Coronavirus
A Reverend Brings Healing Approach to Domestic Violence Fight
Moore-Orbih, a United Church of Christ pastor, whose career has focused on racial justice and violence against women, hopes to bring a new paradigm to the role, focusing on the intersectionality of factors that can contribute to an abusive relationship, including race and ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender and sexual orientation, age, ability, and immigrant identity.
Combating domestic violence requires a healing-centered approach which doesn’t always remove an abuser from the household nor criminalizes him, said Dr. Aleese Moore-Orbih, incoming director of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV).
“I have never come across a woman who did not want to help her abusive partner. Leaving an abusive relationship is an old paradigm. Women of color want to stay with their partners and want agencies to help the abusive partner break out of their cycle of violence,” said Moore-Orbih in an interview with Ethnic Media Services. “For me, the call has been to help people see one another with all their shortcomings and still love them.”
Moore-Orbih will officially joined the CPEDV team April 19.
The Partnership, founded nearly 40 years ago, represents over 1,000 survivors, advocates, organizations and allied individuals across California. The organization has successfully advocated for over 200 pieces of legislation on behalf of domestic violence victims and their children, and it brings a racial justice focus to the issue.
Moore-Orbih, a United Church of Christ pastor, whose career has focused on racial justice and violence against women, hopes to bring a new paradigm to the role, focusing on the intersectionality of factors that can contribute to an abusive relationship, including race and ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender and sexual orientation, age, ability, and immigrant identity.
The Partnership noted in a press release that she “will raise the visibility of the Partnership’s anti-oppression work, move the public discourse, and support policy and community advocacy toward more effective prevention and intervention solutions.”
“People of color already live in an environment that is hostile towards them. Their survival mechanisms are seen as criminal and violent,” said Moore-Orbih, noting the generational trauma of slavery and Jim Crow laws, the continuous murders of young Black men without cause, poor economic conditions and housing insecurity.
“It is a system that has traditionally tried to kill people of color, who are brought up with generations of disempowerment. When things are out of control most of the time, you attempt to control it, sometimes with violence,” she said.
For Black and Brown men, masculinity is determined by power. “They have spent a lifetime trying to prove their power to their communities and their partners,” she said, noting that Black men have traditionally been underemployed while Black women are often over-employed.
Women have had to do the delicate dance of bringing in the family’s income, raising their children, and pleasing their men.
“For a woman of color, domestic violence may be fourth or fifth on the list of things they have to deal with,” she said. “I can handle him, but this is all the stuff I cannot handle.”
COVID-19 has added an extra layer of pressure for both survivors and their abusers. “Women doing the cha cha cha all these years are quickly learning the flamenco,” said Moore-Orbih. “But this is nothing new. Our communities have been doing the survival dance for decades.”
Domestic violence has spiked alarmingly as victims are trapped at home with their abusers amid lockdown orders during the COVID pandemic. The New England Journal of Medicine reported last year that one out of every four women in the U.S. and 1 in 10 men are currently facing abuse from a spouse or intimate partner. At the same time, traditional safety nets have largely been shut down. Domestic violence hotlines have seen a drop in calls as many victims cannot find safe spaces from which to make calls.
Shelters are closed or operating at full capacity, and thereby cannot take on new clients. Black and Brown victims of domestic violence are less likely to call police because of a mistrust of law enforcement or language barriers.
“When COVID broke, we were all struggling trying to figure out how to provide services,”
said Moore-Orbih, adding that the number of people sent to hotels tripled, as survivors had to quarantine for 14 days before they could be sent to a shelter.
“COVID became another layer of pressure for people who were already drowning in anxiety, fear, and trauma. If a person is trying to save you, you can’t see that,” she said.
Getting a woman out of her home and into a shelter to build self-esteem and self-reliance is just one small piece, said the reverend. “She is not healed.”
Similarly, Moore-Orbih does not support criminalizing perpetrators who must also be healed via the same holistic approach.
An integrative holistic approach must be brought to both survivor and perpetrator, said Moore-Orbih. “If we are looking to make people whole again, we must address the psyche, the physical ailments, forced immigration, and slavery.”
BayCityNews
FDA Updates Approval of Pfizer Booster Vaccine for Children Under 5
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its approval Tuesday of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster vaccine, making it available to some children under age 5. Before this update, children under 5 were not eligible for COVID-19 booster shots. Instead, they received three doses of the regular vaccine.
By Eli Walsh
Bay City News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its approval Tuesday of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster vaccine, making it available to some children under age 5.
Before this update, children under 5 were not eligible for COVID-19 booster shots. Instead, they received three doses of the regular vaccine.
As of December 2022, children age 4 and younger who have not been vaccinated receive the omicron variant-specific booster vaccine as the third dose in their primary vaccine series, following two doses of the original Pfizer vaccine.
However, children in that age range who completed their initial vaccination series before December 2022 only received three doses of the original Pfizer vaccine, and are less protected against more infectious variants of the virus as a result.
FDA officials updated the vaccine’s emergency use authorization Tuesday to allow those children who only received the original Pfizer COVID vaccine to receive one dose of the bivalent booster if it has been at least two months since they completed their initial series.
Other children under age 5 are not eligible for the booster, although everyone age 5 and up is eligible for a booster.
“Currently available data show that vaccination remains the best defense against severe disease, hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 across all age groups, and we encourage all eligible individuals to make sure that their vaccinations are up to date with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Clinical data has found that both the original Pfizer vaccine and the booster vaccine that targets the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are safe for everyone aged 6 months and up and effective at preventing the worst outcomes of COVID infection, including serious illness and death.
COVID vaccines are available at primary care providers, retail pharmacies and some facilities operated by local health departments.
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
Bay Area
COVID-19 Response Grant Program
The City of Union City will be issuing another round of its COVID-19 Response Grant Program. The program has distributed approximately $620,000 in grant funds and forgivable loans to the community to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and will distribute another $322,000 through this latest round of funding. The City will utilize federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and CARES Act funds.
The City of Union City will be issuing another round of its COVID-19 Response Grant Program. The program has distributed approximately $620,000 in grant funds and forgivable loans to the community to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and will distribute another $322,000 through this latest round of funding. The City will utilize federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and CARES Act funds.
Grants are available through the City’s Road to Recovery Small Business Assistance Program and the Residential Rental Assistance Program. The City began accepting applications on March 6, 2023, at 9 a.m. and will begin reviewing applications (up to 50 applications for each grant opportunity) submitted on or before March 30, 2023, at 5 p.m. The program information and the online application are available on the City’s website:
https://www.unioncity.org/548/COVID-19-Response-Grant-Program
The City will be holding two informational/technical assistance meetings to support residents and businesses with their applications and respond to any questions. These meetings will be streamed via Zoom. See below for meeting information and Zoom meeting links.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
https://unioncity-org.zoom.us/j/89061570160
Wednesday, March 15, 2023: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Bay Area
State to End Indoor Mask Requirement in Health Care Facilities, Vaccine Requirement for Health Care Workers
California will draw down several COVID-19-related guidelines next month as the state shifts out of its emergency response to the pandemic, state health officials said Friday. Starting April 3, the state will no longer require the use of a mask in indoor areas that are deemed a high risk of transmission, including health care and long-term care facilities, homeless shelters and jails and prisons
By Eli Walsh
Bay City News
California will draw down several COVID-19-related guidelines next month as the state shifts out of its emergency response to the pandemic, state health officials said Friday.
Starting April 3, the state will no longer require the use of a mask in indoor areas that are deemed a high risk of transmission, including health care and long-term care facilities, homeless shelters and jails and prisons.
The state will also end its COVID vaccination requirement for health care workers and rescind health orders that required hospitals to accept patients from overcrowded facilities and that required the collection of an email address or phone number from a COVID vaccine recipient.
“We stand before Californians today with a humble message of thanks for taking the hard steps to help manage COVID-19, and with an ongoing commitment to be prepared for what comes next,” California Department of Public Health Director and state Public Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon said in a statement.
In addition to the changes on April 2, the state will update its isolation guidance on March 13 for those who test positive for COVID, allowing them to leave isolation after five days if their condition is improving and if they have not had a fever in at least 24 hours.
People who isolate after testing positive will no longer have to test negative for COVID before leaving isolation, according to the CDPH. The change is consistent with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The changes are part of the state’s drawdown of its emergency response infrastructure in recent weeks.
State-operated COVID testing and vaccination clinics have shuttered as those services shift to primary health care providers and retail pharmacies.
On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom also rescinded California’s COVID-19 state of emergency, which allowed local governments and the state to more efficiently coordinate public health programs and disperse emergency funding.
State public health officials continue to urge California residents to complete their initial COVID vaccination series if they have yet to do so and, if eligible, receive a booster vaccine dose to reduce the chance of becoming seriously ill or dying due to the virus.
As of March 2, 88.2 million COVID vaccine doses have been administered statewide. Roughly 73 percent of state residents have completed their initial vaccination series.
“Our communities did a lot of the hard work by getting vaccinated and boosted, staying home and testing when sick, requesting treatments when positive, and masking to slow the spread,” Aragon said. “With these critical actions, and a lot of patience and persistence, we have now reached a point where we can update some of the COVID-19 guidance to continue to balance prevention and adapting to living with COVID-19.”
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
###
EliWalsh2132p03/03/23
CONTACT: CDPH media CDPHpress@cdph.ca.gov
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: An image related to this story can be obtained from the following Bay City News Service web link: https://www.baycitynews.com/images/BCN-20221209-VACCINATION-01.JPG
Caption: The CVS Drugstore on Mountain Blvd. in Oakland, Calif on Dec 8, 2022 offers vaccination and COVID test kits to customers. (Anna Moseidjord/Bay City News)
/www/bcn/general/03/newsclip.23.03.03.21.34.01.1.txt
WORK FROM HOME
Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540
Oakland Tech Girls Basketball Team Wins CIF Division 1 Girls’ Championship
Attorney General’s Office Denies Helping Holy Names University Sell Campus, Contrary to HNU’s Claims
Pres. Biden Appoints ‘Activist Entrepreneur’ Kerman Maddox to Trade Advisory Body
California Black News Round-Up
How the Crack Cocaine Epidemic Led to Mass Sex Exploitation of Black People PART 3: The Case Against SB357: Black, Vulnerable and Trafficked
Apply Now: California College Corps Is Offering Students Much More Than $10,000 Stipends
Oakland Post: Week of March 22 – 28, 2023
Westley (“Wess”) Watende Omari Moore: Maryland’s First
“Lucky Medicine” by Lester W. Thompson
Books about Black Women’s Body Image by Various Authors
COMMENTARY: Make Banks Make Good on Their Pledge to End Fossil Fuel Financing
Wonder Woman (or at Least Her Artist) Visits Cartoon Art Museum
Holy Names University Hires Real Estate Firm to Sell Campus for High-End Housing
NOMBC Saved – Pastor Sylvester Rutledge Gives Thanks
FDA Updates Approval of Pfizer Booster Vaccine for Children Under 5
Oakland Post: Week of March 22 – 28, 2023
Oakland Post: Week of March 15 – 21, 2023
Oakland Post: Week of March 8 – 14, 2023
Oakland Post: Week of March 1 – 7, 2023
Oakland Post: Week of February 22 – 28, 2023
Oakland Post: Week of February 15 – 21, 2023
Crumble and Whisk Patisserie, a Black-Owned Bakery and Café, Opens in Laurel District
Help Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church, the 2nd oldest Black Church in Oakland
Unapologetically Black Mayor of Bay View Hunters Point Charlie Walker Leaves SF Legacy
Hidden History Black Museum Opens in Los Angeles
Alameda County Supervisors Will Allow Tenant Eviction Protections to Expire at End of April: Oakland’s eviction moratorium remains in effect for local residents
Deadlocked OUSD Board Fails to Approve Proposed Budget That Would Cut Programs, Lay Off Teachers, Close Schools
Reparations: California Legislative Analyst’s Office Proposes “Paths” For Payments
Mayor Sheng Thao Announces Police Walking Patrols, Other New Safety Measures
Mississippi’s House of Representative’s Pass Jim Crow Law
August 18 | The Conversation with Al McFarlane – Companions
August 19 | The Conversation with Al McFarlane – The Healing Circle
BLACK is Beautiful: JaRule and Sounds of Blackness joins the Conversation
AIRBNB Super host ListsSlave Cabin as Luxury Getaway
The Right to Vote
How to Talk About the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) & Motivate Voters
August 17 | The Conversation with Al McFarlane – Building Wealth and Community
NBA LEGEND ISIAH THOMAS : A LEGACY of SUCESS
August 16 | The Conversation with Al McFarlane – Our Culture, Our World
Killing At GM Plant – AutoNetwork Reports Podcast
2022 Audi Q5 S Line 45 TFSI quattro Walkaround | POV Test Drive
LIVE – Let It Be Known @ 7:30am ET – Episode 11
Children’s Defense Fund President Dr. Starsky Wilson joins #LetItBeKnown
Shauntae E. Lewis joins #LetItBeKnown
LIVE! — #LET IT BE KNOWN — MON. 7.12.21 7:30AM ET
-
Activism3 days agoOakland Post: Week of March 22 – 28, 2023
-
Activism1 week agoOakland Post: Week of March 15 – 21, 2023
-
Activism2 weeks agoOakland Post: Week of March 8 – 14, 2023
-
Activism3 weeks agoOakland Post: Week of March 1 – 7, 2023
-
Bay Area3 weeks agoHelp Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church, the 2nd oldest Black Church in Oakland
-
Black History2 weeks agoHidden History Black Museum Opens in Los Angeles
-
Bay Area3 weeks agoAlameda County Supervisors Will Allow Tenant Eviction Protections to Expire at End of April: Oakland’s eviction moratorium remains in effect for local residents
-
Bay Area3 weeks agoDeadlocked OUSD Board Fails to Approve Proposed Budget That Would Cut Programs, Lay Off Teachers, Close Schools
