Alhaji M. Sow, an 18-year-old sophomore studying aeronautical science at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), was shot and killed during a confrontation with officers. Around 10 p.m. on Friday, Melbourne police reported officers were called to the campus after news of the sophomore brandishing a knife and allegedly assaulting students with it. Authorities report Florida tech campus security confronted Sow inside Roberts Hall, where investigators say he refused to cooperate with their commands and lunged at officers with an "edged weapon."No one else was seriously injured, with no further threat to campus. As the incident is under active investigation by law enforcement, no additional information is available at this time. (2 of 2)— Florida Tech (@FloridaTech) December 4, 2021During the confrontation, the police officer and a security guard reportedly fired their weapons, striking Sow. Despite attempts to save his life, the 18-year-old succumbed to his injuries at the scene."My heart goes out to everyone in pain. I mourn any loss of life, while I also remain steadfastly thankful for the men and women who invest their lives in protecting us," FIT President & CEO T. Dwayne McCay, Ph.D., wrote in a statement."The safest university campuses are the ones where students, staff, faculty, and others look out for one another. We do that at Florida Tech," McCay affirmed. "I want every member of this university community to know that we will get through this together." Both FIT and authorities confirmed this was an isolated incident adding there is no longer a threat to anyone on campus. There is also no indication of why Sow allegedly had the weapon, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the...

Nick Cannon, 41, revealed on his daytime show Nick Cannon Show that his youngest child born on June 23, Zen Scott Cannon, passed away. Cannon fathered Zen, his seventh child, with model Alyssa Scott."Because with the transition of my youngest son Zen, I felt like it was important to talk to someone who knows how difficult it is to lose a child, who just has great counsel. Over the weekend I lost my youngest son to a condition called hydrocephalus that is pretty much a malignant, midline brain tumor—brain cancer. So I invited my friend, my therapist to talk about love and loss,” Cannon said.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by NICK CANNON (@nickcannon)He then introduced and thanked Dr. Laura Berman, who also lost her 16-year-old son, for being a shoulder he could lean on through his grief.  Hydrocephalus is "the buildup of fluid in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain," according to The Mayo Clinic. It can affect anyone at any age but it commonly occurs among infants and adults over the age of 60."I always noticed he had a cough and so I wanted to check it out. He had this interesting breathing and by the time he was two months, I noticed he had this nice sized head too — a Cannon head. We didn’t think anything of it. But I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing. We thought it would be routine," Cannon said, Entertainment Tonight reported.  Zen underwent brain surgery to drain the fluid build-up but the outlook was still dismal especially around the Thanksgiving holiday."This weekend I made an effort to spend the most quality time with Zen. We woke up on Sunday and went to the ocean with him and Alyssa and then I had to fly back to New York for the show. I got a call on my way to the airport to head back to Zen," he said tearfully.  "You can't heal until you feel," Cannon told his audience as he proclaimed the episode a "celebration of life" for Zen.Cannon is taking a bereavement leave of absence from his show to mourn his child. He was initially scheduled to tape two shows on Monday, including a live show but canceled on Sunday. Instead, a pre-taped episode aired on Monday.  In June 2021, he rounded out his family with the births of three children by two different women; DJ and entrepreneur Abby De La Rosa had twin sons, Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, and Scott delivered Zen in June, New York Daily...

Actress Janet Hubert, most known for her role in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was hospitalized, Revolt reported.While it's unclear why Hubert was admitted, she penned a message on Instagram, mentioning Will Smith and writing that "holding onto anger will eat you alive."“Life is too short as I am in hospital as I write this to all of you,” she said in the now-deleted post. “Reputation is PRICELESS. I LOVE YOU WILL, for being strong enough to tell truth, and share your hurts and trauma. Now we close the doors and live our lives. PEACE OUT!”“Don’t waste precious time people in anger. Yes people will do you wrong and you must fight for truth no matter how long, and IF you can get the TRUTH you seek…find love again as we have,” she said.The actress had a long-standing feud with Smith, speculating that the actor blackballed her in the industry after she was allegedly fired from the hit show. However, Hubert denied the rumors, saying she left the show over contract negotiations leading into the show’s fourth season."They offered me 10 weeks of work and they said you can't work anywhere else,” she explained. “My agent said you cannot accept this. They'll come back, but they didn't.”The 65-year-old believed the contract stipulations were a tactic used to “put her in place” amid Smith’s growing popularity.She also suspected that none of her cast members supported her in a time of need saying, ”No I wasn't surprised. Everyone in Hollywood is about that check.”"The cast was offered money to take me down,” she said.Prior to that, Hubert was experiencing difficulties while on set with Smith, ABC 7 New York reports."They told me I had to go into my dressing room in between takes because I wasn't laughing at Will's jokes," Hubert stated.During a 1993 radio interview, Smith gave his take on his professional relationship with Hubert. “I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be ‘The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show,’” he revealed. “Because I know she is going to dog me in the press.”As time passed, HBO Max released The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special in 2020 which saw Hubert and Smith reunite on stage.In an exclusive with People, Hubert seemed at peace, and open to sharing her experience after reconciling with Smith. "We text each other back and forth all the time," she said. "As a matter of fact, we have a very good relationship. I meant it with all my heart when I hugged him, because I saw that little boy, that little 21-year-old boy.""Had we had an opportunity to talk back then, I think this would have never happened," she...

Columbia, South Carolina, native Gabby Goodwin is now officially the CEO of a salon for young women and a retail store, Confidence by Gabby Goodwin.On Saturday, Dec. 4, the grand opening took place with a ribbon-cutting and drop-in with the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. The storefront located at 3525 Bush River Road in Columbia will sell Goodwin's patented GaBBY Bows, non-slip Double-Face Double-Snap Barrettes for all ages and hair types, and plant-based natural hair products."We have hair products and boxes and books and just different products to make wash day easier and to help girls feel inspired and confident in themselves," Goodwin said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Confidence®️CEO - GaBBY Bows (@gabbybows)Her father, comedian Mike Goodwin, shared with WISTV, that having a physical storefront was a significant development for the family-owned business."It's a level of validation. Folks can actually come by and buy the products," Mike said.The young CEO has even developed a business mentorship program to uplift young girls by teaching lessons on entrepreneurship."They're able to learn everything that I learned when I was younger and be able to become better people and become confident in themselves," Gabby said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Confidence®️CEO - GaBBY Bows (@gabbybows)At the tender age of seven, Gabby, along with the help of her mom Rozalynn Goodwin launched their online store at GabbyBows.com in Feb. 2014. The mother-daughter team has since developed several online hair tutorials and hair products sold in all 50 states in the U.S. and thirteen countries.  Now, as a 15-year-old freshman student at Spring Hill High School, the young entrepreneur hopes to continue to inspire young girls by building their confidence! “I am super grateful for my parents’ sacrifices and the support of our customers through the years. I am honored to have a headquarters to build generational wealth. I hope to continue to build girls’ confidence and inspire them to follow their dreams and achieve their goals,” Gabby...

Grandfather Lends Support For Granddaughter's Wig BusinessA grandfather on Instagram is being praised for supporting his granddaughter's aspirations of building a thriving hair business, Because of Them We Can reported.  A'lea Lynn recently posted a video to her Instagram account showcasing her skills installing hair extensions. The 21-year-old enlisted her grandfather, an avid supporter, to sit in as a hair model so she could practice installing a wig on him while Saucy Santana's "Material Girl" played in the background. At first, her grandfather was a bit uncertain when Lynn began the process placing a wig cap on top of his head. However, after she applied glue to hold the lace and completed the look with baby hairs, Pop Pop was pleased.The final transformation would even have Katt Williams envying the luxurious curly unit. At the end of the video, many of Lynn's supporters praised her ability and her grandfather gave her a massive big-up. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝐀’𝐋𝐄𝐀🤎🧸 (@aleaweea)Pop Pop isn't new to this, he's allowed Lynn to practice hair makeovers on him before, and the popularity of her viral videos may have allowed the budding stylist to gain more clients but she is most appreciative of the support of her loving grandfather.  “Thank you guys for all the positive comments!! Still grateful that he allows me to practice my craft on him lol. Some of y’all may remember last year when I first practiced on him [because] his bald head is the perfect canvas! He’s always a good sport and we love creating these memories together! My grandfather and I really appreciate all the love!” Lynn wrote.Lynn regularly dedicates her time on her channel to reviewing numerous wig brands, giving step-by-step instructions on how to do a proper wig install and giving her viewers tailored tips and strategies for achieving their desired stylish...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____Even in this fractured and contrarian time, Americans are at least united in one noteworthy way: they cite their top banking complaint as excessive and hidden fees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) actually reports it being the banking issue that receives the most complaints. And Rebecca Borné, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible lending states, "The fees have become somewhat of a cash cow [for banks] over the past 20 years."Still, even in their unified dislike of bank fees, Americans are decidedly unequal. Black and Latino consumers pay about twice the amount in banking fees as white Americans, according to a Bankrate study. Specifically, Black adults report shelling out an average of $144 a year in checking account fees. Latino adults report paying even more, an average of $168 a year, according to a CNBC report.Unfortunately, these elevated banking fees are getting worse for everyone. According to the Center for Responsible Lending, Americans paid a record amount in overdraft fees this year, and large U.S. banks extracted $11.68 billion in overdraft fees alone from their customers’ accounts last year. The total does not even include credit unions or smaller institutions with under $1 billion in assets. One billion dollars a month in overdraft fees is a massive amount of money that could instead be going to pay for bank customers’ necessities of life.And now, according to Business Insider, banks might be facing a showdown on these fees because of a growing focus from legislators and regulators. The CFPB is considering stepping in to reduce the financial burden of overdraft fees on consumers, a practice that has long been in the regulator’s crosshairs due to consumer dissatisfaction.For most Americans, now is just a terrible time to endure these massive and burdensome expenses. Many are still struggling, despite billions of dollars in relief money from federal and state governments, according to the new research from NPR, the Robert Wood Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "What we have here is a lot of people who are still one step from drowning financially," said Robert Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, Emeritus, at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.Findings from the NPR study include:38% of households across the nation report facing serious financial problems in the past few months.Among Latino, Black and Native American households, more than 50% had serious financial problems, while 29% of white households did.This disparity is echoed in many other poll findings, with minority families bearing a disproportionate share of the pandemics' socio-economic impact.But imagine for a minute if banks developed a fairer business model that wiped out fees altogether? This is far from impossible. In fact, I’m proud to be associated with a financial institution that has done just that. Launched this year, Fair is a neobank that offers a new model for handling personal banking: a transparent membership that pays for itself many times over. This membership model can save consumers thousands of dollars in fees, money that millions of them need just to make ends meet.Fair membership has multiple additional benefits that can help their customers in these tough times, including a wealth-building investment feature that can return annual dividends of up to 4%. According to NerdWallet, the best savings accounts are currently only paying consumers between 0.2% and 0.6%. Fair’s wealth-building accounts pay up to tenfold that rate.The brainchild of Founder & CEO Khalid Parekh, Fair’s business model was created to help ease the confounding banking challenges that Parekh faced when he emigrated to the U.S. over 20 years ago as well as to meet traditional halal requirements. You see, in halal banking, an account must not charge or earn interest. So instead, Fair pays dividends to members, a form of profit-sharing based on assets generated from the investment of their pooled funds.In this manner, Fair’s membership-driven model offers solutions for all Americans, including underserved communities that often pay excessive bank fees or even get completely pushed out of traditional banking services. This model works to make real change for the better. And with more than half of Americans lacking an adequate emergency fund and the country still struggling with a once-in-a-century pandemic, improved, humane banking solutions would be a much-needed game-changer for many.____Samuel P. Golden is an Independent member of the Fair Fintech, Inc. Board of Directors and former Ombudsman at the Office of the Comptroller of the...

TikTok user Travion Thomas was asked a simple question and his response ushered in a deluge of ridicule from Twitter.  Twitter was relentless as they deconstructed Thomas' pronunciation gaffe after he incorrectly sounded out the word jalapeños in a short clip that he posted last week.  Thomas is known to discuss various topics on his account including, rappers and food. But on this particular day, one of his followers posed a question, wanting to know if he likes the fiery pepper on his nachos. Thomas audibly read the question back and garbled jalapeños into  “jalapenonious” and social media instantly started to rag on him. “Well, I don’t eat nachos like that, you feel me. That ain’t my favorite food, by the way, you know what I mean? So nuh-uh," Thomas explained during the end of the video.  @thomtr47 Reply to @yxng_mane #fyp #foryoupagе #keepsupporting #blowthisup #blowthisupmakemeviral #makemefamous #lovemyfans #positivevibes #viral ♬ original sound - Travion...

Cardi B spoke up for a group of Black women trying to enter a Miami club.Video clips circulated online of the rapper assisting a group of Black women who were initially denied entry into one of Miami’s popular nightclubs, E11even. Cardi can be seen talking with the group outside with her husband Offset in front of her. The women told the rapper that despite having the means to get in the club and purchase a table, they were denied entry by the bouncers because they were Black. In the video, a woman can be heard saying, ”Hey Cardi, they not even letting the sisters in tonight, girl, at the front door.” The unidentified woman also made reference to the club letting in “the white women” while allegedly being dismissive of others. “My husband plays football and they not letting us in,” she continued. “We couldn’t even buy a table.” Cardi B, appearing to speak to the security, told them, “Y'all need to let some Black women in here.”“Let the Black women in here… Security, let them in,” she added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hip Hops Tv™ (@hiphopstv)The bouncer questioned the "LHHNY" alum, asking “Who do you want in?” The bouncer then assured the rapper that the women would be let in after getting Cardi B situated first. After a few seconds passed, the woman who initiated the dialogue can be heard saying, “We’ll be patient, we’ll be patient. And I got you.” It has not been confirmed if the women were eventually allowed inside of the club. As Blavity previously reported, Cardi B isn't afraid to verbalize how she feels. Earlier this year, she expressed how a lot of her male peers make "depressing music" as opposed to the "turn up" feel she gives...

It looks like Boosie is in hot water, again, only this time it's with members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.The 39-year-old rapper recently showed off his brand-new windbreaker jacket on social media, though he probably didn't anticipate that the 27-second clip would result in backlash."Check this out, and I know I look good in this jacket," Boosie said in the brief video. "Remind me of the great Dr. Martin Luther King. You know what I'm sayin, but check this out! I need whoever do the best stroll--whoever do the best stroll with this jacket, we gon' have an award for y'all. Y'all go do the Run It Up--it's the Run It Up challenge, and it's big, bro." View this post on Instagram A post shared by DJ Akademiks (@akademiks)While Boosie may have felt flawless in his new jacket, an issue arose when people noticed the coat was an Alpha Phi Alpha line jacket.Some took to Twitter to express their opinions, with a fair mix of people either laughing or complaining about the subject.Boosie was shimmying last year now he wearing an alpha jacket … ? Confused— jamaicanwitch (@Sweetwinesarahh) December 4, 2021 Boosie wearing Alpha paraphernalia is lame as hell. Idc what no one says. To me, that’s worse than the Amanda Seals thing.— Sade’s Smooth Operator (@Zel_the_Ruler) December 2, 2021I ain’t showing my Dad that pic of Boosie in that Alpha Line Jacket because he gon’ get to fussing and cussing about lukewarm Frat members 🤣🤣🤣— sailor moon bonnet 🌙 (@thechirose) December 3, 2021Boosie disrespectful as fuck. Dude went from being a kappa to an Alpha. Its about to be another interesting and annoying day on this here app.— M.J. (@whoismjgeorge) December 3, 2021Notably, this isn't the first time Boosie has come under fire for false repping a historically Black Greek fraternity. In early 2020, the "Set It Off" rapper caught the ire of Kappa Alpha Psi members after wearing one of the organization's sweaters at an NBA game. He later apologized to the group, though it appears as though the lesson didn't last very long.It's also worth pointing out that members of Alpha Kappa Alpha raised similar concerns earlier this year after the season six premiere of Insecure. Amanda Seales' character Tiffany DuBois, a fictional AKA, donned the sorority's colors and insignia in the first episode, as Blavity previously reported. However, after Seales revealed that she wasn't an AKA herself, many took issue with the actress wearing the sorority's memorabilia without being a...

Howard University’s Office of the Dean of the Chapel recently hosted the gift-wrapping party for its 22nd annual Angel Tree project.  The Angel Tree project is one of many servant-leadership opportunities offered by the university’s chapel. Each holiday season, the program collects toys, gifts, and donations from community members and on-campus organizations and grants everything to public schools and homeless shelters in Washington, D.C.  The university proclaimed in a recent post that the committee and other volunteers wrapped over 400 gifts this year. The wrapping party is held after the window for donations has closed, and community members come together to wrap the gifts before sending them to the school and shelters for the children.  This year’s Angel Tree project coordinators were the community service co-chairs of the Chapel Assistants. They were Jada Miligan, a senior computer information systems major from Atlanta, and Courteney Charles, a senior math major from Long Island, New York. Blavity U spoke with the two student-leaders about their experience preparing for the project and their overall dedication to upholding the university’s motto of truth and service. When asked about the amount of time, organization, planning, and promoting that went into executing this year’s Angel Tree project,  Charles said,  “I definitely didn’t realize the extent of the planning and organizing that would have to go into Angel Tree until I was engulfed in it. My team and I, consisting of my other community service co-chair and the two Assistant Program Coordinators affiliated with the Office of the Dean of the Chapel, had multiple meetings every week to check-in. We had to adhere to deadlines, whether that entailed emailing the schools and shelters, setting up committees, assigning angels to different organizations, etc." She continued, "There were many different steps that we had to take in order to successfully carry out this project. We had deadlines for submitting interest emails, distributing information packets, creating flyers, setting up the committees, creating excel sheets, setting up calls to chapel, and more. The committees really helped. The database, public relations, correspondence, and tabling committees consisted of student leaders from different backgrounds on Howard’s campus. Each committee had delegated tasks, and their hard work really helped contribute to the success of the project!” “The most rewarding part of being the community service co-chair for Chapel Assistants and leading the Angel Tree is being able to witness the turnout for the collection of gifts," shared Miligan. "This year we allowed for general donations because there were so many people who wanted to donate but missed the opportunity to sign up. Seeing all the gifts we got in addition to the ones assigned to people and organizations was so beautiful because it showed just how much the community cares. Also since we were given so many excess gifts we’re able to give general donations to two additional locations this year expanding our impact.” Courteney Charles also believes that initiatives such as these play a large role in teaching students lessons in leadership and growth. “Growth in leadership is inadvertent. As a leader, you have to constantly adapt to changing situations," she says. "Although it may have been difficult allocating my time towards the project, with my classes, research project, and other leadership positions on Howard’s campus, it was worth it. Even the most difficult challenges present an opportunity to engage in that experience. Through that experience, you learn lessons that you can apply to whatever comes next. It was hard to see the end of the project back in August and September, so I had to learn to focus on the future by being present in the moment. By focusing on little daily tasks, the project kept advancing towards the end goal, and that was amazing to witness.” Being in service of the community at large is important to both Jada Miligan and Courteney Charles. “Service is important to me because it is a gateway to giving love and showing kindness to others," explained Miligan. "It allows for me to leave a positive impact on someone’s life and potentially lead others to serve as well. Howard’s motto of 'Truth and Service' brought me to this campus and has allowed me to become more indulged in service. Every year I’ve been presented with opportunities to volunteer on campus, whether that be through the Day of Service events, serving as a Chapel Assistant or a member of the Team Leader Organization in the School of Business, or participating in Angel Tree. Making sure I partake in the opportunities to provide value to my DC community is everything for me.”   Additionally, Charles views service as an ode to her own heritage saying. “As a young Haitian-American woman, I am fortunate to be living in America, a place full of opportunity," she says. "These opportunities have opened doors that enabled me to impact the lives of others. My experiences have changed how I viewed the world around me and I believe that it is my responsibility to help others. I’ve made it my mission to not only partake in community service but to strive for leadership roles when possible. Considering that Howard’s motto is 'In Truth and Service,' it is very fitting that many organizations and many of my peers stress the importance of service. I’ve been invested in my community since middle and high school, participating in clubs like Key Club, so it wasn’t hard to continue once I got to Howard. Howard gave me many outlets to perform service, such as HU Day of Service, Circle K International, and even the New Yorkers Unlimited State Club. Considering the size and scale of the Angel Tree project, I was excited to run for community service co-chair for the Chapel Assistants, and got even more excited once I was elected. This project has warmed my heart and I hope it continues year after year.” Darreonna Davis is a journalism student at Howard University who is working as a Blavity U student ambassador. Davis relies on her news writing, feature writing, production and editing skills to amplify the stories and experiences of Black...

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Tuesday that the Department of Justice is suing the state of Texas for violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by illegally gerrymandering the state's political districts. This is the second lawsuit filed by the DOJ in the last two months against Texas, alleging racial discrimination in new voting laws and policies. The new lawsuit accuses Texas of racial gerrymandering for redrawing congressional district lines in ways that benefit white, mostly Republican voters while diluting the voting power of Latinx and Black voters.The lawsuit comes as Texas, like many other states, is in the process of redrawing its congressional district lines in response to the population data gathered from the 2020 U.S. Census. Because of population growth, Texas gained two new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite the fact that nearly all of the population growth within Texas happened within the state’s Latinx, Black and Asian populations, the two new districts being created are both majority white. As CNN reports, the DOJ also notes in its lawsuit that Texas has also split or eliminated non-white majority districts in the state. During the DOJ press conference, Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta declared “several of those districts were drawn with discriminatory intent."The current round of redistricting is the first to be conducted in the aftermath of important changes to federal election laws made by the Supreme Court. In 2013, the Court decided in a 5-4 ruling to effectively strike down a section of the Voting Rights Act that required states and locations with a history of voter discrimination, including Texas, to get preclearance from the federal government before making changes to their voting laws. “Were that preclearance tool still in place,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said as he announced the new suit, “we would likely not be here today, announcing this complaint."Since the 2013 ruling, a number of republican-controlled states, especially in the South, have implemented restrictive voting laws. This trend accelerated after the 2020 election, when pandemic-inspired voting changes led to increased voter participation, especially among Black and other minority populations. As Blavity previously reported, a number of democratic state lawmakers famously left Texas for Washington, D.C. earlier this year in an attempt to block the republican-controlled legislature from passing restrictive voting laws. These laws specifically targeted mail-in ballots and other easy-access voting reforms, implemented in 2020 because of the pandemic, that benefited Black voters in Houston and surrounding Harris County.Texas eventually passed these voter restrictions, and last month, the Department of Justice filed a suit against Texas over these restrictions, arguing that they violated the Voting Rights Act. In addition to restrictions on voting procedures, Texas has also criminally charged at least two Black voters for felony voter fraud for voting while on parole, which is barred under state law. Groups like the ACLU have accused Texas of using these prosecutions as a form of voter intimidation.In announcing the new charges against Texas, Attorney General Garland repeated his own calls for new voting rights legislation that would restore voting options and reestablish the preclearance procedure. Several democratic proposals, such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, have been blocked by congressional republicans, while republican-controlled states like Texas and Georgia implemented restrictive laws and redraw district lines to favor white voters and GOP candidates.“Texas republicans are so desperate to cling to power they gerrymandered illegal maps that silence Latino, Black and Asian American voters,.” tweeted Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and once Mayor of San Antonio, soon after the DOJ’s announcement. “I’m glad the Justice Department is taking them to Court. It’s time for congress to step up and pass new voting rights legislation.”Texas Republicans are so desperate to cling to power they gerrymandered illegal maps that silence Latino, Black, and Asian American voters.I’m glad the Justice Department is taking them to Court. It’s time for Congress to step up and pass new voting rights legislation. https://t.co/3hG76LMR87— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) December 6, 2021As Castro's comments indicate, the current lawsuit is already adding pressure for congress to pass voting rights reform, even if it means that the democratic-controlled Senate has to alter the filibuster rules that have allowed the republican minority to block these laws in the Senate. With midterm elections less than a year away, the time for congress and the Biden administration to act on voting rights is passing...

Medical student and aspiring neurosurgeon Chidiebere Ibe is making use of social media after creating a medical illustration that left people in awe.The medical student said he was inspired to create medical graphics for students of color, deviating away from traditionally white medical textbooks."Textbooks are essentially invincible to medical training. They walk medical trainees through conditions they will encounter during their practice," he said. "Yet, most medical illustrations are on the Caucasian skin. This lack of diversity has important implications for medical trainees and their future patients ... Black skin should be equally represented."Ibe took to Instagram and Twitter to show off his graphics saying, "I'm Black and Black is beautiful! Diversity in Medical Illustration. More of this should be encouraged!"I'm black and black is beautiful! Diversity in Medical Illustration More of this should be encouraged! Illustration by @ebereillustrate#pregnant #MedEd #scicomm #inclusion #AcademicTwitter #MedTwitter #illustration #Metaverse Please support this cause🙏 https://t.co/Tye9WT1hud pic.twitter.com/YGrzINJfoe— Chidiebere Ibe (@ebereillustrate) November 24,...