How to post!
Quick Blog Tutorial 101.
1. Read an issue that I put up and find the comment link at the bottom of the issue.
2. Left click comment.
3. This will take you to a new screen and you can add your comment to the box and choose how you want to be identified. Blogger- for those with Blogger accounts, Anonymous-self explanatory and Other-which allows you to add your name or pen name.
4. Do the word verificaiton (this helps me prevent spam).
5. Hit the blue button to publish.
6. Now you are done!
Thanks.
Is Marriage For White People?
I found this article interesting. Thank you Jocelyn for forwarding it my way. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to comment.
'Marriage Is for White People'By Joy JonesSunday, March 26, 2006; B01
I grew up in a time when two-parent families were still the norm, in both black and white America. Then, as an adult, I saw divorce become more commonplace, then almost a rite of passage. Today it would appear that many -- particularly in the black community -- have dispensed with marriage altogether.
But as a black woman, I have witnessed the outrage of girlfriends when the ex failed to show up for his weekend with the kids, and I've seen the disappointment of children who missed having a dad around. Having enjoyed a close relationship with my own father, I made a conscious decision that I wanted a husband, not a live-in boyfriend and not a "baby's daddy," when it came my time to mate and marry.
My time never came.
For years, I wondered why not. And then some 12-year-olds enlightened me. "Marriage is for white people."
That's what one of my students told me some years back when I taught a career exploration class for sixth-graders at an elementary school in Southeast Washington. I was pleasantly surprised when the boys in the class stated that being a good father was a very important goal to them, more meaningful than making money or having a fancy title.
"That's wonderful!" I told my class. "I think I'll invite some couples in to talk about being married and rearing children."
"Oh, no," objected one student. "We're not interested in the part about marriage. Only about how to be good fathers."
And that's when the other boy chimed in, speaking as if the words left a nasty taste in his mouth: "Marriage is for white people."
He's right. At least statistically. The marriage rate for African Americans has been dropping since the 1960s, and today, we have the lowest marriage rate of any racial group in the United States. In 2001, according to the U.S. Census, 43.3 percent of black men and 41.9 percent of black women in America had never been married, in contrast to 27.4 percent and 20.7 percent respectively for whites. African American women are the least likely in our society to marry. In the period between 1970 and 2001, the overall marriage rate in the United States declined by 17 percent; but for blacks, it fell by 34 percent. Such statistics have caused Howard University relationship therapist Audrey Chapman to point out that African Americans are the most uncoupled people in the country.
How have we gotten here? What has shifted in African American customs, in our community, in our consciousness, that has made marriage seem unnecessary or unattainable? Although slavery was an atrocious social system, men and women back then nonetheless often succeeded in establishing working families. In his account of slave life and culture, "Roll, Jordan, Roll," historian Eugene D. Genovese wrote: "A slave in Georgia prevailed on his master to sell him to Jamaica so that he could find his wife, despite warnings that his chances of finding her on so large an island were remote. . . . Another slave in Virginia chopped his left hand off with a hatchet to prevent being sold away from his son." I was stunned to learn that a black child was more likely to grow up living with both parents during slavery days than he or she is today, according to sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin.
Traditional notions of family, especially the extended family network, endure. But working mothers, unmarried couples living together, out-of-wedlock births, birth control, divorce and remarriage have transformed the social landscape. And no one seems to feel this more than African American women. One told me that with today's changing mores, it's hard to know "what normal looks like" when it comes to courtship, marriage and parenthood. Sex, love and childbearing have become a la carte choices rather than a package deal that comes with marriage. Moreover, in an era of brothers on the "down low," the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and the decline of the stable blue-collar jobs that black men used to hold, linking one's fate to a man makes marriage a risky business for a black woman.
"A woman who takes that step is bold and brave," one young single mother told me. "Women don't want to marry because they don't want to lose their freedom." Among African Americans, the desire for marriage seems to have a different trajectory for women and men. My observation is that black women in their twenties and early thirties want to marry and commit at a time when black men their age are more likely to enjoy playing the field. As the woman realizes that a good marriage may not be as possible or sustainable as she would like, her focus turns to having a baby, or possibly improving her job status, perhaps by returning to school or investing more energy in her career.
As men mature, and begin to recognize the benefits of having a roost and roots (and to feel the consequences of their risky bachelor behavior), they are more willing to marry and settle down. By this time, however, many of their female peers are satisfied with the lives they have constructed and are less likely to settle for marriage to a man who doesn't bring much to the table. Indeed, he may bring too much to the table: children and their mothers from previous relationships, limited earning power, and the fallout from years of drug use, poor health care, sexual promiscuity. In other words, for the circumspect black woman, marriage may not be a business deal that offers sufficient return on investment.
In the past, marriage was primarily just such a business deal. Among wealthy families, it solidified political alliances or expanded land holdings. For poorer people, it was a means of managing the farm or operating a household. Today, people have become economically self-sufficient as individuals, no longer requiring a spouse for survival. African American women have always had a high rate of labor-force participation. "Why should well-salaried women marry?" asked black feminist and author Alice Dunbar-Nelson as early as 1895. But now instead of access only to low-paying jobs, we can earn a breadwinner's wage, which has changed what we want in a husband. "Women's expectations have changed dramatically while men's have not changed much at all," said one well-paid working wife and mother. "Women now say, 'Providing is not enough. I need more partnership.' "
The turning point in my own thinking about marriage came when a longtime friend proposed about five years ago. He and I had attended college together, dated briefly, then kept in touch through the years. We built a solid friendship, which I believe is a good foundation for a successful marriage. But -- if we had married, I would have had to relocate to the Midwest. Been there, done that, didn't like it. I would have had to become a stepmother and, although I felt an easy camaraderie with his son, stepmotherhood is usually a bumpy ride. I wanted a house and couldn't afford one alone. But I knew that if I was willing to make some changes, I eventually could.
As I reviewed the situation, I realized that all the things I expected marriage to confer -- male companionship, close family ties, a house -- I already had, or were within reach, and with exponentially less drama. I can do bad by myself, I used to say as I exited a relationship. But the truth is, I can do pretty good by myself, too. Most single black women over the age of 30 whom I know would not mind getting married, but acknowledge that the kind of man and the quality of marriage they would like to have may not be likely, and they are not desperate enough to simply accept any situation just to have a man. A number of my married friends complain that taking care of their husbands feels like having an additional child to raise. Then there's the fact that marriage apparently can be hazardous to the health of black women. A recent study by the Institute for American Values, a nonpartisan think tank in New York City, indicates that married African American women are less healthy than their single sisters.
By design or by default, black women cultivate those skills that allow them to maintain themselves (or sometimes even to prosper) without a mate.
"If Jesus Christ bought me an engagement ring, I wouldn't take it," a separated thirty-something friend told me. "I'd tell Jesus we could date, but we couldn't marry." And here's the new twist. African American women aren't the only ones deciding that they can make do alone. Often what happens in black America is a sign of what the rest of America can eventually expect. In his 2003 book, "Mismatch: The Growing Gulf between Women and Men," Andrew Hacker noted that the structure of white families is evolving in the direction of that of black families of the 1960s. In 1960, 67 percent of black families were headed by a husband and wife, compared to 90.9 percent for whites. By 2000, the figure for white families had dropped to 79.8 percent. Births to unwed white mothers were 22.5 percent in 2001, compared to 2.3 percent in 1960. So my student who thought marriage is for white people may have to rethink that in the future.
Still, does this mean that marriage is going the way of the phonograph and the typewriter ribbon?
"I hope it isn't," said one friend who's been married for seven years. "The divorce rate is 50 percent, but people remarry. People want to be married. I don't think it's going out of style."
A black male acquaintance had a different prediction. "I don't believe marriage is going to be extinct, but I think you'll see fewer people married," he said. "It's a bad thing. I believe it takes the traditional family -- a man and a woman -- to raise kids." He has worked with troubled adolescents, and has observed that "the girls who are in the most trouble and who are abused the most -- the father is absent. And the same is true for the boys, too." He believes that his presence and example in the home is why both his sons decided to marry when their girlfriends became pregnant.
But human nature being what it is, if marriage is to flourish -- in black or white America -- it will have to offer an individual woman something more than a business alliance, a panacea for what ails the community, or an incubator for rearing children. As one woman said, "If it weren't for the intangibles, the allure of the lovey-dovey stuff, I wouldn't have gotten married. The benefits of marriage are his character and his caring. If not for that, why bother?"
joythink@aol.comJoy Jones, a Washington writer, is the author of "Between Black Women: Listening With the Third Ear" (African American Images).
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
By Any Means Necessary
Is Rev. Sen. James Meeks the next Malcolm X? The slain civil rights leader is quoted as saying the title line. Rev. Sen. James Meeks is openly flirting with running for Governor. Why?
Well Rev. Sen. Meeks wants more school funding. He said he will cast aside his campaing if the Governor can show him 4 Billion dollars for school funding. That is bad news for the Hot Rod. While Meeks will never win he will pull enough votes from the Governor. Don't forget Judy Barr Topinka is not a stranger to the Southside of Chicago. One of her senior staffers is the wife of Congressman Bobby Rush. Four years ago Congressman Rush endorsed Topinka for Treasurer over the Democratic nominee. Who knows what will happen this time. So with Rush and Topoinka taking votes to the right and Rev. Sen. Meeks taking votes to the left the Hot Rod is not left with much of a Black base!
While I feel Rev. Sen. Meeks is doing a noble thing I do not believe in splitting the vote and one should remain a good Democrat. Uh oh, Meeks is not a Democrat! So, he has no allegiance to the Governor or the party, that's even worse for the Hot Rod. Meeks needs 25,000 signatures to be on the November ballot. Through an alliance of mega-churches that will not be a hard feat. So, do I endorse the Meeks move no, but to paraphrase Chris Rock, he shouldn't do it, but I understand!
My athletic ability
My athletic ability is limited. My youngest sister may posess more than me, let's hope so because this Wed. she plays her first game as a member of the John Hope Softball team. I do not know what position she will play but let's pray she is good enough for a scholarship. If anyone has softball tips for Carrie please share.
* To see a picture of Carrie look at my facebook profile and see the picture in JammyJam pt. 2 photo album.
Controversial
This was forwarded by a friend. She too is a first year law student. I am very interested in seeing the responses.
The National Center for Men has prepared a lawsuit -- nicknamed Roe v. Wade for Men -- to be filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Michigan on behalf of a 25-year-old computer programmer ordered to pay child support for his ex-girlfriend's daughter. The suit addresses the issue of male reproductive rights, contending that lack of such rights violates the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause.
The gist of the argument: If a pregnant woman can choose among abortion, adoption or raising a child, a man involved in an unintended pregnancy should have the choice of declining the financial responsibilities of fatherhood. The activists involved hope to spark discussion even if they lose.
"There's such a spectrum of choice that women have it's her body, her pregnancy and she has the ultimate right to make decisions," said Mel Feit, director of the men's center. "I'm trying to find a way for a man also to have some say over decisions that affect his life profoundly."
Feit's organization has been trying since the early 1990s to pursue such a lawsuit, and finally found a suitable plaintiff in Matt Dubay of Saginaw, Mich.
Dubay says he has been ordered to pay $500 a month in child support for a girl born last year to his ex-girlfriend. He contends that the woman knew he didn't want to have a child with her and assured him repeatedly that because of a physical condition she could not get pregnant.
Dubay is braced for the lawsuit to fail.
"What I expect to hear (from the court) is that the way things are is not really fair, but that's the way it is," he said in a telephone interview. "Just to create awareness would be enough, to at least get a debate started."
State courts have ruled in the past that any inequity experienced by men like Dubay is outweighed by society's interest in ensuring that children get financial support from two parents. Melanie Jacobs, a Michigan State University law professor, said the federal court might rule similarly in Dubay's case.
"The courts are trying to say it may not be so fair that this gentleman has to support a child he didn't want, but it's less fair to say society has to pay the support," she said.
Feit, however, says a fatherhood opt-out wouldn't necessarily impose higher costs on society or the mother. A woman who balked at abortion but felt she couldn't afford to raise a child could put the baby up for adoption, he said.
Jennifer Brown of the women's rights advocacy group Legal Momentum objected to the men's center comparing Dubay's lawsuit to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling establishing a woman's right to have an abortion.
"Roe is based on an extreme intrusion by the government literally to force a woman to continue a pregnancy she doesn't want," Brown said. "There's nothing equivalent for men. They have the same ability as women to use contraception, to get sterilized."
Feit counters that the suit's reference to abortion rights is apt.
"Roe says a woman can choose to have intimacy and still have control over subsequent consequences," he said. "No one has ever asked a federal court if that means men should have some similar say."
"The problem is this is so politically incorrect," Feit added. "The public is still dealing with the pre-Roe ethic when it comes to men, that if a man fathers a child, he should accept responsibility."
Feit doesn't advocate an unlimited fatherhood opt-out; he proposes a brief period in which a man, after learning of an unintended pregnancy, could decline parental responsibilities if the relationship was one in which neither partner had desired a child.
"If the woman changes her mind and wants the child, she should be responsible," Feit said. "If she can't take care of the child, adoption is a good alternative."
The president of the National Organization for Women, Kim Gandy, acknowledged that disputes over unintended pregnancies can be complex and bitter.
"None of these are easy questions," said Gandy, a former prosecutor. "But most courts say it's not about what he did or didn't do or what she did or didn't do. It's about the rights of the child."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Is there time for a personal life on the campaign trial?
Soon I will detail the events of election night. To say the least it was a wild night. I was up for 28+ hours. I think that is a personal record. However, as a professional politico this is my life. So when do I conduct a personal life? Most people will say never, however, others have so I guess I will fit a personal life with my other activities (law school, campaigining and Young Democrats of America).
I have met or reacquainted myself with a former undergrad classmate and DePaul Law School graduate. The two of us have spent a considerable amount of time together recently. She is a high-paced attorney in the state's capital, who knows why she likes hanging out with me but I am riding this bike until the wheels fall off! So wish me well or better yet wish her well.
Protect your vote!
When you protect your vote you protect your community. It may sound cliche but voting is power! When you protect your vote you ensure your voice is heard and your community is governed the way you choose.
How do you protect your vote?
First and foremost report any voter irregularities to the authorities: Chicago Police Department, FBI, Cook County States Attorney, United States Attorney or any law enforcement or prosecutorial agency.
Second, you can show up TODAY at Stroger headquarters and be trained on how to monitor Board of Elections officials as they manually count the vote at 69 W. Washington. I will post blog entries on my interesting night at the polls but it was not interesting to see that the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts were only reporting 20-25% of the precints as late as 11 pm and the other Congressional districts were well above 40%. Oh, by the way the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts are the black districts and mostly lay on the South Side and South suburbs!
So call the 8th Ward Regular Democratic Organization and volunteer to monitor the manual count tomorrow.
I'll see you there.
John Stroger needs your help!!!!
When do you know you have a true friend? Who really supports you?
You know your true friends and your true supporters not when things are going well but when things are not going well.
Do not let the bad news distract you. President Stroger still needs your help. Vote for John H. Stroger, Jr. Tuesday. A vote for Stroger is a vote for our community and proven leadership.
I look forward to the victory.
Young Professionals Sought
My alma mater, Morgan Park High School seeks young professionals for career day. Friday, May 5, 2006 Morgan Park High School will be conducting its Annual Career Day. If interested call Counselor Annie W. Richardson, (773) 535-2550 ext. 113.
I have participated in the last 4 career days. Unfortunately, this one falls during my Finals period. However, I want you all to pick up my slack and give the kids some hope. I find career day at my alma mater is a good time to give back to the community and find the next diamond in the ruff.
If you have more question please e-mail me.
Young Democrats of Cook County Meeting
We worked hard, now come and relax.
Young Democrats of Cook County Meeting
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Jak's Tap
901 W. Jackson
6-8 p.m.
Morgan Park High School Class of 1996
I am getting old. My class reunion is coming soon. The Reunion coordinator is Ms. Latachia Poe,
misspoe78@hotmail.com. She is assisted by Famious Stephenson,
fstphnsn@buckeye-express.com. For all of my classmates who are interested in attending please contact the coordinator or her assistant. I will list some of the information which was forwarded to me.
July 28, 2006 (Friday)
Meet & Greet at Cafe Luna, Chicago, IL
July 29, 2006 (Saturday)
Banquet at Odyssey Country Club, Tinley Park, IL
What are the other guys doing?
The Democrats will win in 2008! So, who will be the poor Republican nominee that will face the crushing defeat? I do not know? On
www.msnbc.com Chris Matthews has a good video presentation about the Republican nominees.
As of now these are the leading contenders.
Sen. Bill Frist
Fmr. Mayor Ruduolph Giulliani
Sen. John McCain
Gov. Mike Huckabee
Gov. Mitt Romney
Sen. George Allen
Let's make sure we start to give them hell early!
Political pick 'em
It may not be as exciting as the NCAA tournament but I am providing my Final Four. On March 21, I believe these four candidates will be left standing and the losers go home.
1. John H. Stroger, President, Cook County Board President
2. Marlow H. Colvin, State Representative 33rd District
3. Frank Avila, Jr., Cook County Water Reclaimation District
4. Alexander Giannoulias, Treasurer State of Illinois
LLSA knows how to party
This weekend I attended the Latino/a Law School Association Banquet. Why did I attend? Is it because I have a love for Cubano jazz? Is it because taco night at the Anderson household is a special day? Is it because I have a crush on Jennifer Lopez?
While all of the above are true, the real reason I went is to be supportive of my Latino Brothers and Latina Sisters. The event was very nice. In addition to having a keynote speaker LLSA presented a distinguished alum award. For an annual event that is only in its sixth year LLSA appears to be well on it's way.
To see pictures of me at the event see my Facebook profile (
http://facebook.com/p.php?id=1944326&l=8054029df3).
Come support President John H.Stroger, Jr.
WOMEN FOR STROGER RALLY
WHEN: SUNDAY MARCH 12, 2006
WHERE: 651 W. WASHINGTON
(WASHINGTON & DESPLAINES)
ASSEMBLY TIME @ 1:30 PM
PRESS CONFERENCE 2:00 PM
Black history.
He is not Dr. Martin Luther King, he is not Malcolm X. However, Gordon Parks is an important figure in African American history. He recently passed on. I challenge you to research him and learn of his achievements. Remember, Black History is 365!
NEW YORK (AP) -- Gordon Parks, who captured the struggles and triumphs of black America as a photographer for Life magazine and then became Hollywood's first major black director with "The Learning Tree" and the hit "Shaft," died Tuesday, a family member said. He was 93.
Parks, who also wrote fiction and was an accomplished composer, died in New York, his nephew, Charles Parks, said in a telephone interview from Lawrence, Kansas.
"Nothing came easy," Parks wrote in his autobiography. "I was just born with a need to explore every tool shop of my mind, and with long searching and hard work. I became devoted to my restlessness." (
Watch Parks describe how his powerful work could be a lesson for all -- 1:49)
He covered everything from fashion to politics to sports during his 20 years at Life, from 1948 to 1968.
But as a photographer, he was perhaps best known for his gritty photo essays on the grinding effects of poverty in the United States and abroad and on the spirit of the civil rights movement.
"Those special problems spawned by poverty and crime touched me more, and I dug into them with more enthusiasm," he said. "Working at them again revealed the superiority of the camera to explore the dilemmas they posed."
In 1961, his photographs in Life of a poor, ailing Brazilian boy named Flavio da Silva brought donations that saved the boy and purchased a new home for him and his family.
"The Learning Tree" was Parks' first film, in 1969. It was based on his 1963 autobiographical novel of the same name, in which the young hero grapples with fear and racism as well as first love and schoolboy triumphs. Parks wrote the score as well as directed.
In 1989, "The Learning Tree" was among the first 25 American movies to be placed on the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. The registry is intended to highlight films of particular cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.
The detective drama "Shaft," which came out in 1971 and starred Richard Roundtree, was a major hit and spawned a series of black-oriented films. Parks himself directed a sequel, "Shaft's Big Score," in 1972, and that same year his son Gordon Jr. directed "Superfly." The younger Parks was killed in a plane crash in 1979.
Parks also published books of poetry and wrote musical compositions including "Martin," a ballet about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Parks was born November 30, 1912, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the youngest of 15 children. In his 1990 autobiography, "Voices in the Mirror," he remembered it as a world of racism and poverty, but also a world where his parents gave their children love, discipline and religious faith.
He went through a series of jobs as a teen and young man, including piano player and railroad dining car waiter. The breakthrough came when he was about 25, when he bought a used camera in a pawn shop for $7.50. He became a freelance fashion photographer, went on to Vogue magazine and then to Life in 1948.
"Reflecting now, I realize that, even within the limits of my childhood vision, I was on a search for pride, meanwhile taking measurable glimpses of how certain blacks, who were fed up with racism, rebelled against it," he wrote.
When he accepted an award from Wichita State University in May 1991, he said it was "another step forward in my making peace with Kansas and Kansas making peace with me."
"I dream terrible dreams, terribly violent dreams," he said. "The doctors say it's because I suppressed so much anger and hatred from my youth. I bottled it up and used it constructively."
In his autobiography, he recalled that being Life's only black photographer put him in a peculiar position when he set out to cover the civil rights movement.
"Life magazine was eager to penetrate their ranks for stories, but the black movement thought of Life as just another white establishment out of tune with their cause," he wrote. He said his aim was to become "an objective reporter, but one with a subjective heart."
The story of young Flavio prompted Life readers to send in $30,000, enabling his family to build a home, and Flavio received treatment for his asthma in an American clinic. By the 1970s, he had a family and a job as a security guard, but more recently the home built in 1961 has become overcrowded and run-down.
Still, Flavio stayed in touch with Parks off and on, and in 1997 Parks said, "If I saw him tomorrow in the same conditions, I would do the whole thing over again."
In addition to novels, poetry and his autobiographical writings, Parks' writing credits included nonfiction such as "Camera Portraits: Techniques and Principles of Documentary Portraiture," 1948, and a 1971 book of essays called "Born Black."
His other film credits included "The Super Cops," 1974; "Leadbelly," 1976; and "Solomon Northup's Odyssey," a TV film from 1984.
Recalling the making of "The Learning Tree," he wrote: "A lot of people of all colors were anxious about the breakthrough, and I was anxious to make the most of it. The wait had been far too long. Just remembering that no black had been given a chance to direct a motion picture in Hollywood since it was established kept me going."
Last month, health concerns had kept Parks from accepting the William Allen White Foundation National Citation in Kansas, but he said in a taped presentation that he still considered the state his home and wanted to be buried in Fort Scott.
Two years ago, Fort Scott Community College established the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity.
Jill Warford, its executive director, said Tuesday that Parks "had a very rough start in life and he overcame so much, but was such a good person and kind person that he never let the bad things that happened to him make him bitter."
From CNN, Dana Reeve, widow of actor, dies of lung cancer
This is a tragic ending for a couple who suffered much. Also, I am unsure if it is mentioned in this story but she didn't even smoke!
Dana Reeve, widow of actor, dies of lung cancer
Tuesday, March 7, 2006; Posted: 1:36 p.m. EST (18:36 GMT)
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Dana Reeve, seen at a 2004 event, revealed that she had lung cancer in August. She was a nonsmoker.
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WATCH
Browse/SearchDana Reeve's grace, devotion and strength (1:52)
Nonsmoking women face lung cancer risk (3:34)
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Create Your OwnManage Alerts What Is This?NEW YORK (CNN) -- Dana Reeve, the widow of the late actor Christopher Reeve, has died of lung cancer at age 44, according to the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
A lifelong nonsmoker, Dana Reeve revealed she had the disease in August, less than a year after her husband's death. She died Monday night.
"We are all just so sad," foundation President Kathy Lewis said.
Lewis said that she had visited Reeve on Friday and that she was "strong and gracious and courageous." (
Watch how Dana Reeve's work inspired admiration -- 1:52)
Reeve was the chairwoman of the foundation, which funds research for new treatments for spinal cord injuries and works to improve the quality of life for people suffering from paralysis.
Her husband died in October 2004 at age 52 after falling into a coma. He had been paralyzed since a horseback riding accident in 1995.
Reeve was admired for the support and love she showed for her husband and for her assistance in his care.
She also was an actress and singer.
In January, she sang at the retirement ceremony for Mark Messier's New York Rangers jersey at Madison Square Garden.
"She sang beautifully. She looked lovely," said Kathie Lee Gifford, who interviewed Reeve at the event. "She was wearing a wig, of course. She had been through chemo and radiation. She was very thin, which you would expect for somebody going through what she was going through."
Gifford said she was surprised by the news because Reeve had seemed so healthy that night. (
Watch how nonsmoking women face a lung cancer risk -- 3:34)
"I was absolutely stunned because she told me that day that the tumor was shrinking and she was the picture of optimism that night," Gifford said.
Kate Michelman, a member of the foundation's board, remembered Reeve as "a great spirit."
"The country suffers because Dana, on a personal level, was one of the most remarkable people I've ever known," Michelman said.
She said Reeve's health had seemed to improve, giving friends and loved ones hope that she might recover from the cancer.
"She was improving. You know her own spirit and her own determination to overcome this plague made us feel she could do it," Michelman said.
"She just recently learned that she was failing and right up [till] the end, I have to tell you, Dana was convinced she was going to overcome this."
Michelman said Reeve's death is "a dreadful loss" but that the foundation will "move forward with Christopher and Dana's vision."
Dana and Christopher Reeve married in 1992 after a five-year relationship.
The actor was famous for his role as Superman in a trilogy of movies in the late 1970s and 1980s. He continued to act and direct films after his accident.
Christopher Reeve became a crusader to help find therapies and treatments for paralysis and was an outspoken supporter of stem-cell research. Dana Reeve was credited with carrying on his work through the foundation.
"After Christopher's death, Dana was determined to preserve the important work and the legacy of hope that became his life's mission," Lewis said in a statement. "Even in our grief, the foundation must pick up and continue to go forward with this mission.
"At the same time, we commit ourselves to ensuring that the light of grace, courage and hopefulness that Dana embodied continues to shine bright -- bringing comfort and hope to people living with paralysis and their families and caregivers."
She is survived by the couple's son, Will, 13; her father; two sisters; and two stepchildren, according to the foundation's statement.
Vote early (it is illegal to encourage you to vote often)
Please forward this e-mail, as it is imperative we touch as many people as possible.V O T E O N M A R C H 21, 2006RE-ELECT JOHN H. STROGER, JR.-PUNCH 29Cook County Board President
· Free Health Care - Built a new state-of-the-art medical facility that provides the most up to date technology and efficient design to meet the ever evolving needs of its patients.
· Opened new AIDS treatment and Research Facility.
· Opened a 364 bed Sheriff’s Boot Camp, to place offenders in a strict military environment designed to turn around the lives of troubled youths and juveniles and to help alleviate overcrowding at the Cook County Jail.
· Opened a new Domestic Violence facility fulfilling a promise to deliver a court facility that provides improved safety and a secure environment.
· Early Voting - For the first time, Illinois has initiated an “early voting” program that allows voters to cast ballots during an 18-day period prior to the election. The early voting program will run from February 27 through March 16. In Chicago, early voting hours are 9 am to 5pm daily, and from 9 am to Noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Unlike absentee voting, no excuse or reason is needed to vote early. The 21 Chicago early voting sites are:
01. Chicago Board of Election Commissioners 69 W. Washington (LL)
02. Engine 26 10 N. Leavitt Av
03. King Community Ctr 4314 S. Cottage Grove Av
04. 3rd District Police 7040 S. Cottage Grove Av
05. Olive Harvey College 10001 S. Woodlawn Av
06. South Chgo Learning Ctr 3055 E. 92 St
07. McKinley Park 2210 W. Pershing Rd
08. West Lawn Park 4233 W. 65 St
09. Archer Heights Library 5055 S. Archer Av
10. 6th District Police 7808 S. Halsted St
11. 22nd District Police 1900 W. Monterey Av
12. Piotrowski Park 4247 W. 31 St
13. West Side Learning Ctr 4624 W. Madison St
14. Amundsen Park 6200 W. Bloomingdale Av
15. Mozart Park 2036 N. Avers St
16. Pulaski Park 1419 W. Blackhawk St
17. Wright College 4300 N Narragansett Av
18. North Park Vlg Admn Bldg 5801 N. Pulaski Rd
19. Norwood Park 5801 N. Natoma Av
20. Welles Park 2333 W. Sunnyside Av
21. Warren Park 6601 N. Western Av
