The Conversation

Clouds Singer Zach Sobiech Leaves Behind Many Inspired Fans and One Truly Awesome Girlfriend

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:40:42 -0500

By now, you've probably heard about Zach Sobiech, the wise-beyond-his-years Minnesota teen who wrote the viral song Clouds last year after doctors told him he was dying of cancer.

Since the news broke that Sobiech died yesterday morning, the YouTube video of Clouds has topped 3.5 million views. A documentary and a special celebrity music video on Zach made by Rainn Wilson—and featuring the likes of Brian Cranston, Ashley Tisdale, Rachel Bilson, and Sarah Silverman—have also made the rounds on the Web.

"I want everyone to know," Sobiech says in the film, "you don't have to find out you're dying to start living."

We thought we'd take this moment to acknowledge another person who is central to this sad and touching story, and that's Sobiech's girlfriend, Amy Adamle. A 17-year-old high school student in Minnesota, Amy started dating Zach after his diagnosis, and he credited her with helping him cope with his illness.

Zach's cancer obviously played a prominent role in his relationship with Amy. One time, for example, a planned picnic date was spoiled when a supposedly routine medical appointment revealed that Zach's condition had deteriorated and that he needed surgery. (Amy later made up for it by surprising Zach with a picnic lunch on the 50-yard line of the Metrodome.) Yet the couple stayed together. "I'll love her to death," Zach says in the documentary.

Zach's story is truly inspiring, but so is Amy's. Quoting the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson on her Twitter bio, Amy says: "'Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

What's your reaction to Zach and Amy's story?

Four Ways You Can Help Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:51:01 -0500

You’ve heard by now that a huge and deadly tornado did some very serious damage as it ripped through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore yesterday. The two-mile-wide twister leveled homes and tore down schools on its 22-mile path, reportedly killing dozens, injuring hundreds, and, in one fell swoop, destroying thousands of homes.

The scene in hard-hit areas of central Oklahoma looks, from the Internet's growing collection of pictures and Vines, like a war zone. Along with way too many heart-wrenching videos (like this Vine of men searching for a lost little boy named Tommy) are a few heartwarming moments…like this video of a survivor watching her missing dog emerge from the rubble during an interview with CBS:

The images depict only a slice of the devastation that has hit Oklahoma City. Here are a few ways to help support the victims right now:

Text “REDCROSS” to 90999 and you’ll automatically donate $10 to its disaster relief efforts, currently focused on feeding and sheltering people in affected areas. To donate other amounts, go to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Give blood at your local hospital or blood bank.

Use the Red Cross Safe and Well website to make sure any potentially affected family and friends are OK (and if so, help make sure they are registered on the site as “Safe and Well” so other loved ones can check in on them too).

Contribute $10 to the Salvation Army’s efforts to send mobile kitchens to South Oklahoma City by texting “STORM” to 80888. You can also donate online, or by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Photo: Gene Blevins/Reuters/Newscom

30 Is NOT the New 20. But Is That Bad or Good for Us?

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:10:04 -0500

Clinical psychologist Meg Jay recently gave a TED talk that may make 30-somethings or almost-30-somethings break out in a nervous sweat. Here’s her main message: You know how you’re always hearing that 30 is the new 20? Phew, right? Wrong!

According to Jay, 30 is NOT the new 20, and saying it’s so is a big problem. She frequently hears clients in their twenties talk as if things don’t matter: This relationship isn’t great, but I’m just killing time. I’ll just bartend for now and as long as I figure out a career by the time I’m 30, it’s fine. But it’s not. When those clients are about to hit 30, they change their tune: I’ve got nothing to show for my twenties. What was I doing? What was I thinking? Uh. Oh.

Here are a few reasons your twenties DO matter, according to Jay:

80 percent of life’s most defining moments take place by age 35.
The first 10 years of your career has an exponential impact on how much you’ll earn.
Over half of Americans are with their future partner by 30.
The brain has its second and last growth spurt in your 20s.

Scared yet? Me too. But breathe easy: Jay has three tips she thinks every 20-something can benefit from hearing:

"Forget about having an identity crisis; get some identity capital." By this she means, do something that adds value to who you are. Exploring new opportunities is great, but only if they count. Otherwise, you’re just procrastinating.
"The urban tribe is overrated." Friends are great, but your “weak ties”—friends of friends of friends—are where the opportunities are going to come from. Expand your circle.
"The time to start picking your family is now." Jay says that the best time to start working on your marriage is before you have one. You don’t have to be married by 25, but stop wasting time and look for what you want now.

Got it? OK. Are you feeling terrified, or energized? I walked away from listening to the talk with equal reactions of fear (did I mess up my entire twenties), inspiration (cool, I can do those three things), and skepticism (is this even a valid theory?). All three reactions probably have a little truth to them.

I agree with Jay that your twenties shouldn’t be about wasting time—although a little fun is good, right?—and I think she makes a lot of great points about what a person should be doing to work toward the life she wants while she's young. But I’m also glad that at age 29, I still felt young enough to be able to walk away from a career I hated and start a new one, even though it came with some sacrifices. Those of you who are familiar with me from over on Smitten know that before joining the Glamour.com team, I was a lawyer. I wasn't "killing time" with it; I just came to realize it wasn’t for me, and so I made a change. I got some new identity capital. I think Jay would be behind that, and I don't think she would necessarily criticize someone who did what I did.

However, part of the reason I had the privilege to take such action is because of the very idea that 30 is the new 20. When my mom was about to turn 30, she had a husband, two kids, a mortgage, and a job in the field she’d stay in her whole life. I had exactly none of those things. Sometimes that makes me feel like a failure, but more and more, I realize how much freedom not rushing into those things has actually given me to work toward the life I want instead of staying stuck in the one I happened to have at the end of my twenties. (FYI: I don't meant to imply my mom was stuck in a miserable life. I think she’d say she’s happy with hers. But not everyone in her generation—or mine, for that matter—was so lucky.)

So, are 20-somethings today just wasting their time, or is there a bigger picture here that's actually beneficial? It’s not to say there’s no room for criticism of today’s young adults, but I also don’t think an entire generation decided they could just do whatever they felt for an entire decade. For one, there are circumstances that lead us to feel “less adult” and the older generations to treat us as such. A recent economic crisis means that many 20-somethings are financially insecure and less likely to be able to achieve that marker of the American dream, a home purchase, at least not in their twenties. We’re getting married older, yet our society continues to treat marriage as a major milestone of adulthood, meaning that an entire population of single 30-somethings is treated like kids because they haven’t yet thrown a black-tie dinner for 300. No offense to marriage, which seems awesome and I'd like to do it one day, but it's not the only way for a person to become an adult. For two, I would venture to guess that a lot of 20-somethings aren’t intentionally wasting their time, but if they take some wrong turns in that decade, they’re relieved to know that’s not the end for them.

So maybe 30 isn't the new 20. I, for one, certainly don't want to be drinking the cheap keg beer and wearing the ratty boot-cut jeans I was in my twenties. And like Jay, I don't want to see a lot of 20-something women thinking that these years don't count. They count for a lot, and we should all make the most of them. But 30 isn't what it used to be either—and that can be a good thing.

Watch the full talk here:

Do you think the mantra of "30 is the new 20" is a bad thing?

We Talk Politics, Parenthood, and Patent Leather Pumps With Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:32:00 -0500

Welcome to your Los Angeles politics crash course! In case you haven’t heard, there is a highly contested political race happening out on the West Coast right now. The office: mayor of the second largest city in the country. The candidates: City Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti. The race: close. Yes, these two candidates are neck-and-neck, and in just ONE week, we’ll know who will be the next mayor of L.A. Oh, and guess what: It may very well be the first woman elected to the office (ahem, Wendy Greuel).

Trust us when we say that Wendy Greuel knows what it’s like to be a devoted wife/mother/career woman. She started out in the office of L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley in the '90s, worked with the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Clinton Administration, served as a DreamWorks (yes, the film studio) executive, and ran for city council in 2002—the same year she got married. She won, gave birth to her son in 2004, and served as a city councilwoman until she was elected city controller in 2009. City Controller Greuel took some time out of her busy schedule (busy being an understatement here; her campaign is literally a 24/7 job) to talk to Glamour about her experiences as a politician, as a young professional, and as a wife and mother.

Glamour: The election is just a week away. How are you feeling?
Wendy Greuel: This is an exciting time, and this is a historic race. It will determine the future of Los Angeles, as well as determine if we’ll have the first female mayor of the second largest city in the country.

Glamour: What’s at stake in this election—both for Los Angeles and for the rest of the country?
Wendy Greuel: We saw historic elections of women into the United States Congress last November, and the important role that women play in ensuring their voice is heard in politics. We need to bring a woman’s perspective to the halls of power. Unfortunately, here in L.A., the renaissance of women’s empowerment has gone out the doors of city hall. [Depending on election results,] we could have no women in office or just one woman on the city council. That’s something we need to dramatically change—not only encourage women to run but help them get elected.

Glamour: It’s not uncommon for women who are strong and assertive to be labeled “bossy” (even when their male colleagues are praised for demonstrating the same traits).
Wendy Greuel: There is a double standard: If you’re tough and assertive, you are treated differently. It is a unique challenge for a woman to demonstrate that they can lead, that they will be strong, that they can handle crisis, and that they gain respect.

Glamour: Have you ever experienced this double standard in your career?
Wendy Greuel: I was surprised by how judgmental people can be about working moms. [Greuel has a nine-year-old son.] This isn’t just as an elected official, but in other professions, where [supervisors] question whether or not you can be a good leader. These kinds of stereotypes and criticisms are unique to women. I hope I can change minds and let people know that women can achieve a lot and be good parents.

Glamour: Here at Glamour, we love seeing women in politics experiment with their fashion (case in point: Hillary Clinton’s rainbow of pantsuits; Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s lace collars). What is your go-to look and how do you add some personality to your political uniform?
Wendy Greuel: I wear high heels— high heels are like tennis shoes. I like a tailored look more than anything else—dresses with a jacket and black patent leather pumps. I’ve moved toward much brighter colors; I used to wear a lot more black. I worked at DreamWorks movie studios for four and a half years, and my staff there used to tease me saying I had “the government look.” When I came back to government, they said I had “the Hollywood look.”

Glamour: What is the average shopping trip like for you, considering your jam-packed schedule?
Wendy Greuel: My nine-year-old goes shopping with me sometimes, and he has some definite opinions—telling me what looks good on me and what does not. I have to say, he’s usually right. My husband says that something he liked about me when we were dating was that I could go into a store and, in 20 minutes, buy things, get ready to go, and make a quick decision. That’s how I shop for my clothing. I am looking forward to being able to go shopping more as soon as the campaign is done.

Glamour: Your campaign is a 24/7 job—what do you do when you want to step back from politics and relax?
Wendy Greuel: As a family, [my husband, son, and I] like to watch the Cooking Channel (there’s not a whole lot that a nine-year-old and his parents can watch!). It’s a lot of fun: We’ll all sit together, get takeout, watch TV, and talk about our days. That’s how we unwind.

Glamour: You have over 20 years of experience in politics—both at a city and federal level. If you could give your 25-year-old self career advice, what would you tell her?
Wendy Greuel: Live your dream. Know what you want to do and never take no for an answer. When I decided to run for office, I was 40 and single. My mother taught me to be strong but told me I would probably not get married or have children because I would have a life that would make that impossible, but I decided to create the life I wanted. Two weeks later, I met my husband. We got married right after the election, and I got pregnant and had my son in a year and a half. It’s been a dream come true. Do what makes you happy and never let anyone tell you can’t do something.

Glamour: What, in your experience, is the most important thing a young woman can do to move forward in her career?
Wendy Greuel: One aspect of my life and career that has helped me be successful is having mentors—having women show me the way. We have to support other women. One of my favorite quotes is from Madeline Albright: “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” [A quote that resonates with Glamour’s own editor-in-chief, Cindi Leive.] We’ve got to help women get elected, we’ve got to help women get promoted, and we’ve got to help women climb the ladder.

Glamour: What do you think is the biggest issue women are facing today?
Wendy Greuel: We’ve made great strides [with gender equality], but we are still woefully behind—especially when it comes to elected leaders, CEOs, and even fair pay. At one of my early jobs, I had a new boss who called me down to his office and said he wanted to give me a raise. Of course I was thrilled, but I had to ask if there was there something I did [to inspire this raise]. He saw that women weren’t being as paid as much as men, it needed to be rectified, and he did it. I think I am an eternal optimist; I see the glass as half full, but I’ll tell you, it’s not full. Women need to break those barriers.

Photo: Courtesy of Wendy Greuel

Christy Turlington Has Your Mother's Day Gift Idea

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:00:00 -0500

I recently went to a benefit for Christy Turlington's charity Every Mother Counts (EMC) and I learned some pretty amazing things about moms.

First, I learned that Mother's Day was started by a really spirited lady named Anna Jarvis, who, while teaching Sunday school, said, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers." It just didn't sit well with her that women weren't getting recognized for all the good they did in the world, and she wanted to do something about it.

Anna Jarvis didn't live to see her dream come true, but her daughter finished the job, lobbying congress until Woodrow Wilson signed a joint restitution in 1914 that made the second Sunday in May Mother's Day.

And here I thought the holiday was invented by the macaroni-necklace industrial complex.

I suspect Anna's vision didn't include lots of commercial opportunities, though last Mother's Day, American's spent more than 1.8B (that's a "B" people, as in billion) dollars on flowers alone. I can't imagine this year will be much different. But here's the deal: Because of a lack of adequate health care, becoming a mother is extremely dangerous in much of the world. And while you're unlikely to meet a girl who likes her mother (or a table full of tulips) as much as I do, I'm taking this year's flower fund and donating the money to make childbirth safer for so many women. But because my mother own is so indescribably wonderful and deserving of treats (we're talking about a woman who emails weekly updates about the things our dog has swiped from the dining room table—sometimes even with photographic evidence— so this is serious), I'm also going to send her a little shout-out with Give a Thought, which is EMC's way for us to publicly proclaim our love for the mother figures in our lives.

I'm not certain that I'll actually be able to avoid spoiling my mom today (read: there is no possible way that I will be able to avoid spoiling my mother today), but this year I'll be doing it a little more consciously, and with a little more respect for those mothers all over the world, making it work with so much less than we have.

Happy Mother's day to all of you who are celebrating today.

Photo: Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez Says Being a Mom Made Her an Activist. What Would Inspire You to Change the World?

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:00:00 -0500

Yesterday, I went with Glamour editor in chief Cindi Leive, to Mom + Social, a global summit put on by the UN Foundation about the power of moms to change the world. Cindi moderated a conversation with Jennifer Lopez and her sister, journalist Lynda Lopez, about Global Mom Relay, a 60-day blog series that raised money for women and girls (and just for a little #humblebrag, you all helped Cindi’s beautiful Mom Relay post become one of the most shared of the whole campaign!). Hot on the heels of the relay, all three women sat down at the 92nd Street Y, Tribeca, to talk about the ways moms could get together to really make a difference in the world.

You can watch the full conversation via Livestream, but my favorite moment of the day happened well before Cindi, Jennifer, and Lynda took the stage. As we were all standing in the green room chitchatting, Cindi mentioned that having children was the one thing that really seemed to motivate women to improve their communities.

Jennifer lit up like a Christmas tree and said, “I know! From the moment I became pregnant, everything was different. It was like, ‘Watch out, world, I’m here now.’ And everywhere I went I was just like, ‘Hey, don’t mess with me, people. I’m cooking a miracle here.’”

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that moment. It wasn’t just that Jennifer came up with the single best visual for being pregnant that I’d ever heard (cooking a miracle?!? I die). Nor was it her excellent point that we’re so much more inclined to fight for a better world on behalf of people we love than we are for ourselves. What I remember most is that she got so.damn.feisty. Jennifer Lopez was more like a mama bear than a triple-threat star when she talked about her children, and I, for one, would not have wanted to be the one standing between her and the miracles she was cooking.

And you don’t have to be a mom to know what that kind of ferocious, protective love feels like, right? When you love something so enormously, you’ll do anything to keep it safe and happy.

Oh, and do you guys want to know my second favorite part of the day? Getting to witness Jennifer and Lynda behaving like normal sisters who adore and annoy each other, just like sisters the world over. While we they were waiting to take the stage, Jennifer did this thing where she transformed Lynda’s rain-mussed hair (got to love spring time in New York, my friends!) into beautiful curls with her fingers. It was a skill that only sitting through one-squillion blowouts could give a woman, and I am here to tell you: It was a miracle to behold.

So, what makes you want to leave a better world than the one we’re living in?

Photo: Stuart Ramson/UN Foundation

EXCLUSIVE: Watch Glee Star Darren Criss Ask This (Really Deserving) Princeton Student to the MTV VMAs; Awww Quietly at Your Desk

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:05:00 -0500

Don’t you just love when adorable celebs do adorable things? If so, I recommend this video in which a surprise visit from Glee’s Darren Criss lands Princeton student Leora Friedman an invite to the MTV Video Music Awards. If you thought Criss was just another multitalented and hot guy with excellent hair, this clip of him meeting Friedman, CEO of the nonprofit Music Is Medicine, will convince you of his inner hotness as well.

Get More: www.mtvu.com

Singer-songwriter/super-lucky-Darren-Criss-red-carpet-dater Friedman started Music Is Medicine with her older sister back in 2008 to support pediatric patients through music. The organization provides sick kids with original songs and helps raise awareness and funds for their care. Criss found out about Friedman’s work through mtvU’s “Random Acts” series (debuting this week) and decided to join the cause.

Now that you've finished awwing at the cuteness/marveling at Friedman's general calmness while being asked out by Darren Criss (how did she DO that?!), I hope this inspires you to go do something that helps people, and not just because a hot actor-singer-songwriter might randomly show up to ask you on a date. Although it doesn’t hurt to think that the more good you do, the more likely it is that the real-life Blaine Anderson will reach out—maybe even with an invite to his (ahem, totally sold-out) upcoming North American tour.

What’s the sweetest surprise you’ve ever given or gotten? Who are some other celebs you admire for their commitment to giving back?

Check Out This Amazing Interview With the Guy Who Helped Amanda Berry Escape Her Kidnapper (and Rescue Two Other Women)…After 10 YEARS!

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:05:39 -0500

It’s been a few hours since the Amanda Berry story first broke, and my eyes have still not gone back into my head. But while we wait for all the details to unfold, let’s spend some time looking at this amazing video, shall we?

When Cleveland resident Charles Ramsey saw a young woman frantically kicking at the front door of his neighbor’s house yesterday, he figured she wanted to get out—but didn’t realize just how badly.

Twenty-seven-year-old Amanda Berry, who went missing on her way home from work 10 years ago, allegedly screamed to Ramsey, “Help me get out. I’ve been in here a long time.” Ramsey approached his neighbor’s porch and helped her break through. Berry then sprinted outside with a child believed to be her six-year-old daughter and said, “Call 911. My name is Amanda Berry.”

It’s not every day that a 911 dispatcher receives a call from a woman most of the world thought was dead. So I get why Ramsey found the whole situation a little surreal, especially when he heard Berry inform police that there were two other captives in the house, Gina DeJesus, 24, and Michele Knight, 32, who’d been separately kidnapped years ago. DeJesus had disappeared at 14 while walking home from school, and Knight went missing at 20. The women escaped from a home just miles from the areas where they’d each disappeared and where their families had spent years airing missing-person photographs on the news, grieving, and searching for their bodies.

The owner of the house, a 52-year-old former school-bus driver, and his two 50-something brothers have been arrested.

As we also await what we’re sure will be some incredible auto-tune versions of this interview, please take comfort in the fact that Berry, DeJesus, and Knight are reuniting with their families right now. I can't imagine where they'll even begin. In news that makes you cry: Berry’s mother died of heart failure in 2006, following a relentless search for her daughter. In (happier) news that still makes you cry: Here’s Berry hugging her older sister at a Cleveland hospital earlier today.

Welcome home, ladies.

Can you even begin to imagine being held captive for a decade? What will life be like for Berry, DeJesus, and Knight now that they’re free?

Photo: AP/Family Handout courtesy WOIO-TV

Monkeys: They're Just Like Us! Watch What Happens When Two Monkeys Receive Unequal Pay

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:45:38 -0500

Ever wonder what would happen if you paid two monkeys unequally for the same job? Well, just take a look at this clip from Frans de Waal's 2011 TED Talk that's currently making the rounds on YouTube playlists worldwide. (Spoiler alert: They reject it.)

In de Waal's experiment, two capuchin monkeys complete the same task—handing the researcher a small rock. If both monkeys are given cucumber slices for completing the task, they accept their pay and obediently continue along with their job. However, when you switch it up a bit—give one the same ol' piece of cucumber while the other gets grapes—that's when the experiment gets interesting. The cucumber recipient flips out and throws her lesser produce payment at the researcher. Bear in mind, in capuchin monkey world, a grape is the human equivalent of a $60,000 starting salary, health/dental/vision, and a 401K, so it's really not surprising that she gets so mad.

The whole thing seems oddly familiar, doesn't it (*cough* gender pay gap *cough*)? Thanks to de Waal's research, we can deduce two very important lessons. Unequal pay: Bad. Monkeys: They're just like us.

What are your thoughts on de Waal's experiment? The gender pay gap? Monkeys? Let us know in the comments!

EMILY's List Launches Madam President Campaign to Put a Woman in the White House by 2016 (Because Isn't It About Time We Had a Female President?)

Thu, 02 May 2013 17:34:00 -0500

Remember that crazy little thing called the 2012 election? Yeah, yeah, Barack Obama was reelected, but do you know who else was elected to office? A historic number of women. Good times, right? If you’re a big time political junkie like me, you can’t wait for 2016 and the excitement of another big election year (sorry, 2014 midterm elections). What’s made me more excited than ever? The ladies over at EMILY’s List—the premier resource for women in politics—launched a program they’re calling “Madam President.” What’s it all about? Putting a woman in the White House.

It is a mere 1,286 days till Election 2016!

“In 2012 voters across the country elected an historic number of women leaders because they had the right priorities— the Madam President campaign will build on that base, harness their energy and enthusiasm for women’s leadership, and channel it toward putting a woman in the Oval Office,” said EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriok in a statement today. “It is clear that this is our time—we are ready for a Madam President.”

The campaign plans to hit battleground states—Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada—to get people excited about a female president. The timing is right, considering Anzalone Liszt Grove Research JUST reported that voters in these states/points of presidential contention are game for a female candidate. Not only did a whopping 90 percent of people say that they would vote for a qualified woman candidate, but 72 percent say they think it’s likely that we will elect a female in the next presidential election (Did you hear that, Hillary?)

If that’s not enough in the good news department, check this out: The same group indicated that they thought a female president would be considered more capable than a male president in understanding the challenges middle class families face, ending partisan squabbling, and putting the interest of American families ahead of politics. It seems like it’s high time for a female president to take office. (Once more, with feeling: Did you hear that, Hillary?!) With only 1,286 days left till Election 2016, I, along with the rest of us here at Team Glamour, will be watching the Madam President campaign.

What are your thoughts on Madam President? Are you ready for a woman to take over the White House?

Photo: Thinkstock

Meet the 4 Amazing Girls Who Threw an Integrated Prom (No, This Isn't a Story From 1963!)

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:34:33 -0500

It is a story that should have been dated April 26, 1963: Four young women from Abbeville, Georgia, two white and two black, working together to change their high school's long-running practice of racially segregated proms. But the story of Mareshia Rucker,��Stephanie Sinnott, Quanesha Wallace, and Keela Bloodworth, who came together to transform their school's culture and make a powerful statement about racial unity, ran on Friday April 26, 2013 in The New York Times. On Saturday, the girls celebrated their efforts—which drew a huge outpouring of support from around the country—with the first integrated prom in their school's history.

Read the backstory and try to resist the temptation to hit your head on your desk: Racially segregated proms have only recently gone out of fashion in the South, but in Wilcox County, where the girls go to high school, the white- and black-only events have been organized for decades by the students' parents—many of whom attended their own segregated dance in high school. Because the events weren't technically organized by the schools, they could continue to operate as "separate but equal" events, a relic of the segregation era in the South—even though the Supreme Court decided way back in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education that public schools must be free and open to all students. The racially segregated proms still have some defenders, the Times reports, like the city councilman who argues that the separation is meant to accommodate different tastes in music—an argument that could only be made by someone who hasn't spoken to a single young person in several decades.

It would all be disheartening if it weren't for the incredible activism the situation produced. The girls organized and found supporters online—and began drawing attention from around the country. They held barbecue chicken dinners to raise money and received enough donations to rent a ballroom. DJs and photographers from out of state volunteered to come and lend their talents. By Friday, nearly half of the school's population had registered to attend.

Meanwhile, at least 26,225 supporters from around the world offered their support via a Facebook page, leaving comments that indicated what kind of impact their efforts were having. From a fan in Midland, Michigan: "Congratulations, students, for being bigger than yourselves, being brave when faced with the status quo, and busting through the ridiculous color barrier. You should be brimming with pride for making this world a more tolerable place." From one in Norwalk, Connecticut: "ADMIRABLE effort—hope you had a great time." From another in northwestern Oregon: "So proud of you kids for doing what ADULTS/BOARD MEMBERS should have done/encouraged a long time ago!! You are the future leaders of this country...and you will go far."

As the integrated prom grew nearer, you could see the girls' excitement growing on their public Facebook updates. "I'm sooooo excited right now," Quanesha Wallace, one of the organizers, wrote on her wall Saturday. "I can't wait to see all of my babies in their beautiful attire. It's finally here and 'OUR senior prom.' Just want you all to know that I love you all dearly."

That night, the students at Wilcox County High celebrated their year-end blowout in Mardi Gras masks and formal dresses. The only thing that set it apart from a normal high school prom was the local and national news crews documenting the dance. On Sunday, photos of students bearing the tag INTEGRATED PROM 2013 were making their way to the group. After the dance, Keela Bloodworth, another of the group's founders, posted a public message on her wall: "what an amazing night! :) all the news crews got a little annoying, but it was pretty great! now I'm hurting all over from all the dancing."

Photo Credit: Maria Izaurralde/Zuma Press

Revenge of the #NerdProm: Why the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Proves Geeks Rule

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:45:15 -0500

Looking back on Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, I can’t help but think about its nickname: #NerdProm. For all the chatter about it losing its focus (many attendees said to me, “It has gotten out of hand, but I’m not going to be all Tom Brokaw about it, I’m just going to enjoy the evening”), everyone there just seemed to be having a damn good time. I certainly did. Without all the PR handlers and front-office men, a proud Game of Thrones nerd like me could walk up and say hello to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau or Robin Wright from House of Cards as easily as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia or former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (who, when asked how she chose her pin for the evening since she’s so famous for them, 'fessed up, “Just because it matches!” Is it wrong that I’m psyched I got to talk accessories with Madeleine Albright?).

And who knows why this year’s dinner was such a good one? Perhaps because President Obama is enjoying a second term and was more than willing to poke fun at himself (“I’m not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be”), and no one was talking about 2016 yet. (Vice President Joe Biden’s appearance was only felt in an opening video montage asking everyone to sit down; Hillary Clinton’s run, when it was discussed at all, was “when,” not “if.” Chris Christie and Marco Rubio got the shortest of mentions.)

Or maybe it was because Hollywood is doing such a good job showing the underbelly of Washington these days (the casts of Scandal and House of Cards were some of the hottest attendees, especially with Kevin Spacey’s brilliant opening video) that the real power players could relax and do a little star-gawking of their own. It certainly didn’t hurt that everyone was equally the target of jokes—MSNBC took as many hits as Fox News, and both fared better than Mitch McConnell (Conan compared him to Dame Edna). Buzzfeed.com, which didn’t have a table at the dinner because it didn’t send its check in on time, was the only group that may have come out more unscathed than anticipated.

I think it’s because we’ve all finally realized: Nerds are cool. These days we all know that geeky guys in the garage and baseball-stat nerds go on to become the tech heroes and election pundits we all wish we’d given a chance in high school. They are the Prom King of today, founding companies like Facebook and Twitter that have changed how we report and get our news and how we view our politicians. Yep, on Saturday night everyone was a nerd, and they were pretty proud of it, just like Gilbert.

Zing! Did you catch the White House Correspondents' dinner? What was your favorite moment?

Photo: Getty Images

What's Harder to Buy? This Puppy or a Handgun?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:30:00 -0500

Last Week, in a 54 to 46 vote, the Senate didn’t pass a bill that would have expanded the background check requirement for buying guns to those purchased online and at gun shows. Currently these types of sales don’t require a criminal background check at all. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to keep working on some kind of background check bill, but it might be a while before one sees a vote again.

Did you know you need to undergo a criminal background check to adopt me?

Of all things you wouldn’t want a criminal to own, it seems a firearm would be up there, right? So it got me thinking, what can’t you do without undergoing a background check?

Go to Paris or Mexico or Canada!
The Department of State requires criminal background checks when you apply for a passport. You might not be approved to take that vacation to Paris, but don’t worry—that won’t keep you from stocking up on souvenirs at your local gun show.

Finally buy that condo….
Thanks to a law passed by Congress in 2008, in background checks are required of anyone who is applying for a mortgage. A known criminal might not ever be a homeowner, but he could still be a legal gun owner.

Adopt an impossibly cute puppy or kitten…
Many animal shelters require a criminal background check before you can adopt a homeless dog or cat. Fluffy might not be allowed to go home with someone with a bad record, but the same does not hold true for an AK-47 purchased online.

Be the lunch lady or the school nurse, or run the soup kitchen…
Most jobs in which people work with children, the elderly, or the disabled are required by state and/or federal law to undergo a criminal background check. Which makes sense, right? We wouldn’t want criminals in positions where they could hurt our most vulnerable citizens. Kind of like we wouldn’t want criminals to be able to buy weapons? Maybe?

Is it just us, or is this nuts? What do you guys think? Oh, and...you know what we really want to know? Why do you think people didn’t support this bill? We’re scratching our head about it, and we’d love to hear the arguments out there.

Meet the New Erin Brockovich: Chicago's Kim Wasserman Is Shutting Down Coal Power Plants and Turning Them Into Parks

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:00:00 -0500

What would you do if you thought the town where you were raising your family (and where two of the nation's oldest and dirtiest coal plants also lived) was making them sick? Would you, at just 21 years old, go knocking on doors, galvanizing community support, and fighting the good fight until those plants got shut down?

That's what our girl Kim Wasserman did—and we're pretty impressed. Just take a look at her story:

Shortly after her infant son was diagnosed with asthma, Wasserman formed a neighborhood coalition to petition the government and protest the operation of the coal plants. For more than 10 years, Wasserman's organization LVEJO (Little Village Environmental Justice Organization) fought to shut down the plants and improve the environmental quality of the neighborhood. LVEJO's efforts worked: In 2012, Midwest Generation, the power company behind the plants, shut down the two coal power facilities (it still won't accept responsibility for its role in the health problems among Little Village residents, but I guess you can't have everything). With the power plants shut down, Wasserman is now in the process of converting the space into parks for the community.

This week, Wasserman was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, giving her worldwide recognition for her grassroots efforts and $150,000 to put toward furthering the LVEJO mission. Though it's unconfirmed if Julia Roberts will be playing her in an upcoming Steven Soderbergh film, we can confirm that quality of life for the people of the Little Village neighborhood will only continue to get better thanks to Wasserman and LVEJO. And, for this, we applaud her.

What are your thoughts on Wasserman's environmental efforts? Have you seen anything similar in your communities, or are you dedicated to any environmental causes? Let us know in the comments!

Art: Tumblr

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Shares Why She Is So Disappointed in Our Government for Not Passing the Gun Legislation

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:30:40 -0500

Yesterday was one of the most deeply disappointing days of my short time in the U.S. Senate. Families from coast to coast deserved better from this Congress. The Newtown parents who came to Washington to bravely tell their stories deserved better than this body turning its back on them. The families of Aurora deserved better. The families of the more than 30 people who die at the hands of gun violence every single day in this country deserved better.

Today was a missed opportunity to take real action toward ending senseless, deadly gun violence with truly commonsense reforms that do nothing to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

When 9 out of 10 Americans urge us to act on expanding background checks, and the majority of Americans urge us to get military-style assault weapons and ammunition clips off the streets, and we still can’t summon the political will to act, this body is more broken than ever before.

Four years ago, I met the parents of Nyasia Pryear-Yard in Brooklyn. Nyasia was a beautiful 17-year-old honor student killed in the prime of her life by an illegal handgun while she was hanging out with her friends. I vowed to Nyasia’s parents and classmates that I would fight to stop the flow of illegal guns that make their way onto our streets and into the hands of criminals—by finally making gun trafficking a federal crime and holding offenders accountable with stiff penalties.

According to Mayor Bloomberg’s office, 85 percent of the guns used in gun crimes in New York City come from out of state, and at least 90 percent of these guns are bought through the illegal black market run by traffickers.

Of all the laws we have on the books right now, effectively none of them are directly focused on preventing someone from driving from one state, driving to another with stricter gun laws, parking their car in a parking lot, and selling hundreds of firearms to criminals. This is shocking to me as a mother and a lawmaker.

Our bipartisan Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act, which was also voted down on the Senate floor, would empower law enforcement to investigate and prosecute illegal gun traffickers, straw purchasers, and their entire criminal networks. It is shameful that we could not even get enough votes to stand with law-enforcement officials across the country who have asked for this legislation, which law-abiding gun owners support.

There is no doubt this was a setback, but we will continue the fight for these commonsense laws aimed at keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals. We must stand with families in communities all across the country looking to us to take action to prevent the next senseless tragedy, the next Nyasia Pryear-Yard.

What do you think about the vote? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Art: Tumblr

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Photo: Courtesy of Kirsten Gillibrand