THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BY TANYA A. CHRISTIAN
1. A NEW GOLF SENSATION
Georgia Oboh isn’t your typical 16-year-old. Earlier this year the British-born Nigerian made headlines as the youngest amateur golfer selected to compete in the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic qualifier. The phenom has her sights set on becoming the first woman of Nigerian descent to go for gold in golf at the Olympics, aiming for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
COU RTESY OF GODFRE Y OBOH (2)
Georgia Oboh
ISSUES
APRIL 2017 ESSENCE .COM 75
ISSUES : TRENDING TOPICS 2.
3.
4.
GETTING CLEAN IN FLINT
FAIR SENTENCING
SALARY EQUITY FOR ALL
April marks three years since the beginning of the Flint water crisis, when the city made the Flint River its main water source. This past January, the governor of Michigan signed a bill that will require municipal water supply authorities to alert the public within three days if lead levels in drinking water have risen (as opposed to the previous 30-day notification period).
New York is inching closer to meaningful social justice reform for juveniles. Governor Andrew Cuomo has vowed to see that 16- and 17-year-olds are not charged as adults. Nationwide, African-American youth make up 58 percent of kids admitted to state prisons. New York is one of just two states that tries 16and 17-year-olds as adults.
We’ve long known that women and people of color earn only a percentage of what their White male counterparts make. In an effort to close the wage gap, Philadelphia became the first city in the nation to prevent employers from asking candidates about their salary history. Lawmakers expect that this will create a more level playing field for job seekers.
Armed with a $25.6 million gift, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has launched the Center for Advancing Opportunity, an initiative to support research centers on three HBCU campuses. The center will fund undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and faculty research that explores ways to empower fragile communities.
”
5. HELPING OUR OWN
6.
7.
This might be the first time in my adult life that I’ve been in opposition to my government, to my president in this way. And so it’s new, and I don’t have the answers to it. All I know is, I think—I believe—something very positive and powerful is going to come out of it.
”
—Ava DuVernay, in 13TH: A Conversation With Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay
LADY LIBERTY IS BLACK In a break from tradition, the U.S. Mint will portray a woman of color as Lady Liberty on American currency. In celebration of the Mint’s 225th anniversary, a new $100, 24-karat gold coin depicting a Black woman will be released this month. Visit usmint.gov for more information on the limited edition piece.
36
8
6
10
2015
8.
9.
2016
10.
SMASHING GLASS CEILINGS
STARTING OVER
FIGHTING THE POWER
After 130 years of existence, the Harvard Law Review has named its first Black female president. ImeIme Umana, 24, a 2014 graduate of Harvard College and a 2018 J.D. candidate, beat out 11 other contenders for the top job. Umana will manage more than 90 student editors and work to bring diverse voices to the storied publication.
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria. Twenty-one girls who were released by the terrorist group in October 2016 will continue their education at the American University of Nigeria. American billionaire businessman Robert F. Smith has vowed to cover their tuition and expenses.
In 2015 The Washington Post began tracking civilians who were fatally shot by on-duty police. That year the total number of unarmed Black men killed by law enforcement officers was 36. In 2016 that number dropped by more than half, to 16. While the figures are still dismal, the dip suggests that public outrage and Black Lives Matter protests have been effective.
76 ESSENCE .COM APRIL 2017
For the latest news, follow ESSENCE Features Editor Lauren N. Williams on Twitter @LAURNWILLIAMS.
FROM LEF T: COU RTESY OF N E TFLIX; COU RTESY OF U. S . MINT; LORIN G R ANG ER .
16
7
THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BY TANYA A. CHRISTIAN
1. A NEW GOLF SENSATION
Georgia Oboh isn’t your typical 16-year-old. Earlier this year the British-born Nigerian made headlines as the youngest amateur golfer selected to compete in the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic qualifier. The phenom has her sights set on becoming the first woman of Nigerian descent to go for gold in golf at the Olympics, aiming for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
COU RTESY OF GODFRE Y OBOH (2)
Georgia Oboh
ISSUES
APRIL 2017 ESSENCE .COM 75
ISSUES : TRENDING TOPICS 2.
3.
4.
GETTING CLEAN IN FLINT
FAIR SENTENCING
SALARY EQUITY FOR ALL
April marks three years since the beginning of the Flint water crisis, when the city made the Flint River its main water source. This past January, the governor of Michigan signed a bill that will require municipal water supply authorities to alert the public within three days if lead levels in drinking water have risen (as opposed to the previous 30-day notification period).
New York is inching closer to meaningful social justice reform for juveniles. Governor Andrew Cuomo has vowed to see that 16- and 17-year-olds are not charged as adults. Nationwide, African-American youth make up 58 percent of kids admitted to state prisons. New York is one of just two states that tries 16and 17-year-olds as adults.
We’ve long known that women and people of color earn only a percentage of what their White male counterparts make. In an effort to close the wage gap, Philadelphia became the first city in the nation to prevent employers from asking candidates about their salary history. Lawmakers expect that this will create a more level playing field for job seekers.
Armed with a $25.6 million gift, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has launched the Center for Advancing Opportunity, an initiative to support research centers on three HBCU campuses. The center will fund undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and faculty research that explores ways to empower fragile communities.
”
5. HELPING OUR OWN
6.
7.
This might be the first time in my adult life that I’ve been in opposition to my government, to my president in this way. And so it’s new, and I don’t have the answers to it. All I know is, I think—I believe—something very positive and powerful is going to come out of it.
”
—Ava DuVernay, in 13TH: A Conversation With Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay
LADY LIBERTY IS BLACK In a break from tradition, the U.S. Mint will portray a woman of color as Lady Liberty on American currency. In celebration of the Mint’s 225th anniversary, a new $100, 24-karat gold coin depicting a Black woman will be released this month. Visit usmint.gov for more information on the limited edition piece.
36
8
6
10
2015
8.
9.
2016
10.
SMASHING GLASS CEILINGS
STARTING OVER
FIGHTING THE POWER
After 130 years of existence, the Harvard Law Review has named its first Black female president. ImeIme Umana, 24, a 2014 graduate of Harvard College and a 2018 J.D. candidate, beat out 11 other contenders for the top job. Umana will manage more than 90 student editors and work to bring diverse voices to the storied publication.
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria. Twenty-one girls who were released by the terrorist group in October 2016 will continue their education at the American University of Nigeria. American billionaire businessman Robert F. Smith has vowed to cover their tuition and expenses.
In 2015 The Washington Post began tracking civilians who were fatally shot by on-duty police. That year the total number of unarmed Black men killed by law enforcement officers was 36. In 2016 that number dropped by more than half, to 16. While the figures are still dismal, the dip suggests that public outrage and Black Lives Matter protests have been effective.
76 ESSENCE .COM APRIL 2017
For the latest news, follow ESSENCE Features Editor Lauren N. Williams on Twitter @LAURNWILLIAMS.
FROM LEF T: COU RTESY OF N E TFLIX; COU RTESY OF U. S . MINT; LORIN G R ANG ER .
16
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