Today's Drum: Positive Black News

As of late, I've not been particularly good at responding to those of you who've been so nice to comment on the blog. So, I spent a little bit of this morning going through your comments and looking at your blogs and websites, especially those of you with whom I was not previously familiar.

Among these was commenter Keith, co-founder and editor of an online zine called Today's Drum. Keith was kind enough to write a couple of notes on both our Diversity in Science carnival submission on NIGMS's Dr Geraldine Pittman Woods and the 65th anniversary of the first interracial college basketball game in the South.

So, I went over to learn a little more about Today's Drum, winner of the Best News Site from BlackWebAwards.com:

Today's Drum is the premier news organization dedicated to providing people from all walks of life with a daily dose of the most positive, motivational and inspirational information and news stories affecting Black families and communities across the globe. Positive black news.

Everyday, people from all walks of life logon to www.todaysdrum.com to celebrate the wealth of success and accomplishment in Science & Technology, Business, Art, Politics, Education, Sports & Entertainment, Civil Rights, Health & Fitness and Philanthropy empowering people of all backgrounds to make a difference in their lives, and the lives of others.

Today's Drum is here to serve you. We are social entrepreneurs and agents of change driven to inspire minds, one story at a time. We are the alternative to the negative images and stereotypes that unfortunately dominate most media outlets. We strongly believe that providing our communities with access to useful information and inspirational stories of achievement and success are some of the essential tools necessary in rebuilding the spirit of hope, confidence and ultimately, self-determination and action.

Join our movement today! We need you to be an example of greatness in your home, school, office and community. Today's Drum will continue to support you and your efforts. You are not alone in this struggle. There are millions of Black people across the globe continuing the legacy of greatness, each and every day. Today's Drum will provide you with many of those stories as a way to feed your mind and energize your soul. Help us make black history!

Expect the best!
Co-Founders and Editors: K. Foxx & D. Smith

The zine aggregates the best stories from various sources in a manner similar to that of Ode Magazine or the Utne Reader.

While the zine covers all aspects of news from the African American community, from arts and culture to education and civil rights, most relevant to our audience is their category of health and fitness. I'm also personally interested in this area as our laboratory has done some work on prostate cancer health disparities.

For example, there are three excellent referrals to stories related to organ transplantation. One story discusses an award NBA player Alonzo Mourning received from Florida Governor Charlie Crist for his work on the "Donate Organs Pass It Along" state license plate campaign and the Alonzo Mourning Charities, which provides support to abused and neglected children. Mourning himself had a degenerative kidney disease that required renal transplantation. Three years later, Mourning contributed to the Miami Heat winning the 2006 NBA championship.

A second story addressed how African Americans are less likely than Whites to receive kidney transplants, even when issues of socioeconomic and insurance status are taken into account. Taken from Renal Business Today, Today's Drum points to the positive impact social networks can have on patient education and increasing the chances for Black patients in need to obtain kidney transplants.

Another story tells of a 6-year-old girl with leukemia in need of a bone marrow transplant in an attempt to identify a donor..

One of the best things about writing this blog is the contributions you readers provide in pointing me toward information that expands my mind and lifelong continuing education. So, I am grateful to Keith for coming by and turning me on to Today's Drum.

And if you have positive news about African American issues in your community, personal or professional, you can send in news tips to the Drum for inclusion on their site.