Sad to share this news of a beautiful being and incredibly gifted artist who recently passed away.
Tamara Natalie Madden one of my absolute favorites, her work gorgeous, magical and affirming. Loved her so much so I that I saved up to buy one of her original paintings as a gift to myself four years ago. It blesses my home in a wonderful way. Her spirit lives eternal through her incredible work and sacred visioning/conjuring of Blackness.
Rest In Peace & Power Black Star. Thank you for sharing your gift with us. 😞🖤✨
“The historical formation of surveillance is not outside of the historical formation of slavery.”
- Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness" by Simone Browne
I need someone else to read this book so we can take about it cause it’s blowing my mind and also creeping me out a little bit.
In it Simone talks about how surveillance technologies and practices are racialized, and claims the Black body as a key site of specific conditions that include being monitored and controlled most especially in a Western context. She cites historic examples and offers creating and #creativity as modes of resistance. She talks about everything from branding during times of slavery to the prison industrial complex to facial recognition software to being patted down by TSA. It’s detailed, dense and extremely well written!!
“I must always be/ building nests in a windy place.“
‘Portrait’ - audre lorde✨💕✨💕✨
Can’t wait to get my hands on this upcoming Black Panther comic book series written by one of my faves!!award winning sci-fi author Nnedi Okorafor 💕🙌🏾💕
AYE AYE, SO EXCITING!! Really looking forward to see where she takes this awesome story.
Congratulations to one of my favorite writers, the brilliant Jesmyn Ward whose amazing new book “Sing, Unburied, Sing” has been long listed for the National Book Award for Fiction. I love her deep and intense writing so much. 💕
“Know the function, the very serious function of racism which is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary.” - Toni Morrison
These days as always I find myself leaning in to the genius, creativity and clarity of Black women. In their words I always find solace and hope. They are living oracles who give me guidance on how to grow and thrive.
Madame Toni told us back in 1975 as Black artists, creatives, writers, thinkers, rebels, healers, Beings - our destiny and work is NOT to prove our worth but simply revel in our own humanity and divine nature. Move in and towards what affirms and salutes your wholeness in any way you can. 💕✨💕✨
Gloria T Hull, Barbara Smith, Patricia Bell Scott 💕💕💕
Black Feminist Scholars/Writers/Activists/Teachers - Geniuses. ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Editors of “All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave” an award winning collection of essays that served as a catalyst and foundation for Black Women’s studies and Black Feminism. A dense and excellent read!!!
