On a Positive Note: Long Island Gymnast Continues Down Historic Path at HBCU
Daily news headlines can often be jarring, overwhelming and leave people feeling a sense of hopelessness, but Cheddar News is looking to capture those feel good moments as well.
Kayla McDonald, 19, a budding collegiate gymnast, is paving her own path and doing it with some history tacked along. McDonald and her Fisk University teammates have become the first historically Black college or university to compete in gymnastics at the collegiate level. She said she and her teammates initially didn't realize how big of a deal it was until they started going viral on social media.
McDonald's historic path to collegiate gymnastics didn't just begin at Fisk. She was the first person from Long Island's Valley Stream South High School to ever compete in state competition for four consecutive years and achieve All-American status. Former teammates even expressed their admiration for her and achievements. "There's just very few people who look like you doing it, so when it comes to that, it's so nice to have other people look like you, doing it and that you can share that moment with," Milan Morris, former high school teammate, said.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy died after he was shot in his patrol car Saturday evening by an unknown assailant, and an investigation is underway that the sheriff said will press all of the department’s resources into action.
Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone magazine and also was a co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has been removed from the hall's board of directors after making comments that were seen as disparaging toward Black and female musicians. He apologized within hours.
Three British news organizations reported Saturday that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.
