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George Sand turned 13 today!

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George Sand turned 12 today!

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Hey, Have you entered this competition to win Geekom Mini Air 11 Mini PC Giveaway yet? If you refer friends you get more chances to win :) https://wn.nr/HNAcV4

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Works(Original)

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precious adams and andile ndlovu photographed performing as aurora and prince florimund in sleeping beauty by joan ward

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This February, we asked members of the @blackintokpop coalition of K-pop podcasters to share their personal experiences as Black K-pop fans and professionals. We’ll publish their stories, all in their own words, throughout the month right here on @kpop. 

This week’s post is brought to you by Korean music historian Ashley Griffin of An Album a Day—check it out below ⬇️

It’s not easy being a Black, over-30 K-pop fan with no ethnic ties to South Korea. Particularly one who, at one point in time, spoke conversationally in Korean and commentated on its entertainment industry. It wasn’t hard to be found by pros in foreign and domestic media asking me to share my thoughts on ‘what makes this hairstyle a problem’, or ‘what makes a clothing choice okay.’ My thoughts on topics such as cultural misappropriation and microaggressions amongst fans? That isn’t always well received, even though I’m not rough and rude. Truthfully, the more connected the K-pop community became over the years, the more the landscape evolved from fandom to activism in some ways for us all. 

However, that unique combo helped me gain some unconventional skills: knowing the decade a song was produced based on its baseline, identifying the North American and/or European influences on the melodies, and which songs summon Stank Face. Seriously. 

These days, I consult with Hallyu pros in the foreign and domestic entertainment industry, and assume the role of “Your Favorite Foreign Korean Music Historian” on Multifacetedacg Presents: An Album a Day. Since April 2019, my podcast, usually referred to as A3Day, has taken on the intense challenge of listening to every album in Korean popular music. That’s right, roughly 30 years of idol and indie groups from various labels. I know…it’s crazy.

I have a list of Stank Face songs you can’t miss that I’ll share on @a3day next week. Until then, why not find me on Twitter and tell me what K-pop song makes your face go Stank? Bye y’all!

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Ashley! If you want more from A3Day, you can find it here—and stick with us as we highlight more from @blackintokpop throughout February.

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Share Black Stories

Celebrate Black History Month this February with these incredible books by Black authors centering Black characters! 

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson 

When Toni and Olivia arrive at Farmland Music and Arts Festival in Rise to the Sun, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for. Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined. Start reading! 

Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud

In Simone Breaks All the Rules, Simone is shaking things up by making a bucket list of everything she hasn’t been able to do thanks to her strict Haitian immigrant parents. But which rules are worth breaking, and which will save her from heartbreak? Start reading! 

Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles

In Things We Couldn’t Say, just as Gio is owning his bisexual identity, he must also face the return of the mother who abandoned his preacher family when he was nine. He’ll soon find that there are no easy answers to love – whether it’s family love or friend love or romantic love. Start reading!

Muted by Tami Charles

MUTED by Tami Charles is a ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost. When Denver sings her way into stardom, the painful sacrifices and lies she has to tell are all worth it…until they’re not. Denver begins to realize that she’s trapped in this world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken. Start reading!

The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake

THE LIFE I’M IN by Sharon G. Flake is the powerful and long-anticipated companion to The Skin I’m In, Sharon G. Flake’s bestselling modern classic. It presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking. Flake offers readers another timely and radical story of a girl on the brink and how her choices will lead her to either fall, or fly. Start reading!

Lethal Lit: A Murder of Crows by K. Ancrum 

Lethal Lit: A Murder of Crows follows Tig Torres, a Cuban American teen detective, in her hometown of Hollow Falls. In season one of the hit podcast, Tig used her smarts and fearlessness to track down the infamous “Lit Killer,” a serial killer who staged his murders after death scenes from famous books. But there’s no rest for courageous, mystery-solving teens in a place like Hollow Falls, and though the Lit Killer is now behind bars, his protégé, Tig’s classmate and crush Oly, has disappeared. Start reading! 

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel by Nic Stone

SHURI by Nic Stone is a Black Panther novel featuring everyone’s favorite genius, princess, and superhero: Shuri! It’s up to Shuri to travel from Wakanda in order to discover what is killing the Heart-Shaped Herb in order to save it, and her people, from destruction. Start reading!

Spin by Lamar Giles

SPIN by Lamar Giles is a page-turning thriller about rising DJ Paris “ParSec” Secord, who is found dead on her turntables. Her former best friend and current groupie must put aside their differences to find the truth behind her murder before it’s too late. Start reading!

Take the Mic, Edited by Bethany C. Morrow

TAKE THE MIC, edited by Bethany C. Morrow, is an anthology of powerful stories of fictional resistance. It includes stories from Keah Brown, Jason Reynolds, L.D. Lewis, and more, with cover and interior illustrations by Richie Pope. Start reading!

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by Leah Johnson is a joyful book about a queer Black girl who runs for Prom Queen to win a college scholarship…but then finds herself falling in love with one of the other girls in the competition! Start reading!

Sorry Not Sorry by Jaime Reed

SORRY NOT SORRY by Jaime Reed! Alyssa and Janelle: friends, then frenemies, then fated to save each other’s lives. Will their bitter past get in the way of their future? Start reading!

Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud 

TRULY MADLY ROYALLY by Debbie Rigaud is a swoon-worthy royal romance about a Black girl working to better her community while at a prestigious summer program, and falling for a boy…who might actually be a real-life prince?! Start reading!

Overwatch: The Hero of Numbani by Nicky Drayden

OVERWATCH: THE HERO OF NUMBANI by Nicky Drayden! When the technologically advanced African city of Numbani is threatened, robot inventor Efi Oladele must build her greatest creation yet – a guardian robot to protect the city and save its citizens, before it’s too late! Start reading!

Untwine by Edwidge Danticat

UNTWINE by Edwidge Danticat is a haunting and mesmerizing story about sisterhood, family, love, and loss. When Giselle wakes up in the hospital unable to speak or move, she must revisit her past in order to have the strength to start the path of recovery. Start reading!

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Civil rights crusader Fannie Lou Hamer representing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Methodist Church Ministries/Kenneth Thompson, online here.

“NOBODY’S FREE UNTIL EVERYBODY’S FREE.” 

In honor of Black History Month, and during the other 11 months, our Say It Loud! Employee Affinity Group’s Rediscovering Black History blog highlights significant contributions African Americans have made—and continue to make — to this country. 

Archives specialist Netisha Currie writes about civil rights activist Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer as part of the NARA Black History Basic Training series. Currie shares Hamer’s incredible history that included African American voter registration, organizing Freedom Summer, co-founding the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and helping to establish the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. 

Governor Bill Clinton’s “Vision for America” speech at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), 7/16/1992, Clinton Library, NARA ID 18557458.

See also:

National Archives Rediscovering Black History blog

Read Hamer’s full biography here.

Fannie Lou Hamer, National Women’s History Museum

Fannie Lou Hamer and Community, Episcopal Community Services.

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Journal

Seabright 2-2-2001

© Dimitri Chrysanthopoulos | Instagram @themetree | website

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Brown quail. Saw quite a few running around when we were camping on the Yorke Peninsula last month.

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That moment you tell your friends about a text with #Sade 🔥🔥🔥🔥

WTF‼️‼️‼️‼️ 🤯🤯🤯

Never too cool to Stan my favorite artist

Who feels me???

What a special moment for me and one of my FAVORITE songs Best Of Me 😍😍😍

BTW… I’m baaaack

💜💜

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Naomi Watts and Lori Petty, “Tank Girl” (Rachel Talalay, 1995).

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George Sand turned 11 today!

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Portrait -  Cayetano de Arquer Buigas

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