Young, Gifted and Black

From Black Enterprise - 

USING HER MAGIC: 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL CREATES BROWN SKIN CRAYON LINE PROMOTING SKIN TONE DIVERSITY

by Andrea Blackstone

Bellen Woodard started an art-focused product line after she was inspired
to give away art kits which made all kids feel represented
through crayon colors beyond only peach.
Facebook- Bellen's More than Peach Project

A  skin-colored crayon could turn out to be just about any hue, since the world is made up of diverse shades of people.

That’s exactly the point that Bellen Woodard was trying to make to her classmates, when they asked for the “skin color” crayon to be handed to them — but they wanted a peach-colored crayon since they were white, according to The Washington Post. 

The spunky kid took issue with a peach-colored crayon being the go-to skin color, especially since it didn’t match the beautiful brown-skinned girl.

So Bellen, along with the support of her mom, started selling a host of products through an art-infused line called More Than Peach. Bellen’s crayon company has blossomed into a mission that has the young activist hosting a series of events which fueled a conversation around equity and diversity.

More Than Peach was created in spring 2019 by then an 8-year-old Bellen to “get multicultural crayons in the hands of every student and every classroom,” according to information that was provided on Bellen’s website.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/using-her-magic-10-year-old-girl-creates-brown-skin-crayon-line-promoting-skin-tone-diversity/

Like Mother, Like Daughter

An excerpt from PilotOnline - 

“Just smiling the whole way”: Navy mom, daughter get rare chance to serve on same ship

By DAVE RESS 

Master Chief Tanya McCray and daughter Seaman Racquel McCray
have a rare opportunity to serve on the same ship, USS Gerald R. Ford.

Over nearly 30 years in the Navy, Master Chief Tanya McCray had to be apart from her two daughters and sailor husband, Sheridan, plenty of times — but this month, she’s had a chance to do her job at sea alongside her oldest daughter.

Over nearly 30 years in the Navy, Master Chief Tanya McCray had to be apart from her two daughters and sailor husband, Sheridan, plenty of times — but this month, she’s had a chance to do her job at sea alongside her oldest daughter.

Racquel McCray, who just joined the Navy and picked the same specialty her mother did, has been temporarily assigned to her ship for some at-sea training.

Tanya McCray is the leading chief petty officer of USS Gerald R. Ford’s supply department — the group that makes sure there’s food for the ship’s company, that they are paid, that the spare parts are at hand and that the laundries, barbering and recreation facilities needed to help keep the crew healthy and happy are working properly.

She’s proud that her daughter picked the Navy and picked her specialty, after going to college.

https://www.pilotonline.com/military/dp-nw-navy-mom-daughter-20210725-ezmkg6xihrbynakdi7ws4oroca-story.html

Black Violin - Stereotypes

She Made the Discovery. He Won the Prize.

From the New York Times - 

She Changed Astronomy Forever.  He Won the Nobel Prize For It.

In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell made an astounding discovery.

But as a young woman in science, her role was overlooked.

By Ben Proudfoot

Featuring Jocelyn Bell Burnell 

In 1967, Burnell made a discovery that altered our perception of the universe. As a Ph.D. student at Cambridge University assisting the astronomer Anthony Hewish, she discovered pulsars — compact, spinning celestial objects that give off beams of radiation, like cosmic lighthouses. (A visualization of some early pulsar data is immortalized as the album art for Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures.”)

But as the short documentary above shows, the world wasn’t yet ready to accept that a breakthrough in astrophysics could have come from a young woman.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/opinion/pulsars-jocelyn-bell-burnell-astronomy.html?referringSource=articleShare

Most Orthopedic Surgeons Are White. He's Trying to Change This.

From the Houston Chronicle - 

87 percent of orthopedic surgeons are white. This Baylor doctor is working to diversify his field.

By Julie Garcia

Dr. Brian Nwannunu is an adult reconstruction fellow in the 

department of orthopedics at Baylor College of Medicine in 2021.

Contributed/Baylor College of Medicine

No one would make eye contact with Dr. Brian Nwannunu.

“A few of my rotations, the general culture and underlying message was, ‘We don’t want anyone that doesn’t look like us,’” said Nwannunu, an adult-reconstruction fellow in orthopedics at Baylor College of Medicine. “They don’t feel like they can relate to you. They would shun me. Active teaching residents wouldn’t look at me and only talk to other students. I knew I wasn’t wanted.”

Nwannunu, 34, has wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon since he injured his ankle playing basketball in high school. He remembers eyeing the sports memorabilia on the wall and thinking how different the orthopedist’s office was compared to his pediatrician’s. His interest was piqued.

While the Dallas native was navigating internships during his time at Howard University and Georgetown University, he felt his experience of being “othered” wasn’t isolated only to him. Throughout his residencies, he worked with practicing orthopedic surgeons who said they wanted to promote diversity and inclusion. But they were all white and all male, he remembered.

“When you talk to them, it was evident they didn’t want someone here who was different,” he said. “It’s not that we’re not applying.”

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/renew-houston/health/article/Eighty-seven-percent-of-orthopedic-surgeons-are-16336103.php#photo-21272136

 

KING RICHARD – Official Trailer

Housing Discrimination: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Feeling Unsafe in a Bar? Order an Angel Shot.

From LAD Bible - 

Bartender Explains What An 'Angel Shot' Is And How It Could Save Someone's Life

By Rebecca Shepherd

An example of a sign explaining angel shots in the ladies' bathroom at a pub.
Credit: Instagram

A bartender has revealed a subtle but potentially live-saving way you can ask a member of staff for help if you're in a position where you feel like you could be in danger. Watch him explain below:

TikTok user Benji Spears (@Benjispears) shared the code word, which has a few variations, and explained it will alert bartenders to what's going on or, more specifically, what you want them to do.

Benji, who works as a bartender in Los Angeles, re-enacted a time when someone might use the code and specifically pointed out a woman on a date looking uncomfortable.

He goes over to make sure the pair are OK and the woman orders an 'angel shot' then adds that she wants it 'with lime'.

Benji then shouts over to a manager and tells him that they are going to do angel shots with lime, focusing on the lime a few times. Turns out that it's because the lime part is telling the member of staff to call the police.

All of the variations are:

• An angel shot with lime - get the police
• An angel shot neat - a bartender or member of security needs to walk you to your car
• An angel shot on the rocks - you need a member of staff to call you an Uber or taxi

https://www.ladbible.com/community/viral-bartender-explains-what-an-angel-shot-is-and-how-it-could-help-20210724.amp.html

Beats by Dr Dre Presents You Love Me

Better | Mamba Forever | Nike

Black Excellence on Display in Two Texas Newspapers

 

This week, Black women were named to run Texas' two largest newspapers. Congrats to @KatriceRHardy and @dallasnews… https://t.co/KxPPMA68jm

— Sewell Chan (@sewellchan) July 21, 2021

Peach Cobbler | Peach Cobbler Recipe

Recognizing Talent and Sharing Goodness

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Carlos Whittaker (@loswhit)

Tiffany Cross Destroys Megyn Kelly!

From Rawstory - 

 Megyn Kelly brutally flattened by MSNBC host for trying to 'crawl her way back into social relevance'

By Bob Brigham

Bob Brigham.@TiffanyDCross has a message for Queen of The Karens, @MegynKelly. #CrossConnection pic.twitter.com/BLy7sGBTwA

— The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross (@CrossConnection) July 24, 2021

https://www.rawstory.com/megyn-kelly-naomi-osaka-2653939157/ 

Stagecoach Mary

From Wide Open Country - 

Stagecoach Mary: The Ultimate Montana Badass

BY EMILY MACK

Wikipedia Commons/Public Domain

"Born a slave somewhere in Tennessee, Mary lived to become one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath, or a .38," the actor Gary Cooper wrote of Mary Fields -- a.k.a. Stagecoach Mary -- for an EBONY profile 1959. Mary was a Western inspiration to the Classical Hollywood performer. And it's easy to see why. Mary embodied the traits of bravery and independence which defined the American frontier. She was, famously, the first African American woman to carry mail for the U.S. Postal Service. And at the time of her historic route, Mary was already sixty years old!

https://www.wideopencountry.com/stagecoach-mary/

Eat-Acting

From Buzzfeed - 

This Director Is Going Viral For Showing People How Certain Scenes From Films And TV Commercials Are Made And It's Truly Wild

by Krista Torres

@davidwma

Reply to @sorencopper Today’s FilmTok Lesson: “Eat-Acting” #behindthescenes #foodstyling #film #filmtok #learnontiktok

♬ Spongebob - Dante9k

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristatorres/behind-the-scenes-tv-film-secrets-tiktok

Sunshine Seasoning

From VegNews - 

THERE’S NOW A BLACK MARKET FOR TABITHA BROWN’S MCCORMICK SUNSHINE SEASONING

The going rate for vegan influencer Tabitha Brown’s popular McCormick seasoning—which sold out in 39 minutes—is more than $120 per two-pack. 

by ANNA STAROSTINETSKAYA

On July 8, vegan influencer Tabitha Brown released her limited-edition Sunshine All Purpose Seasoning in partnership with spice brand McCormick—which promptly sold out of the salt-free spice blend in 39 minutes. McCormick plans to restock Brown’s seasoning in the fall but in the meantime, a black market of sorts is forming to bring fans the in-demand seasoning. On Ebay, several listings for the seasoning are currently live, with some bids reaching upwards of $120 for a two-pack of the spice blend. The lowest starting bid for the seasoning pack is currently $14.94. However, that listing comes with a $69.00 shipping fee, putting the price astronomically higher than the seasoning’s original price of $14.95 per pack of two.

For those that can get their hands on Sunshine seasoning, on the black market or otherwise, Brown developed several recipes to showcase its summery Caribbean-inspired flavor profile, including Sunshine Shick’n (shiitake mushroom-based vegan chicken stir-fry coated with a sweet and savory sauce); Maple Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges; and Chicky Farro Bowl (farro bowl topped with roasted chickpeas coated in Sunshine Seasoning).

https://vegnews.com/2021/7/tabitha-brown-mccormick-sunshine-seasoning

Overrated Cities

From Buzzfeed - 

People Are Calling Out The Most "Overrated" Cities They've Visited, And There Were Some Big Surprises

Paris is so underwhelming to some tourists that they literally named a syndrome after it.

by Stephen LaConte

A viral thread on Reddit has people calling out the most overrated cities they've visited or lived in — and y'all, all I can say is I'm very sorry if your hometown is on this list. (Mine is!)

1. "Las Vegas. I once ordered four drinks and my tab was $117. Then there’s the heat. And the noise. And the creepy men lingering, well, everywhere."

Myloupe / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

3. "Dubai. It's the clickbait of the world. 'We have the biggest/tallest/most expensive...' and 'YOU WON'T BELIEVE when you see THIS...' It's hot as fuck, everything's a man-made tourist trap, labor exploitation and racism are rampant, and they try so hard to prove to the world how modern and Westernized they are. Really, it's just government propaganda."

Tom Dulat / Getty Images

https://www.buzzfeed.com/stephenlaconte/most-overrated-ciites-reddit

Blue Porch Ceilings in the South

From Hunker - 

What It Means if You See a Blue Porch in the South

By ANNA GRAGERT 

When it comes to blue porch ceilings, you'll typically find them in the American South. Why? This design choice comes from a Gullah Geechee tradition that was started around 200 years ago.

According to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, the Gullah Geechee people are "descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo, and Sea Island cotton plantations of the lower Atlantic coast." Because of their location on island and coastal plantations, the Gullah Geechee developed their own distinct culture with West African roots.

Part of the Gullah Geechee culture involved folklore believing that ghosts called "haints" were unable to cross over water. So, to keep evil haints away from their homes, the Gullah Geechee began painting their front porch ceilings blue as a way to recreate the color of water. This color became known as "haint blue," according to ​Taste of Home​, and many would also use it to paint their doors and windows.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lowcountry Gullah (@lowcountrygullah)

https://www.hunker.com/13767522/what-means-blue-porch-south

Know Your Rights!

 

@ourrightsmatter714

Officer Looks Confused #1stAmendment #KnowYourRights #FreeEducation #CopGetsOwned #Viral #NationalCity #MoreOfThis #Fyp #ForYouPage #ForYou

♬ original sound - OurRightsMatter714