today, september 13th, 2024, the ballet world lost an extraordinary dancer and woman.
michaela mabinty deprince was born on january 6th, 1995, as mabinty bangura, in sierra-leone. she was orphaned, her parents passing to due to both direct and indirect causes of the civil war in her home country. she was demonized by her caretakers for her vitiligo, being called a “devil’s child”, and suffering from other forms of neglect and abuse. in 1999, deprince was adopted by an american couple along with another girl, and they were taken to new jersey, united states of america.
her hopes of becoming a ballerina had been planted when she found a ballerina on a magazine cover in her home country. she didn’t know of ballet at the time, but treasured the picture and dreamed of dancing. this dream blossomed into truth when she moved to the states, being put into ballet lessons soon after her arrival. deprince was a four-time participant in youth america grand prix, one of the largest ballet competitions in the united states. she was awarded a scholarship to study at the jaqueline kennedy onassis school of ballet, the associate school of american ballet theatre.
despite facing racial discrimination and other hardships in and out of the industry, deprince persisted in her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. in 2012, at the age of 16, she became the youngest member of dance theatre of harlem, and the next year, she joined the junior company of the dutch national ballet. she soon rose through the ranks, joining the main company and attaining the rank of soloist. she was the first dancer of african origin to ever join the company, and a shining advocate and role model for black women in ballet.
her other accomplishments include being an ambassador for war child holland, a dutch organization working to improve the wellbeing and resilience of children directly affected by war. she visited uganda and lebanon through the organization. she also appeared in beyoncé’s 2016 music video for ‘freedom’.
she will dance among all the stars in the sky. rest in peace beautiful michaela mabinty, you are already so missed. ♡
Folks, friends, y’all…. esk*mo is a slur. I understand a lot of people don’t know that, I don’t want to be a dick about it, but I’ve been seeing it in fics. Wanna write “esk*mo kisses”? Just say “nuzzled noses” or something.
I’m not here to call anybody out, it’s been in multiple fics, I’m not vague posting. This is just a psa. 👍🏻
Palestinian tiktoker Medo Halimy was martyred yesterday. He was growing a garden and making "a day in the life" tiktoks while in Gaza. He was just 19 years old and now he's gone, but y'all wanna pretend that people wanting hard stances against genocide is some kind of moral superiority issue and not the fact that people are literally dying.
This is his family's gofundme that's still linked to his tiktok. Please send some help their way so they no longer have to lose more of their family.
Hello friends, I am Doaa, mother of Omar, who suffers from autism. I hope you support, donate, and participate as much as possible to save my little one. He needs your support. He suffers from hyperactivity, needs behavior modification, and lacks visual and sensory focus. He is now sick and needs treatment, and I regret that I do not have the money for that. The war affected him. After a long time he started to improve. Please save Omar. He has now been in Egypt for three months, but unfortunately the centers for his condition are expensive and I do not have any income to support him. I hope to see him as a normal child like other children. I wish I could hear the word “mama” from him, as he does not speak and needs speech sessions. I trust you
Donate and share widely 🆘🆘 1100 Swedish krona = 100 dollars Every $5 will make a difference 🙏
This is a list of vetted campaigns from Palestinians that have reached out to me today. All of them have stories either verified by known vetters, are present on vetted fundraiser lists or have been vetted by association. Please boost their campaigns and donate if possible. One small donation can make a huge difference for them!