Politics and Current
This portrait project celebrates Black women in Pennsylvania politics and aims to inspire women and girls everywhere – Essence
Photo: Gilbert Carrasquill/Getty Images
The inspiring portrait project initiative was launched to have fun the record variety of women serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and aims to inspire women and girls everywhere. The Dear Girl Project, led by the state’s first female speaker, aims to highlight the contributions and journeys of those trailblazing women.
“This August will be nine years since I have been a member of the House of Representatives,” said the Speaker. Joanna E. McClinton. “When I entered the House of Representatives, Pennsylvania was at the bottom of the national rankings in terms of representation. In this current session, where I was so fortunate, through the support of my colleagues, to become the first female speaker, we have the largest number of women ever to serve, interestingly, on both sides of the aisle.”
The speaker emphasized that the project, originally launched in March during Women’s History Month, is meant to have fun women’s achievements yr-round. “People don’t appreciate or appreciate how hard women work, where we lead and where we serve. So I would like to think that we don’t have to limit ourselves to celebrating Women’s History Month,” she said.
The “Dear Girl” Project features each female legislator in the caucus with knowledgeable portrait and a heartfelt letter to her younger self. Rich in themes of confidence, resilience, faith, self-love, and self-care, the letters offer inspiring insights and encouragement.
In all, 37 women participated in the project, 11 of whom were members of the PA Legislative Black Caucus. This diverse group includes Speaker McClinton herself, the state’s first woman and second Black speaker of the House, and Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, the primary openly lesbian member of the PA General Assembly.
Some of the opposite female leaders in Pennsylvania politics featured here include Rep. Carol Hill Evans, Rep. Carol Kazeem, Rep. Darisha Parker, Rep. Donna Bullock and Rep. Gina H. Curry.
“I didn’t see young black women in political leadership as a child or a young adult,” Speaker McClinton explained. “I’ve never had anyone pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, so when were you speaker, floor leader, and caucus chair,’ because there’s never been a woman who’s done that.”
The aim of the project is to show young women and girls that they can also aspire to roles in public service. “We need to show our daughters, our nieces, that I am their aunt and godmother, just like they need to see us when they are young so that they start to think, oh, I don’t have to be limited to ordinary professions. I can also play a role in public government; I can serve other people,” she said
One unique aspect of the project is the inclusion of letters from women to their younger selves. “As current leaders, I acknowledge that I am not perfect, that I can get overwhelmed, and that I can have challenges,” the speaker said. “When we take a moment to write to our younger selves, we are able to reflect on the journey we have taken and how far we have come individually and collectively.”
The speaker also emphasized the importance of staying engaged in the political process, especially for Black women voters. “My message to Black women voters is: don’t be discouraged, disheartened, or weary of the fight. Our voices have significant power. They change circumstances, not permanently or immediately, but they do change.”
Reflecting on the strategy of writing to her younger self, the speaker said, “For me, those are the hardest times of my life because you’re so overwhelmed by what everyone else thinks. The world will never be able to say, you know, they accept you 100 percent. But it doesn’t matter.”
This portrait project aims to highlight the achievements of women in Pennsylvania politics and inspire future generations to seek leadership roles. As the speaker noted, “These are women who’re on the front lines, standing together, fighting for women of all colours, and casting their votes every time now we have the chance to support initiatives that may help women.
Politics and Current
Black Miss Universe runner-up responds after CEO claims ‘blonde with blue eyes’ winner is the ‘ultimate evolution’ of the pageant
Miss Nigeria, runner-up Miss Universe 2024 competitionresponded to a number of controversial comments from the Miss Universe CEO regarding diversity in the pageant.
On November 16 in Mexico, Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjaer Theilvig, was crowned the winner of this yr’s international pageant, marking the first time in the 73-year history of the pageant that a contestant from Denmark won.
Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip joined Theilvig at the post-pageant press conference, and it was her response to a reporter’s query about the pageant’s progress on diversity that sparked the intense backlash:
“Evolution? We have blonde and blue eyes, so we are already at the final evolution,” said Jakrajutatip. “We don’t need any further evolution here. We already have the best here.”
In response to Jakrajutatip’s comments, Miss Universe first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina, who became the first Miss Nigeria to make it to the top five of the pageant, he told Business Insider She wasn’t offended by the comments.
“It doesn’t offend me at all,” she said. “Maybe it’s just her point of view; maybe that was how she thought about the evolution of Miss Universe.”
Jakrajutatype too got here under fire Down sharing post X which Donald Trump Jr. did about Thielvig’s victory.
“Biological and objectively attractive women can win beauty pageants again. WE WILL BE BACK,” Trump Jr. wrote. in October 18th.
Miss Universe co-owner Raul Rocha, who acquired a 50 percent stake in the Miss Universe organization in January, also shared Trump Jr.’s post. on his Instagram page.
Adetshina said she felt disheartened by Trump Jr.’s remarks.
“All crowned queens are beautiful in their own way, so by making a comment like that, I feel like he was disrespecting all the previous queens,” Adetshina said. “I understand why people didn’t like that comment and why it caused a spark on social media.”
When Jakrajutatip, a brown-haired, brown-eyed transgender woman from Thailand, took over the organization in 2022, its recent owner brought recent guarantees of evolution for the next generation and expressed interest in making the competition more inclusive.
Under her leadership, moms and married, divorced or pregnant women were allowed to compete, as were women over the age of 28.
However, there have been other controversies which have raised questions on whether Jakrajutatip’s guarantees to renew the brand are real or simply for show.
Leaked footage from a Miss Universe staff meeting in October 2023 has been posted online, showing Jakrajutatip discussing various contestants.
“Transgender women, women with husbands, divorced women… They can compete, but they can’t win. But we simply published this policy to ensure inclusivity,” she said, adding that it was a “communication strategy.”
Jakrajutatip responded to the video’s spread on the web, stating in: Post on Facebook that it was “taken out of context and used to manipulate other people, resulting in public confusion, misunderstandings, misinterpretations and erroneous conclusions.”
She stated that the topic she discussed with her staff at that meeting was a possible Miss Universe reality show, not a world pageant.
Politics and Current
Bernice King explains why she’s “glad” Trump’s inauguration falls on Martin Luther King Day
When Donald Trump is sworn in because the forty seventh president of the United States at his inauguration on January 20, 2025, it would coincidentally fall on the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent within the 2024 presidential election, had hoped that the day would as a substitute be a historic moment in Black history, with Harris being sworn in as the primary Black female president and only the second Black president in 248 -year history of the nation.
For many, the contrast between Trump’s inauguration and MLK Day is stark, considering Dr. King could be politically against Trump’s MAGA program.
King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice King, said that while there may be a “stark contrast” between her father’s ethos of “love and justice” and Trump’s record that “sanctions hatred and injustice,” she is “gratified” that the 2 events happened collide .
“The moment of the inauguration on MLK Day is a powerful reminder of the values my father represented – unity, equality and non-violence. It challenges us to reflect on our leadership and the direction we are heading as a nation.” he said Bernice King in a public statement.
She continued: “The inauguration coinciding with my father’s day is not about comparing individuals, but about all leaders upholding the standards of love and justice that Dr. King exemplified. This is a call to uphold these enduring values in our leadership and governance.”
Civil rights leaders have expressed concerns a couple of second Trump administration, given Trump’s vow to ban equity programs aimed toward eliminating long-standing racial disparities that may impact Black and brown Americans within the areas of business, education, health care and housing.
Bernice King described Trump as “someone who spreads hateful rhetoric” eloquent The independent president-elect “has not been very kind” and that his “policies are not humane.”
Wiley added: “We have seen him announce mass deportations that, frankly, will focus on communities of color. “We already know what he has promised to do, including using the military against his own citizens… all of this will become very real, very soon.”
“While MLK Day is a vacation, it has at all times been a day of re-engagement and acknowledgment that the work just isn’t yet done. Donald Trump’s second inauguration will probably be a stark reminder of that fact,” Batchelor said.
He continued: “A country that can on the same day celebrate a national holiday honoring a freedom fighter and hand over the presidency to an authoritarian peddler of white nationalism is a country still at war with its identity.”
Batchelor said Jan. 20 is the time when the United States must ask itself: “What form of country do we would like to grow to be? King’s dream or Donald Trump’s nightmare scenario?
He added: “This should also galvanize us into action. It should inspire us to take up the mantle of protest, peaceful resistance, social and economic justice, and radical love in the face of noisy hatred.”
Politics and Current
Atlanta teen seen in video explodes at AT&T store after mom allegedly disconnects cell phone service, sparking thousands of shocked reactions
A teen’s explosive outburst at a cellphone store has attracted hundreds of thousands of views online.
The clip, posted to TikTok by user @wydchichii with the caption “Her mom cut off her phone,” shows the mother-daughter duo at an AT&T store because the teenage daughter pleads together with her mother.
The video begins with the teenager jumping wildly before grabbing her mother by the neck and screaming, “MOMMY, PLEASE!”
Outraged by her daughter’s hysterical tantrum, her mother shouts at her: “Shut the hell up!”
The daughter screams loudly and with tears in her eyes: “Please!” together with his arms spread wide, begging his mother to alter her mind. At one point she slams her hand on the table, prompting her mother to again tell her to calm down.
The video cuts to a segment where the mother tries to take her daughter outside and he or she puts her arm round her neck and grabs her, continuing to plead together with her mother.
As the 2 reach the exit, the daughter falls to the ground contained in the store, continuing her fierce protest against her mother’s actions.
The clip ends with the lady and her daughter standing next to an Atlanta police vehicle and appearing to proceed arguing.
The melodramatic breakdown attracted nearly 17 million views on TikTok in at some point and tens of thousands of comments from viewers expressing shock at such a dramatic outburst.
“Having a full tantrum in a store is a terrible job,” one person commented. “She would never get another call from me,” one other person said, referring to what she would do if she were her mother.
This generation is different – somewhat too different for those who ask me,” one other comment said.
Earlier this 12 months, a 13-year-old Pennsylvania girl was charged with allegedly killing her mother after her cell phone was taken from her. A teen has expressed “regret, guilt and self-loathing” for stabbing her mother after the 2 allegedly argued over her mobile phone use.
However, some commenters blame the Atlanta mother for the explosive interaction.
“Parents need to set limits on the amount of time their children use any mobile device. They need to read more,” wrote one person on X.
According to clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour, parents should monitor their kid’s phone use as soon as they get their first phone. When children ask for a phone, parents can set strict rules at first that might be relaxed over time.
Love he said Parenting Magazine that it is important for fogeys to look at out for the signs of phone addiction in teens.
“I would be concerned if a young person couldn’t regulate their emotions or fall asleep at night without access to a phone,” she said. “This can be prevented by having some basic parameters around phone access, such as banning phones in bedrooms, during meals, during in-person family gatherings, and so on. However, if it is too late and the young person becomes addicted to the phone to calm down, this should be taken seriously.”
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