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Living far from family is never easy, especially when you’re in a different country. The miles can feel insurmountable, particularly when tragedy strikes. For Jarom Ngakuru, a New Zealander of Māori descent living in the United States, this reality hit hard when he was unable to return home for his grandmother’s funeral.
“Why do they do that? Why don't they just go to a shelter?" she said, rolling her eyes. That’s the reaction photographer Virginia Becker had every time she’d see a blue tarp on the side of the road, signaling 'homeless people ahead.' And living in California, the bluest of blue tarp states, she was rolling her eyes often. So when she came across one homeless woman who wasn't very photogenic, fireworks were about to go off.A Homeless Woman With a Tough StoryPhoto by PixabayWith how her life was going, the last thing Sophia Ortiz wanted was her picture taken. "I didn't want to look in the mirror to put on makeup," she told CBS News. "I really didn't feel like I mattered anymore." Losing her home when her mother died, Ortiz was forced back into an abusive relationship to keep a roof over her head. With time, she slept on the street and took shelter in transit stations.It was during that time that her paths crossed with a camera-toting Becker. Only this time instead of turning her cheek, Becker opened her arms to Ortiz.That's because Becker was a new woman with a new mission. She'd joined the Downtown Streets Team, a nonprofit that provides homeless people with resources to get them off the streets. It was through volunteering that she saw the homeless through a whole different lens. While lending a hand, she'd take pictures to humanize them.She didn't know it at the time, but when Becker snapped Ortiz's picture, she was capturing history. A Photographer’s Life-Changing PicturePhoto by Ahmed ツWhen Becker not only stopped but offered to take Ortiz's picture, it was a life-changing success. "That's what happens with pictures. I didn't see, I didn't have self-worth until I started getting these pictures," she said. And now?"I see pride, when I see that picture I see pride."With renewed motivation, Ortiz landed a job and an apartment within months of connecting with Becker and the Downtown Streets Team. By doing so, she is one of their fastest graduates to this day.Once hidden, she now readily smiles for the camera. How a Photographer Reminds Us That Each Life Is a Unique PicturePhoto by Kyle GlennNow looking back on her life's negatives, Ortiz sees only blessings now."The worst time in my life ended up being the best time of my life because I got my self-worth through me," she said. Meanwhile, Becker said that her experiences have forever changed her point of view. "I wonder how many people can be really honest with themselves and say, 'I see everybody exactly the same," Becker said. "I couldn't have said that before, but I can now."She’s since taken over 5,000 pictures of the homeless through her Blue Tarp Project. Her work has been featured at the MLK Library in San Jose. Who knows how many more life she'll change? It's really easy to get tunnel vision in life, in fact, it's built into our brains. Per TIME, a study showed that our brains make judgments about people before we even know what they look like. Sometimes, like Becker, you have to stop and adjust your focus to really appreciate the human in front of you. More from Goalcast:Homeless Woman Begs For Scraps In Restaurant — Customer Gives Her Leftovers Then Does Even MoreMom and Her 2 Kids Are Trapped in an Apartment Fire – One Local Homeless Man Tells Them All to Drop Out of the Window
Leslie Uggams is probably best known for her role in the Deadpool series, but her real life reads a bit like a movie as well.At the heart of her life story is an incredible tale of love that has spanned over 5 decades, defying the odds of racism and prejudice.Her Family Expected Her to Marry a Black ManPhoto by Văn ThắngBorn in 1943, Leslie's talents as an actress got her into show business very early in life. At only 10 years old, she already made a record for MGM. This was only a precursor to an incredible television, screen and film career. The time Leslie grew up in was a difficult one for anyone in an interracial relationship. In a 1967 interview with Ebony, Leslie recalls how she was expected to marry a Black man. When she dated a white boy in her teens, her aunt told her not to entertain the idea of a future with him. Leslie said:"I remember the shock I got once when I was dating a white boy. He sent me a colour picture of himself. I showed it to my aunt. He was a good looking boy with beautiful hair. I thought he was gorgeous. But my aunt to one look and started in to lecture me. 'Well he's alright, I suppose,' she told me, 'but only for dates, huh, honey? When you're thinking of settling down for keeps you'll make sure you marry a nice [Black] fella, won't you?'"Leslie never discriminated when she dated even she admits, "I had to be extra careful of the company I kept," being a Black woman in show business.Then, She Met Her Future Husband Grahame PrattBy the time Leslie met Grahame Pratt, she was already successful. Even though their first meeting in Sydney, Australia was not ideal, Leslie said she would never forget it."Then I came for my first appearance at Chequers night club and met Grahame," she said.He was quite drunk and asked her to join him and his friends for another drink.I don't know why I ever agreed to join them for yet another drink but I did. I reckon I must have liked his style. I remember thinking he was English, not Australian.Leslie Uggams in EbonyAfter that, Leslie and her mother kept seeing more and more of Grahame. "I found myself really falling for him, which was quite a thing for me to realize as I was only 21."When she left Sydney, it would be 12 months until she would see him again.She Didn’t Believe He Could Handle the RelationshipThe thing is, unlike Grahame, Leslie is American and she was way more aware of the public perception of interracial relationships in her home country than he was. So she had reasons to question the marriage and the strength of his love.I believed he loved me and wanted to marry me, but at the same time I felt he might also have welcomed a way out of our love, if that were possible.Leslie Uggams"I mean it is a tremendous responsibility to take on a mixed marriage like ours," Leslie continued. She identified three problems they would have to contend with: the racial tensions in America, the fact that she was not going to quit her work in show business, and the necessity for Grahame to move to the United States.So Leslie decided they would try it out at first, to make sure their marriage could withstand it."I felt that as I was the one who would be taking him away from the sort of life he had been used to it was up to me to make sure he really knew what it would be like," she said.They got engaged for 5 months, during which he came to New York to meet her family. She Was Afraid Her Family Wouldn’t Accept HimOther than the obvious negative attitudes towards interracial relationships, Leslie also worried about her own family's reception of Grahame. While she wanted Grahame to experience a "real sample of life" in an interracial relationship in America, she also wanted to make sure her folks would truly welcome him."Knowing my family's ideas about mixed marriages I wanted to know, too, whether they would really accept Graham and not just tolerate him," she said.You can imagine how I felt, after they got to know one another, my father told me he couldn't hope for a better son-in-law.Leslie UggamsLeslie was pleasantly surprised at Grahame's ease with her friends and family. It turns out that being Australian gave him a different perspective and approach to the new culture he had moved into."He had none of the self-consciousness about the situation that a white American often has. He fitted in easily with all my friends...just because he liked them. And they certainly liked him, both the men and the girls."They Got Hate Letters but It Didn’t Threaten Their LoveLeslie and Grahame settled into married life quite well. They lived in New York where hardly anyone made nasty remarks. “It was not as hard as I expected it to be,” Leslie told PEOPLE. “I think the reason is that Grahame was not an American white man. But of course we did get mail.”"Sometimes when I go on tour through the States I get anonymous letters about being married to a white man," Leslie revealed. "I remember I got one in Detroit of all places. It came to the club addressed to 'The Little Negro Entertainer.' They're always addressed something like that and they're not pleasant to read."Back in that 1967 Ebony interview, Leslie wished for one thing: "I just want my children to be happy as we both are. Then they'll have everything that is worth living for."Don’t Underestimate the Power of LoveWell, 55 years later, Leslie and Grahame are still going strong. The couple went on to have two children: Danielle and Justice, 42, and are now grandparents of Cassidy, 7, an aspiring actress.As for how they’ve made it work all these years, Leslie said, “We laugh all the time — but it ain’t always roses. We have fun together.”Leslie and Grahame's heartwarming story proves that love transcends everything from hostile environments and cultural differences. Both decided to give themselves a chance. Had they listened to their doubts, they would have missed out on their love. Instead, they tried to make it work, keeping an open mind. We can certainly all be inspired from this incredible couple.More from Goalcast:Woman Finally Marries “True Love” 43 Years After Her Mother Forced Her to End Interracial RelationshipIn 1963, He Broke Their Engagement and Her Heart — 60 Years Later, He Took a Chance and Sent Her a Facebook Friend RequestWhite Woman Refuses to Listen to Dad After He Forbid Her From Marrying a Black Man – 60 Years Later, They’re Still Togethertrue love always finds a way"Love recognizes no barrier." - Maya Angelou
In a beautiful display of the human spirit, Lewis Capaldi’s fans supported him when he started losing his voice at his recent Glastonbury performance.Three weeks after canceling a string of performances to rest and recover mentally and physically, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Scotland struggled to finish his set at the music festival in England. But the crowd was there for him.A Touching Performance by FansBBC Radio 1 @BBCR1/TwitterCapaldi had a difficult time singing his chart-topping hit Someone You Loved as he dealt with what appeared to be involuntary movements and his voice breaking.He gave a beautiful performance full of heart and humor, but as the hour went on, he began struggling.“I really apologize. You’ve all come out, and my voice is really packing in,” he told the crowd. “We’re gonna play two more songs if that’s cool, even if I can’t hit all the notes.”By the time his mega-hit Someone You Loved began his voice was all but gone and the audience took over, singing the lyrics back to him. Capaldi simply stood on stage taking it in while thousands of voices sung the emotional tune in unison.Since revealing his diagnosis on an Instagram live last September, the singer has remained candid with his fans about his struggle with Tourette’s syndrome and anxiety. Tourette’s syndrome is a nervous system disorder that causes repetitive movements, sounds, or tics that cannot be easily controlled. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 200,000 people, including singer Billie Eilish, report having the condition each year in the U.S.Capaldi said the diagnosis helped him finally understood why he would often get involuntary twitches, and that he noticed his tics in filmed interviews as early as 2018.“I’ve always had it, apparently,” he said. “The worst thing about it is when I’m excited, I get it, when I’m stressed, I get it, when I’m happy I get it. It happens all the time. Some days it’s more painful than others and some days it’s less painful."“It looks a lot worse than it is,” he added. “Sometimes it’s quite uncomfortable … but it comes and goes.”In March, the singer released his documentary How I’m Feeling Now, which gave a closer look at Capaldi’s mental health issues and Tourette’s. It captured how he’s managed his tics throughout his career as he revealed that early on he pushed back on getting treatment, calling the tics a normal part of his life.Prioritizing His Mental WellbeingIn the documentary Capaldi admitted to taking a four-month pause to focus on his mental health, which is when he got his Tourette diagnosis. He also spoke at length about how his anxiety can exacerbate his tics as well.A few days after the festival performance Capaldi announced he will be taking another break."First of all, thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards. It really does mean the world," he posted."I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I'd hoped three weeks away would sort me out. But the truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come."Tourette’s in the SpotlightOn the Jonathan Ross Show in October Capaldi said, “People think I’m on cocaine a lot and I’m not! Now I’m the poster boy for Tourette’s, and I’ll accept that.”And at the Glastonbury performance that just what he did – put Tourette’s in spotlight.It is not just that Capaldi has a disability, but his Tourette’s was front and center on the Pyramid stage, along with his talent and incredible performance.In a perfect world, a tic is just a twinge and not a sign of failure. That’s why Capaldi’s performance in Glastonbury was so beautiful. Because the crowd wasn’t just singing the lyrics for Capaldi, they were telling him they accept him and admire him exactly as he is, displaying a beautiful example of true acceptance.More from Goalcast:Woman Tried to Hide Her Hearing Aids – Until Her Son Inspired Her to Embrace Her DisabilityEmily Blunt Secretly Suffered from a Surprising Disability – But One Thing Helped Her Beat It
Prom is supposed to be a special event for every student, but one Nashville, Tennessee high school senior was refused entry for wearing a suit rather than a dress.B Hayes, an 18-year-old, non-binary student at Nashville Christian School, said the school’s dress code disallowed them from wearing the all-black suit they arrived in at the event.Banned Student’s Post Goes Viral and Garners SupportHayes, who uses they/he pronouns, shared a photo of themselves standing outside the prom venue holding a sign that reads: “They wouldn’t let me in because I’m in a suit.”The Instagram post caption reads: “My name is B Hayes. I'm 18 years old and i’ve been attending Nashville Christian School for 13 years. My senior prom was today and I wasn’t allowed in the doors because I was wearing a suit. I should not have to conform to femininity to attend my senior prom. I will not compromise who I am to fit in a box. Who are you to tell us what it means to be a woman?”The post quickly went viral and garnered a lot of support for the teen.Nashville Christian School provided a statement to NPR explaining that the school “has established dress requirements for daily school attendance and at our special events. All students and families are aware of and sign an agreement to these guidelines when they enroll.”RELATED: Dad Organizes Surprise Prom For Daughter During Coronavirus Lockdown“While we certainly respect a student’s right to disagree, all of our students know from our school handbook that when they do not follow such expectations at school-sponsored events, they may be asked to leave.”The school’s 2022-2023 handbook states, “God created us as male or female, and we will live consistently with the gender God chose for us. These two different, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God.”The handbook also forbids event-goers from taking a date of the same gender or sex.“It’s been amazing to see so many people share, like and comment on my post. I never imagined it would get this amount of attention,” Hayes told the Washington Post in an email.Local Businesses Plan Inclusive PromThe post was shared on a popular Instagram account called A Girl Has No President and caught the attention of Marcie Allen Van Mol, who owns AB Hillsboro Village, a live-music venue in Nashville, with her husband.Van Mol, a stepparent to two teenage daughters, was heartbroken for the teen.“You have an 18-year-old young adult who is trying to enjoy their last five weeks of their senior year and experience a prom as we all did,” she said. “That simple thing is a rite of passage.”RELATED: 7-Year-Old Boy Surprises His Babysitter With A Mini-Prom After Hers Was CancelledHer husband agreed and the pair wanted to help out. They decided to host a private prom at their venue to give Hayes and some friends a chance to celebrate the important milestone.Van Mol went to social media to solicit support and people and small businesses immediately offered to pitch in for everything from décor and flowers to a photo booth to food.Thousands Raised in Support of TeenA GoFundMe page called “throw the ultimate prom for B” was started and it raised more than $26,000 on the first day. The amount has now reached $38,000.To support small businesses while supporting Hayes, the money collected will be used to pay the small businesses that help put on the prom.“The power of small businesses and how they lift up and support their communities is staggering,” Van Mol said.Any additional funds they raise will go to Inclusion Tennessee and Oasis Center — two charities selected by Hayes that support LGBTQ rights.The prom for Hayes is planned for May 6, and they will invite 25 friends to attend. R&B artist Tone Stith will put on a private performance.RELATED: Modern Family’s Most Controversial Character May Be TV’s Most Important LGBTQ+ AllyHayes says they are grateful to have received so much support.“Knowing that not only the Nashville community is behind me but people all over the country are supporting the issue is incredible to see,” they said in an email to the Washington Post.“I hope the awareness can bring about positive change and that more students in the future feel strong enough to stand up for freedom of expression.”Van Mol hopes that this starts a domino effect.“We hope that cities and states and countries all watch this and see how one act of kindness can spawn thousands of acts of kindness,” she said. “We can fight hate with love.”
It's a fact that good jobs are tough to find, especially for Black men. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, they represent the biggest jobless segment at 12.2%.You can bet oil-change worker DeWayne Wren knew this working at East End Xpress Lube in Illinois. But no amount of money was worth the hell he went through. Yet it would only get worse when he went to his boss about it.Why a Black Employee Was Fired by a Racist Husband and WifePhoto by Nicola BartsThat's because it was his boss East End Xpress owner Paul Beeler, along with his wife Marcia, who constantly abused Wren with racist insults. Per the Atlanta Black Star, Wren recalled one time when things got really personal and Beeler called him derogatory names.When Wren confronted Beeler in his office about it, he refused to apologize, saying that it was his shop and he can do as he wants. Then, as a final insult, Wren was fired for having the gall to speak up. What's worse is that his white co-workers who also complained kept their jobs. Little did his racist bosses know at the time, but they were about to get a double dose of karma. How Co-workers Stepped Up for a FriendPhoto by Nick FewingsWhen word of Wren's firing got around, four of his co-workers quit in protest, leaving only one mechanic at the shop. All of them, like Ethan Hess, expressed outrage as their motivation.“They fired Wren because he was Black and they did not want to own up to it,” he told the Riverfront Times.Samuel Sargent another former employee, recalled Beeler making racist comments several times. In an angry text to Marcia Beeler, he shamed her and defended Wren.“This is the 21st century, you and Paul should be better than to be saying racial slurs towards, around, or behind anyone even more importantly my good friend DeWayne who I know is a hard worker,” he wrote.“I do not stand for that and will not let it happen to my friends.”Neither Paul nor Marcia Beeler replied to any requests for comment. At this point, probably the less they say the better. How Co-workers Proved That Friends Stick Up for Each OtherPhoto by Alexander SuhorucovAmong best friend quotes, one from Hellen Keller reads, "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." In DeWayne Wren's darkest moment, four of his friends stepped up to walk with him.Yes, in this case, it meant leaving a job and going into the unknown. I'm sure it wasn't easy for Hess, Sargent, or the other two. Yet is their integrity worth cashing cheques from racists? While you can't blame someone who has no motivation to stay but also no option to leave, you can surely salute those who took a stand and left.Doing what's right isn't always doing what's easy; it's the force that pushes the sun through the clouds.
Out in the openTo many of Levi Miles' friends at the University of Wisconsin, it was an open secret that he was gay. However, he never told the world. In a piece he penned in the Huff Post, Miles says that the positive response following him officially coming out on Facebook was heartwarming. However, visiting home, Miles was very concerned with his father's reaction. While his mother had known Miles' secret for two years, he wrote that "coming out to my father terrified me beyond all other things," fearing that he'd disown him. One day his father left the house, and Miles's mother told him “Your father saw your Facebook status when I left my Facebook up. The cat’s out of the bag."When Miles asked her for his reaction, the response was heartbreaking. "She said that he wasn’t too happy about it, mostly disappointed and kind of hurt, from what I gathered," wrote Miles."He’d even had the gall to say that if I weren’t in theatrE, I wouldn’t have ended up gay, because it wouldn’t have seemed so normal."- Levi Miles"My dad has never been open-minded on the topic of homosexuality, and I know that he was praying that I wouldn’t be gay."Things left unsaidWhen his dad returned, neither brought up the topic. Miles admitted that "I didn’t want to talk about my sexuality with my father any more than he wanted to talk about it with me, which was good."With the tense weekend over, Miles hugged his parents goodbye as he hopped on the train back to Milwaukee.A few hours later, his mother texted him."Your dad has funny ways of showing he loves you. Look in your backpack."- Levi Mile's motherInside, between two notebooks, was a picture of a young Miles and his father, smiling. On the back was a note that wrote “I will always love you, no matter what.”Love overcomes As hurtful and ignorant his 'disappointment' was to Levi, credit to his father for reflecting and realizing that Levi is his son and ultimately deciding to love him for who he is. While he didn't do it with some moving speech, he expressed it in his own way ---just like his Levi expresses who he is.Above all, hat's off to young Levi for sharing this story, and reminding us all that even the seemingly coldest and closed hearts and minds can thaw with love. More uplifting stories:Instagram Influencer’s Ridiculous Attempt At Fat-Shaming Woman Quickly BackfiresWoman Unceremoniously Dumps Toxic Boyfriend After Constant Body ShamingWoman Too Heavy For Her Scale Has Major Wake-Up Call And Loses Over 200 Lbs In 1 YearMen Get Caught Harassing McDonald’s Worker, Sparking Outrage About A Harsh Reality
A Welsh coastal village used to be a thriving working-class community. But its proximity to beautiful Mediterranean-esque ocean views has attracted a new flock of homeowners, many of them paying upwards of $1.4 million to own a home and only visiting during vacation. Still, one of the town's only remaining year-round residents resiliently hangs on to his family home and the town he knows from memory at this point.The only 'local, local'When Norman Thomas moved to beautiful Cwm-yr-Eglwys on the southwest coast of Wales 55 years ago, the community was thriving with 62 farms, four or five grocery stores and, five pubs. These days, there are a very few jobs and he's one of the only people who lives in the village year-round.“Ten years ago it started going rough – there were no lights at night in the houses," the 88-year-old widower told The Mirror. "It looks so dark and cold in the winter because there’s not many people."Thomas, who is a retired boat club steward, said it gets so quiet that "you can drive up the road with your eyes shut because there’s nobody on the road.""There are three houses occupied and I’m the only ‘local, local,’" he added.The only other year-round residents are Elizabeth and Harry Broughton, who are also in their eighties and moved to the village in 1968.But Thomas doesn't mind. He lives in a four-bedroom home that overlooks a beach that has been in his wife's family for over a century. He raised four kids there and enjoys the peace and quiet. Accepting his neighborsThomas' current neighbors are all holidaymakers who drive up to the coastal village for vacation. Some of the houses around him are worth over $1.4 million and as far as he knows no one else speaks Welsh."I speak Welsh to everybody!”Norman ThomasDespite the disparity in ways of life, Thomas has no issues with the holidaymakers.“They’re not doing any damage – in fact, they spend a lot of money here building better houses," he told The Mirror. "We know everybody who comes here. They’re all nice people.”Thomas is realistic. He knows there simply isn't enough work to go around to support a larger, more permanent community. “There’s no work here at all, but there used to be when I was younger," he said, adding that some in the community have to drive 40 miles to find work. "We had 62 farms sprawled out in the parish, and now there’s not a single milk producer. They’ve all given up because they couldn’t make it pay."Making peace with the changes of lifeWhat Cwm-yr-Eglwys is going through is difficult to swallow for many, but it is inevitable with the changing times. Love it or hate it, change happens, and while Thomas might have preferred when his town was more bustling, he seems to have made peace with the way things are, and that's admirable in and of itself.More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others
