Louis Gossett Jr. Discloses His Prostate Cancer To Help Other Black Men

Academy Award winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. disclosed this week he is suffering from prostate cancer, a disease the American Cancer Society predicted in 2009 would be the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among black men.

Gossett, 74, disclosed he is in early stages of prostate cancer treatment to encourage other black men to receive regular checkups for the potentially deadly disease.

"I want to set an example for the large number of African-American men who are victims of this disease because of the comparatively low emphasis in our community on preventive examinations," Gossett was quoted as saying. Physicians are aggressively treating Gossett.

Stacy Hardaway, Gossett's assistant, tells The NorthStar News & Analysis the actor has been flooded with calls from well wishers, and he is resting throughout the day.

Last year, the American Cancer Society predicted 3,690 black men would die from prostate cancer, second to lung and bronchus cancer that would claim the lives of 9,820 black men. The society predicted in 2009 an estimated 27,130 new cases of prostate cancer were expected to occur among black men. The high rate of prostate cancer among African-American men is not understood because of the disease's rarity in Africa, according to WebMD, a newsletter.

"African-American men have the highest mortality rate for prostate cancer of any racial or ethnic group in the United States," according to Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2009-2010."The death rate for prostate cancer is 2.4 times higher in African-American men than in white men. This accounts for about 40% of the overall cancer mortality disparity between African American and white men."

The prostate gland produces the majority of fluid comprising semen, the thick fluid that carries sperm. The prostate is located beneath a man's bladder surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder.

Once physicians diagnose the disease, the survival rate for black men is lower compared with white men.

The overall five-year survival rate for prostate cancer for African-American men is 95% compared with nearly 100% for whites. That is because 85% of all prostate cancers among black men are diagnosed early. While among white men, 92% of prostate cancers are diagnosed early, according to Cancer Facts & Figures.

Black men 50 years old and older should have an annual prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test that detects prostate cancer and other prostate abnormalities. Black men also should have a digital rectal examination for early disease detection. Physicians should test black men with a history of prostate cancer in their families when the men are 45 years old. This means black men must learn their fathers' medical histories.

Gossett's disclosure breaks African Americans' silence about discussion of diseases.

Gossett, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role as Marine Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman." He also received a Golden Globe that year. Gossett starred as "Fiddler" in 1977 ABC-television mini series "Roots." His first film role was George Murchison in 1961's "A Raisin in the Sun." ^ Top|Share

Thomas Vilsack

Agriculture Secretary Is Sour On Surgary Drinks Sold In School Vending Machines

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wants to significantly reduce or eliminate school vending machines selling sugary drinks and snacks as part of the White House effort to end childhood obesity, but the soft drink industry claims it has reduced caloric drinks sold in schools.

"A 2006 study showed that cookies, cakes, pastries and high-fat salty snacks are three times more likely to be sold than fruits or vegetables outside the school cafeteria," according to excerpts from Vilsack's speech obtained by The NorthStar News & Analysis. "Foods served in vending machines and a la carte line shouldn't undermine our efforts to enhance the health of the school environment. We must have the capacity to set standards for the all the foods served and sold in schools. It doesn't mean the end of vending machines in schools--but instead ensuring that they are filled with nutritious offerings to make a healthy choice the easy choice for nation's children."

First Lady Michelle Obama is leading the nation's fight against childhood obesity, which affects black boys and girls (The NorthStar News/Jan. 31, 2010). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 18.5% of black boys 12 to 19 years old are obese compared with 17.3% of white boys and 22.1% of Mexican-American boys.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reports 27.7% of black girls 12 to 19 years old are obese compared with 14.5% of white girls and 19.9% of Mexican-American girls.

Although Vilsack did not specifically mention school vending machines selling soft drinks, groups concerned with childhood obesity point to sugary soft drinks as key culprits in the nation's obesity epidemic.

The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine April issue reported sugary drinks whose main nutrient is high-fructose corn syrup is the main source of added sugar in the daily diet of children. "Each 12-ounce serving of soda has the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar," the publication reported. "Between 56% and 85% of children in school have at least one can of soda every day." Teenage boys drink the most soft drinks. Twenty percent drink daily four or more 12-ounce cans of soft drinks.

The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine identified sugary drinks such as Hi-C, Hawaiian Punch, Kool-Aid, Coke, Pepsi, 7 UP, Mountain Dew, Red Bull, Gatorade, limeade and lemonade. The drinks cause obesity, leading to adult-onset diabetes, high-blood pressure and high cholesterol, reports the journal.

A spokesperson for the American Beverage Association, the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group for the soft drink industry, says members, including Pepsi and Coca Cola, reduced the portion size and calories of soft drinks school vending machines sell. Pepsi and Coca-Cola deploy the majority of soft drink vending machines in the nation's schools. There are 125,000 schools nationwide, but the beverage association spokesperson did not know the number of schools with one or more soft drink vending machines.

The spokesperson, however, declined comment on Vilsack's remarks because they were not delivered at a public forum. Vilsack was scheduled Feb. 8 to address childhood obesity during a speech at Washington D.C.'s National Press Club, but club officials canceled the speech because of a snowstorm. Vilsack's speech supported the Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization Act scheduled to be voted on by Congress this year.

Although groups opposing childhood obesity want students to cut the amount of soft drinks they gulp down, it could prove a difficult separation because schools pocket a percentage of revenue from soft drinks vending machine sales, says the spokesperson for the beverage association.

While parents influence at their children's schools may be limited, the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine urges parents to eliminate sugary drinks at home, replacing them with water and vegetable juices. Parents also should offer children healthly snacks, the publication says. ^ Top|Share

Ace Fighter Pilot Buried At Arlington National Cemetery

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer Jr., who shot down three German fighters during World War II within a few minutes of each other, was buried Friday in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Mr. Archer, 90, died Jan. 27.

Mr. Archer was selected to join a training program for potential black pilots at Alabama's Tuskegee Army Air Field. He graduated from the program in July 1943 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was deployed to Italy as part of the 332nd Fighter Group.

On Oct. 12, 1944, Mr. Archer, while piloting a P-51 Mustang, shot down three Luftwaffe fighters in the sky over Nazi-occupied Hungary. He had been credited with shooting down a Luftwaffe fighter over Germany earlier that year. Archer also shot down a fifth fighter, but the Air Force could not confirm it so he was not declared an "Ace" fighter pilot. Others, however, claim Archer was an Ace.

During World War II, Mr. Archer flew 169 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After retiring from the Air Force, Mr. Archer was named General Foods Corp. vice president of urban affairs. In addition, he was a board member of Beatrice International Foods. Mr. Archer also founded a venture capital firm.

George Clinton's Son Dies

Funk king George Clinton's son George Clinton, Jr, died from liver disease Feb. 1.

He was 50, and he died working with his band, GCIII, in Florida. An apartment building maintenance man found his body of the younger Clinton inside his apartment after no one had seen him for several days.

Junior Clinton also sang backup on many P Funk songs.

A Tallahassee, Fla., resident, he was buried in Newark, N.J. ^ Top|Share

Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison Novel Published

Random House's Modern Library published this month Ralph Ellison's posthumous second novel, Three Days Before the Shooting.

John F. Callahan, executor of Ellison's literary estate and Adam Bradley, a University of Colorado at Boulder English professor, edited the 896-page manuscript.

An excerpt from Ellison's unfinished manuscript was previously published as Juneteenth in June 2000.

Three Days Before the Shooting is a multgenerational saga about Adam Sunraider, a race-baiting U.S. Senator, raised by an elderly black jazz musician turned preacher.

Ellison died in 1994 of pancreatic cancer, spending 42 years writing the novel. When he died, he left a more than 2,000-page manuscript.

Ellison is best known for his first novel, Invisible Man, winner of the 1953 National Book Award. ^ Top|Share