It is always important to give respect to black artists for many reasons. They are the first humans on Earth, and their art describes wisdom, beauty, and diversity of thought. Imagination is found among black artists who desire to paint images, sculpt objects, use digital art, draw images, work on magazines, create comics, and develop other means of human self-expression. There are many famous and unsung black artists with equal importance that has changed the world with their creativity. It is important to know their names and stories too. Kara Walker is part of the new school art scene and has done many works of art with paint including silhouettes. She tackles issues of politics, race, gender, etc. She was born in Stockton, California. In our generation, she is one of the most acclaimed Black American artists indeed. Jacob Lawrence was an innovator of art indeed. He not only painted about historical subjects. He showed images related to Harlem, NYC. As a professor at the University of Washington, Lawrence has inspired future artists to show their gifts to the world. He is one of the greatest artists in history. His work like the 1947 painting of The Builders is found in the White House. Jean-Michel Basquiat innovated graffiti and abstract art in New York City. The art of the Brooklyn Museum of Art inspired him. His father was Haitian, and his mother was Puerto Rican. Basquiat was fluent in French, Spanish, and English. By the 1970's, he started his work. Gordon Parks was a genius photographer, musician, writer, and film director. His photojournalist career mentioned issues of poverty, civil rights, and African American culture. His career stretched decades. He worked on Shaft and the Learning Tree films. Many of his photographs were featured in Life Magazine. Gordon Parks was the first African American to produce and direct major motion pictures relating to the experience of slaves and struggling black Americans in the modern age (after Micheaux). He helped to expand the blaxploitation genre. He had photos back in the 1940's. Gordon Parks made oil paintings too. He worked with Essence magazine. Parks was a friend to Malcolm X, and Malcolm X asked him to be the godfather of his daughter Qubliah Shabazz. Parks inspired future black directors like Spike Lee. Edmonia Lewis was a famous African American/Native American sculptor too. She made sculptors of black people and Native people in a Neoclassical style. Edmonia Lewis knew how to fish, swim, and make moccasins. She was inspired by abolitionists and Civil rights heroes. James Van Der Zee is a famous artist who made photographs of mostly black New Yorkers. He was a major person of the Harlem Renaissance. He loved his wife and children too. Modern black artists are people like Faith Ringgold, Henry Taylor, Kehinde Wiley, Philemona Williamson, Carrie Mae Weems, Yinka Shonibare, Keith Knight, Bis a Butler, Amy Sherald, El Antasui, and other human beings.
Mixed Martial Arts in 2022 is in a totally different space than even in the 1990's. More fighters are using more boxing and wrestling techniques. The energy is powerful, and we have a new generation of fighters especially their own legacies in their own ways. Marlon Vera had a recent victory over Rob Font. Fighters like Shanna Young, Gabriel Green, Chase Sherman, Francisco Figueiredo, and others have shown their skills in the ring too. One of the great stars of MMA is the fighter, Francis Ngannou. He is the current UFC heavyweight champion. He was born in Cameroon in Africa. Later, he studied mixed martial arts in France before going professional. He has power, strength, and great striking abilities. His MMA fighting skills have improved over the course of many years too. Ngannou can use his uppercut to defeat many opponents. We know about Jon Jones being one of the best mixed martial artists of our generation. Israel Adesanya is talented, and Amanda Nunes is the best woman mixed martial arts fighter of all time. Khabib Nurmadogedov is a very talented fighter too. Khabib defeated Connor McGregor after McGregor disrespected Khabib's faith, father, and other parts of his life. There are other MMA women fighters too like Christaine Justino, Jennifer Maia, Jessica Andrade, Julianna Pena, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and other human beings.
There are tons of modern-day legends of the MMA. Anderson Silva made many contributions to MMA with his skills and sly movements. We know about Georges St.-Pierre who had many victories at a later age. People like Matt Hughes, Don Cornier, Cris Cyborg, B. J. Penn, Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson, and Fedor Emeliankenko all have sacrificed their lives to make massive accomplishments in the MMA. Jon Jones is a modern-day legend too. He is a former two-time light heavyweight division. He was the youngest champion in UFC history with his title victory over Mauricio Rua at the age of 23. We know that Brazil's Amanda Nunes has defeated many legendary women. She is the current women's featherweight champion and former bantamweight champion. She is the first women to hold 2 division titles in the UFC, and she is the first woman to defend 2 titles while holding on to them. She fought 26 professional MMA combat and won 21 of them. Julianna Pena is a legend in her own right, and she defeated Amanda Nunes recently in December 2021 being the biggest upset in the history of the UFC. Valentina Anatolievna Shevchenko is another legendary MMA fighter with only 3 losses. She is known for using precise punches and kicks against an opponent.
STEM movies and TV shows are very commonplace back in the day and today in 2022. The beauty of this situation is that they are diverse. You have movies like Hidden Figures that deals with black American scientists who helped NASA to use mathematical formulas to allow spacecraft to travel efficiently in space. The 2016 film starred many people. Their names are Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Kirsten Dunst, Glen Powell, Jim Parson, Saniyya Sidney, Kimberly Quinn, and Ashton Tyler. You have the movie Stand and Deliver about a Hispanic American teacher Jaime Escalante (played by Edward James Olmos) working to help his students know about calculus in a unique way. Halt and Catch Fire is a show about women contributing to the development of the personal computing revolution (and the development of the World Wide Web during the 1980's and the 1990's). X-Files is a science fiction TV show of the 1990's that followed 2 investigators into finding evidence of the reality of alien life. Star Trek, since the 1960's, has inspired research into space and STEM-related topics too. Many people in Star Trek like Nichelle Nichols broke down barriers to increase representation in a diverse fashion. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired Nichols to pursue her role on the show to inspire black people, other people of color, and other human beings to pursue their own aspirations in life. Modern-day shows like the Big Bang Theory, Sheldon, and shows from the Syfy Cable channel deal with science constantly. Black Panther has tons of science fiction themes including items that deal with promoting the majesty of Blackness in everyday life.
Studying the eras of generations in the modern world is very vital. The reason is that we learn lessons, develop plans to make a better future, and realize how much we have in common despite our numerous differences. At the end of the day, we care for our families, we want our communities to be strong, and we have a love for the future improvement of our society in general. Not to mention that we desire justice and liberty for all. A generation deals with people born and living during a certain period of time. The average length of a generation can be from 20-30 years. A generation is also called a cohort in social science. Massive events or culturally revolutionary change characterize various generations. For example, the Silent Generation helped to form the leadership of the Old School civil rights movement and helped to develop rock and roll music of the 1950's including the 1960s. The Baby Boomers were part of the anti-war movement, some were leaders of the counterculture, and they saw increasing advancements in education during the postwar era. Generation X saw angst, the rise of BET and MTV, the Golden Age of Hip Hop, and a sense of resiliency via individual power. My Generation or the Millennials or Generation Y saw 9/11, the Great Recession, and the pandemic. The Zoomers saw the complete influence of social media, computer technology, the January 6, 2021 insurrection against the U.S. Capitol, and the legacy of the pandemic too in their own lives. Generation Alpha are children now, and they have total domination of technology, increased allergies, and a future that they will shape the Earth forever. With fights against police brutality, a new resurgence of far-right extremism, progressive activism, and other developments, it's never a dull moment in 2022. Yet, we will continue to advance the cause of liberty and justice fully.
There are tons of pro-STEM organizations that has helped the lives of girls, boys, men, and women to achieve their own goals. The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering helps with sending college scholarships for minorities in the schools of engineering. They have explained their legitimate goal as promoting diversity in STEM involving especially engineering and computer science. The reason is that America is made up of diverse people. Americans are made up of the most diverse people in human history, and that is certainly a great blessing to witness indeed. The NSBE or the National Society of Black Engineers has existed for a very long time. Recently, President Biden wanted to appoint diverse leaders to the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In 2021, President Biden appointed Drs. Tony Allen and Glenda Glover to serve as Chair and Vice Chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs, respectively. In February, he appointed Dr. Dietra Trent as executive director of the White House HBCU Initiative. The NSBE was created in 1975 to promote the aspirations of younger people to seek jobs in engineering and technology. It has helped tons of black people to pursue STEM careers for generations. Black engineers make up a large portion of our community involved in building homes, fixing plumbers, dealing with creating the new generation of cars, and handling environmental issues comprehensively. The NBSBE has trained many business leaders, helped to graduate thousands of engineers, helped K-12 students in STEM education, and worked nationally plus abroad. They are needed always in our society prodigiously.
Girlstart was established with the goal of harnessing innovative, nationally-recognized informal STEM education programs to encourage girls to become more interested and engaged in STEM. The initiative offers 6 core STEM programs for kindergarten to grade 12 girls. Girls Who Code supports programs that equip girls with computing skills and inspire them to create technology that makes the world a better place. In 2017, employers received 500+ applications for opportunities posted on #HireMe, the organization’s job and internship board. The NGCP (or the National Girls Collaborative Project) works to bring together STEM organizations focused on helping girls pursue STEM careers. Its three central goals are to maximize access to shared resources, strengthen the capacity of existing projects, and leverage a network of STEM programs to “create the tipping point for gender equality in STEM.”
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have helped the lives of billions of human beings worldwide. As human beings, we have made monumental contributions. We are the only species on Earth that has created machines that traveled from the Earth to space including the Moon. We have also invented satellites and other machines that have traveled into distant planets. Likewise, we have a huge responsibility to make the world better too. With the growth of climate change and other issues, there is no neutrality on these subjects. Either we are for environmental change or not. Either we are for racial justice or not. Either we are for justice for everyone or not. Therefore, STEM is part of the solution-making process in getting our houses in order. True STEM is never discriminatory. Regardless of someone's age, color, gender, or background, any human being has the right to study STEM without shame or fear. The greatness of STEM is that it utilizes geometry, trigonometry, algebra, biology, chemistry, and other fields in fun ways to allow people to discover the true mysteries of life. How blood flows in the human body, how DNA transmits information in the body, and how weather spreads globally via patterns all involve sufficient understanding of STEM. It is also right to give the youth inspiration to see that STEM is meant for them too. Decades from now, the world will change, but the same core principles of camaraderie, love, truth, and liberty will always remain. So, STEM is certainly here to stay forevermore.
Mixed martial arts culture is diverse. It has been embraced in the four corners of the Earth. Many MMA athletes and others who trained in fighting techniques work at gyms including specific MMA geared gyms too. These MMA gyms are found in urban and rural areas with weights, punching bags, and other equipment. It is filled with men and women who desire to express their talents creatively. A family atmosphere is found in MMA facilities where people train for months before a match. It takes months and years to perfect the craft of MMA too. There are people in MMA with diverse political philosophies too. Many people in MMA are doctors, lawyers, musicians, and teachers. Some are progressives, and others are more conservative. Some are extremists like Colby Covington, former UFC champ Henry Cejudo, Masvidal, etc. who support Donald Trump. Convington falsely predicted that Trump would defeat Biden in the 2020 Presidential election. He criticized LeBron James for being woke. Far-right people use the term "woke" as a code to diminish the right of marginalized and oppressed people the right to be free and have equality without exception. All human beings born on this Earth are created equal period. Trump is a racist, a sexist, and a xenophobe. I'm glad that he lost the 2020 election too, and I make no bones about it. Even Dana White endorsed Trump disgracefully. Now, MMA culture is embraced heavily by young people.
Mixed Martial Arts has been around for a long time in the world. Its origin stretches the thousands of years of human history among people who used fighting techniques. In Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Oceania, human beings used self-defense sports as a means to gain a sense of power, enjoyment, and to test the limits of human expression. MMA evolved globally over the course of changes. Additions to it came from judo, wrestling, boxing, and other sporting events. One person who helped to spread the MMA philosophy was Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was not limited to one style of self-defense. He wanted to merge styles in order for the human being to find what is useful and reject what is useless in creating the best style. Each human is different, so different styles are bound to exist. The overall point is that person must honestly express what is best for that person using all sorts of tools. MMA is more regulated now than back in the day. The popularity of the culture is now in the mainstream. Billions of dollars of revenues, jets sending fighters globally, and politics involved all are related to the modern atmosphere of mixed martial arts.
By Timothy
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