TEAIRA COLLINS, second from right, is executive director of Lion of Judah Enterprises, named after her son, Judah, who has Down syndrome. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
As kids were busy getting their face painted, or receiving free bookbags, or eating the tasty hot dogs and hamburgers, celebrating the beginning of a new school year, the Lion of Judah Enterprises’ Back to School Bash, unbeknownst to most at the event, also celebrated another cause.
People with Down syndrome.
TAYLOR WILLIAMS HOLDING DONTAY WILLIAMS, WITH CAROL HARGEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HILL DISTRICT CONSENSUS GROUP. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
The Aug. 23 event brought out more than 150 people to Dinwiddie Street, across from the police station in the Hill District. But the entire reason for the nonprofit Lion of Judah Enterprises’ existence is to celebrate those of color with Down syndrome. Judah is a now-13-year-old boy, a Greenfield resident, who’s steadily growing and learning, who spent much of Saturday, Aug. 23, jumping around, playing with the other kids and teens at the event. But Judah, unlike the other youth who were there, suffers from Down syndrome.
According to the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh’s website, in every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes. The website said that genes carry the codes responsible for all of a person’s inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes. Usually, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. But Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. This means that instead of 46 chromosomes, a person with Down syndrome has 47.
The website said that those with Down syndrome may have low muscle tone, a small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a deep crease across the center of the palm. There are three types of Down syndrome: Trisomy 21 (or Nondisjunction), Mosaic, and Translocation. Nondisjunction is the most common type.
According to data published on the Cleveland Clinic website, about 6,000 babies are born in the U.S. each year with Down syndrome, and there are 200,000 people living with Down Syndrome currently in the U.S.
Those with Down syndrome may suffer with behavioral issues, like stubbornness and tantrums, difficulty paying attention, and obsessive or compulsive behaviors, according to the Cleveland Clinic site.
While there’s no cure for Down syndrome, the Cleveland Clinic site said that treatment options could include physical or occupational therapy, speech therapy, participating in special education programs, and wearing glasses for vision problems or assisted hearing devices in the case of hearing loss.
Lion of Judah Enterprises was founded by Judah’s mother, Teaira Collins, in 2018. It later became an official 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
While Judah, his mother and his father are Black, there is no evidence that African Americans are diagnosed with Down syndrome at any higher rate than other ethnicities. Most scientific experts say that if anything, African Americans are among the least to be diagnosed with Down syndrome of all ethnic groups in the U.S.
“Just because you have Down syndrome, you’re able to learn just like anybody else,” Collins told the Courier in an exclusive interview, Sept. 9. “It just takes more time, you have to have more patience (with the person) and you have to teach them. Kids with Down syndrome, they learn differently, through song, music, dance. It takes a lot of time, a lot of extra effort. But it should not be called ‘Down’ syndrome because there’s nothing ‘down’ about them.”
TAYLOR WILLIAMS HOLDING DONTAY WILLIAMS, WITH CAROL HARGEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HILL DISTRICT CONSENSUS GROUP. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
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