BELatina’s Weekend Recap: Puerto Rican Wins in the Ring, Books by Girls Who Code Banned, and More

BELatina's Weekend Recap: Puerto Rican Wins in the Ring, Banned Books by Girls Who Code, and More belatina latine

Happy Monday, everyone! We are now entering the final week of September, which makes anyone wonder: Where has the time gone?

As usual, we are recapping a few headlines that you should be aware of as you start your week. You can’t go into the world without knowing what’s going on around you – or at least, you shouldn’t. 

From Rihanna’s Superbowl announcement to a school district banning books by Girls Who Code, there’s a lot to talk about this Monday. 

Let’s dive in!

As the opioid crisis continues to disproportionately affect communities of color, L.A. school districts will offer Narcan

Credit: Healthline

Though the pandemic is well underway, the nation is also suffering from a few epidemics. One of those is fueled by an opioid crisis, which disproportionately affects historically excluded communities such as the Latino and Black communities. To combat this, an L.A. school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District, recently announced that Narcan, an anti-overdose medication, will be readily available to all schools in their district. This was a direct response to a tragic case where a 15-year-old student was found dead in a Hollywood school’s bathroom due to a fentanyl overdose. 

“Research shows that the availability of naloxone along with overdose education is effective at decreasing overdoses and death–and will save lives,” Dr. Smita Malhotra, Medical Director of LAUSD, said in a statement. 

Albert Pujols Becomes the First Latino to Hit 700 Home Runs

Pujols hit his 700th home run at the Dodger Stadium on Friday night. Consequently, he became the first Latino to reach the milestone of joining the 700-homer club. He is also only the fourth player to join this club. His athletic talents allowed him to join players of his similar caliber such as Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, and Henry Aaron. Pujols already has a well-established track record of being one of the most decorated players in baseball’s history. We love to see our community win! 

A Book Series by Girls Who Code was Banned

PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans, a list that details restricted literature in the United States, just added a series of books by authors who partnered with Girls Who Code. The series is based on a group of young girls and their many adventures while they carry out their duties at their school’s coding club – and it was found unfit by classrooms in the Pennsylvania Central York School District.

The founder of Girls Who Code, Reshma Saujani, has reached out to the district’s president and several teachers to understand the reasoning behind the ban since it wasn’t originally given.

Saujani is in disbelief at this situation. She told Business Insider how this is an opportunity to realize how big this movement is against our kids and how much we need to fight it.

The books banned are “Team BFF: Races to the Finish!”; “The Friendship Code”; and “Spotlight on Coding Club!”

Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology and computer science. Its mission is to inspire more girls to become computer scientists and engineers to ensure economic stability.

Puerto Rican Boxer, Amanda Serrano, Brought a Win Back Home

In a match that took place at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, Amanda Serrano picked up another world title. She defeated Sarah Mahfoud in a unanimous-decision win, according to ESPN. This was a great rebound for the Puerto Rican boxer after being defeated by Katie Taylor in April. Serrano earned scores of 99-92, 97-93, and 97-93 in the ring. Puerto Rico needs as much good news as possible nowadays and we are happy Serrano was able to bring some joy back home. 

Please don’t stop the music as we celebrate Rihanna’s Superbowl announcement

Rihanna, one of the best-selling artists in the world, will reportedly headline the Superbowl in February 2023. She turned down the chance to perform in the 2019 event as a sign of solidarity with Colin Kapernick. Riri hasn’t released new music since 2016 as she’s been focused on her billion-dollar beauty brand, Fenty Beauty. She seemingly confirmed the news on her social media with a cryptic image of a football. 

Fans are excited to hear Rihanna again, including us. 

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