Chron - Life

A memorial will rise in the spot where MLK and Coretta met and studied

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 23:42:16 GMT

BOSTON — A major memorial honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King is moving forward in Boston, where they met and studied in the 1950s.

King Boston, the privately funded organization coordinating the estimated $9.5 million project, said that fabrication of a roughly 22-foot-high bronze sculpture depicting four arms embracing is expected to begin in March after years of planning.

When unveiled late next year, “The Embrace” will be one of the country’s largest new memorials dedicated to racial equity, the organization says. It will be installed on Boston Common near the site of a 1965 rally and march led by MLK, who would have turned 92 last Friday.

Imari Paris Jeffries, King Boston’s executive director, said organizers hope their broader effort serves as a model for how public monuments can spark positive action in the wake of the national reckoning on racism sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.

Besides the King memorial, the organization is also raising money to build an economic justice center in Roxbury, a historically Black neighborhood in Boston where MLK preached. It also plans to launch an annual gathering exploring issues of race and equity.

“It’s not only how symbols and monuments represent this commitment to equity and inclusion,” Jeffries said. “It’s also about how research, data and policy work to find new solutions, and how we use the arts and humanities to ground us.”

Dr. Vicki Crawford, director of the MLK collection at Morehouse College, the civil right’s leader’s alma mater in Atlanta, Ga., said the Boston project also stands out because it honors the sizable contributions of Coretta Scott King alongside her husband.

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Future ‘Jeopardy!’ guests host to include Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 23:42:16 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers and journalist Bill Whitaker are among the future guest hosts who will fill in for the late Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy!”

The show announced Wednesday that Couric, the journalist and former “Today” show host, will become the first woman ever to host the show.

Trebek, the face of the show for 36 years, died from pancreatic cancer Nov. 8, and the final shows he recorded aired last week. The show has opted to use a series of interim guest hosts rather than immediately find permanent replacements.

Ken Jennings, considered the show’s greatest champion, is currently serving as the first guest host. Once his run is done, executive producer Mike Richards will fill in for two weeks while the newly announced guests prepare for their stints.

Rodgers, the superstar quarterback currently leading the Green Bay Packers through the NFL playoffs, is a former “Celebrity Jeopardy!” champion, and Bialik, former star of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and current star of Fox’s “Call Me Kat,” is a neuroscientist, making them fitting choices to serve up clues for contestants for the brainy quiz show.

Rodgers, the Pro Bowler and two-time NFL MVP, had already leaked the news of his hosting earlier this week.

“I apologize to ‘Jeopardy!’ if they wanted to announce it, I just got so excited,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “The show has been so special to me over the years.”

Whitaker, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, will also be a guest host.

The show will make a donation to the guest hosts’ charity of choice that matches the total dollar amount won by contestants during their run.

Where Americans want to travel in 2021

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Nearly a year into the pandemic, Americans are searching for escapes again.

My holiday lights give me life. They're staying up in 2021

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So much is dark now. But the glow of ceramic bulbs brought me joy as soon as I plugged them in.

Texas athleisure company gets exclusive partnership with luxury store

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:10:32 GMT

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Hey New York Times, 'Rio' means 'river.' You don't have to call it the 'Rio Grande River.'

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:10:32 GMT

Has anyone in New York been to Texas?

This Dallas company tried to give Mahjong a 'makeover.' It didn't go well.

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An attempt to give Mahjong a "makeover" was met with backlash online.

Multiple Texas cities rank high in the best cities for pets

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 03:32:31 GMT

Our pets love living in Texas.

Find your perfect outfit at these Black-owned Houston boutiques

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 12:13:13 GMT

Shop local for your next ensemble.

Here's 5 ways to prioritize your mental health in 2021

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 20:54:31 GMT

After 2020, we're all looking for ways to clear our minds and take control.

Rooms with a view of 2021: Texas hotels roll out holiday staycation deals for this weekend

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 23:55:10 GMT

Of all the years to consider a staycation, 2020 should be a no-brainer.

I didn’t eat black-eyed peas last New Year’s and look how 2020 turned out

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It's a family tradition to celebrate the New Year with black-eyed peas and cabbage.

Here's what we didn't expect on Houston freeways in 2020

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This year has been nothing short of a roadblock for most Americans, something most Houstonians are used to.

Houston just got its own budget 2020 monolith

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The monolith appeared in the Heights earlier this month.

Toast the new year before midnight with Noon Year’s Eve party

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No need to wait til midnight to celebrate the end of this year.

Lori Loughlin released after prison term in college scam

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“Full House” actor Lori Loughlin has been released from prison after spending two months behind bars for paying half a million dollars in bribes to get her two daughters into college

The highs and lows of Bumble BFF-ing in a pandemic

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Making friends is hard. I turned to the internet for help.

Opinion: 2021 is the year to skip New Year's resolutions

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 19:15:39 GMT

New Year’s resolutions are undeniably a marker of another year for many, an opportunity for a clean slate or just to start off on the right foot. But if there ever was a year to skip them, it’s 2021.

Despite bleak 2020, celebrities such as Trae Tha Truth make effort to brighten year

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 13:44:20 GMT

Nothing about 2020 seems normal, but these stars and those inspired by them have tried to brighten a bleak year.

Coronavirus won't stop us from tracking Santa Claus this year

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 23:28:50 GMT

This tradition is still on for Christmas Eve.