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Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them, They think I’m telling lies. I say, It’s in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.

Maya Angelou (via purplebuddhaproject)

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The woman on the news said that he had been a good boy, a straight A student who had dreams of being the first person in his family to go to college.

I remembered thinking of his death, and several others that preceded his that month, “there’s no way that’s the way this math works out”.

I...

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“The curves of your lips rewrite history.” Oscar Wilde 

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Alice Walker’s Definition of a “Womanist” from In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose Copyright 1983.

WOMANIST 1. From womanish. (Opp. of “girlish,” i.e. frivolous, irresponsible, not serious.) A black feminist or feminist of color. From the black folk expression of mothers to...

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Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashād (1st salute to Black Sisterhood!) Born Phylicia Ayers-Allen on June 19, 1948 (Ageless at 65 years) Born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 (Forever young at age 64) http://debbieallendanceacademy.com/

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I would imagine that most adults with any level of social awareness have complicated feelings about a lot of what passes as rap music these days. I just find it unfortunate that so many of us have the courage to speak out against Nicki Minaj having the agency to enjoy her body, but go radio silent when it comes to musicians who speak about violating the bodies of others (be it via rape or other forms of physical violence). Jay Z, who has been out of the drug game longer than he was in it, still wants you to know how many keys he flipped and that he’s still got his Blue Yankees fitted and boys who will end your life if you test him. WHERE IS HIS LETTER, BRUH? Nicki Minaj should be able to show her grown Black a** when and wherever she wants—-for her own pleasure and/or for the entertainment of fellow adults. It isn’t her responsibility to cover up to save the children, though I do think she should also be clear on when she’s performing for kids and when she’s speaking to an older crowd. Ultimately, the onus of raising our kids will fall on us parents and there is virtually nothing we can do to keep them from listing to Nicki, or Wayne or watching porn, or SnapChatting when not in our presence. But what we CAN do is engage them in meaningful conversations about their bodies (and the bodies of pop stars), their behavior and their choices. I am not of the school of thought that thinks the worst thing a woman can do is show her a**. That Chris Rock bit about the parent’s greatest responsibility being ‘keeping her off the pole’ is funny, but I’d rather raise a happy, self-possessed young lady who shows her body to the masses, than one who kowtows to a set of respectability politics that serves to do little but dictate that her sexuality is to be policed by someone else (and is primarily a tool of male pleasure.) The unchecked patriarchy of the rap world is far more dangerous to Creekmur’s daughter and mine than Nicki Minaj’s behind. I look forward to the open letters that take that on.

Jamilah Lemieux is EBONY.com’s Senior Editor (via unapproachableblackchicks)

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Africa by MUTI  an illustrated calendar for PPC, the leading supplier of cement in Southern Africa. They illustrated a series of maps for 6 African countries, depicting each one’s landmarks and wildlife.

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Entitled by grandtheftartist: : submission : :

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Elder #couple in #Nicaragua #afronicaraguan #smiles#happycouple#guitar#black #african#diaspora#beauty#marriage#instagood#colorful

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Who Is Black? By: Rosa Clemente 

Yesterday, an interesting thing happened to me. I was told I am not Black.

The kicker for me was when my friend stated that the island of Puerto Rico was not a part of the African Diaspora. I wanted to go back to the old school playground days and yell: “You said what about my momma?!” But after speaking to several friends, I found out that many Black Americans and Latinos agree with him. The miseducation of the Negro is still in effect!

I am so tired of having to prove to others that I am Black, that my peoples are from the Motherland, that Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, Panama and the Dominican Republic, are part of the African Diaspora. Did we forget that the slave ships dropped off our people all over the world, hence the word Diaspora?

The Atlantic slave trade brought Africans to Puerto Rico in the early 1500s. Some of the first slave rebellions took place on the island of Puerto Rico. Until 1846, Africanos on the island had to carry a libreta to move around the island, like the passbook system in apartheid South Africa. In Puerto Rico, you will find large communities of descendants of the Yoruba, Bambara, Wolof and Mandingo people. Puerto Rican culture is inherently African culture.

There are hundreds of books that will inform you, but I do not need to read book after book to legitimize this thesis. All I need to do is go to Puerto Rico and look all around me. Damn, all I really have to do is look in the mirror every day.

I am often asked what I am—usually by Blacks who are lighter than me and by Latinos/as who are darker than me. To answer the $100,000, 000 question, I am a Black Boricua, Black Rican, Puertorriqueña! Almost always I am questioned about why I choose to call myself Black over Latina, Spanish, Hispanic. Let me break it down.

I am not Spanish. Spanish is just another language I speak. I am not a Hispanic. My ancestors are not descendants of Spain, but descendants of Africa. I define my existence by race and land. (Borinken is the indigenous name of the island of Puerto Rico.)

Being Latino is not a cultural identity but rather a political one. Being Puerto Rican is not a racial identity, but rather a cultural and national one. Being Black is my racial identity. Why do I have to consistently explain this to those who are so-called conscious? Is it because they have a problem with their identity? Why is it so bad to assert who I am, for me to big-up my Africanness?

My Blackness is one of the greatest powers I have. We live in a society that devalues Blackness all the time. I will not be devalued as a human being, as a child of the Supreme Creator.

Although many of us in activist circles are enlightened, many of us have baggage that we must deal with. So many times I am asked why many Boricuas refuse to affirm their Blackness. I attribute this denial to the ever-rampant anti-Black sentiment in America and throughout the world, but I will not use this as an excuse. Often Puerto Ricans who assert our Blackness are not only outcast by Latinos who identify more with their Spanish Conqueror than their African ancestors, but we are also shunned by Black Americans who do not see us as Black.

Nelly Fuller, a great Black sociologist, stated: “Until one understands the system of White supremacy, anything and everything else will confuse you.” Divide and conquer still applies.

Listen people: Being Black is not just skin color, nor is it synonymous with Black Americans. To assert who I am is the most liberating and revolutionary thing I can ever do. Being a Black Puerto Rican encompasses me racially, ethically and most importantly, gives me a homeland to refer to.

So I have come to this conclusion: I am whatever I say I am! (Thank you, Rakim.)

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If I could go back, this is what I would have said to you: 

"Him: [Smiles with a hint of sadness over letting you go] You’re the same person who took my breath away. You’re the same person I wanted to take home to meet my parents. You’re the person who made me wonder if there is such a thing as fate. It was real what we had between us. How I feel now doesn’t erase what we shared. You’re still amazing and powerful and gentle in the same ways that made me fall for you. I don’t get to take any of those qualities from you when I leave. You are good at your very core. You’re the kind of person who is endlessly vulnerable, so much less afraid to love than me. You’re the kind of person who is constantly evolving and transforming, sometimes at a pace that makes it hard for me to keep up. You are powerful beyond measure and full of fiery potential. You have a bright future ahead of you with all the skills and intellect you carry." Suey Park How Would You Break Up With Yourself. 

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On June 5th, Columbia students received an email from Vice President for Public Safety James F. McShane, informing us of the arrest and indictment of 100 “suspected gang members” in West Harlem in “one of the largest gang arrests in New York City history”. McShane argued that these mass...

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I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her skin.

Sandra Cisneros  (via throughkaleidscopeeyes)

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ladies understand this