Black is Beautiful 2022 - Tougaloo 9

 

This is for the Tougaloo 9 (Meredith Coleman Anding Jr., James Cleo Bradford, Alfred Lee Cook, Geraldine Edwards, Janice Jackson, Joseph Jackson Jr., Albert Earl Lassiter, Evelyn Pierce, and Ethel Sawyer) a group of undergrad college student activists from the HBCU Tougaloo in Jackson Mississippi. In 1961 they lead the first student lead protest against segregation in MS. Their target was the segregated public libraries in Jackson. They first went to the "Negro" libraries to request books they know would be unavailable, then went to the "White Only" libraries to request them. Although the rules were separate but equal, more than not Black libraries didn't have the same access to literature or knowledge as the White libraries did even though both people paid taxes funding these public spaces. After this the students decided to protest in their best clothes (Naacp protocol) by going to the White only library. There they asked for books they couldn't find previously, sat down, and began to read them quietly. The librarians called the police who demanded they leave. When they refused and were arrested. As they sat within the jail system hundreds of local Black students held a vigil in support of them which was violently broken up by MS cops. The next day Black students from Jackson State (HBCU) came to protest as well. The students lost their case against and were fined. But, their actions set off fear in MS and inspired other students. The Naacp filed a lawsuit against the MS library and the judged ruled in favor of desegregating all MS libraries. This also forced the u until that point silent American Library Association to make a statement in favor of desegregation as well, even though they did not have. BLK president until 1976! 

Extra: MS was one of the most racist states in the US. It is the state with the most lynchings of BLK folks according to the Equal Justice Initiative. From citizen lead vigilante groups and cops, to the mayor, news media, and the governor; the threat of violence for challenging Jim Crow was very real and very dangerous. In fact Medgar Evers who trained these students was murdered in the same city 2 years after this action. In addition, all citizens pay taxes which fund the books, staff, and creation of libraries. It is unspeakable the humiliation Blk folks had to and continue to endure.

Sources: Black Past, Wikipedia, Mississippi Free Press, EJI

If you like this check out The Contract Buyers League

Want to see some more activists? Check out:

Marsha P Johnson 2016

Black is Beautiful 2022 - L&M Tourers

 

I love riding bikes and that lead me to two historic Brooklyn Black lead cycling clubs. The "Red Caps" and the "L&M Tourers". L&M stands for Lucille and Mildred. Two sisters from BK who loved to ride but did not feel at home in larger white male dominated cycling clubs in NYC. In fact they both attended rides w/ the NY Cycle club in the 70s. But, because they wanted to ride w/ more of their family, friends, and neighbors they made flyers, handed them out in popular cycling areas such as Prospect park and invited Black cyclists to join them on a ride; the first of which was 25 miles. That ride became the L&M Tourers who rode all over the 5 boroughs, LI, upstate, and Jersey! They helped each other out with bikes, gear, training, safety lessons, etc. And they helped each other out if a rider fell or fell behind during a ride. In an interview w/ Velo news Mildred and OG member Mel Corbett describe some of the challenges for Black folks to get into cycling, and some of the lesser and more overt harassment they faced as cyclists who were Black. L&M eventually morphed into what is now known as the Major Taylor Iron Riders and they still organize rides to this day w/ a multicultural crew of folks as anyone can join. 

Sources: Velo News, Major Taylor Club, NY Times

VeloNews · VeloNews Podcast, ep. 226: One of New York City's first clubs for Black cyclists

If you dug this check out this one of bmx rider Greg Liggins 2018 and the previous one this year of Brenda Banks

If you like this check out the one I did of Justin Williams in 2020

Affirmations Sticker Pack

Yooo, just put these bad boys together in a pack. This is a 6 sticker pack of words and phrases meant to be reminders to self, motivational, and affirming. You can cop a pack for yourself or your team here.

Shop Link

This is some process from one of the stickers in the pack: PAUSE

This is the previous sticker pack: Multicultural

I'm a vendor at Black Joy Parade 5

 

If you're in Cali this weekend come to the 5th annual "Black Joy Parade"! There will be an actual parade (12-1:30pm) with dancers, floats, a kids zone, 2 performance stages, games, lounges, and more. The live performances will be by Oakland's very own Ryan Nicole, DC is Chillin, and the headliner Ashanti. There will be food, an official BJP brunch, and vendors. And I'll be one of them at booth 209. Check the map to see where I'm at on Franklin btwn 21st and 20th st in downtown Oakland. The festival runs from 12-7pm.

FAQ and more info here: https://linktr.ee/blackjoyparade

Come thru, mask up, be safe, and have fun! Here's a video from a few years ago:

Video: Time lapse character ptg

 

Video LINK

Yo shout out to my brother Deedot for allowing me to put his music on this video. I shared it on IG awhile back but I wanted to put it up on my YouTube w/ music permission. If you missed it, this is a clean version of the image:

Character 161 - Spikey

Character collage 2019-2020

Black is Beautiful 2022 - Brenda Banks

 

Brenda Banks was an animator born in Los Angeles California in 1948. I believe she grew up or spent time in Georgia but came back to LA to go to Cal Arts where she studied from 1966 to 1970. She did a student animated film and got her first gig working on the Flip Wilson show. Shortly after that she willed her way into a gig with Palestinian American animation director named Ralph Bakshi (Cool World, Fritz The Cat). At Bakshi films she worked on a adult satirical animation called Coon Skin which came out in 1977. She was described as shy, funny, and extremely talented with the pencil. She animated animals, people, and monsters. In her nearly 30 year career she worked as a layout artist, storyboard revisionist, and an animator. She also trained other artists. She is the one of the first Black women to work in animation if not thee first. In her career she worked on Charlie Brown, The Smurfs, American Pop, Looney Tunes, King of The Hill, The Simpsons, Lord of The Rings, The Jetsons, and Scooby Doo.  I'm sure she faced many barriers not only as a Black person but as a disabled person, and a woman. But, she is a pioneer  who people in the biz remember fondly. She passed away in 2020.

Sources: African Animators Past & Present, Cartoon Brew, Black Women Animate, Women in Animation, IMDB, BLK Animation.net

Check out this one of cartoonist Jackie Ormes

And the previous one this year was The Black Resurgents

Wanna see another Black animator? Peep Jim Simon

Stuff I've been listening to - 20 (Remixes)

Otis Redding- Sitting on the dock of the bay DJ Spinna remix 2021

Listening to this remix of Otis Redding the other day reminded me how a good remix can really light up a depressing day. With isolation from family, friends, and restrictions I look for inspiring things to share. And I started this series of blog posts, to share good music new and old. The majority of this will be hip hop, soul, and reggae but I know many genre's have their dope remixes.

     

Brandy - I wanna be down IAMNOBODI remix 2013

The Roots - Silent treatment Da Beatminerz Remix 1995

Maylee Todd - Hieroglyphics Tall Black Guy Remix 2012

Mega Banton - Sound Bwoy Killin Salaam Remi Remix 2000

Teedra Moses - Be your girl Kaytranada Remix 2013

The Pharcyde - She said Jay Dee/Dilla remix 1995

Little Dragon · Seconds (Syd The Kyd of OFWGKTA remix)

Little Dragon - Seconds Syd The Kyd Remix 2010

A remix is a restructuring of an existing song. It could have the same beat and different verses, the same lyrics and a different beat, or a slight change that makes the song slower or faster. Either way it is an improvement of an existing song. These are some of my favorite remixes. It's not comprehensive, it's a list of what I like. Feel free to comment with your fav remix!

Dead Prez - Hip Hop w/ Sault Pele Durian Funk remix 2020

Capelton -Tour Dynamik Duo Remix 1994

De La Soul - Stakes is High w/ Fela Amerigo Gazaway Remix 2011

D'Angelo - Cruisin Remix 1995

Trackademicks · E-40- "Tell Me When To Go" ft. Keak Da Seak (Trackademicks Remix)

E40 -Tell me when to go Trackademicks Remix 2006

 

Timeless: Untitled/Fantastic remixed by Georgia Anne Muldrow from MOCHILLA on Vimeo.

Slum Village/J Dilla - Untitled/ Fantastic Georgia Anne Muldrow Remix

And there are so many more. For instance, the Luniz "I got 5 on it" remix, A Tribe Called Quest "Bonita Applebum" remix, NWA's "Dopeman" remix, SWV "Right here", or the Black Hippy Remix of "That Part" by Schoolboy Q. Ahhhh there are so many lesser known artists w/ dope remixes too. What's your favorite remix?

Want to hear more music? Check out my posts from the past!

Stuff I've been listening to 19 - UK Artists

Stuff I've been listening to 18 - House Music

Stuff I've been listening to 17- Soul

Stuff I've been listening to 15 - Jazz

Moonchild - Too Good

Been a fan of Moonchild for a long time and i'm loving this new LP. Listen to the whole album here.

More Music? Did u see my last post of UK artists I'm listening to? Listen here

ACLU Illustrations for Central Valley Report

 

I have been working w/ the ACLU since 2016 and always enjoy the process and work that gets produced especially when it aids in telling the story of regular people fighting for human and civil rights. Case in point, the art for this report supports the stories of three people who migrated to the US to find work. Erika, Nestor, and Nelson. 

While asylum is a term that allows immigrants from any country to migrate to another for political and/or safety reasons the folks targeted and deported consistently in the United States are Black and Brown people. This is not hearsay but fact. See the Chinese exclusion act, the Bracero program, the treatment of Mexican and Central Americans vs the red carpet for Cuban exiles or immigrants from Europe. 

This study is a collaboration w/ California Rural Legal Assistance foundation and it looks at Central California specifically and interrogates how the Sheriff's in the region collude with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcements) to deport Latinxs.

READ IT HERE

See some of the art below:

And here is the last set of illustrations I did for the ACLU 2018 annual report.

Black is Beautiful 2022 - The Black Resurgents

 

"The Black Resurgents" is a historic dance group from Oakland California. There were many dance groups back then but these gents became the official dancers for the Black Panther Party! They also stood out performing at talent shows, concerts, and events all across Oakland and the Bay. For those that don't know Boogaloo, Strutting, and Robotting come from the Bay. Oakland, Frisco, and Richmond to be exact. And this group was one of the pioneers of this dance. Rick the Robot, Mr Penguin, LA, and The Crowd Pleaser along with others formed the group in 1971. They danced to funk! They moved their bodies with the music and the moves groups like theirs The Black Messengers, Close Encounters of the Funkiest Kind, Media Cirkus, Demons of The Mind, Granny and The Robotroid, P-T 3000, influenced dancers all across the world and can be seen in the moves of Bay turf dancers, hip hop choreography, and in dance competitions. 

A crew of them got together and created their own alliances and a yearly event called the Boogalaoo Reunion to reclaim that name from white supremacists and to celebrate the culture in dancers both young and old. Their continued performing educates the next generation and gives context to where all these people got their moves from. Shout out to Traci Bartlow who is a part of this lineage, The Malonga Casquelord Center, Destiny Arts, The Hyphy movement, and East Side Arts Alliance for keeping dance alive! 

Sources: The Strutters Room, KQED Arts, Doug Harris, TheBlackResurgents.com

2018: Peep this piece I did of Alvin Ailey

In case you're following along with me, here's the last one I did this year: The Warehouse Club in Chicago!

Earn Your Leisure - History moment

 

This little snippet about red-lining is a jewel. If you haven't heard of the term google "The Case for Reparations" by Tanehisi Coates, 1619 Project is relative, and "Family Properties" by Berryl Satter. In fact, check out this piece I did about the Chicago "Contract Buyers League".

Black is Beautiful - The Warehouse

 

The Warehouse is one of the foremost prominent and founding clubs of house music. In fact I heard someone say the music is named after this club. Originally located at 206 S Jefferson St in Chicago, the club was founded by Robert Williams and his partner Ron Braswell in 1975. Williams moved from NYC to Chicago and at the urging of friends and boredom decided to start throwing parties. He brought in Frankie Knuckles (godfather of house) who was then a protege of Larry Levan and Nicky Siano. He had renowned engineer Robert Long build the sound system for the 3 floored club and convinced Frankie to come play; telling him it was his club to program the sound. What they did together was create a sound and movement that brought in people from all over the midwest, east coast, and soon the US to dance. It was founded as a queer Black club (men and women) with membership cards. This was to keep the vibe but also to protect the community. Soon, hetero folks, and friends of all ethnicities were invited by members as well. The sound system was incredible and they played underground music that you couldn't hear on the radio. The club closed after the city threatened to close it for structural issues; think hundreds of people stomping and jumping in parties that started at midnight and ran until the next morning. As someone who didn't grow up with house, but who now loves it this history is remarkable. The Warehouse is a historical monument right up there w/ clubs like the Loft, Paradise Garage, Studio 54, and the Music Box (also founded by Williams).

Sources: I Remember When House Took Over the World documentary, Red Bull Radio, Ron Trent via Creative mornings

Speaking of places, check out this piece of :

Marcus Books and Soulbeat in Oakland California.

If you're following along this year, the last piece I did was of Race Car driver Cheryl Linn Glass