Remembering Aboriginal Leader Lowitja O’Donoghue
Lowitja O’Donoghue, a prominent figure in Australian history and Australia’s Aborigine community, passed away February 4, 2024, at age 91. Throughout her life, she was deeply committed to advocating for the health and rights of Aborigines. The Aborigines are the indigenous, or native, people of Australia. They have a rich cultural history dating back tens […]
Black History Month: The Musical Legacy of Florence Price
In 1933 Florence Price made history. Her symphony was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. For an African American female composer, this was a first. While Price gained some fame from the accomplishment, her career in music was impacted by racism and sexism. The significant contributions of women and of African Americans in classical music […]
Using Technology to Help People with Disabilities Enjoy Nature in New Ways
Technology helps people with disabilities at home and in the workplace. Technologies are also making it easier for people with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors. Meeting a Need During the springtime at Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia, ski slopes become dirt tracks for mountain bikers. The resort has partnered with Challenged Athletes of West […]
Fighting Wildfires Using Indigenous Practices
Wildfires are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity. Since 2015, wildfires in the United States have burned about 8 million acres each year on average. For the past 100 years, the prevailing government policy has been to suppress, or prevent, fires in national parks and other public lands. However, some federal and state agencies […]
Thanksgiving Turkey and Traditions
Americans love turkey on Thanksgiving, and it’s only fitting that the president pay homage to one of the countries dearest traditions. Just look at some of these turkey facts through American history. One of the country’s founding fathers Benjamin Franklin had proposed the turkey as the United States’ national bird, instead of the bald eagle. […]
Chef Sean Sherman Promotes Indigenous Foods
Award-winning chef Sean Sherman has earned a reputation as an innovator by promoting Indigenous foods. For Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe, that means cooking with ingredients that are native and naturally found throughout North America. Sherman does not use ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, wheat flour, dairy, and cane sugar. […]
Senator Dianne Feinstein Leaves a Legacy
California senator Dianne Feinstein died September 29, 2023, at age 90. She was the oldest and longest-serving female U.S. senator. Feinstein’s career in the Senate spanned three decades. Throughout that time, she supported gun control, environmental issues, and review of federal interrogation methods. She will also be remembered for breaking many barriers for women in […]
New Study Reveals Global Increase in Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
What types of beverages do you reach for most often? Water? Soft drinks? Energy drinks? A new study shows that adults around the world drank about 16 percent more sugary beverages in 2018 than they did in 1990. However, that number varied widely depending on the region. Tufts University researchers set out to see how […]
Salsa Music Legend Featured on Quarter Series
Celia Cruz, a Cuban American singer who popularized Salsa music until her death in 2003, will be featured on a quarter in 2024 as part of the American Women Quarters™ Program. She will be the first Afro-Latina featured on U.S. currency. Cruz grew up in Havana, Cuba. As a singer she got her first big […]
José Hernández Achieves Dream of Becoming Astronaut
An inspiring story about a Hispanic American who was once a migrant worker and became an astronaut is now streaming online. The movie, “A Million Miles Away,” describes how José Hernández became one of the first Hispanic Americans to fly into space as a U.S. astronaut. Beginnings José Hernández was born on August 7, 1962, […]