She wanted to meet women. Instead, she cemented herself in D.C. history.
It started as a sheet of paper in 1993.
Before one of her usual soirees at Blue Penguin, a lesbian-friendly restaurant and club on Capitol Hill, Sheila Alexander-Reid printed 50 copies of a pamphlet, folded multiple times. Inside was an Elle magazine article about how Black women died at higher rates from breast cancer compared with White women. The disparity shocked Alexander-Reid, then a 33-year-old senior account executive for Washington City Paper, and she thought other Black women attending the party needed to know about it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
An Optometrist Shared The One Eye Product We Should All Stop Using
Eye health is often overlooked. Tons of Americans skip their annual eye exams: Of those who are considered to be at high risk for vision loss, which is roughly 4 in 10 Americans, 40% didn't get their eyes checked out in the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'It's not until you have [a] problem with your eyes that you really become grateful for your vision,' said Dr. Michelle Holmes, an optometrist at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California. There's a lot you can do to protect your eye health. You can keep up with your annual eye exams, wear sunglasses to shield your eyes from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, and avoid wearing contacts to bed or in the pool, to name a few. But is there one habit you should never do, even though it may seem like eye care: Don't use eye-whitening, or red-eye relieving, drops. 'My concern with those types of eye drops is that eye-whitening drops can be used by someone to mask redness, and, oftentimes, that redness is a symptom of some more serious underlying condition,' Holmes told HuffPost. Here's why you may want to steer clear of redness relief eye drops. Related: If You Don't Pass This Extremely Easy Hygiene Test, You're Officially Stinkier Than The Average Human Related: It Turns Out That Most People Wipe Their Butts Completely Wrong, But This Doctor Is Here To Teach Us The Right Way When your eye is irritated, as it may be with pink eye or certain allergies, the blood vessels located in the front of the eye will dilate and engorge. 'That's what causes the white part of the eye to look red and angry,' Holmes explained. Those blood vessels serve an important purpose — when inflamed, they indicate something is wrong, Holmes said. This could be due to a mild problem, such as a cold or dust in the eye, or it may be a symptom of a more serious health condition like an infection, glaucoma or a corneal abrasion. 'It's not normal to have a red, angry-looking eye,' Holmes said. Red-eye relieving drops target these blood vessels to constrict and minimize their appearance. Temporarily, this makes the eyes white again, however, these drops could mask the problem at hand. 'It may make you think everything is OK with your eyes when really the can be something quite serious going on,' Holmes said. It's a bandaid, not a fix, she added. That redness can help your eye doctor detect eye diseases. With certain eye conditions, time is of the essence. Left untreated, they can worsen and lead to complications, including infections, and, in serious cases, vision loss. Not to mention, these drops may cause a rebound effect. 'As the eye drops wear off and nutrients and oxygen start to flow back through those blood vessels, they actually will dilate and engorge more than initially,' Holmes said. People can then get trapped in a cycle: their eyes appear red and irritated, they use redness-relieving drops that provide temporary relief, but then the redness comes back — this time, even worse — and they use the drops again. In some cases, people become dependent on red-eye relieving drops and the underlying health issue is never addressed, Holmes said. There are other remedies you can use instead. Whenever a patient tells Holmes they use eye-whitening drops, she recommends they opt for lubricating artificial tears instead. Her advice: use preservative-free drops — 'they're gentler on the eyes,' she explained. These products are generally thought to be the safest type of preservative-free eye drops. The Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning against 26 over-the-counter eye drop products due to the risk of eye infections that may cause partial vision loss or blindness. Finally, if your eye is red and irritated, talk to an eye care provider. Even if you give your local eye clinic a call, the front desk should be able to triage the redness — and determine if you need follow-up care or testing — and recommend safe, effective eye drops. 'Oftentimes, the cause of the redness can be determined and more effectively addressed when the reason why is known,' Holmes article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in Goodful: This Woman Is Going Viral For Begging Women Not To Get Married Right Now, And Personally, I Couldn't Agree More Also in Goodful: People Are Sharing Their Biggest "How Doesn't Everyone Know This?" Facts, And I'm Honestly Embarrassed I Never Realized Some Of These Also in Goodful: "I Thought This Was Normal": People Are Sharing Diagnoses They Received After Someone Else Pointed Out Their Symptoms
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
People Who've Battled Depression Are Sharing The Things That Actually Helped Them, And In These Trying Times, It's Need-To-Know Information
Depression is different for everyone, and getting out of it can feel impossible — until something finally clicks. So when u/CoolAnt3937 asked, "People who defeated depression, what really helped?" the answers were honest, moving, and full of hard-earned wisdom. Here's what actually made a difference for real people who've been there: 1."I stopped trying to be happy and started trying to be consistent. That changed everything." —u/mr-alan779 2."People tend to think that fixing depression means you need to feel happy, and the way to fix it is to chase happiness. But happiness is fleeting and incidental, and chasing it just leads to more suffering when you avoid difficult things for short-term, easy, good feels. If you create good habits and live consistently, you don't avoid those difficult things — you just go through them like they're any other day, reducing suffering. And then you can find happiness in moments along the way." —u/burnalicious111 3."Accepting that depression is never fully defeated. I know that sounds contradictory, but in the darkest periods, it has been really helpful to remind myself: 'You're just sick, and you will start to feel better.'" —u/RandomRamblings99 "This is what I do. I call them my 'depressive phases' because I KNOW I am not my depression, and it helps to remind myself that I am sick, and it will not last. And as much of a suckfest as it is, you just got to keep pushing through it." —u/SnarkyNinjas 4."It helps, when the sadness or shame spiral starts, to remind myself: 'This is not me. This is my depression.' For me, it allows me to acknowledge my feelings as legitimate and valid — but not wholly identify with my feelings as a permanent part of who I am. It's like being in open water. Sometimes the waves are rough, and I have to swim really hard to keep my head up. Other times, I can chill on my back and just float. But the water is always there, and I don't personally cause the waves to swell — it just happens sometimes." —u/Lanky_Rhubarb1900 5."For people with chronic depression (sometimes folks get really depressed and it's situational or environmental), understanding that it needs to be managed like any other chronic disease or illness goes a long way — and then developing protective barriers, strategies, and coping mechanisms as well!" —u/dragonflyzmaximize 6."You don't defeat depression; you manage it. This can be done through any combo of medication, therapy, having the right job, being around the right people, and finding fulfillment in your life." —u/Puzzleheaded-Dog1154 7."I lived one day at a time. Stopped aspiring to things in the future. Dropped my goals in life and tried to be in the moment. In the first period, I just slept a lot. At some point, I didn't feel the need to sleep anymore except at night. And I started to look at my job, and I switched jobs. That started to make me feel a little better. I then started eating healthier. From then on, my hobbies finally felt fun again. It felt like a long time, but the moment I noticed I got out of my depression (which was at least 1.5 years) was when I suddenly felt a twinge of happiness in my body. It felt like I woke up from a dark dream — not so much a nightmare. It felt like the light went on. Everything suddenly appeared brighter. I smiled more; I got more smiles back. I started to chat again with complete strangers. I really went from darkness to light. And the funny thing is, I still don't know how I got this depressed." —u/GiftEfficient 8."I will always remember my own first moment of that beautiful twinge of long-lost happiness — found again after years of struggle. Even if just for a moment, it reminded me of who I am and who I can be. It made me want to keep cultivating my life in a way that produced more and more of that. Now, I feel I live there 75% to 90% of the time. I still have my down moments and struggles. And yes, thank goodness for therapy, friends, and all my small steps forward. But dang, I'm grateful to feel better most of the time. In the deepest of depression, I thought I'd never feel good again. "Just here to say cheers to YOU! And for anyone reading: one step at a time. The moment you find yourself feeling good for even a minute in a healthy way, savor it. Accept yourself where you are, even when it feels bad again. You have the power to change your life, get help, learn new things, become more flexible and adaptable — and please, be kind to yourself." —u/GoneInterneting Related: If You Don't Pass This Extremely Easy Hygiene Test, You're Officially Stinkier Than The Average Human 9."Getting into shape. Quitting substance abuse (not totally abstaining from everything, don't get scared, lol, I said abuse). Ridding my life of toxic people and relationships —including my own wife of 15 years, who was the root cause of most of my depression, as our relationship was the textbook definition of a trauma bond. And then, finally starting to live FOR ME." —u/SweetJ138 10."SOBRIETY. Times a thousand. No alcohol, and especially no weed. I'm grateful for 472 days sober." —u/MorePreparations989 11."You force yourself to do things." —u/Dry_Pool_6247 12."EXERCISE, and more exercise. Getting outdoors more as well." —u/Danaskfitness Related: It Turns Out That Most People Wipe Their Butts Completely Wrong, But This Doctor Is Here To Teach Us The Right Way 13."Meditation. This takes practice and is frustrating at first. Keep at it, and you'll be able to give yourself moments of peace. A few minutes of relief from the suffocation of depression is sometimes lifesaving." —u/NudeSpaceDude 14."Writing down my feelings and trying to figure out why I'm feeling them. This helped me learn about myself, identify stressors, and figure out what I needed to improve my mental health." —u/NudeSpaceDude 15."Find a creative outlet. Whether it's drawing, writing, making video games, or singing in the shower, find something to get at least some of the thoughts out of your head." —u/NudeSpaceDude 16."Literally turning my phone completely off, and taking long walks." —u/ai9x82 17."I got a new phone a few months ago and decided no more Facebook and Instagram. The only social media I have is Reddit, and I'm usually more of a lurker. That was the best decision I've made in years!" "Also, getting a job that is outdoors. The heat can be miserable, but the fresh air and the number of audiobooks I burn through is a huge plus." —u/robotred12 18."Nutrition and sleep. This does so much more than most people think. Eating healthy can be hard if you're poor, and getting sleep can be difficult for a lot of people. But try your best to eat a healthy diet and get eight to 10 hours of sleep." —u/NudeSpaceDude 19."Seek professional help. This obviously can be hard if you're under 18 or can't afford it, but therapy really can help. You need to find a therapist who's good at their job and is a good match for you, so don't give up after the first one. Most first therapists don't go well, but if you find a good therapist, they can absolutely change your life." —u/NudeSpaceDude 20."Mine was cholesterol, so I changed my diet." —u/tomtelouise 21."Find yourself some decent people." —u/BlackberryPuzzled204 22."Becoming financially stable." —u/Brattney985 23."Mine was work. Quit my job. Depression went away." —u/Jephta 24."Mine was situational, so I changed my situation." —u/Low_Mongoose_4623 25."I literally transformed my entire lifelong depression when I finally listened to my therapist. I remember the day she told me that 'depression is a choice,' and I never hated anyone more in my life. But over time, I realized it was 100% true. The CBT triangle talks about how we have thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. You can't control (for the most part) your thoughts and feelings, but you can control your behaviors. You can't help that you feel depressed or think depressed things, but you can do 'opposite action' — do the opposite of what you want to do as a depressed person. With depression, motivation FOLLOWS action — not the other way around. When you're depressed and you say, 'Damn, I haven't cleaned in a while. I'll wait until I feel a little better to,' it's exactly like saying, 'I'll wait to go to the gym until I have abs.' The only way to beat depression is to do the opposite of what it asks of you." "Truly life-changing." —u/[deleted] Have you ever felt like you were finally turning a corner with your mental health? What made the difference for you? Share your thoughts or story in the comments — you never know who might need to hear it. Note: responses have been edited for length/clarity. Also in Goodful: This Woman Is Going Viral For Begging Women Not To Get Married Right Now, And Personally, I Couldn't Agree More Also in Goodful: People Are Sharing Their Biggest "How Doesn't Everyone Know This?" Facts, And I'm Honestly Embarrassed I Never Realized Some Of These Also in Goodful: "I Thought This Was Normal": People Are Sharing Diagnoses They Received After Someone Else Pointed Out Their Symptoms
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Asking Eric: Husband's hygiene causes big stink in marriage
Dear Eric: I've been married for a few decades to someone who lacks self-awareness about the impact of his choice not to shower for several days, sometimes more than a week. He doesn't even shower after he works out/runs. He also wears the same underwear for days at a time. When I tell him he smells, he says he can't smell anything. Believe me, he smells.
