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Obama Administration Issues Guidelines to Allow Transgender Access to Public School Bathrooms

By goodblacknews on May 13, 2016

(screenshot via cnn.com)
(screenshot via cnn.com)

article by Emanuella Grinberg via cnn.com
(CNN) The Obama administration issued guidance Friday directing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.

A joint letter from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice went to schools Friday with guidelines to ensure that “transgender students enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment,” the Obama administration said Thursday.
 
The announcement comes amid heated debate over transgender rights in schools and public life, which includes a legal standoff between the administration and North Carolina over its controversial House Bill 2. The guidance goes beyond the bathroom issue, touching upon privacy rights, education records and sex-segregated athletics, all but guaranteeing transgender students the right to identify in school as they choose.
 
“There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. “This guidance gives administrators, teachers and parents the tools they need to protect transgender students from peer harassment and to identify and address unjust school policies.”
 
The letter does not carry the force of law but the message was clear: Fall in line or face loss of federal funding.  Justice and Education Department officials have repeatedly made clear that under their interpretation of Title IX, the federal anti-discrimination law in education, schools receiving federal funds may not discriminate based on a student’s sex, including a student’s transgender status.
“The guidance makes clear that both federal agencies treat a student’s gender identity as the student’s sex for purposes of enforcing Title IX,” the administration said Thursday.
 
LGBT groups praised the announcement, calling it a validation of transgender rights and a repudiation of so-called “bathroom bills” that ban people from using public bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex.
 
“These groundbreaking guidelines not only underscore the Obama administration’s position that discriminating against transgender students is flat-out against the law, but they provide public school districts with needed and specific guidance guaranteeing that transgender students should be using facilities consistent with their gender identity,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin.
 
“This is a truly significant moment not only for transgender young people but for all young people, sending a message that every student deserves to be treated fairly and supported by their teachers and schools.”
The letter emphasizes the departments’ shared position that schools must treat transgender students the way they want to be treated based on their gender identity, regardless of how others may feel about it.

DC Entertainment Promotes Animation Vet Dan Evans to VP Creative Affairs

By goodblacknews on May 12, 2016

Dan Evans Headshot
DC Entertainment VP Dan Evans (photo via deadline.com)

article by Dominic Patten via Deadline.com
Just over a year after joining from Marvel Studios, Dan Evans has a new job and enlarged portfolio with DC Entertainment. After overseeing the Warner Bros.-owned comic giant’s TV slate of Arrow, Gotham, Supergirl, Lucifer and more as Creative Director, Evans has been promoted to VP, Creative Affairs. He will report directly to Geoff Johns, DC’s Chief Creative Officer.

“I’ve known Dan for years. His passion for DC and his creative strengths and experience make him a stellar leader within my Creative Affairs Department,” said Johns Thursday in a statement. “It’s great to have him assume this new role to help me manage the tremendous DC slate across the Studio.”
In his new gig, the ex-Nickelodeon Animation exec will now handle and review creative content for all DC media that are in production with WB, including TV, film, animation and games. Evan’s focus is to ensure that the use of the DC characters and their stories stay true to the core values of the franchises, the company says.
A manager of acquisitions at the WB TV Network back in the late 1990s, Evans worked at Fox Kids TV and was a Governor, Children’s programming for the TV Academy from 2010 to late 2014.

Kevin Morton Jr., Survivor Of Michigan Shooting, Becomes Surgeon After Being Inspired By Doctors Who Saved Him

By goodblacknews on May 11, 2016

Dr. Kevin Morton (photo via nbcnews.com)
Dr. Kevin Morton (photo via nbcnews.com)

article via newsone.com
A Michigan man who was nearly killed in a 2007 shooting graduated last week to become a surgeon, much like the one who saved him after the random robbery that almost took his life.
It was Dr. Dharti Sheth-Zelmanski who was in the trauma unit when then-college student Kevin Morton Jr. was brought in with a gunshot wound to the stomach. And Sheth-Zelmanski was there again when the now 31-year-old graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, NBCreports.
Morton’s story is full circle; nine years ago, doctors at Detroit’s St. John Hospital weren’t sure the then 22-year-old would make it. The Oakland University of Rochester student, who was closing up after a night shift at a local Arby’s, was shot by a gunman who attempted to rob him as he was getting into his vehicle. Doctors said the young student had a 10 percent chance of surviving through the night, the report said:
Sheth-Zelmanski got a call for a Code 1 trauma patient that night. Doctors prepared Morton’s family for the worst.
“Whether we call it intuition, experience or a miracle … we put some extra sutures in and the bleeding stopped,” Sheth-Zelmanski recalled.
Morton’s life was saved. He had plans to graduate from school and go into the pharmaceuticals industry, but that all changed when doctors at St. John Hospital gave him another chance. He spent 50 days recovering there.
What’s more, Morton will begin his residency at the same hospital where he was saved.
“The compassion and drive that Dr. Sheth has shown in trying to save my life … I just wanna pay that forward,” Morton told NBC News.
SOURCE: NBC | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform

Cleveland teens win Robotics World Championship

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2016


A team of Cleveland teens just won the FIRST Robotics World Championship, in a championship competition that included 20,000 students from 42 countries. Youth Technology Academy Team 120: Cleveland’s Team, along with students from Illinois, California and Virginia, took the top prize on April 30.
“Everybody worked, had a part to do in the robot, it’s just teamwork,” said Peng Zhou.“Some nights we stayed until 10 or 11 o’clock,” said Mark Goeser. “Friday night consisted of this, we didn’t go to parties, we’re just here working on the robot, it’s a lot of work!”
The team, which consists of hundreds of students from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, all of whom are looking forward to STEM and engineering careers.“This is where we aspire, it’s where we learn to innovate and become the future,” said Iris Harris.  “I feel like this is not only a big win for Cleveland but it’s also a big win for us and this helps our future!”
Source: Cleveland teens win Robotics World Championship

U.S. Justice Department Sues North Carolina over State's Discriminatory "Bathroom Law"

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2016

Attorney General Loretta Lynch (photo: nytimes.com)
Attorney General Loretta Lynch (photo: nytimes.com)

article by Del Quentin Wilber  via latimes.com
The Justice Department sued North Carolina on Monday to stop what it called discrimination against transgender individuals, raising the stakes in a cultural and legal battle that has ramifications for other states and the 2016 election.
U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch personally announced the lawsuit, which argues that North Carolina’s so-called bathroom law violates parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal laws, and that the state is engaging in a “pattern or practice of sex discrimination.”
Lynch stepped in hours after North Carolina’s Republican governor, Pat McCrory, had sued the Justice Department to prevent it from blocking implementation of the state law, which requires public agencies to deny transgender people access to multiple-occupancy bathrooms and changing rooms consistent with their gender identity.
At a news conference, Lynch linked the dispute to past civil rights struggles over equal access to housing, water fountains and other facilities.  “This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms,” she said. This is “about the respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we … have enacted to protect them.”
She added, “This is not the first time we have seen discriminatory responses to historic moments of progress for our nation.”
The federal lawsuit names the state of North Carolina, McCrory, the state’s Department of Public Safety, the University of North Carolina system and its Board of Governors as defendants.

Rihanna Launches Need-Based Global Scholarship Program to Help Provide U.S. College Education

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2016
Rihanna (photo via wallpaperup.com)
Rihanna (photo via wallpaperup.com)

article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com
Rihanna wants to reward students who believe in hard work. On Monday the singer announced the new Global Scholarship Program, which will assist students from various countries in attaining a college education in the U.S.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation will offer scholarships to residents of Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica who are eligible to attend school in the U.S. and have been accepted into an accredited four-year college or university. Through the need-based scholarship, they will have the opportunity to receive an award between $5,000 and $50,000 to go toward their tuition.
“I don’t think it’s fair that children carry the burden of financial limitations at such a young age,” Rihanna stated. “To be able to give the gift of an education is actually an honor. Higher education will help provide perspective, opportunities and learning to a group of kids who really deserve it. I am thrilled to be able to do this.”
The application process was launched Monday and continues until June 10. Fifty winners will be judged on “academic performance, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience and a personal essay.” Applications can be submitted here, and winners will be announced in August.

15-Year-Old Memphis Student Dwight More Earns Perfect ACT Score

By goodblacknews on May 7, 2016
dwightmoore
Dwight Moore, Jr. (CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL)

article by Angela Bronner Helm via theroot.com

A 15-year-old high school sophomore got a perfect score on the ACT (American College Testing) exam, reports Blavity.com.
Dwight Moore, a student at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis scored a 36 out of 36 on the college entrance exam putting him in rare company—less than one percent of the 1.9 million test takers received a perfect score in 2015.
His school put out a statement this week congratulating him, reading in part:
The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1–36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores. Some students also take the optional ACT writing test, but the score for that test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT Composite score.
“Please join me in congratulating sophomore Dwight Moore for his perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT,” said CBHS principal Chris Fay. “Dwight is an incredibly polite and humble young man, who is respected by both his peers and teachers. He is a model student at CBHS.” 
Moore reportedly said that he thought the score was a mistake when he first saw it.
“I sat there in shock for a second. There is no way this is right,” he said. “It didn’t have the writing score so I thought this was just a placeholder for later so I am not getting my hopes up; when the writing score came out too, I actually got a 36.”
And he’s only in his second year! Bravo, young man, bravo!
Read more at Blavity.com.

Denzel Washington Event Raises $17,000,000 for Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

By goodblacknews on May 6, 2016
504434762-in-this-handout-photo-provided-by-nbcuniversal-denzel
Denzel and Pauletta Washington with their children during a presentation at the Golden Globe Awards Jan. 10, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (PAUL DRINKWATER/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY IMAGES)

article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com
When you have as much star power and influence as Denzel Washington and Pauletta Washington, and it’s put to good use, amazing things happen. While Barack Obama was giving his final White House Correspondents’ dinner speech Saturday night, the Washingtons were throwing a lavish party with some of Hollywood’s biggest names, all in support of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens later this year.
The fundraiser was an effort to secure the final monies needed for the museum, and needless to say, when the Washingtons put out a call, their friends have no problem donating.  The museum’s total cost amounts to $540 million, and so far, the government has contributed $270 million with the remainder coming in from events like the Washingtons’.
According to Variety, Saturday night’s soiree raised $17 million and included a pledge of $10 million from Shonda Rhimes.
“There is such a historical significance to this project,’’ said Denzel Washington. “It means so much for our community, our country and to future generations.’’
Magic Johnson closed the event with words that I’m sure resonated with everyone in attendance.  “We have to get everyone involved in this, making this a success,’’ said Johnson.

Anaya Ellick, 1st-Grader Born Without Hands, Wins Penmanship Award

By goodblacknews on May 5, 2016
screen_shot_20160505_at_1.48.22_pm_2
First-grader Anaya Ellick shows off her handwriting.  (WVEC SCREENSHOT)
article by Breanna Edwards via theroot.com
Little Anaya Ellick was born without hands and does not use prosthetics.
However, the first-grader at Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Va., still has some of the neatest handwriting in her class and even beat out 300,000 other grade school students to win the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship, WVEC reports.
“It was the first time that I have ever had a student like this, but I was very shocked at everything she can do, from cutting to gluing to writing,” Joan Stalnaker, Anaya’s teacher, told the news station.
Anaya chooses to hold her pencil between her two arms and stands up at her desk to get the right angle to write on her paper.  “It may be different, it may be hard, the road may be long, but she will persevere,” Bianca Middleton, Anaya’s mom, said.
“Anaya is a remarkable young lady. She does not let anything get in the way of doing what she has set out to do,” GCA Principal Tracy Cox told the news station. “She is a hard worker and has some of the best handwriting in her class.”
Read more at KHOU.

Christopher Ward Jr., a Legally Blind 5th-Grader, Sees Mother for 1st Time With Electronic Glasses

By goodblacknews on May 4, 2016
screen_shot_20160503_at_11.41.20_am_2
Christopher Ward Jr. sees his mom, Marquita Hackley, for the first with the help of eSight.  (ABC NEWS SCREENSHOT)
article by Breanna Edwards via theroot.com
A Forest, Va., fifth-grader got the chance to see his mother clearly for the first time ever through the use of new electronic glasses, ABC News reports.
Thanks to the new wearable technology called eSight, Christopher Ward Jr. was able to “really see for the first time in his 12 years of life,” his mother told the news station.
“The very first thing he did was turn to me and say, ‘Oh, Mommy! There you are!” Christopher’s mom, Marquita Hackley, told ABC News today. “And then to hear him say, ‘I saw my mom, and she was very pretty,’ was so heartwarming. And aside from pretty, just the fact he could even see me meant the whole world to me.”
ESight uses a small, high-speed camera that captures live video, which is then sent to a LED screen in front of the user’s eyes, the network notes.
Christopher was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which means his optic nerve never fully developed before he was born. As a result, he “only has little light perception in his left eye and very, very low vision in his right eye,” Hackley explained.
“Something has to be up in his face, almost touching, for him to see it,” she said. “And even though [he] wears glasses on a daily basis, they’re more for protection than vision because there is a strong possibility he could lose the little sight he does have if he were to get hurt or hit on the face.”
Hackley’s insurance didn’t cover the cost of eSight, so she created a crowdfunding page on the YouCaring site, asking for $15,000 to purchase the technology. Once the community got wind of her need, the story went viral and donations started pouring in. The donation page, which is now closed, raised over $25,000. Hackley noted that all the money over the cost of the glasses would be put into a trust for her son.
“Christopher is just a very loving kid, always happy, and never complains about anything,” she said. “I’ll do anything to help get him what he deserves.”

Read more at ABC News.