Melissa Block
Stories
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National
Who belongs at a women's college in 2021? Students want admissions policies to change
Women's colleges have adapted admissions policies for a generation that increasingly identifies as nonbinary. Hollins University's exclusion of nonbinary applicants has raised hackles.
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National
The national reckoning over race and history is playing out in the world of birds
The Audubon Naturalist Society is dropping the name Audubon. John James Audubon was a famous ornithologist, who was also an enslaver and a grave robber who seized the skulls of Native Americans.
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National
They Don't Remember Their Parents Dying On 9/11. But They'll Never Forget
Many children of 9/11 victims were too young to remember their parents who died. They've grown up living with the tension between having a personal connection to the day but few, if any memories.
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Arts & Life
Best Actor Or Actress? Gender-Expansive Performers Are Forced To Choose
There's a growing call for entertainment award categories to no longer be split by gender. Some nonbinary performers say these gendered divisions erase their identity.
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Lutherans Elect First Openly Transgender Bishop Megan Rohrer
Rev. Megan Rohrer has been elected as the first openly transgender bishop within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They will lead some 200 congregations in California and Nevada.
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National
'It's Hurtful': Trans Youth Speaks Out As Alabama Debates Banning Medical Treatment
States are considering a record number of anti-transgender bills, including many that prohibit gender-affirming medical care for trans youth. Alabama's bill would make providing such care a felony.
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National
'To Me He's Not A Number': Families Reflect As U.S. Nears 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Family members of those who've died from COVID-19 reflect on the milestone of 500,000 U.S. deaths, and how their individual loss fits within the magnitude of that number.
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Politics
Brown Girls Book Club Comes Together To Celebrate And Watch Historic Inauguration
The group of women who've met for 25 years watched the event with tears and cheers. Some are, like Kamala Harris, graduates of Howard University and/or members of Harris' Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
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Politics
Can The Forces Unleashed By Trump's Big Election Lie Be Undone?
President-elect Biden and Democrats in Congress have called Trump's insistence that the election was rigged the "big lie." The term has roots in Nazi Germany and echoes throughout fascist states.
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Politics
'She'll Look Like A Boss': Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris Inspires Young Girls
In her victory speech, Kamala Harris spoke directly to young girls, saying, "This is a country of possibilities." Girls who met Harris during the campaign say they're inspired by her as a pathbreaker.