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A gorgeous woman shakes her body on stage ... and the crowd goes wild.

Maysoon Zayid is a disabled Arab-American comedian. I had no idea who she was when I first met her at a Washington gala. She was beautiful and stood with her hand on her hip thrust sexily to one side. When I complimented her on the pose, she said, "I'm not posing. I have cerebral palsy — I have to stand like this." My response? "I don't care! You still look hot!" We both laughed, then I went home to google her. Let me save you the trouble though, as nobody tells Maysoon's story better than she does in this taboo-tastic TED talk.

A gorgeous woman shakes her body on stage ... and the crowd goes wild.

If for some bizarre reason you're so busy that you don't want to be thoroughly entertained for the next 14 minutes, check out a 20-second guide to cerebral palsy at 0:54. At 6:24, marvel at the audacity of casting agents who still think it's OK for able-bodied actors to play disabled characters. One last piece of instant gratification is at 10:48, when Maysoon is heartbreakingly honest about online trolls.

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Culture

Meet the Mother of Rock n' Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Publicity photo of American musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe posed with a guitar in 1938.

Who do we really have to thank for Rock n' Roll? Nope, not Elvis. Not Buddy Holly. Not even Alan Freed. That long overdue honor belongs to a queer black woman who shredded the guitar and bared her soul to break the color line and create a brand new sound. Meet Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Born to religious singers, Rosetta was surrounded by music growing up. She picked up a guitar at only 4 years old, and by 6 she was travelling alongside her mother for evangelical performances around the South. As she got older, she began merging Delta blues with New Orleans jazz and gospel music that would become her signature sound. A sound we've come to love and thrust our hips to. The sound of Rock n' Roll.


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