Do White Women Love White Women, Like I Love Black Women?

I have moments when I'm just like. OMG I love Black Women. Like intense Admiration. Pride, Joy, and just a feeling that they are the most beautiful beings on the planet in their natural and creative forms. To my white friends, do y'all ever have this feeling about your own. Real talk? Lol. I'm curious where it comes from when I feel like this, is it just an appreciation of myself because of the awareness of the shit that Black women deal with when it comes to image or what? So do you ever feel like "OMG, I LOOOVE White women, they are the most beautiful beings on the planet?"

 I feel like this is the case subconsciously and historically because then that is why we live in the world we do today with Western/European/White as the definition and guideline for beauty.

I know there are white women who think Black women are the 'most gorgeous beings' even going on to emulate style, habits, and aesthetics of Black women/culture (just as we black women do). But I am curious to know how the basic white woman sees beauty, or rather articulates her appreciation for it.

So White Women do you ever have this feeling that you are beautiful as a race in the pure essence of Whiteness a forethought and articulation, just like I do about Black women?

Kehinde Wiley | The World Stage: Israel

It's crazy how time flies and I'll look back and I'll see that my last post was in March...and it's May now. Just like that. Crazy. Coordinating hundreds of people to get ready for San Francisco Carnaval Parade. Planning a wedding. Getting used to holding down a family/household. Chasing a speedily growing baby who at 9 months is giving me a run for my no-money. Trying to maintain some level of physical and mental health. and on and on...

Ya it's spring time and my life is just that. Still, I am going to trying to check this out before it ends on May 27, the bills at the BART station has been catching my eye for months. I was firstly intrigued by this bright image (of course), but mostly drawn by the Yoruba twin name Kehinde....but was like wtf does a Nigerian first name with a non Nigerian last name, got to do with Israel... I was hella confused.

But I did my research and found out. And I'm there. Someone who's all about putting images of black men into the "high" class of art and culture. So the shi shi pinky up side of me thinks I ought to dress cute and get out to see this, and nod my head solemnly and ask my hubby what room he thinks one of these may look good in.

Read about it

Check this article about him in GQ

Crawling the Art of the Twin Cities

I've been playing this game of: if not one in the Bay Area ...in what other cities could I see myself possibly living? I may have just added the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), Minnesota to my short but growing list. I've had hints of an interesting arts/culture scene coming from this area but never was quite convinced and since I hadn't visited and explored it as an adult it was never really on my map. Hmm...

From the homey streets, nostalgia-inducing buildings to the menu boards at Golden's Deli, an eatery that boasts fresh, local and tasty all wrapped in pretty. I was mildly smitten.
(I have been intrigued with the mysterious-to-me art of Menu signage and this place has one of the best I have seen in the country/world?)

After my delicious garden omelet and fresh squeezed lemonade I was able to get a sneak peak of the St. Paul art crawl which I unfortunately didn't get to check out in all its glory because I had other engagements elsewhere, but the little I did see made my heart pitter patter, and maybe my love for this place became full blown.

I met two artists/artisans who had items that I adored and I'm sure you will too.

The first was Storm

I think Storm is my Mid-west Jewelry concept counterpart...I always wish that I had the patience or diligence to make necklaces but I may have just been inspired to actually do it.  love the found pieces put together to create something new and fresh. I started making earrings from using old/broken jewelry and random found object things so this is really cool to me. From a little e-birdie I've found out she's a May baby. Lightbulb! Of course she is... her work is fabulous (not that I'm biased or anything). She is definitely a May Fly!

The second was "Deli Girl"

I love the bright colors of her pieces, and her unique style. She had originals, prints and sketchbook and journals. I meant to purchase a journal book (addict that I am) but had a brain fart and planned to go back but ended up not having time.

Still as much as I crushed on Twin Cities..Cali trumps... Weather, Racial & Cultural diversity, unlimited fresh healthy food options at low prices. So I won't be moving to the Twin Cities any time soon. I'll be back to visit though!

the 99% ignored in Arts Funding #Occupy

REUTERS/Mike Segar

 Even if you were living under a rock. You know about the occupations happening around various cities in the US. What we're also talking about is the various ways this crazy 1% plays out. This Washington Post article talk about how Foundations basically pretty much fund more wealthy-white serving institutions than it does diverse communities. This funding trend does not match up with the growing population of said diverse communities.

“It is a problem because it means that — in the arts — philanthropy is using its tax-exempt status primarily to benefit wealthier, more privileged institutions and populations,” wrote the report’s author, Holly Sidford.

Talk about keeping it in the family.

Of course it's not telling me anything that I don't know. The money just circles around and 'philanthropy' is just a guise that rich people use to keep the things that entertain them alive.

Even though seemed like an ad for the Ford Foundation (which hopefully may encourage them and others to continue diverse funding) at the end, the point of the article is still something to that can be paid attention.

Rioting in London: Police vs. Black Man

 This is basically a bit of a stream of consciousness surrounding the recent London riot after police shot a Black man (London riot you say? What pray tell is it?) Colorlines has a "short and sweet" report about it.

Photo from Colorlines

I'm way past sick of this police vs. black man; colonist vs. black lands phenomenon. It makes me want to throw up and I feel I'm simply so over this human 'race'. And the news around the after-effects drives me crazy, aren't people tired of sick of just narrowing it down to something done by those savage-black-gang-involved-tennis-shoe-stealing youth? We're such a lazy group of people who never will actually fight for change because our lives are really just great, so we pass the blame. And so the media goes ahead and puts up their template news and we go deeper into our discrimination. But sometimes I wonder maybe that's just what we need, for everything to really go to complete shit, and for people to become REALLY uncomfortable so they can pay attention.

Here's one article that begins some exploration of the causes and effect of blaming the youth, it's not that deep (neither is this blog post) but a lot of this is very emotional for me, the comments to the article make me angry and illustrate what is messed up about our societies and how far we have to go in terms of regard for humanity.

This article is particularly interesting to me. I've been intrigued out how much the blackberry is a huge thing especially from the point of Nigerians in Nigeria and the Diaspora. If you know the half of it, you know that blackberries are now getting something akin to a human right.

Because these days twitter and facebook can get you in big shit, and BBMs are less traceable by the authorities (for now), Blackberry is saying that they would give information to the police about people's BBM messages to help aid the arrest of folks who are passing on info about the London riots. So these hackers threaten Blackberry... i.e.

"You Will _NOT_ assist the UK Police because if u do innocent members of the public who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and owned a blackberry will get charged for no reason at all,"

"If you make the wrong choice your database will be made public, save yourself the embarrassment and make the right choice. Don't be a puppet," 

(read the article for more)

Like I said most or all even of the people I know who have Blackberries are Nigerian/African/Caribbean. We support Blackberry, one (too many) of us gets killed, we up-rise, the company that we fish over our moola to fecks us in the ass.

dog eat dog sucka.

Beyonce is a Damn Fool

In Honor of Black History Month, I'd like to dedicate my post to hating on Beyonce.

Beyonce I hate you.

It's funny 'cos now she keeps claiming that she draws inspiration from Fela...and I'm like since when? Lol now Fela is on Broadway and everybody wanna claim him... it's all good. Haha.

Umm Beyonce, since you love Fela so much, please be reminded that you're EXACTLY the kinda things he talked about that were wack about the system. You embody it all! Sell out oshi...

Our Fela "Teacher Don't Teach me Nonsense" was one of the first shirts we did here at one3snapshot way back before anyone thought of such a strange (but pretty cool) concept of a stage show, because art & social awareness is what we're about.  I wanna be like Beyonce here! can you read this? Can you please wear this? Can you please understand this? (lol don't knock my hustle).

I feel like a hypocrite because I'm working on this show ReVulvaLution which is all about exploring some of the issues that women have, one which is women hating on each other. I can't even believe that I'm writing this post. Because I try to have the if-something-is-rubbish-and-you-give-it-energy-by-saying-how-rubbish-it-is, then you're giving it attention and validating it's existence. But this one is so rubbish that it almost makes me laugh. I have this, I don't know if I'll call it a, love-hate relationship with Beyonce... it's more like a umm. Well here's the thing I appreciate some of her songs, I think single ladies & get me bodied are so cleverly arranged, and she's a hard worker and a pretty awesome entertainer.

As a black woman myself who's trying to do her thing, I admire some aspects of her, but in the same vein she irritates the fuck outta me. Sometimes I just wanna see her and spit in her face just a little bit like "You damn fool!!"

To me she's such a copier and a faker. She's irritated me since she said she was doing 'African dance' in the Baby Boy video with Sean Paul. I just can't explain what it is about how she does things that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's how she claims that she 'reinvents' herself and makes different characters when really all the time she's just a sexy blonde girl wanna be. Or how even though she's this 'strong black' woman she does not look like one and more and more is removed from that and messes everything up for the rest of us. Or the fact that she has the stereotypical American persona of capitalism and doing whatever it takes to make it to the top even if it's stiletto'ing your friends in the eyeball.

Chichi even blogged about this in 09 in response to this article

Why is a light skinned middle class Black woman from the suburbs of Houston perpetually singing about needing a baller when she made $87M in 07-08 and what role does this play in normalizing transactional relationships (money for sex) between young Black people? read more

I don't know how I can feel as angry at a 'black' woman  as I do some white/other knucklehead who appropriates our culture.

I just wanna be like BEYONCE SHUT THE FUCK UP and spit in her face. Lol. Gosh! Now she went and did these photos for the French Magazine, and the Blackface thing may not be the most irritating thing about the shoot... Like I can't decide if I'm more offended by that than by the stupidity and absolute wackness of the execution of the concept.

Now Get me bodied that. Idiot! *rolls eyes*

N

Don't Hate Me 'Cos I'm Beautiful

No I don't think anyone is less for whatever cosmetic & grooming situation they choose. Don't yuck my yum, I won't yuck yours. Some of my best friends are lace front wig wearers & sellers. Some of my best friends love the shit outta some make up. Sometimes I love both too.

On facebook a friend posted Keri Hilson's video for Pretty Girl Rock and I was pretty excited to see it because I think Keri may be pretty interesting. Starting out I thought the general concept of the video was pretty cool: vignettes'/timeline of different popular 'black' women in history rocking pretty. But then something felt off!  And the next thing I thought like my friend T and I say "Damn Beyonce ruined it for everyone"

I say this because although she was doing she was doing impersonations of Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diana Ross, Donna Summers, Janet Jackson, and TLC: Somehow these days I just see a lot of females artists and I can't shake that they are all re-styled using the same beyonce template. Because beyonce has already copied EVERYTHING and EVERYONE that can be copied. Lol.

And then I thought: Wait most women in there looks like the same kinda woman!

There are SO many iconic women... can I see some others shades & body  & hair types? 

* sad face *

the Janet & TLC were cool!

p.s looks like Keri is pretty good dancer

And the Saga Continues: Black Men + Black Women

 Still on Black Men & Black Women. Lol I found another video highlighting the dilemmas of our dating...still I say this is not just a race thing, but I can see how it would resound more with certain cultures of people. As funny as this video is, it is a serious issue that we have to keep talking about.

Damn Black Men WTF!!

Okay first. I can't believe it's been 18 days since my last blog post. Whoa! What does this mean? Yes you got it right, summer is over and I've been sucked into the abyss of too many responsibilities and over-committing myself (more on this in a future post). Okay so the last post I had, I ranted in a crazy manner over an article that I felt was poorly written and bashing black men for reasons that were so stereotypical it didn't make any sense. Original Mgbeke asked me to write a rebuttal. I'm coming ...lol soon. But on this topic tho... STILL I'ma need y'all to leave Black Men alone. Check this video out (which is funny and hilarious to me) smh.

I'm saying it's not just black men....haha. That's MY rebuttal most of the people I know that are perpetuating this behavior currently are white men, that's all I'm saying. And that's why that video is funny to me!

Response: 8 Reasons to Date a White Man

Source

So for a while now, I've been having a back and forth with myself with a topic that keeps coming to me: A commentary on how many more wedding pictures I've peeped of Nigerian/African women marrying White men.
So far I have stayed away from it because:

• one: sometimes it's hard for me to write about controversial issues publicly
• two: i couldn't figure out how to write about it without it coming off all gossipy and possibly distasteful
• three: I wasn't sure what my opinion on it per se was and if it was worth writing about
• four: how to say enough but not be more personal than I feel comfortable being

Some things are better off discussed with people who get your idiosyncrasies, understand your sarcasm, and or get your intent without you trying to explain or defend yourself.

But THEN I messed around and happened on this article and I'm like WHOA WHOA WHOA. *pause for 10 secs*

I'll start off with saying What the Fucckkk??!!!

So let's just pretend you're one of my close friends, and you know me and how I get down. So you would understand my intent and blah blah blah. How would I respond to this if you were in a room with me?

Source

I would say something like "I know this BITCH did not go and write some stupid ass thing like that!!"
And you would be like "N that's not professional, that not classy!"
And I would respond "Fuck that, if i see that ho walking down the street, I'll bitch slap her ass!"

8 REASONS to date a White Man!!! Are you kidding me?? This is the most poorly written, derogatory, attention-seeking-for-no-reason piece of shit I've ever read! Sure I'm not doing such a good job myself of proving her wrong by writing an intellectually sound response, but at this point I'm just not capable of doing so!

The thing that trips me out is not even the fact that I don't agree with her on the general issue: Black Women in this day have the short and splintery end of the dating stick, and probably can 'expand' our dating pool by not exclusively dating black men (not as though that matters, just 'cos you decide that you're gonna date other races, doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get 'dated by other races'). But when she writes things like "My question is what are you waiting for—a baby and no ring?" LMFAO... She's crazy!!! Black,white,orange,red,green... A man, whatever color he is, can baby you and NOT wife you. First off all "who says THAT I WANT A RING  from the particular person who has babied me.

I need to stop 'cos I might just say some more stupid things..

This fool wants to make me type in all caps (FOR THE WHOLE  POST)!

fk outta here,
n

p.s. (on a side note, i do dig the styling and concept of the 1st photo above though... lol)

Culture: Things Trendy People Like Summer 2010

i have been having a lot of people come up to me asking for advice on different topics, one of the ones that have been occuring a lot, has been this question:

 "It's summer 2010, and I need to look trendy, but I don't know how to be. how do I do it?"

well...
you need:

1. a blackberry (specifically one with a color not that is not black or get a colored cover)
2. host or attend a party that has RED VELVET Cupcakes (if you can't get red velvet, other cupcakes may suffice)
3. soulful house, skank, and or  jungle house music

now keep in mind that you may look at this list as hella random. Because my social sphere is such, I span posh razz Nigerian to bay area Hipster-artisty-ambiguously-ethnic folks to grungy-white-activisty types. Hella random... but somehow in this randomness, some occurring themes have come up at certain levels in all of these social scenes as far as trends go. These results are based on my scientific and thorough research (through facebook photos, blogs and passing convos (electronically & in-person)).

i assume the reason for such random social circles overlapping in trend factors is due to the chronic syndrome known as copy-copy.
copy copy is a situation where 'ethnic' folks wanna be white *ahem* posh by force, and white folks can't help but indulge & appropriate 'ethnic' culture. and well... the greedy capitalists just wanna feck us all in the butt by convincing us that we NEED the newest techie fad...

so there my friends I tell ya, to be deemed up with the times, currently you need to

1. casually hold your blackberry  in your LEFT hand,  (see loosely but surely so it doesn't get dropped or stolen)
2. have a prettily decorated mini cupcake in the right (preferably red velvet as it would up your posh status), 
3. while having house music play in the background (and please for the love of God...don't attempt to dance, it will ruin your look).

until next time!

cheese:
n

Taxi!! Taxi!!

Oh my gosh. So I can be seen randomly championing a black cause and hating on white people. But I have to say I am relatively sheltered and naive about certain realities that apply to Black people in the United States, even as a Black person myself (possibly more on this in a way in the future post).

So a teenage black boy at my job asks for a taxi number. I absentmindedly reel off a 333333 number to him. A few minutes later he walks out the door and seconds later walk backs in like "shit what the #@!* that mofo drove off..."

I was distracted browsing facebook (of course) so it took me a few seconds after my coworker started laughing for things to register...

and i was like "what..? what?"
and it clicked
..."the driver left?"

and he replies "yeah"...
I say to the boy "Oh maybe you should have taken that black hoodie off..."

My coworker goes "yeah right! I tried to catch a cab the other day and I was dressed sharp too!! Cab driver drove OFF! They don't like black people, you see me I dress nice all the time. He did not care! As soon as he saw I was black he was gone!"

My mouth agape. "You lying!"

He goes on to say "I already had the car door opened and everything, that cab driver turned around and was like no no no and next thing I knew he was gone!"

This whole time my co-worker is laughing relaying his story, but I know he's not making it up.

I on the other hand really I'm floored. I mean I've heard all the jokes about how a black man can't get a cab. Shoot I've even had difficulties finding cabs in the wee hours in Oaktown. Eight or more cab companies in a row have hung up on me when I rattle off a certain address.

But somehow I have been in this cocoon. I thought this is 2009. This is San Francisco... Somehow I just always thought it was a joke that the Funny Black Man sure banks on for laughs while he's on stage.

Somehow...it never made say "damn" with my head hung low.



Speaking of Black Men... Here's some photos from one Black man who's doing things. Suru is a clothing line from Baba Afolabi; he introduced us to it 20 days ago on October 2 in Downtown Oakland. Photos by Kola Shobo

Suru Introduced







das all,

N

White People Wonder

sigh okay.

* hater alert*

so there's this youtube video of this cute white girl 'Elyvna' dancing to coupe decale.
I've had this video posted on my FB profile page so many times, or tagged to posted links of them. There's a couple reasons for this...those who know me well enough know that I am a decale head. Like that's all I pretty much listen and dance to (although I'm moving away from that now, another story for another day).

Okay so back to the video. I'm hella mad that there's 362 comments and 113 thousand comments. Lord, okay so she's cute... she's getting it. I watched the video the first time and was like "whoa it's weird cos I think she's more of a mimic genius than a good dancer". As someone who's watched the Jessy Matador video too many time to count, I'm thinking her rhythm is a bit odd/off but her execution of the movements are spot on.

Okay so to my main point. How come when white people do something that we ('colored' folk) do everyday, then all of a sudden they become the shit for it?

Drives me crazy.

lol.. i had to get that off my chest after this convo with my friend i was like alright this is a blog post...

me: that white girl coupe decale is still 'viraling'...it's crazy

facebook doesn't really make the world that small after all

friend: I think "spreading" is an appropriate term.

me: how come my friends are still posting it...lol

friend: "viraling" doesn't make sense. clearly none of them read what you post....

me: lmao. well i'm saying so it's like i haven't posted the video

but hella people have posted and like tagged me on it, or like drawn my attn to it or post it on my page.

friend: 'cause they know you are a white girl?

me: lol mostly it's like especially now that fb is like twitter'ish

no one reads anyone's page. and i keep seeing oooh look at this awesome best dancer

friend: you should be glad that they know you are the originator of coupe decale

me: lol. as if. like there's black kids tearing it up now the white girl is famous

friend: can we get her to dance something about healthcare?

me: for real

friend: well, to be fair, i think the reason the video is intriguing is that it seems so out of place for her to be doing it and she is concentrating so hard

me: lol that's what i'm saying and you're saying but not what most pple are saying

friend: but of course there is a deeply prejudice sentiment underlying that

me: decale is still a novelty to mainstream so most people don't even have a context

to be like she's just copying not creating
friend: you gonna attach a video comment with the real deal?

me: lmao i'm not the best decale'er...which is my point

friend: oh, I didn't mean you, someone else

me: there's whole countries of hungry African kids ripping it and we not rich enough to video them (lol)

friend: If only all those starving African kids had laptops so they'd be able to share in rich cultural exchange that is you tube...

And of course responses to this will be whatever. I'm a hater (what's new?) but it's not about the girl so much as the responders to the video. That's who I got beef with.

Uhuh,
N