New Mexico Black Leadership Council

Author: Shannon Moreau

  • Thanksgiving and the Black Community: NMBLC Staff Share Bittersweet Memories

    Thanksgiving and the Black Community: NMBLC Staff Share Bittersweet Memories

    While Thanksgiving is usually an occasion of joy and bonding for the Black community, the holiday bears a re-examination during the turmoil of 2020.

    The year 2020 is a time in our country where many people are questioning what they thought they knew about America’s history, values, and traditions. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that many in the Black community have mixed feelings about. For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s a time for family reunion, gratitude and signature dishes. The original focus of this post was the NMBLC staff’s favorite T-Day dish. Most of us, however, will not be spending the holiday as we usually do, because of the Coronavirus. That makes re-examining this holiday all the more timely.

    The Thanksgiving Myth

    Americans were generally taught that the first Thanksgiving holiday was about a peaceful breaking of bread between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans in 1621. In reality, it was more like an unexpected meeting between New England colonists who were out hunting, and members of the Wampanoag tribe who showed up to investigate the ruckus. A shared feast followed over the next few days, and a treaty was sealed between the two groups. What’s often left out of the story, however, is that for the next fifty years, the alliance was tested by colonial land expansion, the spread of disease, and the exploitation of the Wampanoag tribe’s resources. When the treaty ended with King Phillips’ war in 1675, hundreds of colonists and thousands of Native Americans were killed.

    About the same time the Native Americans were being massacred by the colonists, kidnapped slaves were being brought over to the colonies from Africa. 

    The Black community has a complicated relationship with Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving has been a problematic concern for many people of color, including African Americans, even before now.

    In a 2015 article in Ebony magazine, Vann Newkirk of The Atlantic wrote “The love that Black people have for the Thanksgiving holiday would seem to fly in the face of our shared history with American Indians, which is defined greatly by oppression at the hands of the White majority.” 

    Kymone Freeman added, “How can we honor a day that celebrates the White man’s Manifest Destiny, a legacy of slavery, land robbery, culture wrecking and the outright extermination of both wild beasts and tame men?” 

    The love that Black people have for the Thanksgiving holiday would seem to fly in the face of our shared history with American Indians

    — Vann Newkirk, The Atlantic

    Some of our NMBLC members do not celebrate Thanksgiving for similar reasons. (Scroll to the end of this post to see more.) 

    During slavery, Thanksgiving was one of the holidays that offered enslaved Black community respite from their days of forced labor and violent subjugation. Families members who had been separated by auction could go visit each other on neighboring plantations.

    In modern times, Thanksgiving can still provide relief from day to day oppression to Black and marginalized people. It’s often the one time a year that family can reunite with those who are far away. It can be a place of safety from the often hostile interactions with the white world, and a break from cultural acceptability performance. Thanksgiving celebrations fortify the bonds of communion sorely needed among humans, especially marginalized communities. Black people can share and enjoy dishes that reflect the African-American culture, such as sweet potato pie or mac and cheese.

    Harvest celebrations exist outside the American Thanksgiving

    The original 1621 Thanksgiving was a routine harvest celebration that had been celebrated by the colonists and indigenous peoples before and since. It wasn’t until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Ironically enough, his motivation was to “heal the wounds of the nation” caused by the Civil War.

    Harvest and gratitude celebrations have been going on across the globe for centuries. Native Americans celebrate blessings several times a year. In an article published by Indian Country Today, Ramona Peters, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, says, “We give thanks more than once a year in formal ceremony for different season, for the green corn thanksgiving, for the arrival of certain fish species, whales, the first snow, our new year in May—there are so many ceremonies and I think most cultures have similar traditions.”

    “We give thanks more than once a year in formal ceremony.”

    — Ramona Peters, of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

    In New Mexico alone, over a dozen different feast celebrations are held among the various Pueblos September through November. Globally, there are the Moon Festival in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; Sukkot, an autumn Jewish festival celebrated in Israel; and the Yam Festival in Ghana, Papua New Guinea and Nigeria.

    Thanksgiving and the Black community in 2020

    Now, as we head into a second lockdown in New Mexico and an alarming spike in COVID cases across the nation, many will be forced to spend the Thanksgiving holiday alone. As mentioned earlier, the original focus of this post was favorite Thanksgiving dishes in the Black community and fond memories about them. How quickly things changed. The responses reveal a bittersweet appreciation of times past. Now we can only hope that next year, however we celebrate the autumn season, we can gather again in person and enjoy each other‘s signature dishes. 

    Those who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving take this time to reflect and educate on the complicated history surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday.

    Read memories and musings by the NMBLC staff about Thanksgiving this sobering holiday season.

    NMBLC Memories of Thanksgivings Past

    Cathryn McGill, Founder/CEO

    Cathy McGill's mother Rubye Carter black and white graduation photo

    Cathy McGill’s mother, Rubye Carter

    In Cathy’s Words: Cornbread dressing was perfected by my beloved mother

    My favorite Thanksgiving dish is CORNBREAD. DRESSING. Cornbread dressing is everything.  And it needs to be stuffed inside a perfectly cooked juicy turkey (I only like dark meat).  My most poignant memory of Thanksgiving was in November 2008—the last Thanksgiving I spent with my beloved mother, Rubye Carter.  Albeit ill and lacking energy, she got herself to that kitchen table I remember so well and made up the cornbread, cut up the celery and onions with the perfect blend of spices and made her signature dressing just as expertly as she always had.  My only contribution was to put it in the oven for her.  She made her transition less than two weeks later – too soon and way before any of us were ready but that moment and Rubye’s cornbread dressing are indelibly etched on my brain, in my heart and most assuredly on my thighs forever.  

    Megan Bott, Marketing and Communications Manager

    Megan Bott, NMBLC Marketing and Communications Manager

    Megan Bott loves her mother’s sweet potato pie.

    In Megan’s Words: Sweet potato pie is one of the reasons I love Thanksgiving

    My mom’s sweet potato pie is my most favorite Thanksgiving dish. It is actually one of the reasons why I love Thanksgiving. No one can replicate this sweet potato pie that my mom makes. Every year she makes one just for my husband and I because we will eat the entire thing ourselves (not all in one day, more like 3 tops). I always have some the night of Thanksgiving and sometimes I top it with marshmallows and pop it in the microwave to melt the marshmallow. The following day I always eat it for breakfast too. My in-laws request a pie of their own from my mom every year now! The pie-fame is well deserved!

    Shawna Brown, Deputy Director

    In Shawna’s Words: The American holiday of Thanksgiving is an opportunity to acknowledge our painful past.

    The idea of Thanksgiving has evolved for me over time. Like most youth in America, I was taught that Thanksgiving represented a coming together of different cultures, and visually represented peace between Indigenous Wampanoag people and Pilgrims. However, that story and its imagery creates a false narrative and continues the erasure of Indigenous people’s experiences pre and post colonization. It visually marks the “blending of cultures” but negates to address the wars, stolen lands, and genocide caused by European settlers and perpetuated by the United States government. So, it is safe to say that I don’t “celebrate Thanksgiving” but many people do, honoring this day as a moment to pause and give thanks for what we have. So when invited to their Thanksgiving dinners, I use them as a reflective opportunity. I share the importance of acknowledging the stolen land that we gather on (the unceded lands of the Tiwa speaking peoples of the Sandia and Isleta Pueblos). This moment of acknowledgement recognizes our painful past, honors those whose blood was violently shed, and lends us an opportunity to reimagine a new future based in truth. And for that opportunity, I give thanks.

    Shannon Moreau, Operations

    Shannon Moreau and her mother on their last Thanksgiving

    In Shannon’s Words: Thanksgiving’s just not the same since Mom died

    When I was younger, Thanksgiving was about going to the farmhouse of my grandparents and eating all of the delicious home-cooked dishes that my grandmother made. As I got older and my mom drifted away from her parents, Thanksgiving became about perfecting my own dishes and spending time with my mother. After my mother passed away, Thanksgiving became about being thankful for my friends and the love that I do have in my life. Now that my mom is gone, I don’t enjoy cooking for Thanksgiving at all. In addition, during the last few months of lockdown, I converted entirely to a vegan diet. Something about the current crisis spurred me to think about ways to support my health as well as the health of the planet. So this year I’m putting in an order at the La Montanita Co-op for a vegan pumpkin pie. It’s my new favorite way to imbibe on Thanksgiving. Besides mimosas before noon, that is.

    Thanksgiving Resources

    If you need assistance this holiday season, contact one of the following organizations for help:

    For comprehensive resources in the city of Albuquerque, check out the ACRG: https://abqcrg.org/

    Food

    Roadrunner Food Bank: https://www.rrfb.org/find-help/find-food/

    Drive Through Grocery Pickup for Low Income Seniors: https://www.bernco.gov/general-news.aspx?aa431b263de84365b8eaae43ab63bd6dblogPostId=04afe988d86046008c5bc76bdca19f9b

    Steelbridge will be distributing pre-packaged food from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at four different locations in Albuquerque: Coors and Central, Los Altos park, Caravan parking lot (7605 Central NE, east of Louisiana) and their building at 2021 2nd St. For more information, call 505-346-4673.

    Joy Junction will hand out individual boxed meals from their Lifeline of Hope mobile food trucks on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

    KRQE’s list of additional food resources: https://www.krqe.com/krqe-plus/community-reports/where-you-can-get-free-thanksgiving-meals-in-new-mexico/

    Mental Health

    New Mexico Crisis and Access Line – 1-855-NMCRISIS (1-855-662-7474)

    Behavioral Health App – https://cbs4local.com/news/local/new-mexico-unveils-app-for-behavioral-health-support

    Agora Crisis Center – agoracares.org, 505-277-3013, 855-505-4505

    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK

  • Z The Author, Hip Hop Musician from New Mexico, Gains National Attention

    Z The Author, Hip Hop Musician from New Mexico, Gains National Attention

    Former WizKid and Roots Academy graduate Z The Author Just Released a New Hip Hop EP

    New Mexico musician Zavier Thompson first entered New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s radar as a WizKid in the Roots productions. Throughout his teen and early college years he developed his skills as a spoken word writer and hip-hop artist, adopting the professional name Z The Author. He just released his latest EP titled “Look How They Treat Us.” Now, he’s getting attention on the national music scene. He was recently interviewed by Ella Marie, a YouTube vlogger out of Chicago.

    In the 30 minute interview, Z The Author talks about his writing inspiration

    “Especially in hip-hop, with rappers, people call us fake, like we don’t live the life we talk about. But there’s a difference between being fake and speaking something into existence. Wanting something or being hungry for something.”

    The Author describes the music scene in New Mexico 

    “We’re a bunch of people who love to create and we have no creative bounds.”

    —Z The Author on the music scene in New Mexico

    The backstory behind Z The Author’s recent video, “Khali’s Interlude” 

    “We wanted to tell the story of young people, young African-Americans that are just living their lives, but for some reason living your life is a crime in the eyes of some people.”

    Z The Author’s message as an African American musician. 

    “I only want people to believe in themselves and believe in us as a community.”

    —Z The Author

    “That we can eventually get through all of the stuff that happens, through all of the things that go on in our society. I want us to know that ultimately we can reconcile. Through all of the hate and all of the stuff that happens I feel like there’s always love deep rooted in there. It’s just a matter of pulling it out, acknowledging it, and recognizing it.

    “It’s almost like writing an essay. You want to state what the current status is, and by the end of it you want to say this is what I want to be in the future.”

    Z The Author gives a shout out to the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative

    Be the change that you wish to see. 

    —Z the Author on voting

    Z The Author worked on a video encouraging Black youth to vote.

    Get to know Z The Author by watching the full interview here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91rgh4-koVw&fbclid=IwAR3brAbRXQ1wsyjVdlweCGFZNdyhNRevm7VQTvOPprW4wJaKXhRjpfyR63A ] 

    Watch Z The Author’s first spoken word video, at age fifteen, “Listen” (feat. Fernando Barrios).

    We knew you when, Z.

    Learn more about Z The Author

    Follow him on social media and listen to his music on your favorite platform.

    IG – https://www.instagram.com/ztheauthor/

    FB – https://www.facebook.com/ZavierTheAuthor  

    YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM7Jvv5X0-WvaexXNeuvwjQ 

    Stream “Look How They Treat Us” on 

    Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/user-32156292/albums

    Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/0FWvMX2hKKR7VC4K0ORqOW

    or wherever you get your music.

  • NMBLC’s Halloween Movies and TV Picks for 2020

    NMBLC’s Halloween Movies and TV Picks for 2020

    Which Halloween movies spoke to the NMBLC staff in this turbulent time of 2020?

    The mood around Halloween 2020 could be unsettling like no Halloween before. COVID continues to spread and endanger people’s lives. Many beloved Halloween traditions will be altered or eliminated this year. CDC guidelines strongly advise against trick-or-treating, large Halloween parties, and inviting all your friends over for in-house Halloween movie night. New Mexico public health order restrictions apply to all these Halloween activities.

    In addition to the pandemic anxiety, police brutality and killings of unarmed African Americans brought the reality of racial tension in America to the forefront of the nation’s consciousness. Wide-spread protests, violent armed reactions, and painful conversations with friends and family have shaken people’s sense of safety and surety about their place in the world.

    Then, of course, there’s the upcoming election stress.

    All this real life fear and dread will most likely affect our entertainment choices this Halloween. So instead of the usual favorite Halloween movies list, we put together a different list of staff picks for Halloween movies in 2020. We asked the NMBLC gang the following question:

    Given the surreal and devastating events of this year, which Halloween movies speak to you in 2020?

    See below for the answers!

    Cathryn McGill, Founder/CEO

    The Birds movie still. A woman and children flee as birds attack overhead.

    Movie still from The Birds. Not pictured: Cathy.

    Cathy’s Pick

    The Birds, 1963

    Synopsis: In Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier, a family is terrorized by violent bird attacks in Bodega Bay, California.   

    In Cathy’s words: The Birds are beautiful, right?

    When I was a child I saw The Birds. This Alfred Hitchcock film has fueled my lifelong, unhealthy fear of birds.  To be clear, Hitchcock’s movie is why I could never choose ornithology as a profession. The surrealness of the feeling in the air with those birds sitting on the wire reminds me of all of my chilling feels recently with dual global pandemics – COVID-19 and racism.  My apocalyptic anticipation of impending doom and physical harm is so reminiscent of my childhood angst waiting for those birds to swoop in and peck me to pieces.  It was just a movie, right?  And this is just one really bad year in a long history of good ones, right?  The best is yet to come, right? And BIRDS are beautiful, right?  R-I-G-H-T!  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  Happy Halloween, y’all.

    Where you can watch it:

    Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Tippi-Hedren/dp/B000I8H7RI

    Kindra Hill, Senior Project Coordinator

    Kindra Hill, NMBLC Senior Project Coordinator

    Kindra at the NMBLC office, taking a break for the requested headshot.

    Kindra’s Pick

    Night of the Living Dead, 1968

    Synopsis: In this indie horror cult classic, seven people trapped in a rural farmhouse try to survive an attack by cannibalistic corpses.

    In Kindra’s Words: Night of the Living Dead is a classic zombie movie

    This zombie movie is a classic, yet not everybody knows about it. I didn’t really hear about it until I was in college, and I’ve watched it multiple times since. Coming out during a time of civil unrest in America, it featured a Black actor and that was a big deal. This group of people are trying to survive an apocalypse, and are stuck together in a house. It’s very similar to what we’re going through now, quarantining during these ever-changing times, not sure what dangers lie within our supposedly safe spaces, or just outside the door.

    Where you can watch it:

    Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Night-Living-Dead-Duane-Jones/dp/B018TGKYIO

    Megan Bott, Marketing and Communications Manager

    Megan Bott as a little girl in a Halloween princess costume

    Megan did not want to be a princess for Halloween!

    Megan’s Pick

    The Twilight Zone (original series), 1959 to 1964

    Synopsis: This anthology television series, created by Rod Serling, blended science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Every episode was introduced by Serling, and featured a new main character who found themselves in a bizarre or frightening situation that was described as “the Twilight Zone.”

    In Megan’s Words: The Twilight Zone is a nice place to watch, but . . . 

    I am a huge fan of the Twilight Zone (old school episodes from the ’60s) but not a fan of living in it! I often feel like we’ve slipped into the Twilight Zone.

    Check out this article on the 13 scariest episodes of The Twilight Zone https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/13-scariest-twilight-zone-episodes-ranked/2900-2600/

    Where you can watch it:

    Hulu – https://www.hulu.com/series/the-twilight-zone-7103ca33-722b-4915-b4e7-b469fd4e0ccb

    CBS All Access – https://www.cbs.com/shows/the-twilight-zone-classic/       

    Netflix – https://www.netflix.com/title/70172488

    Shawna Brown, Deputy Director

    Shawna Brown, NMBLC Deputy, Halloween

    Jack Skellington is Shawna’s fave.

    Shawna’s Pick

    Lovecraft Country, 2020

    Synopsis: A Korean war veteran enlists his uncle and childhood friend on a road trip to find his missing father in the 1950s. The journey leads them across Jim Crow America, a minefield fraught with the horrors of racism and the monstrous creatures that could have been ripped out of a Lovecraft novel.

    In Shawna’s Words: Lovecraft County is the time-piece for 2020

    Though it is not a Halloween movie, Lovecraft Country is it for me. Between the sci-fi, action, horror, AND timeliness of THIS time-piece, it is my favorite thing in October 2020. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuMF1-2aQv8

    Where you can watch it:

    HBO –  https://www.hbo.com/lovecraft-country

    Stephanie McIver, Founder/Director, New Mexico Black Mental Health Coalition

    Stephanie McIver Halloween Queen Bee

    Stephanie is the Queen B.

    Stephanie’s Pick

    The Witch, 2016

    Synopsis: In 1600s New England, a farmer is banished from the church, forcing him to move his family to a remote plot of land on the outskirts of civilization. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen, testing each family member’s faith in terrible ways.

    In Stephanie’s Words: The Witch touches on women’s rights and freedoms

    Though I tend to avoid scary movies at all costs, I was encouraged to watch this by my film critic daughter and my cinephile close friend. Loved it. It tapped into my childhood obsession with Salem witches and clearly touched on the contemporary issue of women’s oppression and rights and freedoms. Just the right amount of scare with a powerful dash of women’s empowerment.

    Where you can watch it:

    Showtime: https://www.sho.com/titles/3481988/the-witch

    Showtime via Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Anya-Taylor-Joy/dp/B01BT3SCUG

    Shannon Moreau, Operations

    Shannon in 60s Go-Go style.

    Shannon’s Pick

    Room on the Broom, 2012

    Synopsis: A gentle witch offers a ride on her broom to a motley assortment of woodland creatures, much to the chagrin of her grumpy cat.

    In Shannon’s Words: Room on the Broom is a sweet antidote to 2020

    When I happened upon this animated gem of a movie last year, I was instantly smitten. It’s got everything! A witch. A dragon. Whimsy. Magical shenanigans. A cat being very, very catlike—that is, just not having it. It’s funny and fun and cute as can be. All these lost, outcast creatures are looking for a family and the witch is all too happy to adopt them, even though her cat does not want anything to do with these interlopers. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll pull your heartstrings. Exactly the antidote needed for 2020.

    Where you can watch it:

    Netflix – https://www.netflix.com/title/80005738

    Amazon Prime – https://www.amazon.com/Room-Broom-Simon-Pegg/dp/B00ISH4WCO#ace-g9766277718

    Your Turn

    What Halloween movie or TV show resonates with you in 2020? Let us know at info@nmblc.org and we’ll share your answer on social media!

    COVID Safe Halloween Activities

    Click here for the CDC-approved  list of safe Halloween activities: https://cv.nmhealth.org/2020/10/06/state-launches-covid-safe-family-friendly-halloween-events/

    Click here for New Mexico sponsored safe Halloween events, including a virtual statewide costume contest: https://www.togethernm.org/halloween/

    Click here to see how the Albuquerque Target on Coors is hosting a drive-thru trick-or-treating on Halloween: https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2020/10/23/target-hosting-drive-thru-trick-or-treating.html?fbclid=IwAR2IGcvW4hQwKMte_xK-QqOOwTz0WqoD01oq65WR25AS7RojzfrTsdw7KIk 

  • Former New Mexico Office of African American Affairs Director Publishes Book About Overcoming Breast Cancer

    Former New Mexico Office of African American Affairs Director Publishes Book About Overcoming Breast Cancer

    In September of 2019, Yvette Bell was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The former Director of the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs and current official at Albuquerque Public Schools went through a life changing transformation in response to this traumatic experience. Now she is thriving as an author, leadership coach, small business owner of A Paradigm Shift Coaching, and ministry leader at Joylight Church.

    Yvette is cancer free and just celebrated her birthday with the completion of her new book, Look Up and Live: Taking Dominion Over Diagnosis. Yvette shares her testimony and healing journey of how a life-threatening diagnosis reinvigorated her faith and forged her path toward healing. It’s available now for pre-order in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The print version will be released November 23rd. The eBook version will be ready by the 1st of November.

    Pre-order link for Look Up and Live: https://www.aparadigmshiftcoaching.com/product-page/look-up-and-live-taking-dominion-over-diagnosis

    Look Up and Live Taking Dominion Over Diagnosis Book Pre Order Promo

    Yvette has dedicated her life to empowering women who want to transition out of old paradigms. With her testimony, she hopes to help others who may be going through similar traumas to learn how to gain victory over the mental, physical and spiritual challenges that will arise. Her book is dedicated to all those who have been diagnosed with, or have lost loved ones to, any form of cancer or chronic disease.

    I had the opportunity to talk to Yvette over Zoom about how she went about publishing her book, what life changes she had to make in order to heal, and her experience with the health care system. Scroll down to read my interview with Yvette!

    Call for Stories

    Have you or someone you know been impacted by breast cancer? Do you have a story that you’d like to share about that experience? Email info@nmblc.org and we’ll feature your story in a future post!

    Interview with Yvette Bell, Author of Look Up and Live: Taking Dominion Over Diagnosis

    Note: Answers have been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

    Shannon Moreau: Publishing a book is a big deal! How did you come up with the idea and go about making it happen?

    Yvette Bell: I love to write. So when I was diagnosed in September of 2019, it was part of my healing journey to keep a journal. Also, I just knew—I’m a spiritual person, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and I have a relationship with God—I just knew in getting to heal, that I had to balance my emotions, to get to a place of prayer, that I gotta know, am I going to live? I knew, being led by the Lord that I was going to have to write about it one day. So I would just keep this journal and lessons I’ve learned along the way that could help someone else if ever they had to encounter a traumatic situation. That’s what led me to write the book. It happened to come out on my 48th birthday. I wrote it in seven days.

    SM: Happy belated birthday! Did you have a process or team to help you get the book from manuscript to finished book?

    YB: I worked with Legacy Driven Consulting and Publishing. It’s amazing how this all happened. I got an inbox from this publishing company based out of Springfield, Massachusetts. Black owned. The cover picture for the book was taken by a Black owned business [Claire’s Photography], the person that worked with me on my clothes and makeup, that’s a Black owned business [Elle Naturalle, Beaute’ On A Be’Jit]. Legacy inboxed me and said “I believe the Lord needs you to write a book.” So they worked with me. They brought their cost down for me, they worked with me on the design, the cover, posting it to Amazon. I’m self-publishing. I met them [Legacy] a year prior at a conference here in Albuquerque, before COVID. We had no interaction in between.  We weren’t networked or connected in any way, other than God telling her “she has a book she needs to get finished.” I said, “Let’s talk.” It was all in alignment with what God wanted, and I knew it. I would stay up till midnight, till two in the morning. I’m still up with this– I call it a baby. You have to birth it and bring it forth. It was a lot of long nights, cause I got off of work and went straight into it.

    SM: You talk about a paradigm shift. What shift do you feel that you needed to make when you got your diagnosis?

    YB: Mentally. Believing that I could conquer this. That it wasn’t a life-threatening diagnosis. Because of the imaging and messaging around cancer, the first thing we think is “death.” I did have some doctors that had me thinking that way, and I just had to switch doctors. I encourage people to align with the care team that’s going to empower you, and not make you feel like you don’t have a choice over your own health.

    Yvette Bell, Author of Look Up and Live, a book about overcoming breast cancer

    You have choices to be informed about the conditions, to do the research, to get two, three opinions from medical professionals. I went to see a nutritionist. They said go on your B vitamins, your D, your magnesium, antioxidants. Make sure you’re eating foods that are not inflammatory. Eat your fruits and veggies. I had to switch, and change that paradigm of all the cultural foods I love to eat. I had to change the way I look at food as for pleasure vs. to live. I eat to live now.

    I also had to shift the way I thought about my life, I had to shift the way I receive messaging from other folks about who I was or who I was not. And just reaffirm who I was. Who am I? What do I love to do? What is it about Yvette that I can strengthen? What are the negative things I need to do away with? I had to change my environment. I had to surround myself with positive people who were not doubting that I could live. Folks that would encourage me to live, folks that spoke life into me. I feel like I am so different, I’m not the same Yvette I was pre-diagnosis. You look at your life and you have to reassess a lot of things. There were a lot of things I was engaged with, that I had to say, “Wait. Right now, the most important thing is that I live.” And if that means I can’t participate in the community which I love [tears up], which is my heart, and I miss my community, I really do. But I had to make a choice.

    Every case is not a death sentence.

    Yvette Bell, breast cancer overcomer

    SM: Some of what you’ve talked about brings to mind a topic that is a big concern to everybody, particularly the African American community, and that’s available health care. Do you feel that the health care that was available to you supported you in your healing?

    YB: I would say about 80%. There were times I felt like I didn’t have empowering physicians. There was even a time, in the radiation room, where I felt like this woman is really talking to me like I’m a little kid. Talking to you like you don’t own your body and your decisions. I did not appreciate that.

    Through the years, my physicians knowing that cancer was on my mother’s side, they never sent me to hereditary testing. There’s an advocacy moment in that. Especially for communities of color. If I had known that this was a hereditary gene [BRCA gene], I could have done something much different earlier, and perhaps either put this off until many years later or avoided it altogether. As far as health insurance is concerned, that is an advocacy moment, when people tell you they have any kind of chronic disease that’s been in their family for generations, I think that we need to be go ahead and do the hereditary testing. That’s preventative health care.

    The other thing I ran into: all these medicines. I had to continuously have the discussion with my physicians about not wanting all this medicine in my system. If there’s anything natural I can do, healthy eating, exercise, stress relief, whatever it is, that is what I want to do. That’s what I encourage the African American community, or any community of color—no matter what health insurance you have, don’t just accept the care that you’re given if you feel like it is not quality. Speak up. You have a right to speak up for yourself. You have a right to have an advocate with you in the room. I took my sister-in-law with me, my husband with me. I felt like I needed another pair of ears to hear what was being said so I could make the right assessments. I went and did my own research.

    You have a right to speak up for yourself. You have a right to have an advocate with you in the room.

    Yvette Bell on taking charge of your health care

    At a point I felt like they [some physicians] were trying to force me to make a decision, and I just wouldn’t be forced. This is my body. For me, it was hanging out on the positive side of the statistics. They kept quoting statistics to me: “One in eight women will get breast cancer. For Black women the breast density makes it hard to find it early. 15% chance the cancer will come back in either breast. 1% percent chance it will get in your lymphatic system.” So I told them, it’s a 99% chance that it won’t get in my lymphatic system, and an 85% chance it won’t come back in either breast. So I’m going to hang out on the positive side. In the book I talk about taking dominion over diagnosis. Dominion means to legislate and govern. So you can govern your health care,  your decisions, how it impacts you mentally, physically, spiritually. Emotionally. Relationally. You can make those decisions for yourself if you’re empowered to do so. 

    SM: How do you balance everything? Author, life coach, ministry leader, and school official?

    YB: I really don’t know. [Laughs.] Coming out of the diagnosis, and now there’s no cancer cells in my body, I’m so excited about this healing journey and I get to rebuild the body. I try to just schedule everything out. I’m working [from home] during the day, the ministry, the book, the life coaching, I have to schedule those things. I plan my schedule out well in advance. And scheduling plenty of personal time, plenty of rest time, and my own hobbies. Knowing how to have that balance of everything. Not having everything in its own container, because you’re all of it. I’m a career woman, author, minister, a mother, a wife, and, most of all, I’m a woman. And I’m a Black woman. You have to balance all of that out. I enjoy it all. I’m learning to live my life in every way possible.

    Most of all, I’m a woman. And I’m a Black woman.

    Yvette Bell on life balance

    SM: What are you looking forward to now? Any projects on the horizon?

    YB: Well, we gotta launch the book, we have a virtual launch on November 23rd. A book signing in Clovis, my home town. Going to see my daughter for Christmas. Virtual book signings for North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, California. God called me to do Kingdom Women Speak #HerStory #GodsGlory on Facebook Live every Saturday morning at 10AM. These are women giving testimonials of how they came out of traumatic situations into the marketplace and the resources available to others who are going through the same thing.

    I’m also launching another book at the beginning of 2021. 

    Order the Book

    Help Yvette reach her goal of 100 preorders of Look Up and Live: Taking Dominion Over Diagnosis by October 31st. Order your copy here today:  https://www.aparadigmshiftcoaching.com/product-page/look-up-and-live-taking-dominion-over-diagnosis

    Support Black Owned Businesses

    The Black owned businesses that helped Yvette manifest her vision:

    Elle Naturalle – https://www.ellenaturalle.com/

    Beaute’ On A Be’Jit – https://www.beauteonabejit.com/

    Claire’s Photography  – https://www.facebook.com/clairemayphotographyabq/

    Legacy Driven Consulting and Publishing – https://www.legacydrivenconsulting.com/

    Were you inspired by Yvette’s story? Let us know how her testimony personally spoke to you and we might feature your response in a future post! Email us at info@nmblc.org.

  • Too Many Superheroes Lost: Colon Cancer and the African American Community

    Too Many Superheroes Lost: Colon Cancer and the African American Community

    Welcome to the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s EQ Online. Check our blog weekly to stay up-to-date on arts, culture, issues, people, places, and things happening in the Black community in New Mexico.

    Today’s blog post comes from guest contributor Duane Ross, M.D. Dr. Ross is a member of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s Physical Health subcommittee, and he is passionate about the committee’s goal to increase knowledge about the health concerns affecting the African American community. The focus area of this piece is colorectal cancer, otherwise known as colon cancer. The recent death of Chadwick Boseman makes raising awareness of colon cancer prevention more timely than ever. Read on to learn the important facts about colon cancer, how it affects members of the Black community, and the most effective methods of colon cancer prevention and treatment.

    Colon cancer kills African Americans at a higher rate than other racial groups in the U.S. Here’s what you need to know.

    By Duane Ross, M.D.

    Like many, I was saddened to hear that Chadwick Boseman, a rising talent with so much left undone, had died. Another Black life gone too soon, not from violence or drugs, but another cruel inequity. Colon cancer, which took him from us, affects African Americans at a rate 20% higher than other racial groups in this country and kills us at a rate 40% higher. To be clear, African Americans have worse outcomes from many health issues, from hypertension to stroke to diabetes. While it is true that Blacks in this country often do not have the same access to healthcare as others it is also true that the care we do receive is often lower in quality. But much remains in our control if we know what to do.

    Chadwick Boseman smiling
    Actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer August 28, 2020

    There are risk factors for colon cancer that we cannot change and risk factors we can. We cannot do anything about getting older, our family history, or our race; but there are so many other risk factors that we can modify. Risk factors that can be changed include smoking, being overweight, not being physically active, and having a diet high in red and processed meats. Changing these risk factors may not be easy, but they are within our control and any progress in those areas may reduce our risk of developing colon cancer. But doing all the right things does not mean you have eliminated any chance of getting colon cancer; that is why screening is so important.

    Colon cancer usually starts out as a polyp (like a fleshy bump) in the lining of the large intestine. At this stage, there are typically no symptoms; the polyp is not big enough to be an obstruction and it usually does not bleed enough to be obvious. Over time (10 to 15 years), the polyp continues to change and grow until it becomes an actual cancer. At this stage, there may be symptoms such as a change in the stool, blood, weight loss, fatigue, even pain. The cancer may also have spread to other parts of the body. The chances for survival are greatest when doctors can find polyps through screening and remove them before they become cancer. In fact, the rate of colon cancer in people 55 years of age and older has declined largely due to screening. It is an uncomfortable topic, but colon cancer screening saves lives.

    So, how do we screen for colon cancer? There are more options than ever before; but each one has its pros and cons.

    Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colon cancer screening. It is the only option that allows for removal of any polyps at the same time as the screening. If no polyps are found during your colonoscopy, you do not have to have another one for ten years. Unfortunately, this test requires a couple of days of preparation and the procedure involves anesthesia; you will need to be driven home afterwards and this will mean a day out of work.

    There are other tests that look for blood or other markers of cancer in the stool and some of these can even be done at home and mailed to the lab. These tests do not require any preparation and you can continue normal activities before and after the test. If these tests are normal you will need to repeat them every 3 to 5 years (depending on which test you choose). If any of these tests comes back positive, you will still need a colonoscopy since that is the only way to remove any polyps that might be there.

    As we continue to work towards progress in the areas of justice reform, poverty, education, drugs, we must not neglect our health. With so many outside forces seemingly stacked against us, it is important that we take control wherever we can. Modify your risk factors, talk to your doctor about choosing a test that is right for you, and get screened.

    Colon Cancer: What You Need to Know

    • Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women
    • Also third leading cause of cancer death
    • Rates have dropped in people 55 years of age or older due to screening
    • Rates have risen in people younger than 55
    • Risk factors you can change
      • Being overweight
      • Not being physically active
      • A diet high in red meats and processed meats
      • Smoking
      • Moderate to heavy alcohol intake
    • Risk factors you cannot change
      • Age
      • Family history of polyps or cancer
      • Personal history of polyps or cancer
      • Inflammatory bowel disease
      • Having an inherited syndrome
      • Type 2 diabetes
      • Your race
        • African Americans have the highest incidence (20% higher chance of developing) and mortality (40% more likely to die) of all racial groups in the US

    Prevention – it takes a polyp 10 to 15 years to develop into cancer. Removing polyps can prevent progression to cancer. Screening may also catch cancer early when it can be treated more successfully.

    About the Author

    Dr. Duane Ross

    Dr. Duane Ross a New Mexico resident originally from East Harlem in New York City. He received his undergraduate degree in English Literature at Cornell University and his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. He practiced primary care, urgent care, and hospitalist care for several years before switching to an administrative role with Managed Medicaid. He is retired as the Medical Director at True Health New Mexico. He has served on the boards of Bosque School, the American Lung Association of NM, and Oasis. He is on the Physical Health subcommittee for the New Mexico Black Leadership Council.

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