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Recy Taylor To Be Honored By CBC

The Congressional Black Caucus will honor civil rights activist Recy Taylor with red pins at the upcoming State of The Union on January 30, USA Today reported. New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is spearheading the commemoration of Taylor.

“We cannot forget the many marginalized women who have spoken up, spoken out and have long been ignored,” Watson Coleman, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, tweeted late Wednesday. “In this effort, we must also acknowledge the inequities in acknowledging our suffering and the failure of judicial system in administering justice.”

Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore also tweeted that she will also remember Taylor with a red pin.

Taylor helped to push the civil rights movement in motion after she was raped by several White men in Alabama in 1944. She was 24. She died December 28 at the age of 97, remembered by many for her courage in reporting the crime despite major death threats decades ago. Oprah saluted Taylor in her Golden Globes speech on Sunday night.

MLK’s Birthplace Designed A National Park

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace was redesigned as a national park in time for the MLK holiday on Monday, The Hill reported. His birthplace in the Auburn district of Atlanta, Georgia had already been considered a national historic site.

Georgia Rep. John Lewis introduced the measure, which was made official with a presidential signing aboard Air Force One attended by King’s niece, Alveda King.

“Through his life and work, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made America more just and free,” White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One. “This important historical park tells his story, and this bill will help ensure that the park continues to tell Dr. King’s story for generations to come.”

Hattie McDaniel Biopic On The Way

A biopic about the life of Hattie McDaniel is in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. McDaniel was the first Black actress to win an Oscar.

McDaniel began her career as a Vaudeville performer. She acted in several films in the 1930s, but is best known for her role in Gone With the Wind, which won her an Academy Award for best-supporting actress in 1940. Her stereotypical characters, oftentimes a variation of a Mammy, have been the subjects of debates over the decades. McDaniel is credited with opening Hollywood’s eyes to later creating more multidimensional roles for African-Americans, THR reported.

SEE ALSO:

RIP: Brave Civil Rights Activist Recy Taylor Dies

Let’s Honor The Overlooked Mothers Of The Civil Rights Movement

The Wake Up: CBC To Honor Recy Taylor; MLK’s National Park And Hattie McDaniel Biopic In The Works  was originally published on newsone.com