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1994 – Jackie Parker became the first woman to qualify to fly an F-16 combat plane.


OLD ATTITUDES GROUND FEMALE AIR FORCE PILOT

PATRICIA RODRIGUEZFort Worth Star-TelegramSUN-SENTINEL
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It was perhaps inevitable that Maj. Jackie Parker would grow up wanting to fly for her country.

For starters, she was born on the Fourth of July. Then as a child, she attended Apollo Elementary School in Titusville, where the principal, honest, was named Mr. Moon.

Parker learned to fly before she learned to drive, became an Air Force pilot by the time she was 20 and racked up an impressive number of firsts: youngest spaceflight air traffic controller at NASA; first woman to be an Air Force test pilot; youngest woman to serve as an instructor pilot on several different aircraft.

Finally, after women were cleared in 1993 to train for combat assignments, Parker became one of the first women to qualify as a fighter pilot for the U.S. military. It was, one would think, a fitting cap to her military career.

Except she never flew a mission. Parker, now 35, resigned from flying last summer after she was told she could not join her squadron on a mission to Turkey. A resulting internal investigation revealed a pattern of discrimination against her. And although she says the experience hasn’t soured her on the military, it has reminded her that even 30 years after the modern women’s movement began, women are still treated differently.

“It’s sad. It’s still a big deal, and I wish it wasn’t,” says Parker, minutes after addressing a group of about 325 grade-school students at Glen Hope Elementary in Colleyville, Texas, where one of her sisters lives. “I’m tired of always being in an occupation that’s newsworthy.

… All I wanted to do is fly.”

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Gov. Inslee issues protection for high-risk workers


Inslee issues protection for high-risk workers
April 13, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation today giving high-risk workers the right to protect themselves from COVID-19 without jeopardizing their employment status or loss of income.

The proclamation provides older workers and those with underlying health conditions a series of rights and protections, including:
The choice of an alternative work assignment, including telework, alternative or remote work locations if feasible, and social distancing measures.

The ability to use any accrued leave or unemployment benefits if an alternative work assignment is not feasible and the employee is unable to safely work. Employers must maintain health insurance benefits while high risk employees are off the job.
Employers are prohibited from permanently replacing high-risk employees.

“I remain very concerned about at-risk populations – older adults and people with underlying health conditions,” Inslee said. “This proclamation ensures vulnerable high-risk workers don’t have to endanger themselves for fear of losing their jobs or a paycheck.”
High-risk individuals are defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and specifically include:

  • 65 years of age or older
  •  People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled.
    Read the governor’s proclamation here.
    Media Contact
    Public and constituent inquiries | 360.902.4111
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On This Day … Alex Haley wins a Pulitzer Prize for Roots


Image result for 1977 - Alex Haley Received A Special Pulitzer Prize For His Book "Roots."

Born on August 11, 1921, in Ithaca, New York, Alex Haley was an American writer whose works, including Roots and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, centered on the struggles of African Americans. He died in Seattle, Washington, on February 10, 1992.

 Quotes

“Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure that the reality is going to deal with you.” – Alex Haley

“The money I have made and will be making means nothing to me compared to the fact that about half of the black people I meet—ranging from the most sophisticated to the least sophisticated—say to me, ‘I’m proud of you.’ I feel strongly about always earning that and never letting black people down.” – Alex Haley

“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”  – Alex Haley

 Early Life

Alex Haley was born Alexander Murray Palmer Haley on August 11, 1921, in Ithaca, New York. At the time of his birth, Haley’s father, Simon Haley, a World War I veteran, was a graduate student in agriculture at Cornell University, and his mother, Bertha Palmer Haley, was a teacher.

For the first five years of his life, Haley lived with his mother and grandparents in Henning, Tennessee, while his father finished his studies. When Simon Haley completed his degree, he joined the family in Tennessee and taught as a professor of agriculture at various southern universities. Alex Haley was always remarkably proud of his father, whom he said had overcome the immense obstacles of racism to achieve high levels of success and provide better opportunities for his children.

An exceptionally bright child and gifted student, Haley graduated from high school at the age of 15 and enrolled at Alcorn A&M College (Alcorn State University) in Mississippi, where he says he “was easily the most undistinguished freshman.” After one year at Alcorn, he transferred to Elizabeth City State Teachers College in North Carolina.

In 1939, at the age of 17, Haley quit school to enlist in the Coast Guard. Although he enlisted as a seaman, he quickly became a third class petty officer in the inglorious rate of mess attendant. To relieve his boredom while on ship, Haley bought a portable typewriter and typed out love letters for his less articulate friends. He also wrote short stories and articles and sent them to magazines and publishers back in the United States. Although he received mostly rejection letters in return, a handful of his stories were published, encouraging Haley to keep writing.

At the conclusion of World War II, the Coast Guard permitted Haley to transfer into the field of journalism, and by 1949 he had achieved the rank of first class petty officer in the rate of journalist. Haley was soon promoted to chief journalist of the Coast Guard, a rank he held until his retirement in 1959, after 20 years of service. A highly decorated veteran, Haley has received the American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal and an honorary degree from the Coast Guard Academy. A Coast Guard Cutter was also named in Haley’s honor: the USCGC Alex Haley.

for the complete article … Go to … www.biography.com/people

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