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21st Century Fox and Pepsico Team Up to Offer STEM Scholarships with "Hidden Figures" Contest for Girls and Women

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Are you a real-life “hidden figure” on her way to changing the world? You could win a scholarship to help make your STEM dreams come true! PepsiCo and 21st Century Fox are partnering to find the next generation of girls and women who will lead the way in STEM. Sound like you? Enter the Search for Hidden Figures contest by Dec. 10!
Prizes are awards of $200,000 total in scholarships to 12 standout finalists. Winners will also receive exclusive opportunities and more from PepsiCo and Hidden Figures.
For more information and contest rules, go to https://searchforhiddenfigures.com
https://twitter.com/Pharrell/status/798215448890200064?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjc18y&refsrc=email&iid=6b8ff5c92e974d949e195ab5edfb4822&uid=39198112&nid=244+272699393

26-Year-Old Michael Tubbs Becomes Stockton, CA's Youngest and 1st Black Mayor

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs (photo via stocktontimes.com)
Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs (photo via Stockton Times)

article by Genetta M. Adams via theroot.com

Even though Tuesday night didn’t give us the history-making moment we were all expecting, for Stockton City, Calif., Councilman Michael Tubbs, election night was doubly historic. Not only did he become the city’s first black mayor, but he also becomes the youngest mayor in the city’s history, according to the Stockton Record.

“I’m tired of talking about where we’ve been. I’m more interested in talking about where we’re going. We have to mature as a community and start demanding solutions,” Tubbs told the audience at his victory party Tuesday night.
Tubbs defeated embattled incumbent Anthony Silva, 41, who recently became embroiled in scandal after he was arrested at his youth camp and accused of giving alcohol to minors and recording them playing strip poker.
Tubbs, a Stanford grad who interned at Google and the White House, decided to go back to his hometown to help make a difference after his cousin was killed at a Halloween party in 2010, according to Complex. For the past three years, he’s served on the City Council, working to bring health clinics to his district and improve the relationship between the community and the police.
To read more, go to: http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/11/26-year-old-becomes-stockton-calif-s-first-black-mayor/

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Says New York Will Remain a ‘Refuge’ for Minorities, Immigrants

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Nov. 19, 2014. (Gary Wiepert/AP)

article by Kristine Guerra via washingtonpost.com
Amid reports of harassment and threats directed at minorities and immigrants in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a Facebook post on Saturday that his state is a refuge for those who feel they are under attack.
“Whether you are gay or straight, Muslim or Christian, rich or poor, black or white or brown, we respect all people in the state of New York,” Cuomo (D) wrote. “It’s the very core of what we believe and who we are . . . We don’t allow a federal government that attacks immigrants to do so in our state.”

To read more, go to: Gov. Andrew Cuomo: New York a ‘refuge’ for minorities, immigrants – The Washington Post

#IWalkWithNatasha: 300 Students Escort Young Woman  to Class After She Reports Racial Harassment on Baylor Univ. Campus 

(photo via twitter.com)

Natasha Nkhama, a Baylor University student, was attacked by a student and called the N-word while walking around campus earlier this week.
She described the incident in a video posted to Twitter by her friend, Jaileene Maite.
“On my way to class, this guy went out of his way to bump into me and … shove me off the sidewalk,” she said. “He said ‘no n*ggers allowed on the sidewalk’.”
“And I was just shocked,” she added. “Like, I had no words.”
Nkhama also said that when confronted by a nearby student, her attacker replied “Like what … I’m just trying to make America great again.”
“So if you voted for Donald Trump, I hope you realize what that means from someone else’s point of view,” Nkhama said.
As word of the incident spread throughout campus, students arranged a plan to escort Nkhama to her Friday morning class using the hashtag #IWalkWithNatasha.
Hundreds of people showed up — including some whose professors let them leave class early to help out.
https://twitter.com/SmithCassie/status/797108555014934529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
To read more, go to: #IWalkWithNatasha: 300 Students Escort a Girl to Class After She Reports Racial Harassment on Campus [Video] – B. Scott | lovebscott.com

Catherine Cortez Masto, America's 1st Latina Senator, is Ready to Be "One Hell of a Check and Balance" on Trump

U.S. Senator-Elect Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada (photo via elle.com)

article by Gina Mei via elle.com

Former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto made history on Tuesday night when she became the first Latina to be elected to the Senate in U.S. history—and she’s already making it very clear she’s more than willing to go head-to-head with Donald Trump once she arrives in Washington, D.C.

“Our government is built on a system of checks and balances, and I will promise you this: I will be one hell of a check and balance on him,” she said during her victory speech on Wednesday. “Tonight we start our fight together…. The diversity here is our strength and we will continue to be strong.”

“It’s not my voice I’m taking to Washington, it’s all of yours,” she added.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3SH6lxHOw0?start=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://www.elle.com&autoplay=0]

Cortez Masto beat out Republican Rep. Joe Heck to become the first woman to represent Nevada in the Senate on Tuesday, ultimately winning 47 percent of votes. She is the proud granddaughter of a Mexican immigrant, and strongly supports “comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.”

After her victory on Tuesday, Cortez Masto took to Twitter to thank her supporters and voice her willingness to fight hard for the rights of all Americans.

To read more, go to: http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/news/a40705/first-latina-senator-catherine-cortez-masto-check-and-balance-donald-trump/

Jefferson County, Alabama Elected 9 Black Women to Become Judges

L to R: Judges Javan Patton, Elisabeth French and Agnes Chappell (photos via huffingtonpost.com)
article by Rahel Gabreyes via huffingtonpost.com
In a great stride for representation Tuesday, nine black women were elected to become judges in majority Democratic Jefferson County, Alabama, The Birmingham Times reported.
The black women who came out on top in the district and circuit courts, Javan Patton, Debra Bennett Winston, Shera Craig Grant, Nakita “Niki” Perryman Blocton, Tamara Harris Johnson, Elisabeth French, Agnes Chappell, Brendette Brown Green and Annetta Verin, are to be sworn in next January.
French, who was re-elected to Jefferson County’s Circuit Court, told The Birmingham Times that she believes her hard work and years of experience helped to propel her to elected office.
“I think the people don’t necessarily just support you just because of your race and gender. I think voters expect more than that. They look at our qualifications and make a decision about who they can trust with the leadership position,” she said.
Tuesday night was a big night for women of color across the states ― not just in local politics, but in federal positions, as well. Three women of colorCatherine Cortez MastoTammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris, were elected to the Senate. Stephanie Murphy and Pramila Jayapal were also elected to the House. Next year, there will be 38 women of color serving in Congress.
To read full article, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nine-black-women-judges-alabama_us_58261b26e4b060adb56e3f54?

White Christians Who Voted for Donald Trump: Fix This. Now. | John Pavlovitz

(photo via johnpavlovitz.com)

We Christians like to talk about Hell a lot, so let’s talk about Hell a little. Yesterday, in the very first few daylight hours after Donald Trump’s election victory it began:
Near San Francisco, a home in Noe Valley flew a nazi flag where kids walk by to get to school.
A white middle school student brought a Trump sign to school and told a black classmate it was time for him to get “back in place”.
A gay New York City man getting on a bus was told that he should “Enjoy the concentration camps, faggot!”
The NYU Muslim Students Association found the word “Trump!”scrawled on the door of their prayer room.
A female seminary student was stopped at a coffee shop with the words, “Smile sweetheart, we beat the cunt.”
Parents of children of color spent the day picking up their children early from elementary, middle, and high schools across the country because they were inundated with slurs and harassment and unable to study.
A group of Hispanic kids in Raleigh were taunted by white children, telling them they were “going back to Mexico.”
This is the personal Hell we’ve unleashed upon our people this week. 
And if you’re a white Christian and you voted for Donald Trump: You need to fix this. Now.
To continue reading full article, go to: White Christians Who Voted for Donald Trump: Fix This. Now. | john pavlovitz

Former WNBA Player Tamara James Elected Mayor of Florida Hometown

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Dania Beach, Florida’s new mayor, Tamara James (CREDIT: Facebook)

article by Camille Augustin via vibe.com
After a fruitful career on the hardwood, former Washington Mystics player, Tamara James, plans to take her talents back to her hometown.
The 32-year-old activist was recently named mayor of her old stomping grounds, Dania Beach, Fla., Broward County’s “oldest community” the Miami Herald reports.
In a statement issued to the SunSentinel, James thanked her supporters for furthering her dreams of enacting change in her community. “I plan on being a voice for our residents, promoting smart economic growth and unifying us as a city… I’m looking forward to winning championships for the oldest city in Broward County.”
To read more, go to: http://www.vibe.com/2016/11/tamara-james-wnba-mayor-florida/

The NAACP Challenges President-Elect Donald Trump to "Act With Moral Clarity" in Statement on 2016 Election

(photo via naacp.org)
(photo via naacp.org) 

BALTIMORE, MD – NAACP National President and CEO Cornell William Brooks issued the following statement regarding the results of the 2016 presidential election:
“Even as we extend our congratulations to President-Elect Donald J. Trump, the NAACP, as America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, must bluntly note that the 2016 campaign has regularized racism, standardized anti-Semitism, de-exceptionalized xenophobia and mainstreamed misogyny. Voter suppression, as the courts have declared, has too become rampant and routine.

From the day that General George Washington accepted the people’s charge to become their first commander-in-chief, to the day that we elected Barack Obama as our country’s first African-American president, America has come together to ensure a peaceful transition of power. This most recent presidential election must meet this distinctly American standard. President-Elect Trump’s victory speech avoided a divisive tone and thus invoked this standard.
During this critical period of transition, we are now calling upon the next president to speak and act with the moral clarity necessary to silence the dog-whistle racial politics that have characterized recent months and have left many of our fellow citizens snarling at one another in anger and even whimpering in fear. The more than 120 million Americans who cast ballots in this election – as well as the more than 100 million more eligible voters who declined to vote – deserve no less.

The NAACP stands ready to work with a new administration to realize the racial justice concerns that not only compelled millions of people to go to the polls on Election Day but also inspired millions to protest in the streets in the preceding days and months. Depending upon the new administration’s fidelity to America’s ideals of liberty and the NAACP’s agenda for justice, we will either be at its side or in its face. We will not let this election distract or dissuade us; the NAACP will continue to stand strong at the frontlines, advocating for voting rights, criminal justice reform and equality for all.   

This election comes as a surprise to many, an affirmation to some and a rejection to others, and yet it is also a defining moment for the NAACP and the nation. Let us come together as a country – come together with the principled and practical unity that the needs of our nation and the need to govern demand.
Our beauty as a country shines brighter than the ugliness of this election. It is up to all of us to reveal the beauty of who we are as a people as we yet see the possibilities of the nation we can become.” 

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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and its six “Game Changer” issue areas here.

Donella Wilson, 107-Year-Old Daughter of a Slave, Ready to Cast Her Vote Once More

Donella Wilson
Donella Wilson WISTV SCREENSHOT (photo via theroot.com)

article by via theroot.com

Donella Wilson, at 107 years old, has never missed a local or national election since she cast her first vote in the 1940s.  And Wilson, who was born in South Carolina to parents who were former slaves, says she is ready to cast her vote one more time and perhaps make history once again.

“I never thought I would live to see a day like this,” Wilson told WISTV.com. “I’m over 100 years old!”
Wilson has had to struggle some recently to retain her right to vote. She had to secure a new ID and registration card, but now she is ready and prepared for her opportunity to say something, and is heading to the polls, not just to back up her beliefs, but to remember those who came before who fought for the right she currently has.
“We couldn’t spell ‘vote,’” Wilson told the news station. “We didn’t know what the word meant other than we had an opportunity to say something and cast a vote, praying as we go along, that the vote could count to help us as a Negro race.”
Wilson said she remembers President Barack Obama’s historic election, expressing how “proud and thankful” she was to witness it.
And she hopes to witness history once again on Tuesday, saying that she planned to cast her vote for Hillary Clinton.  “I’m looking for her to be our first female president,” she said. “I think it’s an honor, a precious gift from God.”
To read more, go to: http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/11/107-year-old-daughter-of-a-slave-ready-to-cast-her-vote-once-more/