"When Bill O'Reilly insulted Rep. Maxine Water's hair and White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporter April Ryan to "stop shaking your head," the comments by the two white men hit a nerve.
"Black women — who often face a one-two punch of racism and sexism in their daily lives — immediately took to social media using the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork to air out their grievances, including those about other women.
" 'The things that black women need to push for are quite different than what we think of as the mainstream feminist movement,' said Sheri Parks, a professor of American studies at the University of Maryland and author of Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture."
"The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities are two of 17 federal agencies that appear to be targeted by the Trump administration for elimination, as its budget inclinations lean heavily toward defense spending. The state of Maryland funded arts institutions at the highest level ever last year, and the Governor has proposed an additional $1 million this year, bringing the allocation for the arts to $21 million in Fiscal Year 2018. Ironically, Baltimore City Schools are facing drastic cuts. Principals looking to trim expenses, may have to make cuts to music and visual arts programs.
"An organization called Arts Every Day is holding a symposium this weekend that will call attention to the role that arts education plays in boosting attendance, improving test scores and making schools vibrant parts of their communities.
"Tom and Dr. Sheri Parks speak with arts educators and advocates about what the arts can do for kids and their families. They also talk about the cost of funding arts programs and if that cost is worth it when belts are being tightened locally and nationally."