The Niche Beat

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Bellen Woodward: Fourth Grader Creates Multicultural Art Kits

Through her More Than Peach Project, a fourth-grader creates art kits with multiple skin tones. This is a wonderful story about a then third-grader who first admitted to herself her discomfort over an issue in her classroom.  As the only African American student, it was commonplace for other classmates to ask for the  “skin color […]

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Rachel Barton Pine: Discovering Forgotten Black Composers

Acclaimed violinist, Rachel Barton Pine, has spent nearly 20 years searching for music written by forgotten Black composers.  And more than 350 composers spanning four centuries have been cataloged.  A lot has never been published or was published but is long out of print because of historical discrimination, says Pine. “My primary motivation is to […]

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Issac Harte: Funny Tutorial by Teen Fact Checker

This laugh-out-loud video hosted by Issac Harte is educational and entertaining. And it underscores the serious subject of media literacy and how to evaluate information online. Topics such as fact-checking tools and a reminder the internet is fair game for bogus videos and information and how to spot real from phony. Poynter.org is a resource […]

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Famous Black Inventors: How Many Do You Know?

According to Professor Randall Robinson, they trot out the story of George Washington Carver and his peanut discovery every February. And all the many, many, many things about the peanut discovery. But there are an untold number of other Black inventors who are not mentioned. Focusing on George Washington Carver solely gives a false impression […]

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Michelle Penczak: Military Wife Finds A Solution For Lack of Employment

When Michelle Penczak could not find work a few years ago despite her education and experience, the military spouse and expectant mom felt disheartened. The wife of a deployed pilot, she was never able to stay in one place permanently. As is the case with military families, moving from place to place is the norm. […]

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How Women Were Driven From A Centuries-Old Industry

In ancient times, brewing ale was a respectable occupation, and women made up many of the brewers in many parts of the world, which later included colonial America.  So, why did women lose domination in the beer industry from the 16th century to the present day? Some historians believe male competitors leveled charges of witchcraft […]

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Searching For The Next Great Food Idea

In the first video, CharisMagie, a social worker living in Toronto, Canada samples snack products sent by a friend from the Netherlands. But the video below reviews snack subscription boxes from around the world and offers recommendations about choosing the best company. Finding ideas for a new business while visiting another part of the world […]

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Maya Penn: How A Second Grader Started A Successful Brand

As a second-grader, Maya Penn’s interest in art, saving the environment, and creating healthy clothing led her to start sewing clothing.  Now 21, Maya Penn is the CEO of her own company. Maya not only specializes in sustainable,  eco-friendly, vintage, and organic collections of vintage accessories, clothing, jewelry, and other items, but she is an […]

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Ahmed Muhammad: Teenager Starts Awesome Educational Non Profit

Oakland, California, teenager, Ahmed Muhammad, has been featured in many news stories, saluted as a CNN Hero, and profiled recently on GMA3. Not only because of his academic success as the first Black male valedictorian at the more than 100-year-old Oakland Technical High School and acceptance by 11 universities including, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. Rather […]

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Copyright Dispute With A Vampire Beauty Doctor

Kim Kardashian filed a federal lawsuit against an entrepreneurial Alabama doctor for using her image without permission on his website to promote his Vampire Facials practice. For entrepreneurs who are concerned about violating copyright or trademark rights, the costly horror story could have been avoided. Ask for permission, and do not use an image if […]

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