It's Your Week. Meet unstoppable travelers and pioneers in film representation

Daniella Medina has Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder. Medina meticulously plans her trips across the country, oftentimes alone. She prefers traveling near the water where she "feels like I can walk freely."

When she was diagnosed, Medina was told traveling, high-stress activities and a "regular" life wouldn't be her reality.

Her response?

"I had doctors telling me you can't do this, you can't do that, and I said 'the hell I can.' "

I'm Sallee Ann, and this is Your Week, a newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers. Today's edition is about a four-minute read. Let's get to it.

Buy the ticket, take the ride

Medina is one of many travelers included in our Travel section's "Traveling with disabilities" series. The series follows travelers – and their families and service animals – who have cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, are legally blind, are diagnosed with anxiety, and various other conditions as they explore the world.

"We've been really intentional about incorporating more voices and experiences in our Travel coverage, and coverage in general, to reflect our richly diverse audience and nation," said consumer travel reporter Eve Chen. "That diversity is inherently tied to accessibility."

"More than 1 in 4 Americans lives with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including millions of people with invisible disabilities who are often overlooked," Chen told us. "We want them to be seen by sharing their stories, through both reporting and first-person contributions from travelers with disabilities."

The 10-part series runs through the end of March, with a new story each Wednesday. But it doesn't end there.

"We are committed to continuing to cover this community long after," Chen said.

Read our full 'Traveling with disabilities' series

• The travelers you won't find at airports: Omicron impedes travel for people with disabilities
• Imagine being 'forgotten' in an airport basement for hours. This traveler lived it.
• 'We take care of family:' When accessible travel is hard to find, families forge their own paths
• Is your dog a certified good boy? You might need proof when traveling abroad with a service animal.

50 years on, movies anchored in Black Power continue to resonate

Our Life and Entertainment team is gearing up for the Oscars (how many best film nominees have y'all seen?), but also taking a step back and examining how films have historically portrayed diverse communities.

Reporters Marco della Cava and Rasha Ali looked at how Blaxploitation film classics such as "Shaft," "Super Fly," "Cleopatra Jones" and "Foxy Brown" conjured a Black Power movement that echoes today.

"It’s hard to believe that 50 years ago, Black folks were able to see themselves on screen outside of Black caricatures for the first time," Ali told us. "Though there’s been major improvements since the 1970s, in 2022, the lack of fully formed Black characters in entertainment persists. We take a look at what have been dubbed Blaxploitation films which were centered on Black power and examine how the themes are still relevant in our time today."

Speaking of superheroes, don't miss this piece on Luke Cage, the Marvel hero who remains "a breakthrough in media representation."

More of our best stories, available to subscribers like you

• Remember Trump’s call to ‘find’ votes inGeorgia? Meet Fani Willis, the DA who could charge him
• From Joe Rogan to DaveChappelle, cancel culture isn't canceled but is perhaps on notice.
• Just how bad is it to be in ICU with COVID-19? Far more miserable than people realize, experts say
• He crossed the Delaware with Washington. A Black Revolutionary War soldier is set to be honored in his hometown
• How much is a gold medal worth? We surveyed national committees to find how much athletes are paid for winning Olympic medals in Beijing.

Thank you for making our work possible by being a Paste BN subscriber. See you next week!