Inclusivity

Lynda Carter, the original 'Wonder Woman,' praises fellow Latina Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Lynda Carter, the original 'Wonder Woman,' praises fellow Latina Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Actress, singer, and women's rights advocate Lynda Carter turned 69 years old on Friday, July 24, and celebrated it by praising New York Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Cater has become a feminist icon for her portrayal of Wonder Woman on television in the mid- to late-'70s.

Carter tweeted a photo of AOC sitting next to a Wonder Woman poster in her Capitol Hill office. The actress and AOC both share a Latino background, Carter's mother was Mexican and Ocasio-Cortez' family is Puerto Rican.

"Never stop being fierce and brave," the actress said, adding that seeing Ocasio-Cortez's poster tribute "made my birthday that much sweeter."

The tweet received a like form Ocasio-Cortez who thanked Carter for "being a shining example of a woman's strength."

The interaction comes on the heels of Ocasio-Cortez's historic speech on the House floor after she was accosted by Republican Representative

who allegedly called her a "fucking bitch."

"I do not care what your views are," she said. "It does not matter how much I disagree or how much it incenses me or how much I feel that people are dehumanizing others.

"I will not do that myself. I will not allow people to change and create hatred in our hearts."

"And so, what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man."

"And when a decent man messes up, as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize. Not to save face, not to win a vote. He apologizes genuinely to repair and acknowledge the harm done so that we can all move on," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) Responds to Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) www.youtube.com

Carter's respect for Ocasio-Cortez shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed her career. Since the late '80s she has been an advocate for women's rights, including the Pro-Choice moment.

She is happy to be known as a feminist icon, although, she was just doing what came naturally. "At the time, you're really not aware of it. But when you look back, there is an inspiration there that you are part of. It's really nice," she told the Sun-Sentinel.

She has also advocated for LGBT rights and was named the Grand Marshal for the 2011 New York City Gay Pride Parade.

As someone with a Latino background, she has also been an outspoken supporter of DACA.

"Even if you see the illegal immigrants as criminals, as many do, you cannot put that criminal action on top of children. They did not do anything criminal. They did not have choices. They came over with their families. It's not like they say anyone can come over," she said.

"These are people who haven't committed any crimes," she added. "They are going through the process of going to school and registering and there are promises that our government made to them and now those promises are broken," she said.

It must be wonderful for Carter to see that her work on screen and behind the scenes has inspired a younger generation of women such as Ocasio-Cortez, to channel their own inner Wonder Woman. And there's no doubt that Ocasio-Cortez's strength has already inspired another generation of younger women to do the same.






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GoFundMe Heroes

3 GoFundMes making school better through small acts of kindness

Images courtesy of Mark Storhaug & Kaiya Bates

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The experiences we have at school tend to stay with us throughout our lives. It's an impactful time where small acts of kindness, encouragement, and inspiration go a long way.

Schools, classrooms, and teachers that are welcoming and inclusive support students' development and help set them up for a positive and engaging path in life.

Here are three of our favorite everyday actions that are spreading kindness on campus in a big way:

Image courtesy of Mark Storhaug

1. Pickleball to Get Fifth Graders Moving

Mark Storhaug is a 5th grade teacher at Kingsley Elementary in Los Angeles, who wants to use pickleball to get his students "moving on the playground again after 15 months of being Zombies learning at home."

Pickleball is a paddle ball sport that mixes elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis, where two or four players use solid paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball over a net. It's as simple as that.

Kingsley Elementary is in a low-income neighborhood where outdoor spaces where kids can move around are minimal. Mark's goal is to get two or three pickleball courts set up in the schoolyard and have kids join in on what's quickly becoming a national craze. Mark hopes that pickleball will promote movement and teamwork for all his students. He aims to take advantage of the 20-minute physical education time allotted each day to introduce the game to his students.

Help Mark get his students outside, exercising, learning to cooperate, and having fun by donating to his GoFundMe.

Image courtesy of Kaiya Bates

2. Staying C.A.L.M: Regulation Kits for Kids

According to the WHO around 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In the US, 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness and 1 in 20 experience severe mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Kaiya Bates, who was recently crowned Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen for 2022, is one of those people, and has endured severe anxiety, depression, and selective mutism for most of her life.

Through her GoFundMe, Kaiya aims to use her "knowledge to inspire and help others through their mental health journey and to spread positive and factual awareness."

She's put together regulation kits (that she's used herself) for teachers to use with students who are experiencing stress and anxiety. Each "CALM-ing" kit includes a two-minute timer, fidget toolboxes, storage crates, breathing spheres, art supplies and more.

Kaiya's GoFundMe goal is to send a kit to every teacher in every school in the Pasco School District in Washington where she lives.

To help Kaiya achieve her goal, visit Staying C.A.L.M: Regulation Kits for Kids.

Image courtesy of Julie Tarman

3. Library for a high school heritage Spanish class

Julie Tarman is a high school Spanish teacher in Sacramento, California, who hopes to raise enough money to create a Spanish language class library.

The school is in a low-income area, and although her students come from Spanish-speaking homes, they need help building their fluency, confidence, and vocabulary through reading Spanish language books that will actually interest them.

Julie believes that creating a library that affirms her students' cultural heritage will allow them to discover the joy of reading, learn new things about the world, and be supported in their academic futures.

To support Julie's GoFundMe, visit Library for a high school heritage Spanish class.

Do YOU have an idea for a fundraiser that could make a difference? Upworthy and GoFundMe are celebrating ideas that make the world a better, kinder place. Visit upworthy.com/kindness to join the largest collaboration for human kindness in history and start your own GoFundMe.

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Family

How is an anxiety attack like a haunted house? One poet will tell you.

This article originally appeared on 10.23.15


Getting people who don't suffer from anxiety issues to understand them is hard.

People have tried countless metaphors and methods to describe what panic and anxiety is like. But putting it into the context of a living nightmare, haunted house style, is one of the more effective ways I've ever seen it done.

Brenna Twohy delivered the riveting poetic analogy recently in Oakland, starting out by going off about some funny "Goosebumps" plots. It's lovely, funny, sweet, and relatable, and it's totally worth the short time to watch.

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Chewy
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Videos

Chewy spotlights the photographers who help pets get adopted

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When a pet is admitted to a shelter it can be a traumatizing experience. Many are afraid of their new surroundings and are far from comfortable showing off their unique personalities. The problem is that's when many of them have their photos taken to appear in online searches.

Chewy, the pet retailer who has dedicated themselves to supporting shelters and rescues throughout the country, recognized the important work of a couple in Tampa, FL who have been taking professional photos of shelter pets to help get them adopted.

"If it's a photo of a scared animal, most people, subconsciously or even consciously, are going to skip over it," pet photographer Adam Goldberg says. "They can't visualize that dog in their home."

Adam realized the importance of quality shelter photos while working as a social media specialist for the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"The photos were taken top-down so you couldn't see the size of the pet, and the flash would create these red eyes," he recalls. "Sometimes [volunteers] would shoot the photos through the chain-link fences."

That's why Adam and his wife, Mary, have spent much of their free time over the past five years photographing over 1,200 shelter animals to show off their unique personalities to potential adoptive families. The Goldbergs' wonderful work was recently profiled by Chewy in the video above entitled, "A Day in the Life of a Shelter Pet Photographer."

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