By Joi Gilliam
Black College Wire

Photo credit: JennyMarie Farris/NABJ Monitor

"The right to vote is in danger in America today in many states," former president Bill Clinton said at the black journalists convention.

Obesity in young people, especially in the black community, contributes to rising health care costs and diseases such as diabetes, former president Bill Clinton said at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Atlanta, one reason why journalists should pay greater attention to the problem and why he has joined the American Heart Association in an anti-childhood obesity campaign.

Citing research by Emory University, Clinton noted at the Aug. 3 event that obesity can lead to a number of health issues, including diabetes and heart disease, which are more prevalent in black communities than other populations.

"I've been very concerned with the fact that there are three or four times as many children who are seriously overweight today as was the case 20 years ago. There are over 9 million of them," he said.

He also stressed that obesity among the black population and especially, young blacks, is on the rise.

According to the American Obesity Association, nearly 40 percent of African Americans are considered obese. Almost 27 percent of black females between 12 and 19 have that condition, a higher percentage than among other ethnic groups.

At a grade school in Harlem in May, Clinton announced his alliance with the heart association to urge fast food chains and restaurants to lower the sugar and fat content of their food to help prevent children from becoming severely overweight.

He chose to speak at Harlem's Public School 128, he said, because "the school leaders changed the whole school feeding program. They got rid of the vending machines, brought in fresh fruits and vegetables. When I got there, there were 6-year-old children writing me essays about why it is important to eat right," he said.

Noting that between 1987 and 2001, rising obesity rates accounted for 27 percent of the growth in private healthcare spending, Clinton told the audience. "I implore all of you to get interested in this." Diabetes and its related conditions alone account for about 25 percent of the whole Medicaid budget, he said.

In 2002, it cost $1,244 more to treat an obese person than a healthy person, according to an Emory University study of private healthcare costs. By comparison, in 1987, there was only a $272 difference.

Healthcare issues, including AIDS in Africa, were among many topics Clinton addressed during the convention keynote speech as NABJ celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Another topic that stirred strong reaction from the crowd was his criticism of voter registration policies that determine whether college students can vote where they are living. The policies vary state by state.

"All over America there are efforts being made to restrict access to the vote under the guise of preventing voter fraud," he said. At Georgia Institute of Technology, a student can use his college identification card to register to vote, Clinton said, but at Morehouse College, a college I.D. is considered insufficient proof for registering.

Georgia lawmakers recently passed legislation to require voters to produce government-issued photo identification at the polls. However, under the Voting Rights Act, the U.S. Justice Department must pre-clear the law before it can take effect. A Morehouse I.D. is not considered state-issued.

"I think the right to vote is in danger in America today in many states," Clinton said. "I hope you as journalists will analyze very carefully what has been done, what is being done, and I hope that you will talk about why we need to extend the Voting Rights Act," parts of which are set to expire in 2007.

Although Clinton's speech was warmly applauded, some in the audience expressed disappointment. At least one student journalist said the talk had no relevance for the assembled audience of working and aspiring journalists, but others had only praise.

Chelsea Jones, a student at University of Maryland - College Park, said Clinton "is very in touch with the black community and the issues that are important to us. It was a breath of fresh air to see someone so in tune with our needs and our issues."

Amanda Nembhard, a Howard University student, said she was inspired and intends to raise awareness about black healthcare issues by alerting her campus newspaper.

"We should bring these issues to light," Nembhard said. "I understand that people are scared to talk about diabetes, healthcare and AIDS, but you have to bring these out in the open if you expect to prevent them. It's very important that we follow up on what he said."

Joi Gilliam is a journalism student at Howard University. Student journalists Kendrick Marshall, Alexander Ford and Adam Vicks contributed to this story.

Posted Aug. 4, 2005