California is named after a black queen.
History is interesting. The deeper one digs, the more likely one can find many possibly true stories and explanations for the same incident. Take the case of the origin of the name of the state of California.
US woman found out she was NOT black aged 70 when her African-American mother told her she was adopted.
A 75-year-old woman who was adopted by a black couple when she was a young child waited 70 years before discovering that her biological parents were white. Verda Byrd of Converse, Texas says that she lived her life under the assumption that she was an African-American. The woman formerly known as Jeanette Beagle was born in September 1942 into a family of 10 children. When her father, Earl Beagle, walked out on the family in 1943 and her mother, Daisy, was severely injured after falling in a trolley accident, the children were removed from the home. Jeanette was then adopted by Ray and Edwinna Wagner, a financially secure black family in Newton, Kansas, and she grew up as their only child. The couple then changed the girl’s name to Verda Ann Wagner. Vera lived in a financially secure household thanks to her father, who earned a good living as a railroad porter. She was always regarded as a fair-skinned black child. My adoptive mother, Edwinna Wagner, never told me that she had adopted a white baby,’ she said.‘She took it to her grave that she had a white daughter.’ Byrd got married twice and had a daughter. In 2013, Edwinna Wagner revealed to Verda that she had been adopted, though she did not reveal anything about her real parents. That’s when Verda decided to search for her biological parents. She was shocked by what she discovered. I grew up not questioning birth or anything else because it was never told to me that I was born white.’ Byrd’s story is now the subject of an autobiography, Seventy Years of Blackness. She first revealed her story in 2015, around the same time when the nation was riveted by Rachel Dolezal. Dolezal is a former NAACP leader in Washington state whose life unravelled after she was outed as a white woman pretending to be black. Dolezal, who legally changed her name to Nkechi Diallo in 2016, was charged last year with theft by welfare fraud, perjury and false verification for public assistance. She has said previously that she grew up near Troy, Montana, with religious parents and that she began to change her perspective as a teenager after her parents adopted four black children. She decided to become publicly black years later, after a divorce. The ruse worked for years until 2015, when her parents, with whom she has long feuded, told reporters that their daughter was born white but was presenting herself as a black activist in the Spokane region. The story became an international sensation, and she was fired as head of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP and kicked off a police ombudsman commission. She also lost her job teaching African studies at Eastern Washington University. Byrd rejects any attempt to liken her story to that of Dolezal. She lied about her race,’ Byrd said. ‘I didn't lie because I didn't know.’
National Geographic's Travel Photo contest.
National Geographic's 2019 Travel Photo Contest has kicked off, and there are already some pretty spectacular entries in the mix. Think extraordinary landscapes, inquisitive wildlife, sneak peeks into people's lives around the world, and jaw-dropping natural phenomenons; all captured in a whole host of creative ways. The competition is still open for entries but National Geographic has offered a sneak peek of some of the photos they've received so far. Here we take a look at 10 of our favourite ones, but be warned that they will give you serious travel envy...Think you have a photo that could be a strong contender? The contest is accepting entries until May 3 at 12pm (EDT).
Between Heaven and Earth.Two groups of climbers make their descent from the icy slopes of Huayna Potosi. For many, this is their first 6,000-meter peak, resembling an achievement of a lifetime. For everyone, their respective mountain to climb is different, but mountains like this one are no stranger to changing the way your mind works.The moment of recognition of this growth of physical and more so emotional stature is one of the rawest, transcendent, and blissful moments in my life, which is captured here.
Red Fronted Brown Lemur, Madagascar
While lemurs are endemic to the island of Madagascar, even within the island there are diverse habitats which are home to a number of species of lemurs. The red-fronted brown lemur is found in southwestern part of the island, in its dry lowland forests. It feeds mostly on fruits, leaves, and flowers - often leaving the comfort of the trees in search of seeds.
Colorado River
As is known, the Colorado River is very shallow due to the active use of water from it for agricultural purposes. And when it reaches the ocean in Mexico it is almost dry. Aerial shot was taken from a Cessna.
We Ride Together, We Fly Together
Participants in the annual Golden Eagle Festival, show off their skills. The festival is held in Bayan-Ölgii aimag, West Mongolia. The eagle hunters are celebrating their Kazakh heritage and compete to catch small animals such as rabbits and foxes. Eagle hunting has been practised in Central Asia for thousands of years, although nowadays it is preserved only in the Kazakh culture where the traditions are still alive and well kept.
Boy, 10, took own life after school bullies wrote ‘kill yourself’ on his tablet.
A 10-year-old boy took his own life after being told "kill yourself" by sick school bullies, his mum has claimed. Little Kevin Reese Jr, who was in the fifth grade, was reportedly a target of relentless abuse by cruel trolls at Robinson Elementary School, in Texas, USA.
woman helped her boyfriend understand anxiety with this amazing list.
We may be getting better at talking about mental health on a societal level but sometimes it's the one-on-one, intimate conversations that are the most daunting of all.
The stunning winners of a prestigious drone photography competition revealed.
It’s photography taken to another level. These are the jaw-dropping winning and runners-up still images in the SkyPixel 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest, which attracted over 30,000 submissions from drone photographers and videographers from 141 countries. The grand prize winner in the still image category is Deryk Baumgartner, who used a Mavic Pro drone to capture a sun-bathed Mont-Saint-Michel in northern France emerging out of the fog, framed by ribbons of water.
A baby in South America was born with her own twin growing inside of her.
A baby in South America was born with her own twin growing inside of her. The infant welcomed to a mother in Colombia, was born in February of this year with her partially formed twin inside her abdomen.
'Unwanted, unexpected and unsolicited': Boxer kisses reporter on lips during interview.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXER KUBRAT Pulev has been criticised for kissing a female reporter at the end of an interview following his fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
MPs to debate reversing Brexit next Monday, after 5.7m people sign petition.
ON APRIL FOOLS’ Day, the House of Commons will debate an online petition that calls for the Brexit process to be reversed, which has gathered over 5.7 million signatures. The e-petition calls for Article 50 to be revoked; Article 50 is the clause that allows a member state to leave the European Union. The debate is scheduled for next Monday, 1 April. In December, the European Court of Justice ruled that the UK had the power to revoke Article 50, thereby halting its withdrawal from the EU.
'They had so much to give teenagers':Teenagers who died in the Tyrone disco laid to rest.
THREE TEENAGERS WHO died at a St Patrick’s Day disco in Co Tyrone were laid to rest today. Lauren Bullock (17), Morgan Barnard (17) and Connor Currie (16) were killed in an apparent crush outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown Sunday night. Morgan Barnard’s funeral mass was held in Saint Patrick’s Church, Dungannon, at 10am, while Lauren Bullock was laid to rest following an 11am mass in Saint Patrick’s Church, Donaghmore.
This video game training device is helping stroke survivors regain arm movement.
SOME SEVERELY IMPAIRED stroke survivors are regaining function in their arms after sometimes decades of immobility, thanks to a new video game-led training device. When integrated with a customised video game, the device, called a myoelectric computer interface, helped retain stroke survivors’ arm muscles into moving more normally.
Woman makes a living eating Disney food!
In this day and age, it's fair to say that there are two things we're pretty obsessed with food and social media. One woman has managed to combine her love for these things, along with her passion for Disney, and turn it into a dream job.
22-year-old with Down syndrome pursues her dream of becoming a model.
A young woman who was born with Down syndrome is determined to transform public perceptions about the genetic disorder by pursuing her dream of becoming a model.
First black woman in the U.S. to own an indoor rock climbing gym.
“You know how to climb before you know how to walk.”Those were the words of encouragement from rock climber, Abby Dione, to people, particularly black women, who would want to make rock climbing a favourite workout or sport. For over 12 years that she has been climbing, Dione has used her journey too. Today, she is the first Black woman in the U.S. to own and operate an indoor rock climbing gym.
This was after she had purchased Coral Cliffs Climbing Gym in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2011. The gym was created as an avenue to expose more people of colour to the activity, Melanin Base Camp reports. Since the opening of Coral Cliffs, Dione has been using her space and experience to nurture climbers and help enhance diversity in the field. Climbing is currently growing in popularity across the United States, however, black women form only a small percentage of U.S. climbing members and Dione wants to change that.
She has, therefore, launched numerous initiatives including the creation of a local youth rock climbing team and bouldering classes. Dione essentially wants to create “opportunities for people to meet and experience how powerful climbing could be. And doing it in a safe and fun environment.”Thus, in October 2017, she coached an introductory bouldering class at the first-ever diversity in a climbing festival, Colour the Crag. The rock climber described the experience as “a cool opportunity to instruct and mentor.”“I know a lot about climbing. I’m still learning but I’ve also had the wonderful opportunity and gift to teach and share it with people.”“I’ve been climbing long enough to remember when people would ask me if I was lost,” she said.
Originally from Canada, Dione moved to South Florida to study oceanography, and that was where some friends visiting from Europe introduced her to rock climbing. She soon got hooked to the activity, she told a climbing clinic recently.“I’ve been at it for a while, not just consuming climbing, but selling it, too,” Dione said, stressing, however, that climbing consumption is not easy due to her location.“Having lived in South Florida for such a long time, I need to travel to climb,” she was quoted by The Catalyst.
And Coral Cliffs became the gym where she actually learned to climb, likening the situation to “buying the car your parents taught you how to drive in.”For over seven years, Dione has instructed so many young climbers, including those who have the skills they need to safely enjoy the sport both indoors and outdoors.“Dione trains everything from finger strength to core strength to maximum pull and pushes before jumping on something at her limit to see how it feels,” according to Melanin Base Camp. Most of the climbers who have been under her watch have gone on to achieve incredible climbing feats. However, Dione is highly concerned about “risk mitigation and crag consideration” which she believes has decreased among climbers.“Lots of people are not educated; how to protect nature, how to exercise Leave No Trace principles, how to treat other climbers,” Dione said. She, therefore, ensures that her climbers “build their confidence, understand the mechanics going on, and mitigate risk” when they reach the crag, reports The Catalyst. After climbing for over 12 years, Dione’s focus is no more on climbing projects while her approach to the sport has changed.
She is now interested in “increasing overall strength and power, finger strength, and flexibility. Climbing is either pushing, pulling or hanging, and I’m more interested in doing incremental growth in each one of these areas,” said the Melanin Base Camp. Dione is also more focused on teaching than her physical climbing strength.“It’s not all about me anymore,” she said, as she can now “get anybody up something.”
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