Your health. Your right. Your city. Enroll or renew today!
More
    HomeCity PoliticsElected Officals, parents, youth starting to "weigh in" on childhood obesity issues

    Elected Officals, parents, youth starting to "weigh in" on childhood obesity issues

    Published on

    The kids may have been in the kitchen, but the politicians were the ones doing the cooking.

    Their presence, though, was all for a good cause in attending the Junior League of Brooklyn (JLB) Kids in the Kitchen Fair last week in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

    The annual event, this year held at The Academy of Business & Community Development, I.S. 336, on Macon Street, focuses on raising awareness and reversing the growth of childhood obesity.

    It came with the alarming statistic that more than 40 percent of public school children in Brooklyn between the ages of 6-12 are overweight. Dozens of kids and their parents attended the event.

    “JLB has participated in this initiative each year since its inception, because we recognize the importance of healthy living and how it impacts communities,” said JLB President Tracie Williams.

    The fair, held in the school gym, featured cooking demos, Zumba and Wii sports classes, free health screenings, a nutrition education workshop and a raffle.

    Most of the politicians came out, though, in praise and respect of JLB, which is a 101-yea-old non-profit made up of local women volunteers.

    “JLB has a history of service in our borough that is unsurpassed,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “As Brooklyn’s ‘get the job done’ organization, I applaud their effort to continue providing valuable services throughout Brooklyn and their commitment to combating the issue of childhood obesity and poor nutrition in our communities.”

    Other politicians at the event included Assemblywoman Annette Robinson and state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery.

    Arriving separately and at different times were U.S. Rep. Ed Towns and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who may be vying next year for the congressional seat.

    A Towns spokesperson confirmed the 29-year incumbent will again seek re-election, and Jeffries has set up an exploratory committee to make a run.

    City Councilman Charles Barron, who did not attend the event, is also vying a run for the seat.

    Latest articles

    The Nation Needs MLK Jr.

    Last week, Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center in Atlanta, Ga.,...

    AACEO Welcomes New NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels

    By Mary Alice MillerThe African American Clergy and Elected Officials organization began the new...

    Mamdani Says Crime Down, Community Says ‘It Ebbs and Flows.”

    BY Nayaba ArindeLast week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that...

    Barry Cooper, Founder of The B.R.O. Experience, is a Life Coach for Black Youth

    Fern GillespieBarry Cooper, known as “Coach Coop,” has inspired hundreds of young Black and...

    More like this

    Mamdani’s Turnout: The Voters and The Issues

    New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joins other politicians for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the National Urban League's new headquarters in Harlem on November 12, 2025, in New York City. In a recent interview, Mamdani stated that he plans to call President Donald Trump before taking office in an effort to diffuse tensions between the two politicians. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

    NYC Voters Choose Mamdani’s Four Pillar Affordability Mandate

    New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, alongside his mayoral transition team, speaks during a news conference at Flushing MeadowsCorona Park in the Queens borough of New York City on November 5, 2025. Mamdani, 34, is the city's first Muslim mayor and the youngest to serve in more than a century. The Democratic socialist's victory came in the face of fierce attacks on his policies and his Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Trump himself. (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

    Black Unity – Organize and Fight in pursuit of a Black Agenda post mayoral Election

    By Nayaba ArindeEditor-at-Large “Thank you,” an incredibly energized new NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani told his...