73% of Blacks on LI Concerned About Quality of Healthcare

A new Siena Research Institute Poll shows a huge disparity in the views of Whites and Blacks on Long Island in regards to healthcare.

• 73% of Blacks said they view the quality of care on Long Island as a problem, compared to 47% of Whites.
• 45% of Blacks say the number of people without insurance is the single biggest problem that the health care system faces.
• Only 20% of Whites agreed; instead, their biggest concern is the cost of health care, according to the poll.
• Blacks are almost twice as likely as Whites - 79% compared to 41% - to support health care overhaul legislation that is based on proposals outlined by President Obama.

Links:
Blacks more critical of health care on LI
LIers want health care fix

"My Block: Strong Island" -- A Film by Jordan Crafton and Tyrell Spencer

My Block: Strong Island by Jordan Crafton and Tyrell Spencer, both 21, is a documentary film about 15 Long Island young people overcoming obstacles as they reach for their dreams. The film premiered June 5th at their alma mater - Uniondale High.

The film provides a glimpse into lives of youths rarely presented on traditional Long Island media. As one commentator wrote after watching the film's trailer on video channel:

LI 12 News does not show the real Long Island. Im glad to see we are slowly steppin up and introducing truth to the rest of NY.

My Block is also about young African Americans from Long Island declaring their challenges, talents and dreams as no less legit or authentic than those of their counterparts in Brooklyn and Queens.

The My Block: Strong Island Trailer


My Block: Strong Island Teaser

My Block: Strong Island Extras

Links:
JDC Films
2 Uniondale High School alums to unveil film about LI

Colson Whitehead on NPR: Young, Black & Living In The Hamptons

Author Colson Whitehead's latest novel, Sag Harbor is a coming-of-age tale about a group of friends spending a 1980s summer in a predominantly black enclave in the Hamptons.

Whitehead talks about his fourth book, which has already received a string of positive reviews. He also shares his summer reading list and suggests the next writer for the new Tell Me More summer reading series.

Links:
NPR Interview with Colson Whitehead
Excerpt: 'Sag Harbor'

Sandi Brewster-walker, The Colored Girl from Long Island

I was born a Long Island Indian with strong roots to the area; who later found out I was Colored, Negro, Black, African American, and finally Native American in a town that defined my life.

Sandi Brewster-Walker
The Colored Girl from Long Island

Links:

Wrong Side of The Tracks: An exclusive excerpt from The Colored Girl from Long Island by Sandi Brewster-walker.

Reluctant Neighbors: Relations between ethnic groups on Long Island haven’t always been happy. Here’s how they stand now.

Long Island Natives & Black Americans: Index of Individuals