Archives saved from the Museum of Chinese in America after Jan. 24 fire

Museum president @mocanyc Nancy Yao Maasbach (2nd from left) confirms they began retrieving artifacts this morning, after last week’s fire.

She says the 200 boxes they went through are mostly very salvageable. Audible relief from the crowd. @WNYC @Gothamist pic.twitter.com/Cf5gSaBpMS

— Shumita Basu (@shubasu) January 29, 2020

After a devastating fire broke out on 70 Mulberry Street, the building where the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) kept much of its archives, many feared that all 85,000 items had been lost. Last Wednesday, city workers were allowed into the building for the first time and retrieved several archives, which sustained little damage. The first set of recovered items will be sent to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where they will be frozen and stabilized.

Arizona proposed banning trans women from women’s sports

Arizona Rep. Nancy Barto proposed a bill that would only allow “biological women”— those assigned female at birth— to participate in women’s sports. The bill, which was co-sponsored by 22 other Republican House members, argues that trans women put cisgender women at a disadvantage. Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Washington have proposed similar bills, according to the ACLU.

Vanessa Bryant posted for first time since Kobe and Gianna’s death

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe – the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna – a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless – and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family ❤️

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday in what some say was a strategic move by the NFL to position itself as a promoter of diversity. The two Latina performers incorporated elements of their Hispanic heritage into their segments. Jennifer Lopez wore a Versace cape with a Puerto Rican flag, while Shakira’s dance moves were inspired by her native Colombia.

Joaquin Phoenix called out racism in film during BAFTA speech

After winning the BAFTA for his leading role in “Joker”, Joaquin Phoenix used his speech to call out the film industry for benefitting from the work of people of color without acknowledging their contributions. “I think that we send a very clear message to people of color: that you’re not welcome here,” he said.

Bowen Yang spoke about going through conversion therapy

Bowen Yang, the first Chinese-American to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live, told the New York Times last week that he underwent conversion therapy after coming out as gay to his parents. In his interview, Yang recalls that coming out was “the worst thing you can do as a child of immigrants,” but said that his parents were slowly coming to terms with his sexuality.

Video released of Wuhan residents cheering each other on

Wuhan, the Chinese city where the Coronavirus originated, has been on lockdown since January 23. Despite the fact that it is Chinese New Year’s, none of the city’s 11 million residents are allowed to leave the city until the virus is contained. A video was released this week of residents chanting “Go, Wuhan!” in an act of solidarity across what appears to be a residential complex.

Lil Nas X clapped back in hilarious Tweet

pastor troy when he saw 2 niggas eating mozerella sticks pic.twitter.com/2WKZatLpH7

— nope (@LilNasX) January 29, 2020

Rapper and producer Pastor Troy posted a homophobic rant on Instagram directed at Lil Nas X. “Welp, Guess I won’t be winning a GRAMMY… If this what I gotta wear,” he wrote, referencing a picture of Lil Nas X wearing his pink cowboy outfit. He then went on to criticize an Applebee’s commercial for showing a gay couple eating mozzarella sticks.

A few hours later, the GRAMMY-winning rapper tweeted a hilarious reply, featuring one of our favorite GIFs of all time.

Cover photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images