of the iceberg. However, those options lead to “throwing more money at it,” over and above the $1 billion annually that the program will already cost taxpayers. Hate to forecast gloom and doom, but not likely.
In view of the aforementioned seemingly impassable bumps in the road headed toward improved health for poor blacks, is there a viable answer? Could be, but to get there, there needs to be more dialogue about the perpetual issue of the poverty-stricken remaining behind the curve. Feel free to chime in. –gerald radford
