photo courtesy of citypaper.com

In honor of black history month—and just because it’s so interesting– we’re sharing with you this little known story we stumbled upon.

For almost 50 years scientists have been studying the immortal and growing cancer cells of an African-American woman that most know nothing about. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, and her cells have been called HeLa cells.

Science journalist, Rebecca Skloot, set out to know Lacks detailing her findings in her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Lacks was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer in 1951. While being treated at John Hopkins University, a doctor named George Gey took cells from her cervix without telling her. He discovered that her cells could not only be kept alive but also grew indefinitely.

Since then, Lacks’ cells have been grown and sold to scientists throughout the world. They assisted in important medical advances like the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, gene mapping, cloning, and in vitro fertilization.

In her book, Skloot says she goes through the life of Lacks, her great contribution to science and the effect it has had on her family, who did not know about the cells until 20 years after her death. She also talks about the relationship she develops with Lacks’ daughter, Deborah.

February 8, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: b-listed, black history, Hela Cells, Henrietta Lacks, medical science, NPR, Rebecca Skloot, science

photo courtesy of literaturewithoutborders.com

It was hard not to see the symbolism in the pictures portraying the crumbling Presidential Palace. The fact is the problems of Haiti didn’t start with the earthquake. And it won’t end there either.

The relief efforts have been astounding and the global response touching. But after the wounds heal, and the rubble is cleared, what would be needed to bring Haiti the infrastructure it desperately needs?

Hananie Albert, a young Haitian-American graduate student at Brown University, set off to figure that out. She said:

“I plan to spend the next several months in Haiti interviewing, video recording, photographing and documenting stories—filling in faces, histories where we can only see the gaunt lines of despair which can preclude the sustained engagement necessary to the large-scale systemic changes Haiti requires.”

For those who wish to see a change in Haiti, we need to be thinking long-term as Albert is doing. Knowing her personally, I know she is an extraordinary intellect and progressive thinker. There is indeed hope for Haiti when minds like hers keep it as their focus.

She will be sharing her experiences on www.literaturewithoutborders.com.

Her first post is scheduled for February 15.

February 8, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: b-activists, b-listeed, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, Hananie Albert, Literature Without Borders

The Akshara Centre in Mumbai just released their students’ first music video using Breakthrough’s album Mann Ke Manjeere.

The video is a message of community harmony produced by the centre’s Apna TV.

The Akshara Centre aims at promoting gender equality and working to end violence against women through information activism. The have published books and booklets as well as posters, T-shirts and videos.

Watch the video below!

February 5, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: Akshara Centre, b-listed, breakthrough beat, Man Ke Manjeere, Mumbai, music video

photo courtesy of muslimmedianetwork.com

Today at 4 pm, The Center for Media, Culture and History and The Center for Religion and Media at NYU are screening the documentary New Muslim Cool.

The film focuses on Jason Hamza Pérez, a Puerto-Rican American, Muslim rapper. It follows him as he confronts discrimination in a post-9-11 world.

*The screening will feature panel discussion from Pérez, director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Zaheer Ali of Columbiia University and Popmaster Fabel. Imam Khalid Latif of the NYU Islamic Center will moderate.

*It’s first come, first serve.

The screening is at The King Juan Carlos Center Screening Room, 53 Washington Square South.

February 5, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: because we found it, Islam, Jason Hamza Perez, Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Muslim, New Muslim Cool, NYU, NYU Islamic Center, Popmaster Fabel, Zaheer Ali

photo courtesy of buzzine.com

Congress made strides Thursday in human rights by introducing the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA). The act is supported by Senators John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins and Representatives, William Delahunt, Ted Poe and Jan Schakowsky.

If passed, it would work towards ending attacks on women globally by creating programs that promote educational and economic empowerment in women, partner with men to ally in ending violence, provide healthcare and support to victims, and promote legal training to hold perpetrators accountable.  To achieve this, it would authorize $1 billion in US aid to be devoted to this cause.

“The United States is the global leader in human rights,” Representative Poe said. “We need to let the world know that it is not socially acceptable any longer to let women be assaulted simply because they are women… This legislation says to the world: No more.”

(more…)

February 5, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: b-listed, Barbara Boxer, because we found it, bill, Congress, International Violence Against Women Act, Jan Schakowsky, John Kerry, Olympia Snowe, rape, Susan Collins, Ted Poe, violence against women, William Delahunt

photo courtesy of bossip.com

It’s great to start the day with a pleasant surprise. And reading the news that former Secretary of State, Colin Powell has decided that it is time for the archaic “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy to be ended, was indeed a very pleasant surprise. This is considering that Powell, a Conservative, was previously one of the strongest supporters of the notion that gays and lesbians should not be allowed to serve openly in the military. Today, Powell publicly admitted to changing his mind-

“In the almost 17 years since the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed… I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense (Robert) Gates and Admiral (Michael) Mullen.”

Last October President Obama announced that he was working with Congressional leaders to end the policy that has led to 13,000 army men and women being discharged on account of their sexual orientation. While he didn’t give a timeline for this repeal, we hope that stands such as Colin Powell’s will speed up a change that is much overdue.

Yesterday b-listed told you about Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Story Project,’ a collection of personal stories of people whose lives have been affected by this policy. You can add your own story to the site, take action and sign a petition to end the policy. Let’s hope that the end is near!

February 4, 2010 by ishita
Tags: b-activists, b-listed, breakthrough, Colin Powell, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Don't Ask Don't Tell Story Project, lgbt, Michael Mullen, military, President Obama, Robert Gates, Secretary of State, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

photo courtesy of trekkyandy, flickr

From Causecast, originally posted by Katherine Gustafson, Tonic.

Adora Svitak is one of those kids it’s hard to believe actually exist — a child prodigy, a genius. A self-described “educator, poet and humanitarian” called by others a tiny literary giant, she published her first book, a collection of short stories called Flying Fingers, at age seven.

Now, at 12, she is attempting to raise $10,000 for Save the Children’s relief efforts in Haiti through her Twitter account. She has committed to donating one penny for each new person who follows her, with the goal of netting 1 million new followers. She will also donate the proceeds from sales of her books, Flying Fingers and Dancing Fingers, at the eTech Ohio conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, where she was scheduled to give the opening keynote address on Monday.

Read the full post on Tonic.

Follow Adora on Twitter.

From Causecast, originally posted by Katherine Gustafson, Tonic.

Follow Breakthrough on Twitter.

February 3, 2010 by crissy
Tags: Adora Svitak, b-listed, Causecast, Causecast.org, child prodigy, gadget for good, Katherine Gustafson, Twitter

photo courtesy of breakthrough.tv

Forget’s Where’s Waldo. The real question is Where’s Mallika Dutt?

Our Executive Director is presenting right now on a panel of women leaders at:

ATHENA CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP STUDIES
INNOVATIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
Women Leading the Way

The panel discussion includes, Mallika Dutt, Executive Director of Breakthrough and Jane Golden, Director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Wednesday, 02/03 2:00 PM
Room 504
The Diana Center at Barnard
Moderated by Athena Center Director, Kathryn Kolbert.

If you can’t make it today, stay tuned for more Breakthrough presentations and talks.

February 3, 2010 by crissy
Tags: Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Jane Golden, Mallika Dutt

photo courtesy of fanpop.com

Michael Winterbottom premiered his new film, The Killer Inside Me, at Sundance this year. The film based on the 1952 Jim Thompson novel of the same title.

Blogs are firing up about the brutal violence against women in the movie. It follows a young man played by Casey Affleck, who is a serial killer who fancies brutalizing the women in his life.

At Sundance, people walked out during the movie. One woman yelled “disgusting” to the director. The five-minute promo gave us a taste of what the blogs–and that lady– were talking about.

In it, Affleck’s character, Lou Ford, approaches a prostitute played by Jessica Alba. The two have an argument and the woman begins hitting him angrily. Ford then drags her to the bed and literally beats her butt with a belt. At first she screams, but then she enjoys it, and the two start having sex. Later on in the promo, Ford beats her to death turning her face into “hamburger meat” for the audience to see.

A major problem: the blatent intertwining of sex and violence. Like a snuff film, it’s erotic victimization. Winterbottom said he wanted his film to be as shocking as the book. Now, we haven’t read the book (which has been remade in to other movies), but if all it offers is unblinking brutal killings of women then we question it’s popularity.

Winterbottom clearly thought he was pushing the envelope, but the only thing he pushed were the many buttons of those that oppose the film.

February 3, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: b-listed, Bell Bajao, breakthrough, Casey Affleck, Domestic Violence, Jessica Alba, Killer Inside Me, Michael Winterbottom, Sundance, violence against women

photo courtesy of 2.bp.blogspot.com

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a policy in which openly, LGBT individuals are prevented from serving in the U.S. military, is one that activists have been protesting for years. It actually prohibits anyone who “demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts” from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because “it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”

This past October, President Obama said that he would end the policy that has lead to 13,000 servicemen and women being discharged. He said, “We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country…We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage…”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is tired of waiting around. She has launched the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Story Project,” which houses stories of those that have affected by these policies. Like, Tonya Domi, former Captain, U.S. Army:

I was called in, read my Miranda rights, not knowing what I was accused of.  It produces fear and anxiety, lack of confidence. I was asked lewd and embarrassing questions. I was told lesbianism is degenerate and disgusting. It is totally malevolent. You shut down as a person, which makes you shut down as a soldier. When the soldier is compromised, the unit is compromised too.

And this is just one of many stories that servicemen and women have shared. You can add your own story on the site.

The project asks for you to take action and sign the petition calling for an end the unfair policy that denies rights to those that risk their lives for this country.

February 3, 2010 by crissy
Tags: don't ask, Don't Ask Don't Tell Story Project, don't tell, Kirsten Gillibrand, lgbt, military, President Obama, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. military