greetings new friends!

 

well, hello there!

due to her fabulous bar examination studies, our outrageously fashion forward, smarty pants beauty of a friend t olugbala will be out of commission. she has asked that i take time to help with keeping hope alive. i, being of service to all and very committed to the call of duty, agreed to add my two cents. now that i’m on this mission, i’ve decided to write and share with you my passion. music. i could talk, write and sing about music and all of its wonders, but i'd much rather to challenge myself by taking a shot at being a bit more creative. i’ve decided to take you on an inspiration journey, if you will. where do we artists go when we need musical inspiration? contrary to popular belief, not always stevie, prince, lennon, ella, miles, herbie or the countless other masters of music. no question, these people have carved out huge pieces of our hearts that will forever be theirs, but where do we go when we need a tangible fix? another musical friend! ah yes, of course! that girl who really sings her face (musical snob term for a smart vocalist) or that guy who plays (insert instrument here:_______) like a crazy person (another snob term). we need friends that share the same minds and lifestyles. yes, we need the occasional kick in the ass from someone who’s a bit more further along or that girlfriend who will gladly help you with those bitch ass harmonies that you so desire and knows exactly what you mean when you say “i want it to sound tweetish” and won’t judge your process. or, how about that guy friend who will guide you past your very emotional heart and into your logical musical mind, make you read books on oppression and listen to chet baker and johnny hartman because you need to study more than kim burrell (whoops. that was my own personal experience, excuse me). we need to feel normal. more than that, we need validation from more than just our families who wouldn’t know if you were singing or playing the right notes or not. we all need a friend who will share in the headaches and joys of being an artist. i’m sure you can relate no matter what your love is. i say all that to say this: we all need a good circle of friends to keep inspiration coming, creativity new and dare I say it: normalcy. my time with you will be spent in a few ways. first, i will share my  circle of genius friends with you. i’ll start with myself and find my way to the first friend i made while on this journey. hint: i’m sure you know her. yes, i will be doing a bit of “Name Dropping”. i can assure you, these folks are amazingly special. my hope is that you fall as deeply in love with them as i have.

until we meet again, 

dayne

sucker for an anthro sale

turquoise necklace from eastern market, yellow cardigan from old navy, skirt from anthropologie and shoes gifted from kdj

i had my eye on this skirt for months, but wasn't about to pay $138 for it.  moral of the story: good things come to those who wait (especially when you're willing to stalk them like a rabid dog).

support our political prisoners

the dc chapter of the black august planning organization had a fundraiser last friday that featured artists jacob soul, j.sun and tamika love jones.  

what's black august? during the month of august we commemorate those prisoners like marshall eddie conway, lolita lebron, marilyn buck, assata shakur, mumia abu jamal and dr. mutulu shakur who were imprisoned for their political beliefs or political activities at the height of radical/revolutionary organizing in this country.  proceeds for black august go to provide resources for these liberation fighters, as well as raise awareness around their continued incarceration.   

check out the dc chapter of the black august planning organization here.

look back at it

remember this jumpsuit i found at a thrift store in denver?   i took a study break last night and wore it to a fashion show i was invited to by my friend april.  pictures of the show by next sunday.  promise.

btw--is that my tricep or did angela bassett take over my left arm???  didn't realize i was looking slightly body builderish--mental note, take a break from the downward facing dogs during yoga. lol

this shit is bananas

prada ss 2011

source

via natural belle

b.a.n.a.n.a.s.

going underground

hey everybody,

i've been dreading this post for the past few days, but can no longer avoid it.  i'm going underground to study for the bar exam (not literally underground, although one of those bomb shelters from the 1950s would be really helpful).  my prep course requires 8 hours of daily study--try that while working--and four hours of class per night, 5 to 6 days per week.  i'm determined to take at least one day to rest, but in order to do that i have to remain focused during the week.  while i'm actually excited to be working towards my goals and count this time as a blessing, it still sucks to remove myself from my art.  and yes, i count this blog as my artwork.  in the meantime, i may post a little somethin on my day off and have solicited (begged for) the help of dayne and kdj for guest posts.  they're super busy, especially kdj with a new baby (marley's absolute perfection on earth), but hopefully we can keep politics and fashion rolling during my absence.  okay let me wrap this up because it's starting to sound like an obituary.

exciting news!  i've already been thinking about upcoming posts!  stay tuned for...

1.  my home interior projects--bedding, collage wall, and photography showcase
2.  white crochet dresses and shorts--i'm not sure why, but i'm fascinated by both right now
3.  war powers act of 1970 and how the obama administration will get itself out of the pesky conundrum that the president must receive the legislative branch's approval for war after troops have been deployed over 60 days.   last friday 5/20 marked 60 days of us troops in libya.  i'm also interested in how this squares with the authorization for use of military force (aumf) passed under the bush administration and used to approve the perpetual war on terror.
4.  folk music from the 1960s and 1970s and the stories/social injustices it chronicled. artists like bob dylan and buffy sainte-marie (who was targeted by the cia's counterintelligence program--cointelpro) were the truth.
5.  racial micro-agressions in the workplace and the resulting pressure to assimilate through dress, hair, and language
6.  baby marley's bedroom for apartment therapy's small but cool challenge

i'm welcoming your positive energy and prayers.  thanks for reading politics and fashion--it means so much to me.

weaves--it's like selling crack

according to the new york times, a rash of hair weave burglaries, valued between $10,000 and $150,000, have occured nationwide.  human hair is a hot commodity in black communities, prompting a detroit cosmetologist to conclude "weaves--it's like selling crack."  in fact, human hair is so profitable, theives are bypassing cash registers and going straight for the most expensive hair in the stores--packs of remy (indian hair) than run upwards of $200 a piece.  a few packs of those are as valuable as a diamond ring.

while diamonds are forever, once used, hair extensions are worthless.  unlike precious stones, gold, art or real estate they aren't passed down by families through generations.  i've never heard a sister say--"i'm wearing my grandmother's 10" pure, virgin indian remy."  in fact, it's not the hair that's prompting burglaries and murders (a store owner in detroit was killed), but instead the illusive confidence and self-esteem in each pack.  the more expensive the hair, the greater the boost in self-esteem.

while "scientific" research reported by psychology today is informing sisters how unattractive we are, the new york times is putting our insatiable appetite for indian women's hair on full blast.  coincidental? not hardly.  it's the belief, created by white hegemony, that our natural hair is unattractive that drives our need to spend hours in salons hiding the hair with which we were born. stolen weave and low self-esteem are concomitant concepts.

the fact that this mess was published by a major media outlet is an additional assault to black women's dignity.  perpetual wars and regime changes in the middle east, millions stolen from hud housing developments meant to provide low-income housing, and off shore drilling recommenced by the obama administration are just a few topics more newsworthy.

my blog's dope: truths 89

i came across oyeama on tumblr and her picture was captivating.  her timeline tattoo will definitely inspire my next piece of body art.   politics, poetry, and prose = she's bad.

We are performing cheap excursions when we need to trudge through unexplored terrain. We are talking, writing, and teaching in spirals of unconnected dots. What I find to be most disconcerting is our failure to understand and/or appreciate the absolute necessity for humanization. How do we deal with poverty if we are unable to empathize with the face put upon poverty? How do we deal with health disparities if we believe that one’s race or ethnicity is a dominant and unchangeable factor in race specific health epidemics? How do we deal with rape and sexism if we do not ponder about the burden and agony of masculinity?

this is one of many semi-stream of consciousness, soul bearing pieces.  read her work and be inspired.

black women = the least attractive people on earth

source

i was hesitant to jump into this discussion--i'm preparing a bar application that's determined to take my last drop of sanity.  i'm also not one to contend with this type of superficial bigotry and white supremacy, it's expected.  but such an egregious example of racism and sexism warrants some attention as it entrenches the self-hatred black women often experience. 

satoshi kanazawa, a blogger and psychologist, wrote a post for psychology today originally entitled "why are african-american women less physically  attractive than other women?"  in the post, he synthesizes results from a host of interviews where interviewers were asked to "objectively" rate interviewees' attractiveness.  not surprisingly, black women were rated the least attractive by this sample.  kanazawa's summation?  it's because we possess an increased amount of testosterone.  

a few things stand out here: 

1.) people's subjective opinions should not be used to inform science, as proven by the eugenics movement.  western society is built upon structural racism and cultural imperialism; therefore, the most objective and critical thinker cannot escape implicit biases and unconscious racism.  someone cue professor charles lawrence, author of the id, ego, and equal protection: reckoning with unconscious racism, to debunk the pure ignorance that our perceptions of other races are without a historical lineage of racial biases and stereotypes.  i don't doubt the interviewers genuinely found black women the least attractive--i have enough anecdotal evidence to prove that shit--however, there's nothing physiological about this conclusion. it's a matter of perception. 

 2.)  those of us who eschew the european standard of beauty and take pride in our africanity are not exempt from such assaults on our self-esteem.  even if this garbage resides in my subconscious, it still serves to affirm all those jokes and mean-spirited remarks made at my expense because i'm a woman of african descent with kinky hair, a wide nose, and full lips.  comments like "you're cute to be dark-skinned" and "damn black! you need to be in the shade!" or "you got a lotta confidence to be dark-skinned, you don't walk around with your head down..." all came to mind when learning about kanazawa's blog post. 

3.)  the first lady of this country is a black woman.  what does it mean when the wife of the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world is deemed "less physically attractive than other women?"  it means racism and sexism are bigger than the presidency, exclusive charity events, balls and galas.  the white house doesn't shield its inhabitants from marginalization.  to loosely quote brother malcolm, freedom is not a better place in my master's house. 

as a black woman, every day presents a new opportunity for me to heal and work through generations of  psychological abuse that constantly devalues my worth and beauty.  

as i was leaving my office this morning, the security guard looked at me and said "you are so beautiful.  i just can't stop looking at you.  you look like a model.  honestly."  after thanking him, i smiled and thought to myself, not everyone agrees with the kanazawa article.


psychology today took the original post down, but you can find a pdf on colorlines with an article by akiba solomon. 

stone cold fox

i'm in love.

check out stone cold fox's lookbook here and here

tamika love jones & rayshun lamarr-all it was

beautiful.

vote for tamika to perform with jennifer hudson and chrisette michele in aruba!

happy hour + zara + movie night = the perfect friday

*gasp*

love it!

where'd that come from???

must have #1

must have #2

classic nightclub spray painted sheet--in front of the fish spot

"take a picture of a o.g." --umm ok

c'mon man. nothing should be this good.  nothing

deep fried fish, hot sauce, salt & pepper and WHEAT bread--lmao

classic

peonies from dayne

the greats

aretha franklin

marvin gaye

minnie riperton

nina simone