The NAACP’s New York
state branch and the Hispanic Federation are coming against a NYC rule that
would limit the size of sugary drinks.
The groups claim the rule will place minority-owned delis and corner
stores at a disadvantage compared to grocery stores.
"This sweeping regulation will no doubt burden and
disproportionally impact minority-owned businesses at a time when these
businesses can least afford it," they state in court papers. They stress the need for increasing physical
education in schools as a solution.
Backers of the rule cite escalating obesity rates as
justification for a move that could become the model to shift a ghastly
trend. According to the federal Center
for Disease Control, obesity rates are higher than average among blacks and
Hispanics. Representative from the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation
acknowledge the impact sodas have on minorities, yet contend the impact on
minority business owners outweigh the risk of growing obesity among minorities.
One has to question the validity of the fight against the
soda rule. You’d expect hostility from the
Pepsi and Coco-Cola Bottling companies, but it’s disheartening that
organizations formed to fight for the wholeness of minorities would take sides
against the health of those grappling with their weight.
Obesity is rapidly becoming America’s leading public
health problem. The Harvard School of
Public Health concludes that obesity is second only to tobacco in causing death
among people under the age of 70 in the U.S. Obesity causes or is closely
linked with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol,
asthma, sleep apnea, gallstones, kidney stones, infertility, and as many as 11
types of cancers, including leukemia, breast, and colon cancer.
Along with physical health consequences, obesity has
social and emotional effects that include discrimination, lower wages, lower quality
of life and depression.
The health care cost associated with obesity in the U.S.
was estimated to be as high as $190 billion in 2005, and continues to rise. The
cost includes money spent directly on medical care and prescription drugs. Add
to this the cost of lost days of work, higher employer insurance premiums, and
lower wages linked to obesity illness. It impacts recruitment for the armed
services, with data showing close to 30 percent of young people in the U.S.
being too heavy to qualify for military service.
“The higher rates of obesity among ethnic minority and
low-income children, when combined with the adverse health effects of child
obesity, are likely to produce continued racial and economic differences in
health outcomes,” reports The Future of
Children: A Collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and
International Affairs at Princeton University and The Brookings Institute. “Preventing obesity for all children
may be a way to reduce socioeconomic and ethnic health disparities.”
Given the research that links health disparities among
minorities and ties to economic difference to obesity, why has the NAACP and
the Hispanic Federation decided to fight a rule that could aid the people they
serve? What can be said about organizations taking on issues that stymie
efforts to save lives and minimize economic inequalities?
There’s truth to the claim that this rule will negatively
impact minority businesses in NYC. I’m
not saddened by that. I support minority
business, yet lack compassion for those who have a business model that hinders
the lives of those they serve. As the
NAACP fights for the rights of business owners, officials in NYC are doing
their best to help end obesity among those addicted to those sugary drinks.
Those suffering from this rule need a new business model.
Get with the program! It’s sickening
that the NAACP and the Hispanic league have failed to understand the enormity
of the epidemic facing those they serve.
They should stop this battle and get on board.
They can help by educating business owners and citizens about
alternatives to sugary drinks. They
should build on what has been started.
The answer is not in court. The
answer is to shift the culture.
This drink is for change.
Raise your water and share with me in a toast to good health.
