Black women have a long and proud history of advancing the cause of education in America. Their groundbreaking accomplishments – particularly in higher education –inspire, encourage, and challenge not only black women, but people of every race, age,  gender, and economic background to pursue their dreams.  From the first black female PhD graduates to the first black female presidents of prestigious universities, the 7 women on this list are game changers in the world of education and beyond.

Photo courtesy of Encyclopedia.com

Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander

In 1921, when Dr. Sadie T. M. Alexander graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School, she became the first black person in America to earn a doctorate in economics, and only the second black female to earn a doctorate in any area. Following graduation, Alexander enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and helped found the National Bar Association. In 1927, she was the first black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Adding to this impressive list, Alexander was the first black woman to pass the bar exam, and when she went to work for her husband’s law firm, Alexander became the first black woman to practice law in Pennsylvania.  In 1948, President Harry Truman appointed her to his Committee on Civil Rights, where she coauthored the Commission’s report, “To Secure These Rights,” which laid the foundation for Truman’s civil rights policy.

Since the country’s inception, black women have been working tirelessly to advance the cause of medicine and eradicate sickness and disease. From the first black nurse to the first black female neurosurgeon, African-American women have solidified their place in medical history and left a legacy of firm determination, selfless compassion, and academic excellence.

Photo courtesy of Detroit Free Press

Dr. Alexa Canady

In 1976, at age 26, Alexa Canady became the first black female neurosurgeon in the United States when she was accepted as a resident at the University of Minnesota. In 1986, after four years at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Canady became chief of the hospital’s neurosurgery department. In 1993, she received the American Women’s Medical Association President’s Award. Canady’s research in neurosurgical techniques resulted in the invention of a programmable antisiphon shunt, which is used to treat excess fluid in the brain. She shares a U.S. patent for the device with two other neurosurgeons.

theprayingwoman.com

When “Glee” actress Amber Riley fainted at a red carpet event recently, rumors swirled that her new diet was the cause. Amber took to Twitter after the incident to dispel rumors, saying she would “never starve [herself] to fit clothes.”

The 25-year-old actress, who has recently dropped at least two dress sizes, says that she lost the weight by cutting out fast food and sticking to a new diet and exercise plan.  She said she has always been comfortable with her size but just wanted to be healthier.

Of course being healthy is paramount, but beyond that, does size really matter? It does if you ask the people told to lose weight because they’re obese by BMI standards or the ones that are told they are too skinny and need to put some meat on their bones.

Celebrities are under intense pressure to maintain a certain size because every pound gained or lost is a potential magazine cover story (think about how Jessica Simpson was treated), but this pressure seems to apply to more than just those who are paid for how they look. And without a standard, contentment must be found when looking in your own mirror because feedback from the outside world is often conflicting.

For one, many of us have no idea what size we really wear because sizes vary from store to store. In one shopping trip, one might purchase a pair of jeans in a size 4, 6 and 10 — yet those jeans might all fit the same.

This common experience makes the obsession with size strange because there isn’t a universal way to measure it (no pun intended). Sure there are ballparks, but if you’re looking into buying a weight loss product that promises you’ll drop a size in a week, you’re probably better off just buying a different brand of jeans.

The second issue – especially in the black community – is that some men claim weight is an important factor in choosing women to date, so many women tailor themselves to fit a shallow standard. But one man’s “thick chick” is another’s “overweight neighbor” and one man’s “slim sweetheart” is another’s “too skinny friend.” We’re better off just finding someone who is content with our size rather than trying to fit into one man’s narrow preferences, but some people would rather play shapeshifter.

You can barely watch television these days without seeing Jennifer Hudson, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey endorsing popular weight loss products. At the same time, gossip sites demanded answers after paparazzi pictures surfaced of Avatar’s Zoe Saldana walking down the street looking too skinny for her skinny jeans.  When the famously thin actress starred in the film Colombiana, she prompted one writer to say, “female action stars have gotten too skinny to throw a believable punch.” (Ouch!)

However, sometimes, the size pressures placed on black women are even tougher than those placed on other cultures. Anyone can shrink their whole body, but on the flipside, the pursuit of video vixen style prominent bosoms, flat abs, and enormous derrieres is a tall order for someone who is not genetically shaped that way.

I’ll never forget the time one of my friend’s showed me her booty booster. I’m not sure what the proper name was for that painful looking contraption, but when she put it on underneath her jeans, it significantly boosted her backside.

“Guys like girls with big butts” she told me with a shrug.

Of course “guys like girls with big boobs” too and that is undoubtedly where the inspiration behind padded push up bras — such as Victoria Secret’s “Miraculous” bra — come from. But who really wants to carry around all that extra material just to give off an illusion and to feel good about themselves? There are an excessive amount of devices created to enhance, diminish, distort, and constrict a woman into looking a particular way, but all that stuff has to come off at some point and you’re left feeling inadequate with what you’ve been given naturally. That’s sad.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to take pride in our appearance, but there is a fine line between a healthy desire to look our best and unhealthy desperation to be a certain size and have certain curves. And with all the images directed at us acting as though only black women are big yet other images saying being skinny and less than curvy is out of style aren’t helping us get any more healthy. Maybe crazy, but not healthy.

Besides, when taking your full potential into consideration and what it is you bring to this world, does the fact that you’re a slim sista or “thicker than a Snicker” really matter anyway?

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Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 – the document that expresses the want, will, and hopes of the people – the country’s political system has reflected a disproportionately low number of women. Black females are even scarcer. However, some black women have been trailblazers in the political arena, shaping history and leaving a legacy that cannot be erased.

Patricia Roberts Harris

Patricia Roberts Harris broke several racial and gender barriers throughout her distinguished political career. In 1965, she became the first black female ambassador when President Lyndon Johnson appointed her as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Two years later, she returned to her alma mater, Howard University, where she became the law school dean, making her the first black female law school dean in the country. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Harris to serve in his cabinet as secretary of housing and urban development. She was the first black female in a presidential cabinet.

Source: Zap2it.com

I’m not quite sure where to begin so I’ll just start with the news most outlets are talking about. We found out a few weeks ago that George Zimmerman had set up a website where his “supporters” could send donations and it turns out he’s been getting quite a bit of support—$200,000 worth of support. The problem is (besides the fact that people are aiding this man) Zimmerman’s lawyers didn’t know about that money when his $150,000 bond that he had to pay 10 percent of to be let out of jail last week was set—otherwise it would have been a lot higher.

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for Trayvon Martin’s parents has requested that the bail be revoked since Zimmerman didn’t disclose how much money he really had at the original bond hearing. Florida Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said he wanted to know more information about the money and what Zimmerman knew before deciding whether to revoke or raise his bond. He plans to address that at a hearing after giving Zimmmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara some time to gather information.

Now on to this black thing.

Reuters published an article today detailing Zimmerman’s upbringing and seemingly attempting to distract from obvious charges that Zimmerman’s fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin was racially motivated. Zimmerman who has gone from white to Hispanic to biracial and everything under the ethnic sun now apparently is part black. According to the article:

“He was raised in a racially integrated household and himself has black roots through an Afro-Peruvian great-grandfather – the father of the maternal grandmother who helped raise him.”

The article goes on to talk about Zimmerman’s “mixed household” and regularly being around poor black kids and is frustrating to read so I’ll let you do what you will with that info. Whatever mulit-cultural background he has doesn’t take away from the crime he committed Feb. 26.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Thirstyroots.com

Some people refer to this hairstyle as “Ponytail with a bump in the front,” “bouffant ponytail,” “hump ponytail,” or even “The Snooki.” Thankfully, there is a proper term: pompadour ponytail.

Most believe the term ‘pompadour’ comes from Madame de Pompadour because she wore her hair piled high on top of her head. She was the French Royal Mistress of King Louis XV (maybe that’s also why they call it “hump ponytail?”).

The style–which consists of the front of a person’s hair being swept up high off the forehead–has been in and out of fashion since the 1700’s.

There are several different ways to achieve the look, but basically, you pull your hair into an ponytail while leaving out a chunk in the front. Tease the chunk (or if you have thick hair, you may not even need to tease it) and push it forward until it’s as high as you want. Next, use bobby pins to secure it then add any hair behind the bobby pins to your existing ponytail.

Appropriate for the office, dance floor or Saturday afternoon errands, the pompadour flanked by a ponytail is an extremely versatile look. It’s no wonder the style has remained a staple for so long.

Celebrities often rock the style on and off the red carpet. Click through our fab photo gallery and let us know: Who wore it best?

From StyleBlazer.com

The journey to super model status is a long and windy road. Being discovered, signed and added to a popular agencies roster, doesn’t guarantee your success—luck, timing and the relevancy of your look do. And for colored faces, the odds of winning are even slimmer. But there’s something about the silhouette of a lithe brown beauty cascading down a designer runway, decorated in couture fashion, that certifies why we deserve a permanent spot on the catwalk.

We applaud designers like Hermès, Bottega Veneta and Naeem Khan for sprinkling their F/W 2012 presentations with brown and yellow faces—the runway has not seen this much diversity since the seventies—hopefully the multicultural trend is here to stay.

Veterans like Veronica Webb, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks and Alek Wek, paved the way for the new brown girls to shine.

For all the fab photos, visit StyleBlazer.com.

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allhiphop.com

For an artist at their peak, the shine is brighter than the rays of summer. But the sun always sets. That hasn’t stopped some of our favorite R&B stars from attempting encores to put them back in the spotlight. Let’s take a look at some recent comebacks to the game by those who step to the mic and say that they never really left.

From BlackVoices.com

A promising lead about the whereabouts of Phoenix Coldon turned out to be a cruel hoax, causing the missing Missouri woman’s family additional pain, their entire life savings and their home.

“Unfortunately, we will now be losing our family home,” the missing woman’s mother, Goldia Coldon, told The Huffington Post. “We have tried to explain the situation to our mortgage company but they don’t care.”

A tip that led the family to Texas came from a man who claimed to know Coldon’s whereabouts and provided her family with very convincing details, Goldia Coldon said. The family already had invested much of their money to search for Phoenix, she said, but spent the remainder of their savings on private investigators to follow up on the lead. It was not until after the family’s money was gone that the man who provided the tip admitted he fabricated the story, Coldon said.

For the complete details, visit BlackVoices.com.

From TheGrio.com

Rapper turned business mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has never been shy about his affinity for opulence. He’s been bragging about his bank roll for years (in songs like Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems”), and he even named his latest attempt at the next best thing in music Dirty Money. So it’s no surprise that the trend continues with his latest creative project, Paris Is Burning, a short documentary film about extravagance.

Diddy released the first trailer yesterday, shot by French director Julien Bachelet. The 1 minute clip follows the Ciroc owner through a maze of screaming paparazzi as he hops in and out of his limo to attend a fashion show, shop for Rolex watches, and simply enjoy the life his wealth affords him.

As he shops, he muses to the camera, “I’m fresh out the store, you see how we do it… collecting Rollies…. I’m a have over 100 Rollies within the next month.”

For the complete story plus a trailer video, visit TheGrio.com.

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