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Baltimore Ravens Tray Walker Dies In Tragic Dirt Bike Accident
Raven’s cornerback Tray Walker died on Friday in a dirt bike accident. The Miami-native was only 23-years-old.
Walker crashed at an intersection on a Florida highway heading to Miami. Sadly, Walker’s bike didn’t have headlights and he wasn’t wearing a helmet. He suffered severe head trauma that the doctors couldn’t relieve. Walker’s agent Ron Butler told the Miami Herald, “The doctors tried to get the swelling down but I guess his brain went too long without oxygen.”
In a statement, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, “Tray was a young man with a good and kind heart. “He was humble and loved everything about being part of the Ravens’ team. He loved his teammates, the practice and the preparation, and that showed every day. He was coachable, did his most to improve and worked to become the best. I’ll never forget that smile. He always seemed to be next to me during the national anthem; then we would give each other a big hug. May he rest in the Peace of Christ Jesus forever.”
We send our deepest condolences to the Waker family. (ESPN)
The Obamacare Kid Comes Out As Transgender Teen
Marcelas Owens, the tiny health activist who stood by President Obama as he signed the Affordable Care Act isn’t what we recall from 2010. What we believed to be an adorable 11-year-old boy is now a beautiful 17-year old transgender woman, CNN reported.
While for us this may be a huge change, but Marcelas told CNN she has long identified as a female. “I’m going through a reinvention process,” she says. “I’m growing into adulthood. I’m not the Obamacare kid anymore.”
Marcelas does what every other teen does: “She listens to hip-hop artist Drake and Michael Jackson. Hangs out at the mall with friends. Even writes songs to express what she struggles to say to others in conversations,” CNN noted. Yet, her coming out wasn’t easy, especially for her own grandmother. Gina Owens admitted that she had serious issues with it, but has now come around to accept for Marcelas for who she is.
On Marcelas 17th birthday, Owens wrote the following on her Facebook page:
“My grandson is on a new journey in life… I am so happy that SHE has trusted our relationship enough where SHE felt more comfortable sharing with me first; BEFORE the rest of the world… I give my heart & blessing to HER. I LOVE YOU AND YOUR COURAGE IN LIFE, MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW. Walk your journey in love & light.”
That’s what love and acceptance looks like folks. (CNN)
Is Joy Reid Taking Over MHP’s Time Slot At MSNBC?
According to Mediaite, journalist and former managing editor of The Grio, is in talks with MSNBC to take over Melissa Harris Perry’s former weekend time slot. Last month, MHP abruptly walked away from show claiming it had been hijacked by the network and that racism was an underlying factor in her mistreatment.
“I will not be used as a tool for their purposes,” Harris-Perry wrote of MSNBC in an email to her staff that went public. “I am not a token, mammy, or little brown bobble head. I am not owned by Lack, Griffin or MSNBC.”
MHP was one of few people of color to have shows on the network.
Reid, who currently fills in for other anchors and has some presidential campaign reporting, had her own show on the cable news network, but it was cancelled last year due to low-ratings. MSNBC has yet to comment on whether they are handing this time slot over to Reid.
FYI: Mediaite also said that MHP was going to work for Fusion, which MHP confirmed wasn’t rue. So time will tell if this actually happens. (Mediaite)
Maryland Vote To Take “Northern Scum” Lyric Out Of State Song
In a 37-8 vote, Maryland lawmakers have decided to rewrite their state song to remove all Confederate references.
“Maryland, My Maryland” dates back to the Pre-Civil War era and includes lyrics like “Northern scum,” calling President Abraham Lincoln a “despot” and other potentially insensitive and racist phrases, “NBC Washington News reported. The state song was written in 1861 by James Ryder Randall who was grieving the death of his friend who had been killed in the Civil War.
“I think it’s time to get rid of the verse that basically criticizes and makes us look bad,” said Sen. Ronald N. Young. “The [song] is degrading to Maryland and should not represent us moving forward.”
Some lawmakers, such as Sen. Robert G. Cassilly, who oppose the bill claim that by removing the words, this generation cannot learn from the past mistakes. Cassilly told the Washington Post that while their state has “bad blemishes”, this should “use[d] it as a teaching point and move forward. . . . The idea of excising our history, that’s not America.”
Now, the House has to vote on this measure. (NBC Washington) (Washington Post)
Baltimore Ravens’ Tray Walker Dies In Dirt Bike Accident was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
