The Skinny On Obesity New statistics have been released by the American Diabetes Association, the American Obesity Association, and others focusing on the alarming obesity rates among Black people. Nearly 80% of Black adult women are considered obese or overweight. The life expectancy rates for both Black men and women are much lower than whites, much of which can be attributed to diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses caused by obesity. Tampa Tribune. Guild Allows Writers to Work on NAACP Awards The Image Awards, annually hosted by the NAACP, will continue without protest from the Writer’s Guild, currently on strike. Patric M. Verrone, president of Writer’s Guild of America West stated that the NAACP, an organization “dedicated to social change,” should be treated differently from the Grammys, which the Guild has still not reached an agreement on. New York Times. Paper Jam May Curb Latino Vote Through the mobilizing efforts from Univision and grassroots organizations, an overwhelming number of Latinos applied for citizenship (1.4 million at the end of the 2007 fiscal year), creating a huge backlog in the system. Wall Street Journal. First Native American Bank in State Opens Thursday was the grand opening of the Turtle Mountain State Bank in North Dakota, considered the state’s “first Native American bank.” It is also the first Native-American bank in the United States to be privately owned and operating on reservation land. KFYRTV.com. Washington Hispanic Activists Gather at Capitol On Thursday, the Capitol had visits from hundreds of different Hispanic activists representing a wide array of organizations. Activists and leaders congregated to discuss (often bilingually) pertinent issues including: health care, housing, and immigration. Some of the organizations present included the Washington State Hispanic/Latino Legislative Organization and the Comite Pro-Amnistia Y Justicia Social. Olympian Online.