Georgia Elementary School Honors First Lady Michelle Obama

By Sristi Palimar 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama earned yet another honor commemorating her continued commitment and efforts towards education and STEM equity in underserved communities. 

In a 7-2 decision, Georgia’s Clayton County Board of Education voted to rename South Clayton Elementary School as Michelle Obama STEM Elementary School. The board currently awaits pending approval from Obama herself. 

“I just felt like there aren’t many places named after women,” said board member Ophelia Burroughs, who proposed the school be named after Mrs. Obama. “We are trying to push forward in our society, because we have been left behind for so long.”

Obama’s relationship to Clayton Country can be traced back to her 3 times great grandmother, Melvinia Shields, who was enslaved during the 1850’s on a nearby farm in Rex, Ga. 

If approved, this Clayton County elementary school will join 2 other Georgia schools in being named after the Obamas. If, perhaps, the request is not approved, board members have agreed to honor late civil rights activist and congressman, Rep. John Lewis, instead.

Currently, South Clayton Elementary School is under reconstruction, but expects to reopen July 2021 in Jonesboro, Georgia. 

 

Mattel adds a Susan B. Anthony Barbie to its Line Inspiring Women Just in Time for Election Day 

By Chloe Robinson

Mattel decided to launch a new Susan B. Anthony Barbie doll in the weeks leading up to Election Day. 

The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House located in Anthony’s hometown officially unveiled the doll on October 1.

After voting in the presidential election of 1872, when it was illegal for women to do so, Anthony was arrested at her home in Rochester, NY. However, her courageous act served as a turning point in the fight for women’s suffrage. Mattel recognized Anthony’s “pioneering efforts and far reaching impact” in the fight for women’s equality. 

Mattel wrote on its website, “This bold act, coupled with Susan’s determined spirit, helped pave the way for passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which prevents a woman from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex,”. 

The doll’s resemblance to the real Anthony is almost uncanny, sporting Anthony’s along black dress with lace trim on the sleeves and bodice, along with a lace collar with a brooch, her hair slicked back in a bun, and glasses. 

This doll is available on the Barbie website for $29.99. 

Cornell University to name new dorms after prominent alumni Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Toni Morrison

By Chloe Robinson

Cornell University plans to name new dorms after prominent alumni Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Toni Morrison.

Cornell President Martha E. Pollack announced that the university is planning on establishing two new dorms named after late but never forgotten, Ginsburg and Morrison.

This is only a fraction of the work being done on Cornell’s campus, as it is part of the North Campus Residential Expansion Project, which is predicted to be finished by fall of ‘22. 

At the State of the University address, Pollack said, “For both these extraordinary Cornellians, we wanted to create a memorial that would be seen by and have its doors open to any person at Cornell,”

The building that honors the legacy of Morrision will be the first Cornell building to recognize an individual woman of color, said Corey Ryan Earle, the man who is in charge of the naming committee for the project, as well as a teacher of a course regarding Cornell’s history.  

Over 1,500 people have signed a petition suggesting that Cornell names one of the new dorms after Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

University spokesperson John Carberry wrote via email that, “The majority of building namings on campus, especially those named in recent decades, are the result of philanthropic gifts from alumni, parents and friends who have supported the construction or renovation of those buildings.”

 

 

 

 

 

Proud Boys’ Hashtag Gets Hijacked by LGTBQ+ Community to Drown Out the Racism with Queer Love

By Riti Singh

In the first 2020 presidential debate, many Americans were shocked by the seemingly positive acknowledgement that the “Proud Boys”, a white supremicist organization, got from President Trump. The LGBTQ community put a positive spin on the situation, as they robbed the Proud Boys of their hateful power by countering with their own version of “Proud Boys”: queer men who have and continue to embody their own pride every day, without bigotry and hatred. 

Their powerful message took the nation by storm. After they took over the #ProudBoys hashtag, people across the world recognized a celebration of queer love and pride. There are now countless videos of rainbow pride flags and queer men, unapologetically being themselves among the hashtag, as the LGBTQ community spread love and inclusion, over-taking the once hateful white supremacy hashtag. 

The (new) Proud Boys account on Twitter provides a gorgeous array of positivity and queer love. You can also find such beautiful moments under the hashtag on TikTok and Instagram. 

After all of the chaos and influx of hateful acts following debate night, seeing communities we believe in stand up for what is right instill hope. The LGBTQ+ community transformed chaos and hate into something rather resilient and beautiful.