Culture: Can You Shop BLACK?

This article talks about a couple that did an experiment to shop ONLY Black (purchasing exclusively from Black-owned businesses) for a whole year. They thought it would be mildly challenging but doable, but found out that it was extremely challenging and they had to be creative to make it possible. There were also some 'consequences' such as weight gain & having to 'do without' certain things.

I remember in college a friend of mine was telling me about a Bay Area 'Black Pages' listing for Black-owned businesses. I thought the concept was interesting, but at the time in my life wasn't quite able to wrap my head around it. I mean I was a college student, and my purchasing power was limited in both how much I could buy, and how much I needed to buy. Maybe it was an excuse but I think at the time, it would have been a lot of work to try to figure out buying textbooks, daily meals & such from exclusively black-owned.

Now I'm curious about this experiment...It sounds like the couple had a few things, that I may not quite have as much of 1. $$$ 2. Support/Patience of their partnership 3. Err *insert something here* haha.

And it also brings up other questions for me, as someone who is not only a consumer but also a business owner. Since in this case buying exclusively black (purchasing from black-owned establishments) means that you can purchase white-created/owned product as long as they are distributed by black owners

then what happens if: I had a black-created/owned product in a white-owned business?

The concept is something that I'm interested in, on various levels...I've wondered and talked about the creation of local economies & government structures. A friend of mine grew up in a community (in the west coast of the U.S.) where for a few years they had their own currency with incentives attached to using the local currency as opposed to the dollar.

I'm wondering how it could work with the concept of local government or deliberately created communities. What are the pros? Cons? Backlash?

If you had the opportunity to shop 'exclusively' Black or African or Nigerian or (insert cultural or political group leaning) would you do it? Why? Why not?

#LemmeKnow,
N

Visual Inspiration: May Fly Ball

This does not look like a photograph taken at a house party in 2010!

Celebrating 5 years with MIMI

MIMI Magazine, my favorite online magazine is celebrating 5 years of being in existence. I can honestly say I have grown up, laughed and learned from the pages of MIMI. One of my proudest moments was reading the One3Snapshot feature. Here is to many more years of MIMI Magazine. The latest issue is a tribute to the Best Of 5 Years Of MIMI Magazine and my little toast in celebrating with MIMI is a twist off their anniversary issue - my best 5 articles from MIMI.





1) A Design to Dream: One3Snapshot! - our feature in MIMI
2) Celebrating Single Women
3) Close Call - my contributing article.
4) The Measure of Other's Opinions - There was a time when what people thought of me bothered me.
5) Cherrie on Top - I first read about the label Stoned Cherrie from this article, and since then I have silently followed her progress through various fashion weeks and season launches. If only her clothes were available stateside, my closet would be full of Stoned Cherrie pieces.

World Cup

Let's do this!

Nexus...

Every 2nd & 4th Monday at Air Lounge, Oakland.
Click here for More Info 

Red means Stop!

What will this post be without some snapshots from around the way? (keep reading)

Yo ma name is Nkei and I'm here to say...some'n some'n some'n errryday!! Wow. Even I'm tired of making the excuse of busy'ness being the reason I haven't said something worth anything on this blog since the winter season. Now it's almost summer and I swear I have the intent of prolonged comments on one issue or non-issue or the other.

Okay since that last time I wrote a blog...let see...what's happened?
Spring Sprung! Performances came and went, and I got less busy but not really. My one-br apt finally was able to live to it's full potential as just that. I got hella sidetracked. Made a life-right-now changing decision...got busy again. Pondered...kicked it with my bestest friends from around the country, threw a party, paraded in sf carnaval, danced my butt off and went to the beach with my friends lovers and country man. Life has been good.

But currently I'm about to go into a solo-bbatical ...a retreat with attendance of one. Lots of things need to change, lots of things need to get a push on, lots of things need to be eliminated. Some of the topics in this me-only retreat will be about things related to career, one3snapshot, food/nutrition and maintenance of lifestyle and just general topics that are for me to know and you to never find out. It will be fun, I'm sorry you can't come along, but trust me it will be good for all involved. 

I'll be prodding Chichi to update the blog more, and by the end of summer we should be out with a one3snapshot next round beta version.

I'm nervous and excited but I know it will be awesome.

Until, the next time when I gostalot to say...see ya!

-N

Drumming for Fela

Maybe it's because we make the dopest Fela tshirts, maybe it's because N drums for Loco Bloco but I'm intrigued every time I see an interesting piece on Fela. If you want to own a Fela tee, email info@one3snapshot.com to place an order. We are still working on getting the online shop back up and running.