the Web Editors

1. President Obama: ‘This Is What a Feminist Looks Like ’

On his 55th birthday, the president penned a column in Glamour talking about his role as father to Sasha and Malia: “ …It’s important that their dad is a feminist, because now that’s what they expect of all men.”

2. Apple Adds More Gender-Diverse Emoji in iOS10

Female athletes and professionals, plus additional family representation options roll out in iOS10.

3. What’s a Class Revolution Without Black People?

“It’s black Americans, not would-be white revolutionaries, who’ve led a successful movement to claim power and rights in this country. And it’s black people who are going to be the beneficiaries. If they're missing — which they are — it suggests both that the movement is getting something wrong, and isn’t long for the political world.”

During a meeting with hundreds of nuns back in May, Pope Francis surprised many both in and outside the Catholic Church by saying he’d like to consider the historical role of female deacons, or deaconesses, in the early church and whether the diaconate should be re-opened to women.

On Aug. 1, Pope Francis made good on his expressed interest by appointing a commission to study the question, reports CNN.

North Carolina’s requirement that voters present photo identification at the polls has long been called a disguised attempt to suppress the black vote. The Rev. William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove have called voting rights rollbacks, like the one in North Carolina, the “second career of James Crow, Esq.” for their racially discriminatory impact.

The trial of Baltimore officer Garrett Miller, set for today, was unusual even within the high-profile case of the death of Freddie Gray, who died from injuries sustained in the back of a police van after arrest.