Month: March 2017

Rebekah McClung, a civics and economics teacher in Virginia, thinks Donald Trump is doing a pretty good job as president. He hasn’t been perfect ― if it was up to her he would tone down the tweeting ― but overall, she rates him a 4 out of 5.

Her satisfaction with the president includes his plans for schools, even though his proposed budget slashes $9 billion from federal education programs. After all, as a conservative, she doesn’t see the point in leaving children with a huge national debt, even if decreasing it comes at the expense of enrichment programs.

“Really we’re just talking about building cultural centers and sending kids on field trips,” said McClung, referring to the defunding of 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provide after-school and summer programs to more than 1.6 million children. “I don’t know – I don’t necessarily think that’s the responsibility of the federal government.”

McClung’s view stands in contrast with many of the nation’s leading education groups and teachers unions who are decrying the proposed education budget. The American Federation of Teachers said Trump’s proposal “takes a meat cleaver to public education.” The nation’s former secretary of education John King said that the cuts will hurt all students, especially low-income and minority ones. But McClung says that the cuts seem like a necessary evil, even if “cutting a budget sucks, no matter what.”

McClung isn’t alone, even if she might be in the minority of educators. Several other teachers who also voted for Trump told The Huffington Post that they are fine ― if not happy ― with the cost-cutting the president proposed for the U.S. Department of Education. While a few expressed hesitation with his pick for education secretary ― Betsy DeVos ― they said they have faith in the president’s judgment.

The proposed budget slashes funding for a number of education programs ― including ones that provide after-school programming and teacher training  ― overall decreasing Education Department spending by over 13 percent. Still, the budget also adds money to charter schools as well as a nebulous school choice program for private institutions. It does not touch funding for special education, something which pleases McClung, who works in a public school.

Her support is not without its caveats. If a private school choice program ― which could come in the form of vouchers ― ends up leading to more “miscommunication and more red tape,” then it’s not something she would support.

“As far as the voucher program is concerned I can’t say I’m for or against it because I really have no idea what they’re talking about,” said McClung, explaining that the details for such a program are still unknown. 

Kitty Sullivan has her own concerns about a private school choice program. Sullivan, who taught for 33 years in rural public schools in Florida and Georgia and now works for a university, does not see the point of increasing money for private school choice in rural areas. These areas might have only one public school system or one school for all students.

“I’m afraid they won’t get the same opportunity to go to a private school,” said Sullivan of her former students.

As far as the other budget cuts, Sullivan does not have a problem with an overall decrease in spending, although she is not specifically familiar with the programs Trump would be cutting and how it could impact students. She does have ideas, though, as to how existing money could be reallocated. More money needs to be invested in early childhood education, she said. If the budget cuts will mean any sort of redistribution of funds in this direction, then she’s for it.

Whatever comes out of the Department of Education should not be happening. It’s a state and local issue.
Dan, a history teacher who voted for Trump

But none of the priorities in Trump’s budget impact the education issue that Sullivan most wants to see fixed: The Common Core State Standards and standardized testing. Sullivan voted for Trump, in part, because of his promise to rid states of the Common Core. Since taking office, Trump has conspicuously dropped the subject. Sullivan is hopeful that he will follow through.

“If he doesn’t do this I’m going to not be happy,” Sullivan said. “I would say a lot of teachers are not going to be happy … Its gotten to the point where my teacher friends said they spend more time testing than teaching. They’re burned out on it.”

Jeanne, a public school teacher in Ohio who did not want her last name published in an effort to keep politics out of her classroom, is similarly hopeful. Jeanne detests the Common Core and is confident that Trump will get rid of the standards “because he’s a man of his word.”

While Jeanne has not studied the budget, she is supportive of the idea of general cuts. She sees a lot of wasted money in her own school and even some “lazy teachers.” Even though she cares deeply about public schools, she’s optimistic that injecting more competition into the public school system ― by way of more charter schools or voucher programs ― could help solve public school issues. 

“I do believe that there will be public schools. We have to educate kids. We have to educate America. This might just be another avenue that would be good,” said Jeanne.

But the views of Jeanne, Sullivan and McClung are nowhere close to that of Dan, a republican history teacher in Michigan. Dan doesn’t care what’s in the budget, because he doesn’t think the federal government should play any role in education.

“It’s a department that constitutionally, shouldn’t exist. Whatever comes out of the department of education should not be happening. It’s a state and local issue,” said Dan, who did not want his last name released for fear of backlash against his views. 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Although the city of Detroit is experiencing an electrifying period of urban revitalization, many residents believe that the city’s economic renaissance has yet to reach the neighborhoods outside of the downtown and midtown areas. Raphael Wright is looking to help change that.

Wright, 28, is a local entrepreneur and investor from Detroit. He is the founder of Urban Plug L3C, an organization designed to build wealth within Detroit’s inner city through creating group investing platforms. 

Wright is looking to take on his biggest venture yet: opening a black-owned grocery store on Detroit’s east side.

“I’m still in Detroit. So I walk outside, I still see so many people struggling, particularly in the African-American community, so much poverty and no real accumulation of wealth in the inner cities,” Wright told HuffPost of the city, which is over 80 percent black. “It’s a graveyard. We want to introduce group investing to the black community in the inner city.”

Wright and his partner, Theo Easter, decided to take matters into their own hands. “Our goal is to build up the inner city, particularly among our minority population,” Wright said. “But at this same time, we want to tackle social issues inside the community as well.” 

One of the social issues they want to tackle is community wellness. Wright was diagnosed as diabetic at the age of 19. 

“We both had a passion toward food and health. We both decided to help tackle the problem of food deserts in the inner city, so we wanted to create a grocery store,” Wright said. “For one, we wanted to provide high quality food in the inner city but wanted to also introduce our group investment platform through this venture.”

Although Detroit’s status as a “food desert” is highly debated, it is difficult for the average resident without a car to get to a grocery store, due to issues of crime or lack of public transportation. Studies have found that food accessibility and the difficulty to obtain food is a serious problem in Detroit.

Wright is currently raising money to fund the costs for a grocery store. He has raised over $11,000 so far through GoFundMe, but is looking to raise $100,000. 

Programs like Motor City Match will help Wright refine his goals. Motor City Match, introduced in 2015, helps Detroit-based entrepreneurs find funding and real estate in order to grow their business in the city. 

Wright earned a Motor City Match plan award, which gave him access to free business planning coursework that will eventually help guide his venture.

“Motor City Match is a great tool for entrepreneurs in Detroit,” said Michael Rafferty, vice president of small business development for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. “It can help entrepreneurs with developing a business plan, selecting a real estate location within the city, securing funding, and a wealth of other tools.” 

Motor City Match has awarded roughly $3 million in grants to more than 60 Detroit-based businesses and over 500 entrepreneurs, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.

Wright plans to eventually open up this grocery store, build it up as a successful business, sell half of the store to community organizations and neighborhood associations, and then use those funds to eventually open a chain of grocery stores. 

“We’ve kinda got like a three-year window,” he said. “The idea is that, in three years, we would have built this store up to what it needs to be while at the same time, while incorporating different media initiatives and different social projects, build this community up to a cohesive team and a corporate partnership.”

Wright says the group investing methods other minority groups have encouraged him to pursue this grocery store. The Mexicantown neighborhood in southwest Detroit, for example, is a model of the burgeoning success of Latino-owned businesses within the city.

“The methods that they have taken to stay together and keep their communities up and vibrant, we have studied those practices and strategies, and we want to apply them to the Black community,” he said. “The informal banking system that they have, the money pooling system, the way that they keep their neighborhoods clean and keep the businesses running and surviving.”

Wright also has some advice for young entrepreneurs.

“I want to let people know that you don’t have to turn to a life of crime, especially those that come from where we come from,” he said. “Pursue your ideas. Get a mentor. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Dwight Howard battled a severe candy habit for around a decade, ESPN reported earlier this week.

According to Dr. Cate Shanahan, the Lakers’ nutritionist who uncovered Howard’s habit in early 2014 while he was with the team, the NBA player apparently consumed an average of 24 chocolate candy bars a day. People magazine estimated that equated to around 5,500 calories daily. 

Shanahan told ESPN that because of Howard’s habit, the then 27-year-old NBA was sluggish on the court and had difficulty healing from injuries. He’d also begun experiencing tingling in his legs and fingers, which the nutritionist suspected was dysesthesia, a painful neurological sensation. 

Professor Laura Schmidt of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine told The Huffington Post that she’s surprised the NBA was unaware of the extent of Howard’s habit and how it affected his athletic performance. 

“Shanahan was smart to start by cleaning up Howard’s food environment—that’s a critical first step,” Schmidt wrote via email. “Unfortunately you can’t exercise away the health harms of a poor diet. The health harms from excessive sugar intake range from fatty liver, to insulin sensitivity leading to diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases.”

She added, “Some of the sugar he consumed would have been mobilized immediately as energy for all of his activity, which hopefully mitigated some of the adverse effects.” 

Howard was eventually able to quit his sugar habit by getting rid of all of his boxes of candy and going cold turkey, with the exception of paired-down peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

While most people won’t develop a dramatic 24-candy bar a day habit, eating a high level of sugar (which the American Heart Association classifies as 100 calories of refined sugar daily for women and 150 calories for men) can lead to problems like obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Unfortunately, problems with excessive sugar are all too common for Americans, according to Schmidt. 

“The majority of Americans are overweight or obese—70 percent of us,” she told HuffPost. “Excess carbohydrate consumption is a leading cause of our obesity epidemic. What’s interesting about Howard is that he wasn’t getting all that added sugar in liquid form. Sugary drinks are the main way people get into trouble with excessive sugar intake.” 

If you or someone you know is looking to cut down on sugar intake, Professor Schmidt offers six easy ways to curb your sweet habit. Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein, a pediatric neurologist, told The Splendid Table she recommends incorporating more bitter foods into your diet, by way of fruit and veggie peels, dark chocolate, coffee and beer. 

The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter will make you happier and healthier, one email at a time. Sign up here.

type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related… + articlesList=5877840de4b0f8a725448532,580f822ee4b02444efa57b8e,58c84e44e4b05675ee9c5b0b

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

WASHINGTON ― Last week, The Huffington Post and other news outlets published stories about the number of missing black and Latinx teenagers in the nation’s capital. In the time since, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department has tried to address concerns about the rate of missing teens.

During a March 16 press conference, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the yearly rate of people reported missing in the District has remained constant since 2014, meaning the latest reports don’t constitute an uptick. She added that there’s no evidence to suggest the recent missing-person reports are somehow related to human trafficking.

Bowser’s remarks didn’t do much to reassure D.C. locals or social media users. On Wednesday, tensions between the police and the predominantly black residents of Ward 8 flared during a town hall held to further address concerns. D.C.’s interim police Chief Peter Newsham, who at times seemed slightly dismissive of residents’ concerns about trafficking, was interrupted several times by attendees who wanted more concrete answers from the department. One woman told the panel that while the current cases of missing teens may not be linked to human trafficking, that doesn’t mean it’s not happening in general.

In truth, this is a complicated issue. MPD’s stance is that more kids aren’t being reported missing, there’s no evidence of human traffickers taking these teens and police are actively doing their best to make sure all the teens come home safely. But some members of the community aren’t convinced that the police are as concerned about the missing teens as them. There are also questions about which missing kids get Amber Alerts, what the department is doing to combat the stigma surrounding runaways and why no one seems to know the precise number of missing teens.

The Huffington Post is going to answer some of these questions for you. If you have any questions not addressed here that you’d like answered, please submit them using this Google form. We’ll update this post if we can provide an answer.

How many juveniles are missing in D.C. right now?

Twenty-two as of March 22, according to MPD.

Is that number going to change?

Almost certainly ― the number fluctuates quite a bit. MPD closes 95 percent of missing-person cases, and there’s no minimum waiting period if someone wants to report a kid missing. So the department might tweet about a missing child on Tuesday, for example, but by Wednesday the child will have been located.

At least 501 out of 774 people reported missing in D.C. this year are juveniles. MPD has closed 95 percent of missing persons cases this year, Newsham said, and he assured the public that most teens reported missing are ultimately located or returned home. The department is also making an effort to publicize information about every missing person deemed “critically missing.”

MPD has faced criticism for not updating the public in a timely manner once a missing kid has been found. They have begun taking steps to change this, including launching a webpage with the most recent missing-persons information. And Bowser is expected to announce a task force to help find missing juveniles and determine what social programs runaway teens have a need for.

Why aren’t Amber Alerts issued for all of these teens?

According to federal activation criteria, in order for an Amber Alert to be issued, an abduction of a person under the age of 18 must be confirmed. Law enforcement officials have to make the case that the juvenile is at risk of serious bodily harm or injury. Sufficient descriptive information ― such as what the child was wearing or a license plate number for the abductor ― must also be available.

Most missing-person cases don’t fit these criteria. But some people argue that the criteria should be expanded to include runaways. A teen who technically left home willingly, but who was actually lured away by a trafficker, wouldn’t fall under the heading of a “confirmed abduction” ― and thus the case wouldn’t get the same police or media attention as a full-fledged Amber Alert.

“When you have a teenager who is groomed by a potential trafficker, who’s lured away, that would fall under the runaway category because they were not physically abducted,” said Mary Graw Leary, a law professor at the Catholic University of America and a co-author of Perspectives on Missing Persons Cases. “But I think we’d all agree that that has a different scenario to it than the child who doesn’t like home and runs away.”

Why do kids run away from home? And what about human trafficking?

Human trafficking remains a huge community concern. The current missing-person cases haven’t been confirmed as evidence of trafficking, but speaking generally, it does go on in the District. Confirmed sex trafficking victims are overwhelmingly female, and 40 percent of them are black, based on data from a 2013 Justice Department report. Meanwhile, Latinx people account for 56 percent of confirmed labor trafficking victims.

Juveniles are reported missing for a number of reasons. It’s typically because they failed to check in at home, work or school for innocuous reasons. But there are cases that revolve around conflicts at home. When a younger child is reported missing, they could have been taken by a relative during a custody battle. Missing teenagers are more likely to be running away from physical or sexual abuse.

Black and Latinx teens are more susceptible to the type of abuse that causes a teen to run away from home because they’re more likely to live in a high-risk environment. Risk factors that could lead to a child being trafficked for sex include parental substance abuse and physical or sexual abuse at home. Teens in the LGBTQ community and kids in foster care are at an even greater risk, Leary said.

Some kids run away because they have a behavioral or mental illness. April, a mom who spoke at Wednesday’s town hall, told the crowd that her daughter is a chronic runaway due to a mental illness. She claims she didn’t hear from MPD for 72 hours after filing a missing-person report for her daughter. April eventually found her daughter on her own in an abandoned building.

What does MPD do when a kid is returned home?

When a missing juvenile is found, MPD completes an evaluation of his or her family circumstances once he or she returns home. “If there’s any indication that the child could be in any kind of danger, then we’ll take appropriate action,” Newsham said. “If necessary, we will get social services involved.”  

What role have the stereotypes of black and Latinx girls played in the media coverage?

A huge one. This is evident in the case of Relisha Rudd, an 8-year-old who went missing in D.C. in 2014. The only major national news outlet to cover her disappearance extensively was The Washington Post. Cable news shows did not aggressively cover Relisha’s disappearance like they did for Natalee Holloway, Elizabeth Smart and Caylee Anthony. The media suffers from what is often called “missing white woman syndrome,” meaning that when a story concerns a missing person of color, most news outlets give it only a fraction of the attention they would give a story about a missing white woman.

Hillary Potter, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, says this disparity in mainstream media coverage is rooted in the idea that black and brown girls are inherently less valuable. This would explain why MPD appears to use mug shots for missing persons who have arrest records instead of using family photos. (MPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its use of mug shots.) The relative lack of coverage also helps perpetuate the myth that black and brown girls aren’t victimized. And when these cases are covered, it’s not uncommon for news outlets to incorporate one or more common stereotypes about black and Latinx girls (that they’re angry, promiscuous, lawbreaking, etc.).  

“We have to consider how, generally, blackness is devalued,” Potter said. “There doesn’t seem to be as much of a care if something happens to us.”

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

By Collier Meyerson

Whenever I’m standing on a subway platform, I play this game: I hover near a person I think is cute and try to slowly make my way over to him so we get in the same car. When we do, I look his way every so often to see if he’s staring back, to see if we’ve got what my best friend and I call “the affinity,” a mutual acknowledgement that we see one another. That maybe we like each other. I fantasize about our meet-cute. I wonder what it’d be like to talk to him. It’s a pretty good way to pass the time from Brooklyn to midtown.

Related: 11 People in Interracial Relationships on the Intense Experience of Watching Get Out

For most of my adult life, I’ve dated white guys. I spent my childhood surrounded by black and brown kids, but when I got to high school, suddenly everyone around me was white. Like most of the girls in my class, I wanted attention from the boys. But while they chased after blondes and brunettes, I was ignored. And on those rare occasions a white boy kissed me in the copy-machine room at our high school, or when a white boy told me over the phone he had a crush on me, the acknowledgement made me feel chosen. It was addictive. The white boys I grew up with were cool: They rode their skateboards on private property. They smoked weed in their parents’ houses with abandon. I envied and desired their freedom. If they wanted me, I thought, it was because I seemed free like them. Cool like them. At 18, I was fixated on being attractive to them. Since college I’ve had five boyfriends, and all of them have been white. And those affinity moments on the train? They’re with white guys too.

White men have preoccupied me my whole life, from the schoolyard to the subway, but these days I’m seeing them differently. They’re no longer the object of my affection, a mirror for my self-worth, or an affirmation of my beauty. Right now, they seem altogether alien.

The night Trump was elected, I wrote about feeling lonely. I wanted to be comforted — but I wanted it to be by someone who had an inkling of the anxiety I felt for my family, my loved ones, and for myself. In the past, I’d have sought that comfort out in a white man, but that night I knew it wouldn’t be enough. It’s not that I don’t think white people are anxious; two months into Trump’s presidency, most of the white people in my life are activated. They’re in the streets, calling senators and congressmen, attending community board meetings, and holding sign-making parties. I’m glad for it. But while the political universes of my white friends are cracking open, I’m feeling more inclined than ever to cloister myself.

Related: Why I Quit Online Dating

I’ve gone on a few dates with white guys in the last few months, and the same thing always happens. During a bathroom break or a trip to the bar, I’ll check my phone, and almost always there is a news alert telling me Donald Trump is attempting to curtail, or has just succeeded in curtailing, the rights of marginalized people in America. It’s an odd thing to then go back to my date and continue the performance of “getting to know you.” I fantasize about walking up to him and saying, “Gotta go!” before heading for the door, but instead, I sit down, and continue talking about which dystopian novel best describes our current predicament, or whatever. Even if I did want to talk about how I feel, I’m not sure I’d be able to articulate it, especially to someone with such a different frame of reference from my own. In those moments, I’ve wished to be sitting in front of someone who could relate. Despite knowing I can feel intimacy with white guys, right now what divides us feels like a chasm.

In every relationship I have with a white man, there comes a moment when they come to understand a simple fact of my life: that racism is an intimate part of my daily existence. Sometimes, they’re enraged — like the time when I called my last boyfriend after I left American Apparel in search of nipple covers for a white bodysuit. The store had some, but none that matched my skin tone. “Are they fucking serious?” he said in disbelief. And then there are the quieter times, the ones that weigh more heavily, that bring us closer together. Once, in my late 20s, my boyfriend and I were stopped by police, and I quickly became frantic about the weed in the car. He put his hand on my knee and reminded me that I was safe with him.

But, of course, for them it’s just tourism. Racism isn’t something white people need to face every day. And too many times, those same white boyfriends decided to sit out being my partner. I lost count of the times my boyfriend in my late 20s would tell me to “just leave” parties or social events when I complained of being the only person of color in his all-white friend group. Even more hurtful was the night he and I were standing outside a bar in Bushwick and someone we both knew started making racist comments. While I tried to explain to this man why what he was saying was offensive, my boyfriend stood there in silence. Later, I tried to convey how hurt I was that he didn’t say anything, but he didn’t seem to understand how bewildered I was. There are, in my relationships with white men, so many moments like that. No matter how close I held the mirror up to their faces, sometimes their good and liberal wells of understanding and compassion were simply inaccessible.

Related: Dating in New York Ruined Me for Paris

On election night, I thought about all those moments, and I felt overwhelmed at the possibility of taking that on over the next four years. Since Trump was elected, I’ve felt paradoxically alienated by white people finding or doubling down on their commitment to change. Somehow their politicization has begun to seem cartoonish, filled with performance and self-congratulation. It’s not something I understand or feel a part of.

But it wasn’t only on election night that translating experience felt so fraught. Communication is necessary for any healthy relationship, and in an interracial relationship it’s paramount. Every white man I’ve dated has, sometimes consciously and sometimes not, asked me to explain to them some aspect of blackness. “Can I say the N-word if I’m singing along to a song?” “How do I be a better gentrifier?” (I don’t know dude, I ask myself the same question every goddamn day.) I know that I shouldn’t feel compelled to always speak for my race, but I can’t expect a white boyfriend to stop asking some of those questions if we’re to come to a mutual understanding. Lately, though, I just don’t feel like answering them.

The other day, I was on the subway platform playing my usual game, and I caught the eye of a black guy. It felt different this time, like the flirtatious version of the “black nod” at work — an acknowledgement between two black employees who might not even know one another, but who have a shared experience. What I’m craving right now from a partner — more than feeling beautiful, more than anything — is a “black nod” version of a relationship. I know a man isn’t going to get me through the Trump era. But the less work I have to do to make him understand how I feel, the better chance I have of getting through the next four years with my head still on.

More from The Cut:

The Cut’s Ultimate Guide to Relationship Advice

What an Arranged Marriage Taught My Mom About Dating

Physical and Emotional Healing in the Hands of a Younger Man

What Does a Woman’s ‘Sexual Prime’ Mean, Anyway?

Looking for Love in Seven Different Cities

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Not every couple’s wedding vision includes walking down the aisle to “Here Comes The Bride.” So what other non-traditional song options are there? Plenty. 

We asked The Huffington Post’s Facebook community for song ideas to set the scene, and more than 200 people shared their picks.

Below is a sampling of different tracks ― some are deeply romantic, others are light, upbeat and charismatic. 

1. “Sea of Love,” by Cat Power

“Come with me // My love // To the sea // The sea of love // I wanna tell you // How much // I love you.” 

2. “Lucky,” by Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillet

“Lucky I’m in love with my best friend // Lucky to have been where I have been // Lucky to be coming home again.”  

3. “Kissing You,” by Des’ree from the movie Romeo & Juliet

“Touch me deep // Pure and true // Gift to me forever // ‘Cause I’m kissing you, oh, I’m kissing you.” 

4. “Married Life,” by Michael Giacchino from the movie Up

5. “Look At Me,” by Carrie Underwood

“Make me feel like I’m the only girl alive for you // I don’t know what it is that makes me fall like this // First time in your arms, I knew.” 

6. “History In The Making,” by Darius Rucker

“Tonight, maybe tonight // Is the start of a beautiful ride that’ll never end.” 

7. “All This Time,” by One Republic

“All this time we were waiting for each other // All this time I was waiting for you // Got all these words, can’t waste them on another // So I’m straight in a straight line running back to you.”  

8. “Somebody,” by Depeche Mode

“I want somebody to share // Share the rest of my life // Share my innermost thoughts // Know my intimate details // Someone who’ll stand by my side // And give me support.” 

9. “Calgary,” by Bon Iver

“Sold, I’m ever // Open ears and open eyes // Wake up to your starboard bride // Who goes in and then stays inside.” 

10. “All You Need Is Love,” by The Beatles

“There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done // Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung…All you need is love, love // Love is all you need.” 

11. “I Choose You,” by Sarah Bareilles

“’Cause I could live by the light in your eyes // I’ll unfold before you // Would have strung together // The very first words of a lifelong love letter.” 

12. “Baby, Would You Marry Me,” by Svavar Knutar

“And, baby, would you marry me // On a mountain top or a traffic stop // Or maybe on a boat that floats into the great unknown // That would be a day to remember our love by.”  

13. “Moon River,” by Henry Mancini from the movie “Breakfast At Tiffany’s”

“Two drifters, off to see the world // There’s such a lot of world to see // We’re after that same rainbow’s end.” 

14. “Kissing,” by Bliss

“On a journey of the heart // There’s so much to see // And when the sky is dark // You’ll be right here // Right here with me.” 

15. “Come Away With Me,” by Norah Jones

“Come away with me and we’ll kiss on a mountaintop // Come away with me and I’ll never stop loving you.” 

16. “Here, There And Everywhere,” by The Beatles

“I want her everywhere and if she’s beside me // I know I need never care // But to love her is to need her everywhere // Knowing that love is to share.” 

17. “Peanuts Theme,” from “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”

18. “Here and Now,” by Luther Vandross

“I look in your eyes and there I see // What happiness really means // The love that we share makes life so sweet // Together we’ll always be // This pledge of love feels so right.” 

19. “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” by The Velvet Underground

“I’ll be your mirror // Reflect what you are, in case you don’t know // I’ll be the wind, the rain and the sunset // The light on your door to show that you’re home.”

20. “Best Day of My Life,” by American Authors

“This is gonna be the best day of my life… All the possibilities // No limits just epiphanies.” 

21. “The Water Is Wide,” version by James Taylor

“Build me a boat // That can carry two // And both shall row, my love and I.”

22. “Falling Slowly,” from the Broadway musical Once

“Falling slowly, eyes that know me // And I can’t go back.” 

23. “Like Real People Do,” by Hozier

“Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips // We should just kiss like real people do.”  

24. “Falling Slowly,” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

“Falling slowly, eyes that know me // And I can’t go back.” 

25. “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” by Roberta Flack

“And the first time ever I lay with you // I felt your heart so close to mine // And I knew our joy would fill the earth // And last ‘til the end of time, my love.”  

26. “Sweet Thing,” by Van Morrison

“And you shall take me strongly // In your arms again // And I will not remember // That I even felt the pain.” 

27. “This Must Be the Place,” version by Iron & Wine and Bed Bridell
“Home, is where I want to be // But I guess I’m already there // I come home she lifted up her wings // Guess that this must be the place.” 

28. “Bron-Yr-Aur,” by Led Zeppelin

“Well if the sun shines so bright // Or on our way it’s darkest night // The road we choose is always right, so fine.” 

29. “All My Life,” by K-Ci and JoJo

“You’re all that I ever known, when you smile, on my face, all I see is a glow // You turned my life around, you picked me up when I was down.”

30. “Just Like Heaven,” by The Cure

“And threw her arms around my neck // Show me how you do it // And I promise you I promise that // I’ll run away with you // I’ll run away with you.”

31. “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” from the movie Cinderella

“A dream is a wish your heart makes // When you’re fast asleep… Have faith in your dreams and someday // Your rainbow will come smiling through.”   

32. “Bless the Broken Road,” by Rascal Flatts

“Every long lost dream led me to where you are // And others who broke my heart they were like northern stars // Pointing me on my way into your loving arms.”  

33. “Is This Love,” by Bob Marley

“I wanna love you every day and every night // We’ll be together with a roof right over our heads // We’ll share the shelter of my single bed.” 

34. “Plainsong,” by The Cure

“Sometimes you make me feel like I’m living at the edge of the world // Like I’m living at the edge of the world // ‘It’s just the way you smile,’ you said.” 

35. “First Day of My Life,” by Bright Eyes

“Yours is the first face that I saw // I think I was blind before I met you.” 

36. “You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne

“We’ve come a long way // And baby, you know I hope and I pray // That you believe me // When I say this love will never fade away // Oh, because // You are the best thing // Ever happened to me.” 

37. “How Long Will I Love You,” by Ellie Goulding

“How long will I love you? // As long as stars are above you // And longer, if I may.” 

38. “Beyond The Sea,” by Frank Sinatra

“Somewhere beyond the sea // She’s there watching for me // If I could fly like birds on high // Then straight to her arms // I’d go sailin’.” 

39. “Hearts and Bones,” by Paul Simon

“You take two bodies and you twirl them into one // Their hearts and their bones // And they won’t come undone // Hearts and bones.” 

40. “Til Kingdom Come,” by Coldplay

“For you, I’d wait ‘til kingdom come // Until my day, my day is done.” 

41. “Songbird,” by Fleetwood Mac

“And I wish you all the love in the world // But most of all, I wish it from myself.” 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Spring has officially sprung!

And while many people are thinking about decluttering their space and breaking out sundresses and shorts, they may forget that their skin care regimen could use some spring cleaning, too.

Dermatologist Brooke A. Jackson, M.D., told The Huffington Post a few key things people of color should be doing to ensure our skin, our body’s largest organ, remains glowing and healthy through the seasonal changes. 

From sun protection to getting rid of discoloration, the North Carolina-based doctor has five necessary tips that keep your melanin on fleek this spring and summer.

1. Lighten up your routine

Just as you change your wardrobe, you should change your products. Put away the jars of heavy body butters and creams, and opt for something lighter, Jackson advises.

“You start wearing shorts and T-shirts and so you should do the same with your products,” she said. “So generally we recommend in the winter time, you use a big jar of something you actually scoop. And in the spring and the summer, you can go a little bit lighter with something that has a little bit more lotion; like Vaseline Cocoa Radiant is a good choice because you still get the moisturizing effect because it’s got the micro droplets of Vaseline jelly and 100 percent pure cocoa butter in it but it’s not quite as heavy as some other jar products are.” 

2. Stay moisturized

We tend to do more activities that can dry out our skin in the summer, like going to the beach or taking a dip in the pool. Jackson told HuffPost that it’s important to moisturize afterward, especially after being exposed to chlorine, which is “very, very drying.”

In addition to lathering up in the morning, she said swimmers should rinse all of the saltwater or pool water off and use lotion. Jackson said this doesn’t just apply to people who swim but people with certain skin conditions as well. 

“Generally, I would say you should moisturize once to twice a day depending on what’s going on with you,” she said. “Certainly, if somebody has drier skin or if they’ve got eczema, they probably need a little bit more moisture and so two full moisturizing processes a day would be great … A lot of people during the spring and summer will probably do just fine with the once coming out of the shower in the morning.”

3. Go with your own glow

Despite the widespread myth, black people do need sunscreen. Jackson said this idea probably stemmed from people of color historically being excluded from certain medical research. 

“Historically we focused on sunburn and a direct correlation between sunburn and skin cancer and so therefore [the message was only] our fair-skinned counterparts get it,” she said. “That message has been loud and clear for many, many years but [there’s an assumption that] people who have darker skin tend not to burn.”

If you’re going to chase the sun, protect yourself, she said.

“I think it’s really important to make sure that we are all sun protecting ourselves because it is not out of the realm of possibilities that skin cancer will develop,” Jackson explained. “So going with your own glow, not actively seeking tanning at the beach or just going out for a run, just making sure that you’re sun protected.”

It also doesn’t hurt that sunscreen can help get rid of discoloration.

4. Remember less is more

One product that locks and seals moisture is better (and more practical) than a cabinet full of products that you hardly use. Jackson said people should pick a product that can do multiple things for you and stick to it. 

“Keep your regimen simple,” she said. 

5. When all else fails, see a doctor

Dermatologists have the answers specific to your skin that your favorite YouTube vlogger may not have. Jackson said many of the skin problems people of color face (discoloration, hyperpigmentation, etc.) can only be healed by getting to the root of the issue.

“I have a lot of patients who try everything under the kitchen sink and then with their girlfriends and everything on the internet and they don’t make an appointment with a dermatologist who can help them out in 10 minutes or less,” Jackson said. “Discoloration is a huge issue with skin of color and we get discoloration from any inflammatory condition, acne, eczema, etc., so again, a reason to make sure that you’re getting the treatment that you need to make sure that that is controlled is because 9 times out of 10, the number one complaint of patients with skin color is I want an even complexion and I want this discoloration to go away.”

Jackson also said since black dermatologists aren’t accessible to everyone, it’s important for people with melanin to ask if their dermatologist knows how to treat darker skin.

Now, go forth and prosper with a fresh glow to your skin.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Pantene is celebrating black hair in a new social media campaign that lets women with natural hair know that #StrongIsBeautiful.

On Thursday, Pantene launched a new line of hair-care products called Pantene Gold, designed to cater to African-American women. In the ad for the new line, above, black models of all ages rock beautiful natural hairdos pose as a narrator recites a poem about black hair, declaring:

“So many wrong things are said, about how it grows from our head. But to think that beauty is only sleek and wavy is crazy.” 

The ad is the first nationwide commercial for Pantene’s Gold Series, and features women with relaxed, braided, natural, and loc’d hair.

“Because whether we choose to wear it relaxed or natural,” the ad concludes, “Every strand is testimony to our history. That makes us stronger.”

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

This week, “Sesame Street” announced that its character Julia, who has autism, will make her TV debut in April in an episode that will teach kids about the disorder. That trailblazing decision marks just one of the series’ many groundbreaking moments. 

Throughout its 47-year history, “Sesame Street” seems to have always embraced diversity and inclusion by having its muppets and their human friends discuss important issues (like bullying and divorce) and reflect people kids actually see day to day (like children whose parents are in the military).

Though there are many more to choose, here are 11 other important moments from the creative people behind the beloved show.

The HuffPost Parents newsletter, So You Want To Raise A Feminist, offers the latest stories and news in progressive parenting. 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Twitter exploded with commentary on Friday afternoon regarding President Donald Trump’s announcement that the House of Representatives would postpone a planned vote on the American Health Care Act, the Republican bill to repeal Obamacare.

Many responses involved jokes about Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” or the pull-out method, because… duh.

We’ve gathered the best of the best for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

For more Twitter greatness, happy scrolling here.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices