Category Archives: Freedom

By Arthur C. Fleming

African American civil rights leaders and organizations must move from the conflicted leadership model to a de-conflicted leadership that will allow coalition building around issues of common interest based on the community good.

For context, Im an air force veteran, life member NAACP, life member Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and a coalition member of the Poor People Campaign, with a degree in operations and production management from Texas A&M, Commerce.

What is leadership? Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and guide followers or members of an organization, society or team, as defined by TechTarget.

What is conflicted leadership? Conflicted leadership is when organizations or leaders have the same or similar issues and goals, but because of organizational culture and/or history, never developed the communications infrastructure to coordinate ideas when addressing the same or similar issues at the grassroots level.

What is de-conflicted leadership? The Devine Nine Black Greek organizational structure is an excellent example of de-conflicted leadership and coalition leadership combined for the community good.

First, you have nine organizations whose main goals are similar or the same (de-conflicted), which is service, and servant leadership for the African American communities.The Black Greek organizations comprised of nine organizations with similar goals and aims, coalition together as a group called Panhellenic, for the community good. The Devine Nine, through the Panhellenic, coordinate activities with the common interests of all nine organizations in mind.

African American civil rights leadership organizations and institutions can take a page from the Devine Nine.

The NAACP, Urban League, National Action Network, Black Greek National Panhellenic, Operation Push and other Afrocentric organizations have developed their cultural identities and ways of knowing and doing that make grassroots coalition building difficult because of their strong political and corporate sensibilities.

To be clear, Im not saying these organizations are not doing the work. Im saying the work needs to be focused at the grassroots level but with support from the corporate level.I recently re-posted National Action Networks Convention, where NAACP National President Derrick Johnson spoke.

Our major civil rights organizations are communicating at the national level, but coalition building and leadership resources are needed at the grassroots level. With my experience as a community organizer for four decades in Dallas, I say, there is no consistent grassroots coalitions building to work on issues of common concern for the community good.

Our civil rights organizations and legacy institutions leadership responsibilities in this moment of movement include understanding the needs of grassroots activists for more material and moral support to create the infrastructure to communicate the sense of urgency needed to confront rising fascism in America.

The most effective communication infrastructure for Freedom Rides 2.0 is grassroots up. The community Grassroots Up Movement is waiting on leadership to lead. The most successful movements in history have been grassroots inspired, not corporate inspired.Freedom Rides 2.0 movement leadership must be de-conflicted, not just in America, but globally to reflect our African roots, both in Africa and South America.

Lets build global bridges leading to our empowerment as global citizens as this new world forms right before our consciousness.

The lack of a sense of urgency from our national organizations leadership means, once again, the grassroots must lead.

Arican American legacy institutions must de-conflict and come together to create a meta space to safeguard community communications infrastructure.

We are entering into the age of AI with a constant influx of new technology on the scene. The African American communities are in need of education about the impact of this technology on its community in the immediate future.

Our African American children must see us fighting for them at this moment in America so they can learn how to fight for themselves. Lets be our childrens examples and finish what our ancestors started: The march towards freedom.

Arthur C. Fleming: the fierce urgency of now

Born in Ennis, Texas and a product of Ennis I.S.D., Arthur later joined the United States Air Force (USAF 1971-75) as an aircraft mechanic. During his college years at East Texas State, where he now holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, he worked for E-Systems in Greenville. There, he filed an EEO complaint for its hiring and promotion practices, resulting in a self-nomination program that allowed employees to apply for promotion without having to secure a sponsor. During this time, he also became a member of Z.T. Chapter Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and he remains an active lifetime member of Alpha Sigma Lambda (Dallas).

In 1980, he became a charter member of the NAACP-ETSU/A&M Commerce Chapter. A member for over 35 years, he has held executive positions in Youth Works, as Communications Chair, as Editor for NAACP-Dallas the Vision Newsletter, and as recent past President (2015-16). His work with the NAACP included removal of a confederate flag and statue of Robert E. Lee at Six Flags over Texas, securing funding for southern sector school improvements, and leading in the school water campaign. He received Texas State Conference Torchbearer Awards in 1997, 2001, and 2015 and 2016.

From (1987-95), Arthur worked as a juvenile detention officer for Dallas County and served as AFME Union Steward. In his union role, Arthur provided leadership that lead to a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit, resulting in employees recovering three years of back overtime pay and leading to changes in promotion-from-within policies.Arthur brings leadership that is currently being called upon to help take us to a new place in our American diaspra.

CIVIL RIGHTS FREEDOM RIDES 2.0

Arthur Fleming Arthur fleming

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Freedom Rides 2.0: Civil rights organizations and institutional ... - Northdallasgazette

If you posted gameplay or fanart - or really, anything at all - about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild over the past six years, congrats: you may have had a small hand in influencing its sequel.

In a long interview published by Nintendo, producer Eiji Aonuma, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and designer Satoru Takizawa talked about how the reaction to the previous game guided their approach to Tears of the Kingdom, and how it encouraged them to give players even more freedom.

When asked if they ever watch fan gameplay videos, Aonuma answered, there was some talk about them among the development team.

The direction of giving players the freedom to do anything in this game came about precisely because of the reactions of people who played the last game, he said.

Even though it's been six years since the last title was released, many fans still post drawings, comments and videos on social media, Takizawa added. Especially when the team is facing difficulties during development, these things light up the eyes of our staff and make them think, Alright, let's show 'em what we've got!

After all three thanked the fans, Aonuma went into more detail about how the reception to past Zelda games impacted their approach to Tears of the Kingdoms puzzles.

I've seen some fans say that the Legend of Zelda games make them feel like they're the only player to have solved the puzzle, and that's what they like about the series, he said. I think letting players come up with their own solutions to puzzles gives them a stronger sense of being the only one to have figured them out than if we got them to use pre-defined solutions. In a sense, this is something unique to the Legend of Zelda series, and I think it's something that's brought out even more in this title.

Elsewhere in the interview, they also gave advice to those whove been eagerly awaiting to start playing tonight - especially since Aonuma has finished Tears of the Kingdom 20 times already.

That sense of freedom and exploration is certainly something thats come up a lot around Tears of the Kingdom, with IGNs Tom Marks writing in his 10/10 review that it both revamps old ground and introduces vast new areas so immense it somehow makes me wonder if Breath of the Wild was actually all that big.

For even more on Tears of the Kingdom while you wait to start playing, check out our spoiler-free preview. And once you do dive into Hyrule all over again, be sure to keep up with our guide pages to help you out with all that exploration.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Tears of the Kingdom's Focus on Freedom Was a Direct Reaction to ... - IGN

Published: May 11, 2023 04:20 PM

The following letter has been received for publication in The Newtown Bee:

This is an open letter to education supporters, book lovers, lifelong learners, upholders of the First Amendment, and all of my parent friends who assuredly believe nothing like book banning could ever happen in Newtown. This is a letter to neighbors who are not typically political, who believe whats right always wins out in the end, who feel confident a Board of Education in Connecticut in the year 2023 would never limit our childrens access to books, of all things. Your voice is needed now more than ever because once books are removed from our library shelves, the quality of our school system that brought many of you to Newtown will be irrevocably changed.

This letter is not intended to persuade anyone who subscribes to the belief that the singular goal of our dedicated professional school staff is to indoctrinate. I am not writing to those who have labeled award-winning YA graphic novels pornography. If you have commented online suggesting librarians are groomers and those who call for the Board to be transparent and ethical are whiny, your views are shaped by an ideology into which I have no interest wading.

Some parents consider Flamer to be in poor taste or think their children are not mature enough for the content. It appears, though, that this genuine concern has been stoked by national organizations who are fostering mistrust in our educational system. These books were not checked out from the NHS library. Parents did not stumble across kids reading them. No student unwittingly picked up the book, flipped to a panel, and expressed emotional damage from what he saw.

I am troubled by a pattern Ive noticed of divorcing words from their meanings. Some Board members have proposed we stop using words like diversity and equity to promote concepts like diversity and equity because the words themselves are polarizing and partisan. These same Board members are now arguing we should not use the word ban, as its polarizing nature shuts down rational discourse. But legal precedent establishes that book banning occurs when government officials remove books from library shelves, and this is exactly what a vote against the Special Committee is poised to do. As a Board member, if you are uncomfortable with the term book banning, you should also be uncomfortable with voting against the unanimous decision by professionals who did their due diligence and deemed these books appropriate for our public high school library.

Running for public office is a thankless job, and I believe what motivates most people to do so is a deep desire to serve their community; however, allowing one persons idea of morality and decency to govern access for all sets a dangerous precedent. Please send an email to the Board of Education and show up at their meeting on May 16 in support of our childrens freedom to read.

Sayward Parsons

Sandy Hook

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Support Children's Freedom To Read - The Newtown Bee

I know theres never been a better time to be a Black mother, even though it doesnt always feel like it.

I often reflect on how small things, like my children playing loudly in our backyard, would be impossible in a different time or place. My heart aches knowing I experience a level of freedom and agency the mothers in my lineage couldnt visualize, let alone exercise. Still, the artifacts of injustice dont feel distant. I see the afterimage of whites only signs every time I blink. I lose my breath calculating how Id explain such an explicit color line to my children, though todays covert line is equally overwhelming. And while so many things are better, so much feels the same.

I found the thread that helped me make sense of this feeling during graduate school. The exact moment I learned of partus sequitur ventrem, an English legal doctrine passed in 1662 that loosely translates to the status of the child follows the mother, escapes me now. But I remember feeling something shift. I felt like I had learned the answer to a question I hadnt known to ask. I recognized this revelation as a through line, equally past and present, and sensed Id encountered the most crucial mothering lesson of my life.

Enslavers created the principle to enshrine the relationship between race and slavery. It solidified enslaved women as capable of giving birth but never truly mothers and created a binary between white and Black wombs: The former held an unborn human; the latter was a queue for chattel.

I wanted to parent in resistance. But I found mothering in anticipation of harm made me tired.

Partus sequitur ventrem explained why the Black mothering experience felt inseparable from narratives of hypervigilance and trauma. The doctrine captivated and taunted me with reminders of why I wasnt carefree like the white moms I found community with. But it also offered direction in my mothering: I could fight wholeheartedly to free my children. But if I was unfree, my efforts would be futile. Partus sequitur ventrem revealed that my foremothers and I share the goal of raising free Black children despite contextual differences.

AnaNeicia Williams, a licensed clinical social worker certified in perinatal mental health, says that historical circumstances limited Black mothers agency in parenting in every areafrom conception to caring for our children. Often, that involved hard choices. Williams says this history can leave Black mothers with a feeling of powerlessness and the pressure of knowing: I have to keep my children safe, especially when I know the systems are not keeping my children safe.

And still, today, we have so many different reminders and events that the system is not supporting our care and well-being, says Williams. That pressure on us as Black mothers to wonder: If I dont choose my kids, am I also dismissing them like the system is?

Black infants and birthing people today face death-rate disparities comparable to rates during enslavement. Black families are trying to make ends meet as layoffs disproportionately impact Black employees. We are grateful theyre not the identical stressors our ancestors experienced. But painful headlines like those describing the Texas Child Protective Services removing newborn Mila Jackson from her parents care and 16-year-old Ralph Yarl being shot after going to the wrong house reveal that family separation and the dehumanization of Black youth hasnt ended. A lot of us are carrying things that our ancestors and grandmothers didnt get to resolve, says Williams.

It hurts to read the heritability of nonfreedom. Enslavement has ended, but this doesnt feel like freedom. Generations of Black women have tried to pass an inheritance we never held. I wanted to parent in resistance. But I found mothering in anticipation of harm made me tired. It impacted my relationship with myself and my children; I was anxious, irritable, and often depressed.

Dr. Angel Montfort, a licensed clinical psychologist, says putting your mothering identity first is natural. But the pressure to be a good mother can lead to negative emotions, including exhaustion and social isolation. Similarly, parents can experience guilt and shame when they dont meet their own parenting goals and expectations: This can lead to depression, anxiety, or even obsessive-compulsive tendencies, because even though we know perfection does not exist, we continue to hold ourselves to impossibly high standards and judge ourselves harshly when we are unable to meet them.

I know Im the best mother when I start from the inside out.

I found this especially true for marginalized parents. I felt guilty that I wasnt more grateful to mother with new stressors instead of those my grandmother had. Shame told me it was my job to give my children the world because I had unprecedented access. I went through the motions of gentle parentingand the guilt, rage, and shame when I failed. I grew resentful that I wasnt giving my children the soft landing they deserved. But with reflection, I realized that gentle parenting wasnt the problem: I had to start with myself. I needed something that met me where I was. So I built it.

I created a framework called #FreeBlackMotherhood to actively challenge the lineage of partus sequitur ventrem. But I realized perspectives on motherhood disparage all caretakers, albeit to varying degrees. Intensive mothering is the expectation that mothers sacrifice themselves at the altar of motherhood and be judged by their capacity to mother based on race, class, and other parts of identity. This version of mothering weaponizes old harm in new ways. Like the dehumanizing English law of partus sequitur ventrem, intensive mothering reinforces a binary of valid and invalid mothers based on standardized expectations, when, in reality, mothering is subjective.

Williams notes a myriad of personal and familial factorsincluding whether a parenting journey was plannedimpact how we show up as caretakers. She says we need individualized mothering plans in the same way we have individualized education plans for our children. Intensive mothering affirms motherhood, especially Black motherhood, as a site of suffering. It creates a racist, heteronormative, class-based definition of mothering where mothers carry a disproportionate share of the burden. The model also upholds individualized solutions to systemic issues and emphasizes responsibility over joy.

Black motherhood is often seen as a site of crisis, leaving little room for freedom, authenticity, and joy. Once I abandoned binaries, I realized my views didnt conflict with gentle parenting: They conflict with standardized mothering that is rooted in white supremacy and patriarchy. But I know Im the best mother when I start from the inside out.

Montfort affirms that child-centric models, like gentle parenting, are a wonderful way to build secure attachments with our children. But they cant be done at the cost of supporting the self. Placing my needs at the center reminded me its OK to pause and have days I dont feel like mothering. Montfort says scheduling time alone, communicating with your child-rearing support team, and having a therapist can help during rough times.

Like Williams, Montfort supports abandoning a standardized image of mothering. She encourages caretakers to defineor redefinetheir values for themselves instead of basing them on prescribed models. This starts by asking who you want to be and what qualities you want to embody as a parent and taking small steps to get there.

My journey is still unfolding. But Im grateful Ive created a personal mothering practice that resonates with caretakers of diverse identities.

My framework helps me break the binary that racism and intensive mothering created and helps me hold my love for myself and my children simultaneously. It encourages me to abandon the weight of mothering perfectly to reduce systemic harm. But it also reminds all of us that we deserve motherhood rooted in shared responsibility and joy.

The best way to transmit freedom to my children is to hold it myself.

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Finding Freedom in Black Motherhood - YES! Magazine

Mexico City, May 11, 2023Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador must stop making baseless criticisms of local news outlets and the international free expression organization Article 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Since March, Lpez Obrador has sharply criticized Article 19, national investigative magazine Proceso, privately owned online news outlets Animal Poltico and Aristegui Noticias, and Animal Poltico investigative reporter Nayeli Roldn over their coverage of the Mexican federal governments alleged use of illegal spyware.

The presidents statements have led to online abuse and threats of violence against Article 19, the three outlets, and their reporters, according to Roldn, Animal Polticos editorial director Daniel Moreno, and Article 19s regional director Leopoldo Maldonado, who all spoke to CPJ by phone.

Mexican President Lpez Obradors recent attempts to discredit journalist Nayeli Roldn, three critical news outlets, and Article 19 are more proof that his administration prefers harassing journalists over solving the countrys catastrophic press freedom crisis, said CPJ Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen. Lpez Obradors constant verbal attacks on reporters, which serve only as a distraction from the issues they report on, must stop before they lead to further violence against the press.

Since he assumed office in 2018, Lpez Obrador repeatedly stated that his government does not engage in illegal surveillance with spyware and denied that his administration uses such applications for anything other than national security.

However, a series of reports published in March 2023 provided evidence that the Mexican military used Pegasus, a spyware developed by the Israeli NSO group, to monitor conversations between human rights activist Raymundo Ramos and two journalists at the Mexico City newspaper El Universal since 2019.

In a March 10 press briefing, Roldn asked Lpez Obrador about those allegations, to which he responded by saying Roldn was always against his government. When Roldn insisted the military must explain the legal basis for the spying, he accused her of not being objective, and called her unprofessional and part of the tendentious, bribed media.

During an April 28 press conference, the president told reporters that Roldn was paid in 2022 by the National Institute for Access to Information, a federal autonomous body that handles freedom of information requests and regulates the protection of personal data. Lpez Obrador has been highly critical of the institute, which he claims is useless, onerous, opaque, and unnecessarily expensive, and opposes his administration and him personally, according to news reports.

During a May 2 press briefing, Lpez Obrador accused Article 19 of being funded by the U.S. government to work against his government, therefore violating our sovereignty and called the organization interventionist, adding that he would send a diplomatic cable to the U.S. government in protest.

Moreno, Roldn, and Maldonado told CPJ that the presidents remarks have led to many hateful comments on social media against them personally, as well as on websites and social media pages of Article 19, Proceso, Animal Poltico, and Aristegui Noticias.Roldn said she received vicious misogynistic comments, while Maldonado said he and his organization received many threats and statements echoing the presidents comments.

Ive been receiving lots of insults, an increasing number. Id even call it stalking, Roldn told CPJ, adding that the pressure has forced her to keep a lower profile on social media. I cant send out a single tweet without it receiving insults.

Moreno said the presidents comments have made him and his reporters feel less safe, leading some of his reporters to ask not to be named in bylines.

We try to respond to the president, who constantly lies about us and never rectifies false information. His daily press briefing is a far bigger platform than anything we could ever hope to have, Moreno said. We have seen an increase in the number of attacks and insults against us, including social media users openly asking who our family members are to accost them as well.

CPJ contacted presidential spokesperson Jess Ramrez Cuevas for comment via messaging app but did not receive any response.

Mexico was the deadliest country in the Western Hemisphere for journalists in 2022. At least three reporters were murdered in direct connection to their work, and CPJ is investigating another 10 killings to determine the motive.

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Mexican President Lpez Obrador repeatedly criticizes news outlets and press freedom group over spyware coverage - Committee to Protect Journalists

The European Parliament has decried the Algerian authorities crackdown on media freedom, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including journalist Ihsane El-Kadi.In a resolution passed with overwhelming majority, EP urged the Algerian regime to respect press freedom and amend the countrys Penal Code used to criminalise the right to freedom of expression, citing in this regard the case of Kadi who was sentenced to five years in prison with hefty fines on unfounded charges accusing him of having received funds for political propaganda and harming the security of the state.Since the start of the Hirak popular protests in 2019, the situation of media freedom has taken a substantial turn for the worse in Algeria, with the authorities blocking more news sites and publications critical of the government, deplored the resolution.The MEPs urged all EU institutions and member states to openly condemn the crackdown on media freedom in Algeria, while calling on the EU delegation and EU countries embassies on site to request access to imprisoned journalists and observe their trials.The resolution was adopted by 536 votes in favour, 4 against and 18 abstentions. It condemned the shutting down of news websites and publications, and called for the reopening of closed media outlets and an end to the arrests and detention of journalists.Algeria has fallen two places in Reporter Sans Frontieres latest World Press Freedom Index and is now ranked 136th out of 180 countries

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Algeria: European Parliament Slams Press Freedom Violations and ... - The North Africa Post

When reporting on government is a crime

Freedom of expression in Afghanistan was considered one of the great achievements of the U.S. deployment of troops there, but that freedom narrowed after the Taliban retook control over the country and imposed many restrictions on the media and journalists.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has said in a statement that currently Afghan journalists who continue to work there do so under an atmosphere of threat and fear.

Like Kawish, Abdullah Hamim worked as a journalist in Afghanistan for nearly 10 years until he, too, had to flee to Pakistan. But thats not his real name. Because he still fears for his safety, he asked that his real name not be used.

Hamim said that while freedom of speech is considered one of the important parts of a society it is limited in Afghanistan. Whenever there is freedom of speech, it can bring a positive impact on the thinking of a society and the institutionalization of good cultures, he said.

Sohailla Yousofi worked in independent media in Kabul after the Taliban came back to power. But she too fled for Paris. There is no law for freedom of expression in the Taliban government, Yousofi said. Journalists are arrested and imprisoned without any crime.

In the past, she said, journalists could freely report on the corruption of government officials. Now there is no possibility that we choose a subject without the order of the Taliban group, Yousofi said. If the international organizations that support journalists do not support us and the media, we will be removed from society every day and the day will come when the other realities of the society will be hidden.

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Afghanistan: Where free expression costs reporters their freedom - News-Decoder

With access to knowledge under assault across the country, the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department and the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism struck a blow for the freedom to read whatever you like.

Last week, the departments hosted two banned book giveaways as part of theFreedom to LearnNational Day of Action. On May 3, 2023, FGSS and Shapiro Center gave away almost 100 banned books to students, staff, and faculty.

These actions by FGSS and the Shapiro Center engage the university in a nationwide day of resistance against the banning of books that tell truths about gender, sexuality, and race, said Victoria Pitts-Taylor, professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, who organized the event with Merve Emre, director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism.

The books included George M. Johnsons queer of color memoir-manifesto All Boys Arent Blue,Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me,Angie Thomas The Hate U Give,Just Mercy: a Story of Justice and Redemption,and titles by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde and Zora Neale Hurston. FGSS also gave away copies of the graphic memoir Gender Queer, at the top of the list of most banned books in the U.S. for the past several years.

Emre said students responded to the book distribution event with enthusiasm and profound concern. We didnt want to give the books away without a discussion of why each one had been banned, which meant we spent almost an hour analyzing the dishonest rationales of conservative school boards and governorsthe way they code, for instance, writing about both systemic racism and liberatory queerness as inappropriate, Emre said.

National Day of Action was created by the National Womens Studies Association, the African American Policy Forum, civil rights organizations, and other groups to collectively resist actions restricting free speech and education related to racial justice and gender and sexual freedom.

Legislators in states across the nation are weaponizing education. They are not only banning books, but interfering in AP courses, preventing the teaching of African American history and gender studies, and censoring speech. The broader aim of these attacks is to quell movements for racial justice and to reverse the political gains made in recent years by gay, trans and other queer people. These attacks on learning undermine not only education, but democracy, Pitts-Taylor said.

(The attacks are), perversely perhaps, a testament to the power of literaturethat people are afraid of it and what readers can do with words, Emre said.

At Usdan University Center and at the Shapiro Center, students huddled around tables, selecting copies of books that would almost assuredly be removed from Florida schools. Chris Hadley 24 was pushing out as many books as possible in Usdan during the lunch time rush. With books, like the ones being given away, being challenged across the country, Hadley felt what they were doing was vital.

I think the fact that books are being banned is a huge red flag for the way that we think about marginalized people, and about how other people are allowed to conceptualize them. (Because of the bans) they dont have access to their own stories. The books that were giving out are all about liberation, Hadley said.

Hadley had already read most of these books being offered. One of the books had a personal meaning. My mom actually gave me Gender Queer because she heard that it was banned. It was her trying to say, I see you trans kid, heres a book about you. That was really sweet, Hadley said.

For Pitts-Taylor, it was the writing of Alice Walker and Audre Lorde that changed her life as a student. Sister Outsider,a collection of essays by Audre Lorde, shaped my thinking about oppression and social justice when I was still in high school, Pitts-Taylor said.

The banned book distribution day was an act of defianceand of affection for the written word. I love books. I just shoved books in peoples faces. Im excited so many people who came to the table. Im thrilled to see people walking away with the book in their hands. Whether or not they read them, maybe that books going to be borrowed by someone else. Were just spreading them as quickly as we can, Hadley said.

Writers and scholars have the same obligation we always haveto keep teaching, keep talking, keeping getting books in the hands of those who might not otherwise have access to them, Emre said.

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Banned Books Distributed on Freedom to Learn Day - Wesleyan University

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ANNVILLE, Pa. (May 10, 2022) Senior Meg Halloran and sophomore Madison Subbiondo of the Stevens Institute of Technology softball team were named First Team All-MAC Freedom to lead the Ducks' all-conference selections, the league office announced Wednesday.

Junior Jessica Guerrero was named to the league's Second Team. Graduate student Siobhan Cottell and senior Olivia Warner each received an honorable mention to round out the Ducks' all-conference recognition.

DeSales' Kylie Bryant was named the league's Player of the Year, while Lycoming's Kylie Russell was tabbed the top pitcher. Misericordia's Gianna Foreman was chosen as the Rookie of the Year, with Lycoming coach Melissa Montoro earning Coach of the Year honors to round out the individual awards.

Halloran was named to the first team for the third straight season, earning her fourth career all-conference selection after leading the Ducks, and ranking second in the MAC Freedom, with a .468 batting average. She ranked first in the conference in hits with 58. The Oakland, New Jersey product set the program record in career hits with 199, breaking the previous record of 198 set by Gavriella (Risman-Jones) Everett 16'. She went a perfect 25 for 25 on stolen bases this season, another career record she owns as she has tallied 80 during her time at Stevens. Halloran hit her first two career home runs in a game against Delaware Valley on April 26.

Subbiondo collected her first career postseason honor, making the first team as a utility player. She started 24 games on the season, 13 of which came in right field, eight at catcher, and three as a designated player. She posted a .438 batting average which was second on the team behind Halloran and fourth in the conference. She also led the Ducks in home runs as she tallied four on the year. The sophomore had 20 putouts on 20 chances at catcher for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. She went six for eight in right field with a .750 fielding percentage.

Guerrero earned the second team nod as an infielder. This marked her first second team award and her second career postseason award. The junior was a staple in the Ducks lineup this season as she hit .372 to finish third on the team and 12th in the conference. She recorded 45 hits on the campaign which saw her finish 8th in the conference. Not only was she productive at the plate, she was also a menace in the infield, doing most of her work at shortstop. The Arcadia, California native led the MAC Freedom in assists as she had 89 for the season, seven more than second place. Also playing a few games at catcher, she caught three players stealing.

Cottell and Warner received an honorable mention from the league office after combining for 67 hits and two homers and 18 RBI on the year. Warner tallied a team high 35 RBI on 40 hits. Cottell ranked second in the conference in putouts as she tallied 272 on the season with a .989 fielding percentage.

The All-MAC Freedom Softball Team is nominated and voted on by the nine conference softball coaches.

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Softball Lands Five on All-MAC Freedom Teams - Stevens Institute ... - Stevens Institute of Technology

Springfield, IL-(Effingham Radio)-The IL Freedom Caucus is issuing the following statement on the official end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration in Illinois.

Today marks the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration and it is important we learn from the mistakes made during this unpleasant chapter of our states history. The bizarre decision to shut down our economy ruined lives, closed businesses, and created countless problems we may never solve. The lockdowns did irreparable harm to kids that we are only just now beginning to fully understand.

Our leaders in Illinois made one wrong decision after another. Instead of acknowledging the mistakes, they chose to continue implementing their failed policies. Other states like Florida took steps to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. Our leaders decided to focus on locking down healthy individuals resulting in COVID-19 spreading in nursing homes and veterans dying in places like the La Salle Veterans Home. Governor Pritzker and his Administration failed our state, and he does not even have the decency to apologize for the lives his policies ruined. We need to ensure we never do to our state what the Pritzker Administration did to us during the pandemic. Today is a good day but it also should remind us of what not to do in the future.

The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Chris Miller (R-Oakland), chairman; Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), vice-chairman; Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Jed Davis (R-Newark) and David Friess (R-Red Bud). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.

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IL Freedom Caucus Statement on the End of the COVID-19 ... - Samantha Laturno