After two years of analyzing fossil remains found in a South African cave, archaeologists have announced that they’ve found a new kin to the human species, the Homo naledi. More than 1,500 pieces of bone and teeth were recovered in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Scientists are saying this is the largest hominin fossil discovery like this in Africa. Read more at the Washington Post.
Up Next: Obama Unveils A New Plan To Provide Free College Education With Our Favorite Comedians
Obama, Louie C.K. And Chris Rock Join Forces To Roll Out Plan For Free College Tuition
Yesterday, the White House announced the Heads Up America campaign geared towards alleviating the cost of college for more Americans. This is a continuation of President Barack Obama’s previously announced plan to offer two years of college tuition for high-achieving community college students going after their bachelor’s degree at a four-year university. Obama enlisted Huge, a digital agency to design the website for the campaign, to create branded marketing materials that can build awareness of campaign efforts and to amplify his savviness in using digital platforms to access a young, targeted audience.
In the PSA, Obama explains that he is looking to update America’s offering of a free high school education for every citizens that was mandated 100 years ago. By making free education accessible to more advanced institutions today, residents will be able to keep up with the demands for employment in the 21st century and more easily achieve middle class status. Celebrities like Chris Rock and Louie C.K. have joined the project, showing their support in videos for the campaign. Read more at Quartz.
Up Next: Obama Awards One Of Today’s Most African American Scholars A National Humanities Medal
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham Receives One Of America’s Highest Honors In The Humanities
Congratulations to Scholar Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, one of the country’s most respected scholars in history and African and African American Studies. She’ll be receiving a National Humanities Medal from the White House alongside other greats like authors Jhumpa Lahiri and Annie Dillard. The National Endowment for the Humanities that is behind the medal was formed by Congress to provide grants celebrating innovation in the arts while spreading awareness on history, literature, philosophy and language. This year, the NEH is marking its 50th Anniversary. Read more at the New York Times.
Up Next: CA Lawmakers Vote To Ban Confederate Names From Public Buildings
Debate To Ban Confederate Names From Public Buildings Sparks Tension In CA Government
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty
On Tuesday, California’s Senate voted in a landslide (31-2) to ban names of figures from the Confederacy from public buildings. Now Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, is reviewing the decision. The vote comes after the tragic massacre at Charleston’s AME Church, a shooting allegedly committed by Confederate enthusiast Dylann Roof. Supporters of the ban say it is necessary to undo local practices of celebrating figures who championed the enslavement of Africans during the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. However, opponents are concerned that the measure will encourage a “revisionist” look at the state’s past. Read more at the Huffington Post.
