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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly on each Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to:

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PUBLISHER

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STAFF

D. Kevin McNeir, Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Assistant Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Dr. Charles Vincent, Social Sightings columnist Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Angie Johnson, Circulation

REPORTERS

Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, Timothy Cox, Will Ford (Prince George’s County Writer), Jacqueline Fuller, Hamil Harris, D. Kevin McNeir, Kui Mwai, Lee Ross, Dorothy Rowley, Brenda Siler, Lindiwe Vilakazi, Sarafina Wright, James Wright,

PHOTOGRAPHERS

John E. DeFreitas, Ja’Mon Jackson, Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Jr., Robert R. Roberts, Anthony Tilghman 5 Dr. Shantella Sherman (Photo by India Kea)

Dr. Shantella Sherman WI Special Editions Editor

The only constant thing in life, is change. Yet, many of us have not only willfully resisted change, but taken on hazardous behaviors that render us stagnant and ineffective as the world around us continues to evolve. The short of it, we have become self-saboteurs to our own happiness and not social equality, financial windfalls, the Age of Aquarius, or a writ of Congress will amend it. We are the saviors, the help, the aid, we are seeking.

While we live our lives decked out in the masks of the day – not the COVID-19 barriers, mind you, but the masks Paul Lawrence Dunbar so eloquently pointed out in 1896. The mask that “grins and lies, [that] hides our cheeks and shades our eyes” and keeps others from witnessing our “torn and bleeding hearts.” Those bloody masks have become such a fashion to Black women that they come as easily-coordinated accessories of the “Superwoman” capes that keep us sick, tired, and frustrated.

African American women, according to researchers studying the “superwoman schema,” often face mental and emotional messaging that present as strongholds negatively impacting their overall health and well-being. Professor Cheryl Giscombé, in the paper “Superwoman Schema: African American Women’s Views on Stress, Strength, and Health” in The journal Qualitative Health, that Black women faced: a perceived obligation to present an image of strength, a perceived obligation to suppress emotions, a perceived obligation to resist help or to resist being vulnerable to others, motivation to succeed despite limited resources; and need to prioritize the caregiving of others over themselves.

These perceptions create a reality in which Black women put everyone else before themselves – and feel guilty for taking “Me Time” to simply relax, rejuvenate, or simply, do nothing.

In full transparency, this has been an issue I struggled with until 2010, when it suddenly occurred to me that making other people happy depleted me to a point of fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, and sadness. I remember saying once, “People will bleed you dry and then curse you out for not having more to give.” Giving or lending money was not an issue, giving my ear to other people’s problems, giving my time to other people’s causes, giving my sleep time over to help with someone’s (fill in the blank”, all added up to me having little time for exercise, sleep, preparing meals, or just taking stock in my own life. Still, I persisted in putting others first.

The year I turned forty I decided to travel to London, alone. I turned off the phone, I shut down the social media pages, and I took full advantage of being fully and utterly alone with God. I found that I liked myself. I was pretty cool to hang out with and made for good company all by myself. I made friends, took long walks, gathered my thoughts, culled my emotions, and then vowed to capture the beauty of my newfound unfettered happiness as practice.

Returning to the States, I occasionally fell back into putting others first to my detriment. Only now, I recognized when enough was enough, and found it easier ignore phone calls, place people and situations in a mental “time out,” and to simply tell people, “No.” With COVID-19 lock-in many bad habits kicked back in, but since August, I recommitted to bedtime no later than 10pm, no sugar, caffeine, or snacks, increased water intake, and a vigorous, uphill walk every morning.

Weight loss was never a particular goal, though my body absolutely feels the benefit of the improved habits. More importantly, my mental, spiritual, and physical lives have once again aligned, so I am happier and more productive than I have been in years.

This Washington Informer supplement, New Year, New You encourages you to take that superwoman (superman) cape off and burn it! I mean, bonfire that thing so that there is no possibility of even a fragment surviving the flames! Informer staff writers have spoken with naturopaths, like Dr. Andrea Sullivan and everyday people who offer sound and fun ways of improving your overall health and happiness into the new year and for the rest of your lives. We are the help we’ve sought – and it does not come with an “S” on its chest.

Burning Superwoman’s Cape

Cheers to a better You! Dr. Shantella Sherman

Dr. Sophia Sparks WI Staff Writer

At the age of 10, I attended my first funeral. It was for a drowning victim -- my mother’s best friend’s son. We were the same age. This experience led to my decision to teach my child(ren) how to swim at an early age. Drowning is a common cause of death for children among African American little ones and is often fast and silent – occurring in as little as 20-60 seconds.

I enrolled my child in swim classes at the age of 1-year-old and did not want to take her back after the first lesson. The process was terrifying. My child was briefly submerged underwater. I was not mentally prepared for that visual image. However, I was determined that she would not become a part of the annual statistics posted on the Water Safety USA website of the more than 4,000 preventable drowning deaths. Four weeks into her lessons, her grandmother attended a swim class. Although grandma had viewed pieces of the lesson on video, she was ill-prepared as well. My mother yelled at the instructor, almost jumped into the pool to retrieve her grandchild, and eventually left the lesson. Still, the recollection of that first funeral, steadied by resolve to keep my daughter in the class. She did matriculate quickly – using her natural instincts to turn over from face-down positions and kick her way to safety. Not only did she move quickly through the classes, but also graduated survival swim. At the conclusion of the lessons, my child has controlled breathing, and can float.

Individuals who know how to swim are not drown proof. Supervision of a young child is still necessary as swimming is one tool in the prevention of drowning. Assumptions should never be made that a child’s swimming abilities will get them out of every situation; however, these water safety abilities extend beyond the swimming pool. One hundred children drown in bathtubs every year in less than two inches of water.

A 2020 study from USA Swimming Foundation found that 64 percent of African American children cannot swim. But the rumored roadblock to African Americans being able to swim is not fear – but access.

According to Kevin Dawson, Professor of History at the University of California Merced, and author of Undercurrents of Power, Africans believed water was a spiritual place and by immersing one’s body in water, by swimming, Black people made connections with deities and to ancestral spirits in that water.

“Prior to the 1880s, most Black people were much stronger swimmers than white people. And slave owners actually began to target Africans with diving skills and brought them to the Americas where they served as pearl divers. They dove to salvage shipwrecks,” Dawson writes. “While enslavers were forcing enslaved people to do this, enslaved Africans were still recreating African aquatic traditions.”

Through a lack of access to common lakes, pools, and recreation centers during Jim Crow, many African Americans loss the love of swimming.

Swimming is fun and has many health benefits. Respect the water and learn water safety skills such as swimming. If unsettled about enrolling your child in swim lessons, consider parent-child water play classes. Be prepared and provide your family with tools that will assist in drowning prevention.

Become more comfortable in the water with swim lessons. Learn now and be ready to take that dip into a pool and swim in a local lake. The D.C. metropolitan area has many places to empower survival swimming and beyond.

District of Columbia Brookland Swim Academy Trinity Washington University

125 Michigan Ave NE, DC Starts at 3 months Brooklandswimacademy.com

YMCA Anthony Bowen

1325 W Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 202-232-6936 Many DC pools that offer swim lessons are currently under construction such as: Ferebee Aquatic Center and Takoma Aquatic Center

Maryland YMCA Silver Spring

9800 Hastings Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20901 (301) 585-2120

Virginia YMCA Alexandria

420 East Monroe Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301 (703) 838-8085

Swim Box

51838 Lee Hwy, Arlington, VA Develop swimming skills – must know how to swim Theswimbox.com 703-904-6340

Big Blue Swim School

6112-A Arlington Blvd Falls Church, VA Starts as early as 6 months 847-729-7665 Bigblueswimschool.com

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Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia

The holidays are coming, and with them can come challenges and stress. It can be hard to get around in wintry weather, afford gifts, and get enough time with friends and family.

Along with these struggles, though, the holiday season can bring comforts. You may find a little warmth in the winter by noticing the good things and people in your life. And it turns out that this awareness could be quite healthy.

GRATITUDE: A HEALTHY HABIT

Studies suggest that appreciating what’s going well for you may enhance your well-being. Taking a little time to feel gratitude each day may:1 • Boost your emotional health by helping you cope with stress

• Help your body’s health, such as by lowering your chance of heart disease

Making gratitude a daily habit may remind you of the good things in your life even when bad things are happening. It can help to remember that even though you have some challenges, other things are going your way.1

Gratitude as Stress Management

TAKE A DAILY 10

Here’s a way to make gratitude a regular part of your life:1

• Take 10 minutes each day for a gratitude practice.

You can try it first thing in the morning or right before you sleep.

• Think about the parts of your life that make you smile or feel a bit lighter. They can be little things, like enjoying a cup of hot coffee. Or they can be more impactful, like getting quality time with your family. • Give yourself a few moments to just remember these positive experiences. What took place? How did it feel? Let yourself fully enjoy the memories.

• Write the experiences down in a journal. Later, if you’re feeling blue, re-read some of your journal entries.

• Let someone know. If you feel grateful for someone, you might tell them. Odds are, they’ll be grateful to hear it!

Sources: 1. “Practicing Gratitude,” National Institutes of Health, https:// newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/03/ practicing-gratitude. 2. “Mindfulness Matters,” National Institutes of Health, https:// newsinhealth.nih.gov/2012/01/ mindfulness-matters.

All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model

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