Barbie® Unveils One-of-a-Kind Doll Honoring Gabby Douglas

(Black PR Wire) EL SEGUNDO, Calif., - Barbie® honors Gabby Douglas, U.S. Women’s Artistic and Olympic Gold Gymnast (2012 London), by unveiling a one-of-a-kind doll in her likeness to remind girls they can be anything.

The 20-year-old athlete is a force to be reckoned with as she heads to Rio to defend her title. At just 16, Douglas was the first woman of color to win the individual all-around competition for gymnastics. Her confidence, work ethic and belief in herself make her an extraordinary role model to girls.

Named the next Barbie “Shero” honoree, a female hero inspiring girls by breaking boundaries and expanding possibilities for women everywhere, Douglas joins an esteemed group of women including Misty Copeland, Ava DuVernay, Emmy Rossum, Eva Chen, Trisha Yearwood and Zendaya, all who have also received the highest honor from the Barbie brand – being immortalized in plastic.

“I love a challenge. I love to push limits and I love that my very own Barbie celebrates me for being a role model to girls,” said Douglas. “Being honored as a Barbie Shero further motivates me to inspire girls by being the best I can be.”

The fashions for the doll were inspired by Douglas’ own signature GK leotard line that she wears while training hard in the gym. Dressed in a red, white and blue Gabby GK Elite leotard, the doll comes complete with a Nike warm-up suit. The doll is fully articulated, allowing her to do almost all of the moves Gabby performs.

“Playing with Barbie allows girls to imagine everything they can become," said Lisa McKnight, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Barbie. "While imagining you can be anything is the first step, seeing that you can is what makes all the difference. Role models like Gabby Douglas show girls that with determination and perseverance their potential is limitless.”

Trailer for Marvel's "Luke Cage" Netflix series

Check out this new trailer for Marvel's Luke Cage series which features an African American superhero. Michael Colter stars as Luke Cage and the series will air on Netflix starting September 30,2016.

.

SYNOPSIS: After a sabotaged experiment leaves him with super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) becomes a fugitive who attempts to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But soon he is pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city – forcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.

Shooting of unarmed black man in Florida to be investigated by state

An investigation into the shooting of an unarmed black man as he lay on the ground with his hands in the air is being undertaken by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, North Miami's police chief said on Thursday.

A cell phone video showed behavioral therapist Charles Kinsey with his hands extended above his chest moments before a bullet struck his leg. The shooting occurred in North Miami while Kinsey was trying to get an autistic man back to a nearby group home from which he had wandered.

Kinsey works at the home, which is operated by the Miami Achievement Center for the Developmentally Disabled.

Kinsey's lawyer Hilton Napoleon of the firm Rasco Klock Perez & Nieto in Coral Gables, Florida, sent the video to Reuters on Thursday. Napoleon did not provide information about who had taken the video. Requests for interviews with Kinsey and his attorney were not immediately answered.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Thursday the Justice Department was gathering information about the incident, the latest in a series of controversial shootings of black men by police in the United States.

Read more: Shooting of unarmed black man in Florida to be investigated by state

Yale Rehires Worker Who Smashed Window Depicting Slavery

A black former Yale University dining services worker who smashed a stained-glass window depicting slaves and then resigned has gotten his job back.

Corey Menafee says he destroyed the window inside Calhoun College in New Haven, Connecticut, last month because he found it offensive. The name of the residential college has sparked protests because it honors former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an 1804 Yale graduate and an ardent defender of slavery.

Menafee apologized for breaking the window. Yale said it was willing to let him return to work next week.

Menafee’s attorney says he’s “delighted to accept Yale’s offer” and he’ll report for work Monday morning.

[SOURCE]

U.S. appeals court finds that Texas voter ID law is discriminatory

A Texas law requiring voters to show a government-issued form of photo identification before casting a ballot is discriminatory and violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act, a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday ruled.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in a close decision among a special 15-judge panel, also sent the case back to a district court to examine claims by the plaintiffs that the law had a discriminatory purpose.

The New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit, which has a reputation as one of the most conservative federal appeals courts, asked the district court for a short-term fix to be used in Texas in the November general election.

Critics of the law and others like it passed in recent years in Republican-governed states said similar statutes are intended to make it harder for minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics who tend to back Democrats to vote. Backers of these laws say they are necessary to prevent voter fraud.

The court ruled 9-6 that the law had a discriminatory effect. The judges were divided differently on other parts of the ruling.

"We acknowledge the charged nature of accusations of racism, particularly against a legislative body, but we must also face the sad truth that racism continues to exist in our modern American society despite years of laws designed to eradicate it," the court said.

Challengers of the Texas law say that up to 600,000 people would be unable to vote if the law was fully in effect.

Read more: U.S. appeals court finds that Texas voter ID law is discriminatory