*By Madison Alworth*
The actress Yara Shahidi, star of the ABC shows "Black-ish" and "Grown-ish," is taking up a new cause to help young people work toward the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Shahidi joined "Little x Little," a public awareness campaign to rally members of Generation Z to take actions that will make a difference ー recycling, saving water, pitching in to clean up communities.
"For me and my family we've been looking for new ways to invest in our community," said Shahidi. "And of course I have my [Eighteen x 18](https://www.eighteenx18.com/) initiative as well."
That initiative, in conjunction with the social news site [NowThis] (https://nowthisnews.com), aims to get 18 year-olds registered to vote before the midterm elections in November. Shahidi, who turned 18 in February, will take over the NowThis social accounts for an online voter awareness drive.
"It's about voter education," said Shahidi. "Often times, a child is viewed as the anomaly if they are engaged in politics. So what we wanted to do with Eighteen x 18 and in particular with our partnership with NowThis, was to make news digestible. To make the topics that we're already rallying for and calling our senators about digestible in a way that it translates to policy change."
Before the midterms elections, Shahidi will start her freshman year at Harvard.
"I'm really excited for the absurd small classes I get to take," she said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/yara-shahidis-new-leading-role).
Jill and Carlo cover the latest with the infrastructure bill, the growing state rebellion over boosters, Trump's dereliction of duty on the pandemic, Taylor Swift's reign of cultural domination and more.
Danielle Mone Truitt, the actress who stars as Sergeant Ayanna Bell and partner to Chris Meloni's Elliot Stabler in the latest series in the Dick Wolf universe, joined Cheddar to discuss her leading role.
2021 has been the year of many things, and one of them is the NFT or non-fungible token. We've seen NFTs come about for so many different things.
Digital artists have used them to sell their artwork in a more traditional art transaction than the internet had previously allowed. We've seen specific NFT campaigns like the pudgy penguins amass large followings. And now we're seeing them expand into horror films just in time for spooky season.
The iconic horror movie franchise "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has launched its debut NFT line entitled "Leatherfaces." the illustrations are designed by Skinner in partnership with Ultra Rare to reveal a total of over 10,000 Leatherface avatars. The collection gives fans, NFT fiends and blockchain fanatics access to a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre metaverse unlike any that has been seen before.
Richie Hobson, co-founder of Ultra Rare, joins None of the Above to discuss.
The USO is hosting a 72 hour streamathon on Twitch called #OperationPlayItForward, and is tapping into Gen Z superstars and gamers to raise money for the organization through the power of the esports community. The goal here is to help support both the new generation of troops and their families. Director of Global Gaming Operations at USO Callum Fletcher and Former UFC Lightweight Champ and Twitch Partner Jens Pulver, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse joined Cheddar to discuss the latest push to get rid of Daylight Savings Time. A practice where several say can cause havoc on one's sleeping schedule and cause disruptions to our economy.
The past decade or so has been a has seen massive change-- usually good-- for the LGBTQ+ community. Same-sex marriage has seen broader acceptance, and there's been increased conversation about the reality of gender identity. Now, folks who don't identify as male or female can travel while staying true to their more authentic self.
The Biden administration has issued the first passport with a gender-neutral designation "X." the passport was issued to Dana Zzyym, an intersex activist from Colorado, after a long legal battle with the state department in which Zzyym argued they shouldn't be required to lie about their identity on their passport. Advocates for such changes have applauded the move, saying it will allow people who don't identify as male or female to travel the globe in a more safe and visible way.
Paul Castillo, counsel at Lambda Legal and Zzyym's attorney in this case, joins None of the Above to discuss.
The Biden Administration has announced its latest plans to support veterans who had been exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits. According to several veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, a number of them were exposed to hour-long periods of burn pits. As a result, many of them say they have suffered from severe life-long side effects. Co-founder at Burn Pits 360 Le Roy Torres, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
If you've been to the grocery store lately you may have noticed that your grocery store bill is higher than usual. It looks like prices aren't slowing down anytime soon. According to recent data, inflation has spiked to a 30- year high. Editor-in-Chief from Investopedia Caleb Silver, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
On this episode of 'Your Future Home', Chip Wade, Emmy Award-winning HGTV Host, breaks down all the ways you can avoid breaking the bank on energy costs this holiday season, especially when it comes to outfitting your home with smart tech; Dr. Wendy Osefo, Entrepreneur, Professor & Cast Member of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Potomac', discusses her popular new Onyi Home Essentials line and how ideas of family and legacy helped shape it; Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know about how to determine your non-negotiables when purchasing a house.
