This little girl is everything.....

The Time Has Come Today

It's been a while since I last posted anything. Last Summer was full of heat and humidity, black girls rockin' the Rio Olympic Games, and innocent bloodshed and revenge on the streets of America. Then came November and the election that rocked the world on its axis and a new world order has begun. If there was any illusion that we have a democracy, you have been disillusioned.  So what is an all-American girl to do? Prepare and handle only the business of life that matters.  No more time, energy or thought to trivial games, unfruitful relationships, the past, healing hearts.  Claim healing now and be done with it. Say goodbye to false friends once and for all. Stay strong in mind, finances, spirit and emotionally.  The time has come today.

To give myself some context of the times we're in and to encourage me to think creatively, I turn to science fiction. Whether it's an Octavia Butler novel or an episode of The Twilight Zone, it always informs us of where we're at as a society and where we're going.  

Some movies I encourage anyone to check out are:

Have some discussions with friends and family after a viewing, and especially children if you have any. Sharing ideas and perspectives will be really important on the road ahead.

Jesse Williams and What Do We Do Now?

For anyone who was alive last week and watched or heard about the potent speech delivered by Jesse Williams at the BET awards, we're still taking bites and mental nibbles from all the greatness, relevance and direction from all that he said. And he said a lot.

I don't want his speech to go down as some thoughtful and emotionally powerful speech he delivered in the midst of an entertainment awards show for a network that delivers mostly crappy programming compared to its early days. Like so many people who care about the social changes that are happening and the awakening within black America, I'm still left with the question: what exactly do we do?  Do we tackle criminal justice reform first or start creating an economic infrastructure? Where do we start?  I see us hemorraghing but I don't know exactly where all the blood is coming from.  

Last week, Charlie Rangel's long held Harlem congressional seat was won by a man who reportedly used voter suppression as his election strategy.  And as someone who went to the polls and spoke to poll workers, there was some funny business going on.  American cities are losing black elected officials at lightening speed and as we adjust or collect ourselves from one set back, we are side swiped by more reminders that our lives, our culture and collective presence in this land we've bled and died for is receding to the furthest  fringes.

And still I ask:  What do we do right now?

Just Happy It's Spring Time

Thank goodness for the last tracks of snow boots on the sidewalk, farewell to the early sunset, and the cold winds greeting my cheeks as I head out the door.  It has officially been Spring for the last couple of weeks and I'm whole heartedly enjoying the new season. It is welcomed after a winter that saw some record lows and a blizzard (25 inches of snow) here in NYC.  As with others, the Spring temperatures and longer days makes my general mood lighter: I take notice of the colorful leaves, the birds, the sun and just notice and connect with nature more easily.  Then there's the city girl in me that loves to hear the roar of the motor bikes and 12 o'clock boys roar down the street creating excitement, annoyance and thrill all at once.  The pace picks up and the eagerness to be renewed and reinvented stirs my soul as I look to make some new changes and cement old ones. This year it'll be all about new fashion, new foods to sample and new places to travel from my bucket list.

Cheers to everyone making the most of the Spring 2016!!

Sisters Are On FIRE!!!!

I'm too excited by the decision of NBC executives to create a TV show around the life of the fabulous choreographer extraordinaire, Fatima Robinson.  We've seen her work in our favorite music videos over the past 20 years (Rock the Boat, Remember the Time and the movie Dreamgirls).  We've all, no doubt, bit her moves and danced to her slick choreography in our living rooms, but now the producers of the triumphant production of The Wiz Live were so amazed by her talent and life story that they've opted to create a TV show around her life.  We've always known our awesomeness, it's just good to see that people are watching and taking note of the risk takers, movement creators and style makers that Black women are.

Peep the video above to learn about her dance origins, fashion and singular style.

Happy Birthday, Bitch

Justice could not have been sweeter when on Thursday evening around 8pm, the jury's guilty verdict of Daniel Holtzclaw, the Oklahoma City policeman charged with 36 counts of sexual assault on 12 black women and one l7 year-old girl, was read aloud.  He was convicted of 18 counts of rape and sexual assault on his 29th birthday and faces a recommended sentence of 236 years in prison from the all-white jury. It was a big relief for many of us who followed this case from last Fall and a shock to many that simple justice would prevail at all given the mostly male, all-white jury. 

But justice happened last Thursday night only because the local police department knew of another report filed against Holtzclaw weeks before his final victim reported him the day of her attack.  And using GPS tracking to corroborate the details of her story, the police realized they likely have a sexual predator among them who abused his power and authority over women living in an economically distressed community. Now if they had suspended him from his duties pending investigation from the first report, he would not have been free to continue raping and sodomizing women in the community. This is still where attention and questions need to be asked of the OK City Police Department, because the initial complaint wasn't taken seriously to begin with. They did, however, work with the prosecutor to support the charges and did not protect Holtzclaw.  This is what makes the difference in all these police abuse cases: a police department that will not protect their "own" at any costs to the detriment of the community and a DA's office that maintains some neutrality and treats police officers accused of serious violent crimes like anyone else.  This is what was missing in Staten Island, Chicago and Cleveland especially where the DA has gone as far as to attack the family of 12 year-old Tamir Rice and has refused to charge police with a senseless killing captured on camera.  

This case still offers so many necessary discussions around policing, rape and violence against women, victim "worthiness", class and selective prosecution.  Hopefully, because we received some simple justice in this case, we'll continue to have conversations that unpack these issues in our justice system.

Afro-Futurism's Must-See Display at the Schomburg Museum

If you have any time as we embark on the holiday season, make it a mission to check out the Schomburg's current exhibit which ends on December 31st:  Unveiling Visions: The Alchemy of the Black Imagination

This is an awesome exhibit of the black imagination as we search for wholeness, freedom and truthful expression through art.  The exhibit is timely when this year we all witnessed black bodies on video being brutalized, murdered and disrespected and left to wonder: what is next?  

This art form is a fusion of sci-fi and black liberation ideology meant to inspire our imaginations for a place or future where we can freely explore, create and control our minds, and our destiny.  Some future place where we are just safe to be.  It's a major nod to Afro-futurism and pays homage to its architects: Sun-Ra and George Clinton.  Make sure to bring your children so they maintain their childish curiosity and that we adults might nurture our imaginations as well.  Who knows, it may just save us.