A few things we’d be missing without them: Grand Central, Washington Square Park, and dozens of masterpieces in our major museums

International Women’s Day is March 8, and of course, we celebrate women’s history all month long. So, we’re taking some time to recognize some of the women who have had an incredible impact on our home, New York City. These incredible New Yorkers have blazed trails, saved buildings and neighborhoods, crashed through all kinds of ceilings and often made the country (even the world!) a better place. (Because when New Yorkers have an impact, it tends to be far-reaching.) Read on for our list of women who changed NYC forever.

Emily Warren Roebling

Public Domain

That famous bridge in Brooklyn? It wouldn't have happened without this lady. Married to Washington Roebling, the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, Emily took over when he fell ill and could no longer supervise the project. (Apparently he watched its progress from the couple's home in Brooklyn Height via telescope.) Roebling was one of the first people to cross the bridge when it was done, which she did from the Brooklyn side, holding a rooster as a symbol of victory. You can find a plaque at the base of the bridge celebrating her leadership and contribution. 

 

Shirley Chisholm

Creative Commons

Brooklyn-born Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazer not just for New Yorkers, but for women and Black people around the country. An outspoken advocate for racial justice and women's rights, as a New York State Representative in 1968, she was the first African American woman in Congress, and later co-founded of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. In 1972, she sought the Democratic nomination for the office of President of the United States, becoming the first woman or Black person to do so for one of the two major political parties. In 1977, she became the first Black woman and second woman ever to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee. 

Margaret Sanger

Library of Congress

Founder of the birth control movement, Margaret Sanger was a nurse who spent her entire career working to give women access to reproductive health information and contraception. Publisher of a feminist magazine and worker's rights advocate, she opened the first birth control clinic in 1916 in Brownsville, Brooklyn. In 1923 she opened a clinic staffed by women doctors and social workers, which went on to become the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.  

 

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Public Domain

While of course Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was known the world over as widow of John F. Kennedy, she became a New Yorker following his death and spent the rest of her life here. She is widely recognized as being a key force in saving Grand Central Terminal, which was slated to meet the same fate of the demolished Penn Station. As part of the Municipal Arts Society's "Committee to Save Grand Central Terminal" she was a vocal advocate for its preservation. The Committee's victory and its related Supreme Court decision, the New York City Landmark Law resulted in the protection of thousands of other historic buildings throughout the city.  

Billie Holiday

Library of Congress

Born in Philadelphia and landing in New York City by way of Baltimore, Billie Holiday had no formal vocal training, but went on to become one of the most celebrated jazz singers in the world. She worked with bandleaders Count Basie and Artie Shaw, and collaborated frequently with saxophonist Lester Young, a partnership that produced some of the duo's finest work. Holiday helped integrate the nightclub community in the city in the 40s and 50 and around the country, and her style and voice had a profound effect on night life.

Jane Jacobs

Public Domain

Activist and urbanist Jane Jacobs' influence on New York was, and continues to be, profound. Author of the now-seminal urban planning text The Death and Life of Great American Cities, she famously went head-to-head with New York official Robert Moses to combat his program of "urban renewal." A resident of Greenwich Village, she is credited with helping to preserve its character and was a fierce advocate for quality of life and community-building in cities. She was instrumental in preventing the construction of the Lower Manhattan Expressway, which would have run through several downtown neighborhoods, radically changing them.  

Sonia Sotomayor

United States Government

Like her fellow Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor was born in New York City (she's from the Bronx, Ginsburg hails from Brooklyn). And while Ginsburg did do some work in NYC (she taught at Columbia), Sotomayor spent the bulk of her career prior to joining the Supreme court working in The Big Apple. Under the city's District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, she prosecuted cases for crimes such as robbery, assault, murder and police brutality. Later in her career, she served as a U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of New York City, and helped educate the next generation of legal practitioners as a professor at New York University and Columbia Law School. After serving on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Barack Obama appointed her to the Supreme Court, where of course she wields incredible influence on not just the people of New York City, but the entire country. She has played a key role in upholding the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage in the United States. 

Edith Wharton

Wikimedia Creative Commons

Born into a life of privilege, Edith Wharton used her gift as a writer to chronicle and critique the world of high society in New York. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, for Age of Innocence. She was subsequently nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927, 1928 and 1930. Other works of Wharton's include House of Mirth and Ethan Frome.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Public Domain

Born into the wealthy Vanderbilt family in 1875, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a sculptor and art collector. She became a champion of contemporary American artists, and when the Metropolitan Museum of Art refused her donation of her considerable collection of American work, she established the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1930. She was the leading patron of American art at the time of her death in 1942, and her personal collection of more than 600 works remains the core of the celebrated museum's holdings. Currently, the influential Whitney Museum of Art is home to more than 24,000 works by over 3,500 and is a major force in the art world internationally. 

Gloria Steinem

LBJLibrary

Activist and journalist Gloria Steinem has been a leading voice in the women's movement for more than 50 years. She co-founded New York magazine, as well as, in 1972, the trailblazing Ms. magazine, where she was an editor and writer for 15 years. She has been a leading voice for women's issues and rights including reproductive health and gender equality. 

 

Dorothy Parker

Wikimedia

Dorothy Parker was one of the founding members of the Algonquin Roundtable, a group of writers, critics an intellectuals known for their keen observations and sharp wit—Parker, especially. A writer for the New Yorker, Vanity Fair and other publications, she penned fiction, poems, plays and more. Her wry, sometimes brutal takes on modern life exemplify an certain New York sensibility, and her influence is felt to this day. 

 

Are you watching the Tokyo Summer Olympics? At Xyza: News for Kids we’re watching along and sharing some Olympics trivia with families around the world. Ready to test your knowledgeabout the biggest sporting event in the world? Race ya to the finish!

1. Which of these sports is making its debut in the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo?

A. Skakeboarding

B. E-sports

C. Cricket

D. Rollerskating

Answer is A: Skateboarding, surfing, sports climbing, and karate will make their debuts at the highly-anticipated Tokyo Summer Olympics. Fans of skateboarding will be cheering on their favorite athletes such as thirteen-year-old Sky Brown from Great Britain and twelve-year-old Kokona Hiraki from Japan, two of the youngest athletes to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

2. What did Japan introduce to the world the last time they hosted the Olympic games?

A. Robots

B. Bullet trains

C. Jet Planes

D. Vending machines

Answer is B: Bullet trains. In 1964, Japan became the first country in Asia to ever host an Olympic Games and the first to introduce a high speed train called the Shinkansen, or bullet train. The bullet train took passengers between Tokyo and Osaka, a distance of 247 miles, in approximately two hours and thirty minutes. When the first bullet trains began operating, they traveled at a speed of approximately 125 miles per hour. Now, bullet trains can travel at speeds of over 200 miles per hour and Japan Railways, the company behind these speedy trains, is building trains that will go even faster! Zoom!

3. What did the Tokyo Olympic Committee recently send to space in preparation of the games?

A. Mario and Luigi figurines

B. Nintendo Switch

C. Robots Gundam and Zaku

D. Mascot Miraitowa

Answer is C: Robots Gundam and Zaku. In March of 2020, two of Japan’s most popular animated robots, Gundam and Zaku, rocketed to outer space in a mini satellite named, “G Satellite Go To Space.” The reason for their trip? Japan wanted to welcome the world to the Olympic Games both on Earth and from outer space! The idea was that the two robots would transmit images and messages about the Games back to Earth in English, Japanese, and French during the Olympics!

4. What sport did Japan introduce the last time they hosted the Olympics?

A. Karate

B. Volleyball

C. Basketball

D. Swimming

Answer is B: Volleyball. In 1964, Japan hosted its first ever Olympic Games and introduced two new sports: judo and volleyball. Although volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, the sport wasn’t added to the Olympics until 1964. In fact, two-person beach volleyball wasn’t added until 1996. Shocking, we know! Bump, set, spike, anyone?

5. In what other year was the Olympics postponed?

A. 1916

B. 1940

C. 1944

D. None of the above

Answer is D: None of the above. Recently, the International Olympic Committee announced that the 2020 Summer Olympics would be postponed until the summer of 2021 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It’s a big deal because, believe it or not, no other Olympic Games have ever been postponed before. What?!?!? Nooooo … Yes! That’s not to say, however, that the Olympics have never been canceled before. We’re sneaky, we know. 🙂The Olympics were canceled in 1916, 1940, and 1944 because the world was fighting in World Wars I and II.

Want more Olympics trivia? Head to www.xyzanews.com/news for more!

Joann Suen & Sapna Satagopan
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

We're two perfectly imperfect moms who have five very different kids between the two of us. We believe that topics in news are a fantastic way to spark conversations in families. That's why we started the Dinner Table Conversation series here at Xyza: News for Kids. Won't you join us in the conversation? 

Gerber is looking for a new spokesbaby—and that’s not all! This year the beloved brand is adding an extra bonus for the winner. Along with the spokesbaby honor, the top pic pick will also become the Chief Growing Officer.

What exactly is a Chief Growing Officer? According to Gerber, the CGO will “Steer—whether by crawling, wobbling, walking, or running—Gerber’s Executive Committee with big kid decisions, eat tasty and nutritious baby food products, act as the adorable face of the company, and appear on Gerber’s social media channels and marketing campaigns throughout the year.”

photo courtesy of Gerber

Mohini JoshiGerber Vice President of Marketing, said in a press release, “As part of our mantra to do anything for baby, each year we strive to make Photo Search bigger and better. In honor of the program’s 11-year anniversary, we’re excited to give Gerber families something new and exciting.” Joshi added, “Our Chief Growing Officer’s adorable roles and responsibilities are sure to make Gerber’s 2021 Photo Search a year like NO other and provide executive leadership new inspiration to help babies thrive.”

To apply for the 2021 Photo Search and CGO position, submit your 0 to 48-month-old’s pic to Gerber through the brand’s submission portal from Apr. 27 to May 17!

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Tatiana Syrikova via Pexels

 

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While we’ve been social distancing, Brookfield Zoo has welcomed some pretty exciting arrivals—two handsome 4-year-old African lions. While Chicago hasn’t been able to welcome these beauties in person just yet, read on to learn how you can be a part of their virtual welcoming committee.

The 4-year-old brothers, Brutus and Titus, were transferred to Brookfield Zoo from Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, UT, on March 17. With the zoo being temporarily closed, they introduced the new arrivals via a Bringing the Zoo to You Facebook Live chat.

After seeing the brothers, kids began sending drawings of the lions and welcome messages to the zoo’s Facebook page. Staff decided to line the windows of the lion’s outdoor habitat with these well-wishes, which caught the eye of Titus.

Brookfield Zoo would like to fill the entire window with artwork and is inviting kids to submit their original masterpieces to the zoo’s Facebook page. They will be printed and added to the window for the lions to enjoy.

Brookfield Zoo’s Bringing the Zoo to You Facebook Live Chats are held on weekdays at 11 a.m. Be sure to join in to visit with your zoo favorites.  If you miss one, no worries, you can go back and watch on Facebook or YouTube.

Note: As a non-profit, Brookfield Zoo relies on ticket sales, memberships, education program fees, meeting revenue and donations to operate. These temporary Covid-19-related closures have had a significant impact on the operating budget of all non-profits. Please consider making a donation, purchasing a membership or visiting the zoo in person when restrictions are lifted. 

Online: czs.org/Brookfield-ZOO

— Maria Chambers

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If you’ve ever wanted to rent a room inside of the Jersey Shore’s oldest and most iconic landmarks, here’s your chance. Guests will have a rare opprtunity to stay inside Lucy the Elephant on March 17, 18 or 19. The listing will go live on Airbnb’s website on March 5.

Lucy the Elephant

The interest in staying inside Lucy has been “tremendous” since the news was announced on Wednesday said Rich Helfant, executive director of the Save Lucy Committee.

“It’s not surprising,” said Helfant. “Lucy has graced the Shore for 138 years. As the oldest roadside attraction in America, she is the last of her kind, and older than both the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower.”

In honor of the length of Lucy’s time in Margate, the rentals are being offered at $138 per night. 

Lucy the Elephant

Don’t expect the deal to become a regular occurance, said Helfant “I’ll never say never, but we are only planning to make her available for these three nights for the time being.”

According to Lucy’s Airbnb profile, “I’ve seen a lot in my years watching over the Jersey coastline, and since I never forget (obviously, I’m an elephant), I’ve got plenty of stories to share with curious guests. As you step inside my walls (and up 25 steps), you’ll be transported back in time to the 1800s, where you will feel the Victorian Era come alive.”

Lucy the Elephant

Helfert reports that Lucy receives more than 130,000 visitors every year. “Lucy is a part of so many fond memories. Her charm, her size and her history capture the imagination.”

Lucy the Elephant

These days, Lucy has Wifi, but she doesn’t house an indoor bathroom, but there will be a private one available at the base for the guest’s personal use. The building, which has been taken care of by the Save Lucy Committee, features Victorian-era furniture and decor. Guests can climb the riding carriage on Lucy’s back for a 360-degree view of Margate and the surrounding area.

Lucy the Elephant

“House rules” include certain restrictions. No children or pets are allowed to stay over and guests are not permitted to smoke or host parties.

“One of the reasons why we were so excited to list Lucy on Airbnb was the opportunity to expand her access and reach, providing a new avenue to even more people to enjoy her. That said, we want to make sure we are primarily preserving her for tours, so that hundreds of thousands of visitors can see her all year long,” said Helfert.

Lucy the Elephant

Once the listing goes live, only those with a verified Airbnb profile can apply for the rental. Airbnb will make a donation to the Save Lucy Committee toward the landmark’s preservation.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Airbnb

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Countless kids and young adults are trying to change the world. Swedish teen activist, Greta Thunberg, the founder of the Fridays for Future movement, has already inspired many to stand up for their beliefs. Now, the 17-year-old has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize for the second year in a row. 

According to the Associated Press, Thunberg was nominated by two Sweedish lawmakers, Jens Holms and Hakan Svenneling, who are both members of Sweden’s Left Party. They said that Thunberg, “has worked hard to make politicians open their eyes to the climate crisis” and “action for reducing our emissions and complying with the Paris Agreement is therefore also an act of making peace.”

In 2018, at age 15, Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament every school day for three weeks to protest the lack of action on the climate crisis. After posting her crusade on Instagram and Twitter she went viral, inspiring fellow students throughout the world to join protests demanding action on climate change. 

View this post on Instagram

Just over a year ago, a quiet and mostly friendless teenager woke up, put on her blue hoodie, and sat by herself for hours in an act of singular defiance. Fourteen months later, she had become the voice of millions, a symbol of a rising global rebellion. The politics of climate action are as entrenched and complex as the phenomenon itself, and @gretathunberg has no magic solution. But she has succeeded in creating a global attitudinal shift, transforming millions of vague, middle-of-the-night anxieties into a worldwide movement calling for urgent change. @gretathunberg is TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year. Read the cover story by @charlottealter, @suyinsays and @justinworland—and watch the full video—at the link in bio. #TIMEPOY Video by @robson.alexandra, @juliamarielull, @arpane and @maxim_arbugaev for TIME

A post shared by TIME (@time) on

Thunberg was favored to win the award last year, but the prize ultimately went to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. If she wins this year, she will join Malala Yousafzai as one of the youngest people to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. 

In 2019, Thunberg was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” and was one of four people named as the winners of a Right Livelihood Award, aka the “Alternative Nobel.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the winner of this year’s 2020 Nobel Peace Prize later in the year.

—Jennifer Swartvagher  

Featured photo: Greta Thunberg via Instagram

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The refugee crisis in Syria is getting some much needed educational aid from the place that welcomes all children, Sesame Street.

“Less than two percent of all humanitarian aid funding goes on education, even though half of the world’s refugees are kids,” David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) told CBS News. Sesame Workshop, the company behind one of the longest-running educational series for kids, has partnered with the IRC to help.

Thanks to a $100 million dollar grant from the MacArthur Foundation Sesame Workshop is producing a new Sesame Street series in Arabic made just for children in refugee camps. The show will revolve around a muppet named Basma, who befriends Jad, a muppet who has just moved into her neighborhood. While Jad is never labeled as a refugee explicitly, there are hints like the fact that he has left behind all of his belongings.

Besides the traditional preschool curriculum that Sesame Street is built on, the series, which is titled Ahlan Simsim, meaning Welcome Sesame, will also focus on teaching kids how to deal with difficult feelings, like anger and frustration, that arise out of their situation. “We want every episode to identify an emotion, but then give really concrete actions so that children can learn what to do,” explained Scott Cameron, a veteran Sesame Street producer who is running this new show.

The series will air in 20 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf starting in February.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: 60 Minutes via YouTube

 

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One of the biggest challenges of motherhood can be trying to avoid comparing your experiences with others. No two kids are alike and neither are any birthing, feeding or parenting journeys. One mom’s viral post that there’s no trophy for parenthood is a helpful reminder all moms should read.

Mom of three Ashley Gibson recently shared the wise words her husband spoke when she was preparing to give birth to their third baby. “‘There’s no trophy Ashley’ The best 4 words my husband could have said to me in that delivery room. It put my whole world as a Mom into perspective,” Gibson shared in a Love What Matters post on Facebook which has since gone viral.

When Gibson later worried about supplementing breastmilk with formula, her husband repeated the same comforting words. “When I was fretting about supplementing with some formula those first few days and not wanting to feel like I was already failing at breastfeeding I heard those words again, ‘There’s no trophy Ashley.’”

That’s when it hit her, “As moms in today’s world it can feel like we’re all competing for a trophy that doesn’t exist. I literally thought in that delivery room that I would somehow be ‘less than’ as mother for tapping out and asking for the drugs. Like there would be a gold medal or AT LEAST a gold sticker on my medical chart for having a natural birth. And I felt like I was letting some invisible committee down when we bought formula to help him pass the amniotic fluid he had swallowed,” she continues in her moving post.

Its an important reminder to all moms, both new and seasoned, that there’s no competition and no judge in this crazy game of motherhood so we should all stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to meet some nonexistent standard. “The only trophy you’ll carry through life is the bond you create with your baby. And like I’ve said before, we all go home from the hospital with a big basket of mesh undies and sanitary pads the size of our newborns no matter how glamorous our Insta pics look,” Gibson concludes.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Courtesy of Kayla Mattox Photography 

 

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Skateboarding as an Olympic sport? According to a recent announcement by the International Olympic Committee, skateboarding—along with breaking (as in break dancing), sport climbing and surfing may join the roster of eligible sports for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games.

Olympic fans may already recognize some of these sports as existing events—but for a more younger set. The 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Brazil included breaking, skateboarding and sport climbing as medal events.

https://twitter.com/breakingforgold/status/1110965668969697280

Following on the heels of the 2018 Youth Games, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will make their grand debuts in Tokyo, Japan during the 2020 Summer Games. Even though these sports are already included in the 2020 program of events, there’s no guarantee that any of them will make a reappearance. In other words, they’re not permanent sports. The Olympic Programme Commission will evaluate the additions and recommend either inclusion or exclusion to the IOC.

So why include break dancing, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing in the Summer Olympics? According to a statement made by IOC President Thomas Bach, “They contribute to make the program of the Games more gender-balanced, more youthful and more urban.” Bach also added, “These four sports also offer the opportunity to connect with the young generation there.”

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: David Whittaker via Pexels

 

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Sixteen-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was just nominated for an honor that most high school kids can’t even imagine winning—the Nobel Peace Prize. The awesomely inspirational teen most recently organized a mass youth protest across 100 countries, demanding action on climate change now.

If Thunberg is any indication of what Gen Z feels, her efforts to mobilize her peers are commanding some pretty important attention, namely from the Nobel Prize committee.

Thunberg’s recently-announced nomination comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed her brief, but bright, activist career. Starting the #FridaysForFuture movement, Thunberg is credited with inspiring regular walkouts for climate change activism among school children across the globe.

The teen activist told CBS News, “More people are starting to become aware of the situation and that we are facing a crisis.” She also added, “And I think it is amazing to see that hundreds of thousands of children from all around the world are realizing this and are making their voices heard. Why should we go and study for a future that may not exist anymore?”

Socialist MP Freddy André Ovstegard and two other Norwegian lawmakers nominated the 16-year-old for the honor. Ovstegard told AFP News Agency, “We have proposed Greta Thunberg because if we do nothing to halt climate change, it will be the cause of wars, conflict, and refugees.” The lawmaker also said, “Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement which I see as a major contribution to peace.”

There are 301 nominated candidates for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, including 223 individuals and 78 organizations. The Nobel Committee will announce who they have decided to honor this October. If Thunberg wins in October, she’ll be the youngest Nobel Peace Prizer winner to date, just a year younger than children’s education activist Malala Yousafzai was when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Min An via Pexels

 

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