New York City has a new mayor. His name is Bill de Blasio.

Bill is white.

The rest of Bill’s family – his wife Chirlane, his son Dante, and his daughter Chiara – is not (or in the case of Bill’s children, not completely).

The de Blasios are black and white, and their picture represents a growing trend. The 2010 Census showed that interracial marriages now account for 1 in 10 of marriages in the U.S.

Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray met in 1991 while working for former mayor David Dinkin. Their relationship has always attracted controversy. Besides being interracial, McCray, a poet, had identified herself as a lesbian in a 1979 Essence article. The couple has been married for 19 years. McCray stands by her words.

 “At the time, it was an important statement to make because black women, especially at that time, we were like invisible in the gay movement…I think that there’s a spectrum, that people can fall anywhere along the spectrum of human sexuality”

It may only be in New York City’s that you would find a first family that represents diversity in race and sexual preference too.

“The family symbolizes everything we are, everything we believe in. By showing it to the world, it’s sort of, one, what you see is what you get, and, two, yeah, I think there are some positive messages.” 

Just like their dynamic home city, the de Blasio children embrace self expression. Chiara has gauges in her ears and piercings on her face. Dante has an afro. As the Washington Post pointed out, the family says it all with their hair.

Some even think Dante’s ‘fro might have won de Blasio the election. After he starred in a campaign video, Dante’s dad picked up some steam.

Politics aside, families like the de Blasios are expected to become more and more commonplace. Will the rest of America be as accepting as New York?  

There are many reasons that Chrome is so popular, but one of the biggest may be its superlative development tools. In today's article, Rob Gravelle takes a look at the Elements and Styles windows and getting a first-hand view as to how they help make Chrome's development tools the cat's pajamas!

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This fall marks the first semester of the global studies major, an interdisciplinary program that integrates courses in 12 departments and trains students to develop research, critical thinking, writing and language skills. 

Global Studies Program Director and Political Science Professor Devin Hagerty wrote an op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed that introduces the program and argues that a liberal arts education is essential in developing a “global competence” among students:

Broadly defined, global competence is “the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.” Its central elements include knowledge of world affairs — cultural, economic, and political; proficiency in communicating with people in and from other societies, both verbally and in writing; the ability to appreciate multiple perspectives and respect cultural diversity; and the intellectual and psychological flexibility to adapt to unfamiliar and rapidly changing circumstances.

Hagerty describes how majors in the program take courses in economics, geography and environmental systems and history among others and are required to study abroad and achieve fluency in a foreign language.

“Developing the skills that we hope to instill in UMBC’s global studies majors is an inherently interdisciplinary mission,” Hagerty wrote.

You can read the full op-ed in Inside Higher Ed here.

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