The Grand Elm Playlot Project in Richmond

I’ve never seen anything like it – a dangerous 1/2-acre park in one of the Bay Area’s most dangerous neighborhoods – the Iron Triangle in Richmond – turned into a thriving, beautiful oasis for the neighborhood’s children and families, who need the respite and the exercise. Here is a write up on it, below, with…

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Everyday discrimination impacts mental health

Here are the questions nearly 5,000 African American and Caribbean adults were asked: “How often do you receive poorer service than others at restaurants or stores?” (disrespectful discrimination); “How often do people act as if they’re better than you are” (condescending discrimination; “How often are you viewed as dishonest?” (character-based discrimination) and; “How often are…

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High obesity rates still burden blacks, Latinos

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation just released an excellent report on obesity rates in the United States. While adult obesity rates increased in six states, that’s a slower climb than in the past, when almost all states showed increases. And rates are leveling off for children, thankfully. Surprisingly, at least to me, California has the…

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