Twenty-four-year-old phenom Brian Gitta invented a device that detects malaria through a beam of light shone on a patient’s finger. After having four blood tests, which all failed to diagnose his own malaria, Gitta put his engineering mind to work and invented an alternative that could help savemillions of lives.
Rebecca Hall was not buying it – that there were no Black women heroes among the many enslaved people of African descent who led revolts on plantations in the United States. In fact, New York City saw a women-involved insurrection in 1712, after which 21 enslaved people were publicly executed. Among the 21 were four Black women – Amba, Lilly, Sarah, and Abigail. They are among the women to be brought to life in Hall’s upcoming graphic novel, Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts.
Many of us take for granted that we can transfer funds electronically, deposit a check in person, send money to a family member through an app, or purchase items online. But all of these conveniences have something in common – they require a bank account. Surprisingly, in the year 2020, banks in rural areas across the nation are so scarce that many people have no access to one. Enter Sheena Allen, an intrepid young woman from rural Terry, Mississippi who knows firsthand the disenfranchisement and inconvenience of not having a bank account. She founded the company CapWay to meet the needs of these under-served communities. Soon rural residents throughout the country will be able to use their mobile phones to set up checking accounts, send and receive money, and cash checks.
Soccer star Sadio Mane of Senegal has publicly pondered an extraordinary question: “Why would I want ten Ferraris, when I can help my people?” It’s a simple, yet profoundly wise question that many in his tax-bracket rarely ask and answer publicly. But Mane remembers his people and the hard times they have suffered together. A lack of access to food and education left the majority of people in Bambali, his home village, without options for a better life. So Mane imagined himself better options. An international sensation considered one of the best players in soccer, Mane has the means – and motivation – to make a major difference in his community. Most significantly, he relishes the opportunity.
The Northern Territory government of Australia must pay $2.53mn in Australian damages to the Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples. It is the largest ruling ever on damages for the confiscating of land and water rights of indigenous populations.The ruling says that the government “extinguished” their rights when it ignored Aboriginal title to the land upon which the government built infrastructure in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Decades before Colin Kaepernick took a knee and a year after Muhammad Ali was convicted for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, Olympic Champion sprinters John Carlos and Tommy Smith carried out their courageous plan to bring attention to American racial injustices. It was during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, as they stood before the world to receive their Olympic medals, when Carlos and Smith boldly raised black gloved fists as a salute to the empowerment of Black people. The oppressive treatment they received after their courageous act had tremendous impact on their families, social lives, and abilities to earn a living. Both men were stripped of the titles they’d just won and banned from competing. Since that time, their challenges and sufferings have been unimaginable, including Carlos’s wife committing suicide after they divorced.
Decades before Colin Kaepernick took a knee and a year after Muhammad Ali was convicted for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, Olympic Champion sprinters John Carlos and Tommy Smith carried out their courageous plan to bring attention to American racial injustices. It was during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, as they stood before the world to receive their Olympic medals, when Carlos and Smith boldly raised black gloved fists as a salute to the empowerment of Black people. The oppressive treatment they received after their courageous act had tremendous impact on their families, social lives, and abilities to earn a living. Both men were stripped of the titles they’d just won and banned from competing. Since that time, their challenges and sufferings have been unimaginable, including Carlos’s wife committing suicide after they divorced.
