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pass-the-bechdel · 5 years ago

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Marvel Cinematic Universe: Black Panther (2018)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, nine times.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Six (40% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Nine.

Positive Content Rating:

Three (though it’s worth reminding that this rating is based on the positivity of the content in relation to the female characters, not in general - there’s some real top-shelf content in here, otherwise. Still a very happy three for the ladies anyway, for that matter).

General Film Quality:

High-end. The commitment to nuanced storytelling is impeccable, grappling with all angles of a complex hypothetical far better than could have been anticipated. This is a movie which never loses sight of its own importance, while also never getting too bogged down in it to be entertaining. Earns every ounce of the hype.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Nakia gives her condolences to the Queen Mother. The Queen chastises Shuri. Nakia compliments Okoye’s wig. Nakia negotiates entrance to the club with Sophia. Nakia and Okoye conflict over loyalties. Nakia passes with the Queen Mother after Killmonger takes over, twice. Shuri and Nakia go into battle. They pass together later.

Female characters:

Okoye.

Nakia.

The Queen Mother (technically not a name, but I’m allowing it as a title).

Shuri.

Sophia.

Ayo.

Male characters:

Erik ‘Killmoger’ Stevens/N’Jadaka.

N’Jobu.

Zuri.

T’Chaka.

T’Challa.

Ulysses Klaue.

M’Baku.

W’Kabi.

Everett Ross.

OTHER NOTES:

I’m not sure if T’Challa ruining Nakia’s anti-HUMAN TRAFFICKING mission because he wants her around for emotional support is a very endearing intro for his character in this film...I mean, sure, they rescue the people in the convoy, but presumably there was more to the mission (otherwise Nakia wouldn’t complain that it was ruined), and T’Challa prioritises his feelings over both Nakia’s work, and the lives of all the people it effects. Coulda avoided the negative implications there with just a little fine-tuning in the dialogue.

“Nah, I’m just feelin’ it.” Michael B Jordan has such a great energy about him; he’s very, very convincing, in a role which could have broken the film if it were poorly cast.

But you know what? I fucking LOVE M’Baku, he’s my personal fave for the movie. That presence. This is an excruciatingly well-cast film (among other virtues).

I’m Hella into that Lion King vibe when communing with the spirit realm, too.

Erik shoots his unnamed girlfriend for nothing more than the drama of it, and that is not one of this film’s virtues.

Shuri calling Ross ‘coloniser’ is just...so good. There’s a lot about this film that is a reclamation, in big and obvious in-text ways, but there are also these kinds of little impactful choices which contextualise Wakanda’s relationship to the world and its history, and that kind of detailing is the difference between posturing, and playing for real.

The music in this movie? Also great. Traditional African and modern African-American, representing the interweave of themes and ideologies in-story? Fucking gold. They did not skimp on details in putting this movie together with intelligent design, and I am Hella into it.

M’Baku just fucking BARKING at Ross when he dares speak before him is the highlight of the whole film. It’s perfect.

A friend of mine has suggested that there must be a missing scene or two in this movie, wherein the Queen Mother convinces M’Baku to go into battle after all, since as-is he just kinda...changes his mind off-screen and she serves no narrative purpose at all. It’s unfortunate such a linking scene is missing, as it would have significantly enhanced both characters and helped to emotionally underpin the final act of the film, which is comparatively weak.

But anyway, M’Baku is my best dude in this movie. I love a huge man in a grass skirt.

The whole idea that W’Kabi and Okoye have a relationship at all is kinda nonexistent; we wouldn’t know about it at all if she hadn’t called him ‘my love’ that one time. Coulda beefed that up better, i.e. at all.

“Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew that death was better than bondage.” Michael B Jordan delivered every aspect of this character with such raw power and sincerity, y’all. He hits it straight home.

It goes without saying that there was a lot of pressure for this film to be good: a big-budget superhero action movie, part of the most lucrative cinema franchise in the world right now, taking on an afro-futuristic setting with an almost exclusively black cast? The potential for Black Panther to come off as little more than lip service paid to representation, ‘too PC’, lacking the guts to acknowledge the breadth of the racism that inevitably informs it, perhaps even falling dangerously toward racist cliches of its own...there is no other film of its kind, and as such, Black Panther could not escape being judged as more than an individual story on its own, as a representation of an entire continent’s worth of people and culture and what they could bring to an industry which has made an aggressive point of shutting them out in the past. The pressure was well and truly on to provide not only financial success put also critical acclaim, and boy oh boy, did they rise to the occasion or what?

The centrepiece of Black Panther’s success is Michael B Jordan as Erik Killmonger, striking a precise balance between the heat of well-deserved fury, and the chilling calculation of his revenge. Killmonger’s rhetoric is compelling, and it is the meeting point of the film’s threads, of Wakandan tradition, of the country’s privilege in the midst of colonial oppression and the dire morality of its secrecy, of the call of the wider world and the determining of one’s place within it. It’s vitally important that Killmonger makes sense, right up until he doesn’t - a good villain should always feel like someone you could almost follow, if only they weren’t taking things that one step too far - narratively, this is in an important pitch, but it’s also vital for the context of the viewing audience, the acknowledgement and the validation of that rage at injustice (without which, the film would come off as pandering to white guilt), but without the promotion of violent eye-for-an-eye solutions. Killmonger’s anger is never condemned, only the actions he perpetrates in the name of that anger; the viewer is forced to acknowledge the reality that made Killmonger what he is, but without being encouraged to forgive; only to understand.

I am hardly the first to observe that it is Nakia, not T’Challa, who represents the foil to Killmonger’s ideology, recognising and stirring to action at the injustice’s wrought upon the African people, but seeing in Wakanda the potential to offer unprecedented assistance rather than the opportunity for the oppressed to become the oppressor. The film is populated with character counter-balances, and it validates each perspective (while also illuminating shortcomings) to enhance the overall narrative, rather than equivocating too strenuously to make any point; Nakia values people like Okoye values her country, and while Nakia is right that blind patriotism fails the country if it allows tyranny, the strength of Okoye’s conviction is exactly what inspires the loyalty of those who follow her in the protection of Wakandan values; while Shuri ‘scoffs at tradition’ and leans entirely on the unending machine of technological progress, M’Baku and his people are safeguarding traditional practices and keeping ancient knowledge alive, which saves T’Challa when there’s no tech around - by the same token, without the protective blanket of technological progress, the Jabari would not be free to live as they do. There is good sense in the perspective which every character brings, and all of them are required in symbiosis to achieve a full picture of cultural identity.

In that broad conversation of identity and place in the world, if there’s one weak link, it’s the Black Panther himself, T’Challa. Not that he’s a weak character or that Chadwick Boseman is a weak actor - it’s just that he’s being thoroughly outplayed by all around him. It’s a good thing in regards to how well-cast the movie is and how it fleshes out its supporting players (in spite of the missing pieces pointed out in the notes above); in an overall-lesser film, the lead being the least compelling character - and especially with such a powerfully-constructed antagonist opposite him - could be a crippling flaw, but as-is Black Panther is pulling out enough stops to get away with having an under-sold Black Panther at its head. That, really, is a testament to the power of the story, and the work being done by everyone involved to tell the tale with tact, with dynamism, with all the colour and flavour the white-washed film industry has been denying all this time. We could talk about its flaws, sure, but there doesn’t seem to be much point - none of them are fatal, none are even particularly egregious, and the achievements of the movie far outweigh any quality blips along the way. Black Panther is a measured, sensitive triumph, and there’s a part of me that - in the best of ways - almost forgets that I’m watching a Marvel movie, a cash-grab - sure, they want to make money out of it, but this feels above all like a passion project. Passion like this, so fully-realised, I am not inclined to fault.

#Black Panther #Marvel Cinematic Universe #MCU #Bechdel Test #female representation

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wattlebunnie-blog · 5 years ago

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Egyptian Languages

Hey! As a first post, I assume it is the norm to just post an essay. This was my first historical investigation for my senior years at high school, and it is on Egypt and the progression of its alphabets. This is the original! I already have recieved my feedback (I recieved 28 / 30) but more critique would be greatly appreciated!

Egypt And Its Writing Systems -

Throughout history, Egypt has experienced many changes in its alphabetical systems. Although hieroglyphs are the most commonly referenced of the few, the Egyptians had three main writing systems that were used at differing points throughout its incredibly massive timeline. This report aims to outline their uses and how they fell out of use throughout history. It also aims to describe how they relate to one another.

Early - 3500 B.C Onward

In her article, “The Conception and Development of The Egyptian Writing System,�� Elise V. Macarthur talks about some of the oldest examples of Egyptian writing found. “but the most salient early examples date to the Naqada I period (ca. 3750–3500 b c) ... Among the more popular motifs displayed are boats, animals, and humanoid figures with feathers ... Their composition is seemingly narrative, but their meaning is difficult to ascertain.” These first examples can be hard to distinguish from pictographic iconography, as most ‘writing’ dating from the predynastic period in Egypt is hieroglyphic in nature. Hieroglyphs usually consisted of few consonants condensed in one symbol, with each symbol meaning something in its own right. The connection between Mesopotamia and Egypt in the early writing systems is hard to prove, but their close proximity may have influenced the introduction of a written syllabic alphabet (the intersection of the cuneiform forms of akkadian and sumarian, for example, may have contributed to the progression of hieroglyphics to syllabic), progressing the movement of the Egyptian alphabet past Hieroglyphs. Although spending time looking for sources on the matter of external influences on the Egyptian writing system from this period, it proved hard to come by and as such this theory could not be proven, although this connection is very likely. Hieroglyphs as a system were only the beginning of writing in Ancient Egypt and the progression goes as follows (although any dates involved are fluid and may intersect, as these written languages were often used for different purposes):

Hieroglyphics

Hieratic

Demotic

Coptic

Through Egypt’s long kingdom ship, they experienced many influences that affected their language that impact the progression of writing.

Hieratic Script - 3200 B.C Onward

Hieratic is the script credited as being the catalyst for the progression of Egyptian cursive in Egypt and the New Kingdom. It was a multifunctional text type, and despite being called ‘Hieratic’ the writing system was not commonly used in religious practice until the rise of demotic, which replaced hieratic in its secular function. There are a few notable cases where hieratic has been used in burial rituals and tombs, but hieroglyphics were the preferred writing system for that matter, as symbols could have different meanings depending on context.

There are two main and well known forms of hieratic script in Egypt: ‘Normal’ hieratic, hailing from Lower Egypt, and “abnormal’ hieratic, also hailing from Lower Egypt but more commonly known for its use in the upper parts of egypt (more specifically in Thebes, where it is known as Theban cursive).

A notable area of concentrated hieratic graffiti is in the tomb of Nakht the Gardener, as written about in the journal ‘The Hieratic Texts in the tomb of Nakht the Gardener, at Thebes (no.161) as copied by Robert Hay.’ In this journal, the author Stephen Quirke provides commentary on the hieratic graffiti in the tomb. His tomb dates to around the time of Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III, and was also dedicated to his wife. Although in his journal he is labelled as a gardener, Nahkt and his wife Tawy most likely worked in temples and in the delivery of flowers to places of worship. His tomb would not be such if Nahkt did not have an education, as he also trained as a scribe.

The tomb of Nahkt and Tawy is interesting, as it represents the use of both hieroglyphics and hieratic in a tomb, which the scribe or scribes actively switch between throughout the tomb. This shows us, not only the incredible skill of the scribes, but that

alphabets in ancient Egypt were interchangeable in their uses.

Hieratic as a text type fell out of popular use by around 200 BC and was replaced by demotic for the use of non-religious activity. Used extensively throughout its time in the Egyptian limelight for the legal, administrative and financial aspects of society, Hieratic was a precursor to a similar writing system that would begin to take itself to the grave of writing systems.

Demotic - 650 B.C Onward

Throughout the Ptolemaic period and even into the Roman era of Egypt, demotic was used extensively for almost everything in Egypt. Demotic marked the end of the solely Egyptian way of doing things, as during the reign of the Ptolemies and into the occupation of Egypt by the Romans, Greek began to be used in many legal matters around Egypt. Although more common than hieratic, demotic proved to be just as exclusive; bringing it to a grave that many great writing systems fall in to.

Demotic began to be replaced by Greek during the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, where demotic began to be only used for minor graffiti and notes on already Greek documents. As Egypt fell towards a more Roman and Greek influence, so did its language, resulting in the gradual decline of demotic throughout Egypt.

Used extensively throughout Egypt under the reign of Psamtik I, demotic, especially late demotic, shows little resemblance to its beginning in hieroglyphics (unlike hieratic, which still had shapley resemblance). It is noticeably more cursive, smaller, and can in some cases look very similar to modern Arabic. This disconnect is evident in the practice of converting demotic script back to hieroglyphics. Many scholars can link certain spellings of words back to hieratic and subsequently hieroglyphics, but this does not mean that any readable sentence structure will come from this. The result is often jumbled and muddled up, to the point where no Egyptian scribe would write like that.

From the point of foreign rule onwards, Egypts legal work began to move from demotic to Greek, but the literary side of things flourished, and many famous works of this period were written in demotic. “The first tale of Setne Khaemwas” was a literary work based on the fourth son of Ramesses II by the name of Khaemweset. This fictional version of the prince was said to have fought the ghost of a prince long dead over a magic book thought to have been written by Thoth himself. The piece, as a whole, is exceedingly complex and long, proving that literature of a high standard (held to such a standard even today) could have been written in a dying alphabet in the time of Roman leadership.

Coptic - 200 A.D And Into The Future

Coptic is an Afro-Asiatic language which developed in Egypt that is still prevalent to this day, although very ancient. Coptic is a written language which is primarily based on Greek, using their alphabet and borrowing letters from demotic to create a new Egyptian alphabet. Coptic is still used today by the Coptic Christians, who are one of the most persecuted religious groups in Egypt. Coptic is noted as being much easier to learn than demotic, hieratic and hieroglyphics, as the alphabet that coptic was built on was already established and only borrowed a few things from the previous alphabets of Egypt.

Coptic is a dying language. It's not dead yet, but it's close and the inevitability of it is very distressing. Coptic is the closest thing that us as a society have to ancient Egyptian, and it is so upsetting to know we are not actively working to save an ancient language that is a known link to the past that we can study.

Many orthodox christian texts dating from the second century AD were written in Coptic Egyptian, and many of these texts are still studied today by the modern day Coptic Christians. Some of the earliest Egyptian chirstian texts were written by the “Desert Fathers” in Coptic Egyptian, and these go on to prove some of the earliest Christian texts from this area.

There is a dire importance that modern day scholars take interest in the Coptic language; it is a vital link to the past and is still of cultural relevance today, as proven by the Coptic Christians. There was much struggle finding resources and articles on the Coptic languages. Coptic is a necessary addition to the many scholarly articles that exist about every previous Egyptian alphabet.

How Egypt Progressed Through the Years

Egypt has had to travel a long way to get to where they are today. Throughout the years they have experienced many interferences and influences on their writing systems that have changed it, for better or for worse. At first there were the hieroglyphics, which is the writing system not covered in this report. Hieroglyphs in Egypt are some of the most well known and speculated forms of putting things on paper (or walls), and was the base for the rest of Egypt’s alphabetical development. There are many similarities that can be seen between the next in line hieratic - hieratic is very pictographic, and very large in its cursive form. Demotic is starting to stray even farther away from its hieroglyphic ancestors, as the form and shape shrinks, and it overall begins to resemble modern day alphabets. Coptic, the final stage of the ancient Egyptian alphabetical development, is not similar at all to hieratic or hieroglyphic. It is based of Greek and only borrows from demotic. Coptic, although still used today, is the least researched ancient Egyptian alphabet.

Egypt has travelled a long way since the first hieroglyphic carvings on monumental rocks, and this progression has lead to what we know of ancient Egypt today.

Bibliography (the original had footnoting)

Woods, Christopher, Visible Language, The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2010.

Gee, John, Two Notes on Egyptian Script, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Bagnani, Gilbert, The Transcription Of Late Hieratic, Sage Publications, Ltd. A

Author Unknown, TT52, The Tomb of Nakht and His Wife, Tawy. https://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/nobles/nakht52/e_nakht_01.htm

Quirke, Stephen, The Hieratic Texts In The Tomb Of Nakht The Gardener, At Thebes (no. 161) as copied by Robert Hay. Sage Publications Ltd, 1986.

Author Unknown, Hieratic Script, Britannica. Viewed 30/7. https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieratic-script

Lewis, Naphtali, The Demise of the Demotic Document: When and Why. Sage Publications Ltd, 1993.

Author Unknown, Demotic Script, Britannica. Viewed 30/7. https://www.britannica.com/topic/demotic-script

uthor Unknown, Hieratic and Demotic Script, Viewed 30/7. http://egyptianhieroglyphics.net/hieratic-and-demotic-script/

Vinson, Steve, Demotic: The History, development and techniques of Ancient Egypt’s Popular Script, https://www.arce.org/resource/demotic-history-development-and-techniques-ancient-egypts-popular-script

Author Unknown, Coptic Language,

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coptic-language

Viney, Steven, Who are Egypt’s Coptic Christians And Why Are They Prosecuted? ABC News, Updated 10th April 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-10/who-are-egypts-copts/8429634

Author Unknown, Coptic Literature, Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Coptic-literature

#ancient egypt #egypt #ancient history #essays

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latinxcastingmanifesto · 6 years ago

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Your questions answered

Recently you tweeted us questions. Gabi and Quiara spent a day eating lunch, sunbathing, and responding to what you asked:

@gmorningstunner: If you are an Afro-Latinx woman, and you look more African than Latina, how likely is it that you will be cast as a Latinx role?

A casting director cannot legally ask about your identity when casting. But if you want your identity to be known, you are free to and encouraged to share it! So, please do go audition for those Latinx roles, and consider sharing your identity on your photo/resume for that particular role.

Self-designation and self-id is an under appreciated casting tool! And trust me, the director, writer, and casting director want as much information about you as possible! But they’re not allowed to ask, plus if they have a more limited sense of the Latinx diaspora then they really may not know.

QUIARA: For writers, we need to consider ourselves producers, too, and push very hard for Afro-Latinx casting as normal and not exceptional. I have had to educate producers and casting directors that the cousins in my Elliot Trilogy plays, well, one cousin can be a black Latina and the other cousin a white Latino, and that this reflects the reality of many Latinx families. Many producers and casting directors didn’t know this and it was absolutely my job to advocate for the truth and integrity of my work. I have given up expecting other people to know my truth and reality, and I say it aloud and clearly and with love and as early in the process as possible. Say these things at the very first meetings, or it may be too late.

Another call to action for playwrights: designate on the script that your casting must include Afro-Latinx. Or say that loud and clear on the first casting conversation.

@SalvadorVasqu10: Why are stories of the latinx community still to this day some of the most un-produced works? How can we make Latinx stories more accessible to all? When are you and @TanyaSaracho gonna team up for a musical?

Who picks up a play and reads it? Not necessarily our family members.

Call to action: professors, help us spread the word about Latinx work by assigning Latinx reading.

Call to action: artists, we need to produce our own work and each other’s work in order to get it to the community. Downtown institutions are our allies, but if we rely exclusively on preexisting production pipelines, the community will remain on the fringes. Our assignment is to figure out how to center the community as artistic creators and producers.

Call to action: we are the living library. Keep creating and producing. We need a few more generations of this work. We need to reach a critical mass.

Call to action: swap reading lists with your Latinx theater allies. Spread the word about the work you know.

(As to Tanya Saracho, I can’t wait to world-build with that FEROCIOUS artist. Till then, I’m blessed to call myself a fan and ally.)

@dbirdsoprano: How can we do more to address the imbalance of privilege in representation onstage?

Call to action: playwrights, literally address it. Write poor characters, working class characters. Write non-college-educated characters. Show various family structures. Break silence.

Call to action: producers, invest in the leadership of POC. Not internships, top positions. Scrutinize and criticize seasons centering wealthy and well-educated characters.

Call to action: universities, teach about professional sustainability (grant-writing, for example) in addition to art curriculum so poor and working class students can stay in it for the the long hall and we don’t lose them for financial reasons.

@AlexChurchyG: As a Young Latina director, who can I look to for role models in an industry of old white men?

WOCA (Women of Color in the Arts) is a mentorship program for women of color in the theater.

Latina women have been directing plays and kicking ass. Latinx Theatre Commons is a phenomenal community of Latinx theater professionals including working Latina directors.

If you network with someone, follow up. It is not their job to chase you. Chase them! Invite them to coffee! They may say no. But they may say yes.

As Latinas, we’ve been trained to not ask for help. To be caretakers and never be on the receiving end. Stop it! Our spirits can ask for help.

@LaMeraFeli: I’m not in theater myself but have a daughter… can we talk about body type? Roles for the llenitas and the gorditas?

Make sure your daughter knows how to write. Make sure she’s jazzed about producing. If she’s sitting around waiting to get cast in gordita roles created by others, it’s not gonna happen or it will be brutal.

She should write her own stories and act in them. Or she should find a writer friend who gets who she is and ask them to create monologues for her.

Teach her to find her village. She’s not gonna do it alone.

Gabi literally started an entire theater company for this reason. Power Street Theatre Company. They are amazing and breaking new ground in Philly. Come to Philly and join their journey. Or create something like that in your own backyard.

@itsnikkig_: When are we going to start casting some fat Latinx actresses?!

Now. Writers, put ALL BODY TYPES in your actual character descriptions. Producers, put ALL BODY TYPES in your casting calls. You have to write it in as a clear directive or it will be more skinny bodies, always and forever.

@starmacosta: Is hiring an agent necessary? My mom does most of the work when it comes to booking or auditions…

GABI: I’ve always had that question myself. In Philly most of the actors I know don’t have agents. This may be contingent on where you live.

QUIARA: Find local working actors whose career you admire and ask them. For playwrights, no an agent is not necessary until you have a production contract in hand, or an offer from a producer. Then you get an agent. Before then, you have to get your own work produced. Use google to figure out which theaters have produced work that most resonates with your own. Submit your work to them. Or find your fellow travelers, find your village, and produce together.

@saybarra: How do we make space for aaaaalllll the variations of what it means to be Latinx in this country? In casting, in writing, in subject matter, in form, etc etc etc etc

The Latinx Theater Commons is very diverse in terms of pan-Latinx community. Find organizations doing the work, and they may not necessarily be theater groups. They may be drum circles, community college teachers, prayer circles. If you really can’t find a space you need, then it’s time to create the space. Bring the space into your living room or local park. We must always be creating space.

We are a diaspora, so how do we both engage all the specific variations of who we are while also embracing fluidity and openness? Those with more cultural leverage can use that to create spaces for underrepresnted Latinx stories: for instance, Latinx queer stories, Latinx trans stories, Afro-Latinx stories, biracial stories.

@zjriv: How do you manage your ideas? Every time I get writers block it’s because another comes along and I can’t stop thinking about it. Then another idea. Then another idea.

QUIARA: Sometimes you get 30 pages into an idea and can’t take it any further. That’s ok. Let it go. Let the new ideas continue to blossom in your imagination at their own speed. If they are still growing six months later, there may be a play there. Write what is speaking to you most today. No need to ignore it. The other stuff will still be there tomorrow. But also, letting ideas blossom is enough, they do not always need to be written out yet. I just had new insights for a play I thought up in 2003. I had forgotten about the play completely and then it tapped my shoulder over 15 years later.

@sleeplessinmit: What opportunities are available for presenting blended-language or Spanish-language works of theatre? What tools are available to make them accessible to all audiences?

Repertorio Espanol in New York has been doing this work for a very long time! Reach out to them and ask if they know of other bilingual theaters in your area. Ask what tools they use for this work. Suerte!

Also check out Spanglish theaters in your area. Miracle Theater in Portland, Power Street Theatre in Philly, Urban Theater Company in Chicago are just a few. Make allies and seek out mentors!

@omixmix: my plays are nonrealistic and include Spanglish. How do I shift attention to working on my style of nonrealism when everybody else seems to latch on to the “challenges of a foreign language”?

See above answer about Spanglish theaters. There are probably some in your area!

Also, stick to your guns. Live your truth, speak your truth, write your truth, and that’s what matters. You don’t need anyone’s permission to create, and you also cannot control others. Articulate to yourself and others why this work speaks to you and is important to you.

QUIARA: I have had to get into a deep practice as a playwright that I have no control over an audience. I only have control over the words I create. I have to believe in my writing, whether or not it’s what people want.

@ajdm: How do the Iberian colonial conquests in what we now call Asia (east, south, and Pacific) and those diasporic movements figure into this conversation?

Exactly. They do. What about collaborations and bridge-building between local Asian theater groups and Latinx theater groups? This would be fire. Let them know you’re hungry for this. Let them know how you willparticipate in bringing this question to the stage!

For instance, Power Street Theater Company (Gabi’s company) supports the Asian Arts Initiative. Gabi attends their town halls, though she’s Puerto Rican. She listens, observes and supports. And when she’s invited to share, she does. World building together, and doing the work.

Showing up for each other.

@alejandroraya_: I find casting requiring Latinx are given less reach than castings for other POC. Many projects in need of POC are often wide searching, but it seems casting for Latinx feels somewhat inaccessible. How do you feel casting directors can create larger reach for Latinx artist?

This is not necessarily true about other POC groups. A lot of communities have limited casting access and are underserved. This may be for budget reasons, and also because the roles simply aren’t being produced.

Create a list of all the Latinx folks you know, find out who the casting director is, and send it to them. Are there Latinx casting lists and resource groups in your area? The Kilroys did this cool experiment about creating a visible google-searchable list of unproduced plays by womxn. This may be a neat thing to do in your area for Latinx actors. The internet is a great tool for harnessing visibility!

@mingarla: If you don’t sing and dance as a Latina actress, is there any chance of finding work in theater? Seriously thinking of giving up my Equity membership.

GABI: I seriously relate to that.

QUIARA: This is hard. As a playwright, I have recently pressed pause on my playwriting life. For various reasons. It’s ok to step aside. I think life as an actor must be hard, because you’re at the whims of writers, producers, directors, etc. However, if you’re an actor who’s also a writer, designer, producer, then you can start to create work for yourself.

GABI: Another option is to find other paying jobs that sustain you, that you love, because you will need that income. If you’re only sustained by being an actor in someone else’s thing, then the reality is that’s a hard road.

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undergroundadult405 · 3 years ago

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Interracial Dating Sign Up

Whether you want to date outside your race exclusively or just expand your options, our intercultural and interracial dating site is here to take the guesswork out of this process. You’ll know right away if someone is open to it! We let you focus on the things you really need in a romantic partner or friend, so you can find the relationship you really want.

You can only share photos and videos and chat unlimited if you sign up as a paying member; No iOS app; InterracialMatch. InterracialMatch is an interracial dating website that offers black dating. Single ladies near me free Free 100 dating sites. A men's guide to local singles dating apps and services around the world. Whether you're looking for a It's free to sign up. The girls on here are definitely looking for something discrete- which means they're To find girls near you - you should choose right dating site from the list below. 100% Free Interracial Dating All About Being The Best Interracial Dating Site For 2020. We are 2020's most important Interracial dating and Interracial personals site because YOU built it! Join now, 100% FREE! Interracial singles never have to pay anything. Everything on the site is completely free and will always be free. Interracial Dating Online - Find true love! This is an interracial dating services and personals site dedicated to those seeking real love. Thousands of white women and black men have been meeting on this site and created success stories of their own, not to mention the thousands of black women and white men dating and finding love on this website too. Of course, the site does not have a rule denying you access to their interracial dating site if your heritage doesn’t fall on any of those things; you can still sign up with them.

That’s why our site has grown so much over the last 18 years — what we offer is special. With so many members who find differences as alluring as commonalities, the odds are good you’ll spot someone who interests you. And every day there are plenty of new faces around here!

We hope you’ll be another one of our success stories. Many people hear about us by word of mouth and our membership grows by hundreds of thousands each year. Countless happy couples have shared their success stories with us, their friends, and their families. That’s the best way to spread the word that love happens here, every day.

Our mission is very personal. Many of us on the Interracial Dating Team are in these relationships ourselves! We started this site to help singles connect with people they might not meet otherwise, for friendship and — with luck — true love. By bringing together so many folks of different backgrounds, we try in our own small way to make the world a more loving, tolerant and respectful place.

Join us in 'Bringing Together The Human Race'.

Kind Regards,

The Interracial Dating Team

Interracial dating is dating between people from a different race or culture.

adjective

of, involving, or for members of different races: interracial amity

When many people think of interracial dating they think of a black woman and a white man or visa versa. This isn't all that interracial dating is about. Interracial dating can also be about dating someone from a different cultural background than your own.

The top three reasons why people choose to date interracially are that they're attracted to the.. • Physical appearance • Attitude • Culture ..of people of a different race.

So whether you're interested in dating Latinos, Greeks, Asians, Jamaicans, Fijians, Afro-Americans or Europeans.. chances are that you ARE interested in dating interracially and never knew it!

So are you ready to start dating interracially?

It's really very easy. Just follow a few simple steps and you'll be chatting to potential love matches in no time at all.

Search for interracial singles

Run as many searches and look at as many profiles as your heart desires.

Create your dating profile

Interracial Dating Sign Up Sheets

Find a millionaire dating site. Create your FREE profile with photos and fun details and 0003start flirting and replying to messages.

Subscribe, connect and date

Subscribe, see who's interested in you and send out new messages.

The site offers you a fun and secure environment to meet other quality singles who are looking to date interracially. You can find out about each other and anonymously communicate without revealing your personal details… until you are ready.

We also really value your committment to finding love which is why we set ourselves apart from the other big dating sites by allowing to view and reply to messages you get sent from members. WIth other sites this is a ‘paid for’ option which means that you have no idea whether a potential match doesn’t want to reply or, because they are only a FREE member cannot reply.

Site featuresMatch.comZoosk.comAll Members open to Interracial Dating**FREE to read any messageFREE to respond to any messageSearch profiles on your ownControl who you communicate withFREE to post profileMillions of profiles

* Neither Match.com or Zoosk.com are specialist Interracial Dating sites and as such may not be as open to Interracial Dating as our members.Sign up now

Our success stories prove we are a great place to build loving and trusting friendships that can lead to lasting, relationships and marriage. It's up to you … you decide when to correspond online or meet offline.

If you've ever been rejected because you were the wrong 'color' or you were always too shy to approach someone from a different race or culture to your own, then you don't have to worry about that here. All our members are open to interracial dating and when you approach someone on our site you never have to worry that you are 'the wrong race'.

Stop wasting your time on websites connecting you with people who don't even want to date interracially. Now you've found us, reward yourself by connecting with good looking singles who ALL want to date interracially.

YESAnd here's why …

No matter how many friends you have or how popular you think you are there’s a limit to how many ‘new’ single people you will meet. Online dating is available to everybody with an internet connection and there are millions of single people (just like you) looking for other single people (just like you).

In the US alone the population is approximately 311 million. There are almost 54 million adult singles of which around 8.8 million have tried online dating. Around 53% of the Online dating poulation are men compared to 43% women. These means that there is around 4.66 million men floating around online dating services and 4.13 million women and all of them are there purely to meet someone like you. ie single and looking for love.

Of those 8.8 million have tried online dating

4.13 million women

Online dating is becoming such a part of the social scene that 1 in 5 people in a committed relationship in the US met on an online dating site.

are currently in a committed relationship with someone they met on a dating site such as InterracialDatingCentral

Last year in the US 17% of couples who got married met on an online dating site like ours

Now if you're still stuck in that old fashioned way of thinking, 'let's just go down to the local bar', it may be of some interest to you to know that only 9% of women and 2% of men say that they've actually found a relationship at a bar. These days, many people are time poor and have a hectic life juggling their jobs, children and day to day life. Online dating is a great way to find someone when YOU are ready and you have the added safety of knowing all your personal details remain private unless you are ready to take that extra step.

Many couples who may never have otherwise met are married and have children thanks to online dating (If you don't believe it..just look at these success stories).

Online dating has been around for over a decade. Many couples who may never have met otherwise are now married and have children thanks to it. There are many things that make online dating a practical alternative to spending the night in a smoky bar full of strangers.

You decide how fast or how slow you want things to go

You decide when to give out your personal information

You don't have to dress up in your best suit or dress to get to know someone

You save time by looking through thousands of profiles in the comfort of your own home or office

You save money because you can have 'virtual dates' with people online to find out how compatible you are BEFORE spending money on a real date

Never give out your personal details

Do not use your personal email address to chat with someone (this is a classic scammer trick)

Get the person to video chat with you

Ask them to take a photo of themselves holding an object of your choice

If in doubt, click report concern

Never, never, never send money to anyone for any reason

These days, many people are time poor and have a hectic life juggling their jobs, children and day to day life. Online dating is a great way to find someone when YOU are ready and you have the added safety of knowing all your personal details remain private until you are ready to take that extra step.

Your own personal safety checklist

We do as much as we can to protect your safety online. However there are things you can do to protect your own safety and make sure your experience is as fun as it can be.

We’ve created a safety checklist. By following these simple steps your dating experience should be successful, rewarding and as safe as houses.

Here’s a really important statistic you’ll need to know before we explain how you will save money on the site.

Average length of courtship for marriages (in months)

18.5 m

42 m

I think you can clearly see where we are going with this. We’re not saying everybody is looking for marriage but it just goes to show you that you get to know each other much better online before you commit to meeting each other.

How many times have you wondered if someone you're attracted to of a different race may be interested in you too? On our site, every single person is already here because they want to do exactly that - date someone outside their own race. So, you won't waste your time approaching someone only to be rejected because you weren't the right 'color'. I know you are probably thinking well how does that actually save me money?

Just think about how much having just one date may cost you? There is the expense of gas, a few drinks, dinner, a movie, maybe even a new outfit.. and that's just for the first date!

How many of those sorts of dates will you have before you are ready to go to the next level? On our site you can get to know everything about someone and more importantly, how right they are for you without ever meeting face to face. And it's not just one person..you can be in contact with tons of singles at once for less than a $1 a day!

So, you decide. You can go hang out in a smoky bar and hand out your phone number to a complete stranger..you can have your friends hook you up with someone on one of those dreaded 'blind dates'..or you can save yourself time and money by checking out thousands of singles in one place, all of them wanting to date interracially!

True friends are supportive of any relationship you have as long as you are happy. If your friends seem to be apprehensive in the beginning, often it is purely because of the unknown … but once they get to know the person … and realize they are human too, the race becomes secondary to the person.

Q: What do the President of the United States, the world's former best golfer and the captain of the New York Yankees have in common besides celebrity? A:Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter are all children from an interracial marriage.

Percentage of Interracial couples in the US

Factoring in all racial combinations, Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld calculates that more than 7% of America's 59 million married couples in 2005 were interracial, compared to less than 2% in 1970.

7% (2005)

Not only that but a Gallup Poll on interracial dating in June 2006 found that 95% of 18 to 29 year-olds approve of interracial dating and about 60% of that age group said they have dated someone of a different race.

95% of 18 - 29 year-olds approve of interracial dating

60% of 18 - 29 year-olds have dated someone of a different race

Some friends may find it a hard to ever accept that you want to date interracially, that's ok too. It's YOUR preference not theirs. The best way to handle this is to date who you want to date and remind people that we are all one race … the human race.

That’s a question that everybody who joins an online dating site asks. We can’t give any 100% guarantee’s but if you were to ask all these people then they’d say we’re probably the best dating site in the world ever.

Just some of our success stories …

Melanie & Stacey

Synaida & Eric

Interracial Dating Central Sign Up

Monique & Andrew

Rebecca & Henry

Abby & Tyrell

Takia & Jason

Olivia & Joshua

As with anything, the more effort you put in the more you will ultimately get out of it. If you are honest about what you are looking for, open in your approach and are realistic in your goals then you will succeed. It also depends on how exactly you measure your success. Some of our members have made lifetime friendships and become part of our online community without necessarily becoming a romantic 'success story'. Their success is the fun and friendships they have had while being a site member.

Interracial Dating Sign Up Printable

EVERY one of our success stories are real and the vast majority of them were between at least one VIP Subscribed member. They succeeded because they invested in themselves to become a success and find that special someone. They upgraded to VIP and found they had more choices, more opportunities and more ways to make a connection with the person THEY were interested in. They set their goal and they achieved it.

We can't promise you that you will be a success story … but we can promise you hundreds of thousands of singles who want to date interracially … isn't that why you are here?

Interracial Dating Sign Up Template

Don't you owe it to yourself and to your future happiness to do everything you possibly can, to succeed in finding your special someone?

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

Link

After the Pandemic and Protests, a British Rapper Spotlights Black Businesses LONDON — For Aimée Felone, whose children’s bookstore in London stocks tales with ethnically diverse characters, the Black Lives Matter protests last summer were, in a word, overwhelming. “We had attention like we’ve never had before,” Ms. Felone said. People across the country clamored for books about antiracism and sought out Black-owned businesses like her store, Round Table Books, as a way to help reverse years of economic racial inequality. In early June, the store’s sales went through the roof. But pandemic restrictions had shuttered the store’s warehouse. After two weeks, the four-person team was struggling to fulfill online orders. A publishing company affiliated with the bookstore, which Ms. Felone also co-founded, sold out of every book it had published. New customers grew impatient. “The sales were wonderful,” Ms. Felone said. The problem was “the additional stresses that I think a lot of people don’t realize they’re putting” on the small Black businesses they are trying to help. Nearly a year after the peak of the protests, which may have been the largest social movement in U.S. history and quickly spread across the globe, businesses are looking for ways to convert that chaotic surge of interest into regular, reliable sales. In Britain, one effort was created by Swiss, a British rapper. He calls it Black Pound Day, and the idea is simple: Once a month, people should spend money with Black businesses. “It’s to bring money in and to try and circulate it within our community,” Swiss said in an interview. “You can’t always rely on the government,” he added, “so we’ve got to turn to ourselves and make solutions for ourselves. Black Pound Day is one of those solutions.” Black Pound Days are held on the first Saturday of the month — the next one is May 1 — and there are some signs the idea is working. The first Black Pound Day, in June, caused a sudden jump in sales for participating companies �� with some exceeding their previous month’s revenue in one day, according to a study conducted by Jamii, a company supporting Black businesses, and Translate Culture, a marketing agency. Just as important, companies that have kept promoting themselves on Black Pound Day have continued to be rewarded each month with higher sales, said Khalia Ismain, the founder of Jamii. The concept is a variation of other efforts to increase wealth among Black people by pooling resources. In the United States, the tradition dates back to Black banks founded after the Civil War, when Black Americans faced segregation and exclusion from financial services. More recently, people who migrated from the Caribbean after World War II to help rebuild Britain and work for its new National Health Service — known as the Windrush generation — dealt with discrimination by bringing over a form of savings and lending known as pardner. Small groups still use it to save together outside the banking system. Swiss, 38, whose real name is Pierre Neil, grew up in South London. His grandparents had come to Britain from Barbados and Jamaica. At 17, he found fame with So Solid Crew, a garage and hip-hop group with dozens of members. In 2001, their song “21 Seconds” topped the British charts. But the group’s reputation was always entwined with gang culture and violence — a point Swiss pushed back against in “Broken Silence,” a song he co-wrote describing how the group felt that it had been mistreated by the media and government and unfairly blamed for its low socioeconomic status. “I’ve been making socially conscious tunes from back when I was a teenager,” Swiss said, adding that he was inspired by the rappers Tupac and Nas. Today in Business Updated April 29, 2021, 6:16 p.m. ET Swiss said he had mulled over the idea for Black Pound Day for years, noting how few businesses that Black people appeared to own. Even if Black Pound Day is a simple idea, it is chipping away at a complicated problem. Just 5 percent of small and medium-size businesses in Britain have Black, Asian or other ethnic minority owners. A study by the British Business Bank, a state-owned bank supporting small businesses, and the consulting firm Oliver Wyman found that entrepreneurs who come from an ethnic minority background face systemic disadvantages, and that the average annual revenue for a Black entrepreneur was 10,000 pounds less than it was for white business owners in 2019. There are numerous barriers to entrepreneurial success, but one of the most stark is how difficult it is to get funding. Just 0.02 percent of venture capital money invested in Britain from 2009 to 2019 went to Black female founders. That’s 10 women in a decade. Those barriers contribute to large income and wealth gaps between Black and white households in Britain. The total wealth for a median household headed by a white British person (including property, investments and pension) is £313,900 ($436,000). For a Black Caribbean household, it’s £85,900 and just £34,000 for a Black African household, the national statistics agency estimates. Ms. Ismain, the founder of Jamii, which offers a one-stop shopping site for Black businesses, said her organization and initiatives like Black Pound Day sought to remind consumers to keep Black businesses in mind even when antiracism protests weren’t front-page news. “When it’s not trending, you don’t always think about it, you fall into old habits, and if you can’t find alternatives to things you are already buying anyway it’s just not very sustainable,” Ms. Ismain said. “That’s the thought process behind Jamii — making it super easy to find businesses.” For Afrocenchix, a hair care brand for natural Afro hair, Black Pound Day has been transformative. Every month on Black Pound Day, the company gets two or three times its normal sales. To promote the day, it offers customers free delivery and a packet of tea and biscuits — a.k.a. cookies in the United States — with their order. “We got trolled a bit on the first Black Pound Day by lots of people telling us we were racist and not British,” said Rachael Corson, a co-founder of Afrocenchix. So in response, she said, she and her co-founder, Jocelyn Mate, thought: “What’s more quintessentially British than tea and biscuits?” Since the first Black Pound Day, they have doubled their number of customers, and in 2020, Afrocenchix’s sales were five times that of the previous year. “It made a huge difference in terms of brand awareness for us,” Ms. Corson said. And the influx of customers and revenue should help Afrocenchix’s founders with their next goal of overcoming the venture capital fund-raising odds. They are trying to raise £2 million. For others, the advantages of Black Pound Day have dipped with time, and they speculate that consumer interest has been spread across more Black businesses. But Natalie Manima, the founder of Bespoke Binny, a housewares brand sold online, said the attention her company had gotten since people sought out Black-owned retailers during last summer’s protests had been “life changing.” The interest “didn’t end,” Ms. Manima said. “It’s not the same barrage that it was, but I have not ever gone back to pre-protest level of sales.” She recalled the day in early June when she woke up to hundreds of orders for her products, which include lampshades, oven mitts and blankets. It took her a few days to track the source of the surge — a list of Black-owned businesses circulating on Instagram at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests. Because Britain was under lockdown, the manufacturer of her products was closed, as was her daughter’s nursery school. So Ms. Manima was packing orders herself, late at night and early in the morning, until she sold out of everything and had to pause taking orders. But once the manufacturers reopened and her business was running smoothly again, customers have kept coming back. She has since moved into a larger office (twice) and hired a team. “I have gone from a one-woman show to this, and I know that it’s all down to what happened in June,” she said. That said, the experience at Round Table Books, the children’s bookstore, is a testament to how hard it can be to permanently alter people’s spending habits, even with the help of initiatives like Black Pound Day. The store has been shut all winter in line with government restrictions. It sells books online, but it’s still hard to compete against giants like the British bookseller Waterstones and Amazon. “When you don’t have the physical bookshops open, I find that a lot of the attention goes to the bigger brands,” Ms. Felone said. But she said that the store will reopen in early May and that she still supported Black Pound Day. Source link Orbem News #Black #British #businesses #Pandemic #protests #Rapper #Spotlights

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herestoallmydreams · 4 years ago

Text

Been A Whileeeeee!

it’s been 6 years since I’ve written anything & a lot has happened in this time!

-graduated college

-worked at a private school

-it became toxic

-jobless/ on the huntttttt ---- in my feels & connected with art again

-worked at a public school

-was burdened & sick from mistreatment of a student & me (employee)

-decided to leave bc no benefits & fulltime with that mistreatment

-got a full-time & stuck it out

-CORONA virus & q’s of job again with possible district switch

I think that is a pretty accurate timeline of major events that have happened in my life over the span of 6 years. I also have grown so much in self discovery & development.... Grown stronger in my confidence, abilities, financial literacy, and understanding what I like/ don’t in relationships and dating.

Yea, I said relationships & dating!! bahahaha I think this is the biggest one here! I didn’t include this in my life update bullets but this has def been a large area of growth for me over this span.... starting with the fact that I actually have some experience to talk about that is “real.” Not to say that college crushes, summer fun romances & a “friendly” first make out are not real, but I actually fell in love.... with an older guy overseas in the summer of 2015. I was 23 and he was 31(8 year difference) and we were in love. I resisted the whole way through but it grew strong for me and I lost myself a bit in the process.

Essentially, what I was afraid of happened... I didn’t wanna love him more, care more and feel unloved and uncared for. but that is what happened after 2 years together. I was all in and pulled back from flesh temptation bc I knew If we’d be together in person the expectation would be there so I treated it like if i wanted it to be my forever and resisted. That created more distance & made me feel more unloved. It hurt like hell in short. I turned to manipulation and I cried way more than I should have. But it’s done. I miss the companionship but I missed it months before we were “officially” done.

Then oddly enough years later online dating apps has become a huggge industry and a really big trend. Hope & Ayo both met their bf’s on their and encouraged me to get out there and date.

In 2018 and 2019 I still was “getting over” my ex in a way, but each year I felt better. By 2019 winter, I made a profile & started swiping. It was good to think of myself and dating.... experiment and get out there in a way. I went on A LOT of first dates and chatted with numerous guys to potentially date. It was fun and exciting. I found different people brought out different sides of me and I enjoyed getting to know new people and myself in the process.

3 guys stood out most in my short 6 or so months of dating, Atabek, Mark & Tolga.

-----First off Atabek was a beautiful man. I was most attracted to him but when we dated I think I was too unsure of what I wanted. He asked what I was interested in & I didn’t say one way or the other. I wanted to see him more (most of everyone I went out with but sadly it didnt really work out. I didnt hear from him.)

------Mark was a black guy and a good person to text with. I enjoyed conversation but he didn’t seem ready to really date me. IDK if it was he didnt want things to be to serious or what.... He took forever to go out with me but i think it was an alright date all n all. With him i learned to let the guy be the gentleman--- if he tries to do something for me, don’t resist. Also, be myself but don’t be too much myself to scare him. (blew out my afro and it was hugely huge that day hehehe

------Lastly was Tolga, ohhh Tolga. He was really good looking too like Atabek.... but in a more youthful kind of way. He was younger and very eager to date me. I think it was really that he was really eager to have a girlfriend. We went out 4 times in a couple weeks but texted/knew each other for a long time. With him I learned that I shouldn’t be too much in my head, but also if my gut is telling me something is missing then listen too.

With him there were little things that i noticed as “red flags.” He associated with black culture & felt knowledgeable enough to speak on things bc he had black friends. also he was “pressed” to be exclusive. I should have let him kiss me at some point (ie get outta my head with it) but also i think a part of me knew that he was more superficial and I wanted to be with someone i connected with more on a deeper level. Mark i connected with more on a deep level but he was to wishy washy. Atabek I connected more on a physical level with him and some on a deep/ cultural level but I was the wishy washy one.

Throughout all of this I know more of myself & what I am looking for. I am someone who takes time to grow to really like someone.... enough to want to call them and talk. I have to connect on a deep level and in order for my real attraction to develop for someone. I am also a bit fearful that I will let my guard down and love someone but their love wont be as strong and true as mine.

I want to be in a relationship where the love grows stronger and isn’t fleeting. One where he is patient and kind to me and takes the time to get to know me and love me. I want a slow roasted marinated kind of love, not a microwave minute kind of love. I want to be in a relationship with a man who is sure of himself and secure in himself in a way that he is cool with waiting to woo me and for me to let my guard down. Lastly, I want a man who will communicate with me when something is not working. One who can communicate gently but firmly what he wants and needs and is open to hear the same for me. I want to be clear in what i want and need too & be able to communicate that in a way that is gentle & firm too.

Building security in a personal relationship with self allows for building security in a personal relationship with someone else. Being vulnerable with yourself and facing those things helps you to do so with your partner too. I saw that with each of these connections I built over the last few years too & I’m so grateful for what I’ve learned & how I’ve grown.

I think at this point in life I have certain ideas about what my life should look like & where I wanna be when I meet/date the right guy, but honestly, heaven only knows. In my mind I want it to be in a couple years still, but in my heart, I think I’m really ready to be in a committed relationship. I saw myself being in a short dating relationship and getting married after a year or so of courting.... but I am open to dating for a little more of an extensive time (2-4 years) to get thing in order financially from this point in life.

I’m 28 years old. Age is only a number but it does feel different when friends around you start to pair of and start their new lives together. It’s a beautiful thing. Most of the time I am happy for people but i have to watch myself. I have noticed at brief times quick flashes of jealousy like “how did they get to buy a home on their own” or wow, i can’t believe that they are getting married, having kids, or ohhh gosh another person from college is married. It has been interesting at times. Even people younger than me, finding love or being in a relationship. Sometimes hope complains but Im like hey, it’s something great ya got there.

I know everyone is different though and I am def not Hope or Ayo or Morgan or any of my other friends. I am me & I gotta keep faith that someone right is out there for me & trust in God’s timing and plan. He works things so that I can learn along the way & this way, when it is time for me to be with the right person, I will be the right person.

Anyways, this post was very very long but it’s been a while. :) kinda glad i have a space for this bc quarantine has been making me a lil loopy the last couple weeksssssss. That and period hormone thingssss mehh.

the end for now!

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wesleyv21-blog · 7 years ago

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Headin to the Galapagos!

¡Hola todos y todas! ¡Espero que todo les vaya bien atrás en los EE.UU.!

Ya es muy difícil escribir, hablar, y a veces pensar en el inglés. Los otros estudiantes estadounidenses hablan en ingles frecuentemente cuando estemos juntos, pero aparte de esos ratitos, vivo completamente en el castellano. Y claro una lengua nunca es solo una manera de hablar, sino que es otra manera de pensar, identificarse, e interactuar con lo que se llama el mundo.

Language really is constitutive of reality itself. That sentence was very hard to write after the preceding paragraph haha. The structures and vocab of my language permit me to think about certain realities and also prohibit me from imagining others. Thus my very world is conditioned by my language. For example, last week I spent learning the basics of Kichwa or Runashimi. There’s a particular possessive form in Kichwa that is used exclusively to denote a relationship of such intensity that it can never be broken. So, for example, if I have an unbreakable, inalienable relationship with a particular llama, I can express everything I just expressed in one simple syllable attached to the end of the name of the llama: llamayuk. Fascinating, no? Thus Kichwa conceives of relationships in different ways from the others languages I can speak (not necessarily better or worse ways, just different). Por eso, no se puede aprender una lengua sin que a la misma vez se aprendan una cultura y una filosofía también.

Anyway, here’s some things that have impacted me apart from learning the basics of Kichwa. No, I’ll stick with Kichwa first. Kichwa has 3 vowels, does not change inflection for questions, and is agglutinative (which means to form sentences or change the meaning of words, you add morphemes to the beginning, middle, or end of a word. To some extent, all languages are partially agglutinative, but Kichwa, among others, is particularly so. For example, tanta is bread, tantata makes bread the direct object of some verb, and tantatachu makes it a question as to whether or not the bread exists, is being eaten, etc.). The structure places the subject first, the object second, and the verb last. Always. There are no irregular verbs either. In many ways, it’s a much easier language to learn than either English or Spanish! I just need much more practice because it requires a completely different way of thinking about language than I’m used to. Ñukaka Wesleymi kani (nyoo-KA-ka We-SLEE-mee KA-nee) means “my name is Wesley.” Kanka allkuta charinkichu (KAN-ka ash-KU-ta cha-reen-KEE-choo) means “Do you have a dog?”. Counting is very hard haha. To say 30, you say three-ten. Thus, a number like 5,678 would be as follows: five-thousand six-hundred seven-ten eight, or pichka waranka sukta patsak kanchis chunka pusak! We only did four days of formal instruction, but I’d like to continue learning and practicing. It’s a really unique language that is completely different from anything I’ve ever experienced, and if possible, I’d love to continue speaking it when I return to the U.S.

The legacy of colonialism is long. VERY long. As in, it still traps Ecuador to this day. Here’s a tiny example. During the age of formal colonialism, Ecuador’s natural resources were extracted by Ecuadorians (or African or indigenous slaves) and shipped to Spain. Spain, or another European country, refined those raw materials into a finished product that was then sold back to Ecuador. Even after gaining independence in 1822 and later from Gran Colombia in 1830, this trend has only slightly abated. So, given this, I was only mildly surprised to hear from my host dad as we were eating KFC one day for lunch that until very recently (like a couple of years), Ecuador exported potatoes and imported French fries. Potatoes originated in the Andes, and Ecuador has over 100 different varieties of potatoes. French fries are not that difficult to produce. This is an example of the enduring economic patterns inherited from colonialism that continue to wreak havoc on formerly-colonized countries. This isn’t exclusively the fault of the neocolonial powers (U.S., China, Britain, France, the standouts), as domestic elites benefit from this arrangement of power (which Aníbal Quijano calls the coloniality of power). So, yea, colonialism is still being felt today.

Here’s another example: the state system itself. Originating from the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the concept of the nation-state with unbreachable sovereignty was quickly incorporated into the colonial project begun nearly 200 years earlier in 1492. The state system justified the seizure of alien lands, the violence perpetrated against the original inhabitants of these lands, and the privileges of economic, social, religious, and political control. This system was imposed through physical, structural, and cultural violence. Today, the state system and the concept of citizenship it has engendered obscures the diverse nations that inhabit what is known as Ecuador. These nations have had other names imposed on them, such as “indigenous” or “Indian” or even Kichwa. Those who speak Runashimi call themselves Runa, which simply means people. Let’s not forget the Afro-descendant (this is the English equivalent of the Spanish afrodescendiente which is one of the common words used to self-identify) communities who were kidnapped from their homes and forcibly transplanted here; they constitute their own nation as well. There’s also the Montubio nation out west who forms their own distinct culture as well. Thus the title “Republic of Ecuador” presumes to be a homogenous whole, when it in fact conceals a plurality of peoples and cultures that call this arbitrarily-drawn territory home. It’s the same in the U.S. and every other state in fact.

But, what is so interesting is that the latest Constitution of Ecuador (composed in 2008) defines this place as “democratic, sovereign, independent, unitary, intercultural, plurinational, and lay” (my translation). The Constitution is actually quite progressive, far more so than that of the U.S. It was drafted by civil society members rather than elites. The environment has rights. Healthcare, access to drinking water, and education are declared human rights. Each ancestral nation is recognized and is guaranteed rights and a status concomitant to that of the state itself. Now, of course, the extent to which this amazing document is carried out is not as progressive. But it nevertheless is a high water mark in the history of drafting constitutions. Y’all should check it out.

I went to a soccer game last Wednesday, and damn was it exciting! Soccer really is the ‘beautiful game.’ I would love to investigate it sociologically as well, because it’s a fascinating cultural and political phenomenon. As a tiny example, the first inter-African international organization was, in fact, the CAF, or African Confederation of Football. I think soccer thus possesses interesting socio-political dimensions that as of now are unknown to me. But, as a purely entertaining event, I was thoroughly pleased. Liga Universitaria was playing Phoenix Rising from the U.S. in a friendly match. Liga is the only Ecuadorian team to have won an international tournament, and they’ve won several. Phoenix Rising is a new team that features one of the best players ever, Didier Drogba, in his presumably final years in the game. It was incredibly exciting to watch the match tie 2-2 and then go in Liga’s favor in a penalty shoot-out.

My host mom and grandmother in particular never cease to rave about Ecuador’s food, places to travel, and artisanal crafts and clothes. It’s really cool actually to see that they have so much pride in their country, and I get to find out new things to do or see or buy with each conversation. The individuals I’ve met so far (which is a very small number) have so much to say about the natural beauty of Ecuador as well. Favorites are the Galápagos and the Amazon out in the eastern provinces, and no wonder! La Amazonía is simply incredible, and I’m sure Galápagos will be too!

Over the weekend a group of us went to Baños, which is a tiny, cheap, and fun tourist attraction—and not just American tourists. Baños is especially popular with the Quito crowd, but there were also many people from other Latin American and European countries that I met or observed. When I say Baños is cheap, I mean I got a two-course lunch for $2.50. Our hostal was $10 a night per person. We rented bikes for the entire day for $5 each. Incredible. So we spent the weekend hitting up various nightclubs, going to the hot springs after which Baños is named (though they are nothing compared to the hotsprings at Papallacta), eating at delicious restaurants, ascending a small mountain on whose peak is this swing that is positioned right on the edge of the cliff; but my favorite part was the bike ride we took on Saturday. Our destination was 20 km away, this giant waterfall called Pailón del Diablo. To get there, we biked along the main road for about 2 hours, at times in pouring, driving rain coming down so hard you had to close your eyes and hope for the best. It was an existential experience for me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alive, precisely because I didn’t know if I’d make it out unscathed. That plus the natural beauty of the landscapes (green mountains shrouded in mist on all sides) and the thrill of reaching high speeds going downhill, through a car tunnel, or climbing a ridge was nothing short of inolvidable. The waterfall too was spectacular and well worth the bike trip. We caught a bus back which only took about 20 minutes! Definitely a weekend well spent!

Yesterday and today we’ve been in class wrapping up our Kichwa section as we transition to the thematic seminar at the heart of the program: Paradigms of Development, which, as my professor declared, is basically a class all about hegemony, power, and resistance. Tomorrow we leave for Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest and most financially powerful city. Thursday we head to the Galápagos Islands! The actual Galápagos Islands! I’m so freaking excited I can’t even begin to describe it! ¡No puedo esperar ni un minuto más! ¡Espero que hayan disfrutado de este episodio del blog! ¡Tendré mucho que contar al regresar de los Galápagos!

Til next time!

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toldnews-blog · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/historys-best-super-bowl-halftime-shows/

History's best Super Bowl halftime shows

Written by Allyssia Alleyne, CNN

Oh, the Super Bowl. For football fans, it’s the most important day of the season, the culmination of five months of National Football League competition. And for those less interested in the sport, there’s the halftime show, when the world’s most famous performers deliver 15 minutes of high-voltage entertainment.

The halftime show has long been popular among viewers, whether they’re into football or not, if the perennial Twitter jokes about the game being the opening act for the performer are to be believed. Indeed, the most-watched halftime show, Katy Perry in 2015, attracted 118.5 million viewers, while the game itself drew an average audience of 114.4 million viewers.

This massive audience makes the halftime show a valuable platform for artists to promote designers and spread messages through their costume choices — sometimes courting controversy and backlash in the process.

Ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, here’s a look back at some of the most memorable costumes of halftime shows past.

1993 – Michael Jackson rocks the military look

Michael Jackson performs at Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

Given its significance today, you’d think the Super Bowl halftime show has always been a prestige event. But it was only in 1993, when Michael Jackson brought his trademark pageantry to the event, that it took on its current reputation. Before then, the show had mostly been dominated by marching bands.

Jackson’s performance — introduced by no less than James Earl Jones — opened with him springing eight feet into the air from underneath the stage (a trademark of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour), against a backdrop of pyrotechnics. He then stood motionless for one-and-a-half minutes in a military-inspired black-and-gold ensemble, before launching into a medley of his hits.

Given Jackson’s repertoire of songs against police violence, war and injustice, this look was subversive. “Michael made (the uniform) his own by pushing the envelope, rebelling against the establishment the uniform is supposed to represent with all those badges and making it rock ‘n’ roll,” Michael Bush, one of Jackson’s costume designers, told Rolling Stone in 2012.

But it was also just fantastic theater for an audience that had previously settled for Disney characters and an Elvis-impersonating magician.

2004 – Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction

Janet Jackson performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII at Houston’s Reliant Stadium in 2004. Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s 2004 performance will forever be remembered as the incident that brought “wardrobe malfunction” into popular parlance.

While performing a duet, Timberlake ripped off a part of Jackson’s bustier, exposing her breast to 143.6 million viewers, and “Nipplegate” was born.

A lot of people were unhappy. The Federal Communications Commission reportedly received more than 500,000 indecency complaints about 9/16 of a second of exposed flesh, and levied a $550,000 fine against CBS, the network airing the game, and its affiliates. (The fine was thrown out by the Supreme Court in 2012.)

Jackson took on the brunt of the backlash and has not performed at the Super Bowl since. Timberlake, however, performed a set alternately described as “forgettable but flashy,” “sonically challenged” and “a total disaster” in 2018.

2007 – Prince’s perfect timing

Prince at Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Credit: Philip Ramey/RamneyPIX/Corbis/Getty Images

Prince — dressed in blue suit and chest-bearing orange button-down, hair covered with a black scarf — performing “Purple Rain” in the middle of a torrential storm, purple “symbol” guitar in hand, was a glorious finale to a performance that saw one of history’s most incandescent performers giving his all for 140 million views.

“The heavy rain made the smoke and lights seem mysterious, instead of merely ridiculous. And there was a sneaky thrill in watching Prince steal the field from guys three times his size, if only for a few moments,” opined music critic Kelefa Sanneh in the New York Times following the show.

2012 – Madonna brings high fashion to halftime

Madonna wears Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

The 2012 Super Bowl is when halftime officially went high fashion. To add an extra veneer of dark glamour to her performance, Madonna enlisted designer Riccardo Tisci, then creative director of Givenchy, to design her costumes.

“Following my collaboration with Madonna on her last tour three years ago, it is a great honor for me to be a part of yet another historical and iconic moment,” Tisci told Vogue after the performance. “People say everything has a limit, but limits do not exist with Madonna.”

Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci’s love letter to New York

The bespoke outfits, inspired by looks Tisci had designed for the French fashion house, included an embellished gold cape and a gladiatorial black mini skirt with a studded belt, each accessorized with an Egyptian-inspired headpiece by British milliner Philip Treacy.

2015 – Katy Perry goes (more) pop with Jeremy Scott

Katy Perry, wearing Jeremy Scott, performs her single “Roar” atop a metal lion during the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show. Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Fashion took the spotlight again in 2015, when Katy Perry wore four Jeremy Scott outfits on stage. The looks were a perfect marriage of Katy Perry’s over-the-top cartoonish-ness and Scott’s penchant for bedazzled Americana and pop culture.

One of the highlights? A metallic skirt-and-jacket combo covered in flames worn during the first number, inspired by a pair of shoes from the designer’s archive. Perry wore it to perform her song “Roar” atop a metal lion.

Exclusive documentary: Around the world with Jeremy Scott

“I love pop culture, and for me that’s one of the things that’s so exciting about this opportunity,” Scott told the now-defunct fashion news site Style.com. “The audience is so vast, it’s so much more outside our nuanced world of high-fashion lovers.”

That “vast” audience ended up encompassing 118.5 million TV viewers — the standing record for a Super Bowl halftime show.

2016 – Beyoncé gets political

SANTA CLARA, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Beyonce and Bruno Mars perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium on February 7, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Super Bowl weekend was a busy one for Beyoncé. On Saturday, she released the video for her new single, “Formation,” a visual exploration of southern black femininity and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which ripped through predominantly black New Orleans neighborhoods in 2005. On Sunday, she took to the stage to perform in one of the year’s most-watched televised events.

Her performance was unabashedly politically. She opened the show with an all-black dance troupe donning afros and black berets, an obvious reference to the way the way Black Panther Party members dressed in the ’60s. (Forgoing the beret, Beyoncé tipped her hat to Michael Jackson with a black-and-gold military jacket recalling his own Super Bowl look.) The dancers also assumed an “X” formation at one point, a reference to Malcolm X.

While fans and critics praised the performance, and the audacity of making such a powerful statement in front of her entire country. New York Times Magazine staff writer Jenna Wortham put it well: “I think she wants us to know that even though she’s headlining a mainstream event like the Super Bowl, she has opinions and isn’t afraid to share them, nor is she afraid to do it on a national and global scale.”

(It’s worth noting this was in February 2016, seven months before Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in protest against police brutality and racism in the US.)

Others took offense at what they perceived as an anti-police sentiment. Some were so upset that they organized a poorly attended anti-Beyoncé rally at the NFL’s New York headquarters. Rudy Giuliani, the outspoken former mayor of New York mayor and Donald Trump’s attorney, called it “outrageous.”

“This is football, not Hollywood,” he told Fox News, “and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive.”

2017 – Lady Gaga takes to the skies

Lady Gaga performs during Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at Houston’s NRG Stadium in 2017. Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Leave it to Lady Gaga to take the Super Bowl halftime show to new heights. The Oscar-nominee started her set singing “God Bless America” and “This Land Is Your Land” before being lowered into the stadium on cables to sing, dance and play piano to her greatest hits.

Surprisingly, she wore only two outfits throughout: An iridescent, crystal-embellished bodysuit (which she later covered with a spiked golden jacket); and a white jacket that resembled football shoulder pads with matching hot pants. Both were designed by Atelier Versace, so subtle they were not.

#fashion #latest sports news #news sport #Sport #sportnews #sports articles #sports breaking news #sports latest news #sports news headlines #sports news in english #sports scores #Super Bowl: The most memorable halftime shows and costumes - CNN #today's sports news #today's sports news headlines

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jessicakehoe · 4 years ago

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Activist, Advocate, Ambassador: Supermodel Cindy Bruna is More Than Meets The Eye

With pandemic restrictions in effect as part of the COVID-19-era new normal, FASHION had to adapt on the fly for our cover shoot with L’Oréal Paris, which was shot in Paris back in July. Our creative and fashion director tuned in virtually from Toronto to oversee the production, and makeup icon Val Garland sketched looks from her London studio, which were later applied to the images of model Cindy Bruna digitally using L’Oréal Paris’s Virtual Try-On tool. Click here to try the looks on yourself and discover the products used to create each of the looks behind the cover image below.

Top and pants, prices upon request, Arthur Avellano. Ear cuff, $8,530, top necklace, $8,270, and bottom necklace, $64,300, Messika. Stud earrings, Bruna’s own.

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“Have you seen the shots? I’m so excited to see them! I had such a great day,” says an upbeat and endearing Cindy Bruna on the phone from Paris. The French modelling star, who was tapped by L’Oréal Paris as an international spokesperson earlier this year, is talking to me about our unusual cover shoot in partnership with the beauty juggernaut.

Dress, $7,185, and belt, $1,740, Alexander McQueen. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

In the face of COVID-19, Bruna posed up inside Paris’s Nolinski hotel for a solid nine-plus hours—all while social distancing from the rest of the tiny team who were allowed on-set. Strict pandemic measures also meant that her makeup was completely digital. But Bruna is no stranger to outside-the-box situations: She has stood on the edge of a cliff, plunged into frigid water and lain in the snow (with not much clothing on).

Ranked a “Money Girl” on Models.com alongside Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, Bruna hit many major milestones early in her career. On her very first job casting, the late legendary couturier Azzedine Alaïa took Bruna under his wing. “He gave me the opportunity to work for him at his showroom; meeting him really made me want to do this job,” says the 25-year-old, who was scouted at the age of 16 in the South of France and made regular trips to Paris with her mother during school holidays.

Jacket, $3,850, pants, $1,250, and shoes, $1,825, Balenciaga. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

At 18, Bruna made the big move to the City of Light to pursue modelling full-time and wound up in New York shortly after for her New York Fashion Week debut. The gig: to walk exclusively for Calvin Klein.

In the modelling world, landing an exclusive has been known to put runway newbies on the map. But Bruna’s 2012 booking morphed into something much greater: It marked a watershed moment for diversity in the fashion industry with Bruna becoming the house’s first model of colour to walk exclusively, which meant she couldn’t be booked for any other New York designers that season. “At the time, I didn’t even know that I was the first to get it,” says Bruna. “I just couldn’t believe the opportunity; it was my first time working in New York. Looking back, I didn’t truly realize the weight of it.”

Jacket and scarf, $5,850, Louis Vuitton. Hoop earrings, $12,990, and necklace, $28,210, Messika. Top, Bruna’s own. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

The experience launched Bruna into the supermodel stratosphere. “It changed my life and career,” she says. In the span of a few months, Bruna was shot by photographer Steven Meisel for the cover of Italian Vogue and earned her wings as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, which she held on to for a steady six seasons. She also became part of the core group of models that make up Olivier Rousteing’s fierce female posse, known as the Balmain Army.

When asked if any one achievement tops her list of proudest moments, Bruna is quick to say no. “I’m very proud of the whole process,” she says. “When I first started, I was full of doubt. I was scared. I didn’t know that I would have to leave my family to go to Paris and then New York. I didn’t speak English. All of that could have stopped me, but I was like, ‘You know what? Just go for it.’”

Bodysuit, $740, Copurs. Hoop earrings, $640, Balenciaga. Cuff, price upon request, Alexander McQueen. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

Overcoming fear can be incredibly tough when navigating an industry that is rife with rejection. “You are constantly judged, compared and not chosen, which can be difficult,” shares Bruna. “I have cried many times about this.” The biggest piece of advice she’d tell her younger self? Don’t take it personally: “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. You’re not what they’re looking for, and that’s OK. Don’t change. Be yourself. The right job will come.”

That self-appreciation mindset is what makes Bruna such an inspired choice for a megabrand with a “Because I’m worth it” ethos. “It’s really a slogan that talks to everybody,” she says. “In my job, it’s all about embracing you and being proud of yourself. Everybody is special. We all have value.” How does this model tap into her unique self? By fully loving her biracial identity.

Dress, $1,425, Area. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

The daughter of an Italian father and Congolese mother, Bruna says that being mixed race is her superpower. “I feel like it’s really a strength to have both cultures that I can learn from and grow from,” she says. “My mom raised me with African values around family and sharing how the world can be difficult for people of colour. I grew up eating African dishes and listening to African music. I share so much of my dad’s respect for others and for nature. I feel like I gained so much from both of them.”

As for joining the L’Oréal Paris family, it’s a gig Bruna does not take lightly. “I realize that it is a responsibility,” she notes. “I want to give not only my face but also my voice to everything we’re doing together.” It’s a voice she’s used time and again as a bridge for others who need one.

Jacket and scarf, $5,850, Louis Vuitton. Hoop Earrings, $12,990, Messika. Stud Earrings, Bruna’s own. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

Bruna has used her visibility and social media clout to advocate for the inclusion of more faces of colour on the runways as well as to speak up about the all-too-common hair discrimination that occurs behind the scenes at shows and shoots with afro-textured hair. “To have been the first woman of colour to work on a Calvin Klein exclusive back in 2012 just made me realize how much we have to push to bring change to the industry,” she says. “Yes, things have evolved since then, but we can still do more.” And the needle shouldn’t stop at a colourful array of models on catwalks and in campaigns. “It’s also about walking on-set and seeing people behind the scenes, like stylists and photographers, of different backgrounds.”

Another topic that gets Bruna fired up is domestic violence against women. “One woman is killed every three days in France,” she states. “It’s a crisis that’s happening all over the world, and I really think that we can be part of the solution.”

Three years ago, Bruna joined Solidarité Femmes, a French network of associations specializing in the reception, support and accommodation of women facing abuse, and is quick to concede that she had a lot to learn when she first began. “It took me at least a year to really understand just how diverse domestic abuse is: The violence happens in so many forms,” she says. “I didn’t even talk about Solidarité Femmes on social media or anything at first. I was just visiting shelters in Paris, talking to women and learning about what the associations were doing.”

JACKET, $4,800, TOP, $3,050, AND SHOES, $1,060, SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO. PANTS, PRICE UPON REQUEST, LOUIS VUITTON. DANGLE EARRINGS, $260, HELENE ZUBELDIA. STUD EARRINGS, BRUNA’S OWN. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

Now, Bruna’s passion to help end violence against women has seamlessly extended to her new post at L’Oréal Paris, with her joining the advocating team for Stand Up Against Street Harassment, the brand’s training program with the goal of eradicating gender-based street harassment. “L’Oréal Paris has always encouraged women to live according to their own rules, but street harassment goes against that,” says Bruna. “I feel like Stand Up can help people know how to react if they see or experience harassment. It really invites women and men to learn. It’s about educating people—myself included.”

As our phone conversation winds down, I catch myself feeling empowered and inspired by Bruna’s words and conclude that her strong sense of self totally matches the expressions and moods she elegantly delivered in our cover shoot. “She’s a real one,” I say in my head, before thanking her for being so open with me. “No, thank you!” she immediately responds. “I really can’t wait to see the pictures!”

Try on these beauty looks

Learn about all the L’Oréal Paris products that Val Garland used for Bruna’s FASHION cover shoot and virtually try on each makeup look by scanning this QR code.

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beyonceinadecade-blog · 5 years ago

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LEMONADE: 2016-2018

“The most disrespected person in America, is the black woman.”

It should not be shocking that such an affecting statement was spoken by Malcolm X, though one must ask why it isn’t one of his more famous quotes. The excerpt from his speech “Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?” echoed in the background of Beyoncé’s sixth album “LEMONADE” — or rather, the visual portion of it. On April 23rd, 2016, Beyoncé premiered her newest visual album “LEMONADE” for a global audience of HBO subscribers (and those that scrambled to secure a free-trial to the premium television network). Immediately after, the album was released exclusively on Tidal (the streaming service that the singer and husband Jay-Z co-own, along with 15 other artists), and would remain exclusive on the platform until the album’s anniversary three years later in 2019. Limited release did little to sway its popularity, as the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, being her sixth consecutive album to do so.

The LEMONADE era technically began prior to Super Bowl 50, when Beyoncé surprise-released the song “FORMATION”, and its accompanying music video, on TIDAL on February 6th, 2016. The song was seen as a protest. It denounced Beyoncé’s trolls and haters bluntly, as well as sampling phrases from black LGBT influencers Big Freedia and the late Messy Mya; “I did not come to play with you hoes… I came to slay, b**ch!” blared proudly throughout an antique-decorated home in Louisiana. Pop culture enthusiasts immediately regarded this moment as Beyoncé embracing her blackness, after years of maintaining a palatable and easily-digestable pop star for the white masses. The video depicted the singer and her back-up dancers dancing along to poignant lyrics such as “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros/ I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils”. These lyrics relate to her daughter Blue Ivy (who is pictured smiling proudly) and her husband, who regularly receives attacks on his appearance somewhat due to his African features. Also shown is a black boy standing alone in front of white police officers in riot gear, an ode to the growing “Black Lives Matter” movement and police brutality. The video ends with Beyoncé atop a police car that sinks beneath a large body of water in the middle of the city. This shot is reminiscent of the communities decimated by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, particularly the black communities that did not receive aid for months under the Bush presidency.

FORMATION was included as the finale to “LEMONADE”. The album, like its predecessor, was culturally significant, albeit for different reasons. “LEMONADE” told a tale about marital infidelity, along with the stages of grief and healing that come with it, specifically with the way that the identity of a Southern black women afflicts the journey. Songs such as “Pray You Catch Me” and “Sandcastles” saw a vulnerable Beyoncé grapple with having an estranged lover, while songs like “Hold Up” show her bubbling aggression at the onset of his betrayal. She maintains her importance not only in her husband’s life, but in society, with the lines “Just imagine for a moment that you never made a name for yourself/… never had the baddest woman in the game up in your sheets./ Would they be down to ride? No.” In turn, “Don’t Hurt Yourself” shows an angry, no-filter Beyoncé smashing car windows and dancing in front of fire to the lyrics “I am the dragon breathing fire/ Beautiful man, I’m the lion/ Beautiful man, I know you’re lying”. The visual album is very movie-esque; each song is divided by scenes of black women, including Beyoncé herself, both dressed in traditional southern antebellum attire and in the present day. They are displayed as carefree, majestic, stoic and, perhaps most importantly, at the forefront. Accompanying these scenes are lines of poetry, read by the singer, written by Nigerian-born U.K. poet Warsan Shire. Beyoncé takes her eponymous release a step further by delving into the cyclical effects of patriarchy and how it relates to the wife, mother, sister, daughter in black families. In “Daddy Lessons”, Beyoncé recalls her father’s own mistreatment of her mother, and recites a mantra that he embedded in her from a young age: “When trouble comes to town, and men like me come around/ Oh, my daddy said shoot”. The black man’s own suffering is also highlighted later; “Freedom” is replicates the format of a traditional negro spiritual, with Beyoncé crowing to a church organ and exuberant drums. Kendrick Lamar’s rap in the bridge waxes unconventional, narrating a police chase rooted in racial profiling: “Channel 9 news tell me I'm movin' backwards/ Eight blocks left, death is around the corner/ Seven misleadin' statements 'bout my persona”.

“LEMONADE” ends in reconciliation. The singer narrates a recipe for Lemonade, and ties it in the metaphor for life that the album tackles. A sound bite from Jay-Z’s grandmother at the end sums up the work: “I've had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made Lemonade.” An album’s worth of cultural and familial evaluation culminates in the song “All Night”, through which Beyoncé sings “With every tear came redemption/ And my torturer became my remedy”. About this message, she explained to VOGUE, “I come from a lineage of broken male-female relationships, abuse of power, and mistrust. Only when I saw that clearly was I able to resolve those conflicts in my own relationship”. “FORMATION” at the end grounds us back into reality, as a celebration of blackness and continuing to flourish in the face of adversity.

Earlier, we touched upon how intersectionality in feminism allows us to highlight the oppression of women in other marginalized groups, especially black women. The black female body, general ideas associated with it being large breasts, thick lips, and wide hips (not to mention their bodily movements, from traditional African tribal dances to “twerking”) are all especially sexualized, and have been since European colonization of African tribes hundreds of years ago. The Age of Exploration gave way to European settlers’ judgments on the ways that African women were shaped, how they walked, and their manner of dress. These settlers gave themselves permission to sexually violate African women upon bringing them into slavery, and slaves were often chosen by their “birthing” capabilities. These women became the African American community, and in the South, began their own traditional wear in lavish dresses and headwraps (after the exposure of black natural hair was banned via the Louisiana Tignon Laws of 1786). This fashion is put on full display in LEMONADE. In that way, and in the way in portrays black femininity as a thing of beauty, it reclaims that agency that was so many times robbed of black women. It reclaims the story of the black family, and reshapes how black love can be approached in entertainment. Upon first listen, cheating allegations might swamp this message, but in actuality the message of “LEMONADE” is not simply a story about one man who tortures his lover; it is that of generational suffering, the black family in America, and undoing cycles of pain while appreciating the unintended goodness that can blossom from them.

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saskhal · 6 years ago

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Understanding multiculturalism and appropriation

Multiculturalism and Race in Hip-Hop

Hip-hop: American or African-American?

Since its creation in the 1970’s, hip-hop has been embraced by all kinds of people globally and is part of popular culture almost everywhere. The music was brought up in New York and California by African-American, Puerto Ricans, and Afro-Caribbeans, making the dance and music style seen as African-American and not generally “American” even though people of all ethnicities and races in America create and participate in hip-hop culture (Ghandnoosh, 2010). Because this is not American culture and instead African-American culture, there is a inclination to see people of other races as appropriating the culture when they see themselves as part of hip-hop, but not African-American.

Appropriation usually goes unnoticed because hip-hop is deeply immersed in mainstream America, but racism is more easily seen when people who are not black are “acting black”. African-Americans are more commonly associated with hip-hop. So, a person might be acting black just for listening to hip-hop. But acting black can go further, for example a white person can claim to be from the hood and act like a gangster or thug as described in the music. This is a problematic statement I’ll admit, but it is simple and easy to understand. The reason it is a bad statement is because it implies that black people (code word “Thug” or “gangster”) are essentially all criminal especially when associated with hip-hop. It also says white people (or other races) can never be from areas in poverty or in the same hood as black people.

And the reason for separating “American” by itself is because it generally implies whiteness for other situations, because America historically offered citizenship to both blacks and whites before other races. Due to systemic racism and interpersonal racism, hip-hop became a black or African-American, “inner city” sub culture which is why it can be argued as either or because people have mixed ideas of what hip-hop means and where it came from or who it belongs to. Whether hip-hop is exclusively black culture or not, almost everyone is part of it now. Black Americans who dance to hip-hop do not discriminate someone who can dance just because they are not black. Although some would say non-blacks are taking advantage of a black creation. Hip-hop is shared among all races, and hip-hop as a genre started as a part of political movements along with rap music, but that doesn’t make all of the music political. And any race can dance to hip-hop, but that doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as racism in dance or the dance industry just because there is a multicultural group dancing together. I am part of a multicultural family and multiethnic community, but just because I have proximity doesn’t make me a member necessarily and it doesn’t mean I am racially fluent. Fluency doesn’t happen unless I do my research from credible sources, and I can’t become a member unless I understand the culture, respect it and until I am accepted.

For those who claim to not be racist, covert levels of racism can be found in hip-hop due to ideologies like racial colorblindness, and separation of race from multiculturalism. “I call this urban generation post-racial not because they have become colour-blind but because … Their ethnic and racial identification do not orient the forms of interaction and cooperation they develop with other urban youngsters” (Mariniello, 2018). Urban youth can come together with hip-hop and share the same culture due to proximity and similar living style. The reason for an “urban” youth is because of inequalities from institutions in the US like housing, schooling, banking and so on. This would sound like a class versus a race problem, but race is just as important if not more when thinking critically about what it means to be post-racial. Post racial does not include colorblindness, because colorblindness only lets people see “extremely egregious racial harms, ones that everyone would notice and condemn” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017). The children in a mixed community may not be racist per se, but some of them will benefit more than others from living in the US as a white supremacist nation which could mean a lot of different things to each individual person and their understanding of how their lives are all different even if they live in the same area. It is important to know that one doesn’t need to be a bad person to be racist, and good people can do racist things without being a racist person. Checking your privilege over others is one way to see your positionality and the many different ways you might be seen to other people as well as how you see other people.

Colorblindness in Dance

When it comes to the dance itself, the choreography and costumes represent a story and have meaning deeper than just a random organization of moves and dress. Socialization is part of what influences people and their choices, and when people have to make a dance to be representative of a group of people, they rely on knowledge from socialization, schooling, and independent study of that group. Appropriation happens when the dance is used for entertainment purposes only while incorrectly representing the people. And is based off stereotypes and is manipulative of knowledge to reinforce a hierarchy of culture. This can be done at multiple levels and may or may not be easily seen.

Colorblindness is part of why appropriation becomes acceptable or unnoticed. Dances can be interpreted as part of the dominant culture and then excused for misrepresenting other cultures or not including them because they are representing their own culture. Perhaps the dominant culture doesn’t need to represent all other cultures and the dance can be purely “American” or of that particular group who made it. It is not okay if they include that dominant groups misrepresentations of other groups. For example, saying I don’t think the dance is racist, I just think it’s Eurocentric or traditional American perspective and exclusive to that group and therefore it is not racist (“Is Nutcracker Racist?”, 2013). This idea is unconsciously racist because it forgets to reflect on what traditional means and historical problems and exclusion that came from those ideas. There is nothing wrong with culture, unless the emphasized part of that culture means exploiting others or has had racist intentions. Part of the dance could be perceived as inclusive of the community, meaning the dance group is mixed with all kinds of races. Demeaning and stereotypical portrayals are often roles played by the people of color it is supposed to represent, and this is mistaken for being inclusive of cultures and ethnicities when it is actually wrong.

People in mixed hip-hop communities have various understandings of race and community culture. “…tolerance, essentialism or appropriation. The heterogeneity of participant interpretations suggests that none of these evaluations is adequate on its own. I have found support for all three assessments: dancers with racialized views eschewed colorblind ideology and recognized difference in the lived experiences of blacks and whites; some dancers held essentialist views tying skill to a biological concept of race; and dancers with non-racialized views embraced white instructors who appropriated the cultural form as their own” (Ghandnoosh, 2010). This is based off cross-cultural values and understandings from non-African-American participants. The data collected says that there is some common interpretation of hip-hop being African-American, and the different ideologies supporting it through various socializations of community members. Hip-hop dancing for non-black people isn’t necessarily the problem, rather the issue can be found in the racialization of hip-hop itself. After all, it is a dance not a people. But that is coming from a position of someone who isn’t a dancer and isn’t black and is not a scholar on hip-hop.

Race as a Political Identity

When talking about politics and civil rights it is important to give the voice to the people who experience the problems first hand. Many people often expect people of color to then step up and be the leaders. This reproduces the essential view that black people are naturally public figures or are all oppressed in the same way and belong in front when not every black person or person of color shares the same knowledge or experience or deserves the spotlight. Even when dance is just dance, it can be interpreted as a political movement by white people or outsiders simply because people of color produced something viral or well thought out in dance, so it must have some political reason if they are going to stand out. “It has also at times reflected the country’s indifference to ongoing racial violence and discrimination, allowing discourse to lean on the wobbly pillar of “diversity” instead. But as the Black Lives Matter movement has returned race to the center of the national debate, it has galvanized some artists of color and challenged white dance audiences to confront their discomfort with racial issues” (Schaefer, 2016). Dance can be a perfect opportunity for political statements about injustice. Hip-hop music and dance may not specifically target people outside to acknowledge racial injustices but be more to build sense of community and demonstrate where they come from. Where they come from could reflect the inequalities of neighborhoods and then it becomes political. Black people are then more often asked to explain their work than their white counterparts whether they were meaning to be political or not, which shows that there is tension in racializing urban poverty, politicizing race and expectations of certain groups.

Due to systemic discrimination and redlining, black neighborhoods are commonly viewed as “inner city” or “ghetto”. This comes from black/white binary thinking of race. The binary implies that there are only two sides. Which is not true. It also implies that all people have the same experience on each side. People who may be into hip-hop and dance to music produced by black artist may in fact also live in the inner city and share similar experiences. This would include them as part of the hip-hop culture, not to be confused with culture as the cause of poverty or poverty being the essential culture of people of color. People who are not black or white are then not American or non-existent which damages mixed communities, coalition and linear racial progress (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017). Hip-hop is generally known to be inner city style, but it is also practiced in other areas and not just areas that are “in the struggle”. It can be about social justice, or it can just be for fun, exercise, or used to get money. Corporations recognize hip-hop as popular and sell it as much as they can, and people gain fame and money for different reasons and are all from different backgrounds. I think that as a general rule, doing ones best to educate themselves on racial development and inequalities is good. We are all human, but we are not all the same. If we make a mistake, we can work to fix it without putting blame on a person.

When we look at the popularity of hip-hop and commercialization of it, we should be aware that we live in a capitalist society and capitalism is linked to slavery which is connected to orientalism, and colonialism. America is built on different pillars of white supremacy that all happen at the same time. So racial progress as we see it may not be much progress at all because it leaves out some people and the racial progress is based off the assimilation and commodification of others (Smith, 2012). To be a dancer and to be literate in race and ethnicity studies is a lot of work and not many people are with it. This is also to say that people who are recognized in dance should ethically somehow give back because their upbringing to fame and fortune is only possible if others cannot make it too. So, only some people can be elites, and the rest of us are stuck somewhere at the bottom.

Dance Communities

Social Justice learning can be done through dance. And because the dance community is mixed it can be beneficial to hear different perspectives and understandings. More importantly the community allows for collaboration between choreographers, researcher, educators, artist, and dancers. This kind of work can be seen through the Same Story, Different Countries program between the US and South Africa (Wilson & Moffett, 2017). Arts based research lets people dance as something they enjoy and can pursue as a career, and also become educated in a social justice and arts profession. These programs grant opportunities for individuals and in a way gives to the community. Not that the programs are perfect or for everybody, but having proficient educators can mean a lot, if they are not then it ruins the purpose. To know who gets access to these programs and what they do is important to ensure equity for people in need, but to not leave out those trying to make the transition out of economic and social hardships.

The immaBEAST dance company started by Will “WilldaBeast” Adams, has worked as a smaller group in 2012-2013. They understood what it means to have support and to have a family so by making immaBEAST for the youth it allowed progress to be made and it gave youth access to opportunities to further their dance careers. Adams mentions how people see the dancers and they are shocked to see all kinds of people dancing so well and in the same space, but what makes this group different is how they share their emotion in the dances they do along with the choreography. He says how people comment paragraphs on the dance videos about how they love what they do for the youth during political race and police brutality. The dance community does see color, but it’s what you do after you see it that determines the kind of person you are (“immaBEAST”). Instead of growing one’s self the dance community gives auditions to give youth opportunity and the imma family can leave to do their own things, but something about what they do makes people stay a family and come right back to help and stay part of the imma community. The website didn’t say much about racial literacy, but in the info video, Adams describes different races together and building family. Hip-hop is more than just dance because it is commodified, and it is used for social expression and community building. I think it is healthy to try to encourage community and values of family and giving back, but also learning our history and working to give everyone enough without living rough.

Why Racal Identity Matters

Race is a social construct, but it is still real. While it may have been created by one race, hip-hop is not exclusively belonging to one race. The idea of ownership is from a mix of many different types of cultures and ideologies, but for hip-hop, it has become more of a social platform allowing for coalition building. With this coalition between all people, there is a chance to work toward racial democracy. Political racial identities matter because race was existent in the past (and still is today) and they have affected generations and generations of people. Unfortunately, policies today that can be considered racist do not have to be tried as racist because they no longer state race. In the US, to talk about race can appear racist even when it is not a racist conversation. How will racism end if we can’t talk about it? Civil Rights did not fix everything, it only changed how race is looked at in policy, and it discouraged overt racism that the majority of Americans can easily recognize as wrong. But that is just one level of racism possible.

Institutions and systemic racism made it possible to have liberal policies that are still racist. We no longer need to name a specific race to talk about the group we want because the majority of “them” are under certain socioeconomic, and geographical conditions that we can name instead (Omi & Winant, 2015). Race is important in hip-hop because dancers can be from the same place or many places. They can learn to become family and learn about social injustices if they decide that’s important to them. When people see a white boy dancing with a black boy at the same level it might be surprising to some people for various reasons, but the point is that they are together doing something they love, and they appreciate and rely on one another. And add a girl in the mix and she at another level than the boys or add whoever else. They are mixed in every way with only their passion of dance to share.

Is it unfair to say that these kids are undeserving because they had the privilege of having an organization that lets them dance? Some might say do what you have to do, and if you make it please come back and share. Other might say there are plenty of good dancers that are of ____ identity, and you only got the spot because you’re privileged and undeserving. This is capitalism. Race was created to separate us. Instead of blaming each other who are different races, it would be better to blame the people who have power to make difference such as the dance company, or your local policies that may have had an effect on you. Capitalism needs someone to be left out for it to work. I am not saying that capitalism is bad or other economic systems are better, but I am saying currently in the US and globally, capitalism is the main economic system and that’s what we have to work with.

Race matters because we do see race whether we choose to see it or pretend that we don’t. Racism is subconscious and conscious at various levels from our interactions, structures and policy, and social meanings. Culture is something people can learn and become part of. It is deeper than music and clothing. Hip-hop is a culture with social meaning. There are interactions and customs learned and passed down from various people, and schools. So dancing is part of the culture and people can learn about it and become part of it without appropriating it.

The definition of race, and the racial categories are changing due to societal changes. One can learn dance and change dance styles, but one cannot change their skin and their racial signifiers of their body. Race matters in dance because race has meaning today. And dance matters because it is an opportunity. Like WilldaBeast said, it is what you do after you see the color that matters and what defines what kind of person you are.

References

Delgado, R. & Stefancic, J. (2017). Critical Race Theory. New York University Press.

Ghandnoosh, N. (2010). ‘Cross-cultural’ practices: interpreting non-African-American participation in hip-hop dance. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 33(9), 1580–1599. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870903548799

ImmaBEAST. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2019, from ImmaBEAST website: http://www.immabeast.co/

Is Nutcracker Racist? (2013). Dance Magazine, 87(12), 78–81.

Martiniello, M. (2018). Local communities of artistic practices and the slow emergence of a “post-racial” generation. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 41(6), 1146–1162. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2018.1410201

Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2015). Racial Formation In the United States. Routledge.

Schaefer, B. (2016). Dance in the Age of Black Lives Matter. Dance Magazine, 90(12), 38–42.

Smith, A. (2012). Indigeneity, Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy.

Wilson, L., & Moffett, A.-T. (2017). Building bridges for dance through arts-based research. Research in Dance Education, 18(2), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2017.1330328

#hiphop #writing #love #sociology #dance #music #rap #color #race #america #colorblind

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syrolecep-blog · 6 years ago

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Hispanic dating a black girl

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vickietea-blog · 6 years ago

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Must-see Music Festivals in USA

Elya JohnsonMust-see piece Festivals in USAEntertainment Articles | jury 15, 2016Do you need to enough your heart with enduring emotions and incredible days?Do you alike to touch young and free forever?Or you aloof love music in owned full scope?Than we inclined specially for you a top calendar of the most imposing music fests in USA! These story will fair you the power of music. dramaturgic music which is the most astonishing thing in the world. LollapaloozaLollapalooza is held in summer in Grant Park, Chicago.This time Lolla laud the 25th anniversary and the benefactor prepared commodity special and tremendous for fans. Firstly, the lineup headed by Red scorching Chili Peppers, Radiohead, large-scale Lazer, lans Del Rey, G-Eazy, allow Goulding, M83, Disclosure, haled and decuple of well-known and cherished artists. also the festival will be going quadruple days instead of 3 last year. Lollapaloozais a cocktail of music, dance, theatre and handicraft fair. Music attendant is varied heavy metal, punk rock, hip-hop. Lollapalooza discovered akin stars as The Killers, Red scorching Chili Peppers, The Machine, Green movies free online to have the tremendous weekends of your life? Grab your friends and head to the fest! Keep abject and intoning your feeling out. Relax in the grass. revenue a minute to have some snack. Refuel. furthermore go celebration rocking hard! Music is our DNA.Burning ManJust imagine: a civil in the desert; culture of possibilities; a net of dreamers and doers. The hot Man imply to be something unreal. Its a mix of everything unformal in the world: art, people, place, music, clothes, etc. whenever you have not prevail there you wont understand what endemic all about. This anniversary creates a unique universe in the middle of nowhere in the slate Rock desert. You right to deliver all you need for survival: sleep-place, water, food. DJs twist music the whole sunlight and night, artists set their installations, and it all end up in flaming of certain huge grove figures in Saturday after sunset. equitable passers-by and viewers are not grant to be in the fest. Each should program his creativity: artistic installations, body-art, remarkable clothes and so on. No precedent and no limits for the gala space. You can cover where you want, you can complete what you wish, BUT all you do should be decisive and contribute some any of your soul to create the atmosphere of tribal life and hoary culture with modern format. This is what reconcile you from outworld problems, changes your mind, deliver love and peace and makes you a juvenile of nature.If you land a chance to bathe yourself within this abstruse world, then dont equitable pass by. You will feel the essence of life. You will touch the world inside you.BumbershootThe main logic to stay Seattle is the Bumbershoot fest catching place in the intermediary of the city any September. Its one of a sympathetic in this region and it vessel be premeditated steady as its popularity only increases with a course of time. aforementioned event highlights not exclusive music execute by neighborhood and world-famous stars like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Death Cab for Cutie, KYGO. affecting program also contains cinematography, dance, theatre, genius concept and all kinds of creative work. People materialize with their families, as here they expand their view of the world, enrich their inner world, taste pot cooked by big and small restaurants, enjoy style in life. Develop yourself from all sides. Spend family holidays at Bumbershoot!Kwanzaa FestivalOne point before modern Year streets of african cities will be replete with affiliated songs and exotic thunder rhythms of wild and mysterious Africa. Black continents culture recorded into the American austere together with African slaves. This people save thoroughly memories of their affiliated home. about New period s vigil Afro-americans celebrate the Kwanzaa festival (from Swahili chitchat matunda yak kwanza definition the prime fruit of yield), anticipated to remember about their traditions and cultural patterns. One of the biggest events of this sympathetic Capital civic Kwanzaa competition is usually held in Richmond suburb, Virginia. triumph usually prepare in the family circle. In the evening all members cover into civil African clothes gather for dinner. There is an altar with candles, nut and another symbols of yield on a blowout table. through meal they discuss 7 basic foundation of African culture self-determination, collective production and responsibility, cooperated economics, tenacity for purpose, creativity and faith. Besides they organize gig of native music and dances, celebrative services, proper and cultural and outreach campaigns. hit and appointment Kwanzaa fest! Plunge toward ancient fashion of so far Africa and you will certainly be bewilder by abundance of our world!Author: elan JohnsonContact email: [email protected]: http://mybuyticket.info/

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freshdotdaily · 8 years ago

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March 23rd 2012 Interview with FootAction

REAL TALK WITH FRESH DAILY @ SXSW

Star Club: First and foremost, explain your SXSW experience. Ups, downs, everything in between.

Fresh Daily: This was my 3rd (non-consecutive) year at SXSW and it was awesome. It just seems to have gotten way more hip-hop oriented than I recall in the past. I had a great time rocking shows and meeting fans and fellow artists that I knew online but never had the chance to make personal acquaintance with. That was dope. The main trick about SXSW to me is to meet artists you have mutual respect for, meet booking agents/promoters and make new fans. That and maintaining your cell phone life and sanity while carefully alternating between copius amounts of alcohol and water while navigating the pressing throngs of people crowding under the Texas sun.

SC: Explain your musical approach to hip-hop given that you are staying fresh, all day? How is your rap different from the other up and coming MC’s out there?

FD: I don’t think the goal was to put the fresh wardrobe aesthetic out as a “persona” to market my music. The goal for me was always to remain consistently innovative with my craft and show progression while expressing myself artistically. I think that approach was the defining factor to making my music signature and creating the distinction from the rest of other artists. The freshness in my physical aesthetic came secondary and I suppose there’s also a difference in the technical sense that I’m a wordplay/thought process emcee and not a punch line/metaphor rapper.

SC: What are some major differences you’ve seen in your music from your mixtape “Tomorrow is Today” to your debut album “Fresh Daily is the Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion” to your current album you’re working on?

FD: Honestly, just life’s progression. As a Brooklyn, NYC kid, I had the fortune to grow up in a melting pot of cultures and experiences that change as often as the neighborhoods do. Being artistically expressive played a huge role as well. When working on “Tomorrow is Today”, I worked with a synth-y, space-y sound that worked well for how I felt. I wanted to take people into the future with the sound of that project. My debut album however was way more traditional boom-bap rap. Soul and Jazz samples being flipped by some of indie hip-hops most elite producers like Skibeatz, Dj Spinna, Exile, Oh No, 88-Keys and !llmind helped curate a very NYC centric sound. I’ve always Made sure to be cohesively thematic and give each project their own flavor, so with my last 3 projects “Mothership/L A N D”, “The Quiet Life” and my current project, “The Brooklyn Good Guy”, each of them are unique and distinct in sound direction, subject matter and feel.

SC: There are not many people that are skilled in graphic design and can rap, but which passion came first? When and how did you start both graphic designing and rap?

FD: I’ve been drawing since a toddler so I suppose visual art came before wanting to make music. The processes are both really different. Both of them are visceral, cathartic experiences for me but with rap I can see the end result quicker. The same effect I can have on people with my music I can with my design work, hip-hop just has an expedited process in the sense I can take an idea which doesn’t exist and speak on it and have a song and a large quantity of people can hear/enjoy/critique it, whereas the process to making an non-existing idea into visual art is more laborious with less room for error. It’s a more painstaking way to create and convey your expression. Rapping came natural for me as a writer and Bonafide hip-hop head. It’s a fair assessment that no other music genre has meant more to me and effected my life as much as hip-hop has. So it’s only right that it be the medium used to tell my story. However, they DO say a picture is worth a thousand words and I’m a fan of classic minimalism so there’s that.

SC: Given the graphic design experience you have, how has that worked as an advantage towards your music?

FD: Being a stickler for quality control, it’s made my brand management and visibility really easy to navigate and keep things relatively in-house for the majority of the work I do. To be able to control and convey how I think things should sound AND look is definitely advantageous to the craft. Not having to depend on a graphics person to correctly convey my words is priceless. Being able to collaborate with other artists outside of rapping is also pretty awesome too. To re-interpret what I feel they said in a completely different medium is mad ill.

SC: How have you been able to balance out graphic design projects, putting out fan apparel, maintaining the webstore, and making music?

FD: I have a fantastic team of individuals working with me that handle a fair share of my merchandise as well as update my site and keep things running smoothly. For that, I’m grateful because it allows me some buffer space to actually just CREATE. To be completely honest though, it did get overwhelming. For the project “The Quiet Life” I had to go away and go back to nature and kind of revisit some of the things that made me appreciate this beautiful human existence. You have to pause and smell the flowers at time, yo. Straight up. For this current project though, I quit my wack-ass, dead end day job and put myself 100% into my career as both an emcee and visual artist/designer for the first time. It was scary because there’s no parachute for me, but you don’t bungee-jump off a milk crate do you? Sure, it’s safer, but that ain’t bungee jumping, fam. The thrill of that experience is the rush, the risk and the thrill of making an indelible action memory. You can really hear the urgency in the new record because of that.

SC: Who are some of your inspirations in music and art?

FD: Inspirations in music for me are artists like Hawthorne Headhunters, Sade, P.U.D.G.E, MF DOOM, Drake (yep, Drizzy), Iman Omari, Earl Sweatshirt, etc. Yo, I mean, just heads making good music to me that put me in a zone. The taste in music is constantly evolving in this digital age but the constant that remains is dope beats and dope lyrics executed artfully with quality will always rule my audio waves. As far as art goes, I’m a big graphic novel dude and I like alot of European graphic artists like Frezzata, Christophe Blaine, and Johann Sfar. I feel like it’s cliche for rappers to like NYC street artists like Haring and Basquiat so having said that, I’m reluctant to include them as influences for that reason solely, but truth be told I was born in 1980 and that’s what I saw and I’d be remiss to not mention those artists impact on me. Locally, there are some amazing artists in NYC like Nelson Caban, Lichiban & Stephanie Matthews that really have made visual impacts on how I view artwork recently.

SC: Describe your taste in fashion and how it reflects you as “Fresh Daily.” What are some of your favorite brands and sneakers?

FD: Well, ultimately I’m more of a subscriber to style than fashion, as style is forever and fashion is fickle and fleeting. I’m a fan of clean, solid color blocking juxtaposed against patterned accessories and outerwear. My boy Suede (of The Brooklyn Good Guys) coined the term “Afro-Americana” for this look. I mean basically there’s all these influences mixed up from growing up in NYC. There’s alot of obligatory Polo Ralph Lauren because of the timeless factor, I mean, you can count on ‘Lo from 10 years ago to work 10 years from now. Within that there are alot of preppy nods being mixed in with strong ethnic aesthetics from my own closet collection to create a really signature look. I’d like to go as far as saying that 70% of my wardrobe is also sourced from Thrift/secondhand/vintage stores around the US and Canada so almost everything has a history and story to it. I’m almost utilitarian with my style to the point it borders on uniform if the weather is appropriate. 9 out of 10 ten times I have on an oxford or chambray buttoned all the way to the top with dark indigo raw/selvedge denim and a cap on. As a firm believer in quality, consistency and heritage, most brands I rock with have been around for 15-30 years. Levis, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Converse, Vans and Supreme. In a more contemporary sense, I also love Uniqlo and I almost exclusively wear RetroSuperFuture eyewear because I love the way they frame my face. My take on it is, your look should tell your story at a glance before you get a chance to speak.

SC: What can we expect from you in 2012?

FD: More music. More art. More collaborations. More live shows. More media content online. The launch of my collective “The Brooklyn Good Guys”. Only the freshness & only the real. Brooklyn, whattup!

Check out more Fresh Daily here!

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