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1/16/06 Dayton Daily News A13
2006 WLNR 19997968 Dayton Daily News (OH)
Copyright 2006 Cox Ohio Publishing.
All rights reserved.
November 16, 2006
Section: Local Novel 'Dying While Black' a '40-year process' Author Vernellia Randall is a law professor at UD; the book tackles issue of 'equitable reparations' for blacks. Cathy Mong Staff Writer
DAYTON -- Today's signing of
University of Dayton law professor Vernellia
Randall's book, Dying While Black, is the culmination of 40
years' work.
"This has been a 40-year process,
starting when I was 18," Randall said.
"I was a nurse for 15 years. A lot
of the understanding of health came as a nurse. The last 16 years as
law professor related to black health and health care."
Randall will be at North River
Coffeehouse, 323 Salem Ave., from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
The Community Summit on Eliminating
Racism will receive 10 percent of the session's sales.
Her book discusses the idea of
"equitable reparations" for blacks.
"What I want is for the government
to say, 'We'll do whatever it takes to make the commitment to remove
the gap' " that exists between the health of blacks and whites.
Every generation since slavery you've got people born of people who
were sicker than whites."
The gap, which is about 10 years,
"started to close in the '70s," Randall said, as a result of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the divide broadened during the 1980s.
"It was not until the Clinton administration in 1997 said we're
going to have the same health goals for blacks and whites. To do
that, we have to get rid of the gap." She said the Bush administration "continued to recognize the existence of the disparity, but focused on it by saying, 'The problem is in the community' and started the 'take your loved one to the doctor day.'
Randall said some of the actions
necessary to bridge the gap will help everybody.
"Things like universal health care
and a livable wage. People can't afford to eat right when they're
not making enough money. We're talking about the working poor and
middle income people. We're also talking about removing people from
areas of toxic waste."
Her book also outlines the need for
a "new civil rights law for the 21st century." Randall said: "There are so many different privileges people live in, it's like air to them. They don't know it exists until it's withdrawn."
Contact this reporter at (937)
225-2353 or
cmong@DaytonDailyNews.com.
---- INDEX REFERENCES ----
NEWS SUBJECT: (Legal (1LE33);
Social Issues (1SO05))
INDUSTRY: (Book Publishing
(1BO18); Traditional Media (1TR30); Publishing (1PU26))
Language: EN
OTHER INDEXING: (COMMUNITY SUMMIT;
DAYTON; UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON) (Black; Bush; Clinton; Dying;
Eliminating Racism; Novel 'Dying; Randall; Vernellia Randall)
Word Count: 411 11/16/06 DAYTONDN A13 |
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