By Fred Outten (Washington, DC, June 25, 2025) – “Katherine Johnson: The Woman Who Charted the Path to the Stars,” headlines the article about NASA’s legendary mathematician in a special, just-released magazine by McClatchy Lifestyle Specials honoring historic aviation heroes in 250 YEARS OF FLIGHT, A Breathtaking Journey From Dirigibles To Space Travel. After nearly 60 years of being “hidden” with the African American human computer women of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) now NASA, Katherine Johnson, known as the Woman of the 20th Century, is finally being…
Education & Schools
Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford, Head of the Mathematics Department at Atlanta’s Ron Clark Academy (RCA), is set to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) as part of its 2025 class. Dr. Jones Ford is the second educator from Atlanta and the fourth from Georgia to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. “It is a tremendous honor to stand alongside so many extraordinary educators throughout America. This recognition is not only a profound professional privilege but a representation of the passion, sacrifice, and…
Two years into the 90s, my nephew, the first born of the next generation graduated from high school and decided to celebrate with a friend at a skating rink near his home. A few tough guys from a rival school threatened him, accusing them of being there to “take our girls.” One claimed to have a gun. This sent my nephew and his pal into a corner convenience store near his home where he asked the Korean owner to phone police. Instead of calling police, he pulled out a shotgun,…
By Susan Gonsalves Columbine. Parkland. Uvalde. Sandy Hook. Those recognizable references spark a myriad of memories and emotions. According to the K-12 Violence Project’s school shooting database, 2024 saw the second highest number of incidents at 330 or 19 less than an all-time high of 349 recorded in 2023. Elementary schools were targeted 87 times while middle and high schools had 28 and 183 incidents, respectively. 2025 is continuing this disturbing trend with 41 reported school shootings as of this month. Additionally, an uptick in bomb and shooting threats and…
Hundreds of women from across the country are visiting Atlanta April 24-27 for the Vote Run Lead Action “Run As You Are” national training event The training is for aspiring candidates and campaign managers and is a three-day event that equips attendees to gain the tools, strategies, and confidence to step up, lead with authenticity, and take office. Visit voterunleadaction.org/runasyouare2025 to learn more. “The stakes have never been higher to develop a new kind of leadership, one driven by the power of strong, confident, capable women and gender-expansive individuals,” said…
Atlanta’s Wheat Street Baptist Church formally announced to the world that it had a new pastor as it officially installed Reverend Dr. William J. Smith, Jr. as its 8th Senior Pastor. Reverend Dr. Smith’s installation service took place on March 1-2, 2025, and he now heads the historic edifice located on the famous Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. Wheat Street Baptist Church is known as “God’s Mighty Fortress on Auburn Avenue, Where The Doors Swing Back On Welcome Hinges.”
