Despite a perception that the world of gaming is driven still entirely by men and isn't a welcome space for women, WNBA champion and Washington Mystics forward Aerial Powers said she's carving a lane for women to flourish in the space.
In a partnership with esports organization Team Liquid, Powers explained how she is working to make the gaming world more inclusive through initiatives that champion women players.
"Something I did [last year] was the Powerz Up 2K tournament. It just allowed people to see that these women have the opportunity and visibility to actually be gamers in the space," she said. "So doing things like that with the diversity and inclusion task force that I'm provided with [from] Team Liquid will change the narrative altogether."
When it comes to gaming, women, and in particular women of color, often face excessive harassment. For Powers, who admitted to experiencing her share of trolling, abilities speak louder than the criticism.
"I'm a professional athlete. I have a voice, and a lot of these young ladies that play don't have as big of a voice. So I feel like I have an opportunity here to change and make change and that's exactly what I'm doing," she said. "Harassment does happen, and I'm here to stop it."
According to a statement from Team Liquid, as chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, Powers will strategize ways to boost support for women gamers. The star forward will also be hitting the sticks in her own livestream series on Twitch.
Grace Harry, a former entertainment executive and author of "The Joy Strategist," joined Cheddar News to discuss her goal of helping people redefine the meaning of joy and happiness.
The chief suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway has admitted he beat the young Alabama woman to death on a beach in Aruba after she refused his advances. New details in the killing emerged Wednesday as Joran Van der Sloot pleaded guilty to extorting Holloway's mother, resolving a case that has captivated the public’s attention for nearly 20 years.
The trial of a Fugees rapper, who was convicted this year in multimillion-dollar political conspiracies, stretched across the worlds of politics and entertainment — and now the case is touching on the tech world with arguments that his defense attorney bungled the case, in part, by using an artificial intelligence program to write his closing arguments.
Israel said Wednesday that it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the first crack in a 10-day siege on the territory. Palestinians reeled from a massive blast at a Gaza City hospital that killed hundreds the day before and grew increasingly desperate as food and water supplies ran out.
