The Power of Howard

An excerpt from the Undefeated -

‘This Is Us’ recognizes the power of Howard University
As a senior, I know exactly how the show’s character Randall Pearson felt visiting The Mecca for the first time
BY PAUL HOLSTON

If you didn’t catch the midseason finale of the NBC series This Is Us, you missed seeing on national television the moment a young black boy full of joy arrives on the main campus of Howard University, a place where blackness is unapologetic and excellence is vivacious.


One of the most touching moments of the show’s second season is a throwback to the ’90s in which high school junior Randall Pearson (Niles Fitch) asks his adoptive father, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), if he could visit the historically black university after initially filling out an application for Harvard University. Randall has been trying to figure out for a while where he would like to go to college.

After Jack agrees to plan a trip to Howard with Randall, the episode soon shifts to The Yard, the symbolic heart of the campus. The environment and the Afrocentric energy that thrives throughout The Mecca immediately overwhelms Randall. Randall and Jack then walk to the Valley on campus and are greeted by Keith, a friend of Randall’s who is a Howard freshman, and Craig, another student who is a member of my fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma (shout out to the MAB!). Keith offers to give Randall a tour, and to Randall’s surprise, he gets the comfort of being at an HBCU (historically black college or university). From walking the halls of Founders Library to eyeing a young woman who walks by him on The Yard to chilling in one of the dormitories with Nas and Lauryn Hill’s If I Ruled The World gliding in the background, the show does a great job of showing how many Howard students feel during their first experiences at The Mecca.

https://theundefeated.com/features/this-is-us-recognizes-the-power-of-howard-university/

Black Vegans

An excerpt from the NY Times -

Black Vegans Step Out, for Their Health and Other Causes
By KIM SEVERSON

Aph Ko got tired of hearing that eating vegan was something only white people did. So in 2015, she created a list of 100 black vegans for a website. It included pioneering figures like Dick Gregory and Coretta Scott King and younger, less famous writers, filmmakers, cooks and activists.

“When you say ‘vegan,’ a lot of people tend to only think of PETA, which doesn’t reflect the massive landscape of vegan activism,” said Ms. Ko, 28, a Floridian whose favorite dish at the moment is the spinach pie in “The Vegan Stoner Cookbook.” “The black vegan movement is one of the most diverse, decolonial, complex and creative movements.”

So many other people wanted to be included on the list after it appeared, she started a website, Black Vegans Rock. That spawned a Twitter hashtag (#blackvegansrock) and a T-shirt business. In June, she published ”Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters,” a book she wrote with her older sister, Syl Ko.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/dining/black-vegan-cooking.html

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Teaching Through Giving

An excerpt from the Daily Good -

These Professors Offered Students $10,000 In Real Money. The Catch? They Had To Give It Away.
by Lindsey McDougle, David Campbell & Jodi Benenson

If someone asked you to picture a philanthropist, chances are a billionaire like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller Sr. would come to mind. But not all philanthropists are billionaires — or even millionaires for that matter. People who make modest gifts of time or money can make a big difference in their communities.

We are professors who teach and do research about philanthropy, the practice of expressing generosity by giving away money and, in some cases, time. We see our job as motivating and preparing college and graduate students to become future leaders of nonprofit organizations or donors with good ideas about how to make a difference, starting right now.

Teaching about giving

One approach, known as “experiential philanthropy,” teaches about charitable giving through hands-on experiences. Students get real money, typically about $10,000 per class, to give away to local nonprofits. One of us (David) has determined that these courses are being taught on more than 80 different campuses.

https://education.good.is/articles/teaching-college-students-to-give-back?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

This is an Apple

“Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana.” #FactsFirst pic.twitter.com/LbmRKiGJe9

— CNN (@CNN) October 23, 2017

The Clink - Prison Restaurant

From the Daily Mail -

Prison restaurants with bars on the windows and a panic button for diners beat celebrity chefs' eateries to the top of the TripAdvisor charts
The Clink restaurant is a chain that operates at four secure prisons in England
The restaurant chain is currently  beating establishments by celebrity chefs 
TripAdvisor says that three of the four restaurants are rated No 1 in their areas
Inmates with 6 to 18 months left of their sentence can apply for the restaurant
By Ian Drury

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5119799/Prison-restaurants-beat-celebrity-chefs-eateries.html#ixzz4zdpr6Rej
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

My Thoughts Exactly

An excerpt from Vox -

Why can’t This Is Us tell good stories about characters other than Randall?
A Kate-centric episode only underlines how much the show’s structure has shortchanged its characters.
by Todd VanDerWerff

Shortly after the blockbuster debut of This Is Us in 2016, I had lunch with a TV writer friend whose previous credits made me think he’d be a fan of the show. And, indeed, he had generally liked the pilot. But then he said something that stuck with me, when he explained why he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the overall series as I had expected he would be: “They only have enough story for Randall.”

Over the course of This Is Us’s now one and a half seasons, my friend’s prophecy has more or less come true. Randall and his family occupy one of the best shows on television, a beautiful story about a black adopted child who grew up in a white family, anchored by an Emmy-winning performance from Sterling K. Brown and no less exceptional work from Susan Kelechi Watson as Randall’s wife, Beth. Randall’s side of the show is everything family dramas can and should be.

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/11/26/16688404/this-is-us-episode-9-recap-number-two-kate-miscarriage

Eco-Friendly Fabric

http://mashable.com/2017/11/26/ably-liquid-and-odor-repelent-clothing/#LePoiNGA7sqZ

He Didn't Have to Beg

Someone has a lot of catching up to do. #Repost @michelleandbarack ・・・ #MichelleAndBarack #Forever44 #BarackObama #MichelleObama #MaliaObama #SashaObama #Bo #Sunny #POTUS #FLOTUS #WhiteHouse #ObamaFoundation #ThankYouObama #TwoTerms #Hope #ComeBackBarack #MyPresidentWasBlack #NeverForget #Hawaii #Chicago #WashingtonDC #MakeAmericaGreatAgain

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Nov 25, 2017 at 12:51pm PST

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ex-obama-photographer-trolls-trump-over-time_us_5a1b1f0fe4b0cee6c050790e?ncid=APPLENEWS00001

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