Ishshah
October R’ebel of the Month: Male Breast Cancer Survivors
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Women gather across the country in solidarity to show support for those living with the disease, and those who did not survive their diagnosis. But what about the men affected by breast cancer; not the husbands, brothers and sons, but those who are living with cancer themselves? Yes, breast cancer is considered a women’s disease, but over 2,100 men will be diagnosed in the U.S. by the end of 2011.Because Since breast cancer carries a stigma, most men do not discover that they have cancer until it is fatally too late. Of the 2,100 men that will be diagnosed, 450 men will die. Breast Cancer forms in the same way it forms in women, usually with a small cyst or lump found in breast tissue, in the pectoral muscle, nipple or underarm; and similar to women, if the lump is reported early enough the cancer can be eradicated through mastectomy and or radiation. But men are not noticing. Should men be encouraged to have regular screenings and mammograms like women? Should breast cancer Awareness month give men a larger platform to communicate to other men, and become a gender-free issue?Men who are living with Breast Cancer or who have lived through it should be made to feel safe enough to share their experiences and diminish the stigma. Men have breasts too and they should begin to embrace them as breasts, not just “pecks,” or “chests”. We ALL should.
To learn more about male Breast Cancer visit the American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org.
Peace, Love, R’ebellion
Ishshah
Rest Well Girlfriend.
When I first heard her voice stream in through my internet radio player, I not only became an instant fan, but I somehow found a friend. Her throaty, pain-soaked, bitter-sweet vocals electrified me and immediately I knew all attention had to be paid. As I rolled over to check the screen to uncover who this woman was (expecting some sultry young Black woman) I was shocked. Here she was, this languid, pale, long-faced, skinny white chick. Hair a mess, over the top make up, knock-kneed and SO not the “standard” factory made pop princess. I was sold; and she was Amy Winehouse.
Untitled.
in the dark i sit.
blank as this page taunting me.
fucked emotionally.
dont know if i will be able to return
but was i ever there?
b Condoms
When the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the United States in the late 1970’s, it was categorized as a Homosexual disease, carried and transmitted by White Men. Nearly forty decades later, African American men and women between the ages of 18-25 have now become the face of the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control, HIV/AIDS has now become a common killer (second to heart disease and cancer) among African American women. Half of all new reported cases are reported by African American women who contracted the disease through heterosexual sex or through sharing needles during intravenous drug use. Women are twice as likely to contract the disease and if the current trajectory continues, there will be more women living with HIV/AIDS than men, which poses a significant world health risk due to the fact that the disease can be transmitted to infants during pregnancy, delivery and nursing.
Why Black Women Don’t Breastfeed
Today I was hit with a startling reality. Most of the friends I grew up with are now well into motherhood and beginning on their third or fourth child. I am not only amazed by how time has passed, I am amazed by the fact that these women have sacrificed so much to become a mother such as their pre-pregnancy bodies. But then I realized that although motherhood is the ultimate sacrifice, it is not a curse or something to be fearful of. Pregnancy has been proven to produce hormones that can enhance feminine curves, clear acne, and improve metabolism.
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