Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax kicks-off campaign for governor

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax kicked-off his campaign for governor Saturday morning at the Old Court House in Fairfax, Va.

Fairfax had announced last Thursday that he is formally entering the governor's race. Virginians will elect a new governor in 2021.

Fairfax was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2017 and is only the second African-American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia.

Before running for office, Fairfax served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.

[SOURCE: WJLA]

More Black blood donors urgently needed to help sickle cell patients

The American Red Cross is emphasizing the unique role Black blood donors play in the medical treatment of those living with sickle cell disease during Sickle Cell Awareness Month this September. Right now, more Black blood donors are critically needed to help patients battling sickle cell disease as blood drives – especially those at schools, colleges and universities – continue to be canceled at alarming rates.

Last spring, more Black blood donors gave at Red Cross blood drives held at educational institutions than at any other blood drive location type. As drives across the country canceled this spring due to coronavirus concerns, the number of Black blood donors giving at these schools decreased from over 15,000 in 2019 to about 2,700 this year. Drives at educational institutions make up the largest percentage of fall blood drive cancellations, so the need for more Black blood donors for sickle cell patients is expected to remain urgent.

“Sickle cell disease profoundly impacts the quality of life of those living with this inherited blood disorder, and your blood donation could be the donation that helps a patient keep fighting,” said Dr. Yvette Miller, executive medical director, Red Cross Blood Services. “The pandemic hasn’t stopped the need for transfusions for sickle cell patients. The Red Cross encourages eligible donors to roll up a sleeve and share their strength with patients during Sickle Cell Awareness Month.”

More Black blood donors are urged to make a blood donation appointment by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

How donations from Black blood donors help sickle cell patients

About 100,000 people in the U.S., most of whom are of African or Latino descent, are living with sickle cell disease, making it the most common genetic blood disease in the country. Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to be sticky, hard and crescent-shaped instead of soft and round. This makes it difficult for blood to flow smoothly and carry oxygen to the rest of the body, which may lead to severe pain, tissue and organ damage, acute anemia and even strokes.

Blood transfusion helps sickle cell disease patients by increasing the number of normal red blood cells in the body, helping to deliver oxygen and unblock blood vessels. Patients with sickle cell disease depend on blood that must be matched very closely – beyond the A, B, O and AB blood types – to reduce the risk of complications. Some of these rare blood types are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups, and because of this, sickle cell disease patients are more likely to find a compatible blood match from a blood donor who is Black.

Get more information about blood and diversity.

Important COVID-19 information for donors

The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Red Cross antibody tests will be helpful to identify individuals who have COVID-19 antibodies and may qualify to be convalescent plasma donors. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation collected from COVID-19 survivors that have antibodies that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus. Donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or the donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.

The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance.  

How to donate blood

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Angela Hill, first African-American woman to headline UFC event

Angela Hill will make history Saturday night.

The UFC strawweight contender will become the first African-American woman to headline a UFC event the moment she sets foot in the octagon when she takes on Michelle Waterson in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas.

It’s a big moment for Hill (12-8 MMA, 6-8 UFC). The 35-year-old competitor feels honored to be making history for African-American women in the world’s premier MMA promotion.

“It’s big, and I didn’t even realize how big it was until (my manager) mentioned it to me,” Hill told reporters during her UFC on ESPN+ 35 virtual media scrum. “I think in a time like this, people need heroes people need someone to look up to, someone to root for. And just the fact that this hasn’t happened yet is indicative of the fact that it is important.

“A lot of people would say, ‘Why does it matter?’ But if it doesn’t matter to you, that’s OK, but it does matter to the fans who see that and they’re like, ‘Finally, finally, we have some representation. Finally we have a face in this sport that we love, and we’ve been waiting for so long.'”

Hill is happy to be making history during these times and bring representation to Black people.

“Its really cool to be a part of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Hill explained. “It’s really important, and I think people try to pretend that it’s not and call it things that it isn’t because it’s hard to look at the violence. It’s hard to say there’s something wrong when you haven’t experienced it yourself.

“I think the reason it’s so important to Black people is because they’ve all had moments where they felt in danger or they felt they weren’t considered as human as their white counterparts, and it’s not something that disappeared when (former President Barack) Obama got elected. It’s not something that disappeared once cops got body cams. It’s something that’s still hurting the community right now. I think with the pandemic that’s going on right now, with just everything just being so divisive, it’s really brought it to light and made people pay attention to how hard the struggles are and the fact there needs to be some change.”

“When people do reach out and say, ‘Hey, my daughter looks up to you. My girlfriend loves you. I hope my daughters can be as strong as you,’ when people reach out and say things like that, it’s always surprising, but it just makes me feel so happy that I didn’t give up,” Hill said. “It gives me that extra push when I just want to be like, ‘F-ck it, this isn’t worth it. It’s too hard,’ because fighting is hard, it’s really hard.

“It’s even harder when every time I’ve lost is on the UFC stage. I’ve never lost outside of the UFC, so having that magnifying glass on every win but also on every failure, people reaching out to me and saying stuff like that, it’s so special and it’s something that you can’t really explain. Representation is such an important thing to so many people.

[SOURCE: MMA JUNKIE]

Breonna Taylor case being presented to a grand jury

A grand jury has been empaneled to investigate the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, two people close to the process told CNN.

The grand jury, which was empaneled this week, "will be hearing other criminal cases first to get their feet wet with the process and then hear the Taylor case," a source close to the investigation told CNN on Wednesday.

Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT and aspiring nurse, was fatally shot after police broke down the door to her apartment while executing a late-night "no-knock" warrant in a narcotics investigation on March 13.

The source told CNN that the grand jury is meeting at an alternate location because of safety concerns due to ongoing protests in Jefferson Square Park, which has been informally renamed as "Breonna Taylor Park."

The grand jury is expected to eventually decide the fate of three officers who opened fire during the incident.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Sickle Cell Disease Association celebrates National Sickle Cell Awareness Month

Sickle Cell Disease Association celebrates National Sickle Cell Awareness Month

Conferences, advocacy, blood donations and other events held throughout September

HANOVER, Md.—Sickle Cell Disease Association of America will participate in National Sickle Cell Awareness Month in September by holding a series of events and supporting the events of member organizations. National Sickle Cell Awareness Month was designated by Congress to focus attention on the need for research and treatment of sickle cell disease.

“Individuals and organizations can join our efforts to bring attention to sickle cell disease by engaging elected officials for proclamations, hosting awareness events, distributing educational information to dispel the myths about sickle cell disease and lighting public spaces, buildings and landmarks red,” said Beverley Francis-Gibson, president and CEO of Sickle Cell Disease Association.

• The 2020 Sickle Cell Disease Therapeutics Conference will take place virtually Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. Hosted by Global Blood Therapeutics Inc. in partnership with the Sickle Cell Disease Association, the conference provides a forum to discuss the latest advancements and future trends for treating patients with sickle cell disease. Health care companies, opinion leaders, patients, policymakers and others will present at the conference. Learn more and register online.

• A Sickle Cell Awareness Month Twitter Party, an online Twitter conversation hosted by the Sickle Cell Disease Association where participants interact, share, learn and celebrate by posting tweets using the hashtag #SickleCellMatters, will take place Sept. 21, 23 and 25 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Register online.

• Fight sickle cell disease by donating blood to the American Red Cross. Donors can make an appointment by downloading the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-733-2767.

• Sickle cell groups across the country will hold National Sickle Cell Awareness Month events throughout September, including town halls, webcasts, walks and races, summits and seminars and fundraisers. Learn more online.

Sickle Cell Disease Association invites advocacy organizations, corporate and federal partners and supporters to use the hashtags #SickleCellMatters, #SickleCellAwarenessMonth, #SCDAA2020AwarenessMonth and #SCDSCTMatters in social media posts about sickle cell disease throughout September. More information, including a flyer and fact sheet, is available online. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disease causing red blood cells to take a sickle shape, which leads to blockages that prevent blood from reaching parts of the body. As a result, people with sickle cell complications can experience anemia, jaundice, gallstones, stroke, chronic pain, organ damage and premature death. No universal cure exists. (sicklecelldisease.net)

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America advocates for people affected by sickle cell conditions and empowers community-based organizations to maximize quality of life and raise public consciousness while advancing the search for a universal cure. The association and more than 50 member organizations support sickle cell research, public and professional health education and patient and community services. (sicklecelldisease.org)