Black Press

Lessons From a Team That Helped 27 Family Childcare Programs Get Started in a Year

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The statewide project had many components, including start-up grants of up to $10,000 and business grants of up to $5,000 for access to business training, software, or devices to manage programs.

Published

1 year ago

June 23, 2025

BlackPress of America

Helen Cole said her family childcare home has better equipment and provides higher-quality care because of the support she received from the Southwestern Child Development Commission’s family child care projects. Liz Bell/EducationNC

By Liz Bell, EdNC.org

Many want to expand family childcare — the home-based sector of licensed childcare — and are looking at pilots to open new programs to meet the needs of families and employers. For the past two years, a team from the nonprofit Southwestern Child Development Commission (SWCDC) has done just that, creating North Carolina’s first statewide system of support for family child care. In the past year, the organization has helped launch 27 new family childcare programs, 20 of which are open, creating at least 160 new slots for children. Two are the first family childcare programs in their counties.

Since September 2023, the team has awarded start-up grants to another 26 programs and business sustainability grants to 38 programs. It has created the first statewide family childcare mentorship program, regional communities of practice, and a marketing campaign that has garnered interest from more than 200 prospective providers since April. The funding to do this work — from a North Carolina legislative pilot in the 2023 budget and a state contract through the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) — ends at the end of June. As state leaders ask how to improve childcare access and affordability, the project’s lessons should carry forward, said Daniel Bates, the statewide project’s manager. “I just really felt like we’ve done something here, and I hope that, no matter what, it still continues, because family childcare is so incredibly important,” Bates said. “And they are part of early childhood education.”

‘People that will be around for a while’

Expanding family childcare takes one-on-one support for new providers who often bring a passion for children but little knowledge of the complex regulations and business challenges that come with starting and operating a program, the project leaders said. It also requires funding. In 2024, SWCDC, a nonprofit focused on early care and education based in western North Carolina, was awarded $525,000 from the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) from legislative pilot funding to expand access to family childcare. The project’s expected output was to help 18 programs get started. Instead, it has helped launch 27 programs by awarding grants to cover start-up costs. The grants ranged from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the providers’ needs and the strategic goals of the project. The average grant was about $13,000. Providers also spent their own money to open their programs outside of the grants. A survey of some of the providers found that most had spent between $1,000 and $5,000 before receiving grants to prepare their homes and buy materials.

The new providers are in 19 counties. In Alleghany and Montgomery counties, grant recipients will be the only family childcare providers in their counties. Two providers speak Spanish fluently, according to the project leaders. At least 18 have college degrees. Four of the new providers were under 30 years old. Six were in their 30s; 10 were in their 40s. “These are people that will be around for a while,” said Vickie Ansley, SWCDC’s Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) regional programs manager, and family child care in-home program activity coordinator.

That grant funding was layered onto a larger statewide family child care project the organization has been leading since February 2023 through a separate $3 million contract with DCDEE from the CCDF, the federal funding stream that helps states raise the quality of child care and helps working families afford it. The statewide project had many components, including start-up grants of up to $10,000 and business grants of up to $5,000 for access to business training, software, or devices to manage programs. It provided 64 professional development workshops to providers on a range of issues. It also created a framework for family childcare substitute pools and a database of zoning contacts and information.

Hands-on support from regional consultants

The crux of the project, however, was all about hands-on support and community building, the project leaders said. The project funded 17 family childcare consultants who reached 477 providers in 73 counties with coaching and consultation. The consultants, trained in the specifics of owning and operating a family child care program, were embedded in the 14 regional CCR&R hubs covering all 100 counties. “We’re talking about people located in those communities,” Ansley said. “They know the (providers), or they know somebody who knows them.”

DCDEE employs licensing consultants who meet with all types of potential childcare owners to begin the licensure process. The licensing consultants began recommending reaching out to the regional family childcare consultants to new providers. The family childcare consultants then could provide knowledge specific to family childcare, dedicate time and energy to decipher the complexities of starting and sustaining a business, and offer support that was independent of regulatory oversight and compliance. Some of the consultants were former family childcare providers themselves. “Prior to that, if an agency had capacity, then they provided support,” Bates said. “The services were somewhat limited, whereas this was full 100% dedication for family childcare.”

The regional consultants received business training to advise providers on budget planning, financial reports, marketing, and recruiting and retaining staff. Kathleen Hoffler, a regional consultant at the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County who once owned a family childcare home, described the role as her “dream job.” Hoffler said she has helped providers take better care of their businesses, their children, and themselves. She encouraged providers to take time off and to reach out for help. “If you’re having issues with enrollment, if you’re having issues with collecting payments from parents, if you’re having behavior issues with kids or you’re worried that one of your kids might need some developmental screening, and you don’t have anybody to talk that out with, it’s real easy to get discouraged and possibly decide it’s not for you and you’re going to close your program,” Hoffler said.

The family childcare consultants connected providers to the pilot grant opportunities and helped them budget what they needed and how they should spend the funding. Since the consultants were embedded in CCR&R agencies, they could connect providers with a variety of professional development opportunities and resources. They connected providers to mentors — seasoned family childcare providers who provided a listening ear and advice on overcoming obstacles — and to communities of practice, and regional teams that met to share ideas and support one another. Annette Anderson-Samuels, owner of Phenomenal Kids Child Care Services, a family childcare home in Kings Mountain, was one of those mentors. She said her advice to two new providers on how to advertise their programs kept them from closing. She recently helped a provider navigate a tough conversation with parents who were not following her policies. “It’s to help each other become better at what we do as childcare providers,” Anderson-Samuels said.

There were 22 mentors and 44 mentees across the state. In his decades working in early childhood, Bates said the group has been a standout. “They’ve crossed county lines to go help each other in person,” he said. “The interest and the willingness, wanting to improve themselves, is really out there if they have the opportunity to do that.”

‘The lost segment of early childhood education’

The number of family childcare programs, and childcare businesses within a residence, has fallen by about 36% since 2018, compared with an overall 15% decline in all types of licensed childcare. Eighty-five percent of licensed childcare closures from February 2020 to June 2024 were home-based programs. As a generation of providers ages out of the work, a lack of awareness, funding, and support — along with increased regulation — has kept new providers from entering the field, project leaders said. The team was intentional about listening to providers’ experiences and needs before developing a system of support. Low funding from public sources and private tuition leads to low compensation for family childcare professionals. The median wage for home-based providers in 2023 was $10.20.

The team also heard about obstacles due to HOA rules and zoning regulations. They found that local ordinances were putting up barriers to new programs in some places. Septic tank requirements were among the most common and most expensive problems. “(Providers) have recognized, ‘I don’t really need to run to Raleigh; some of the challenges I have are really just in my own backyard, and I just need to talk to my town or county,’” Bates said. The team heard about the isolation many providers feel, being alone in their homes all day without a network to air ideas or lean on when challenges arise. Providers said they did not feel respected or supported by the state.

‘Like a prayer answered’

For Helen Cole, assistance and funding were key to opening her family childcare home in Taylortown in Moore County. “I just feel like this wouldn’t have been possible without the support and the funds,” said Cole, who recently earned her four-star license to care for children from infancy to 12 years old at Helen Cole’s Day Care. She received more than $17,000 to start her program from the legislative pilot funding. She bought new outside equipment, furniture, dramatic play sets, age-appropriate toys and books, a new kitchen faucet, a state-approved curriculum, and a new laptop. Cole heard about the potential grant funding for start-up costs from the state licensing consultant. She was also connected with Hoffler.

Cole was excited to open after hearing about a local demand for second-shift care. After retiring as a substitute teacher in her local school district, she needed more income and was eager to fill a community need. However, after her initial meeting with a licensing consultant, she received a long checklist of everything she had to do. She said she felt overwhelmed. “It was just so much information,” she said. “There are things on the website, but how do you adjust it for your daycare?”

Plus, Cole had experience helping in her sister’s childcare program, but she did not know the ins and outs of operating a small business. Even with a background in accounting, she knew the role would be challenging. So she reached out to Hoffler for an in-person meeting. “It was like a prayer answered,” Cole said. “She broke it down for me.” Hoffler helped Cole navigate the tough decisions that come with operating a business from your home, such as how much living space she was willing to sacrifice and what renovations were needed. And she helped Cole create a budget to apply for grant funding through the legislative pilot. She gave her ideas on high-quality and age-appropriate materials.

She also connected Cole with a mentor, helped her with business skills, and connected her with other resources through the Smart Start partnership. Hoffler has helped her advertise her program and hold on through the ups and downs of enrollment, Cole said. Because she needed to hire another teacher, her niece Danielle Dixon, Cole said she is breaking even but has not started making a profit or been able to pay herself. She said she has been advised that it can take nine months to a year. She said low subsidy rates and her parent’s inability to afford her private rates have also been financially challenging. She serves one student whose parents are both working, making too much to qualify for a subsidy, but cannot afford her private rate of $200 per week. She only charges that family $85 per week. Dixon, who has been working in childcare professionally for 11 years but informally since she was 16 years old, has both of her children enrolled in the program. Dixon said her grandmother and mother, as well as three of her aunts, have worked in childcare. She decided to partner with her aunt, Cole, to return to working with young children in a creative, exploratory environment after working in public schools.

Helen Cole’s Day Care opened in December in the home she was raised in, where her mother used to take care of children whose parents were at risk of losing custody. “All of our lives, we’ve had other children here,” Cole said. Both Dixon and Hoffler have helped Cole strengthen her understanding and practice of early childhood care and education. Her program’s philosophy is based on relationships, exploration, and emotional and social development. The academic foundations are added. “It’s that give and take between you and this child,” Hoffler said. “They’re going to learn more from you if you are actively engaging with them and talking to them throughout the day, than they’ll ever learn if you give them a coloring sheet and try to teach them how to stay in the lines. There are no lines in early childhood.” “That was a wow moment,” Cole said. “I understand that we have to have a curriculum, and we do, but the biggest thing is for them to develop on their own.”

It is this one-on-one attention and intimate environment that make family childcare appeal to so many parents. Rural children, low-income children, and children of color are more likely to access home-based care than center-based, according to the national advocacy and research group Home Grown. It is often more affordable, more convenient, and flexible for nontraditional working hours, and more culturally and linguistically relevant to diverse families. Kailyn Green, whose daughter has been at the program for a month, said she toured other programs with open spots but they “didn’t feel right.” Then she visited Cole’s program and did a walk-through. “I was like, ‘I’m sold. I’m good,’” Green said. A licensed clinical social worker, Green said she has been able to return to work without worrying. She receives texts and videos of her daughter’s days and has been impressed by how much she has progressed, especially with eating more consistently. “I love that she truly gets the attention,” she said. “She’s been able to form a relationship with her. It’s been great.” Hoffler said she was excited to hear about Cole’s recent accomplishment: earning four out of five stars on the state’s quality rating scale. “I’m just so proud of her,” she said. “She handled it like a pro.”

What’s next?

There are multiple efforts to build different kinds of support for family childcare. DCDEE said the project with SWCDC taught them that “Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) would benefit from additional funding, continued community engagement, and professional development to improve quality,” according to a DCDEE spokesperson. “FCCHs are a vital part of our state’s early care and learning network, and DCDEE is committed to continuing our support for these small businesses,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Though the contract for the statewide project ends on June 30, the spokesperson said the division will continue using CCDF funds and federal funds from the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Birth through Five to provide business technical assistance and other services to family childcare programs.

The PDG contract is in process but will be awarded to Acelero Charitable Foundation “in collaboration with multiple agencies that support family child care.” It will focus on increasing quality and family engagement, the spokesperson said. DCDEE is also contracting with Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill to provide evaluation and coordination of the PDG Elevate FCCH project, which will provide extra subsidy funding to family child care programs to increase wages for providers. Jones-Ruff said SWCDC will continue supporting family childcare by retaining a statewide team with organizational funding — and will seek outside funding to continue other aspects of the project. Some of the family childcare consultants will continue their work through local CCR&R or Smart Start funding. “I can see just the monumental amount of work and the progress that has happened in such a short amount of time,” she said. “We’re not going away.”

Up Next

Trump Announces Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran

Don't Miss

State Department Issues Worldwide Travel Alert After Trump-Ordered Iran Strikes Spark Global Tensions

BlackPress of America

Comments

Black History

Together Building Back Better

AFRICAN-AMERICAN NEWS AND ISSUES – DALLAS — For more than 57 years, the SHAPE Community Center has served as a cornerstone of Houston’s Third Ward, providing essential programs based on principles of unity and collective responsibility. Known as “The United Nations of The ‘Hood,” the center recently faced its most difficult challenge following a devastating electrical fire at the Nia Becnel Family Center.

Published

5 hours ago

October 27, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

Image Credit: Kalimah Muhammad — Credit: Kalimah Muhammad

I’m going through the most challenging experience of my life with SHAPE,” said Deloyd Parker. He has served as the executive director of the historic SHAPE Community Center for over 57 years and is still energetic and driven by the love of serving the people. Known as “The United Nations of The ‘Hood,” SHAPE is a precious cornerstone of Houston’s Third Ward, serving generations of families through programs and activities, with emphasis on Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work & Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.

January 2027 will mark two years since a devastating electrical fire took place at SHAPE’s Nia Becnel Family Center, located at 3815 Live Oak. The building and priceless historical items were significantly damaged and lost. That included the “Wall of Fame” photo collection that adorned the interior walls. Nedzra Ward, President of the Board of Directors, shared how the fi rst few days aft er the fire were very trying for everyone who loved SHAPE and those who visited the sacred grounds were in shock and silence. “We knew we had to start working to get things back up,” said Ms. Ward who has been apart of SHAPE’s staff and board for decades. In the aftermath, Ms. Ward called the insurance company and then reached out to Charles Cave to be the lead project manager. They also reached out to engineers Brian Smith, Barbara Smith and Frank Brown, and other experts to formulate the group known as Together Building Back Better (TBBB).

The team met weekly at the Harambee Admin Building located at 3903 Almeda Rd. And to continue serving the people, Mr. Parker and team worked to get that building certified and operational, especially for the children. “Deloyd never stopped. He was the driving force for everything. He made sure that someone was taking care of licenses and that this place was being refigured. His whole goal was to have these kids back and in a safe environment,” said Ms. Ward. “We have served the people for 57 years and as a result of serving the people, the people are coming through,” said Mr. Parker. “It’s going to take more than a fi re to put us out.

Volunteers from the community stepped up to help at Harambee Admin Building. Many programs, events and activities have resumed including the weekly Elders Institute of Wisdom and enrollment is now open for the 2026-2027 After School Enrichment Program. Soft opening scheduled for November The desire was to reopen the gutted Live Oak location within a year but Ms. Ward and Mr. Cave described the many challenges SHAPE has faced in this rebuilding effort. The insurance did not cover everything that’s needed and tariffs

The post TOGETHER BUILDING BACK BETTER appeared first on African American News and Issues.

Based on reporting by African-American News and Issues – Dallas.

Black Press

Homecoming Ends in Gunfire Outside FAMU: 12 Hurt, Six of Them Children

SAN FRANCISCO SUN REPORTER — Twelve people were injured, including six children, after gunfire erupted near Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium following a homecoming celebration on Saturday night. Authorities report that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between individuals who knew each other, leaving eleven victims with gunshot wounds and one with an ankle injury.

Published

5 hours ago

October 27, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

Tallahassee, FL - September 2, 2024: Florida A&M University football, Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium — Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA.

Twelve people were hurt, six of them children, when gunfire broke out near Florida A&M’s stadium as homecoming crowds headed home Saturday night. A 15-year-old has been charged.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Homecoming is supposed to be the one weekend everybody comes back. Grandmothers in orange and green. Alumni who haven’t seen each other in twenty years. Kids on shoulders watching the band.

Saturday night, it ended in gunfire.

Twelve people were hurt in a shooting near Perry and Manatee streets, behind Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium, around 8 p.m. as crowds left the homecoming celebration, according to News4JAX. Eleven were shot. A twelfth hurt an ankle running from the gunfire. Six of the injured are children, including an 11-year-old.

By Sunday, five had been released from the hospital and six were still being treated, one in critical condition, CBS News reported. No one was killed.

What police say

A fight broke out first, police said, among people who knew each other. Then somebody started shooting. None of the people hit appear to have been the intended targets.

A 15-year-old was arrested and charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent, according to CBS News. Police said more arrests are possible. The Sun-Reporter does not name minors charged with crimes.

“What should have been a weekend of celebration in our community instead became a night of fear and violence,” Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.

FAMU President Marva Johnson said she shares in the “outrage and profound sadness at the senseless and despicable shooting.” The university said the shooting happened near campus and that the campus remained safe.

Rattlers head football coach Quinn Gray put it plainest.

“No one should leave our celebration in an ambulance,” he wrote, “and no child should ever be caught in gunfire.”

Why it lands here

Homecoming at a historically Black college is a family reunion for the whole Black diaspora, and the Bay Area sends its share. Alumni, parents of students, kids who’ve already got their acceptance letters in mind. When something like this happens in Tallahassee, it happens to people we know.

Police are asking anyone with information or video to contact the Tallahassee Police Department.

Sources: CBS News and News4JAX. Photo: Bragg Memorial Stadium at Florida A&M University. Photo by Michael Rivera via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Based on reporting by San Francisco Sun Reporter.

Black History

COMMENTARY: Bring on the Positive Calvary

SEATTLE MEDIUM — Dr. E. Faye Williams addresses the exhaustion many Americans feel following two years of political hostility, corruption, and systemic bigotry.

Published

5 hours ago

October 27, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

(Trice Edney Wire)—Like Amy Acton, candidate for Governor in Ohio and Dr. Abdul El-sayed for U.S. Senate in Michigan, the Positive Calvary really is coming soon! Aren’t we all tired of the negative past two years we’ve experienced in the U.S.? Aren’t we tired of the atrocious accusations being thrown around, the filthy language, lies, unending corruption, hatred, racism, sexism, Islamophobia, and bigotry of all kinds. This election season has been worse than ever! I’m sick and tired of women’s names being dragged through the mud—as mine, and others have been out of hate and jealousy. I’m tired of so many people being reluctant to support women. Let’s be the ones to stop this

I’m ready to hear in detail what candidates are ready to do to win the upcoming elections and give help to the people in need—and there are a lot of things from which to choose!

My prayer is that candidates will stop bickering and just tell us what they’re planning to do to help to bring us out of this abysmal situation we’re in now. Instead of spending so much time being shocked by what the highest elected man in the land is saying and doing, let’s concentrate on how to put up guard rails for him when we vote We already know more than enough about what he has said and done. Let’s pledge to elect leaders who’ve shown they care about the people they campaign to represent. There are a lot of good candidates out there who are being overshadowed by the bickering

Let’s not leave everything to elected leaders. As community activists, Get Out the Vote workers, religious leaders and all the good people around us. Show the way to a better nation to all around us. Let’s concentrate on what we are going to do to help people in need. Let’s work on plans to make their lives better. Let’s pledge to get along with our neighbors at home, and our neighbors in Canada, our friends in Ukraine and stop being led by someone who hangs out with those set on disrupting our system of democracy. Ignore the wrecking balls who are more interested in tearing down monuments and praising themselves, supporting evil with lies and unbelievable positions on good people, those who are destroying our military and using government and our taxes on evil things.

Let’s call out corruption, but don’t participate in it. Let us ignore lies about good candidates at all levels. Let’s support the left out. Jamie Davis, a Black man in Louisiana, is a leading candidate for the U.S. Senate. We don’t have to live in Louisiana or be a Democrat or a farmer to support him when you see how much trouble the person running against him is dealing with something people don’t want.

We can vote across party lines when that candidate has expressed the good things she/he will work for when elected. Never mind that in this case she has an R after her name. I know Monique Appeaning in Louisiana who worked in my campaign for Congress when she was a very young woman. I missed winning by a few votes to become the first Black woman to represent my home state in Congress. Forty years later, there has still been no Black woman in the Louisiana delegation. Monique has chosen to pick up the challenge and give my hope life so that other young Black women can have hope in refusing to allow any good thing to be beyond their reach

You know right from wrong, so don’t be afraid to vote for what’s right in a few days. Always promote good. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Amy Acton deserve your vote if you are in Ohio or Michigan. Yes, you know right from wrong, so do what’s right wherever you are.

Based on reporting by Seattle Medium.

Black History

Retirement Triggers Doctor to Pen Book for Young Audience

THE CHAMPION NEWSPAPER — After more than 35 years as a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Deborah Burton has transitioned from the operating room to the world of young adult literature. Writing under the pen name MD Burton, the retired Marietta physician recently released her debut sci-fi fantasy mystery novel, Invisible Cages: The Alynthia Quest.

Published

5 hours ago

October 27, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

Retirement Triggers Doctor to Pen Book for Young Audience

After more than 35 years as a pediatric surgeon, Deborah Burton retired but didn’t give up one of the most rewarding aspects of her career—connecting with young people.

Burton used writing and her imagination to create a young adult sci-fi fantasy mystery novel, Invisible Cages: The Alynthia Quest, under the pen name MD Burton. Her debut novel launched in early October, and Burton said she’s been delighted with the responses so far.

The novel follows Jade Babington who leads a team of resourceful friends as they join an elite organization to crack a spy network and embark on a high-tech adventure to find answers. Her quest is complicated by powers that surge through her body, and to be successful, she needs to understand her family roots, embrace her emerging talents, and step into her legacy, according to a press release.

Through the book, readers are introduced to a range of characters who work in STEM and healthcare careers which Burton hopes will inspire readers to consider pursuing careers in some of those areas.

Burton moved to Dunwoody in 1995 and ran a successful pediatric ear, nose, and throat practice in Marietta. She retired in 2021 but missed the educational moments she shared with her young patients.

“I talk to kids all the time,” said Burton, adding that she likes to share insight into the many career paths in healthcare. “I love to educate and empower.”

She said she worked on the book for five years, researching coding, microchips, and satellites.

“It was a learning journey,” she remarked.

The book explores themes of self-acceptance, girl empowerment through strong female characters, the importance of family, and STEM exposure, states the press release. Set on a fictional health complex, the novel introduces readers to healthcare careers, as well as engineering and computer science.

The author also had to delve into unique aspects of her main character.

“Jade has powers and sees auras,” she explained. “So I spent a good amount of time learning about auras, telepathy and magical realism.”

In addition, to providing insight to STEM and healthcare careers, Burton hopes the books help her teen female readers dealing with insecurities to better understand and appreciate what makes them unique and the power they possess. She also hopes it will build self-confidence.

“You have to accept who you are,” she said. “Whatever your differences are, everybody’s got them, embrace them.”

Burton said she originally planned the book to be a seven-part series but on the advice of her edit changed it to four parts.

“I know what my end goal is,” said Burton noting that she’s included Easter eggs in the first book to entice readers throughout the reading process and has a completed outline for the other books in the series. After completing an audiobook of Invisible Cages: The Alynthia Quest by the end of the year, Burton plans to start writing the next book in 2027.

On Nov. 15, a book signing is scheduled at the Politan Row food hall in Dunwoody.

The self-published book is available in eBook, paperback, and hardback formats, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers.

3 total views

Based on reporting by The Champion Newspaper.

Black Press

Fatigue, Bloating, and Inflammation: Spotting the Subtle Signs of MASLD

THE BLACK CHRONICLE — Many individuals mistakenly believe that liver disease is exclusively the result of heavy alcohol consumption, causing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease to frequently go undiagnosed. This condition occurs when excess fat accumulates in the liver, leading to unchecked inflammation and potential long-term damage.

Published

5 hours ago

October 27, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

Fatigue, Bloating, and Inflammation: Spotting the Subtle Signs of MASLD

Because many people falsely assume liver disease is strictly caused by heavy alcohol use, life-threatening conditions like MASLD frequently go undiagnosed until major damage occurs. When excess fat builds up in the liver, unchecked inflammation […]

Continue reading with a Black Chronicle subscription. Purchase The Black Chronicle Newspaper Subscription – Now with the All-New TBC Magazine! or The Black Chronicle Newspaper Subscription – Now with the All-New TBC Magazine!! to unlock this article and all subscriber content. Already subscribed? log in.

The post Fatigue, Bloating, And Inflammation: Spotting The Subtle Signs Of MASLD appeared first on The Black Chronicle.

Based on reporting by The Black Chronicle.

Black History

Metro Detroit Faith Leaders Call out Islamophobia in Michigan Senate Race

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE — Faith leaders from diverse religious backgrounds gathered Thursday at the downtown Detroit United Methodist Church to denounce the rise of Islamophobic rhetoric in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Clergy members, including representatives from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions, expressed concern over religious identity being used as a weapon in the final weeks before the general election.

Published

5 hours ago

October 27, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

Metro Detroit faith leaders stand behind Rev. Paul Perez of the United Methodist Church downtown Detroit. Photo Samuel Robinson — Photo Samuel Robinson

Faith leaders of different religions came together Thursday afternoon inside the downtown Detroit United Methodist Church to oppose Islamophobic rhetoric that’s ramped up ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

“In the final weeks of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, we have watched religious identity used as a weapon,” said Rev. Paul Perez, who leads the downtown Detroit church.

Perez and other faith leaders said at the press conference they weren’t endorsing a candidate, but compassion and understanding as Michigan voters decide who to send to the U.S. Senate.

Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed would be the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Senate. His identity is being used by supporters of Rogers’ campaign to cast doubt on his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution.

Earlier this month, El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers agreed with a social media post calling El-Sayed a terrorist.

“The charge of dual loyalty has been thrown at Jews for generations,” says Rabbi Alana Alpert, of Ferndale’s Congregation T’chiyah. “When we hear it aimed at our Muslim neighbors we recognize it. And we will not let it be used against anyone.”

At an El-Sayed event Thursday at the Wayne State Fieldhouse, an ant-Muslim activist Cam Higby interrupted his rally as El-Sayed began his remarks.

“Why do you take money from members of the Muslim Brotherhood?” Higby shouted before being escorted out of the gymnasium.

TV and digital ads echo the charge against El-Sayed that he is connected to designated terrorist organizations, which he has denied. He has disavowed and condemned Hamas, the military group controlling Gaza, and the Muslim Brotherhood, a decentralized movement with a long history in Egypt.

While tweets from his half-sister suggest she and her mother had sympathetic attitudes toward the organization, no evidence has been produced that points to El-Sayed being affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In an interview with Michigan Chronicle, Higby said he doesn’t believe Muslims belong in America. That sentiment is often found in online replies and comments from accounts run by conservative Christians.

sd Democratic voters have also expressed skepticism about El-Sayed’s faith.

Ahead of the primary election, Farmington Hills School Board member Angie Smith caused an uproar online after she told Michigan Chronicle she wasn’t sure whether El-Sayed could represent everybody.

“Don’t come out speaking only Arabic; don’t come out with your Arabic music on; represent everyone,” Smith said.

She later apologized for the comments.

At Thursday’s press conference, Imam Steve Mustapha Elturk of Warren’s Islamic Organization of North America, shared a story about how he eventually earned the trust of new neighbors who feared his congregation was bringing Sharia law when they arrived.

“When a person’s faith is treated as evidence for disloyalty, every Muslim family hears that message. Our children hear it. They come home from school and ask, ‘Are we really American?,’” Elturk said. I want to answer them today from this pulpit surrounded by our Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters, yes, we are Americans. Yes, we are Americans. Our faith is protected by the same Constitution that protects every other faith.”

Pastor Louis Forsythe II of Detroit’s Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, said that liberation of Christians, Jewish and Muslims are tied together.

“The Black church knows what it means to have our loyalty questioned,” Forsythe said. “We know what it means to be told we are less than full citizens. We are called un-American for demanding the rights of the Constitution promised us.

“Our faith carried us through that, and it was the faith of others standing beside us that helped bend this nation toward justice. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from a Birmingham jail that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Based on reporting by Michigan Chronicle.