Mar 10, 2008 4:51 pm US/Eastern
Working African American Women Respond To Study
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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North Philadelphia native Ursula Augustine now owns her own business, but says growing up; she had to brush off stereotypes.
CBS
Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and Philadelphia's First Lady, Lisa Nutter are African American women who have power, influence and success, but a recent study says most black women in the U.S. are lagging behind women of other races.
"It's very hard, very hard," said Davonne Bay.
Davonne Bay, 25, is a single mother of two who attends East Stroudsburg University, works a part time job and is a legislative intern. She says she knows all too well the challenges some young black women face today.
"My Mom is a recovering addict, she just celebrated five years. She wasn't around when I was younger, growing up," said Bay.
The Urban League report says black women are more likely than white or Hispanic women to raise children and head a household.
"We don't have a lot of resources we need to educate these females and let them know there are other resources out there to help you get to a certain point," said Bay.
The struggles African American women face are not simply financial. The study says they have higher rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
North Philadelphia native Ursula Augustine now owns her own business, but says growing up; she had to brush off stereotypes.
"On a job application when you had to put your home address, that would always be the thing, 'Oh, your from North Philly.' Then when I would go into the interview and they would meet me and speak with me, they would say, 'Oh, you don't look like your from North Philly,'" Augustine said.
Augustine spends much of her free time speaking to young girls about the importance of education and self esteem things she says are essential for success.
"My blessing was growing up in North Philly," said Augustine, describing her attitude as, "I'm from North Philly, I make it happen."
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