the Web Editors 2-08-2016

Coming on the heels of Mattel’s release of Barbies with different body types comes “Hijarbie,” or Barbie in hijab. Hijarbie is the creation of the 24-year-old Nigerian woman Haneefah Adam, and will be available at major toy retailers in the U.S.

the Web Editors 2-06-2016
Facebook / Larycia Hawkins

After Provost Stanton Jones issued an apology to Dr. Larycia Hawkins, Wheaton College and Dr. Hawkins released a joint statement on February 6 announcing that they will part ways.

The statement indicated they found a mutual place of resolution and reconciliation.

Barack Obama 2-06-2016
President Obama visits the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque

Our Founders knew that religious liberty is essential not only to protect religion, but because religion helps strengthen our nation. From our Revolution to the abolition of slavery, from women’s rights to civil rights, men and women of faith have often helped move our nation closer to our founding ideals. This progress is part of what makes us a beacon to the world.

Rev. Jesse Bottoms 2-05-2016

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the contributions African Americans have made to this country. We are right to pause and look back on those who have fought for justice and equal rights. But we mustn’t stop there. We also need to look forward and act to address one of the deadliest legacies of racial inequality: toxic pollution that is harming our children and poisoning our environment.

Judith Valente 2-05-2016

The Berry family has lived in these parts for nine generations. While pursuing a prolific writing career, Berry never stopped caring for the land of his ancestors. Now, the 81-year-old writer wants to pass on his family’s farming legacy to a new generation. He decided against teaming up with a large university agricultural program, and instead selected a small Catholic liberal arts college about an hour’s drive from Louisville, run by the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

the Web Editors 2-05-2016

1. Released Emails Suggest Officials Knew About Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak a Year Ago

The email, obtained by Progress Michigan, shows that an adviser to Gov. Rick Snyder — Director of Urban Affairs Harvey Hollins — was notified of a significant uptick in the Legionnaires’ disease coinciding with the switch over to the Flint River as a water source.

2. LISTEN: Uncomfortable Is Not the Same as Unsafe. White People Need to Lean in to the Discomfort.

Jim Wallis spoke at Westminster Town Hall Forum in Minneapolis, streamed on MPR. Take a listen to the great talk.

Speaking slowly at times as he talked about how he is comforted by Scripture and the faith of others, Obama said he has lately focused on a Bible verse from 2 Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

He said now is the best period to have that scriptural assurance.

“What better time in these changing and tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us towards what matters,” he said.

“We should never talk about ‘therapeutic’ abortion,” the cardinal said in his homily, according to Honduran media reports.

“Therapeutic abortion doesn’t exist,” he said. “Therapeutic means curing, and abortion cures nothing. It takes innocent lives.”

the Web Editors 2-04-2016

The good, the bad, and the ugly of this campaign season has exposed the depth of some of the United States’ racial and ethnic fault lines. But the fault lines themselves are moving. The 2016 electorate will be the most racially and ethnically diverse ever, due largely to U.S.-born Hispanic youth and naturalizations of Asian immigrants.

the Web Editors 2-04-2016

After the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, the French government declared a state of emergency, which has now lasted three months and violated the rights of hundreds, according to a new report from Amnesty International. After thousands of house searches, nighttime raids, travel bans, and curfews, hundreds report being traumatized and stigmatized, according to the report which is titled “Upturned Lives: The Disproportionate Impact of France’s State of Emergency.”