Cuwin

12/12/2025

Marion Stokes was a TV producer, librarian, and activist from Philadelphia who began recording television news in 1979. She videotaped 33 years of the 24-hour news cycle on more than 70,000 VHS and Betamax tapes. By the time she passed away in 2012, her recordings documented major events in history such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, September 11, and many others. Marion wanted to preserve the truth because she knew that news could be changed or forgotten over time.

She eventually filled multiple apartments in Philadelphia with televisions, VCRs, tapes, and recording equipment. This is confirmed by her family, the documentary Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project, and the Internet Archive. She funded her extensive television-recording project through her own savings and early investments in Apple stock. She recorded the news exactly as it was broadcast on television. Her tapes show an extraordinary record of how events were shown to the public.

In the 2019 documentary Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project, Marion's son Michael Metelits said, "Taping these programs for my mother was a form of activism. She wanted people to be able to seek the truth and check facts. She thought that everyone needed to have access to knowledge to make good decisions." After her death in 2012, Michael donated her entire collection to the Internet Archive in 2013. The tapes were transported in shipping containers from Philadelphia to San Francisco to be preserved and digitized for public access. Marion's dedication to recording the news saved stories, and her life shows all of us how one person can protect the truth.

📸 (Photo: Marion Stokes / Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project)

12/12/2025

12/10/2025

President George T. French Jr., Ph.D., joins ABC News Live’s All Access with Linsey Davis today at 8 PM ET for a national conversation on the future of higher education.

Watch live tonight at https://abcnews.go.com/Live

12/10/2025

When MacKenzie Scott was a student at Princeton, she studied creative writing with Nobel Prize–winning author Toni Morrison. In those classes, it wasn't just about writing. Toni taught her students to notice people, their voices, and the stories that reveal their struggles and dreams. Those lessons stayed with MacKenzie for the rest of her life.

MacKenzie's journey wasn't easy. Her family went bankrupt before Princeton. While waitressing in New York after college in 1992, she struggled to pay rent and wrote to Toni through letters preserved in the Toni Morrison Papers at Princeton University. She continued writing and eventually published two novels.

Toni Morrison passed away on August 5, 2019 at 88 years old. Her belief in empathy and humanity lives on through MacKenzie Scott's extraordinary giving. To date, she has donated over $26 billion to schools, nonprofits, and communities in need, including over $1.18 billion to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Their story reminds all of us how one teacher's care can inspire a lifetime of compassion.

stayinspirednews.com/mackenzie-scotts-college-professor-toni-morrison-inspired-her-to-give-away-billions

Photo: Sara Krulwich/NYT/Redux | Princeton University

12/10/2025

Rip

Today, we honor International Human Rights Day by uplifting the powerful work happening across our campus. The Blue Record continues to amplify student voices and elevate conversations that deepen our understanding of justice, equity, and global responsibility. Spelman Honors cultivates scholars who examine human rights challenges through rigorous study, leadership, and a commitment to transforming communities. Comparative Women’s Studies grounds students in Black feminist theory and global justice, inspiring them to advocate for equity and center the lived experiences of women and marginalized groups worldwide. At Spelman, human rights are not just studied—they’re lived, uplifted, and advanced through scholarship, storytelling, and advocacy.

12/10/2025

12/10/2025