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Parents Abandon Their Baby at an Orphanage Doorstep - After Vowing to Prove Them Wrong, She Now Models for Vogue
Uplifting News

Parents Abandon Their Baby at an Orphanage Doorstep - After Vowing to Prove Them Wrong, She Now Models for Vogue

Xueli Abbing was left abandoned outside of an orphanage when she was a baby, her birth parents disappearing without a trace. Today, the 16-year-old has become a star model with an ambitious dream — she wants to change the world.Perfectly ImperfectFor over three decades, thousands of babies in China were abandoned by their birth parents due to the country's one-child policy — Xueli Abbing was one of them. Named 'Xue' meaning snow and 'Li' for beautiful by staff at the orphanage, Abbing was born with albinism, a genetic disorder that causes a reduced amount of pigment melanin — or no melanin at all — and can result in pale skin, hair, and eyes.Despite the hardships she faced from a young age, Abbing was adopted by a family in the Netherlands when she was three. At age 11, she was invited by a Hong Kong designer to model for a photoshoot that aimed to portray different forms of beauty."She called the campaign 'perfect imperfections' and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong," Abbing told the BBC. "That was an amazing experience."From Orphan to Star ModelPeople with albinism can face severe discrimination across the world. Some are even hunted and killed for the false belief that their bones can be used for medicine. "I'm lucky I was only abandoned," Abbing said.Models with albinism also face stereotypes and are often depicted as angels or ghosts in photoshoots and campaigns. "Especially because it perpetuates those beliefs that endanger the lives of children with albinism in countries such as Tanzania and Malawi," Abbing told the BBC. "It makes me sad."But Abbing managed to find a photographer in London who was respectful, and the photos were so incredible that one was sold to Vogue Italia for its June 2019 issue."At the time, I didn't know what an important magazine it was and it took me a while to realize why people got so excited about it," she said.A Beacon of Change in ModelingPhotoshoots are particularly difficult for Abbing, who only has 8 to 10% vision and can't look directly at flashes as it hurts her eyes. But she models anyway, as she likes being able to show a different kind of beauty than typically shown."There are still models who are like eight foot two and skinny but now people with disabilities or differences are featured more in the media and this is great - but it should be normal," she told the BBC.She also manages to find a silver lining in her lack of sight. "Maybe because I cannot see everything properly I focus more on people's voices and what they have to say," she said. "So their inner beauty is more important to me."She Wants to Change the WorldEven though she is still a teenager, Abbing is wise beyond her years. She wants to use her platform to show others that her health condition cannot stop her."I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it's a genetic disorder, it's not a curse," she said to the BBC. "The way to talk about it is to say 'a person with albinism' because being 'an albino' sounds as if it defines who you are.""I'm not going to accept that children are being murdered because of their albinism," she added. "I want to change the world." Xueli Abbing to BBCThe Future Is in Good HandsAbbing concluded her story with an extremely important message for us all:"I want other children with albinism - or any form of disability or difference - to know they can do and be anything they want," she said. "People might say you can't do things but you can, just try."Abbing's story of perseverance and ambition is such an important one to share. Counted out and abandoned, she has become a star who wants to impact change.With young people like Abbing shattering stereotypes and conventional standards, the world looks like it's definitely going to be left in good hands.More from Goalcast:Hardworking Grandfather of 10 Receives One Million Dollars – And Vows to Give It Away to Others16-Year-Old Puts Her Abusive Father in Jail – Today, the Police Officers Who Arrested Him Walked Her Down the AisleGirl Is Bullied for Her “Cursed” Skin – Today, After Proving Everyone Wrong, She’s Become a Famous Model

His Village Was Turned Into A Ghost Town By Millionaire Vacation Homes - Here's Why He Refuses To Go
Uplifting News

His Village Was Turned Into A Ghost Town By Millionaire Vacation Homes - Here's Why He Refuses To Go

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

Abandoned By Parents, She Vows To Prove Them Wrong - Today, She Models For Vogue
Uplifting News

Abandoned By Parents, She Vows To Prove Them Wrong - Today, She Models For Vogue

Xueli Abbing was left abandoned outside of an orphanage when she was a baby, her birth parents disappearing without a trace. Today, the 16-year-old has become a star model with an ambitious dream — she wants to change the world.Perfectly imperfectFor over three decades, thousands of babies in China were abandoned by their birth parents due to the country's one-child policy — Xueli Abbing was one of them. Named 'Xue' meaning snow and 'Li' for beautiful by staff at the orphanage, Abbing was born with albinism, a genetic disorder that causes a reduced amount of pigment melanin — or no melanin at all — and can result in pale skin, hair, and eyes.Despite the hardships she faced from a young age, Abbing was adopted by a family in the Netherlands when she was three. At age 11, she was invited by a Hong Kong designer to model for a photoshoot that aimed to portray different forms of beauty."She called the campaign 'perfect imperfections' and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong," Abbing told the BBC. "That was an amazing experience."Orphan to star modelPeople with albinism can face severe discrimination across the world. Some are even hunted and killed for the false belief that their bones can be used for medicine. "I'm lucky I was only abandoned," Abbing said.Models with albinism also face stereotypes and are often depicted as angels or ghosts in photoshoots and campaigns. "Especially because it perpetuates those beliefs that endanger the lives of children with albinism in countries such as Tanzania and Malawi," Abbing told the BBC. "It makes me sad."But Abbing managed to find a photographer in London who was respectful, and the photos were so incredible that one was sold to Vogue Italia for its June 2019 issue."At the time, I didn't know what an important magazine it was and it took me a while to realize why people got so excited about it," she said.A beacon of change in modelingPhotoshoots are particularly difficult for Abbing, who only has 8 to 10% vision and can't look directly at flashes as it hurts her eyes. But she models anyway, as she likes being able to show a different kind of beauty than typically shown."There are still models who are like eight foot two and skinny but now people with disabilities or differences are featured more in the media and this is great - but it should be normal," she told the BBC.She also manages to find a silver lining in her lack of sight. "Maybe because I cannot see everything properly I focus more on people's voices and what they have to say," she said. "So their inner beauty is more important to me."She wants to change the worldEven though she is still a teenager, Abbing is wise beyond her years. She wants to use her platform to show others that her health condition cannot stop her."I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it's a genetic disorder, it's not a curse," she said to the BBC. "The way to talk about it is to say 'a person with albinism' because being 'an albino' sounds as if it defines who you are.""I'm not going to accept that children are being murdered because of their albinism," she added. "I want to change the world." Xueli Abbing to BBCAbbing concluded her story with an extremely important message for us all:"I want other children with albinism - or any form of disability or difference - to know they can do and be anything they want," she said. "People might say you can't do things but you can, just try."The future is in good handsAbbing's story of perseverance and ambition is such an important one to share. Counted out and abandoned, she has become a star who wants to impact change.With young people like Abbing shattering stereotypes and conventional standards, the world looks like it's definitely going to be left in good hands.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

Former Police Officer Fired For Saving A Life On Duty Gets Vindication
Uplifting News

Former Police Officer Fired For Saving A Life On Duty Gets Vindication

Cariol Horne is breathing a sigh of relief after a case she fought for 15 years was resolved this week. In the dispute, she lost her job after stepping in to save a Black suspect who was being choked by her colleague. The court resolution shows the power of perseverance and could signal a major shift in how officers are punished for uncalled for use of violence.'I can't breathe'In November 2006, former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne showed up at the scene of an arrest in progress. When she arrived, a white cop, Gregory Kwiatkowski, was allegedly punching a handcuffed Black suspect repeatedly while other officers stood by. The white policeman then put the suspect in a chokehold and the victim said "I can't breathe" — the same words uttered by George Floyd and Eric Garner who were killed by police.But Horne refused to stand by and watch the cop kill the suspect."I said, 'Greg, you're choking him,' thinking he'll stop, but he didn't," Horne told CBC radio. "I had to react or he could have been another George Floyd."The man who was being arrested, Neal Mack, told CBS This Morning that Horne saved his life that day. But Kwiatkowski had a different version of events. He said he was trying to stop the suspect from grabbing a gun when Horne jumped on his back and pulled on his collar.She hit rock bottomHorne was subsequently fired from the police department just a year before she was supposed to be awarded pension.Not only that, but Kwiatkowski sued Horne for defamation, winning a $65,000 judgement against her."My life was turned upside down," Horne told CBC. "I was homeless. I went through depression and PTSD from the incident. It was just horrible."Meanwhile, Kwiatkowski was promoted to lieutenant and retired from the force in 2011.The cop had repeated offencesBut in 2018, Kwiatkowski was back in court defending his actions during a different incident. This time, he lost the case after a judge ruled he used "unreasonable force" against four Black teenagers suspected of shooting a BB gun in 2009. The officer slammed their heads against the cop car and yelled obscenities at them.Kwiatkowski ended up spending four months in federal prison for his actions in 2009. But the 2018 case had another impact — it turned around Horne's longstanding dispute and a judge finally ruled that she acted justly in 2006.In his ruling, Judge Dennis Ward granted cleared Horne's name and ruled that she should get back pay as well as her pension. "The time is always right to do right." - Martin Luther King Jr, as quoted by Judge Dennis Ward in Cariol Horne's case."The judge gets it," Horne told CBC."It feels absolutely wonderful that after 15 years that I can now breathe a little easier," she added.Using her situation to help othersBut Horne's work isn't finished. She's pushing for legislation called Cariol's Law which would allow officers to jump in if their colleague is becoming too violent. It'll also create a registry of officers who've crossed the line, which would make it so they can't just hop from department to department."I believe that I have laid the foundation to change the culture, so now they just have to adhere to it. And if not, maybe a judge like the honorable Judge Ward can make that possible so that bad officers will be held accountable if they don't do what they're supposed to do and stop police brutality if they see it happening," Horne told CBC. "Police officers are the only ones who can do that. Because as we saw in the George Floyd case, there were bystanders and none of them could go up and save George Floyd's life. But one of those three officers could have."Fighting for changeIt is absolutely infuriating the harsh treatment Horne experienced for standing up for what was right. But thankfully, she has cleared her name, and hopefully, with Cariol's Law, what happened to her will never happen again.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

Ibram Kendi | How to be the Smartest in the Room
Inspiring Speeches and Interviews

Ibram Kendi | How to be the Smartest in the Room

Ibram Kendi - Grow Your Intellect Are you an intellectual? Ibram Kendi breaks down what it really means to be the smartest person in the room. His message will make you reconsider everything you knew about intelligence and productivity. Transcript: I want to talk to you about what is next for your mind. The point of my address is to ask you a very simple question. Are you an intellectual? I'm asking this question because you need to know that having a doctorate does not make you an intellectual. Becoming a professor does not make you an intellectual. Working in a research lab does not make you an intellectual just like there are MDs who are not healers, just like there are reverends who are not about God. Do not become that person. No doctorate degree is required to join the intellectual academy. This is an inclusive academy with all types of people coming from all types of backgrounds. There are people with only a GED. There are incarcerated people. There are homeless people in this intellectual academy. There are poor people in this intellectual academy. So when I say "intellectual," I'm not referring to someone who knows a wealth of information. All of you I'm sure know a lot. I do not measure a person's intellect based on how much a person knows. How much you know has no bearing on how much you are an intellectual. I define and many others define an intellectual as someone with a tremendous desire to know. Intellectuals have a tremendous capacity to change their minds on matters, to self-reflect, to self-critique. Intellectuals are only governed by one special interest and that special interest is rarely self-serving and that special interest is finding and revealing the truth. How many of you have a tremendous desire to know? How many of your minds are wide open to new ideas? How many of you are searching for ideas that challenge how you see the world? How many of you are willing to look differently at the world with the blink of new evidence? How many are you critiquing your own ideas as intensely as you critique the ideas of others? Intellectuals are a nomadic people, constantly changing their conceptual location, constantly in search of a better conceptual space. We have workout warriors of the body, those who pump iron to break down old muscles to allow newer and bigger and better muscles to grow in their place. Well, intellectuals are workout warriors of the mind regularly breaking down old ideas to allow new ideas and bigger ideas and better ideas to grow in their place. Are you an intellectual?