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A majority of residents in Waukegan say they don't want the district's Thomas Jefferson Middle School to keep its name. But they haven't yet been able to agree on someone else to name the school after.

One leading contender is Barack and Michelle Obama Middle School. For some in the community, though, that alternative doesn't work either.

"I want to urge the school board to drop the names of Barack and Michelle Obama from consideration," said Oscar Arias, a Waukegan native and graduate of the district's schools. "Barack Obama's presidency was filled with hostility against the immigrant community."

The other two options before the community are John Lewis Middle School and Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez Middle School. School officials are also aiming to rename Daniel Webster Middle School.

Latinos make up a majority of the student body

Those who oppose naming the school after the Obamas said the former President's actions had personally affected families in Waukegan, and the name would conjure up painful memories for some in the community.

She continued, "If you're removing the name of Thomas Jefferson, one oppressor, the name of Obama is another oppressor. And our families do not want to see that name."

Some community members who spoke at the meeting recommended that the board instead select John Lewis.

"As a famous congressman and civil rights activist who marched alongside Dr. King, John Lewis is a much better representation for the community and truly embodies the progressive and multicultural spirit of Waukegan," said Arias.

Wygenia Brisco said that as an African American, she supported naming the school for the late civil rights icon, too.

"I think if we take a look at what he stood for, as far as the true meaning of what he stood for, to me it's appropriate to name the school after him," she said.

The board will vote on the name next month

The Waukegan board of education began to consider name changes for two district schools after George Floyd's death while under arrest by Minnesota police last year, says board president Brandon Ewing.

Committees for each school solicited new name suggestions from the community and eventually narrowed a list of 300 names down to six. Students, parents and staff at the schools voted on those options and narrowed it down to three choices.

The three proposed namesakes for Daniel Webster Middle School are Edith Smith, who fought to desegregate Waukegan schools; Katherine Johnson, the famed NASA mathematician; and Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space.

The Waukegan board of education will officially decide whether to rename the two middle schools at its next meeting on April 13. If it chooses to move forward, the board will then vote on the proposed options and the first moniker to receive four votes will be the new name, said Ewing.

"Even though there's some differences with one of the names, I think the community should be proud of the work that was done and the thought and care that went into this process," Ewing said.

Read more:
Latinx activists in an Illinois town oppose renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School after the Obamas - CNN

Fox News hostRachel Campos-Duffy on Thursday suggested that former first lady Michelle Obama was responsible for identity politics infiltrating an increasingly "woke" U.S. military.

"The left's dangerous ideology continues its slow creep into all facets of Amerian life,"Campos-Duffy said on"Fox News Primetime.""Critical race theory and gender ideology have infected nearly every institution in America."

"The last vestige of the pro-American meritocracy still standing was the U.S. military," she continued."From the progressive perspective, the military was too masculine, had way too many Republicansand a dangerous nack ofturning minorities into patriotic,self-reliant conservatives. This could not stand."

From there, Campos-Duffy suggestedthat Obama put into motion "a stealth takeover" of thearmed services after shemade military families a top priority. Obama is a private citizen, and her husband no longer holds elected office.

"Michelle Obama's decision to make military spouses her top initiative as first lady was the first clue that they had their sights set on the U.S. armed forces," Campos-Duffy said. "By Obama's second term, a stealth takeover of top military brass was underway. Officers who were aligned were promoted. A general who obeyed and advanced the woke progressive agenda could expect a lucrative afterlife on corporate boardsalready populated by the Obama-Clinton world."

Campos-Duffy then called out the continued "slippery slope toward military wokedom" under the Biden administration by pointing toa reading list provided to soldiers that included books like "How to Be an Antiracist,""Stamped From the Beginning" and "White Rage."

"Now this isn't a Silicon Valley book clubthis is our military," she said. "But if our leaders in the Department of Defense don't stand up and stop this rising tide of wokeness,before long, we won't be able to tell the difference."

Campos-Duffy previouslysuggested in February that Obama had the power to reopen Chicago schools "with one little tweet" but had "done nothing."

You can watch the full clip below via Fox News:

More here:
Fox News host suggests Michelle Obama is responsible for identity politics infiltrating the military - Salon

As the Obamas latest production hits Netflix, Big Issue TV editor Adrian Lobb asks: Is there anything that can stop the new golden age of global cultural players filling up our screens?

When Michelle and Barack Obama signed on the dotted line for a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Netflix back in 2018, they joined a select and exclusive entertainment community.

These days, they stand alongside Oprah Winfrey (Apple), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Amazon Prime), podcaster Joe Rogan (Spotify), Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy, David Benioff and DB Weiss, plus newcomers Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (all Netflix) as the select few global players able to launch their creative visions into the public consciousness with few barriers.

What Americas former first couple bring to Netflix is clear. The Obamas are a popular, powerful, respected and socially conscious global brand, capable of leading the conversation across the planet. When the Obamas speak, the world listens. So when they make a television show, the world will watch. Right? Thats the unarguable logic behind the deal.

The power this affords them is immense. Who else is allowed to produce such a breadth of television and film, across all genres? None, so far, among the list of big players above though watch this space, because Harry and Meghan might just try.

In an age where the algorithm looked set to be king when it came to commissioning, global fame can sidestep the system

Shonda Rhimes is behind some of the biggest TV shows of all time, from Greys Anatomy to Scandal. Now leading her Shondaland crew, which signed a $150m deal with Netflix in 2018, she has already struck gold in tried and tested TV drama territory with Bridgertons runaway success. Benioff and Weisss $200m deal is about making as many Game of Thrones spin-offs as audiences will countenance seven, according to the latest calculations. Rogans $100m exclusive deal with Spotify is about the streaming giant trying to elbow other platforms out of the growing podcast market.

Ryan Murphy the producer behind Glee, Nipp/Tuck and American Horror Story, among others is as prolific as ever. With a longform Andy Warhol documentary in the works, Halston (starring Ewan McGregor as the design legend), more Ratched and more true crime in the form of a miniseries on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, many argue he will struggle to justify his $300m Netflix deal until he comes up with a critical and popular hit to rival Bridgerton.

In an age where the algorithm looked set to be king when it came to commissioning, global fame can sidestep the system. Because who is going to stop them, and why would you want to?

So it is that the Obamas can bring preschool puppet food show Waffles + Mochi, which went in to development at their Higher Ground production company under the working title Listen To Your Vegetables and Eat Your Parents to the screen two years after their Oscar-winning documentary American Factory.

That film detailed a culture clash between blue-collar US workers and the factorys new Chinese owners, coming out in support of unionised labour but painting a nuanced picture of the decline of big industry in the US. They followed it with Crip Camp an empowering doc about a summer camp created by teens living with disabilities, and Becoming, based on Michelle Obamas memoir of the same name.

The range of output is set to grow bigger still. Coming up is a major series looking at Americas National Parks, another potential Oscar contender as Riz Ahmed leads an adaptation of Mohsin Hamids stunning 2017 novel Exit West an inventive, magical take on the refugee crisis. Then theres a doc on the unsung hero of Edmund Hillarys Everest mission Tenzing Norgay, a new sci-fi film from Rian Johnson, an adaptation of Young Adult thriller Firekeepers Daughter and The G Word, based on Michael Lewiss book The Fifth Risk about the unravelling of the American system of government during the Trump era.

We created Higher Ground to tell great stories. This group of projects builds upon that goal and the incredible path forged by films like Crip Camp, Becoming, and the Oscar-winning American Factory, is how the Obamas proclaimed their most recent slate of shows.

From science-fiction to the beauty of our natural world to the relationships that define us, Higher Ground continues to strive for fresh perspectives, compelling characters, and a healthy dose of inspiration.

So what does it all tell us about their vision? Plotting a narrative thread through their roster of shows and films in development is perilous. But is it too much to say that, while Donald Trump was in the highest office, Higher Ground have set about producing nothing less than a restatement, a reassertion, a re-upped and rewritten vision of the American Dream?

Theirs is a dream soundtracked by the workers songs of Baracks podcast pal Bruce Springsteen in American Factory, populated by a cast of progressive Sesame Street-style puppets in Waffle + Mochi, and celebrating the US as a land of great beauty and opportunity for all.

And its coming to a screen near you via Netflix starting with a series starring Michelle Obama as a shopkeeper, alongside a talking mop named Steve and Queer Eyes Tan France guest starring as a potato

Adrian Lobb is The Big Issues TV editor

See the rest here:
Netflix, the Obamas, and the new cultural elite streaming your way - Big Issue

Actor Will Smith, who is now a global icon,once wanted to run for thePresidentof USA. Smithhas shared that apart from being an actor, he also wishedto pursue a career in basketball as well as politics. Even though he ended up not pursuing basketball as a professional career, he never backed down from the other one. As per Showbiz Cheatsheet, Smith shared that as he missed the opportunity of becomingthe first black president of the USA, he's ready to make do with playing Barack Obama in a film. Read on.

As per Showbiz Cheatsheet, in 2016Will Smith admitted onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertthat he keeps getting the 'desire to run for US president'. He said that he has 'views and ideas' and when he hears people 'say things on television, it makes him want to run against them. Smith further added that even though he did not get the chance tobecome the first black president of the USA, he's ready to settle for playing Obama's part in a film.

The Men in Black fame has reportedly even discussed this matter with Barack Obama who said that Smith has 'gotthe ears to play him'. Smith has also shared that his wife Jada Pinkett Smith wasagainst the idea of him running for the presidency, which is why he had held himself back from pursuing the idea. Jada would reportedly sayhell, no', whenever he would bring up this subject. According toShowbiz Cheatsheet,Jada thinks that there is 'no way' Smith can run for president because no one would want her to be the first lady.

Two films namedBarryandSouthside With Youhave already been made based on the life of Barack Obama. The former film featuresDevon Terrell as Obama whereas the latter featuresParker Sawyers.Barryis based on Obama's life at Columbia University whereasSouthside With Yourevolvesaround his love story with his wifeMichelle Obama. Both these films were released in the year 2016.Will Smith's movies are often a big hit and if he were to ever feature as Obama in a film, that is sure to be a hit too.

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DYK Will Smith wanted to play Barack Obamas role in a film? - Republic TV

Sarah Obama, the matriarch of former U.S. President Barack Obama's Kenyan relatives, was buried Tuesday at a funeral in western Kenya with only about 100 mourners in attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Mama Sarah, as Obama's step-grandmother was fondly called, was at least 99 years old when she died early Monday while undergoing treatment at a hospital. President Obama did not attend Tuesday's burial but eulogized her in a statement on Monday.

``Although not his birth mother, Granny would raise my father as her own, and it was in part thanks to her love and encouragement that he was able to defy the odds and do well enough in school to get a scholarship to attend an American university,`` the former president wrote.

``When I first traveled to Kenya to learn more about my heritage and father, who had passed away by then, it was Granny who served as a bridge to the past, and it was her stories that helped fill a void in my heart,`` he added.

In his memoir, ``Dreams from My Father,`` Obama described meeting her during his 1988 trip to his father's homeland and the initial awkwardness that developed into a warm bond. She attended his first inauguration as president in 2009 and Obama spoke of her in his September 2014 speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

For decades, Sarah Obama helped orphans, raising some in her home and providing others with school supplies, uniforms and school fees.

The village of Nyangoma Kogelo was under heavy security during the burial Tuesday, preventing thousands of her admirers from attending because of the pandemic.

``Mama Sarah built me a four-roomed house in 2000 when my home was crumbling because my husband who was the breadwinner had died and I was sleeping in the rain, said Mary Auma Odima.

``Today I was unable to attend her burial because only few people were allowed in as they observed COVID-19 protocols. I feel so very sad,`` she added.

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Barack Obamas grandmother buried in Kenya - Africanews English