| | | |  | Comic artist Sharee Miller shares how Black history is made every day. | | I find it interesting how a black-and-white photo of a pivotal moment in Black history can subconsciously trick us into thinking Black history was before our time. How many of us were alive or have loved ones who were alive in 1968, when the civil rights movement ended? That doesn't even include the centuries of Black joy and struggle that lives within Black Americans today. Black history doesn't just live in the one or two paragraphs you find in school textbooks. It was made and continues to be made by Black people, whose experiences are significant throughout the year. Illustrator Sharee Miller came to the same epiphany, which she writes about in today's featured comic. Sharee has had something of a love-hate relationship with Black History Month throughout her life. But once she realized that Black history is synonymous with the Black culture that has been passed down to her, her perspective on February changed. "Black history is the story of generations — and it's not as far away as it seems," she writes. This month and in the past year, I've learned so much about Black history, particularly Black women's history. I've read about Marie Van Brittan Brown, a woman who designed the country's first known video home security system with her husband, and Hazel Scott, a famous jazz pianist who was silenced by McCarthyism. Black women have also recently cemented their place in entertainment history: Jennifer Hudson and Viola Davis cinched EGOTs — that's Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — and Beyoncé became the most decorated Grammy winner of all time with her recent awards for "Renaissance," an album dedicated to Black queer culture. As Black History Month draws to a close, I hope you see Black history in color, as you read and in your life. | | | | | Three need-to-know stories | | | (Ed Ram for The Washington Post) | 01.Friday marked one year since Russian troops first surged into Ukraine. On the anniversary of the invasion, Ukrainians reflect on a year of loss, resilience and fear — and how their lives have changed in ways both big and small. 02.Republicans in South Carolina, Wyoming, Nebraska, Virginia, Florida, Iowa and North Carolina have been pushing — or are likely to push — for stricter abortion bans since state legislatures reconvened in early 2023, the first opportunity for many to pass abortion legislation since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. Track updates. 03.Neuroscience has turned its attention to the effect pregnancy has on the human brain — and the results are challenging commonly held assumptions about women's intellectual abilities during and after pregnancy, commonly known by patronizing terms such as "mommy brain." Rather than focusing on the alleged deficits of mommy brain, they argue, science should highlight the positive adaptations that occur when a mother gives birth. | | | | | | | A story to make you smile | | | About 30 years ago, Shauna Devenport visited her local grocery store and discovered the world of throwaway bread, edible loaves that were being thrown out because they were a day or two past their expiration date. "I cried all the way home thinking of the waste," Devenport said. She went back to the store and requested the loaves that would otherwise be discarded, then set them on the front porch of her small brick bungalow and put the word out that anyone could come by and take whatever they needed. Three decades on, the "Bread Lady," as Devenport is known, is still going strong. | | | | | But before we part, here's someone to know | | | (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) | Amudalat AjasaWeather reporter, The Washington PostWhat inspired your interest in the weather?I have loved weather since I was a kid. As a Minnesotan, I was always fascinated by what caused such blistering temperatures in the winter — and on one occasion, why we received flurries in July. As natural weather patterns are exacerbated by climate change, I want to highlight what happens to people — more specifically, what happens to coastal communities, low-income communities and communities of color — who will bear the brunt of these changes. I also love singing in the rain. News about the damaging effects of climate change can be daunting. How do you stay positive about the planet?Not all weather news is necessarily bad. Some of the weather news we cover is common in certain parts of the country — like lake effect snow in Buffalo. In terms of climate change news, I try to find hope in the attention we are bringing to the topic. The consequences of climate change are severe — not only for people, but for all living organisms on the planet. Different adaptation initiatives and efforts people are taking to combat the changes show that they are driven and resilient. Spring is on its way! What are you looking forward to in the new season?Winter is actually my favorite season. I'm sad that major parts of the East Coast, like New York City and D.C., got anything but a white Christmas. Most of this winter season has felt like a cooler spring. Fingers crossed we get some snow before it's too late. | | | | | | | | | |
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