RED ROOTS: My Life's Journey Grounded in Revolutionary Struggle

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK Dr. Alexander’s book describes the coming together of class, racial and sexual oppression in shaping the struggles of a Black woman born into poverty. Defined sometimes by critics as “uppity;” “outspoken;” “fearless;” “Negro;” “Black;” Colored;” and “Other,” how does she check the box of identity on application forms? Who is she? Dr. Alexander was and is constantly on the move, always analyzing “What just happened?” “Does he/she really mean what she/he just said?” She is Black, poor and a woman – “inferior” in every way. Alexander says it took courage to get this book written. She was born into a chaotic world at war (1942). Lynchings of Black people were common in the United States and women were considered mere vessels for the birth of a child – sexual objects to satisfy men. Remnants of inferiority still haunted the author as she moved into the “middle class” with big M.D. initials behind her name for Medical Doctor. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Alexander was born in Watts, Los Angeles, California in 1942. She graduated from the University of California (UC) at Riverside in 1963. She finished medical school, internship and residency at UC San Francisco in 1978, and received her Master’s Degree in Public Health from Columbia University in 1994. While in New York, she worked for the Community Family Planning Council and volunteered on the Board of the Center for Constitutional Rights. She relocated back to California where she worked for City of Berkeley as the Director of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health from 1995-2006. She founded Healthy Black Families, Inc in 2013. Dr. Alexander played a leading role in organizing for a successful popular vote to tax sugary drinks in Berkeley, CA − the first city to do so in the United States. KEY FEATURES TO BE FOUND Here are some of the many exciting and ground-breaking efforts in which Alexander was a critical participant; they are described in Red Roots: Alexander was the attending physician for the first immune compromised pregnant woman at Harlem Hospital in New York in 1984. She delivered this woman who was later diagnosed with AIDS when the disease got its full name. The woman died a few hours after the delivery. The baby survived. In Seattle, Washington, before medical school, Alexander worked as a laboratory technician with rats who were fed diets devoid of protein and calories. This mimicked “kwashiorkor,” a common disorder causing death in young children living in many parts of Africa. At the opening of the movie, Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, standing together with Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte and other dignitaries, Alexander celebrated the movie’s focus on HIV/AIDS to demystify the disease. Raising a child was the most important thing that happened in her life, and letting go of that child as she matured into an adult is skillfully described. Among many true stories of her life, Alexander describes how it felt to die and come back to life. TARGET AUDIENCE Adults, women, people of color, people who are willing to fight to improve the conditions of life for all people in this country and world. People willing to put their lives on the line for change in the areas of civil rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ and others. This book DOES NOT TARGET BILLIONAIRES. You have got to read this memoir defiantly titled: RED ROOTS: My Life’s Journey Grounded in Revolutionary Struggle. You will never forget it.
ASIN: B0C5P9WYQD
VSKU: GBV.B0C5P9WYQD.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Alexander M.D., Vicki Ann
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Has a sturdy binding with some shelf wear. May have some markings or highlighting. Used copies may not include access codes or Cd's. Slight bending may be present.