You can keep it really cute with the campfire fix to racism and other forms of oppression but we have to call for real work and teaching. We have to fight back with revolutionary demands and tactics. You can get in the ring with me, but be self-aware and fight with me not against. 

The first time I heard about Snarky Puppy was when Lalah Hathaway changed the scope of Western vocal production by singing a perfect fourth with herself.  Not only did I listen to 'Something' by Snarky Puppy featuring Lalah Hathaway for at least two days straight, but I became obsessed with Snarky's fushion of "jazz, funk, and world music." (Snarky's website) Naturally, when a tour name Snarky Puppy announced a stop in Jackson, I knew I had to go.  I explored and researched the idea of 'side projects' because I didn't know what that meant. It turns out that the concerts would feature three bands  led by members of Snarky Puppy. Pretty cool, right? So we got three interpretations of a jazz, funk, blues, early R&B, rock mix, which turned into one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.  From beginning to end, I enjoyed artists presenting themselves to the world through their music.  They were open with us trying out new songs, new arrangements, and new interpretations.  These artists worked to produce a fresh take on jazz/funk/world music to really begin this new genre of music. This creolization of sound escapes our traditional guidelines for music and uniquely places us in the beginnings of musical creation. It was just fantastic!! No other words could describe the experience, and I went to both Mississippi shows. (Broke my pocket but I'd do it again).

I've been studying the Civil Rights Movement for nine years.  Yes, I'm young, but since high school, I've been fascinated with the movement.  Selma, a film that highlights events that led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, helped me see the movement in a real way from the view of an artist, which I really appreciated.  I enjoying walking through a small part of the movement as if I've never studied it before this time.  Going through each step and analyzing all the moving pieces revitalized my passion for the beauty and struggle of the movement.  The performances captured the humanity of the people, and the screenplay depicted the reality of the story.  There were slow moments and weird editing decisions, but I enjoyed the experience. It's an accessible history for the masses.

Black people exist.

Black children are important.

Memorization skills (Easter and Christmas speeches)

They want us to be sad and tried and give up. But we won't let this die. We won't let this destroy us again. We won't rest until we get freedom.

Ooo, you don't like my hair. You don't like my ability to express my Afrocentric features. You don't like how I can be happy with something you've been taught to hate. You don't like that I don't feel the pressure to look like you with your thinning crown and dusty tresses.

The best thing about Dear White People was telling my friends that those sorts of overt racisms still exist. (My friends and I graduated from HBCUs.)

The rest of my feelings are stated below in a text message conversation with my friend Hope (Hope and I graduated from a PWI.)

Queen Ombaba: So about dear white people, I don't really like it.

Hope Speaks: Yeah. I've heard that a lot. And I do [like the movie] in spite of some reasons that I questioned it, which worries me.  Where did you see it? What's the deal?

“How many husbands do you have?” an older gentleman asked me a few nights ago at a dinner party. Stunned by his lack of interest in my educational background or my connection to the host or anything else for that matter, I looked at him with the look of disbelief.  In that moment, he measured me as a human being by the number of men in life. As a younger woman, there must be men in my life who no longer serve as paternal guides but serve as a source of strength in light of my ailing place in society: an unemployed educated Black woman.  I shifted my weight to my right foot to accommodate for the distance the comment made between him and me. I responded sternly, “None.”  Even as the conversation continued, I could hear the questions ringing in my head, “How many husbands do you have? How many husbands do you have?”