DISGRASIAN™

Meet The First Asian American Gold Medalist, 91 Year-Old Sammy Lee

The last time the Olympics were in London in 1948 was also the first time an Asian American won a gold medal in the Games. That distinction belongs to 91 year-old Dr. Samuel “Sammy” Lee, who was born in Fresno, CA and is of Korean descent.

From Time Lightbox via Wired:

Dr. Samuel “Sammy” Lee, 91, was the first Asian-American to win an Olympic gold Continue reading Meet The First Asian American Gold Medalist, 91 Year-Old Sammy Lee

Filed under: 2012 London Olympics, 2012 Olympics, Amazians, Asian American Athletes, Asian American Doctors, Asian American Gold Medalists, Asian American Olympians, Californiasians, firsts, Greg Louganis, Greg Louganis Coach, Heroes, Inspirasians, K-Town, Korean War Veterans, Korean-Americans, London Olympic Games 1948, OGs, Olympic Divers, Olympic Gold Medalists, Pioneers, Sammy Lee, Samuel "Sammy" Lee, Segregation, The Korean War, the Olympics, Trailblazers

On MLK Day, A Question: Are We Moving Forward?

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

American schools today are more segregated than when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, 43 years ago. [WaPo]

Some public schools in Georgia and the Carolinas are sending kids to school today to make up for snow days. [ABC]

Chicago’s all-black Providence St. Mel High School, which has graduated 100 percent of its students for the last 30 years, has kept its doors open every year since January 17, MLK’s birthday, became a national holiday. Renowned educator, Paul J. Adams III, the school’s founder and president, says, “I find it the most ridiculous thing in the world that schools are closed to commemorate his birthday. To me, it’s disrespectful, especially in the black community, when our children are behind.” [HuffPo]

Will race matter less to our children? And how do parents teach them about it? By our friend Oliver Wang, guest-blogging for Ta-Nehisi Coates. [The Atlantic]

Then and Now: caption this photo over at The Root

After declining an invitation to an MLK Day event–telling critics to “kiss my butt”–and dubbing the NAACP a “special interest group,” newly sworn-in Tea Party governor of Maine, Paul LePage, backtracks…a little. [Reuters]

Contemporaries of Dr. King discuss how the hateful political rhetoric of today echoes that of the civil rights movement’s dark days. [CNN]

How the right-wing co-opted Dr. King’s legacy in 2010. [Colorlines]

Source

Thanks, John Minh, N’jaila, Marc, Josh, Joseph!

Filed under: Civil Rights, Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Education, Educators, Hateful Political Rhetoric, Martin Luther King Day, Martin Luther King Holiday, Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Martin Luther King's Legacy, MLK Day, National Holidays, Race, Race in America, Racism, Regression, Schools and Segregation, Segregation