1753 – 1784

First Black American to become a published poet. Enslaved as a child and sold to a Boston family who emancipated her in 1773.

Source: literaryladiesguide.com , history.com

It’s wild watching states slash healthcare, close rural hospitals, and struggle to keep basic services running… while turning down revenue streams that other states use to fund Medicaid, mental‑health care, and community health programs.

And the places that would benefit the most — especially in the South, where so many communities of color live — are the ones blocking it the hardest.

People need jobs. Communities need investment. Healthcare shouldn’t be treated like a political football.

At some point, voters have to ask: Why are we being told “no” to solutions that clearly work elsewhere?

Data‑driven, community‑impact, for example:

• Southern states have some of the highest uninsured rates in the country
• Rural hospitals are closing at alarming rates
• Communities of color face the steepest barriers to care
• Many of these same states are rejecting revenue models that other states use to fund healthcare

Washington directs most of its revenue into public‑health programs. Illinois uses it for mental‑health services and community reinvestment. Oregon funds treatment and prevention.

These are real, measurable outcomes.

Nativegrl77 sourced from AI

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

On May 7, 2004, marine biologist Richard Thompson publishes an article in the journal Science detailing the troubling amount of microscopic plastic fragments and fibers that he and his team have discovered in the world’s oceans and marine habitats. Thompson dubs the debris “microplastics” and questions whether these particles could release harmful chemicals and pose a danger to the environment.

Thompson’s paper, “Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic?,” sparked a surge of interest in both scientific and public policy circles. He and other researchers have since sought to discover just how widespread microplastics are—and how harmful.

The tiny particles of plastic, which are less than 5 millimeters in size, have been discovered in everything from Arctic Sea ice to the depths of the Pacific Ocean. They have also been found in humans and a wide range of marine life and other animals. Exposure to these tiny pollutants is believed to cause respiratory and heart issues and prove toxic to other major organs and systems in humans.

The chemicals that make plastic versatile and durable are also what make it nearly impossible to get rid of.

Source: history.com

On May 7, 1800, the Indiana Territory was created by an organic act signed into law by President John Adams. It was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, to December 11, 1816, when the remaining southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana¹.

The area that became the Indiana Territory was once part of the Northwest Territory, which the Congress of the Confederation formed under the terms of the Northwest Ordinance on July 13, 1787. Articles of Confederation (1777)

The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States’ first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.

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Citation: Articles of Confederation; 3/1/1781; Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 – 1789; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record Group 360; National Archives Building, Washington, DC.

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The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States’ first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.

Source: wiki

Thankfully, and gratefully, Congress saw the chaos and created a new