The legacy lives in us

What an amazing day - the second Presidential inauguration on the day we lift up the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Today is a confirmation of the work we do together as a coalition, as women, as sisters, as daughters and as mothers. In spite of the challenges that we face in the Southeast we are indeed called to step forward and speak change into action.

Our President said it all.


Excerpts from President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech Today

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

....

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.  But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream.  My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.

You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.

You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.

Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright.  With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Pilot Project Leaders: Margarita Franco of PASOs

This month we’re featuring Margarita Franco, Director of Community Leadership Development at PASOs a community-based organization hosted at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.

How long have you been in your current position?  What brought you to the organization and your current work?

I hold a degree in psychology from Colombia, South America and a certificate in Women and Gender studies, and I am currently working on my Master’s degree in Social Work. I have been working with PASOs and the Latino community in South Carolina for the past five years. I help at-risk Latino families, especially women, access the information and resources they need to be healthy. I am passionate about women’s health issues, and I love being a channel that empowers women to realize their potential and make positive decisions that improve their lives.

What are you most excited about or what is your favorite aspect of the Choose Today a Healthy Tomorrow project?

I am excited about the opportunity to work with the Latino community around reproductive health issues because there are some unique needs among this newly settled population in South Carolina. PASOs always tries to work in ways that are culturally appropriate, tailoring messages and approaches to the specific needs and realities of the community. One of our culturally competent approaches is creating teams of community health workers who can bring health information and resources to their peers and neighbors. In the Choose Today a Healthy Tomorrow project, the community health workers will reach their community through a local radio show. I look forward to watching the community health workers learn the new skills needed to educate others about preconception health and be a part of a radio broadcast.

What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge with this project?

I anticipate that the learning process will be somewhat challenging because most of our community health workers have little or not experience working in the world of radio. Also, we are not sure if members of the community who are invited to call into the radio will want to do so at the beginning.

Can you share any great books, articles, websites, etc, that would help people learn more about using media to reach vulnerable populations (or any great resource you've found that helps with your work)?

The preconception health campaign called “Amor y Salud” (Love and Health) features a radio-soap opera, or radionovela, to reach Latina women in Oregon over the radio. It is featured in both English and Spanish.  There are two radio programs that broadcast out of Mexico that have been helpful guides for our work, “Red Nosotras en el Mundo” (Our network in the world) and CIDHAL. Both are dedicated to progressing the rights of women.

In January, PASOs will publish an article entitled, “Developing a Culturally Appropriate Preconception Health Promotion Strategy for Newly Immigrated Latinos Through a Community-Based Program in South Carolina,” in the American Journal of Health Promotion. It details how PASOs is incorporating best practices to create a new strategy to reach this population with messages on preconception health.