by Kevin Schofield

The Emerald is a blueprint to showing, sharing, and bridging Black and Brown folks through the power of storytelling. The Emerald is what we should be truly striving for as a community. Don’t just talk about it. Create a way to practice and be about us coming together. The Emerald is setting the example. Join me in supporting the Emerald as a recurring donor during their 8th anniversary campaign, Ripples & Sparks at Home, April 20–28. Become a Rainmaker today by choosing the “recurring donor” option on the donation page!

—Sharon Nyree Williams, Artist, Orator, & Rainmaker

This weekend’s read is a research paper from the School of Public Health at University of California at Berkeley looking at the health hazards of secondhand smoke from marijuana bong smoking. Specifically, it looks at the level of fine-particulate matter, often referred to as “PM 2.5” because it is a measure of the quantity of particles in the air that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller. PM 2.5 is a common measurement for air pollution in cities and industrial areas, as well as places that are downwind from forest fires. High levels of PM 2.5 can create short-term health effects, such as asthma; shortness of breath; eye, nose, and throat irritation; and reduced heart and lung function. But they can also create a litany of longer-term health issues, because PM 2.5 particles can be pulled deep into our lungs and accumulate there. Long-term and frequent exposure to elevated levels of PM 2.5 can lead to cancer, a variety of lung diseases, and many other heart and lung conditions, depending upon the type of particulate matter.