Family and friends of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton shot and killed this week speak out.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous dream remains a work in progress. What can each of us do to further King’s historic dream? To honor the birthday and legacy of Dr. King, a group of California teens shared their thoughts on how to make King’s dream a reality.
Though Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is well on its way to becoming a reality, there is still a ways to go. It’s been less than a year since the Trayvon Martin incident, and President Barack Obama’s recent re-election stirred up tensions around the country. As a nation, we still struggle to look past the hue of someone’s skin. King realized that movements start with individuals, not countries, and individually, we must commit to fulfilling his vision.
-Shalaka Gole, California High School student
Click here to read more quotes from teens on fulfilling King’s vision.
Lolo Jones criticized for simply being herself
Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones ran her heart out. Her fourth place finish in the 100-meter hurdles was her best time this season. But it wasn’t good enough and probably never would have been, at least not to her biggest critics — the media.
Just days before her race, the New York Times made a bold move by publishing an editorial that called the track star undeserving of the spotlight and nothing but a pretty face. The article was titled “For Lolo, Everything Is Image.” In the article, Jones was compared to tennis player Anna Kournikova, suggesting that both are simply admired for their beauty and not their athletic skill. Jones’ accomplishments were disregarded. Her family struggles were belittled. And her commitment to purity was questioned and labeled as a scheme to add to her fan base.
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On the track: Sanya, DeeDee, Carmelita!
Why We Love Gabby
At 16, Gabby Douglas knows what it means to persevere. When she moved to Iowa to train full-time with one of the best gymnastics coaches, she was just 14. Gabby left her Virginia Beach home, family and friends to pursue her dream of becoming an Olympic gymnast. Thousands of miles away from all that was familiar to her, Gabby sought out to become the best. But it wasn’t easy. Her family faced financial challenges, and Gabby was homesick. She missed her mother and her siblings. Gabby’s older sister tried to encourage her, telling Gabby not to give up.
And that’s the difference between so many of us and Gabby. When things become too hard, often times we just give up. We say we want something, but we don’t stick it out to the end. 
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Elle Varner’s album cover, “Perfectly Imperfect.” Feeling this album title. Album in stores today!
Meet the first graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Read about Oprah’s dream to open a school in South Africa and view behind the scene photos from the graduation on Oprah.com.
Olympic boxing contender Quanitta Underwood and her sister Hazzauna discuss surviving child abuse.
