The insider

IT'S all about women. The tradition continues this month as we again focus on the many aspects of womanhood and all it encompasses.

This is a celebration of the mother, the professional, the corporate leader, the administrative assistant, the teacher, and all the Black women who continually make invaluable contributions and don't get the appreciation they deserve.

This is a celebration of all those women--young, old and in-between--who are characterized by their selflessness, their strength, their sacrifice and their indomitable spirit. They are women who--individually and collectively--have helped to shape and form the solid foundation of not only Black America, but America in general.

They are women like LaTanya Richardson, who, like her husband Samuel L. Jackson, has made a mark in Hollywood and the community, making efforts to make sure that her fame in some way benefits those who need a helping hand. In the cover story on page 124, she talks about her career, acting with Jackson in the movie Freedomland, and she gives some stern advice to women who might have designs on her husband.

Speaking of advice, Dr. Hope Ashby, a noted sexuality educator and sex therapist, gets to the heart of things when she dispenses some straight answers to questions posed by women who are baffled by a variety of sexual matters.

Throughout this issue, there are, like Dr. Ashby, other amazing women who are the epitome of success--women like legendary artist Elizabeth Catlett, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, The View's Star Jones, and corporate leaders from McDonald's, Procter & Gamble and insurance giant Aflac. Additionally, the feature, "Sisters in Charge" offers insight into five special women--the owner of a metals distribution company, a history-making transplant surgeon, a fire department battalion chief, a curator for pandas and primates at the National Zoo, and a corporate counselor who heads a group of 1,200 women attorneys of color.

Although this is the annual women's issue, it also includes a special section on diabetes, one of the most serious and debilitating diseases affecting the Black community. It is victimizing Blacks at an alarming rate, and more seriously, it is increasing as the rate of obesity escalates. But there is new technology that can help victims manage their condition.

As diabetes continues to surge among Blacks, there are Black women who are at the center of the research to find a cure. Hopefully, the dedication and perseverance that are characteristic of so many Black women in so many areas will contribute to an effective and long-overdue breakthrough.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning