Sincerely,

Yolanda Gates

Speaking to the parents on domestic violence in teen relationships...

Coverage of \"I Choose Me\" Seminar by: Yolanda Gates

On June 6, 2009 I was blessed to speak at the Young Women of Excellence Conference at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. This event was given by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women: Memphis Chapter. I was asked to speak on domestic violence in teen relationships, which brings me to the topic of “I Choose Me”

At the ages of 12-24, domestic violence is at an all time high!!! 35% of this age group who was surveyed admitted to being in an abusive relationship. At this speaking engagement I focused on encouraging the parents to discuss the rising rates of domestic violence to their children before dating and while dating.

The women in this crowd shocked me because they were brave enough to admit to their children that they had been abused and share their tragic experiences with the group.

I also spoke on a recent incident where singer/pop star Rhianna was physically beaten by her then boyfriend Chris Brown. The parents were all aware of this altercation, but most did not take the time to sit down with their children and let them know some important facts about this issue. The issues included allowing the abuse by staying in the relationship, going back to the abuser, and protecting the abuser.

As parents, family, and friends we should all stand up and discuss the issues with our loved ones because sometimes that loved one that you’re talking to may be a victim, survivor, or future victim.

Live.Love Life.Give Love

Infant mortality can be defined as the number of deaths of babies from birth to one year old, divided by 1000 live births. In this blog I will be spotlighting the area which is ranked number one in infant mortality, which is Memphis, TN. In the 38127 zipcode, there is the highest rate of infant mortality in the United States! This is also the zipcode in which I live, and upon my moving to this area a few things caught my eye.

While riding down Thomas st. and Watkins st. I noticed a lot of thrift stores with a huge variety of baby items such as walkers, strollers, double strollers, cribs, etc. As a mother myself, I stopped to look for great bargains and noticed that a lot of these items were brand new or barely used. So I asked the different owners where these items were from, and the answer I got truly shocked me. The owners told me that in this area a lot of people’s children have died before their first year of birth. This discovery of mine led to my research on infant mortality.

Below I have listed some causes of infant mortality and tips for prevention, which I recieved from Nicole Gates (Community Voice Lay Health Advisor).

CAUSES of INFANT MORTALITY

• Lack of Prenatal Care
• Preterm labor
• Infection, Pneumonia, Dehydration
• SIDS

TIPS FOR PREVENTION

• If your pregnant, go to all your prenatal doctor visits, take your vitamins, and take care of your mind, body, and spirit.
• If your baby is experiencing any of the health problems listed above, consult their pediatrician or if it is severe, seek emergency help.
• SIDS is also at a rising rate, to prevent this always put your baby on their back to sleep. For more info on SIDS  prevention visit www.babytalk.com

Spike Lee at World Overcomers

Speaking to Father's about Infant Mortality Rate

Recently on May 23, 2009 film maker and director Spike Lee visited World Overcomers church in Memphis, TN, to promote awarness in Fathers on infant mortality. Before Lee’s arrival his wife Tonya Lewis Lee also visited Memphis, TN to also promote awarness and prevention about infant mortality. 

Children are a gift from God and should be cherished. Let’s all rise up and raise awarness on this issue, and also tell family, friends, colleagues, etc. about ways to prevent this infant mortality rate from rising.

We need to learn to express that emotion to our loved ones while we still have time, because we never know when that person could be away from us. When we’re angry, hurt, sad, happy, we should still let them know that we love them and how much we care. Have you ever got into an argument with one of your loved ones and then something terrible happened to them…. how did you feel? Were you crushed because the last time you saw them you argued instead of giving love? I believe I can speak for everyone and say that this is not a good feeling.

So next time you see that special loved one make sure you let them know that you love them no matter what your feelings are that day, because no one is promised tomorrow.

Live.Love.Laugh

Live.Love.Laugh

A student at HBHS (high school) had pancakes this week and it almost became fatal. His Mom (registered nurse) made him pancakes, dropped him off at school and headed to play tennis. She never takes her cell phone on the court but did this time and her son called to say he was having trouble breathing. She told him to go to the nurse immediately and proceeded to call school and alert the nurse. The nurse called the paramedics and they were there in 3 minutes and worked on the boy all the way to the hospital. He came so close to dying. Evidently this is more common then I ever knew. Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores. Apparently, the mold that forms in old mixes can be toxic! Throw away ALL OUTDATED pancake mix, Bisquick, brownie mixes etc you have in your home.

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Love.Live.Laugh

AT THE NBA BASKETBALL GAME LAST NIGHT NUGGETS VS. MAVERICKS… LALA VAZQUEZ OF CHARM SCHOOL 3 AND FORMER TRL HOST, WAS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION WHEN SOME OUT OF CONTROL FANS BARKED RACIAL SLURS AT HER AND HER SON…. CALLING THEM THE “N” WORD AND CALLING HER BEAUTIFUL SON A BASTARD… HOW AWFUL… IN A STATEMENT FROM LA LA SHE SAID… Obviously the play-offs games bring out the best and the worst in fans but what happened on Monday night with the racial slurs/threats, verbal attacks on my son and physically attacks to myself by irate fans was unacceptable,” states LaLa. “The fans were totally out of control. What the cameras captured was me defending myself and didn’t show the abuse that was taking place.”

LA LA WAS ALSO PHYSICALLY PUSHED AND HIT WITH ICE CUBES… HOW SHAMEFUL…PEOPLE WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH

All About Women Expo… An expo educating women in very important areas of their lives. (Health, Home, Life, and Me)  There were activities for the youth as well as adults to indulge in, great tips on becoming healthy, and much more. I had the pleasure of meeting owner Max Szadek from Divabetic, a fun divalicious way to educate many about nutrition, exercise, and Diabetes. I also had the pleasure of meeting Bonnie Kinney and Dee Griffin of ABC 24 Eyewitness News. The event was very educational and fun!!!!!

To find out if the expo will be coming to a city near you visit… www.allaboutwomenTN.org

This is not only for parents, all educators, relatives, counselors, friends, etc. should be prepared to answer question, give advice, or resources about sex. 

Also as parents we have to be realistic, we should all know that our children’s minds become curious and sometimes we can talk to them about this situation but they will still want to “experiment”. What we should be prepared for as far as education in this situation is to tell our children to be safe, healthy, and responsible.

Time For Tips

• Enroll your child in sex education in school.
• Contact Planned Parenthood in your local community for education packets, condoms, and more.
• Tell your child the TRUTH about the consequences and repercussions if they were to have sex.

Educating your child is never easy but is necessary. Educate to Prevent!!!!

Air pollution, recycling, and toxins can help or harm our planet…. When is the last time that you have picked up a plastic bottle off the street and threw it in the correct recycling bin? For many of us, not in a long time or maybe never. Going Green and being ECO- Friendly is the way to help our planet. Listed below are some simple but very helpful tips to “Go Green”.

1. Instead of buying bottled water, buy a filtered pitcher, and use an everyday water bottle. This eliminates waste build up in our environment.
2. Paper or Plastic…. How about neither, try buying a shopping bag at one of your local stores…. this also eliminates waste build up in our enviroment… try (Walmart, Kroger, Target, Schnucks, Jewel, etc.) for as low as .99 cents.
3. Green is the NEW Black…. When shopping look for labels that say organic cotton or even bamboo…. it’s very comfortable and cheaper….

 Going Green not only helps our environment but helps our pockets… all tips above have been proven to save many individuals tons of money…. These saved dollars could also come into great use during this recession.  Saving for a rainy day is always great… recession proof your pockets.

“Go Green”