24-year-old single mom graduates from Harvard Law School

Becoming a lawyer was always a goal for Briana Williams. But when she became a single mother a year before finishing her Harvard law degree, her dream seemed almost impossible. The 24-year-old shared a candid post about how she decided to complete a final exam in April 2017 while in labor before heading to the hospital to give birth.

“I immediately requested an epidural so that my contractions wouldn’t interfere,” the mom writes. “To say that my last year of law school, with a newborn, and as a single mom was a challenge would be an understatement.”

Beating all odds and statistics, Williams walked across the graduation stage with her adorable mini-me, Evelyn, the two of them wearing matching caps and gowns.

Williams tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the road to success wasn’t easy, and there were times when she thought she couldn’t do what she needed to do.

“There were many days that I’d go into a depression because I felt overwhelmed and let the pressure of what I was trying to do get to me. I suppose I just did what I had to do, regardless of how I felt on the inside, because I did not want people to be able to say that I had to choose between motherhood and success,” she reveals. “I refused to allow anyone to assume that my daughter could hold me back in any way when she is such a fundamental piece of my success and courage. I knew that if I persisted, I could help other similarly situated women.”

Read more: Single Mom, 24, Graduates From Harvard Law School: ‘Let’s Keep Beating All Their Odds’

I went into labor in April- during final exam period. I immediately requested an epidural so that my contractions wouldn’t interfere with my Family Law grade. And, with tears in my eyes, I finished it. This “biting the bullet” experience is quite quintessential of my time at Harvard. To say that my last year of law school, with a newborn, and as a single mom was a challenge would be an understatement. Some days I was so mentally and emotionally fatigued that I did not leave my bed. I struggled with reliable childcare. It was not atypical to see me rushing through Wasserstein to the Dean of Students’ office with Evelyn in her carriage, asking DOS can they keep her for a few until class was over. If not, she’d just have to come with me to class. Evie attended classes often. So I’m going to be honest with you guys.. I didnt think I could do it. I did not think that, at 24 years old, as a single mom, I would be able to get through one of the most intellectually rigorous and challenging positions of my life. It was hard. It hurt. Instagram can make peoples’ lives seem seamless, but this journey has been heartwrenching. However, I am happy to say that I DID do it. Today, Evelyn in my arms, with tears streaming down my face, I accepted my Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. At first, I was the anomaly of my [marginalized] community. Then, as a single mother, I became a statistic. Next, I pray that- for the sake of my baby, I will be an example. Evelyn- they said that because of you I wouldn’t be able to do this. Just know that I did this BECAUSE OF YOU. Thank you for giving me the strength and courage to be invincible. Let’s keep beating all their odds, baby.

A post shared by Briana Williams, J.D. (@lovexbriana) on May 24, 2018 at 1:12pm PDT

Valerie Jarrett responds to Roseanne Barr's racist tweets

Valerie Jarrett, former adviser to President Barack Obama, responded to actress Roseanne Barr’s comment referring to her as an “ape” on Tuesday.

Meet the woman that canceled 'Roseanne', Channing Dungey

[UPDATE: VALERIE JARRET RESPONDS TO ROSEANNE'S RACIST TWEETS]

Looks like Barr should have checked the organizational chart at ABC before she made her racist tweets. The ABC Entertainment president is Channing Dungey who just happens to be...African American.

The shows stellar ratings and an apology weren't enough to mitigate those racist comments, and now Dungey/ABC has canceled "Roseanne."

Dungey said in a statement to CBS News, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."

Dungey has a long career is television and film.

In 1991, she graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Dungey began her career in entertainment as a development assistant for Davis Entertainment. She later joined Warner Bros. as a production executive, where she helped develop and supervise a number of commercially successful films including The Bridges of Madison County, Heat , The Matrix , and The Devil's Advocate.

She joined ABC Studios in the summer of 2004 and worked as head of drama. She oversaw the development of ABC Studio shows such as Scandal, Criminal Minds, How to Get Away with Murder, Nashville, Quantico, Army Wives and Once Upon A Time.

In 2016, Dungey made headlines when she became the first African-American to run the entertainment division of a major broadcast television network.

First African-American Ivy League president now leads HBCU

In 2001 Ruth Simmons was the first African American Ivy League President when she took the reins at Brown University. She has now come out of retirement to lead Prairie View A & M University near her hometown in Texas. She’s driven to continue guiding young lives just as she had been helped as a young student.

Barbados elects Mia Mottley as first woman Prime Minister

Mia Mottley, a 52-year-old lawyer, is reported to have once told a teacher at her secondary school that she would become Barbados first female PM.

That prediction became true when the Caribbean island elected her its first woman prime minister since gaining independence from Britain in 1966. Mia Mottley led her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to a crushing victory over the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

Ms Mottley faced a barrage of personal and political attacks from the DLP during the election campaign, but also picked up an apparent endorsement from Barbadian pop star Rihanna.

Speaking shortly after it became apparent that the BLP would form the next government, Ms Mottley told cheering supporters: "This is not my victory. This is not the Labour Party's victory. This is the people of Barbados's victory,"

Ms Mottley's new administration - like its predecessor, a broadly centre-left government - faces a host of problems in a country once seen as a byword for good governance in the Caribbean.

Despite the island's enduring popularity with tourists from Western Europe and North America, and growing arrivals from newer tourist markets like China and Russia, the Barbadian economy has failed to shrug off the effects of the global economic crisis of the late 2000s.

Sluggish economic growth, high levels of government debt and shrinking foreign currency reserves have been compounded by the adverse publicity and cancelled bookings stemming from a collapsing sewage system.

The system serves part of the country's South Coast, a key tourist area.

[SOURCE: BBC]