In this CBS interview with radio host Tom Joyner, President Barack Obama, who is known for his eloquency and superior oratory skills, announces in advance that his speech at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington "...won't be as good as the speech 50 years ago."  He is of course referring to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech, which is as moving and relevant today as it was when it was delivered fifty years ago.  

President Obama makes some insightful remarks on how far we've come, but how 50 years later, the March continues.

"Obviously, we've made enormous strides. I'm a testament to it," he said last week at Binghamton University in New York. A member of the faculty asked for his thoughts on the civil rights movement, 50 years after "I Have a Dream."

In the president's view, every generation "seems wiser in terms of wanting to treat people fairly and do the right thing and not discriminate."

But every time Mr. Obama mentions the progress inspired by and achieved because of King, he is quick to caution that there is much about The Dream that is yet to be fulfilled.

He said a "legacy of discrimination" still exists. He spoke of "institutional barriers" against minority groups, specifying African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.

He also makes the point that the 1963 March was about jobs and justice, and in those sectors, inequality still needs to be addressed.

"When it comes to the economy, when it comes to inequality, when it comes to wealth, when it comes to the challenges that inner cities experience," Mr. Obama said King would say "we have not made as much progress as the civil and social progress that we've made.

He thinks King would feel "it's not enough just to have a black president; it's not enough just to have a black syndicated radio show host."

On the question of whether ordinary Americans can succeed day-to-day, "we have not made as much progress as we need to on that," he says.

Read the full story and watch the video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57600370/obama-my-speech-at-march-anniversary-wont-be-as-good-as-dr-kings/

Consult the link below for all information regarding today's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech.  It includes a schedule of the day's events, road closures in DC, rare photos of the March, personal perspectives of those who participated and those who did not, and many other fascinating pieces to read and videos to check out.

Here is the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/marchonwashington

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot driveout hate; only love can do that." MLK

FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is an art activist effort to upset the dominant culture of rape and promote a counter-culture of consent.

Through public art actions, FORCE generates media attention to get people talking about important issues. The group is most widely known for their viral panty prank, otherwise known as Pink Loves Consent, where they pretended to be Victoria’s Secret promoting consent themed slogans on undies and thongs. Force has called attention to issues surrounding rape culture by projecting “RAPE IS RAPE” onto the US Capitol Building and for floating a poem written by a rape survivor in the reflecting pool on the national mall.

By: Kevin Gosztola – Thursday August 22, 2013 9:45 pm

"The soldier who was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for releasing United States government information that was published by WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, came out as a woman this morning when [her] defense attorney announced that Manning was a [woman] and wanted to be called Chelsea Manning...
 
...Since Manning came out publicly and made the request, one would expect the United States press would universally be moving to covering any future news stories on Manning with the appropriate and requested pronouns. However, “NBC’s Today, USA TODAY, The Boston Globe, Politico, CNN, Fox, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the Daily Beast, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times” are going to keep using the masculine pronoun. The Washington Post is also going to stick with the masculine pronoun as well."

 
Read the full story at http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/08/22/there-should-be-nothing-for-media-to-debate-she-should-now-be-used-to-refer-to-manning/.

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For questions or support and resources for LGBTQ-identifying, questioning, and allied students, faculty, and staff, contact Zach Kosinski, Graduate Coordinator for LGBTQ Programs at (410) 455-3463 or lgbtq@umbc.edu.

From UMBC's Women Involved in Learning and Leadership

There is an AMAZING opportunity to attend a leadership conference specifically designed for dynamic college women with incredible skill-building workshops, empowering speakers, a graduate school fair

 http://www.nccwsl.org/students/graduate-school-fair/

and networking opportunities!

The National Conference for College Women Student Leaders

 (NCCWSL <http://www.nccwsl.org/>) is that opportunity. 

Deadline to apply for a full scholarship : March 15th

Apply at : https://svc.aauw.org/nccwsl/reg/index.cfm

Full Scholarship Covers: Housing, Food, and Registration Fees

When registering : Select the "NCCWSL National Scholarship" option. 

You will be sent further instructions for the remaining part of the scholarship application via email.

Empowering speakers, the ability to share real-life experiences, and learning opportunities around the country. The deadline is fast approaching; don't let this wonderful opportunity pass. Apply soon!

UMBC hosted the guest speaker Stephen Prothero, acclaimed expert and author on religion, offered members of the UMBC community religious and spiritual insight during the discussion "God is Not One: The Eight Religions That Run the World and Why Their Differences Matter."
Prothero has authored numerous books on religion including God is not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World and Religious Literacy. He is also a professor in the Department of Religion at Boston University and has appeared on mainstream news networks like CNN, MSNBC and FOX.

The discussion was held on Thursday, November 29 in the Skylight Lounge. About 50 students, faculty and visitors attended to hear Prothero's lecture, in which he emphasized the importance of educational literacy in religion in America.

"You can't make sense of the world without making sense of religion," said Prothero. He pointed out how religion affects major societal matters such as politics, military forces and government systems. "I believe humans are motivated by passions that cannot be seen."

Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity were some of the religions Prothero compared and contrasted. He also described how although the U.S. is the most religious country in the world, individuals have very little knowledge about religion itself.

"Religion has public power," he said, explaining that the media has displayed how religion affects human rights like abortion and marriage equality during the last decade. Individual morals and values differ across religions, which often ignites controversy regarding the legislation of these human rights.

One of Prothero's main goals is to encourage both teachers and professors to incorporate religious topics in their curriculum. "I think it would be good to teach world religions and Christianity in a general sense," said senior public health major Alexandra Mills. "It's important to discuss and have a basic understanding of different religions."

The discussion was sponsored by The Office of Student Life's Mosaic Center along with the Office of Undergraduate Education and several other co-sponsors. The Mosaic Center staff dedicates their time to creating and fostering cross-cultural collaboration and diversity on the UMBC campus through events such as Prothero's discussion.

"We like to find ways to be a more unified community at UMBC," said Assistant Director of Student Life for Cultural and Spiritual Diversity Lisa Gray.

"I agree that we should focus and celebrate our differences," said senior Asian studies major Yasmin Radbod. "We shouldn't assume that we are all the same."