׉?4ׁB!בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://Ny_Jgz1tv-LTzqRIZIKuIxT7UqyTHs-oDsfWD3dFPVM5`׉ 7cassandra://Np5kmjNUOQCG43piBV6sNOeK_baSU0ECpmvWuH3_F3cq`s׉ 7cassandra://CkkH-gNDbgmryZ8WledhPJu4FZ0FDC5bbSBHxSnCYk8*}`e͗c[ט(u׈ÂeRN׈Ee͗c[׉EUFebruary 2024 HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! HARRIETT J. CURLEY HISTORIC PERKINS TEACHER ׉ 7cassandra://CkkH-gNDbgmryZ8WledhPJu4FZ0FDC5bbSBHxSnCYk8*}`e͗c[Ӂe͗c[ҁ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://1mIsQcR5eHthvLLRXkkrWZX3sO4XXZizStlczbHeyso`iq׉ 7cassandra://Ymwpdmstmr2ZGFC71pehF7sVgziD-8Xist8F6JyBWl0>`׉ 7cassandra://RyHcV0SLnXIz8ct_Hok3QW6tIIVRqkJhdMxD3iziQeECC`e͗c[נe͗c[؁T 9ׁHhttp://LosRos.comׁ ׁ Ј׉EWRITERS & STAFF CONTRIBUTORS Donnetta Austin Debra Carr Courageous Fire Celeste Lawson Gary Lawson Caleb Thomas Lenore Metrick-Chen Editor-In-Chief Dwana Bradley Creative Director Nikki Goldman LosRos Graphix LosRos.com Gianni Berry Bert Moody Lori Young MAGAZINE OUTLETS Ankeny Kirkendall Library 1250 SW District Drive Ankeny, Iowa 50023 Altoona Public Library 700 Eighth Street SW Altoona, Iowa 50009 Central Library 1000 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50309 DMACC Urban Campus 1100 7th Street, Des Moines, IA 50314 Drake Diner 1111 25th Street, Des Moines, IA 50311 Eastside Library 2559 Hubbell Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50317 Evelyn Davis Center 801 Suite #3, University Ave, Des Moines IA 50314 Forest Library 1326 Forest Ave, Des Moines, IA 50314 Franklin Library 5000 Franklin Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50310 Johnston Library 6700 Merle Hay Rd. Johnston, Iowa 50131 Northside Library 3516 5th Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50313 Neighborhood Finance 4908 Franklin Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50310 Ruby B's Kitchen 4121 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Iowa 50321 Senior Polk County 2008 Forest Ave, Des Moines IA 50314 Slow Down Coffee Co. 3613 6th Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50313 Southside Library 1111 Porter Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50315 The Great Frame Up 5515 Mills Civic Parkway Suite #150, West Des Moines, IA 50266 The Playhouse 831 42nd Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50312 The Zone of Comfort - Life Balance Center 3829 71st Street B-1, Urbandale, Iowa 50322 Urbandale Public Library 3520 86th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322 Urbandale Chamber of Commerce 2830 100th Street, Suite 110, Urbandale, IA 50322 West Des Moines Library 4000 Mills Clive Pkwy, West Des Moines, Iowa 50365 Henderson's Highland Park Funeral Home 3500 6th Avenue Des Moines. Iowa 50313 ׉ 7cassandra://RyHcV0SLnXIz8ct_Hok3QW6tIIVRqkJhdMxD3iziQeECC`e͗c[׉E?SUMMARY 4 EDITORS MESSAGE 6 HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH 10 SPIRITUALITY CONSISTENCY 12 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT 15 ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND THE BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES 8 14 20 *PHOTO CREDIT TO PEXELS AND FREEPIK 3 28 JOIN THE NATION OF LIFESAVERS DURING AMERICAN HEART MONTH AND GO FROM BYSTANDER TO LIFESAVER e͗c[Ձe͗c[ԁ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://ZPEx25_djeIeNskXPrPgBhqTBY4vwuXP-HH0TOwb1gc%`iq׉ 7cassandra://HtT9nX5IjLkj51jtEihsWS1EeRyW9XkuN3k1iw3mHVk`׉ 7cassandra://VX91LkGqwHgDoKYObfP8a6kQShN0OnGl5WnbatsHroIB`e͗e[נe͗e[9ׁHhttp://www.ioׁ ׁ Јנe͗e[ 9ׁHhttp://www.theurbanexp.comׁ ׁ Јנe͗e[&̺9ׁH mailto:contactdsmurban@gmail.comׁ ׁ Ј׉E T GET THE URBAN EXPERIENCE My Life, My Purpose. I am Dwana Bradley. I’m a mother of two, an entrepreneur, serving on various boards, a caretaker, speaker, listener, and I’m living out my purpose in life. Looking back on my childhood, I would never have imagined being where I am today. I remember while growing up watching other kids play, and I’d never say a word. My mom would get frustrated with me because I would ask to go outside and then just sit, never speaking to others. The first time I sang a song at church, I grabbed the microphone and cried the whole time. My mom wanted to come to my rescue, but the choir director— who happened to be the Pastor’s wife at the time— stopped her by saying, “She needs to know how to speak to others. She will be alright.” I’ve always remembered those words. I used to wonder why she put me through everything, crying those tears and no one coming to my rescue hurt, but I have since come to realize the Pastor’s wife saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. It was because she never let me run and hide that I’m the person I am today. I don’t back away from a challenge, and in my own way, I make sure my voice is heard. I speak with confidence, and I know I was put on this earth to make a difference. My voice is my gift. As the owner of Iowa Urban Media, our purpose as a media company is to print, publish, and promote. We provide information and while I do not consider myself a journalist, I am an educator. Under the umbrella of Iowa Urban Media, we have Urban Experience Magazine which was started with my father, February 2015 with the purpose of sharing stories of others and focusing on the areas of arts and culture, community, spirituality, health, and public affairs. This magazine makes me proud because we tell stories just like they are. We have no hidden agendas; we are informational and factual. We educate people in the state of Iowa and beyond. The voices of people who look like me are often silenced, and I wanted to create a space where we could tell our stories and the stories of others. I am excited to share This is not my Show podcast show. My gift is speaking, and I love the art of conversation. This show was created to highlight leaders, community members, and others as their stories are shared in their own words. Iowa Juneteenth Observance is excited to offer events throughout the year. Events will take place February – November 2024. Our mission is to provide education ׉ 7cassandra://VX91LkGqwHgDoKYObfP8a6kQShN0OnGl5WnbatsHroIB`e͗c[׉E-in African American culture and history, collaborating with like-minded organizations to cultivate awareness and appreciation of our contributions. I’m passionate about everything I’m involved with. This season in life has been filled with blessings. I’ve met great individuals who have assisted me along the way. I am aware that everything I do could be gone tomorrow, so I don’t get caught up in the labels I carry. I’m a human being who hurts just like you do, and sometimes I do things that might not be right as well. But I’m continually learning how to be a better me. There is a phrase I created for myself: “There is no competition, only purpose.” I wasn’t put on this earth to compete. I was put here for a purpose, and every day that I wake up, I will make sure to live that purpose out loud. I love connecting and building relationships with others. If you have a story to tell, or would like me to tell your story, you can contact me at contactdsmurban@gmail.com. You may also check out Urban Experience Magazine at www.theurbanexp.com. Interested about Iowa Juneteenth? Please visit www.iowajuneteenth. org. We are looking for volunteers and sponsors for this year’s event. Above all, I pray you all are living the life you were called to live. Blessings, Dwana Bradley 5 My THIS IS NOT SHOW e͗c[ׁe͗c[ց(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://ETD3d8CUN6jEB0w9iZ4Z5gwRTK3mPHziBmJhW88ahAsDP`iq׉ 7cassandra://SFA8snat50yIkPBMLHBVgITAobPCtIiqqVGIVXaSSLUX`׉ 7cassandra://eROrh3SfU-AT1G1oXo8uI5Fz9uocS38cT2Oq6HoldrsR`e͗e[׉E HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH Mental Health: Written by: Caleb Thomas, M.A. LMHC Hello Urban Experience Readers. I pray 2024 is off to a great start and that this will be the best year ever. I want to wish you a Happy Black History Month, I know there is a lot to our Black History, yet I want to take a snapshot of what it means to us today. How can we do this, you might ask? We do this by continuing to press forward with change. One major change we can start working on is to help improve the lives of our Black youth. We can tell our Black youth about Black History including but not limited to, Black History, Slavery, Freedom, the Civil Rights Movement, and all the great Black leaders who fought from slavery to freedom to the Civil Rights Movement. We will continue to teach and educate and bring to their remembrance, but they also need support, help and encouragement right now. Our Black youth especially the young males are dying at a higher rate, dropping out of school at a higher rate, and going to prison at a higher rate. We know our ancestors didn’t fight just to be stoned, beat up, terrorized, put in prison and even their very lives were taken, and now for our Black youth to fail. Not on our watch! Yes, it’s great to celebrate Dr. Kings birthday (in January) and Black History month in February however, I believe we should also be seeing a change in the alarming statistics we have been witnessing among our Black youth. To do this, it is going to take work on our part, as I have mentioned before I can’t just be concerned about my four and no more. If we’re going to come together and celebrate Black History month it needs to be every month and every month, we need to be working together to see a positive change in our Black youth. They are the future, so we must decide what does the future of Black History look like, when we are gone from this earth and enjoying eternity in heaven. Unfortunately, our Black youth are bombarded with evil and wickedness coming at them daily. They are engulfed with demonic music, that glorifies and edifies sexual promiscuity, gang violence, selling drugs, using drugs robbing, stealing, and killing. (Do you know of other cultures glorifying such horrendous acts in the same way?). There are individuals who glorify violence, heinous evil wicked acts who gets awarded and rewarded with accolades, prizes, trophies and even television commercials. These individuals don’t allow their own children to participate, their kids are being set up for success, by going to the best schools and having tutors and studying to become successful professionals. One thing we can do in celebrating Black History is stop promoting the big entertainers of music the tv and products of these entertainers who could care less if your son or daughter ends up dropping out of school, joining a gang, ending up in prison or being killed. I think we’ve had enough of that in our own back yard within the past year. (Prayers and condolences for those families). The Bible lets us know we can’t mix good with evil, so we must choose how we’re going to continue to celebrate Black History. We should honor the honorable and dismiss those who are ignoring what happens to our Black youth. Our Black youth need better role models, no walking around with ׉ 7cassandra://eROrh3SfU-AT1G1oXo8uI5Fz9uocS38cT2Oq6HoldrsR`e͗c[׉E7 e͗c[فe͗c[؁(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://K-I7-qyQR6Wfg1PGxk_f2Fz8fqMISQO27jfhYJpxDxo`iq׉ 7cassandra://0gksw1Z7Q_TI7m57V_uC-CSCHuy-b6MnrufvCWjin4g:`׉ 7cassandra://OJvqJpU1ZvcKi54bfG1KWzZyt964iPfQj6IWS6kTvZEH2`e͗f[נe͗f[ @΁"9ׁHmailto:iaurbanmedia18@gmail.comׁ ׁ Јנe͗f[Ḡ9ׁHhttp://thomasacc.comׁ ׁ Јנe͗f[&9ׁHmailto:caleb@thomasacc.comׁ ׁ Јנe͗f[q̂̄9ׁHhttp://childstats.govׁ ׁ Ј׉E׉ 7cassandra://OJvqJpU1ZvcKi54bfG1KWzZyt964iPfQj6IWS6kTvZEH2`e͗c[׉E 5sagging pants, being angry and showing aggression at the slightest disagreement. Teaching responsibility is a must, we must address teen pregnancy and respecting self. We must Celebrate Black History by teaching our Black youth how to be professional, honorable, and dignified young men and women with integrity. As we do this as a community starting right in our own back yard then we can truly celebrate Black History. Let’s start building the legacy our ancestors fought for in helping the next generation. We want our Black youth to be successful and productive citizens of this society. I’ll leave you with this if we don’t begin taking on our rich legacy, Black History will just be a celebration on the calendar, that really has no meaning, no heart, and no concern. Black History Month is not just about our history and our past, it is to recognize our present and our future, as our future is our Youth. We should help them know the importance and role as Black youths in society. Don’t allow the majority to label our Black youth in a negative way, if something is to be said, let it be the next Mayor, or Spelling Bee champion and not a statistic of an incarcerated, or another Black child slain. We must address the horrible statistics on high school dropouts, teen pregnancy, gang affiliations, drug and alcohol use, abuse, and addiction in Black youth. The statistics also as of 2022, 49% of U.S. children were White, non-Hispanic; 26% were Hispanic;14% were Black non-Hispanic; 6% were Asian non- Hispanic and 6% were non- Hispanic “All other races”. (childstats.gov). Based on the numbers there are a small number of black youth, do we have room for anymore disparaging and degrading downfalls of black youth? We have a part to play in the future of our Black youth. Let’s work to change the trajectory in a positive direction for them. Now that’s what I call Black History! As always if you are seeking counseling for yourself or for your children and youth, please feel free to contact our office. Happy Blessed New Year! Sincerely, Caleb Thomas M.A. LMHC 319 206-0651 caleb@thomasacc.com thomasacc.com Thomas & Associates Counseling & ConsultingCounseling with a God given purpose! Do you want to be on the cover or centerfold? Sponsor an edition of Urban Experience MaGazine! Contact us today: iaurbanmedia18@gmail.com 9 e͗c[ہe͗c[ځ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://hfSoFh8Ogsr3NdWVnyICs02mvQ_gGywpeaWOc5C_QrMZ\`iq׉ 7cassandra://e5N_M2ejmxkVc2-6KMmtE9sdsdCb2GhSAOKwHR9TnKwͮ`׉ 7cassandra://igjy_yiSCwwcDcWSIxNOCkeDA6mvVykfmV3DKcIdvWY8`e͗f[ ׉E5Spirituality Consistency Written By: Donnetta Austin ׉ 7cassandra://igjy_yiSCwwcDcWSIxNOCkeDA6mvVykfmV3DKcIdvWY8`e͗c[׉EAbide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me John 15:4-5 NKJV The more you stay focused and set time aside to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. The more He will show himself to you. Things will work out in your favor. When you learn to release the self-control. Clarity, Peace, and understanding are gained. The overall benefit is that it will work out for your good and for God’s glory. Patience is a virtue. 2 Peter 1:5-8 KJV - And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The more you remain consistent in your walk with God He will handle the rest. 11 e͗c[݁e͗c[܁(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://oV1_Y2qdsITNERCq48GydeNqRlxNdQmqEvPohJTB9cU`iq׉ 7cassandra://ijRvw4tKQVVqMKON6yEJ4psP2Mj_7HH8Gv2FJhXQQ9s`׉ 7cassandra://1KCSHaDIBfYReluiQVpvzJjQ6hvUcoe4VGstCRIPxlQG`e͗g[ ׉EHarriett J. Curley (1925-2001) Harriett Curley graduated from East High School and Drake University, both located in Des Moines. In 1946, she was hired to teach kindergarten at Perkins Elementary, which is part of the Des Moines Public School district. Curley did not receive a warm welcome as the first Black woman to teach in the district. Several parents and community members went to school board meetings to protest her hiring. But as Superintendent N.D. McCombs noted about Curley: “She topped the list of applicants by a wide margin. The board has had a policy, in writing, for years that all boys and girls get the best teachers for the money we can pay. And they are not hired on a basis of color, creed, or nationality.” After Curley was hired, other Black women were hired as teachers. Her husband, E. Nevin Bruce, was also hired in Des Moines as the first Black man to teach full time. Think Like Harriett J. Curley • Harriett Curley broke the color barrier as a teacher within Des Moines Public Schools. What was her impact on the district? • • Why would a school district hire teachers based on their skills and not based on “color, creed or nationality?” After her retirement, Curley stated “I had no misgivings when I took the job … I can honestly say that I have never had one unpleasant moment at Perkins.” What does this say about the Perkins Elementary School community after their initial protest? Community Spotlight ׉ 7cassandra://1KCSHaDIBfYReluiQVpvzJjQ6hvUcoe4VGstCRIPxlQG`e͗c[׉EThe NAACP Des Moines Branch and Perkins PTA invite you to Celebrate a Historic Perkins Teacher, Harriett J. Curley Monday, March 25 • 5:30–6:45 pm at Perkins Elementary School 4301 College Avenue, Des Moines Harriett J. Curley was the first Black teacher in the Des Moines Public School District. Join us as we celebrate, connect, and dedicate the Perkins library in her honor. 5:30–6:45 pm Story Time Dwana Bradley, Editor of Urban Experience 6:45 pm Participants will rotate through four activities (15 minutes each) Music Bridges 2 Harmony, Roosevelt HS Gospel Choir Presentation Rob Johnson, Community Activist Refreshments provided Connect and Learn NAACP & Franklin Public Library Library dedication with the NAACP 13 e͗c[߁e͗c[ށ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://vvvcmgCl_jwNGJot_siwZsNu00HrvfBItzuyVzTv98Q`iq׉ 7cassandra://E3pcnGqJ_2VbZ8rAR3dseYCMcuAvuDaJtCDfMTp93Jo`׉ 7cassandra://Z_BU0ogH2vLrx_FDs0IsQrb39eteLz07LqmwEcLwIas?.`e͗g[׉EALZHEIMER ׉ 7cassandra://Z_BU0ogH2vLrx_FDs0IsQrb39eteLz07LqmwEcLwIas?.`e͗c[׉E ÂeRNr}