Beyoncé done did it again!

     Hit us with another surprise, visual album. In the form of a world premiere on HBO. Unlike the BEYONCÉ all the videos apart of the newest release flow together as a short film a musical of sorts strung together with poetry, written by Warsan Shire, recited by Queen Bey herself. It is called Lemonade, and it has changed the world. This film is about love and all love truly is, from the perspective of a Black Woman. She incorporates er culture, where she is from and her family. Though being a reflection of Bey's personal life, this film is for all of us Black Women.
To watch and listen, it is available on Tidal and iTunes.

 Here is the perfect description I could find:

4/20 is NOT Bob Marley Day

4/20, April 20th, is the unofficial official celebration of marijuana. Everyone smokes weed and gets high, people have parties and celebrations, it is a real holiday for many. On this day the very hip very current Snapchat app, which allows users to post photos and videos that expire after 24 hours with cool filters and graphics, added a Bob Marley filter. The filter is apart their newest filters which use face scanning technology to distort one's face or make it look as if they are wearing something(a cool headdress, make-up, etc.) while using the front facing camera. The Bob Marley filter makes user's faces look like Bob Marley's complete with brown skin and long locks. Unfortunately, the musical legend known for making Reggae music a global phenomenon with island beats and lyrics that encouraged peace, love, and social justice, is often only recognized for his use of Marijuana these days. Bob Marley os also known for popularizing the Rastafari culture which was thriving in Jamaica around the height of his success. Rastafarian people take part in smoking marijuana, or ganja, or weed, as part of their spirituality. Marley's image has been used and exploited in Marijuana materials all over the U.S., and I see it as inappropriate. Especially when those taking part do not know much of reggae music or the impact Bob Marley made on the world, only that he is somebody who used to get high. This snapchat filter is shameful, disrespectful, extremely distasteful, and racially as well as culturally offensive. It's a damn shame.

 To learn more about Bob Marley and the origin of The Rastafari movement I strongly suggest watching the Documentary "Marley". Watch the trailer here:

All that's wrong with Harriet Tubman being the new face of the U.S. $20 bill

    The news just broke about an hour ago, the Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced that it is official Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill(source). Rumors buzzed about this possibility last year and in response I wrote this spoken word piece:

 

     Today people are rejoicing, however my I still feel as strongly as I felt about this as I did when I wrote the poem above. Harriet Tubman on the $20 is problematic. As we all know Harriet Tubman was enslaved along with millions of Blacks in America. She is know for freeing hundreds of enslaved people by leading them up north(parts of which slavery was abolished) using a system called the underground railroad. What people often overlook is that she also continued to fight for human rights while free which included her being a big part of the Women's suffrage movement. She was beat down for years by slave owners to the point where she suffered chronic headaches, seizures, insomnia, and more. What exactly can her image on the very money she was sold for do about that? She had bounties on her for thousands of dollars and still fought for freedom and equality, risking her life every step of the way. This capitalist system was built against Harriet Tubman and against all of us. POC, Black People, are still oppressed by the country's system despite no longer being "slaves". Black people still suffer from results of slavery, racism is still very much alive and White people still reap the benefits of that. Putting Harriet Tubman face on our currency seems to show some sort of recognition but truthfully it is not helping. What would help would be taking off all of the now present faces on our dollar bills for they are all white men responsible for the invasion of other countries, enslavement of innocents people, unnecessary wars, corrupt policies, and the foundation of our flawed capitalism and hypocritical government systems; among many other things. Instead a printing a photograph, the U.S. should actually give descendants of enslaved Africans their reparations. Harriet Tubman had vision, she believed in something and fought for it, at this point that fight is not yet won.

Outfit of the week ft. new Loc Jewelry !

    This week is the official unofficial kick off to spring as we are experiencing 70 degree weather all week. My look includes a BDG striped cropped sweater and the BDG Black High rise seam jean from Urban outfitters. Finished off with Sam Edelman slip on shoes, also from Urban. I complete this look with a denim jacket for when the temperature drops later on. 

Also joining this week's fashion post is a spotlight on my new loc jewelry. Courtesy of K's Loc Jewels. You can purchase these two pieces and so many more at http://kslocjewels.etsy.com/

"The Birth of a Nation" Trailer has been released

 Written, directed, produced by, and starring Nate Parker; The Birth of A Nation chronicles the story of Nat Turner and is set to wow audiences this October.