Leaderboard

Happy Birthday to Marcus Garvey Considering Marcus Garvey saw the caribbean or north america during his life as places that Black people needed to get away from, when you think of the struggles/challenges/unhappiness in Black Americans <Blacks or Negras from Canada/USA/MExico/JAmaica/HAiti/Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico/Trinidad/Colombia/Venezuela/Brazil/Chile/Argentina or any other land in the American continent> in the American Continent, was MArcus Garvey proven right about the inefficacy of Black people living side Whites? Side the best efficacy of Blacks when they live mostly around Blacks? And today happens to be MArtin Luther King Jr Day I quote MArtin Luther King Jr the third concernng voting rights legislation ""he would be greatly disappointed in the leadership in the Senate...that it's chosen so far not to get this done"" MLK the Third either is using very well constructed language or doesn't know his father. Disappointment today refers to an unfulfilled desire or want. Not, to remove from office. if MLK the third is suggesting MLK jr. will desire senators be disappointed. I 100% concur to that. MLK jr. always said in words how dysfunctional the class of elected officials are to the improvement of the populace in the U.S.A. If MLK the third is suggesting MLK jr. desired or thought the congress of the usa will act in the betterment of voting rights, Ihe doesn't know his father. MLK jr. wasn't an elected official for a simple reason. That path doesn't lead to the freedom leaded to tell the truth, to lead the people when what has to be said can't be a lie. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the battle of Hayes-Pond. https://www.lumbeetribe.com/ Happy birthday Sade Nothing can come between us- For the distant lovers The Sweetest Taboo- For the secret lovers Love is stronger than Pride - For the long time lovers <NEar my favorite Sade song, though I don't have a clear favorite> Smooth operator- For the players Is it a crime- for the mistresses or ladies of the evening out there And just so you know, Sade's early videos had an interwoven story about her and a guy if you notice:)

DC Milestone (dcuniverse.com) NEW VOICES. NEW VISIONARIES IT’S TIME TO WRITE A NEW CHAPTER IN THE SUPERHERO STORY. If stories are what shape the world we live in, then the storytellers should reflect that world. The Milestone Initiative is looking for the next generation of Black and diverse comic book creators. DC Superhero In 1993, four Black creators created Milestone Comics: a new universe of Black Super Heroes, brought to life by Black creators and other artists of color. Milestone didn’t just change the way our heroes looked. It built a pipeline for talent who had been excluded and marginalized for too long, and an ecosystem in which Black creativity could thrive. Now, with the relaunch of Milestone Comics and the creation of The Milestone Initiative, we want to honor the creators of Milestone by continuing their mission. But we can’t do it without you. DC Superhero MAKE YOUR MARK Do you have a story to tell? Do your experiences, imagination, and perspective go beyond the limits of what you see on TV, in movies, and in other media? If you live and breathe comics, and you’re an emerging Black artist or writer —or a creator from an underrepresented group —we’re looking for you to join The Milestone Initiative. The path to a sustainable creative career in this competitive industry will never be an easy one. You already know that —you’ve spent years honing your craft on your own. But with The Milestone Initiative, we hope to give you the support you need to make that hard work pay off. The next step starts here. DC Summit THE SUMMIT Participants in The Milestone Initiative will be invited to a one-week summit, hosted by WarnerMedia, DC, and Ally, where they’ll make connections, create community, and begin an immersive course to help hone creative skills and better understand the comic book industry. WHEN 02.14.22 – 02.18.22 WHERE BURBANK, CA 1. ARRIVE If you’re selected to participate in The Milestone Initiative, your journey will begin with the Milestone Summit. You’ll travel at our expense to DC’s headquarters in Burbank, to meet legendary creators, editors, and executives in the comics and entertainment industries. 2. LEARN Under the mentorship of some of the most prominent names in comics, as well as Ally’s team of financial experts, you’ll receive in-depth, substantive instruction about building a creative life and earning a living in this field. You’ll hone your creative skills, but you’ll also learn the business of the comics industry and receive advice on sustaining a long-term career. Following the Milestone Summit, you’ll go home and participate in an 8-week virtual course, where you’ll receive technical training through best-in-class cartooning and graphic art school The Kubert School. 3. CREATE It won’t be easy —throughout this multi-week course, you’ll be working as well as learning, crafting stories with your fellow participants. At the end of this journey you’ll come away with polished work that will showcase your unique talents, new knowledge, and skills and you'll have a pathway into the DC talent community if you want to pursue it. 4. IGNITE The Milestone Initiative doesn’t end with the the completion of the coursework. The team from DC will remain in contact with all participants in the months following and will work with them to find appropriate comics assignments and other work that will help them continue to grow as creators and further their careers with DC and in the comics world. HOW TO APPLY The Milestone Initiative is open to Black and other underrepresented creators who are ready to enter the comic book industry at a professional level. You’ve got the talent, you’ve put in the hours of practice, and this is the opening you’ve been waiting for. Think you have what it takes? Get ready to dive into the application. You have a story to tell. We want to hear it. PROCESS DC Milestone Now a quick reality check: we know you’re serious, and we’re serious too. So this application is going to take some time. We think it’s worth it. STEP 1: 10-20 MINUTES First, we’ll ask you for a bit of biographical information. We’ll also ask you to provide us with links to a few existing pieces of completed original work, to give us a sense of your creative voice and vision. STEP 2: 5-7 DAYS The next sections are where you should plan wisely. We’ll be asking you to put your talent and skills into action by completing a short assignment. If you’re an artist, that will mean drawing three comic pages based on a script we provide; if you’re a writer, you’ll be creating a script for an 8 page story based on a loose prompt we’ve created. STEP 3: 2-3 DAYS Finally, we want writers and artists to answer a few, short essay questions and tell us who you are as a creator. Describe your voice and your vision —what do you believe you have to offer the world? The answers won’t take long to write, but they will take some time to think about. (And artists, don’t be intimidated if writing isn’t your thing. We’re looking for substance here, not style.) Got it? Get started. You don’t have to complete everything now —our system can save your work, just make sure to click “Save Draft” at the bottom of the page so you can begin now and tackle it a piece at a time. DC Superpowered WHAT IS THE MILESTONE INITIATIVE? Superman wasn’t just the first superhero: he was an immigrant, an American, and an enduring symbol of our shared ideals. But as an explosion of comic book heroes took place over the second half of the 20th century, there was something missing. Despite an enduring Black readership, it took decades before the first Black heroes appeared, and once they did, they remained uncommon. Even the most prominent Black heroes usually appeared in stories written and illustrated by white creators. Enter Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle. With talent, vision, and tenacity, these four Black creators carved a place for themselves in an industry that didn’t always welcome or understand them. Despite their success, they were frustrated by the dearth of other Black creators in their field, and the resistance they met in trying to tell stories that reflected their own experiences and perspectives. DC story-1-480 So they founded Milestone Media —a company that placed Black superheroes at the center of the action with their Milestone comics line, and which would make an inclusive space for Black and underrepresented comic book creators to flourish and succeed. Milestone hit like a space pod crashing to Earth —and its impact has continued to this day. Now, Milestone Media, is helmed by Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan, and DC is relaunching Milestone Comics and reintroducing its characters to new audiences, but we understand that there’s still much more work to be done to continue the mission of Milestone’s founders. That’s why, with Ally as our partner, we’ve created The Milestone Initiative. While Milestone Media is about telling the stories of Black heroes, The Milestone Initiative is about empowering the creators who can tell those stories in ways that are resonant, real, and revolutionary. The program is part of DC’s talent development program, Next Generation DC (NGDC), and is designed to identify, educate, spotlight, and empower the next generation of Black and diverse creators in our field so that the stories of the next century are truly reflective of the world around us. Throughout American history —in the comic book industry as well as in other creative fields —Black and other underrepresented creators have been consistent innovators and visionaries despite systems that work to exclude them. Now, as comic books take center stage in popular culture, DC, WarnerMedia, and Ally want to change that with The Milestone Initiative. The Milestone Media founders started the mission. It’s time for you to pick up their mantle. DC story-2-480 READY TO MAKE YOUR MARK? SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS DC Milestone (dcuniverse.com)

Well... it is another Friday, another day to love, to Oxum, Oshun, Freya, or Venus, another day to Kizomba! SOmetimes, you just dance to have fun and we see that in Irina dancing side José N'dongala, I love how the camera moved when he tried a trick. enjoy a free read https://www.kobo.com/ebook/the-nyotenda

Hi everyone, just want to wish everyone a safe weekend coming up and a sound piece of mind in these trouble times of ours. Have a safe weekend while not letting the sour times get in your mind, by destroying you mood, instead throw on some funky toons to get you in the up and coming weekend groove.... Jaws R.

Happy Hardcore Easter

Hey did you know that I'm A Proud Alumni of Medgar Evers College Class of 1996

Storytellers play the long game - "We must remember, we’re a civilization rooted in story-telling. We share information filled with iconic imagery, symbolism, and sounds. Celebrities are no different. They use the media to tell stories that voice their platform position or opposition." ~Melhopkinsdotcom

End of Poverty ?, the documentary by Philippe Diaz should be called how thugs ravage the land and have taken over the world. Imagine coming up with a concept for a book, writing a draft and then shipping the raw document to someone else - only to have to pay $14.95 to read the finish product. Except that is exactly what is happening in so called third world countries such as Kenya - "predatory capitalism" where the impoverished Kenyans work the land ship their raw materials for tea and coffee to other countries and never profit from it. I became interested in watching the documentary after seeing an interview clips from Confession of an Economic Hitman, author John Perkins. He talks about how he and others like him work on the behalf of multinational corporations to jack the land and resources from people in African countries... We're not free in this country - it's impossible to be - because no one will be free until everyone is free... Watch the documentary. Read the book, and then really begin to wake the Eff up!

I want to thank Mel Hopkins for her exhaustive review of Severed, A Novel. I am so grateful for her insights. It's fascinating to see how people interact with my characters. It's even more intriguing when they see things I did not see myself. Watch her space. She's up and coming. We need more writers like her who are willing to put the time in, to be thoughtful, critical, yet supportive. Thank you, Mel. You do me the greatest honor, to critique a novel written for Black women.

Kiese Laymon: A Writer's Writer Writing takes far more than talent to be great. One most also possess courage to be at the top of her craft. At least that's the takeaway from the essay "You Are the Second Person" by Kiese Laymon. Laymon is identified as an essayist and novelist but a few paragraphs into "You Are the Second Person" you begin to realize those aren’t just his job titles, he’s the embodiment of those skills. Prior to reading his essay, the definition of hack eluded me. Now I know it identifies someone who eschews writing for expression and instead kowtows to a publisher for a check. Check out Guernica Magazine and "You're Are the Second Person"

Why White Folks Love Hidden Figures by BAR editor and columnist Dr. Marsha Adebayo “It’s a feel good movie that demonstrates that even during one of the vilest and most racist periods of American history white saviors rose to the occasion.”

Padiamenope My Thoughts Padiamenope, the servant of Taharqa, a nubian pharoah, all pharoahs before the ptolomies are black. Padiamenope made an extensive grave for himself. Of course it was the Nubians. The people of Kemet + Nubians are cousin peoples. I consider Egyptians the hybrid people of Kemet side the whites of europe or asia from the hellenistic period. Lovely explanation of the process of comprehending Kemet from greek through coptic and comparison. VIDEO - preview- transcript is complete UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/decoding-hieroglyphics-preview-7jqfn5/6330/ TRANSCRIPT- the complete show ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Egypt, land of countless ancient treasures found inside its pyramids and temples. The walls of these monuments are covered with mysterious inscriptions left by ancient Egyptians -- hieroglyphics. -Hieroglyphs are perhaps a writing that has been used for the longest time in the history of the world. Because they were used for well over 3,000 years. -200 years ago, French scholar Jean-François Champollion deciphered the inscriptions, giving meaning to the signs that had been unreadable for more than a millennium. And with his work, an entire civilization buried in the desert sand was brought back to life. Today, new research is focused on the people who wrote these hieroglyphs -- a literate elite employed by the pharaohs. They were priests, scribes, painters, engravers, and builders of tombs. In the south of Egypt, scientists are studying a palace filled with hieroglyphics, the only tomb built for a non-royal in the necropolis and the largest in all of Egypt. -How was this man able to build this incredible monument? -Egyptologists have battled the stifling heat to reach the darkest depths of the tomb and unlock the secrets of the ancient inscriptions. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Along the Nile, 400 miles from the ancient political capital of Memphis -- Cairo, today -- lies Thebes, modern-day Luxor. Here, on the west bank, pharaohs constructed sumptuous tombs. The vast necropolis includes at least a dozen ancient funerary temples and burial sites belonging to royalty, including Queen Hatshepsut. Surprisingly, Egyptologists have found that the largest tomb at the site -- and in the country -- wasn't built for a pharaoh, despite its immense size. Archeologists have named it "TT33," for "Theban tomb 33," and they hope to make new discoveries by translating the monument's hieroglyphics. ♪♪ Professor Claude Traunecker has been studying TT33 for the past 17 years, under the aegis of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo. He is joined by Silvia Einaudi and Isabelle Régen, two Egyptologists and renowned epigraphists, whose job it is to copy, translate, and interpret the texts. On this trip, they have only four weeks to exhume the latest treasures and safeguard the thousands of texts carved into the walls... [ Conversing in native language ] ♪♪ ...of a tomb well-known to the adventurers who risked their lives exploring it. -[ Speaking French ] -Lots of people visited it as the region's great curiosity, with its legend of being a cursed and dangerous tomb. There were very large colonies of bats here. And when people came in, the bats would fly out, causing accidents. People only had candlelight, so a number of them fell down the shaft of Room XII when the wind from the bats' wings blew out their candles. -But who did this imposing and mysterious tomb belong to? -Pa-di-imen-ipet. Padiamenope. -Padiamenope. -[ Speaking French ] -In the first two passageways, there's always an image of Padiamenope, looking towards the entrance to the tomb as if he were greeting visitors. -His name and image appear all over the walls. There can be no doubt -- this is his final resting place. For almost a century, exploration of the tomb stopped at Room III because archaeologists built a wall at the entrance to Room IV to shut in the bats. -[ Speaking French ] -There's a nice little article by Maspero that says, "We walled in Padiamenope's tomb because of the bats. I hope that when it's reopened, we'll finally find out who Padiamenope was." And I made use of this text to have the tomb opened again. -In December 2005, after Traunecker obtained authorization to break down the wall and access the rest of the tomb, he entered a space that had been closed for a century. The decomposed bodies of millions of bats had saturated the air with ammonia, making it unbreathable. The floor and walls were badly degraded, but when the professor looked more closely, he realized he'd discovered a priceless treasure. -[ Speaking French ] -It was a revelation! Especially this word of greeting that I discovered. I remember, when I saw it, I had tears in my eyes. An appeal to the living. "O, you who are on earth, those who are born..." This marks the future -- "Er-mes-tu." "...and those who will be born." It's quite incredible! And it interestingly goes on to address "Those who come to stroll." Coming to the necropolis for a stroll -- not bad! "Those who come to have fun looking at ancient tombs." This dates from the 7th century BCE, so there had already been 2,000 years of tombs before then! "Or those who come looking for spells." That's us. That's us. When I read that, I must admit, I was moved to tears. "Those looking for spells." And he goes on. "May they observe what is in this tomb." And then there's a blessing -- "They will receive the blessing of the god Amun if they respect this tomb." And finally, he asks us to "repair whatever is damaged." It's a very daring, direct message. ♪♪ -The carvings on the walls of Padiamenope's tomb ask future visitors to keep it in good condition. Einaudi and Régen have spent 10 years investigating the tomb, studying the walls, and wandering the maze of corridors that leads to the burial chamber. Ultimately, their goal is to find answers to the many questions that still surround the figure of Padiamenope and create a clearer picture of who this scribe and priest was. They have already established that the architectural style of the tomb places its construction at around 700 BCE. To learn more, they must capture 3-D images of the entire site, 360 degrees around. -[ Speaking French ] -We're about to start the photogrammetry phase, where we'll align the images and a cloud of dots. The images will be aligned by the photogrammetry software. It involves the recognition of counterpart pixels between each image. Then we go on to the second phase, which is meshing. Here, the software picks up the millions of dots and joins them all together with little triangles. And that gives the volume to the model. ♪♪ So we're really moving from 2-D to 3-D. Once we've composed the model, we go on to the last step -- compositing. -[ Speaking French ] -We'll decide on the camera movement and then the lighting and lighting moods... ...and finally the rendering of the tomb itself. Here, the camera is on the outside, and it allows us to see the exterior volumes of the tomb, with all its architecture and depth. In the other scenario, we're on a virtual visit, with the camera inside the tomb. Here we're in Room I, as it is today, in a degraded state. These two camera features are quite complementary because they'll allow us to work out how we're going to work in the tomb. ♪♪ -For the first time, the vast maze within TT33 is visible -- 22 rooms, countless corridors, and linked galleries... ...all spread across three levels buried more than 65 feet beneath the desert sands. 28,000 square feet of decorated walls, every single one of them covered in hieroglyphs. The archaeologists face an immense challenge -- decoding the carvings that have been ravaged by time, earthquakes, looters, and the environment. But translating the inscriptions on the walls will shed new light on the tomb's enigmatic owner. With a resting place larger and grander than that of the pharaohs, Padiamenope was clearly an important member of Egyptian society. What kind of power did he wield? -[ Speaking French ] -Here we see his main title -- "Rehrireb" and "Rehritep," which mean "lector-priest" and "chief, or "lector-priest" and "master of ceremonies". Padiamenope must have been someone who knew ancient Egypt's religious history very well, along with the religious texts. -[ Speaking French ] -He was the intermediary between, let's say, those who worked in the library, who devised the rites, who thought, who catalogued the papyri, before going out before the crowd to conduct religious ceremonies. You could say he was the link between religious theory and religious practice. And with what aim? To appease the Egyptian people. Because the Egyptians were so fearful. You didn't build things like this without having a fear of death! -A statue of Padiamenope in the Cairo Museum portrays him as a scribe, someone who belonged to the literate elite that held significant power over the rest of the population, which couldn't read or write. The Louvre Museum in Paris is home to the "Seated Scribe," a statue of a seated man holding a papyrus scroll as a guardian of sacred knowledge, like all scribes. -Egypt was governed by a literate elite, which we call "scribes," because they knew how to write. This ability to write distinguished them from others. The scribe's main job was to keep the accounts and write letters, basically administrative tasks. The more cultured among them wrote literature -- because there was an Egyptian literature in the modern sense of the term -- while others ran libraries. ♪♪ Basically, hieroglyphs read from right to left. To understand which way to read them, you simply take a pictorial hieroglyph -- for example, a quail chick. It's looking to the left, which means you read from left to right and downwards in a column. In another inscription, it could be the opposite. For example, around a door or a niche, there might be, on the left-hand side of the door, signs that show right to left, or vice versa. It's monumental writing which goes very well with architecture. -It is a complex and sophisticated writing system. The oldest examples of hieroglyphics date to around 3200 BCE, and, based on archaeological evidence, the pictorial carvings were used for nearly 3,500 years. Use of these symbols slowly faded as the Roman Empire took control of ancient Egypt. When the Romans officially adopted Christianity at the end of the 4th century, the use of hieroglyphics died out. In the year 380, the emperor Theodosius issued a decree effectively prohibiting all pagan worship. Hieroglyphics were central to the Egyptians' religion, and once the religion was banned, the need for a literate elite quickly ended, leaving the 3,000-year-old writing system to be buried in the sand for the next 1,400 years. But in 1798, General Napoleon Bonaparte landed in Egypt. He and his troops were there to protect French trade interests, but they were accompanied by a contingent of scientists and scholars sent to study the history and geography of the country. And in 1799, in the small northern town of Rosetta, a soldier made a crucial discovery that would unlock the mysterious inscriptions found on ancient walls and objects. Lieutenant Pierre François Xavier Bouchard found a stele dating from the 2nd century BCE, carved with a decree from King Ptolemy V. The text was written in three different scripts, hieroglyphic, Egyptian demotic -- a simplified cursive version of hieroglyphs -- and ancient Greek. -Before we could read hieroglyphs, looking at these monuments was a mystery, and that's why there's so much esoterica that this has generated, with people thinking that these are all symbols, that they don't have sound values, so you could look at these monuments and not really understand things, until Champollion came and unlocked this key, this mystery. You can see this cartouche, which is this oval thing, which held the name of the king, and here you can see "Pe-to-we-le-miis," Ptolemy. So this is the name of Ptolemy, and, of course, this is one of the crucial names that we have in Egyptology not because of his importance, but because his name was on the Rosetta stone and this was the first name to be deciphered. ♪♪ -Two decades later, linguist Jean-François Champollion began a new project -- deciphering hieroglyphics. ♪♪ As a scholar of ancient Greek, he was able to read the name Ptolemy -- "Ptolmaios" in Greek -- on the Rosetta stone. He then identified the corresponding cartouche with the name written in hieroglyphics. That allowed him to write the seven letters -- P-T-O-L-M-Y-S -- opposite the seven hieroglyphs. He was able to read the cartouche of Queen Cleopatra by isolating the three symbols for L-O-P, already identified in the Ptolemy cartouche. And then he matched the missing letters with the six unidentified hieroglyphs by comparing them to an obelisk inscribed with the queen's name in both hieroglyphics and ancient Greek. ♪♪ The cartouches contained the phonetic transcriptions of Greek names, but what could he do with the names of the pharaohs that ruled before Greek colonization? And that's where Champollion's genius came into play. ♪♪ The young scholar was a language enthusiast. At just 13, he studied Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and Aramaic. As an adult, he began to wonder if learning Coptic -- a late form of ancient Egyptian -- would help him understand the hieroglyphics. ♪♪ -[ Speaking French ] -At the beginning of our era, the Egyptians abandoned the hieroglyphic system and transcribed their language using the Greek alphabet. That's what we call Coptic. Coptic language and writing would then endure in the liturgical texts of Coptic Orthodox Christians. In the 19th century, Champollion could read and write Coptic, and he relied on this continuity between the language transcribed by hieroglyphs and Coptic texts to unlock the secret of hieroglyphs. -With his understanding of Coptic, Champollion was able to translate a new cartouche, in which he could identify the letter "S." And the first hieroglyph of the name seemed to be a sun, which in Coptic is pronounced "Ra." He was just missing the hieroglyph in the middle. He thought the name might be Rameses, one of the greatest pharaohs, whose memory lived on despite the disappearance of hieroglyphics. Champollion immediately turned to another cartouche, which began with an image of an ibis, symbolizing the god Thoth. If his theory about Rameses was correct, the second symbol was perhaps an "M." And the last sign he knew -- the "S." So "Thot-m-s"? Thutmose, another famous pharaoh mentioned in Greek texts. Champollion had done it. He had cracked the hieroglyphic code. And he understood that the writing was both figurative and phonetic. It would now be possible to study ancient Egyptian society at a much deeper level. ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversations ] 200 years later, the heirs of Champollion's discoveries continue his work. -And just before, you have the two points. -The extensive inscriptions on the walls of Padiamenope's tomb are now considered primary funerary texts, collections of incantations to help the deceased in the afterlife. Padiamenope left behind much more than a tomb. He created a library of hieroglyphic texts, unique in Egypt. The texts reveal the civilization myths of ancient Egypt, describing how the society viewed the world. They believed Ra, the sun god, fought off evil creatures who wanted to keep him a prisoner of the night. During this expedition, Isabelle Régen is determined to decipher the rest of the sacred text. -[ Speaking French ] -Here is the first hour of the Book of Amduat. The sun has just set. It's gone into the depths of the earth. In his night-boat, with Iuf -- the nocturnal form of the sun with his ram's head. And before him, kneeling in adoration, is Padiamenope, whose title and name are indicated here. The sun god's night-boat has an entire crew to help him safely reach the hour when he'll rise at the end of the night. -It seems that, on the walls of his tomb, Padiamenope inserted himself into the story of Ra, placing himself in the deity's boat. -[ Speaking French ] -As the hours go by, there are various events. Padiamenope is actively involved, hauling the sun god's boat, harpooning Apophis, the serpent that tries to stop the boat from progressing. He's very actively involved in the journey and even performs a ritual dance for the sun god. -According to the text, if during the night Padiamenope is unable to bring the sun god's boat home safely, the sun will not rise, and the world will end. And so, every morning, when the sun reappears, all living beings bow down before the sun god to celebrate his victory, that of life over death. -[ Speaking French ] -Padiamenope's version is very original. Into the sacred text, he inserts his own name and title. So there's the presence of the man of letters but also the desire to promote himself. -According to a tradition dating back to the Old Kingdom, it's the pharaoh who is typically seen in the boat, kneeling before Ra. So why has Padiamenope taken the pharaoh's place? Pride? Or devotion? Isabelle Régen's work provides the answer. He replaces the pharaoh as defender of Ra to ensure that, after his death, he will rise every day with the sun -- a way of guaranteeing eternal life in the Land of the Dead. But having the protection of the sun god wasn't enough. He also wanted to earn the favor of Osiris, the god of the dead. -[ Speaking French ] -We're in Room IX of the tomb, which has two walls dedicated to the famous "Weighing of the Heart." -Here, too, Padiamenope plays a key role in one of the most important parts of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Anubis, who guides dead souls in the afterlife, puts a feather on one side of a scale and then places the deceased's heart on the other. For the deceased to continue on into the afterlife, their heart must be as light as the feather -- proof that they have committed no evil deeds. Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing, notes the result of the weighing on his tablet. If the scale does not balance, indicating the soul is impure, Ammit, the devourer of the dead, lies in wait to eat the heart. And when that happened, the deceased could not continue living in the afterlife. The whole scene takes place before Osiris, who oversees this divine tribunal. He will decide whether the deceased is pure or if he dies forever. Why does Padiamenope show such devotion to Osiris? Was he trying to win the god's favor? ♪♪ ♪♪ Egyptologists have a theory about why Padiamenope's name appears on the walls of his tomb dozens of times. Ancient Egyptians believed hieroglyphics possessed an important property. They helped ensure eternal life. As long as visitors to the tomb read his name, Padiamenope would be assured of his place in the afterlife. -For the ancient Egyptians, the word was incredibly powerful. Words are magical. If you write something down, it has power, and once you say it, it gives it even more power. It ritualizes the whole thing, and so it's the same way than in any magic, even today, no matter where you are. If you give someone a name, they have power over you. So words have power, and one of the creation myths of the ancient Egyptians was the god would think and then he would speak and it would come into being. -For Egyptians, the act of preservation, be it in writing a text or embalming a body, was a critical practice to ensure their place in the afterlife. ♪♪ -[ Speaking French ] -To dig and decorate a tomb of such a size must have taken a good 20 years, if not more. And, certainly, in terrible conditions. We know there were several crews working on the tombs at the same time. When the excavators were working in the deepest sections, scribes and craftsmen had already begun decorating the first rooms, which were finished. -Who were these builders and craftsmen who dug and decorated the tombs? The knowledge and training that made Padiamenope's tomb so dazzling can be traced back eight centuries to a unique archaeological site not far from TT33. ♪♪ It's a village where the men who worked on royal tombs lived and learned how to create the intricate, inscribed texts. -Here we are at Deir el-Medina, which is one of the most important places in Egypt. It's the workmen's village, and these are the people who decorated the tombs of the kings and the Valley of the Queens, and here, this is in the west bank of Thebes, where the Valley of the Queens, which they also decorated, is there. The Valley of the Kings is just over there, and also the nobles' tombs and the temples are very close by. You can see different degrees of specialization, and that's, of course, because people were always learning the craft. So the fathers would be teaching their children but probably also the priest would help in terms of the reading and the writing, but you can see with the ostracon where people are clumsily writing out their hieroglyphs like their baby ABCs, and then they get very confident. -The village was built at the time of Thutmose I, more than 3,500 years ago. The workmen would leave the village at the beginning of each week to dig, construct, and decorate the tombs of the pharaohs. At the end of the New Kingdom, the site was abandoned and became buried in the sand, and the objects left behind by the inhabitants were discovered on digs in the early 20th century. ♪♪ -As part of a mission led by the Institute, Cédric Larcher oversees and coordinates researchers from around the world who gather at the site for two months every year. Their aim is to study the remains found in the village to better understand the work of these unsung craftsmen. -[ Speaking French ] -This is our place of work, our laboratory where the mission's researchers work on objects found directly on the ground. Gersande is analyzing the different types of wood found on the site. Zachary and Ahmed are scanning our database to find out what this object was used for, what's written on it, and to establish the context of where it was found on the site. ♪♪ This is an ostracon. These ostraca have been found in large quantities at Deir el-Medina. They're fragments of limestone or potsherds, which were used as writing tablets by the inhabitants there. The ostraca give us a lot of information about everyday local life, as they mention events or consist of lists of workers and their families. But some of them were used to practice writing, which shows that people undertook apprenticeships in writing here at Deir el-Medina. They copied out classic texts again and again until not only did they know them by heart, but they could also write all the signs. We imagine that the apprentice had models and he had to keep carving the same sign until he could reproduce the volume expected by the teacher. -For the letters to each other, you would use hieratic, which is basically hieroglyphs but a more relaxed form, so it is the same way that hieroglyphs are like capital letters, very formal, and hieratic is joined-up cursive writing. -99% of ancient Egypt's population was illiterate, but that was not the case for the community of craftsmen living at Deir el-Medina. And the men were organized so that the work was spread evenly across the tombs. -[ Speaking French ] -Among the important ostraca found on the site is one now kept at the British Museum, which contains information about the organization of work at the royal tombs. Here, written in hieratic, are the names of the workers, with a list of the days they were present or absent. Scribes kept daily registers. They'd take a roll call to see who was there and who wasn't. We have some of the excuses presented by the absent -- "So-and-so absent for a family funeral" and so on. And along with the lists of workers are the names of the chief builders who oversaw their work at the tombs. -The workflow in the tomb included a variety of tasks, following a meticulously planned schedule. First, the excavators dug into a limestone vein in the mountain, which had been carefully located beforehand. It was grueling work. The men only had wooden mallets and bronze chisels to excavate the rock. Steel tools didn't exist in the ancient Egypt of 3,500 years ago. Others then removed the rubble from inside the tomb. Next came the polishers, who smoothed the floors and walls. Draftsmen would then trace grids on the walls. These served as the framework for the outline scribes, who used red ink to sketch figurative scenes and texts, which would be inscribed later. ♪♪ Next came the engravers, who carved the stone with wooden mallets and fine copper chisels, following the previously sketched guide. And the final step -- painters colored the carved scenes and hieroglyphs. ♪♪ -[ Speaking French ] -We've found a large number of paintbrushes of varying shapes and sizes, depending on their use. Some brushes were used for applying stucco or painting the first layer on the walls to be decorated. Finer brushes were used to paint the figures or hieroglyphs. -Elizabeth Bettles wants to find the name of each artist whose work appears in another tomb in the Theban necropolis. With tireless determination, this British paleography expert works to identify the painter of a tomb from the 20th dynasty. ♪♪ -Everybody's handwriting is different. Everybody's handwriting is unique. Today as it is known that that is the case, and it would have been exactly the same over 3,000 years ago, as this was. All of this learning about the man who created these hieroglyphs, who painted them, I've got to get to know him. So I've got to try and find his handwriting style through the shape, through -- of the sign, through how he created the sign, how he spelled things. And at the moment, I am concentrating on doing individual hieroglyphs to find out what their shape is. My long-term goal is to create a kind of an interactive database to be able to show people who we can name, who we know who they married, what their children's names were. So we can learn so much about the people who were literate, who could write. -You can recognize now the hands of the painters because they each has a special technique, which is marvelous, because, again, you start to connect the finished work of art with the individual. ♪♪ -Although the last artists left Deir el-Medina 800 years before Padiamenope's tomb was built, their skills and traditions began there, to be handed down from generation to generation. ♪♪ The mission goes on. The Egyptologists have decided to reconstruct, like a vast jigsaw puzzle, the magnificent decoration of the tomb's walls, which time has broken into thousands of pieces. ♪♪ For help, they have called on archaeologist Simone Nannucci. This morning, while digging in the tomb's first rooms, he discovered more information about Padiamenope. ♪♪ -[ Speaking native language ] -While digging, we found thousands of fragments from the walls, pillars, and ceiling. The aim of our research is to place them in their original position. -This part probably came from this, the southern wall of the room, where we can see Padiamenope's mummy before his tomb, and here, part of his title, "Rehrireb" or "Rehritep" -- lector-priest. -Look at the detail in the ears and nostrils! -The stele. -I hadn't noticed that. So it's a representation of the tomb we're in right now! -Right. In its ideal state. -Padiamenope must be very happy in the afterlife! We never stop mentioning his name! This is so moving. -The carved walls of temples and tombs aren't the only sources available to archeologists documenting the history of this civilization. 5,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians also created a material akin to paper from the stalk of a plant that grows along the banks of the Nile -- papyrus. In the 19th century, ancient Egyptian papyri became collectors' items. Bernardino Drovetti, France's consul in Cairo at the time, made a business of selling texts that were several millennia old. The king of Piedmont paid him a fortune to put together a collection. The king was able to open the Museo Egizio in 1824 that included statues, objects, and papyri. What did the man who made it possible think about the new museum in Italy? -When the Drovetti collection was acquired, they hope to bring the man who had found the key to ancient Egypt to Turin. So Champollion accepts their invitation. He is not at all happy about the fact that France has not acquired the collection, but Turin has. And so he's credited with that famous saying that, "The road to Memphis and Thebes goes through Turin." -But once he arrived in Turin, Champollion had a change of heart. He spent the next eight months at the museum studying papyri that he described as being "beyond words." He made extraordinary discoveries while restoring the papyri fragments brought back from Egypt by Drovetti. Today, the scientists at the Museo Egizio are busy restoring and piecing together papyri, continuing Champollion's work. While at the museum, he used its collection to create a foundational work in Egyptology -- the Turin King List, as it's sometimes called -- which helped establish the chronology of Pharaonic dynasties. -Chronology is one of the primary concerns of Champollion when he arrives in Turin. Champollion is confronted with a rich collection such as he has never seen before. Among the fragmentary papyrus that Champollion was confronted with was one that was a list of royal names -- the Turin Canon or the Papyrus of Kings, a list of kings starting from the time of the gods and all the way into historical times and until, presumably, the time of Ramses II, under whom this list was compiled. It is one of the fundamental historical documents of Egyptology. -Champollion threw himself into his work with the Turin papyri. But he hoped to return to Egypt, sail up the Nile deep into Nubia, and continue studying hieroglyphics carved directly on monuments. ♪♪ ♪♪ It took him two years, but he was able to organize an expedition of 14 scholars and scientists who would travel for 18 months, analyzing the main sites of antiquity that were seen during the Bonaparte mission. It was an immense task. ♪♪ -[ Speaking French ] -Champollion is the father of Egyptology not just because he deciphered hieroglyphs, but also because of his contribution to every field that constitutes the science -- his work on Egyptian religion, his work on the Turin Royal Canon and the lists of the pharaohs, and so on. -Champollion's chronology of pharaohs stopped at Rameses II, from the 19th dynasty. But the empire lasted another 700 years. Later scholars would complete the timeline through the Roman period. Claude Traunecker used the Turin King List to date TT33 to roughly the 7th century BCE. But in order to understand Padiamenope better, he must now determine which pharaoh the scribe served. -[ Speaking French ] -How come a man of such importance never speaks of his king in his tomb? From time to time, he says, "I was an important man. The king of my day counted a lot on me," but he never names him. -Which pharaoh relied on Padiamenope so heavily? The tomb next to his, that of Mentuemhat, governor of Upper Egypt and mayor of Thebes in the 7th century BCE, provides Traunecker with the answer. -[ Speaking French ] -Genuine power was held for about 10 years by Mentuemhat, the man who built the great pylon, which you can see behind me. How does Padiamenope fit in here? I think they were just about contemporaries, or there's perhaps 10 years between them, because there are the same features found in Mentuemhat's tomb as that of Padiamenope. So I believe that Padiamenope was the religious adviser to King Taharqa. -Taharqa. The Louvre contains several depictions of the most famous king of the 25th dynasty -- black pharaohs from the Kingdom of Kush. ♪♪ -The Nubian dynasty was already impregnated with Egyptian culture when it was established because they came from Sudan, Upper Nubia, which had been colonized by Egypt and had gone through a long acculturation process. So the Nubian elite was well-adapted to the customs and religion of the Egyptians. They were more royalist than the king, so to speak, because they advocated a return to original purity. ♪♪ Padiamenope participated in this antiquity revival movement, which was very fashionable at the time. He illustrated inside his tomb, with texts on the pyramids and on sarcophagi, which hadn't been in use for almost 2,000 years, to show how erudite he was to visitors, because part of his tomb was meant to attract intellectual tourists. And Padiamenope was a secretary to the king -- at a certain time, at least. -As a secretary, Padiamenope would have led sacred ceremonies in the pharaoh's absence. This strange ramp descending to the Nile is proof. It was constructed during Taharqa's reign, under the supervision of Padiamenope. A text in Padiamenope's tomb helped Traunecker make the connection. -[ Speaking French ] -"I constructed a mooring space," which means a quayside. This tells us he was in charge of construction work in Karnak, but as lector-priest, he was also in charge of the ceremonies in Karnak. He calls himself "he who conducted celebrations and ceremonies in the Temple of Karnak." So he was a very, very important figure in terms of local worship. -As part of what they called the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, the people of Thebes gathered together every year for a huge processional. As a remembrance of the dead, priests would launch a statue or portrait of Amun-Ra into the Nile on a ceremonial boat known as a barque. The barque would then tour the necropolises at the site. Padiamenope chose to build his own tomb in a place where the procession would stop each year. To get a sense of what the festival was like, this wall at the Temple of Luxor commemorates a similar event. -Padiamenope was very key to this whole connection and this control system that the Nubian pharaohs had. So Taharqa depended on Padiamenope to, in fact, guide him, almost, through the idea of Egypt's religion and the texts. ♪♪ -As Egyptologists have noted, many of the chapels inside the Karnak complex are dedicated to the god Osiris and date from the period of the Nubian pharaohs. It is difficult to know whether Padiamenope had any influence on the revival of Osiris worship. But for Salima Ikram, it's undeniable that the architecture of the chapels was a source of inspiration for Padiamenope. Life in ancient Egypt revolved around ensuring a place in the afterlife. Perhaps Padiamenope hoped that dedicating his tomb to Osiris would help him after death. A closer look at the architecture of his tomb offers some insight into his thinking. It was structured as several distinct sections. The first was undoubtedly open to all visitors. But the second section was reserved solely for pilgrims worshiping Osiris. -[ Speaking French ] -Imagine that we are not regular tomb tourists, but pilgrims come to worship at the altar of Osiris. We turn right. To access here, you need a special key. I even wonder whether there was an entrance fee. -It's possible Padiamenope built a tomb that would generate revenue to help pay for its upkeep. -Once through this door, we reach the cenotaph room. What's a cenotaph? A pretend tomb. It looks like a tomb, with all the decoration of the time, but there's no body inside. So what did the pilgrims do once they were here? They walked around, singing canticles. I think they would sing the texts inscribed at the tops of the walls. -The cenotaph served as a pilgrimage destination for worshipers of Osiris. And Traunecker is still studying the tomb's third section, which he describes as being private. To access the third section, one must descend the infamous shaft in Room XII that terrified visitors and earned the tomb the legend of being cursed. From there, it's down a passageway to Room XIX. -[ Speaking French ] -Here's the famous scene "Awakening Osiris," which must have covered the entire wall. The central part features the god Osiris. Before him is his son Horus, who is holding the symbol of life under his father's nose. The hieroglyphs say, "Waking up." -A second shaft descends even further into a strange room which resembles a sarcophagus from the Old Kingdom. Technically, it's the last room in the tomb. Any pillagers entering here could go no further. It appears there was nowhere else to go. But Padiamenope has created a secret burial chamber above the room. The ceiling had to be smashed before Padiamenope's real burial chamber could be entered. And it is a revelation. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ The decoration on the walls and ceiling of the chamber rival those of the Sistine Chapel. And Egyptologists have worked to restore them nearly to their original state. ♪♪ -[ Speaking French ] -Padiamenope clearly wanted to conceal the entrance to this last room, where he was probably buried. But as we found no remains of a sarcophagus, the latest hypothesis to be put forward is that his mummy was inside a wooden coffin placed on a funerary bed, possibly in the central part of the room. This hypothesis is based on the fact that on the east and west walls of this chamber, between the niches which must have held statuettes... ...there are images of guardian genies, deities, who were supposed to protect Padiamenope's body. The same guardian genies that featured to the left and right of "Awakening Osiris." So the hypothesis is that Padiamenope wanted to reproduce a kind of three-dimensional "Awakening Osiris" in which Padiamenope, on his funerary bed and surrounded by guardian genies, takes the place of Osiris. -The portrait of the mysterious Padiamenope has become clearer. Associating himself with the Judge of the Dead and receiving his blessing and good grace was undoubtedly the best guarantee of living eternally in the afterlife. Exploration of his tomb has revealed an extraordinary figure -- a priest, a scribe, and a scholar who played a crucial role at the pharaoh's court. Despite the 2,500 years that separate them, Padiamenope and Champollion shared the same fascination with hieroglyphics. In hindsight, one seems to have placed himself in the footsteps of the other. -[ Speaking French ] -Both of them wanted to pass on something they possessed. Padiamenope wanted to pass on his knowledge of history, a much older history of his civilization. And Champollion wanted to discover and then pass on to his contemporaries all of those wonderful things he had discovered. -Shortly after returning from his voyage to Egypt, Champollion fell ill. He died in Paris on March 4, 1832, at age 41. Despite his early passing, he left behind a vast body of work. -[ Speaking French ] -By cracking the code of hieroglyphs, Champollion opened the great door to what would become Egyptology, which is still developing today and destined to know even greater developments. -Today's Egyptologists continue the work Champollion started with his discoveries. The priority on their next trip will be to conserve the tomb and restore its treasure in order to reveal more of Padiamenope's secrets, deepening our understanding of this ancient civilization and its hieroglyphics.

Angela Bassett visits the Ilê Aiyê headquarters and dances alongside Taís Araujo Actresses are in the capital of Bahia for the Liberatum Festival By gshow Angela Bassett and Taís Araujo visit Ilê Aiyê — Photo: Lucas Ramos/Brazil News Confirmed presence at the Liberatum Festival starting on Friday (3), in Salvador, Bahia, actress Angela Bassett is already enjoying the capital of Bahia. On the afternoon of this Thursday (2), she visited the headquarters of the Ilê Aiyê Afro bloc, met those responsible for the cultural group and was symbolically crowned. Furthermore, he had fun alongside actress Taís Araujo , with whom he danced to the sound of the drums. "It's the most beautiful thing in the world, I've been an admirer of Angela for many years, it's beautiful to meet her, to see her getting to know the culture of Brazil, she's excited, it was very beautiful", said Taís, in a chat with gshow . "A day to never forget! Thank you very much, Salvador. Thank you very much to Ilê Aiyê and Dete Lima for giving me the honor of being dressed by you", she added on Instagram. Angela Basset has fun and dances alongside Taís Araújo- a video is present at the URL linked below Other famous Brazilians are also there, such as actress Luana Xavier, singer Majur and influencer Hugo Gloss. From tomorrow until the 5th, Angela, Taís and all the guests will focus on Liberatum, which acts as an international platform to defend equality, diversity and inclusion and takes place for the first time in Brazil after 13 editions around the world. With free programming and open to the public, anyone who stops by will be able to watch the panels with appearances by great world stars, such as Viola Davis, Angela Bassett and Debbie Harry, and great stars of Brazilian cinema and music, such as Taís Araújo, Seu Jorge and Karol Conká. Angela Bassett visits Ilê Aiyê — Photo: Lucas Ramos/Brazil News Angela Bassett and Majur visit Ilê Aiyê — Photo: Lucas Ramos/Brazil News Angela Bassett visits Ilê Aiyê — Photo: Lucas Ramos/Brazil News URL https://gshow.globo.com/tudo-mais/tv-e-famosos/noticia/angela-basset-visita-a-sede-do-ile-aiye-e-danca-ao-lado-de-tais-araujo.ghtml

Title: Hovergirls physical version coming Artist: GDbee < https://gdbee.store/ > aka Prinnay Prior post https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2490&type=status GDBee Post https://aalbc.com/tc/search/?&q=gdbee&type=core_statuses_status&quick=1&author=richardmurray&search_and_or=or&sortby=newest preorder https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hovergirls-geneva-bowers/1143848338 her social list https://gdbee.carrd.co/ FROM THE ARTIST I am SO excited to reveal the cover for the physical version of HoverGirls! It'll be hittin the shelves next summer! It's basically the webcomic completely redrawn, freshly edited, and with more story! I'm extremely proud of how it came out. The original will always be here but the new edition literally has 100 more pages of story, and 99% less typos If you love magical girls, struggling slice of life, parodies, and/or struggling slice of life magical girl parodies, you'll love HG, I promise! *It's being published by Bloomsbury in August 2024*

First act, a set of educators, i think college are helping a colleague leave but they all have an affinity to this colleague, a curiosity about his nature. I concur with Bixby, real human beings are not alarmist and in this select case, all of these are seasoned educators used to slowly thinking about something, so they wouldn't call the cops or paddy wagon immediately. Why did I not guess the black leather jacket would call someone from outside first. I thought it would be billingly's character the physics or chemistry professor. Second act, a female teacher loves him, reminds me of that twilight zone , Long Live Walter JAmeson, by the dead early Charles Beaumont, but extended. I love Crude demonstration , hilarious, I am not superman. Loving Tony Todd's acting. 27:34 first seeing the ocean 28:42 he studied with the buddha, and i loved the earlier birth of the vampire myth 29:06 the first betrayal of character, leather jacket should had considered he think of being outed. Considering he called someone he is either biding time or betraying himself. 29:38 ahh well done, he was expecting, 30:31 i wish i had been here from the beginning, I concur:) 32:16 he survived the bubonic plague, typhoid , smallpox 32:53 good point, being immortal in a cage isn't desired 33:33 black leather is wrong, common sense isn't insulted by an immortal being, common sense accepts tthe unique is plausible even if it can't not be explained. 35:19 true Tony todd, but time is also the most precious thing in existence. 35:52 exactly, the second is a human construct. an algorithmic truth, not assessed from nature. 36:27 funny moment. slow movie but for those who like to overthink and like dialog fun 37:21 is he lucky? that is the point of the story 39:41 exactly, he is outside most of humanity yet still human, a minority of one 41:46 I love that he didn't go into his past wives or children by the invasive psychiatrist 42:50 good point, the one great chaotic moment is the "immortal man" chose to even do this. I comprehend the writer's point. It is a random idea in one of many lives. But I must admit, my long lived characters wouldn't do this, unless they wish to be caught or have their cycle of lives undone. 43:07 he didn't think of these people's feelings before he told them ahhh, i disagree bixby. 43:37 the psychiatrist, white haired is trying to pull off a guilt trip, i bet he was diagnosed to die soon 44:50 ahh i knew it was a tragedy, the psychiatrist wife died yesterday I love it, permit me to be infantile by myself. 46:58 my first wedding funny charades 47:54 this movie clearly couldn't make it in theaters. 48:48 love his answer to 1292 ad 50:04 funny, about the primitive tribe in new guinea:) 51:03 the older woman is a hard core christian 51:47 no way skipping the biblical figure, and now he wants to call it a night, this is what you get when you ask those who study knowledge about a person who has lived longer than common 53:10 he is jesus hahaha! 53:24 sit down edith, i know 54:16 yes, sit down edith, lovely honesity from the biologist about his kin 54:41 tony todd, modern, that's good:) 55:29 ahh he is espousing the old belief that jesus learned buddhist ways. it makes sense historically in one way. Buddhism is older than the roman empire, and from the travelers, who were common at that time, labeled magi, who traveled freely in the roman empire because of the might of the roman empire... ok. 56:41 exactly, Tony Todd, christianity was born from the multiracial roman empire. 58:26 good point, buddha /jesus/the christian god, may not be happy 59:04 you can tell this was written on bixby's deathbed, a great mortuary story. I wonder what I will write in my last moments. 59:35 hhahaha, the psychiatrist came back:) haha soul saved:) 1:00:00 nice bridge, we don't need to reintroduce the old topics for the psychiatrist, his shame on leaving. 1:00:53 great joke, nothing unusual in the path of the psychiatrist until the day he met a caveman who thought himself jesus 1:01:46 piety is the mistake they bring to the lessons haha, he is on a roll, Bixby is enjoying himself in his last days 1:03:10 thank you biologist, people make to light the influence of drugs, no, if he is taking a drug it isn't making him go up or down be violent or peaceful, it isn't changing him at all 1:04:20 thank you tony todd, i don't blame you, stay calm and relax. 1:04:55 exactly, psychiatrist, or the modern mythologies of MLKjr or Adolf Hitler 1:07:42 Its funny , in a group called african american literary book club, do you know how many black members suggest the usa will be forever? why is that? why is it, black people who knows kemet has all other human communities by thousands of years will be bested by the usa? what are blacks in the usa afraid of?.... 1:08:20 how do you know? I don't smell it. exactly, you know when it will rain , all humans do. 1:09:20 etymology, this does happen. words matter. 1:10:25 good acting, they are all trapped by this story of their colleague 1:11:00 if edith says you aren't jesus one more time 1:11:56 edith have broken down , the psychiatrist had to shed light 1:12:49 the psychiatrist is wrong, he doesn't demand the truth, he demands the lie to keep peace 1:13:44 he is bluffing, well done, he is giving them safety 1:14:22 easy tonny todd:) he want to kill him 1:15:44 it ends safe, well done bixby, he lets the thinkers get off easy 1:16:25 exactly , the woman who lives him is right. 1:17:59 edith knows. she will leave it 1:18:14 Tony Todd, a latitude in what we call reality... anything is possible I am going to watch star trek. and yes, good move tony todd Drop me a line whenever 1:19:34 the psychiatrist found out easy psychiatrist , the break down. ahh well done, Bixby, ahh the psychiatrist was a man he knew. 1;21:45 exactly, he never saw his own child again. 1:22:34 yes, let her decide hahaha, great hook, who knows, let the viewer decide. IN CONCLUSION Ok, this movie was fun, but not for the general audience. Alittle careless of him, but that is part of John's humanity, humans even long living one's will make mistakes. I know this is an aside, but i love the credits , they are large enough to see and slow enough to follow, many movies have very uncaring or cheap credits. I say, this is a well constructed example of someone long lived revealing themselves in a paraspontaneous way. Just thoughtfulness. I didn't time index from the begining cause I was watching it side relatives , we do those things in our home, but I am glad my relatives went to watch other things as I could write more specifically and i forgot some points early on:)

I am Vanessa Guillen My thoughts are after the transcript Metrofocus video https://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/2023/01/metrofocus-january-3-2023-08ecys/ Full Documentary https://www.univision.com/especiales/noticias/2022/i-am-vanessa-guillen DESCRIPTION In April 2020, U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén was murdered after reporting her assault that took place at Fort Hood in Texas. In late November 2022, Cecily Aguilar, the only person charged in connection with Vanessa’s murder, pled guilty to four counts, including accessory to murder after the fact, and now faces up to 30 years in prison. While this decision is a victory for Vanessa’s family, the problem of sexual harassment and assault, as well as retaliation for those reporting these crimes, remains a major issue in our armed forces. A documentary, available to stream on Univision.com called #IamVanessaGuillen, covers the issue of sexual violence in our military and tells Vanessa’s story, including how her situation inspired countless others to share their own stories of abuse and push for change in the military. Joining us to discuss the film are producer and director Andrea Patiño Contreras; and Karina López, a military sexual assault survivor. TRANSCRIPT TONIGHT, A MAJOR UPDATE ON THE MURDER OF VANESSA GUILLEN, THE ARMY SOLDIER WHOSE DEATH INSPIRED THOUSANDS TO SHARE THEIR STORY OF THE SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE MILITARY. WE REVISIT, THE CASE, THE DOCUMENTARY TELLING THE STORY. 'METROFOCUS' STARTS RIGHT NOW. ♪ > THIS IS 'METROFOCUS,' WITH RAFAEL PI ROMAN, JACK FORD, AND JENNA FLANAGAN. > 'METROFOCUS' IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION. AND BY -- > GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS.' I'M JENNA FLANAGAN. JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO WE BROUGHT TO YOU POWERFUL STORY OF VANESSA GUILLEN, THE U.S. ARMY SOLDIER MURDERED AFTER REPORTING THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT SHE ENDURED AT FT. HOOD IN TEXAS. HER DEATH INSPIRED COUNTLESS OTHERS TO SHARE THEIR STORY OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND PUSH FOR CHANGE IN THE MILITARY. PROSECUTORS SAY GUILLEN'S KILLER TOOK HIS OWN LIFE BEFORE HE COULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. ONLY ONE PERSON, THE KILLER'S GIRLFRIEND, WAS CHARGED WITH A CRIME IN THIS CASE E CECILY AGUILAR. SHE ADMITTED TO HELPING DISPOSE OF GUILLEN'S BODY. SHE FACES UP TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON. WHILE THIS IS A VICTORY FOR VANESSA'S FAMILY, THE PROBLEM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT AS WELL AS RETALIATION FOR THOSE REPORTING THESE CRIMES REMAINS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND ISSUE IN OUR ARMED FORCES. THE DOCUMENTARY ' #I AM VANESSA GUILLEN' EXAMINES THESE ISSUES AND IS STREAMING ON UNIVISION.COM. HERE'S A QUICK LOOK FOLLOWED BY MY INTERVIEW WITH THE FILM'S DIRECTOR AND ONE THOSE IN THE FILM. IT WAS A VERY NERVOUS VOICE. SHE SAID SOMETHING HAPPENED AND NO ONE WAS BELIEVING HER. SHE DID NOT KNOW, AND SHE WAS CON CON CON CONTEMPLATING HURTING HERSELF. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL SAFE. I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING. A PART OF ME DIED BECAUSE SOMEBODY DECIDED TO DO THIS TO ME, AND NOBODY WANTED TO LISTEN. I REPORTED IT AND I FOUGHT AND I'VE GONE THROUGH THE TRAUMA AND THE RETALIATION THAT I FACED AND NOW YOU HAVE A MISSING SOLDIER THAT WAS HARASSED. I WROTE MY STORY AND PUT MY PICTURE BESIDES VANESSA BECAUSE I WAS VANESSA. I AM VANESSA. I AM VANESSA GUILLEN IS A HASHTAG GOING VIRAL HIGHLIGHTING SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARASMENT WITHIN THE MILITARY. AT FT. HOOD, A SOLDIER GONE MISSING. THEY CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT THAT CONTRIBUTED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT, EVEN MURDER. THE ENVIRONMENT AT FT. HOOD WAS PERMISSIVE. WE'RE JUST LIKE ANY ORGANIZATION. WE'RE ALL ABOUT MAKING OURSELF BETTER. BECAUSE THE MESSAGE AND CULTURE IN THE MILITARY HAS BEEN CLEAR -- SHUT UP, SUCK IT UP, AND DON'T ROCK THE BOAT. IN THE CIVILIAN WORLD, PROSECUTORS MAKE THE DECISION TO PROSECUTE, AND THE MILITARY NONLAWYER COMMANDERS MAKE THAT DECISION. 90% OF SEX OFFENDER IN THE MILITARY WILL NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. AFTER 246 YEART TIME FOR CONGRESS TO GIVE THE MEN AND WOMEN SERVING OUR NATION A JUSTICE SYSTEM WORTHY OF SACRIFICES. YOU MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, YOU NEED TO PASS THIS LEGISLATION. JUSTICE! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW! I REALLY FEEL LIKE WE'RE ON THE VERGE OF SUCCESS. WE'RE GOING TO REFORM THIS SYSTEM AND WE'RE GOING TO GET TO A BETTER PLACE. THE WOMEN VETERANS YOU ENCOUNTER HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADAPT AND OVERCOME BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT. BUT HERE'S THE THING -- YOU'VE CREATED A WOMAN WHO IS UNSTOPPABLE. JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS THIS POWERFUL NEW DOCUMENTARY IS THE FILM'S DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER, ANDREA CONTRAERAS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE KARINA LOPEZ, A SURVEVETERAN AND SURVI THE SEXUAL ASSAULT. SHE'S THE CREATOR OF THE VIRAL HASHTAG #I AM VANESSA GUILLEN, WHICH INSPIRED THE FILM'S TITLE. LADIES, THANK YOU TO P 'METROFOCUS.' THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. ABSOLUTELY. I WANT TO START BY ASKING ANDREA, YOU, THE QUESTION I ASK ALL DIRECTORS, AND THAT WAS WHAT MOTIVATED TO YOU CREATE THIS DOCUMENTARY. WHAT WAS, YOU FELT, THE NARRATIVE THAT WAS NOT ALREADY OUT THERE? SO, DURING 2020, OUR TEAM AT UNIVISION HAD BEEN COVERING THE DISAPPEARANCE AND MURDER OF VANESSA GUILLEN, WHO WENT MISSING AT THE FT. HOOD BASE IN APRIL OF 2020, AND LATER HER BODY WAS FOUND. DURING THAT REPORTING, THE FALLING ONES, WE HEARD FROM A COUPLE OF CASES, KARINA INCLUDED. SHE REACHED OUT TO US TELLING US HER STORY, AND AT THAT POINT IN THE FALL OF 2020, WE HEARD FROM HER, AND IN DECEMBER OF 2020, I DECIDED TO FLY DOWN TO MEET HER. AND ONCE WE MET, I KNEW RIGHT AWAY THAT WE -- THERE WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT STORY TO BE TOLD. I WAS VERY STRUCK BY KARINA'S -- I TELL HER THIS ALL THE TIME -- BY HER INCREDIBLE ABILITY TO ARTICULATE HER FEELINGS AND REALLY EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THAT WAS THROUGH AND KIND OF VERY COMPLEX -- YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY TRAGIC SITUATION, BUT ALSO HAS REALLY DEEP AND GRAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH, YOU KNOW, AND KARINA, THE WAY SHE ARTICULATED THAT TO ME STRUCK ME. SO I CAME BACK FROM THAT TRIP AND KNEW THERE WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT STORY TO TELL, NOT JUST ABOUT SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND THE LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT ALSO THE HUGE IMPACT AND LACK OF JUSTICE HAS ON SURVIVES. THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO TELL THIS STORY. FRONT AND SENTER THE STORY OF SUR SURVIVES. KARINA IS THE MAIN BUT THERE'S ALSO OTHERS. AND ALSO TELL THE STORY OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES THAT TOOK PLACE BECAUSE OF VANESSA'S CASE. IN PART BECAUSE OF KARINA'S HASHTAG, MANY CAME FORWARD. MANY CHANGES TOOK PLACE. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO DO, BUT SOME THINGS HAPPENED THAT WERE PRISS UNPRECEDENTED. KARINA, I WANT TO BRING YOU IN AND GET YOUR TAKE ON WHAT WAS ABOUT ABOUT VANESSA'S STORY THAT RESONATED AND MADE IT CLEAR NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK UP? I THINK WHEN I ORIGINALLY HEARD ABOUT HER CASE ALL I HAD KNOWN IS SHE WAS MISSING AND THE DAYS KEPT GOING WHERE YOU WOULD SEE HER FACE AND YOU WOULDN'T -- THERE WASN'T REALLY AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY SHE WAS MISSING. WHEN I TWRAEACTUALLY LOOKED UP STORY, SO MANY THINGS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. I WAS LIKE, THERE HAS TO BE MORE COVERAGE. A COUPLE DAYS INTO IT I REALIZED I DIDN'T LOOK AT THE SPANISH SECTION OF THE NEWS AND MAYBE I'LL FIND SOMETHING THERE, AND THAT'S WHEN I -- WHEN I HEARD HER MOM SAY THAT SHE WAS SEXUALLY HARASSED AND NOW SHE'S MISSING AND SHE WANTS ANSWERS. AND TO ME IT FELT LIKE A TON OF BRICKS JUST FELL ON TOP OF ME BECAUSE THIS WASN'T BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, IN THE ENGLISH MEDIA. AND IT JUST MADE ME SO ANGRY. I REMEMBER JUST SO MANY EMOTIONS, AND I STARTED, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT EVERYBODY. I STARTED TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE THAT COULD LISTEN AND COULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS -- YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER WAS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL THING. IT HAPPENED ALL OF THE TIME AND, YOU KNOW, MORE SPECIFICALLY, MY CASE AND HOW I HAD JUST LEFT AND I WAS FORCED OUT OF MY CAREER BECAUSE I WAS SPEAKING UP ON THIS, AND IT HAD GONE SO BAD AND CHAOTIC THAT, YOU KNOW, CONGRESS HAD TO GET INVOLVED IN MY CASE. SO IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS ANGRY, I WAS SENDING, YOU KNOW, THE FAMILY -- MORE SPECIFICALLY THE SISTERS, YOU KNOW, MY STORE, AND IT JUST, YOU KNOW, WASN'T REACHING THEM, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHY. THERE WAS PROBABLY SO MANY MESSAGES COMING IN THERE IN BOXES AND TO THEM. AND YOU KNOW, I -- I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M GOING TO PUT IT ON FACEBOOK, AND I'M GOING TO COME FORWARD AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT'S OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THIS ISN'T -- YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND -- ESPECIALLY CIVILIANS DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU CAN'T COME FORWARD, AND YOU THINK THAT WHEN SOMETHING TRAUMATIC HAPPENS LIKE THAT THAT YOU'RE SAFE IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. HOWEVER, THAT'S REALLY NOT THE CASE. YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AND THOSE RIGHT PEOPLE, THOSE DOORS ARE SHUT ON THEM TO PROTECT YOU. AND THE RETALIATION THAT COMES IS -- IS -- IS HORRIFYING SO, YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST STAY QUIET AND JUST ENDURE EVERYTHING IN SILENCE. YOU KNOW, IT'S -- IT'S A VERY SCARY THING TO GO THROUGH, AND I THINK PEOPLE NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THAT AND SEE THAT MORE SPECIFICALLY THROUGH MY STORY, BECAUSE I CAME FORWARD AND I HAD MOMENTS WHERE, SHOULD I HAVE COME FORWARD? MAYBE I WOULD STILL HAVE MY CAREER IF I DIDN'T, AND I WOULD JUST GET MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BEHIND THE SCENES, BEHIND, YOU KNOW -- BEHIND EVERYONE'S BACK AND JUST TOOK CARE OF IT THAT WAY. YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS? ANDREA, I WANT TO GO BACK TO YOU, BECAUSE WE DID SHOW OF COURSE A CLIP FROM THE FILM, AND WE ALWAYS DEFINITELY WANT PEOPLE TO WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY, BUT CAN YOU TELL US, JUST FILL IN FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT BE AWARE OF VANESSA'S STORY, WHO WAS SHE, AND WHAT DO WE NOW KNOW HAPPENED TO HER? YEAH, SO VANESSA WAS A LATINA SOLDIER. SHE WAS STATIONED AT FT. HOOD IN TEXAS. SHE STARTED, AND SHE WAS VERY EXCITED TO JOIN THE MILITARY. HER FAMILY SAYS SHE WAS JUST VERY PROUD TO SERVE. HER FAMILY IS AN IMMIGRANT FAMILY. THEY'RE MEXICANS, OF MEXICAN DES DESCENT, AND I THINK SHE SAW THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE HER COUNTRY AND WAS JUST VERY PROUD. AT SOME POINT, VANESSA CAME HOME AND HER MOM NOTICED SHE WAS A LITTLE OFF, WASN'T SLEEPING, JUST SEEMED REALLY OFF TO HER, AND WHEN SHE ASKED HER WHAT WAS HAPPENING, VANESSA WOULDN'T TELL HER. EVENTUALLY SHE TOLD HER SHE WAS BEING SEXUALLY HARASSED BY A SARGENT, BUT SHE DIDN'T WANT TO REPORT IT BECAUSE SHE WAS AFRAID OF RETALIATION. FAST FORWARD A FEW MONTHS, AND VANESSA GOES MISSING IN APRIL OF 2020. INITIALLY -- YOU KNOW, THE FAMILY KNEW RIGHT AWAY THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT, BECAUSE THEY WERE A VERY TIGHT KNIT FAMILY AND NOT HEARING FROM VANESSA WAS JUST REALLY OFF TO THEM. THEY WENT TO THE BASE. THEY WERE NOT GETTING A LOT OF ANSWERS. THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF KEPT -- PUSHED AWAY IN SOME WAYS. BUT THEY WERE VERY, VERY PERSISTENT. THEY WERE JUST DEMANDING ANSWERS. AND EVENTUALLY, HER BODY WAS FOUND, AND WE KNOW THAT SHE WAS MURDERED BY SOMEONE IN HER UNIT. WE KNOW THAT HE WASN'T THE PERSON THAT WAS HARASSING HER NECESSARILY, BUT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF ANSWERS THAT NEED TO BE -- TO BE CLEARED OUT, AND THE FAMILY'S STILL WAITING FOR A LOT OF ANSWERS. AND THROUGHOUT THAT SEARCH, YOU KNOW, WITH KARINA'S HASHTAG WHEN VANESSA WAS STILL MISSING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CAME FORWARD WITH THEIR OWN STORY OF HARASMENT AS WELL. KARINA, I WANT TO GO BACK AND GET YOU TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT FOR SO MANY OF US WHO ARE CIVILIAN, WHAT IS THAT MILITARY CULTURE LIKE THAT PUSHES, MAYBE COERCES, MAYBE EVEN DEMANDS THAT WOMEN WHO ARE SERVING REMAIN QUIET ON AN ISSUE LIKE THIS? THAT'S THE QUESTION I GET FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND I THINK -- I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S A REALLY GOOD ANSWER TO IT. I THINK, FOR EXAMPLE, BEFORE I JOINED MY FAMILY SAT DOWN AND TALKED TO ME ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A WOMAN AND WORK IN A MALE FILLED INDUSTRY, AND THEN ME AS A MINORITY AS A WOMAN, ESPECIALLY BEING 19 YEARS OLD, BECAUSE I WAS 19 AT THE TIME. AND THEY WENT THROUGH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THINGS THAT COULD BE ISSUES. YOU KNOW, THEY TOLD ME THAT I WAS VERY NAIVE, I WAS VERY YOUNG, AND YOU KNOW, THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS SET UP FOR SUCCESS WITH KNOWING THINGS LIKE THIS. I REMEMBER MY FAMILY SHOWED ME THE LIVEINA JOHNSON CASE AND I REMEMBER THINKING, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STILL FIGHTING FOR THIS. BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY CASE I REMEMBERED. BUT THE STATISTICS OF THAT HAPPENING TO ME WERE PRETTY LOW. HER FAMILY IS STILL FIGHTING FOR ANSWERS. THEY'RE GOING TO GET THOSE ANSWERS. I WAS VERY I WAS VERY NAIVE, VERY -- I HAD A LOT OF TRUST IN THE SYSTEM. I WAS LIKE, I'M GOING TO DO THIS. I'M GOING THE GO SERVE MY COUNTRY. I'M SUPEREXCITED ABOUT IT. THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES. I'M NERVOUS. AND YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER BEING IN BASE, GOING THROUGH I.T., GOING THROUGH THE MILITARY PROCESS. I REMEMBER JUST HOW MANY FEMALES PULLED ME ASIDE AND GAVE ME ADVICE OR TOLD ME TO STAY AWAY FROM A SPECIFIC PERSON OR, YOU KNOW, JUST SOMETHING THAT KIND OF -- THEY WERE DOING THE BEST THEY COULD TO GIVE ME ADVICE, BUT, YOU KNOW, TO A 19-YEAR-OLD, A 20-YEAR-OLD, YOU'RE JUST LIKE, THAT'S SO WEIRD THAT THAT PERSON HAD TO COME AND TELL ME AND GIVE ME THAT ADVICE IN THE FIRST PLACE. I REMEMBER HAVING THIS REALLY, YOU KNOW, BEING SEXUALLY HARASSED IN ONE SPECIFIC INCIDENT IN KOREA, AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I FELT LIKE I WAS, YOU KNOW, SUFFOCATING AND I WAS BLOCKED INTO A KITCHEN. AND I REMEMBER GOING TO AN NCO, A FEMALE NCO AND I TOLD HER HOW I FELT BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS FEELING. AND SHE TOLD ME -- SHE GAVE ME ADVICE AND SHE WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW -- SHE WAS BACKING ME UP THE FULL TIME AND TOLD ME HOW TO HANDLE SITUATIONS LIKE THAT, AND SHE MADE ME CONFRONT HIM AND TELL HIM THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND JUST STAND UP FOR MYSELF. SO WHEN THIS HAPPENED ON FT. HOOD AND I THOUGHT THAT I COULD DO EXACTLY THAT, THAT I WAS SHOWN HOW TO DO IT AND I WOULD GET HELP IN MY SITUATION, AND I WAS INSTEAD REDIRECTED AND GUIDED TO NOT GET THAT HELP AND INSTEAD TO JUST STAY QUIET ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THE BASE DIDN'T -- THE UNIT DIDN'T NEED EYES ON -- OR EXTRA ATTENTION ON THE UNIT. I KIND OF FELT ASHAMED. I FELT LIKE I COULDN'T STAND UP FOR MYSELF. I HAD ALWAYS BEEN THAT 19-YEAR-OLD THAT WAS LIKE, IF THIS EVER HAPPENS I'M GOING TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF, I'M GOING TO FIGHT BACK. NO ONE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. THAT STARTED THAT INNER WAR WITH MYSELF WHERE I DIDN'T -- I FAILED MYSELF, BECAUSE HERE I WAS, YOU KNOW, LETTING THEM WIN AND INTIMIDATE ME AND KEEP ME SILENT, AND I FELT UNSAFE, AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO -- MY FAMILY MEMBERS WERE THE ONES WHO TOLD ME ALL OF THIS, SO THEN I FELT COMPLETELY SHATTERED, BECAUSE THAT 19-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO WAS TELLING THEM, I WILL STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR MYSELF AND I'LL DO WHAT'S RIGHT, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL HAVE TO HELP ME. NOW IT'S THE OPPOSITE. SO WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS LIKE THAT, YOU GET -- IT'S THE SUBJECT THAT'S EXTREMELY HEAVY. SO EVEN IF YOU DO TELL THE RIGHT PEOPLE, THEY DON'T KNOW REALLY HOW TO APPROACH THE SITUATION AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT IF YOU GO TO THE WRONG PEOPLE, THE WRONG PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE IT AT ALL. IT'S YOUR FAULT AND THAT'S IT. EVEN WHEN I STARTED RECEIVING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, I HAD BEEN TOLD IT WAS MY FAULT. YOU START REALLY BATTLING YOURSELF, AND I THINK ULTIMATELY THAT'S HOW THEY KIND OF WIN, BECAUSE THEY TARGET -- THEY MAKE YOU QUESTION YOURSELF. YOU'RE NOT QUESTIONING THEM. IF YOU'RE QUESTIONING THEM YOU'RE LIKE, NO, I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, AND THAT'S WRONG. BUT ONCE YOU HEAR IT ENOUGH AND YOU'RE IN THAT FRAGILE STATE OF MAYBE THIS WASN'T -- YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS WASN'T THEIR FAULT. MAYBE THIS WAS MY FAULT. WHAT DID I DO WRONG? YOU'RE RETRACKING AND GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF, OKAY, IT HAPPENED HERE, BUT WHAT DID I DO THAT LED ME TO BE PUT INTO THE SITUATION? WELL, IT'S SOUNDING A LITTLE BIT LIKE PERHAPS ISSUES OF HIERARCHY AND CHAIN OF COMMAND ARE ALSO COMING INTO PLAY WITH YOU AS A 19-YEAR-OLD RECRUIT. FOR THE NONSERVING CIVILIAN AUDIENCE, JUST VERY QUICKLY CAN YOU JUST LET EVERYBODY KNOW, SO THEY FULLY UNDERSTAND, WHAT EXACT LY IS AN NCO? THE NCO IS BASICALLY THE -- THEY'RE KNOWN AS THE BACKBONE OF THE ARMY, OR THE MILITARY IN GENERAL. THEY HAVE SERVED FOR SOME TIME. THEY'VE GONE THROUGH THE BASIC LEADERSHIP SCHOOLS, AND THEY HAVE THAT RANK. SO THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE PUT IN CHARGE OF THE LOWER ENLISTED SOLDIERS SOME BASICALLY THEY ARE A FORM OF LEADERSHIP. THEY ARE SOMEONE YOU REPORT TO AND HELP YOU -- OKAY, AND DOES THAT STAND FOR SOMETHING? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, THAT'S WHAT NCO IS. YES, NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER. MY SECOND QUESTION IS ALSO -- YOU DO KEEP GOING BACK TO YOUR AGE, AND ONE THING I THINK EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO IS BEING A 19-YEAR-OLD AND THINK YOU UNDERSTAND BUT NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD YOU'RE STEPPING INTO. HOW LONG AFTER YOU GOT TO FT. HOOD DID YOUR ASSAULT HAPPEN? AND I KNOW THAT YOU SORT OF TOUCHED ON IT, BUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN SHARE, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT HAPPENED? YES. SO I JOINED WHEN I WAS 19, JUST TO CLARIFY, AND I HAD SEEN, YOU KNOW, JUST THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT FROM 19, 20, YOU KNOW, THOSE AGES. WHEN I WENT TO FT. HOOD I WAS 21 ALREADY, AND I HAD ARRIVED LATE JULY. SO I WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF -- THEY CALL IT -- IT'S BASICALLY FOR CIVILIAN TERMS ONBOARDING WHEN YOU FIRST GET THERE, THEY HAVE TO IN-PROCESS YOU. AND I REMEMBER SENDING MY MOM A TEXT MESSAGE, RIGHT, THAT FIRST DAY, AND I REMEMBER TELLING HER I FELT LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT. I REMEMBER TEXTING HER AND TELLING HER I WAS CRYING, BECAUSE SHE WAS LIKE, MAYBE YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT. I WAS LIKE, I DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO TEXAS, BUT WHATEVER. I'M SO FAR AWAY FROM HOME. I WANTED TO GO TO FT. BRAGG AND BE CLOSER TO MY FAMILY AFTER BEING AWAY FROM THEM FOR A YEAR. I'M YOUNG. I WANT TO BE CLOSE TO MY FAMILY. THAT FIRST DAY WAS FRUSTRATING FOR ME. I FELT LIKE EVERY TIME I ASKED A QUESTION THEY WERE SETTING ME UP FOR FAILURE. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY FUNNY THAT I WAS ASKING THESE QUESTIQUE QUESTIONS SO I WOULDN'T BREAK ANY RULES BECAUSE THEY WERE GIVING ME THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE ANSWER. IT WAS LIKE YOU WERE BACKED AGAINST A WALL AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO BELIEVE OR DIDN'T. THAT WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. ON TOP OF THAT IT WAS THE COMMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THEY WOULD MAKE. THAT WAS BEFORE I GOT TO MY UNIT. I WAS SEXUAL ASSAULTED IN SEPTEMBER, SO I HAD BEEN THERE TECHNICALLY ONE FULL MONTH AND A COUPLE WEEKS. BUT ALSO WITH THAT, TOO, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE IS, WE GROW UP WITH OUR PARENTS TELLING US DON'T TALK TO SPRAI STRANGERS, DON'T GET IN THE CAR WITH STRANGERS, BUT IN THE MILITARY, YOU DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD, SO THERE WERE A LOT OF TIMES THAT I WAS IN A CAR WITH A STRANGER, BECAUSE I -- YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK ME UP DIDN'T SHOW UP, SO THEY SENT SOMEONE ELSE. SO TECHNICALLY I'M GETTING IN THIS CAR ON A BASE WHERE I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE ANYTHING IS OR WHO ANYONE IS AND THEY'RE DRIVING ME AND IT'S LIKE, OH, I NEVER MET THIS PERSON IN MY LIFE. SO IT KIND OF GOES INTO THAT KIND OF SITUATION WHERE IT'S LIKE, WE'RE TOLD OUR WHOLE ENTIRE LIVES NOT TO GET INTO CARS WITH STRANGERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THEN THAT'S WHAT WE DO IN THE MILITARY. AND BEING THAT YOUNG AND STILL, YOU KNOW, DOING WHAT YOU'RE TOLD, YOU THINK THAT WHAT YOU'RE BEING TOLD IS LAW AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT. SO THERE'S A LOT OF INTIMIDATION THAT COMES INTO WHEN YOU'RE TELLING YOUNGER SOLDIERS, HEY, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS OR YOU HAVE TO BE HERE AND IN A LOT OF CASES AND A LOT OF STORIES, THAT, ESPECIALLY FROM THE SURVIVES THAT CAME FORWARD WITH THE HASHTAG, THEY'LL TELL YOU, I WAS DOING WHAT THEY TOLD ME TO DO BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT WAS EXPECTED FROM ME. THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO BEING YOUNG. I HAVE HAD SURVIVES TELL ME THAT THEY WERE 25, 26 EVEN, AND STILL, IT'S THAT -- IT'S JUST WHEN YOU COME INTO THE MILITARY, EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY BRAND NEW BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE CIVILIAN WORLD. IT IS ABOUT AGING BUT IT'S THAT INTIMIDATION FACTOR WHERE YOU HAVE SOMEBODY SUPERIOR TO YOU OR TELLING YOU OR GIVING YOU AN ORDER THAT IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THAT ORDER YOU COULD GET IN TROUBLE. IT'S ALSO, I DON'T WANT TO MAKE THIS PERSON UPSET, BECAUSE THIS PERSON LEGIT HOLDS ALL OF THE POWER FOR MY CAREER. MY CAREER PROGRESSION AND MY REPUTATION AS WELL. BECAUSE IF I DON'T DO THIS, THEN THAT PERSON'S GOING TO GO AND TELL EVERYONE THAT I'M A BAD SOLDIER AND I DON'T LISTEN AND I'M DISRESPECTFUL. IN MY CASE, YOU SEE THAT WHERE IT'S LIKE, EVERY TIME I WOULD COME ALL OF A SUDDEN SOMETHING WOULD COME OVER MY HEAD AND SAY, YOU WANT TO GO TO I.G.? HERE'S THIS. WE'RE GOING TO SAY YOU DID THIS. IT'S LIKE, WAIT A MINUTE, WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THIS UP AT THIS EXACT MOMENT WHEN I'M TRYING TO GET HELP? IT SILENCES YOU AGAIN AND YOU JUST KEEP GOING ON WITH YOUR LIFE, UNABLE TO LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR AND REALIZE, YOU'RE JUST STUCK. WELL, ANDREA, I WANT TO BRING YOU BACK IN. WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT, BUT YOU DID MENTION ABOUT SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES THAT WERE BEGINNING TO TAKE PLACE. CAN YOU JUST LET US KNOW WHAT IS POTENTIALLY ON THE TABLE TO HAPPEN TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES? YEAH. THE BIGGEST CHANGE THAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR -- ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES IN THE MILITARY, GOING BACK TO KARINA'S STORY IS THAT BASICALLY THE MILITARY -- YOU KNOW, LIKE, CHECKS THEMSELVES. YOU HAVE -- IF YOUR CASE IS IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, IT'S YOUR COMMANDER WHO DECIDES WHETHER THE CASE OF ASSAULT OR HA HARASSMENT IS PROSECUTED. CHAIN OF COMMAND IS NONLAWYERS SO IT'S NOT AN UNBIASSED BROSS. FOR DECADES ACTIVISTS HAD BEEN WANTING TO TAKE THOSE CASES OUT OF THE CHAIN OF COMMAND TO A BODY THAT WOULD REGULATE, AND THAT WAS ACHIEVED LAST YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND IT'S A HUGE CHANGE. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A FEW YEARS FOR IT TO BE IMPLEMENTED. BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT STILL NEED TO CHANGE. FOR INSTANCE, THOSE -- THE CASES THAT WE'RE TAKING OUT OF THE CHAIN OF COMMAND WERE SEXUAL ASSAULT BE AND MURDER AND OTHER REALLY GRAVE ASSAULTS. BUT FOR INSTANCE SEXUAL HARASSMENT WAS NOT TAKEN OUT OF THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, AND THAT IS VERY CONTRADICTORY BECAUSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS A HIGH INDICATOR OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, RIGHT? SO IF THE COMMANDERS ARE STILL HANDLING THOSE CASES THEN IT KIND OF FEELS LIKE A BIT OF A CONTRADICTION. LIKE, PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO FEEL COMFORTABLE. THAT'S A HUGE CHANGE. I THINK CULTURE NEEDS TO CHANGE AS WELL, AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO TAKE MANY, MANY YEARS. OKAY. IMPORTANT STEPS. I DON'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF, BUT WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME. I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THE FILM IS ' #I AM VANESSA GUILLEN'. YOU CAN STREAM IT ON UNIVISION.COM. AND OF COURSE I WANT TO THANK THE FILM'S PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR, ANDREA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. AND OF COURSE KARINA, ALSO, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY. SO THANK YOU BOTH. THANKS FOR HAVING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND ANDREA. > 'METROFOCUS' IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION. MY THOUGHTS I recall years ago a village voice article about women in the NYPD with tons of accusations. The woman in the metrofocus video said she was 18 and naive, but when I was 12 I knew the military or nypd were not organizations for a black person to be in. Maybe I simply had honest parents but it bothers me that the woman abused was told by relatives the environment of the military was abusive to women and she thought the military would be this mythological knights of the round table place. I am not trying to suggest women should be abused by men in any environment . But, in all earnest, women who join organizations that should be commonly known as abusive to women, are fools to me. It is the same with Blacks, male or female. I don't have the desire to give lenience to a person, in my opinion, who should know better. Women, stop joining the military, that is the answer. I have always called feces of bull on Black people who feel joining organizations that are clearly anti black is the best way to change them. I have always felt that is a stupid thing to do and has no proof of being a historically valid strategy. The NYPD is still anti black, the military, anti black, the federal government anti black. Am I wrong? If you want to change an organization , the best thing to do is to not try to change it and make a new one with a similar purpose that you control so you can start it with the cultural principles you want. It is that simple.

Black Home Movies Sir Solomon Jones’ Home Movies, 1925-1926 The Sir Solomon Jones home films are a dynamic showcase of Black living. His movies are some of the earliest accessible intracommunity chronicles of Black life. Solomon Jones displays the intimacy of hairdressing, football games, and Turkey Day in this silent survey. URL https://blackfilmarchive.com/Sir-Solomon-Jones-Home-Movies-1925-1926 URL https://beineckelibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1058/collection_resources/35014 Wedding Reception What does tenderness look like? In this short home movie, Thomas F. Freeman records the pomp and circumstance of the union of two hearts. URL https://blackfilmarchive.com/Wedding-Reception URL https://texasarchive.org/2011_00779

Here is the application https://www.carverbank.com/assets/files/sH4xAGTG To Apply use the following link https://www.carverbank.com/Competition The following is the application in images

In one article, the author suggest Hollywood is broken up into parts, a white hollywood side unspoken hollywoods, while also suggesting hollywood is aracial, which means the owners are blocking an inherent universality in hollywood. He suggest Mary Alice isn't a household name, but then states she was a household name in black households... what are the points I am getting at? First, this article doesn't honor Mary Alice enough. It focuses on her work in one show, but doesn't refer to her work in los angeles for an august wilson play. I think fences. Honor artist by referring to their work. Second, for someone who loves to learn about race teaching, the opinion author forgets that opportunity in fiscal capitalism has one source, owner. Opportunity in fiscal capitalism is never about merit. It is about the owner. Who the owner wants to help. I repeat, who the owner wants to help. ... the author's point is Mary Alice was denied the career she should had by the mismanagement of fiscal capitalism in the film /television industry in the USA. Meaning what? The owners of film studios side tv stations <and later streaming/cable or other> should give opportunity based on the content of character, not the color of skin. But, If I own a film studio and I have all the films I want to produce in the fiscal year in preproduction except one. Do I give the one slot, the directors chair, to my son who didn't graduate high school, has no experience in the industry or do I give it to a graduate of howard who won awards from spike lee+ oprah winfrey + robert townsend+ in Nollywood? I will give it to my son. why? I am a racist. My bloodline is important to me over those who are not. Sequentially, i Have a negative bias towards my clan. Penultimate from the conclusion, I use the third point, ownership is the key to opportunity in fiscal capitalism. The owner can choose to give opportunity on some scale of merit. But the owner is not obliged to. You own so that you control what you do, and you can never be wrong. You may lose money. You may be cruel or mean spirited. But you are not wrong because you are the owner. Mary Alice was failed by impotency in Black Hollywood not White Hollywoods opportunity to white thespians OR impotency of Black producers in Hollywood to provide support to Black thespians, not White producers in Hollywoods support of White thespians. I can say more but I will agress https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mary-alice-career-black-hollywood_n_62e810f7e4b0d0ea9b79a233 Nichelle Nichols side Bill Russell https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2004&type=status BlackWood https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1981&type=status P.S. The NBA is white owned. The NBA didn't accept the HArlem Rens , who played in the now destroyed Renaissance Ballroom. They had a black owner. The Negro Leagues didn't have all black owners, but had many. The American + National leagues , all with white owners could join but couldn't join with Black owners. Ownership matters. Black people keep suggesting a white man has to look out for non white people in the ownership position. No a white man doesnn't

The Wild Seeds Writers Retreat for Writers of Color (formerly the North Country Institute & Retreat for Writers of Color), is a collaboration with the Center for Black Literature, the English Department at SUNY, Plattsburgh, and the Paden Institute and Retreat for Writers. It provides a writing community where established and emerging writers of color can focus on the craft of writing and create cross-cultural conversations around the literature created by writers of the African diaspora. Writing fellows have an opportunity to draw upon their experiences as writers in a racialized society; to become knowledgeable about the issues facing other writers of color; and to study with a professional in the genres of fiction, memoir, and poetry. Recognizing that the Writers Retreat should not be limited to a specific geographical region, the Center renamed the Retreat in honor of Octavia E. Butler, a speculative fiction writer known globally for blending science fiction with African American spiritualism. Butler's writing crossed many boundaries and represented varying diverse voices. The Goal The Retreat strives to provide writers of color with an opportunity to meet other writers; to workshop their writing among peers; and to engage with published writers about concerns and issues related to writing and publishing. Through its writing workshops leaders, the Retreat provides the public with an opportunity to become knowledgeable about the range and diversity of the work produced by writers of color. A Look Back The first Writers' Retreat, held in 2004, was highly successful and featured the internationally acclaimed poet Sonia Sanchez, author Tony Medina, and writer Indira Ganesan. Subsequent faculty workshop leaders have been nonfiction writer Patrice Gaines; poets Martin Espada, E. Ethelbert Miller, Aracelis Girmay, and Patricia Spears Jones; and writers Jeffery Renard Allen, Marita Golden, Victor LaValle, and Bernice McFadden, among many others. Typically, the Retreat alternates between the Valcour Educational and Conference Center in Plattsburgh, New York, and the campus of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. Venues are subject to change. NEW LOCATION for SUMMER 2022 The new location for the Retreat will be determined soon. It will be a scenic location Upstate New York as in previous years. As of early April 2022, the summer retreat will no longer be held at SUNY, New Paltz (The State University of New York, New Paltz) as previously announced. Previous Poetry, Fiction, and Playwriting Workshop Leaders Jeffery Renard Allen Mo Beasley Martin Espada Patrice Gaines Indira Ganesan Aracelis Girmay Marita Golden Tonya Cherie Hegamin Donna Hill Major Jackson Sandra Jackson-Opoku Patricia Spears Jones Victor LaValle E. Ethelbert Miller Bernice McFadden Shaun Neblett Greg Pardlo Willie Perdomo Ernesto Quiñonez Sonia Sanchez Ravi Shankar PLEASE NOTE: Applications < https://centerforblackliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WSWR_AppSummer2022_REVISED11April.pdf > are available now. The deadline to apply is Monday, May 16, 2022. The cost of the Retreat is $600 and there is a one-time non-refundable $25 application fee. Scholarships are made available only when sponsorship gifts permit and are not necessarily applicable for each Retreat. Please direct inquiries to Director of Literary Programs Clarence V. Reynolds at reynolds@centerforblackliterature.org

Cynique When it came to the Covid vaccine, the Government sure missed an opportunity to corral black people into the fold. As it is, a sizable number of black anti-vaxxers have become strange bedfellows with the Retrumpicans. These 2 factions of the conspiracy theory community are now united by a common foe: the ubiquitous "they", a deep state government out to control the population by making them dependent on the output of Big Pharma. What could Big Brother have done to motivate these pesky black resistors, so sure of their omniscience? All Bruh had to do was announce that the vaccine would only be available to white people because their numbers were dwindling due to abortions cutting their birth rate. White skeptics would've jumped at the chance to break ranks and join the others in discriminate against those black malcontents always bitching and whining. As for the bitchers and whiners... Once a "whites only" decree was issued, black America would have exploded than a gender reveal rocket! Blue skies would've turned gray. Everywhere, all over the country black mobs would've taken to the streets; protestors protesting, demonstrators demonstrating, looters looting, black lives matter mattering. Voices yelling "We Want The Shot!" would've been bellowing as sign carriers dodged bullets from drive-by shooters. "Down With Racism" chants would've added to the clamor. Calls to impeach Biden would've been resounding throughout the halls of Congress! Chaos would've reigned. Then, under pressure from black voters, the Government would've rescinded this restriction, scoring a victory for equality. Black resentment would've simmered down and all would've ended up well. (Except the relatively small number of those ending up sick.) Later, in a secret location, the cabal of evil men running the show would be giving each other high-5s, congratulating themselves on the success of their plot to save the country from itself. Fast forward. Minister Louis Farrakhan or Scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson? Take your choice. Incidentally, my arm feels fine.

Afro Latinx children's books are still too rare. These four authors are trying to change that Written by CNN Style Staff A vivid homage to the graffitied streets of the Boogie Down Bronx and an interstellar quest for the perfect natural hair style are part of a new wave of picture books celebrating Afro Latinx culture and characters, in an industry where these stories are still few and far between. "I want to show kids of diverse backgrounds that they can go on fantastical adventures, too," said New York-based illustrator and toy designer Yesenia Moises, author of "Stella's Stellar Hair." She noted that in children's media, stories featuring protagonists of color are often about overcoming struggle, or are "hyper-focused" on identity and race. "I want to step away from that for a moment to be able to show that ... their worlds can be vibrant and full of color." Having grown up without picture books that reflected their own experiences, the Latinx authors and illustrators featured below are crafting and sharing those stories themselves, with colorful vivid imagery, prose and verse. Here, four authors speak about their storytelling philosophies, and why kids need to see themselves in the pages of the stories they read. Eric Velasquez Eric Velasquez is an Afro Puerto Rican illustrator, author and educator. He has illustrated more than 30 books and has authored four, including "Octopus Stew," about a boy named Ramsey who must save his grandmother from the gargantuan octopus she's cooking. "Octopus Stew" was inspired by the tall tales of Velasquez's father. Credit: Eric Velasquez/Courtesy of Holiday House Publishing My family comes from a strong oral storytelling tradition; we would gather together to share and listen after nights of dinner and music, and so it was something that I wanted to be part of. My book "Octopus Stew'' is essentially a tribute to that oral tradition. Whenever my dad would come over and cook for my friends and me, he would inevitably say, "Did Eric tell you about the day I rescued him and his grandma from the giant octopus?" Every single one of my friends knows that story because of him, and over the years, it just grew like a tall tale. Grandmothers are central to many of my stories. I can trace my own career back to the summers I spent sketching in my grandmother's living room in Spanish Harlem, surrounded by music. In "Grandma's Records," Velasquez recalls the memories from his own childhood that made him understand that 'heroes' aren't just White. Credit: Eric Velasquez/Bloomsbury Children's Books Those summers inspired my book "Grandma's Records," and also taught me the importance of having heroes who look like us. I remember marveling at the musicians who would visit when I was young, including Rafael Cortijo, the prime architect of Puerto Rican salsa. When he came by, my grandmother told me only to refer to him as "maestro." "That man is a genius," she said, "and he deserves to be treated with respect." In school, when we learned that Beethoven was a musical genius, I remember thinking, "I know a genius too! He loves rice with beans and roast pork, and he even entertains us with music after dinner." I didn't feel there was a disconnect between the concept of "genius" and what I saw around me. But over time, I realized other kids struggled to do the same; at art school, when they pictured "heroes" they would never draw men or women of color. That's when I started to realize how important representation is. When you grow up with examples of diverse heroes, it affects your imagination. You start to believe that you can be part of this creative world, and I think that's very important. Yesenia Moises Yesenia Moises is an Afro Dominican toy designer and illustrator. She is the author of "Stella's Stellar Hair," a book about a young Black girl with natural hair who travels the solar system in search of hairstyles. "Stella's Stella Hair" is about owning your natural hair, inspired by Moises' own hair journey. Credit: Yesenia Moises When it comes to my hair, I spent most of my life trying to fit the mold of Eurocentric beauty standards by chemically relaxing my hair. Growing up, my mom, a fair-skinned Latina woman with the loose waves a lot of people aim for -- not at all like mine -- would always comment on how thick or unruly it is, or how it tangles itself. It was only after I started letting my hair grow out in its full, natural glory that I grew to love it, but even then I realized that many kids today are still made to feel bad about their hair. So I created "Stella's Stellar Hair" to celebrate the variety and creativity of Black hair across the African diaspora. Stella is aided on her intergalatic quest by cosmic aunties, who each have a hairstyle for her. Credit: Yesenia Moises The whole concept of having aunties from the different planets came from one Black hair trade show I attended, which was full of older Black women with amazing natural hairstyles that showed their personalities. And I'd never seen that before. I was so used to making sure that my hair was as flat as possible, but here were all these older women who were just proud of the hair that grew out of their scalp. It really inspired me to show just how versatile and beautiful Black hair can be. I think it's really important for young readers to feel seen more than anything else. As a dark-skinned Afro Latina, it wasn't until 2018, when I saw Miles Morales become Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," that I saw someone with my background represented in the media I watch. I really loved how the director made a choice to exclude English subtitles for the conversations Miles had with his mother. When you add subtitles, it makes the experience feel foreign; but in their household, it was natural -- just like it is in mine. That really floored me. Margarita Engle Margarita Engle is a poet and author whose works celebrate her Cuban heritage. Her book "Drum Dream Girl," illustrated by Rafael López, is inspired by the true story of a young Chinese Afro Cuban girl who became a drummer for Cuba's first all-female jazz band. "Drum Dream Girl," written by Engle and illustrated by Rafael López, tells the journey of a girl in Cuba who pursues her love of drums. Credit: Margarita Engle/Clarion Books I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but developed a deep attachment to Cuba, where my mother is from. We would go back in the summers to visit the extended family, but we were cut off from them because of travel restrictions after the missile crisis. When I was finally able to go back as an adult in 1991, I found that I wanted to write about the experience. I know that, all of a sudden, we're not supposed to hyphenate things anymore in our writing. But I felt like I lived on that hyphen, and the compound word "Cuban-American." It was a bridge and an abyss at the same time; by the time I was a teenager, it felt like it was easier for a US citizen to walk on the moon than to visit relatives in Cuba. Music is a recurring theme in my books. My picture book "Drum Dream Girl" is based on the life of Chinese Afro Cuban girl Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who played the drums in Cuba when it was forbidden to girls. The story is a real tale of perserverence in a dreamlike setting. Credit: Margarita Engle/Clarion Books I read the memoirs of her older sister and there were these amazing photographs of this all-girl band -- the first of its kind. In the 1930s, most of the jazz bands had been men, and here was one made up entirely of sisters. And the youngest was a 10-year-old girl who wanted to play the drums. Even today, in certain cultural traditions that come from West African religion, women in Cuba have to fight for the right to play certain types of drums. But in Millo's case, for entertainment, she really opened that door. The band became very successful, and everybody loved her drumming, so, after a while, many other women drummers followed. I was inspired by her courage and her perseverance. When I talk to children about that book, I ask the boys, 'How would you feel if society said you couldn't drive monster trucks, or only girls could motorcycle race?' And all the boys immediately give up their right to be the only one to do something. They instinctively understand that this isn't fair. Charles Esperanza Charles Esperanza is an Afro Puerto Rican illustrator and author whose new book, "Boogie Boogie Y'all," published this summer. The book is a brightly colored depiction of his home borough of the Bronx, as well as a tribute to graffiti. "Boogie Boogie, Y'all" celebrates the Bronx as a colorful cultural hub. Credit: CG Esperanza I'm interested in telling stories and taking something about our culture -- as a Black and Latino person, and as a Bronx resident -- and de-stigmatizing it. What inspired "Boogie Boogie, Y'all" was an awesome graffiti piece outside of the community center where I teach. I took a photo of it to show to my students; it turns out none of them has seen it before. I said, "Y'all don't really look around and take in all of the awesome things that are on the street." I've asked my students what they've heard about graffiti and a lot of the answers were recycled from decades ago: It's gang symbols; it's vandalism. I wanted to give them another perspective about it; I pay homage to a lot of contemporary street artists in the book like "Gully" and "Modus," who can be seen all over the Bronx and the rest of New York City. They've seen the book and have expressed excitement about it. Esperanza wrote and illustrated the book after a conversation with his students about noticing what's in front of the them on the streets of their home borough. Credit: CG Esperanza I think kids need to be able to see themselves in the books that they read, and they need to be able to see themselves in the art they look at. As a teacher, I notice many of my Black and Brown students create White characters. Instead of preaching to them that they should use people of color, I show them examples of amazing Black characters, created by artists like Yesenia Moises, LeSean Thomas or Geneva Bowers to inspire them. I get a lot of inspiration just walking around the Bronx, and I definitely wanted to capture that. I love the borough for its grittiness and personality. We are known for our cultural contributions through hip-hop, but we have so much more in food, fashion, art and music that's waiting to be shared with the world. All of our communities -- old and new -- are adding their vibrant tag to the wall that is the Bronx. When I was first trying to get into the business. I heard some really wild things about why publishers wouldn't have a Black child as the protagonist. I remember one editor told me that for picture books, they would rather have an animal like a panda or something as a main character, because every kid could relate to that. I was blown away, realizing that the underrepresentation was intentional this whole time. So I'm glad that we have so many artists now that are coming in and knocking down the door and doing awesome things. Each author's personal statement was edited for length and clarity by a member of the CNN Style team. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/afro-latinx-childrens-books-hyphenated/index.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit Hub Daily: August 27%2C 2021&utm_term=lithub_master_list Jess Bergman/August 11, 2021 The Uncomfortable Rise of the Instagram Novel Beth Morgan’s “A Touch of Jen” is the latest work to reckon with a social media–fueled obsession. https://newrepublic.com/article/163238/uncomfortable-rise-instagram-novel-touch-jen-beth-morgan?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit Hub Daily: August 13, 2021&utm_term=lithub_master_list A sudden price change for Amanda Gorman’s book shocked booksellers. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/87229-gorman-book-s-price-hike-startles-booksellers.html Writers notes: the record label remixing novels into music https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/aug/27/writers-notes-the-record-labels-remixing-novels-into-music-bibliotapes REFERRAL- New Environmental Canon, An LGBT+ Picture Book, and Women in Horror: This Week in Book News https://kobowritinglife.com/2021/08/27/new-environmental-canon-an-lgbt-picture-book-and-women-in-horror-this-week-in-book-news/

https://twitter.com/Hardcore888/status/1437089180090314752?s=04

Sunday Business Sermon: Negotiation (Ask for More) Jane has been negotiating contracts as an editor and freelancer for 15 years. She shares easy-to-apply tips and questions for your next negotiation, plus explains the basics of how book and magazine contracts work.

Discover Hidden Narratives: The largest collection of African Comics in the World! The Kugali Comic Club grants you access to the largest collection of African comics in the world, as well as new chapters of ongoing comics every other day. For this first season, you get a new chapter of Versus every Monday, new chapter of Olwatuuka every Wednesday and new chapter of Nani every Friday. Three issues of Mill City's Finest will round up season one in Septmeber. Season two kicks off after a two week break, so there's a lot more content to come! https://kugali.com/pages/free-comics https://kugali.com/pages/read-free-comics https://kugali.com/pages/read-free-comics-3 Video

This week on the podcast we are joined by Lateefah Zawistowski to discuss all things OverDrive. As an account manager for OverDrive, Lateefah gives us the inside look at how OverDrive works, how authors can add and market their books on OverDrive, and how libraries utilize the service. She also shares some advice on pricing your books for libraries, what trends she’s currently seeing in library sales, and she discusses the impact of the pandemic on libraries. Lateefah tells us about her role as account manager at OverDrive and why she believes publishers and indie authors alike should consider opting their books into OverDrive She discusses the borrowing habits of readers and how they change based on the genre, and she tells us why the library is such a great tool for discovery, especially for backlist and midlist titles Lateefah explains how libraries purchase books from OverDrive, the multiple purchasing models available to authors and libraries, what time of year libraries are most likely to be purchasing books, and she gives some advice on how to price your eBook for libraries She gives us her predictictions for library trends in 2021 and beyond, and explains why the surge of new library users at the beginning of the pandemic, while great, isn’t necessarily enough to support local libraries Lateefah discusses OverDrive promotions and she explains how merchandising is essential to discoverability on OverDrive She explains the global reach of OverDrive and how many different markets they’re available to, from public libraries to education to corporations, and she discusses the different language markets outside of English Language books Lateefah talks to us about current trends in library sales, what books have sold the best during the pandemic, and she explains why genre fiction is having a big moment right now LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT USING THE ARTICLE BELOW KWL - 245 - Optimizing OverDrive with Lateefah Zawistowski - Kobo Writing Life Happy Audiobook Month! What better way to celebrate than by uploading your audiobooks directly to Kobo! Especially because it’s incredibly easy to do. How easy, you ask? You can upload your audiobook in only ten steps (and one of those steps is signing into your account)! Here’s how: Log into your Kobo Writing Life account here: https://www.kobo.com/writinglife Select the Audiobooks tab on your dashboard. Don’t see the audiobook tab? Send us an email at writinglife@kobo.com and we can activate it for you! Click “Create new Audiobook”. Once on the audiobook uploading page, you can start inputting your audiobook information. You will first be asked to describe your audiobook. This includes: the title and subtitle (remember to only include text that appears on your book’s cover!), the series name and number if your book is part of a series, the contributors including your narrator, your synopsis, publisher name and imprint, your publication date and release date, your ISBN (this must be a unique ISBN and cannot be the same as your eBook or print book!), and finally the language of your audiobook and whether it’s abridged or unabridged. You will then be required to enter the categories for your title. These categories will determine how your audiobook is labelled and categorized in the Kobo Store. We recommend selecting three categories for each book to ensure that customers who are browsing through our store have a better chance of finding your titles. Next, you will need to upload your cover image. We accept cover images in .png, .jpg and .jpeg file formats. We recommend the minimum size of audiobook cover images be at least 600px by 600px. Covers for audiobooks should be square; if they are not, they will be automatically adjusted. Please note: cover images cannot exceed 5 MB in size. Now you are ready to upload your audio files! You can drop files directly from your computer into the Upload Audio Files section or select the folder on your desktop that contains your audiobook files. We only accept audio files in .mp3 and m4a formats. An individual file cannot exceed 200 MB in size and all files combined cannot exceed 2 GB in size. Please wait for your audio files to be completely uploaded before moving to the next step. You will know when files have been successfully uploaded when the “Listen to confirm content” prompt appears . Once your files have been completely uploaded, you can then start to make your Table of Contents. The Table of Contents organizes your audiobook to make sure it is in reading order. You can move the files up and down to ensure they are in the correct order and provide the chapter title for the file under the “Name of Content” section. Please note: What you list in the “Name of content” section will appear in the Table of Contents customers use to navigate your audiobook on our apps. You will then be asked to provide the geographic rights for the title. Please select the countries you own the rights to sell your title in. The final step is to set the price for your title. Please input the price of your title in all the available currencies. Audiobooks pricing is slightly more complicated than eBooks. The royalty percentage thresholds are as follows: 35% royalties for audiobooks priced $2.99 or lower 45% royalties for audiobooks priced over $2.99 Please note: If a customer redeems a free trial token for your audiobook, the royalty amount will be 0. If they redeem using a paid token, the royalty amount will be 32%. Otherwise, the royalty amount will be the values displayed above. Once all steps have been completed you can then select publish! If you have missed any steps, you will receive an error message. Otherwise, your audiobook is in good hands and has been sent for processing. It will soon be available on the Kobo store in 24-72 hours. Be sure to let us know when you’re publishing new audiobooks so we can add them to our audio new release calendar! < https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdy1Hzav1WCotnQqd9zOmrUYj5OMcQcqQ-YJl_erliV6apuYQ/viewform > Happy Audiobook Month! - Kobo Writing Life

Survivor - Session 2 - May 21, 2021 - OEB Slow-Read

Not so fast: Prolific Black Authors left out of a soon-to-be-published book of writers covering the past 2500 years. The Guardian reports with too Black voices missing from the nearly 750 page book, a major US publisher cancels publication. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/16/whos-missing-top-author-stirs-anger-with-too-white-history

Get ready to swoon. Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint, is rereleasing three Stacey Abrams romantic suspense novels that have been out of print for many years. Originally published under the pen name Selena Montgomery, Rules of Engagement, The Art of Desire, and Power of Persuasion will be out in hardcover and audio in 2022. According to a release, each of these novels, which were her first published books, features “international espionage, page-turning action, a core love story, Black heroines, and a diverse cast of characters.” While the Democratic political leader and Team Spike fan has since written bestsellers on topics from voter suppression to leadership, she has never shied away from her romance-novelist roots. “As my first novels, they remain incredibly special to me,” Abrams said in a statement. “The characters and their adventures are what I’d wished to read as a young Black woman — stories that showcase women of color as nuanced, determined, and exciting. As Selena and as Stacey, I am proud to be a part of the romance-writing community and excited that Berkley is reintroducing these stories for new readers and faithful fans.” If you can’t wait until 2022 to read Abrams’s fiction, don’t stress. While Justice Sleeps, her first legal thriller, will be out on May 11. https://www.vulture.com/2021/05/stacey-abrams-romance-novels-rerelease-berkley.html

as an ebook writer, I Can say a lot about this, but the reality is authors of ebooks need to ban am*zon ourselves. Stop publishing through them. am*zon comprehends one key point, most artists whether they want to admit it or not, are so desperate to make a dollar, that they are unwilling to risk any financial penalty, thus they gamble the safest financially, and that means publishing through am*zon in the ebook world. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/10/am*zon-library-ebook-monopoly/

Huzzah! So happy to announce this! ### “The Path of Pen and Sword” A workshop in creative writing and martial arts with Steven Barnes WORKSHOP ON SATURDAY, JUNE 5TH, 12-3PM (Pacific Time) IN PERSON OR ON ZOOM The “Twofold Path of Pen and Sword” is also known as Bun Bu Ryo Do — “The samurai were successful for so long because they studied both cultural and martial arts. They mastered both the pen and the sword, making them formidable intellectual and military opponents.” The Chinese concept of the “Master of the Five Excellences” is looking at the same phenomenon, as is the yogic concept of the “Householder Yogi” who lives in the world of spirit while functioning superbly in the world of flesh. The truth is that there is much in common between the disciplines of creative writing and martial arts: both ask questions about personal identity and the nature of reality. Both demand energy, access to the unconscious mind (Stephen King’s “Boys in the basement” or Bruce Lee’s “It” as in the quote “I do not strike. IT strikes”), and in studying the one we can deepen our understanding of the other. This workshop, an expansion of the original Lifewriting specifically for writers and martial artists, will use two major tools: Joseph Campbell’s structure of the Hero’s Journey, and the yogic “chakra” map of human energy, as a launching point for a discussion and workshop delving into the nexus of breath, flow, focus, fear, commitment, and dynamic living. Come play with us! No previous experience in either writing or martial arts necessary, but all levels welcome. Bring notebooks, loose clothes, and a flexible mind! STEVEN BARNES has published over three million words of fiction, including over thirty novels, episodes of ANDROMEDA, STARGATE SG-1, TWILIGHT ZONE, and THE OUTER LIMITS, including the Emmy-winning episode “A Stitch in Time.” The creator of the Lifewriting system of writing and personal development, he has taught at UCLA and Seattle University, and lectured at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC In the martial arts, he was the Kung-Fu columnist for Black Belt Magazine, holds three black belts, has studied and taught Wu style Tai Chi for forty years, was voted into the Black Karate Federation (BKF) Hall of Fame, was a senior Kali student under Danny Inosanto, and studied Pentjak Silat Serak under Stevan Plinck for almost ten years. When: Saturday, June 5th, 12 noon-3pm, Pacific Time On ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2461580494 / ID #: 246 158 0494 Or In Person: Taoist Institute, 10630 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 FEE: DONATION BASED, with all proceeds going to the Taoist Institute RSVP: Email: taocore@taoistinstitute.com / Phone: (818) 760-4219

Happy Easter Photostory tumblr https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/261-good-news-blog-stories-through-a-year/?tab=comments#comment-892 Photostory deviantart https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/261-good-news-blog-stories-through-a-year/?tab=comments#comment-893

Have a Wonderful and Prosperous New Year!!!

Hi doll! Miss you.

"ARES" stars 26-year-old Dutch actress Jade Olieberg who plays a multi-ethnic character that advances the original series plot in ways that are not obvious in the beginning. My initial reaction was the .5 % wealthiest of society will not be happy. But then this portrayal of secret societies targets any of us who "belong" to one. Cutting to the chase without spoilers; this series asks "What do you want" and what are you prepared to do to get it. I'm still thinking about this show today. It revealed a lot to me about myself ...and has me giving the side eye to friends, family and folks I see on the street. I couldn't binge watch the series - it was a little too intense for me. What did you think about ARES?

Hello Mel! I cannot find the thread where you offered my wife and I some suggestions re: an editor last year. I thanked you then and thank you again. We did find an Editor right here in Panama, where we live and she did a great job. Here's our website: Clandestine-Life.com We will soon self-publish as an ebook. Very soon. Thanks to you and to Troy. He was also quite helpful to us.

The art of lying:) from #Omarosa enjoy what is the lesson concerning the fury from black folk that lick white people's balls or the lies we tell, for she is trying to bring down the, i quote her, the most powerful man in the universe, and she has the audiotapes to try https://photos.app.goo.gl/G9RxaEaqCzGNepML9

Hello Everyone, My First Book Signing Event will be on August 4th, 2018 African Art Bookstore 880 N. Military Hwy Norfolk, VA From 1pm to 5pm If you come through you will be able to purchase my book and I will personally sign it for you. I really hope you can attend. Peace! For More Info Contact Me At: Wokethejourney@gmai.com

Greetings, Here is a partial list of up-coming book fairs/festivals/personal appearances I will be attending in the next few months. If you're in the area, please stop by and say "Hello". Peace ......... Wednesday - February 28, 2018 - Terraces of Bonita Springs, Florida - 3:00 PM - Meet/Greet The Authors Thursday - March 1, 2018 - Somerset at Plantations - Fort Myers, Florida - 4 PM - Readers/Writers Event Sunday - April 29, 2018 - Commerce Club - Tampa, Florida - 9 AM - Oxford Exchange Book Fair Saturday - May 19, 2018 - Schultz Center - Jacksonville, Florida - 10 AM - Florida Writers Association Sat./Sun. - July 14-15, 2018 - Le Meridien Tampa Hotel - Tampa, Florida - Indie Author Book Convention Thur.-Sat. - August 9-11, 2018 - Hilton Inn Lake Mary, Florida - 6 PM - Indie Book Fest 2018 Saturday - September 15, 2018 - On Point Executive Center - 10 AM - Tampa, Florida - On Point Book Fair Thurs.-Sun. - October 18-21, 2018 - Hilton/Altamonte Springs, Florida - 10 AM - 17th Florida Writers Conference Thurs.-Sat. - November 1-3, 2018 - Lexington Hotel - Jacksonville, Florida - 9 AM - IABPFF S.E. Region Conference

Third World Press Celebrates 50 Years in Publishing - ...I'm a man of action and two, that ideas, and the creative carriage of ideas can change lives. I didn't go out there deciding to start a book publishing company. But I knew, I'm not going to be digging ditches for these bad boys." Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti , Publisher - on what inspired him to found a publishing company in 1967.

One Night Only | The first Black-owned and operated Chicago theatre to reopen for an outdoor concert. The Pekin Theatre located in the Bronzeville section of Chicago was first opened by alleged professional gambler, Robert Motts. The outdoor concert, sponsored Illinois Humanities and Empty Bottle, an Evening at the Pekin Theater will feature ragtime pianist and MacArthur “genius” grantee Reginald Robinson and his band playing music from the Pekin’s active era, which lasted until 1916. The concert will be held June 17, 2017 @ 7PM Source : Timeout Magazine

Searching for a birthday card the other day, I noticed in Rite-aid there were no hallmark cards only American greetings and in Publix grocery store, they only stocked Hallmark greeting cards. What was noticeably absent, or not, because I can't really recall hearing about them until today was "African-American Expressions. Founder, Gregory Perkins, indicates on the company profile , AAE has been existence for 26 years. "Today, African American Expressions sells over 2,500,000 cards annually with over 500 original designs. This multimillion dollar operation has expanded to include many other inspirational gifts such as calendars, handcrafted figurines, journals, mugs, magnets, bookmarks, Christmas decorations and more." Visit African American Expressions at http://www.black-cards.com and download their catalog, http://www.black-cards.com/aaexp/pdf/common/WS_catalog.pdf

OCEAN'S 8 Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' all female Caper Heist flick Music Superstar Rihanna is coming to a big screen near you. She is set to join a group of A-list Film, Television and Web actresses in the updated Ocean's 8 caper heist flick set in New York City. Ocean's 8 expected release June 8, 2018 Photo Credit: Barry Wetcher

#BlackMindsBlackPower Cassie Owens, writer, links to AALBC's list of Black Bookstores in this ode to one of the last two Philadelphia black bookstores,Black and Nobel" Black and Nobel is opened 7 days a week and according to its owner Hakim Hopkins " “Health and wellness keeps us open,” “but the books are a foundation — everybody knows us as ‘the bookstore.’” If a bookstore were a tourist destination it would be "Black and Nobel". This article gives the bookstore a feel of a popular haunt for both residents and visitors alike.

CCBC Publishing Statistics of Children’s Books by and About People of Color - In 1985, a task to find eligible books for the prestigious Coretta Scott King Book Award for African American authors and illustrators; turned into a mission for for identifying all trade books published each year by and for people of color. Today, the counting continues... "The more books there are, especially books created by authors and Illustrators of color, the more opportunities librarians, teachers, and parents and other adults have of finding outstanding books for young readers and listeners that reflect dimensions of their lives, and give a broader understanding of who we are as a nation."

Currently reading Severed by VL Towler. I started this book some time ago, then I got really busy and put it on the back-burner. Then I thought, make time to read. Make a commitment to a book like you used to do in your youth. Reading like writing, forces you to close out your thoughts and enter the world of someone's making or into a world of your own making. Reading/Writing a book is a selfish undertaking. One that you owe to yourself.

Robinne Lee, Actor, who stars in 50 Shades Darker, that opened this month on the 10th, is scheduled to release her debut novel "The Idea of You" June 2017 . The synopsis reads a bit like a scandalous love affair between a popular boy band member and an single mom art gallery owner almost 20 years his senior... Normally, I don't read romance but this one appeals to me because it's feels like a mix between "Beyond the Lights" and "How Stella Got her Groove back ' - Don't want to plug another website but Lee's publisher St. Martin's Griffin is hosting a book giveaway... If I win; look for my review!

This morning before dawn, I had a dream of a talking rat who was exposing what was supposed to be hidden. Not sure of the context but I remembered Chinese New Year. (01/28/17) - Welcome the Year of the Rooster!

Wanted: Information on "Free Negro" a British Legal status for those never enslaved in America but reemerged on the Americas as early as 1513... Also, looking for black female polymaths from baby boomers, generation x, y, millennials even budding polymaths. Polymaths are defined for this purpose as those who know a lot, can do a lot and have a body of peer-reviewed work and accomplishments in varied areas. Thank you!