Barbie introduces Rosa Parks doll

Barbie® recognizes all female role models. The Inspiring Women™ Series pays tribute to incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before.

Rosa Louise Parks led an ordinary life as a seamstress until an extraordinary moment on December 1, 1955. When she refused an order to give up her seat to a white passenger and move to the back of the bus, Mrs. Parks’ act of defiance became the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Rosa Parks’ quiet strength played a notable role in the civil rights movement, but it would still take another nine years and more struggles before the 1964 Civil Rights Act overruled existing segregations laws. Hailed as “the Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks earned worldwide recognition and numerous awards including the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.

Celebrate Rosa Parks and her impact on the civil rights movement with this Inspiring Women™ Series Rosa Parks Barbie® doll. Includes doll stand, Certificate of Authenticity and doll wearing fashion and accessories. Colors and decorations may vary.

Teen takes advantage of Popeyes chicken sandwich frenzy to register people to vote

Instead of the complaining about the long lines at Popeyes as everyone waited to try their chicken sandwich, 17-year-old David Ledbetter of North Carolina took the opportunity to make some real change in his community.

Ledbetter was seen this weekend standing outside a Charlotte Popeyes registering people to vote.

Ledbetter himself is not even old enough to vote but said he wanted to push for others to get involved in local politics.

"I decided to register people to vote after I saw there was a lack of young people politically involved," Ledbetter said.

On Saturday, the Meyers Park rising senior said he proudly registered 16 people to vote.

“I believe that it is our duty to vote as American citizens and it would be wrong not to exercise our political voice," Ledbetter said.

[SOURCE: WCNC]

Maxine Waters Statement on HUD’s Move to Weaken Protections Against Housing Discrimination

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement condemning the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposal to weaken a key aspect of the Fair Housing Act, the disparate impact standard, under which defendants can be held liable for policies or practices that have a discriminatory impact without proof of malicious intent.

“For too long, the federal government played a heavy hand in the institutionalization of overt racism and systemic inequality in our housing market through redlining practices, residential segregation, and lax industry regulation. While great strides have been made since the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, housing discrimination continues to exist, and we must remain diligent in the face of artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other innovations in our housing market that can perpetuate discriminatory outcomes.

“Since January 2019, the Committee on Financial Services has held a variety of hearings that have demonstrated that housing discrimination remains persistent and threatens our economic prosperity as a country.

“Rather than taking these fair housing concerns seriously, Secretary Carson has proposed a rule that represents yet another egregious step by this Administration toward the dismantling of key civil rights protections in America. The proposed rule would make it substantially more difficult for victims of housing discrimination, including persons with disabilities, families with children, and racial minorities, to prove their case in a court of law and thereby hold bad actors accountable for their actions.”

NAACP URGES US CONGRESS TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

The delegates to the NAACP National Annual Convention voted unanimously on July 22, 2019, to support an emergency resolution calling for impeachment proceedings against President Donald J. Trump.  Specifically, the resolution cited that through his racist, xenophobic, and homophobic words and actions President Trump has “brought the high office of the President of the United States in contempt, ridicule, disgrace, and disrepute,” and he “has sown seeds of discord among the people of the United States,” and finally that he “has demonstrated that he is unfit to be President.”

We must urge our federal legislators to openly reject his call to divide us.  We must prove to the world, and to ourselves, that we are better than that.

Please review the attached Action Alert and take Fast Action to eliminate hate!

Post office to be named for hero who saved people during mass shooting

Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02) today announced that her bill naming a Virginia Beach post office after Ryan Keith Cox has been signed into law .

A White House official notified Congresswoman Luria Wednesday evening that the President signed the bill after swift bipartisan and bicameral passage in the House and Senate last month.

Now law, the bill honors Cox, one of 12 people killed in the shooting. According to witness accounts, he sacrificed his own life to save colleagues during the shooting. Rejecting coworkers’ calls to take refuge, Cox stood his ground in a hallway and said: “I’ve got to see if anybody else needs help.”

“Virginia Beach and our entire Commonwealth will never forget Keith Cox’s courageous efforts to save his fellow Virginians,” Congresswoman Luria said. “The post office building will serve as a permanent reminder of his bravery and sacrifice. It’s an honor to recognize a true community hero.”

Located at 2509 George Mason Drive, the currently unnamed post office will be known as the Ryan Keith Cox Post Office Building. The full Virginia congressional delegation supported the legislation.