THIS IS NOT MY STORY. I HAVE PERMISSION TO POST IT HERE.
Once upon a time, in a library that shall remain nameless to protect the guilty…
There was an older gentleman who used to come in every week faithfully. He would come into the Library while his wife remained outside in the car. Rain or shine, freezing or sweltering, she would stay in the car. The staff learned that he was there specifically to pick up books for her – so they asked why she didn’t come into the library to choose her own materials.
“Oh, no,” he said. “You see, my wife has Alzheimer’s and she has terrible social anxiety. The only way she will leave the house at all is with her little dog. He’s not a registered Service Dog, so we can’t bring him into a government building. But she simply can’t come in without him. You know, the Library used to be her favorite place. She came here every week for years. But don’t worry – she doesn’t mind. Just being at the library building helps, and it gets her out of the house.”
This level of inclusion was, understandably, intolerable to the Library staff. They were prepared to stage a revolt, if the Director hadn’t been as perturbed as they were.
So, the Director wracked her brain, consulted her colleagues, and finally came up with a solution – they would buy a dog vest and keep it behind the circulation desk. When the lady and her dog came in, he would be deputized as a Reading Buddy – they would sew a patch on his vest and everything. Friends of the Library got word of it and promptly bought the vest. In colors to match the library’s color scheme. And the dog’s name embroidered on it.
When the gentleman came to the library, the circulation person explained to him that they had found a way to get the dog in. He went and got his wife, coaxing her to come in and explaining that she could have her little dog right by her side, in her purse, wherever she wanted him. The dog was vested, the lady teared up… there may have been a small puddly-type accident from the dog, he was so tickled, and the Director was grateful she had chosen to invest in tile during the last renovation. And so Charlie the Reading Buddy was added to the library staff. And every week that couple came in, together, both happy that she could be in her favorite place again, and that Charlie could stay by her side as she perused the Romances and pondered the Audiobooks.
And this, dear readers, is why I work in a small-town library where we get to know our patrons and we do good service according to their needs. Even if that means we don’t adhere rigidly to every policy every time.
-C.G.
Thank you for reading. This story made me tear up and gave my heart warm fuzzy feelings. I hope it made you feel good inside too.
This fight always reminds me that Jackie Chan is truly a modern day Chaplin/Keaton. When recognizing physical comedians, Jackie has to be considered a modern king. This concept is so simple. STICKY FLOOR. That’s about it. And yet he makes absolute magic out of it. He gives us a solid fight sequence, genuine humor and some cheeky, sexy stuff. Everything you want, really. This fight might not be the most ferocious action sequence he’s done but, as far as comedic ideas go, this one is up there I think. It’s great.
The fight is from The Myth which I’m not going to post a link to because it’s not very good. It has three great action sequences in it (including this one). Track it down at your own peril.
Magic runs through all black women. Everywhere. It’s an unshakeable ancestral prize that has influenced fashion designers to popstars. There’s so many of us, that it may be difficult to pinpoint us all. Never fear, because I can happily direct you to some! Here are a few young, gifted, and black women that should be on your radar.
Neff Davis (aka FilmColors):
Street smart, style smart, hotel smart and film smart. DMV native Neffatari Davis is a director and color-theorist (in fact, she was the one who inspired me to explore color theory and cinematography). Having worked for HBO and Playboi Carti, the uber-gifted Neff is a force to be reckoned with. Like Jessica Pressler wrote, Neff has an eye for detail: color, symbols, and references. For all the film buffs, look out for Neff’s upcoming projects (such as the Anna Delvey film coming to Netflix)!
This anime loving, book guzzling, skincare sorceress concocts candles, face masks, shower gel potions, and a shit-ton more salves and serums for the body and mind. Over the years, her (brilliant) shop has gone through its series’ of transformations, switching from the name Shrine of 9 (her birthday is 09/09/1990) to Filthy Cosmetics. No matter the name, Alice is a walking orb of creativity, from her tattoos to her product names. Get familiar!
This Afro-Futurist is the future. Pea the Feary is an artist in every sense of the word. She creates portraits of ethereal beings such as the aforementioned Alice and Frank Ocean, crafts pins based on your zodiac sign, and graphic designs posters with messages that you need to hear. Do yourselves a favor and buy something from this magical black girl.
Step into Philly rapper Tierra Whack’s “Whack World”, and you’ll quickly realize that it is anything but. Traveling from room to room and world to world, Tierra delivers nothing but excellence through the use of clever concepts, sly lyricism, and genius melodies: dancing with muppets in a cemetery, using her nails to tell a story, and beautifying a taxidermed dog. Indulge in Tierra’s latest project on YouTube.
Aurum Amare:
Quality, handmade, homegrown, and original clothes that include plus sized women? You’re not dreaming. Aurum, (while going to school and interning, mind you) co-owns a boss business called Pink Plastic, with options ranging from modest to revealing. Whether you want to serve school girl or silked down sophistication, Pink Plastic has options for everyone.
“O-P-U-L-E-N-C-E. Opulence”. A self proclaimed “Entreprenegro”, Shade is the owner of the luxurious Spilling Pearls. Inspired by the posh opulence of high fashion, Shade includes diamonds, polished garments, and well…pearls, into her gorgeous brand. If you’ve been looking for a black owned high end retailer, you’ve found one.
From Solange to Bella Hadid, to Kelela to A$AP Ferg, Renell has pointed her magic lens towards a plethora of people. Hailing from the Bronx, Medrano experienced life through her lens, hence her focus on documentary photography. Both unsuspecting and glorious, her subjects are always captured personally and beautifully.
Mom, poet, and entrepreneur? Yes. Eryn Amel is the creator of what I’ll call a Statement Shop. Her shirts read “It is Impossible To Shame a Woman Who is Unashamed”—all of her merchandise a blatant “fuck you” to patriarchy and misogyny. Whether you’re experiencing what this wickedly intelligent woman has to offer though her poetry books or her Instagram, Eryn is definitely a creative black woman you should be hip to.
Choosing just one, sole quote to introduce Warsan is impossible. Warsan Shire is a wordsmith whose works focus on identity—what it makes you, and turns you into. Author of “Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth”, Warsan’s work was also featured in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” (she penned all of the poems). Simply put, Shire’s work cuts deep. She articulates painfully common complexities women (particularly Somali women) endure in a way that is precise, and at times, uncomfortable.
Ghanaian beauty blogger Nathalie does makeup. And, she does it well. With her expertise ranging from the perfect smokey eye on dark skin to the perfect bright lip, Nathalie has got you covered. Paired with her display of makeup looks, Nathalie offers indispensable advice for black girls, particularly ones with darker skin: “To all my chocolate girls: wear those pastels, that ruby red lip, those bright colors”. Owusu has modeled for the (amazing) skincare company Girl Co. Watch her latest video, and subscribe to her YouTube Channel here.
Creative black women exist in multitudes. It’s impossible to name us all. Know any more creative black women? Name them in your response to this post!
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf (1997)
“From its inception in California in 1974 to its highly acclaimed critical success at Joseph Papp’s Public Theater and on Broadway, the Obie Award-winning for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf has excited, inspired, and transformed audiences all over the country. Passionate and fearless, Shange’s words reveal what it is to be of color and female in the twentieth century.
First published in 1975 when it was praised by The New Yorker for “encompassing…every feeling and experience a woman has ever had,” for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf will be read and performed for generations to come. Here is the complete text, with stage directions, of a groundbreaking dramatic prose poem written in vivid and powerful language that resonates with unusual beauty in its fierce message to the world.”
Ntozake Shange, poet, novelist, playwright, and performer, wrote the Broadway-produced and Obie Award-winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. She has also written numerous works of fiction, including Sassafras, Cypress and Indigo, Betsy Brown, and Liliane.
Imagine Obi Wan and Anakin during the Clone Wars having a rare break from the war back at the Jedi Temple deciding to go a few rounds in the practice ring together, eager to test their skill in a controlled environment since they rarely having time to train properly because they’re always in actual battles and having to modify their fighting techniques to the conditions. They use the practice rooms in the evening when everyone’s eating so it’s quieter so they’re less likely to disturb anyone.
In the very corner of the room a young Padawan is practising a kata that she can’t quite get the hang of when Anakin and Obi Wan walk in. She’s stood there completely transfixed, watching as they start warming up and remembering all the stories she’s heard about the front lines of the Clone War and the daring victories of Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Then they begin duelling, slowly at first, but gradually fighting more fiercely as the competitive nature of their relationship wins out. Imagine what it must look like – The Heroes With No Fear, unstoppable Jedi duo, war heroes using their battle sharp skills and instinctive understanding of each other’s fighting style against each other.
She skirts around the edges of room and runs down to one of the canteens where the some other Initiates and Padawans are eating, bursting into the room and yelling “SKYWALKER AND KENOBI ARE HAVING IT OUT IN THE PRACTICE CHAMBERS”. The entire room drops their stuff and runs, dragging people they meet in the corridor along with them.
Older Padawans and eventually Knights and Masters get wind that something’s going on and start showing up as well. Pretty soon they’re surrounded by a crowd egging them on and are single-handedly responsible for a sudden surge in some very un-Jedi like gambling trends.
Eventually, Anakin gets distracted being cocky with the crowd and Obi Wan manages to knock him on his arse and disarm him.
Yoda refuses to disclose how much money he won out of the betting pool.
— It looks like I may never see you again. I don’t know quite how to say this, but I’ve loved you from the moment you came to my aid, all those years ago
Obi-Wan
glanced up from his datapad, blinking in confusion. Anakin thought Obi-Wan
looked rather like a new-born bantha with his spiky hair sticking into every
direction; it was only three months after the battle of Naboo and Obi-Wan was
still weird around him.
“And you
question this eras-long tradition exactly why…?”
Anakin
frowned.
“Never mind.”
The young
man pierced him with a long inquisitive look. Anakin thought that his eyes were
like Coruscanti sky, changing throughout the day. They were blue when he woke
up, grey when he set for bed. Green when he gazed into the sunset.
“I know I
am… not what you imagined when you accepted Master’s offer… I understand it is…
difficult to view me as a teacher-”
wrennette 