Movie Review: The Right to Read

by Kadjata Bah, age 18

A new documentary film called The Right to Read adds to growing national debates about literacy and the science of reading. This timely and compelling film is streaming for free until March 9, 2023.

Directed by Jenny Mackenzie and produced by LeVar Burton, the film follows a long-time activist, a teacher, and two families as they navigate the future of education.

Kareem Weaver is an Oakland-based activist with the NAACP. He is an experienced educator, and his mission is to create a world where 95% of children can read. Working with Sabrina Causey, a rookie first grade teacher in Oakland, the two make a case for a new curriculum for their students based in the science of reading. [Read More]

New Nigerian Music Genre Makes its Way to the Mainstream

by Aissata Bah, age 12

A new musical genre, Afrobeat, is reaching the music charts. Making its way from Lagos, Nigeria, it continues growing off its successes.

Afrobeat has a clear, distinct sound that many people recognize. It is characterized by its complex rhythms, heavy percussion, repeating vocals and pidgin English. The genre has upbeat, fun, energetic melodies that get people dancing around the world.

One of the most recognizable Afrobeat artists is Wizkid, also known as Starboy. He became known internationally by the song, “One Dance,” a song in which he was featured. But it goes further than that. He debuted an album, “Star Boy,” in 2011 and soon became the first Nigerian musician to get over a million followers on Twitter in 2014. One of Nigeria’s leading female Afrobeat singers, Tiwa Savage, had struggled gaining popularity due to the genre being a heavily male-dominated music scene. However, she is one of the most prominent artists in Afrobeat today, winning Best African Act of the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards. With his debut album “Omo Baba Omolo,” the artist Davido quickly rose to popularity in 2011. [Read More]

Who Created These Mysterious Pillars in Ireland?

by Jonah Smith, age 14

Strange pillars reside in County Antrim, Ireland. They have an unusual shape that appears to be man made. These tightly wedged pillars descend in tiers, in a staircase all the way down to the sea. These columns are mostly hexagonal, though the number of sides these structures have may vary. Although their shape implies that they are manufactured, the complete opposite is true.

There are similar structures such as the Giant’s Causeway in Scotland or Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. With having so many of these unexplained structures around the world, myths for how they were made arose. For the Giant’s Causeway, it is said [locally] that the Irish giant, Finn Mac Cool, drove the columns into the sea one by one so that he could walk to Scotland to fight his rival. These exciting stories theorizing their construction adds new life and attractiveness to these beautiful structures.

The creation of these abnormalities is way more complex than it might seem. During the period where North America and Europe recently split up, the new North Atlantic Ocean in between the two was still a developing feature. The northern area of both Europe and North America was in place, but the body of water still had to form the edges of these continents. The western coast of Greenland separated from Canada around 80 million years ago, but the southwestern coast was still firmly attached to the opposing northwestern coast of the British Isles. 20 million years later, these coasts began to separate and there were major volcanoes in place of a few Scottish islands. [Read More]

Puss in Boots Sequel Set to Air Late 2022

by Amare Smith, age 18

In 2011, the Puss in Boots movie was released. It was a spinoff of the hit movie “Shrek.” Since the film's release, many films have been made and displayed on Netflix. Ten years later, Puss in Boots finally has its sequel! The sequel will center around Puss getting his nine lives back after losing eight. To get his lives back, he must go on a journey to find a genie to grant him a wish.

Before his own movie, Puss was one of the main characters in the Shrek franchise, appearing in Shrek’s second film “Shrek 2,” “Shrek the Third,” and “Shrek Forever After.” Puss’ popularity increased so much that he went on to star in his own film, with the release of his next movie, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Puss is looking to start a franchise of his own.

If you’re a fan of Puss in Boots, you should be on the lookout for the Puss in Boots sequel which is currently set to release before the end of 2022! [Read More]

How K-Pop Dominated the Music Scene

by Aissata Bah, age 12

BTS is not your usual boy band like One Direction or Backstreet Boys. BTS is a K-pop group that sings most of their songs in Korean. This expansive genre trails back to the mid-20th century.

K-pop first started in the 1950s with a girl group called The Kim Sisters. They achieved their fame in America by singing American songs. The Kim Sisters became the first South Korean music group to achieve success in the U.S. Through generations, K-pop has evolved into a genre that encompasses a collection of sounds that is more complex than typical western pop.

From the 1970s to the early 2000s, K-pop was really popular. Throughout the 1970s, political activism was very important and K-pop artists would add topics ranging from anti-bullying to social consciousness to their lyrics. Then, the 1990s had the creation of the first group similar to the music scene today, Seo Taiji and the Boys, using American-style music and Hip-Hop choreography. With that, the first generation of K-pop stardom was founded, with genre-bending music, attractive performers, flawless appearances, and intricate choreography. [Read More]

Science Fiction Writer, Octavia Butler, Recognized by NASA

by Elim Eyobed, age 11

Who is your favorite writer? Hemingway? Shakespeare? Well, one great writer you may have never heard of is Octavia E. Butler. Butler was an esteemed African American author who was recently recognized by NASA for her groundbreaking talents. NASA scientists even named a Mars landing site after her.

Butler was raised by her mother and grandmother and was extremely shy as a child. When she was 12 years old, Butler started to read fantasy books, and later wrote science fiction when she was a teenager. The science fiction she wrote helped make her a very strong writer. In fact, she became such a powerful writer that her books won the New York Times Notable Book of the Year award, The Nebula award for the best science fiction novel published in that year, and the Macarthur Genius Grant.

During the 1960’s, Butler attended college at Pasadena City College, California State University, and the University of California. She wasn't a good student in particular, but an avid one. While in Washington, Butler participated in the Black Power movement. She became familiar with The Clarion West Workshop, which was a well-known place for writers. [Read More]

Learn the Tragic Story Behind the Monstrous Medusa

by Anissa Attidekou, age 12

Medusa: the most common thought would be a hideous woman with snakes for hair. Believe it or not, Medusa was not always like this. Her story is a long and heartbreaking one.

There is no clarification in Greek mythology on when Medusa was born. Medusa was one of three sisters known as the Gorgons. Medusa was the only mortal of the three sisters. Medusa’s sisters were Stheno and Euryale. According to Greek sources, they were all children of the sea deities: Phorkys and his sister, Keto. Before Medusa turned into the ugly snake-for-hair monster, she was actually a very beautiful priestess. She was just as beautiful as Athena – Goddess of war and wisdom. Many even believed she was prettier. Athena often overheard the mortals talking about Medusa, eventually she grew envious of her, but she never acted on the jealousy she had for Medusa. Men wanted Medusa to be their wife. Women were resentful of her. But Medusa paid no attention to the emotions being thrown at her. She wanted to remain a virgin like the Goddess Athena. Medusa also worked as a priestess in Athena’s temple. [Read More]

Horus: God of the Sky and Egyptian Avenger

by Anissa Attidekou, age 12

Horus, the infamous God, was one of the first of five gods in Egyptian Mythology. Horus was worshiped everywhere in Egypt as the God of the sky. In Egyptian mythology, Horus always appeared handsome with a falcon head. Sometimes he even appeared as a falcon-headed crocodile.

Horus is the son of Isis, Goddess of Fertility, and Osiris, God of the Underworld. Horus was born after his uncle Seth – God of War, Chaos and Storms – murdered his father. According to myth, Isis fled from Seth and hid herself in the marshes of the Nile river and gave birth to Horus.

When Horus came of age, he fought in a battle with his uncle to avenge his father’s death. During battle Horus lost his left eye. According to Egyptian myth, the eye set out on a journey of its own. When other gods tried to catch the eye, it started to cry. The tears of the eye became the first people of Egypt. The eye had multiple names: the eye of Horus, wadjet eye, wedjat eye, or the udjat eye. It was then used as an ancient symbol of protection, royal power, and good health. The eye of Horus was then restored by Hathor. After the restoration, this act became a symbol for the process of healing. [Read More]