Let's Do More Together
Madeline Swegle breaks 110-year record and becomes the Navy’s first Black female fighter pilot
11.11.20
Anne Owens and Luke Redito / Wikimedia Commons
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When Madeline Swegle was a little girl growing up in Burke, VA, she loved watching the Blue Angels zip through the sky. Her family went to see the display every time it was in town, and it was her parents' encouragement to pursue her dreams that led her to the U.S. Naval Academy in 2017.
Before beginning the intense three-year training required to become a tactical air (TACAIR) pilot, Swegle had never been in an aircraft before; piloting was simply something she was interested in. It turns out she's got a gift for it—and not only is she skilled, she finds the "exhilaration to be unmatched."
"I'm excited to have this opportunity to work harder and fly high performance jet aircraft in the fleet," Swegle said in a statement released by the Navy. "It would've been nice to see someone who looked like me in this role; I never intended to be the first. I hope it's encouraging to other people."
As Swegle's story shows, representation and equality matter. And the responsibility to advance equality for all people - especially Black Americans facing racism - falls on individuals, organizations, businesses, and governmental leadership. This clear need for equality is why P&G established the Take On Race Fund to fight for justice, advance economic opportunity, enable greater access to education and health care, and make our communities more equitable. The funds raised go directly into organizations like NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, YWCA Stand Against Racism and the United Negro College Fund, helping to level the playing field.
<div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MAKING HISTORY! <a href="https://t.co/jKJONHvL7S">https://t.co/jKJONHvL7S</a><br>— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/1281362500978716673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>According to the <u><a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military" target="_blank">Council on Foreign Relations</a></u>, the U.S. military has taken significant steps over the past decade to build a more diverse and inclusive force that attracts the country's top talent. However, women and racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in parts of the military, particularly at the highest levels of leadership. A<a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44321.pdf" target="_blank">ccording to</a> the Congressional Research Service, in the enlisted realm, 63% of senior enlisted troops are white, while 19% are Black; and only eight out of every 100 senior officers are Black. Women represent 16 percent of the enlisted forces and 19 percent of the officer corps.<br></p><p>Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson, an officer serving in the Navy's Dental Corps, knows how it feels to be a minority in the military.</p><p>"As a fellow Naval Officer of African descent, I am extremely proud of Lt Swegle's accomplishments. I know the standards of excellence required to be a naval fighter pilot are extremely high. In a historically white male dominated sector of the Navy for her to break through the glass ceiling, not only as a female, but as one of African descent is nothing short of phenomenal...her accomplishments have not only made me proud, but have also motivated me to keep pushing forward in pursuit of my own goals."</p><p><strong><u><a href="https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/impact/" target="_blank">Join P&G Good Everyday</a></u> to take simple, everyday actions to help create conversation and meaningful change in support of <u><a href="https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/impact/take-on-race/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Take on Race</a></u>.</strong></p>
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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
pastries on brown table
Putting a cross-generational large group of stressed out and maskless people in an indoor room during a pandemic sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. It also sounds a like Thanksgiving. An Ohio State University survey found that nearly two in five Americans are planning a Thanksgiving gathering with more than 10 people. Those two in five people should probably rethink their plans.
According to the director of the CDC, small gatherings in people's homes (which is exactly what Thanksgiving is) is a big source of COVID spread. They recently updated their guidelines for holiday celebrations. Virtual activities are the safest way to gather right now. The more people who show up to an event in person, the higher the risk is.
An analysis found that there's a near 100% chance of a COVID positive person showing up at a mid-sized gathering in the hardest-hit parts of the country, like the Dakotas. The odds are only slightly less for regions that have fared better in the COVID crisis, but it's still not great.
<p>If you don't want to see your family this year, it's totally fine. This year, of all years, gives you the best excuse for not schlepping across the country for an extra-long weekend of tryptophan-fueled family fights. New Coronavirus infections are at an <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/11/11/covid-news-cdc-mask-guidance-maryland-texas-disney/6242757002/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">all-time high</a>. Even though we're all sick of it, it's better to remain vigilant so we don't become actually sick.</p><p>We've had a chance to see what happened to our neighbors to the north. Canadian Thanksgiving, which took place in October, <a href="https://time.com/5910635/thanksgiving-covid-19/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">led to a spike</a> in Canadian COVID cases. While numbers were on the rise before the holiday (and they're also on the rise here, by the way), the two weeks following Canadian Thanksgiving saw the highest number of COVID cases yet. Contract tracing also found a link between holiday gatherings and an increase in cases.</p><p>All of this doesn't necessarily mean you need to be fearful. But it does mean you should be cautious, considerate, and vigilant. "It's important for all of us to not let our guard down during Thanksgiving," Dr. Deborah Brix said during a media briefing. "This virus can spread among families and among friends if you take your mask off and are primarily indoors." Brix also warned that it's not wise to let your hair down just because you're not out and about. "When in private, we [need to take] the same precautions that we take in public."</p><p>Skipping a visit with your family this year can help ensure that they're around for you to visit next year. Plus, there's no shame in ordering take-out turkey then hopping on a zoom to argue about politics with grandma.</p>
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Delivering Smiles
After facing food insecurity as a child, Shawn now ensures families in his community have enough to eat
11.13.20
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This year more than ever, many families are anticipating an empty dinner table. Shawn Kaplan lived this experience when his father passed away, leaving his mother who struggled to provide food for her two children. Shawn is now a dedicated volunteer and donor with Second Harvest Food Bank in Middle Tennessee and encourages everyone to give back this holiday season with Amazon.
Watch the full story:
Over one million people in Tennessee are at risk of hunger every day. And since the outbreak of COVID-19, Second Harvest has seen a 50% increase in need for their services. That's why Amazon is Delivering Smiles and giving back this holiday season by fulfilling hundreds of AmazonSmile Charity Lists, donating essential pantry and food items to help organizations like Second Harvest to feed those hit the hardest this year.
Visit AmazonSmile Charity Lists to donate directly to a local food bank or charity in your community, or simply shop smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible products to your selected charity.
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Mississippi town mayor fights back tears as he signs order to remove confederate flags
06.25.20
Laurel, Mississippi is home to a little over 18,000 people, more than 61% of whom are Black. On Tuesday, the town's mayor, Johnny Magee, issued a historic executive order to remove the state's flag from the City of Laurel government properties—a moment that moved him to tears.
In a state that once declared its official position as "thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery—the greatest material interest of the world," and listed as one of its reasons for joining the Confederacy the fact that the Union "advocates negro equality, socially and politically," the removal of a symbol of the fight to enslave Black people is a big deal. But the history of slavery is just the beginning. Mississippi was the most segregated state in the country in 1964, a full hundred years after slavery was abolished. Racism has always been rooted deeply in the history and culture of the state—including the state flag, which includes the battle flag of the Confederacy in its upper left corner.
<p>The weight of that long history was visible in Mayor Magee's face as he tearfully sat for a full minute in front of the executive order to remove the flag. Instead of flying on government buildings in the town, the flags will be donated to the local library or other places that can keep them for posterity, according to<a href="https://www.leader-call.com/news/breaking/mayor-chokes-back-tears-before-signing-executive-order-to-remove-state-flag-from-city-owned/article_f82ea246-b56c-11ea-ac7e-db9ab65dfd14.html" target="_blank"> the Laurel Leader-Call.</a> </p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0f126055447fa117a7285e6e62fe3f18"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/quentis.jones/posts/10157360556581659"></div></div>
<p>"Whereas through the ages, these banners have themselves grown to exemplify the traits that define the very fabric of the society they represent and have served as a means to unify, rally the spirit and passion of the citizens to one voice and purpose of the state, all of which demonstrates the significance given to these flag emblems," Magee read, <a href="https://www.leader-call.com/news/breaking/mayor-chokes-back-tears-before-signing-executive-order-to-remove-state-flag-from-city-owned/article_f82ea246-b56c-11ea-ac7e-db9ab65dfd14.html" target="_blank">according to the Laurel Leader-Call</a>. "And whereas the current flag hovering above the State Capitol of the state of Mississippi was adopted as the state flag by the Mississippi Legislature in 1894, and the upper-left portion of this flag is often referred to as the Confederate battle flag."</p><p>Magee said the battle standard is a symbol of divisiveness and racial transgressions, "none of which represents the ideals and principles of our great nation, proud state and vibrant city."</p><p>"There comes a point in time in the annals of history when it becomes necessary to redefine who a people are, and what a collection of these people represent," Magee added. "It is the opinion of the mayor of this city that now is such a time."</p><p>Indeed. Now is such a time. </p>
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Cat Cats Kitten - Free photo on Pixabay
As great as being a cat owner is, one of the most frustrating parts about it is not being able to understand your cat. You can't really get a straight answer from questions like, "What's so important that you feel you need to block my computer screen while I'm working" or "Why do you keep on peeing on everything?" But thanks to technology, we might be able to better understand our cats, even though we don't speak the same language or even have the same type of vocal chords.
Javier Sanchez, a former Amazon engineer who worked on Alexa, has developed a new app that can translate your cat's cute mews into human words. It's called MeowTalk, and it incorporates similar technology to that of Alexa to bridge the language barrier between human and cats.
Sanchez, both a cat lover and cat owner, was inspired by the NPR series "The Secret Language of Cats. According to Sanchez, cats can develop their own vocabulary, which they employ constantly to do things - like ask for a treat even though they literally just already had a treat. "It's not a language. They don't share words or communicate with each other. Cats never meow at each other out in nature," Sanchez told KING 5.
<p>Sanchez found that cats have nine basic needs. MeowTalk categorizes your cat's meows among those nine basic needs, then provides a human language. It can tell if your cat is trying to say, "I'm hungry," "I'm happy," "I'm in pain," or the inevitable, "you left me outside." Sanchez used <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/11/13/meowtalk-app-translates-cats-language-for-pet-owners/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a prototype</a> on his own cat while he was holding the cat and it translated the cat's meows as, "I'm angry! Leave me alone!" That sounds legit. </p><p>The app can also be trained to understand an individual cat's specific cat language through user input. Users can create a cat profile and assign labels to their cat's meows when they think they know what their cat is asking for. The app will learn the new "word," then predict what the cat is saying the next time the app hears it.</p><p>Sanchez hopes that the app allows pet owners to understand their cats better during a time when we're all stuck at home with our pets. "A tool like this can help certain people bond even more with their cats, especially if they can't be in contact with other people on a regular basis," Sanchez told <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/meowtalk-app-that-translates-cat-sounds-is-pet-project-for-former-alexa-engineer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Geek Wire</a>. "So this could be a real game changer for a key demographic that have cats."</p><p>The app is still under development, but the prototype is available to download for Apple and Android phones. Ultimately, Sanchez wants to create a collar that can translate for the cat with a vocal response. So basically, he wants to make sci-fi movies come true.</p>
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