The Radiant Smile of a Carefree Black Girl

Smiling French Singer Inna Modja

A SMILE is one of the most wonderful human expressions one can make. A smile denotes pleasure, happiness, and sociability. In fact smiling provides a positive feedback loop to our brain which generates a more positive feeling from within. So contrary to what some people belief a genuine smile does not show a sign of weakness but rather a powerful gesture when used correctly.

A woman's smile is in fact a powerful gesture that increases happiness within her and towards others. Now to take it a step further, the smile of a carefree Black girl is one of the most pleasing smiles to come across. But wait...what's a carefree Black girl? Per writer Jamala Johns in her fantastic article on Refinery29 Carefree Black Girls, its broken down like this:

Over the last 15 years or so, there’s been a heartening evolution in the works that I’ve been proud to be involved with. A while back, I launched le coil, a curated collection of natural-hair web finds and original photography. The more I worked on it, the more I started to realize that it was helping me explore a facet of the black female experience that went beyond just hair. I noticed that I instinctively leaned more toward more joyful expressions and regal poses, faces basking in natural light, and an overall tone that was warm, relatable, and encouraging. There had been countless conversations with friends where I lamented something along the lines of “I just want to see brown ladies having a delightful time and riding bicycles — and maybe having some brunch.”

Right now with the advent of the internet culture there are new range of ideas and concepts and archetypes. As of now the new archetype I am completely enamored with is the carefree Black girl.
A carefree Black girl is aware of the political and social climate but does not let the negativity consume her or let negative stereotypes define her. So she goes about her day to day being fantastically brown and glowing, enthusiastically happy, wearing her hair proud and crowned in floral headbands, and of course dressed in bright stylish clothing. However for me what tops off the look of a carefree Black girl is the all in the spirit of an authentic smile! When another Black woman smiles all the Brown angels harmonize in union ship. Okay, okay I know I'm being just a tad bit silly or a bit fanatical about smiling but...it's true :) If I was a person to constantly be a consumer of mainstream culture and entertainment you would swear Black women almost never smiled, because according to them Black women mean mug, smirk, nod and salute fists in anger but almost never smile. With the current political and social climate Black women have every right to display a current range of unhappy emotions. But to see Black women still smile through it all day by day and to not constantly wear emotions on our sleeves is a truly wonderful thing. Seeing another smiling carefree Black girl is a like sign your allowed to be stylish and whimsical and just plain awesome basking in your own brown beauty!

The smile of a carefree Black girl will always warm my heart and in turn make me smile :)

 

Black Girl Gardening

When I was a little girl I had a bright green thumb. I followed after my grandmother in her lovely garden extracting pesky weeds in the grass, picking and shelling gongo peas, plucking ripe ackee off the tree, and watering all the blooming plants like white orchids, french thyme.

Well many many years go by and my green thumb has shrunk, withered, and almost died. How that happened, well I'm not too sure? I just basically stopped helping in the garden. However as I mentioned in the previous post I alot of the books I have been reading has me interested in gardening again.  Well here's to a new start in living well and here to a start in my own little garden.




Gardening is a marvelous thing in of itself. Gardening allows me to be one with nature and help bring about life. From the seeds I am planting, watering, and nurturing a new life forms. Or I can look at it in another perspective; I save money by producing your own food :)  The wonderful world of gardening allows me to grow my own expensive fruits like mango, pineapples, and avacados. Compared to the stores prices the mango tree we have is better, sweeter, and having matured a long while back its priceless. Depending on what foods tolerate and thrive in the South Florida climate I can grow tomatoes, lettuce, kale, blueberries and more.

My lovely grandmother has been wonderful in the assistance of the start of my own little garden. I began with the cuttings of a french thyme plant and golden pathos plant, the baby pulp of aloe vera, and the roots of an orchid. I am recoloring my green thumb by starting out with plants, herbs, and flowers rather than cultivating food. I say this because I really want a few plants in my bedroom. In the meantime I'll help with my grandmothers garden which is mainly food produce and eventually branch off on my own later :)

Roots of the French Thyme

French Thyme by the Windowsill

French Thyme by the Windowsill

Aloe Vera Plant

Aloe Vera Plant

What's on My Bookshelf?

My thoughts lately have been centered on food; growing and cultivating it, consuming it, the history of it, and the politics surrounding it. My thoughts have also been a bit all over the place with relationships, from friendships to romantic ones, all types really.

 
  The modern era way of cooking and eating has ignited a desire in me to cultivate some of my own food and go back to the basics. It also helps that my grandmother has her own full fledged garden, that I used to tend to when I was a little girl. Why my little green thumb faded, I don't no how or why, but its welcoming back color now :)  So the herbs book I picked up at the local bookstore while browsing the gardening section really caught my attention, The book is perfect in the way the information is sectioned and designed. Speaks on gardening a particular herb, harvesting and storing, the medicinal use, and the art of cooking that particular herb. Herbs , I am looking forward to cultivating are basil, dandelion, chamomile, and in particular lavender. Imagine a bedroom smelling of lavender :)  Tastes of Paradise was a required reading book from my 10th grade AP world history class. Well the thing is...we never got around to reading the darn book that semester. Well this summer I set about reading the book and surely did so. Short read of only 200+ pages about how various stimulants, spices, and intoxicants became a social class cue, affected politics, feminism, and history. Like when chocolate was introduced to the European palette it became the drink of royals as a status symbol and only royal men of the court specifically. Then chocolate changed classes and became sweets and gifts for women and children, while simultaneously loosing its status symbol.

Rumi is a name I stumble across quite often on Tumblr posts but never really paid much attention. Now I notice his quotes everywhere. Its by random chance I stumbled across this book, because the front cover captivated me. Intriguing design, don't you think so? A translated book of poetry by a Persian poet and scholar, that comments on spiritual connections and mystical themes. One line that has really touched me: "Love is the soul's light, the taste of morning, no me, no we, no claim of being. These words are the smoke the fire gives off as it absolves its defects, as eyes in silence, tears, face. Love cannot be said." - Rumi, the Glance. Years ago I when I was a Netflix junkie, I binge watched random documentaries. Food Inc. was one in particular that was a strikingly good, honest, and eye opening film. That same year, I found the film's standout book for one dollar at my university Campus book sale :)  Its the rapid industrialization of food farming and production and its even more rapidly negative outcomes that genuinely alarmed me. Food Inc. is a book about the various sides to see modern American food production, the history and future of it and what everyday citizens are capable of when informed.

These last two books are bit controversial. But what's a blog without a bit of controversy, eh? No marriage is not just for white people but that's not entirely what this book is about. Its about the ever declining marriage rate for all Americans but especially for Blacks Americans. It's also about Back women's dating and marriage options reality based and those perceived. If one's pool of dating options is quite crowded or too shallow, then its best to come over to a bigger and better pool to fish and swim around in :)

Lolita is one of those books I was quite surprised to hear being raved about by various people. I have heard about this book for a long time and did not even consider buying it until I came across it for one dollar at my campus book sale. The book as the name suggests is very controversial and was banned at one point I believe. As of now Lolita is an iconic book and heralded as a literary work of writing.

EXTRA:

I am a magazine lover...but not just any kind. I treasure quality print publications with engaging articles, relevant subjects, excellent writers, humor, and awesome design. I believe I have found it all in this new magazine, WOMANKIND. The front cover of Frida Khalo grabbed my attention and the actually amazing content kept my attention. Womankind is a philosophy magazine with a geared focus on women. One article is o the history of bee keeping, why bees are disappearing, and why we should do our part and cultivate flowers to keep bees pollinating. Another article tells of a close knit community of women in a small town in central Mexico fighting against the uninvited logging community and winning. Womankind magazine is officially a new magazine staple.


Did any of these books grab your attention? Feel free to comment and say so :) By the way, what's on your bookshelf at the moment?

What Comes First...

What comes first race, gender, nationality, or religion? After first place is filled, what falls into second place, third, and last? However you order these labels numerically gives a clue into who you are as a person and whom you give your allegiance to.When I first came across this question I mulled it over and reflected on the labels earnestly for some time. Originally this question began with only race, gender, and nationality as identity labels. However I included religion due to religion being an immensely crucial identity label for most people.

Self-preservation is the first law of nature. It is universal amongst all living organisms and a hallmark of life. In enacting self-preservation mode it should be noted BLIND allegiance to any label, movement, or identity refutes the basic premise of self-presevation. So the answer to the question above, what identity label comes first... yourself. Yourself should come first before any social label you personally give yourself. I understand my answer to this question may sound a bit sarcastic or "above it all" because well 'yourself' is not presented as a choice in the question. However an inquistive person determines when to bend the rules and think outside the small box :)

Now in understanding social order, I am aware that other people tend to see the labels of gender, race, nationality, and religion first over individual identity. Therefore I choose gender as my second identity. Anything else in identity is of a lesser degree of importance to me. That is how i have always operated ad it as served me well. My allegiance is to myself as an indivual person and then as a woman.

I have a right to exist and so do you. Even more so you have a right to a lofty and well lived exsistence. Its imperative that you place your needs and wants first before giving any BLIND allegiance to anything or anyone else. Self-preservation is about honoring yourself first. Your identity as YOURSELF is more crucial than any other identity in regards to self-preservation. What say you... what identity label do you rank in order of importance? Did you rank yourself first before any other identity?

Treat Yourself to a Little Bit of Magic

In continuation with my self-love and self-investment journey. I implemented a new routine for my everyday morning. Now this routine came about when I started to overhaul my bedroom clearing all clutter and rearranging the bedroom decor. I decided to move my routine of This routine of primping and preening in my bedroom rather than the bathroom. Usually I would apply my skincare, sunscreen, makeup, and fix up my hair. All while standing in bathroom over the sink. Now once I finish my skincare and apply my sunscreen to the bedroom vanity I go...
and treat myself to a little bit of magic :)


Bedroom vanities in particular, gives the process of beautification a luxurious and glamorous feel for a woman. Every morning I awaken and after my morning routine of hygiene and skincare in the bathroom, I head towards the bedroom for my morning vanity time. Vanity time continues the self love experience because I am pampering my outer self and indulging in a ritual of feminine elegance.



There are various ways to style one's vanity. The main stays in the decor of a vanity usually includes:

•    Glass bottles of perfume
•    Container to hold jewelry
•    Simple vase of flowers
•    Container for makeup     
•    products
•    A Framed photograph
•    Vanity mirror

For my own vanity I have certain preferences. I use nicely decorated ceramic containers for my jewelry and makeup. Lovely glass bottles for perfume, and freshly cut flowers over artificial plastic flowers. I do my best to stay away from plastic as I prefer glass or ceramic as these two give a more luxurious feel. Of course nicely stained wood is nice as well for the vanity itself. Now to give the feeling of elegance and bits of luxury for your vanity this formula goes as follows. Apply the three senses of touch, sight, and smell:

Sense of Touch by applying various oils, creams, and powders for the hair and skin.

Sense of Smell by spraying a light cloud of fragrance
from perfume bottles.

Sense of Sight by preening in front of a mirror with adornments
 like pearl earrings or a nice gold hair piece.

Pleasing Sights and Pleasing Sounds

I take joy in listening to pleasing music. Pleasing music with a nice melody, a superior sound, instruments harmonizing well, and lovely voices that belt a gracious tune. However, what I take joy in the most are love songs, especially love songs presenting feminine Black women as the leading love interest. :)

Four Amazing Women That Inspire Me

As the lovely Abigail Kwakye posted the video 5 Women That Inspire Me, I too felt compelled to talk about women who inspire me as well.

Tina Dico (Tina Dickow) Singer-songwriter from Denmark. 

Tina Dico is one of my favorite all time singers. It was in the eight grade I discovered her music and I have been entranced ever since. I admire and respect the fact that Dico is an independent artist in every sense being, in that she established her own record company Finest Gramophone and heavily promoted her own music through the internet. Dickow is one of the few artists I genuinely admire because she writes her own lyrics, plays instruments, and commands a quiet but strong presence. In fact I have preference for her live recorded shows to her studio versions, which are great too. It's just something mesmerizing about watching her plucking the guitar strings, her husband's fingers on the piano or blowing the trombone, and her voice serenading me that makes me smile. I love that her inspiration for her music is to "create a breathing space and get to know our selves better,.. to promote kindness and soften everything up a bit"  ^_^

Introduction: In the Red Live
Support: Albums

Magatte Wade  Serial Entrepeneur from Senegal.

I recently came across Magatte Wade thanks to this blog/tumblr
Magatte Wade is a Senegalese entrepreneur with a strong and dominant presence. Wade has set up two companies, Adina World Beverages a soft drink brand started in 2004, and Tiossan a beauty products company started in 2008. I respect and admire Wade's focused drive and strong grasp on her cultural roots. I admire how socially aware of the modern world and for recognizing how cultural branding is a way for nations to have a dominant foothold. Wade is very adamant and vocal about promoting her Senegalese culture which I love. In fact her stance reminds of the quote "Unless we know how to sell our culture, others will sell it for us.” - Pierre Sauvalle

Magatte Wade's vision is powerful and precise. I am constantly excited to hear her thoughts on everything. Wade understands how economics works and why African countries need to focus on manufacturing not just constantly exporting natural resources especially dominant oil exporting countries. She focuses going past surviving but thriving for her self and her people. Might I add that she cites her husband Michael Strong as one of the people that inspires her , which is just ever so lovely ^_^

Introduction: The Power of Unreasonable People
Support: Tiossan 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Nigerian writer/novelist/essayist

It was the Danger of a Single Story, the second Ted Talk I came across in high school. Thankfully that was my second Ted Talk because the first Ted Talk about statistics bored me to tears :(
I became entranced with hearing her speak and her talk sure did capture my attention. I have watched all current interviews on YouTube about Ms. Adichie and I yearn to hear more of her. She speaks with such conviction and such grace, that I am a big fan. Her writing is so wonderful and expressive in such a poetic way, but her interviews capture me even more. She speaks on culture, gender imbalance, power, love, and even natural hair. I have not finished her novel Half of a Yellow Sun but I promise to do so by the end of April. What I have always taken away from Ms.Adiechie is that she too saved me from the danger of having a single story of Africans. I do wish I came across her books and videos earlier in high school, it surely would have saved me from myself much earlier. I honestly feel that Chimamanda Adichie is to be the Honorary Black Girl :)  She proudly wears her natural hair in various cultural styles, proudly wears complimentary makeup, and dresses in such wonderful taste. Did I mention Ms Adichie she is just gorgeous. :)

Introduction: Ted Talk
Support: Books

Melissa Harris-Perry  - columnist, professor, and political scientist

Melissa Harris-Perry is the go to Black woman for me when it comes to Black women in academia.
I loved her talk on Sister Citizen and the politics of being a Black woman here in America. She expresses herself the way I have always wanted to. She speaks on race, gender, and politics in a very professional and academic manner. Her two books Sister Citizen and Barbershops, Bibles, and BET are on my wishlist as of now. Now there are some aspects in which I vehemently disagree with such as certain feminist and LGBQT talks, and I her insistence on calling herself a cisgendered person. But even with the disagreements I still respect and admire her and her work in academia overall.

Introduction: Sister Citizen
Support: Books