For the Love of Liberation!

Juneteenth is a Commemoration. Pause and Reflect on What Freedom Means to You.

Jun 19, 2024

people sitting on chairs near black metal fence during daytime — Photo by Derek Lamar on Unsplash

I’ve spent a long time wondering what to do on Juneteenth…

It is not a celebration. In fact, I’m often offended by the insinuation that it is—or should be. Two years of extra unpaid and forced labor for free.99 is just not the stuff celebrations are made of. At least not in my book. But the African-American spirit finds ways to make lemonade out of lemons, to be joyful during a time of sorrow, and to dig deep in a well of resilience to keep memories—good, bad, and ugly—alive.

It’s the legacy for me…

topless boy smiling — Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

As I pause and reflect today…

I offer some of my own writing as food for fodder on freedom. Breaking generational curses, finding financial independence, and loving the skin you’re in are forms of liberation. Here are some of my recent writing that I hope sparks joy and freedom-seeking for you and yours.

Black Homesteading

Homesteading has a long history in the United States. The Homesteading Act of 1862 offered up to 160 acres of land for a small fee to citizens–without discriminating on the basis of color. This meant formerly enslaved African American families could finally own land and end cycles of indebtedness from sharecropping. In the Great Plains, in particular, Black families developed the freedom to grow their own food, make their own tools and clothing, and form self-governing communities. Many of these Black homesteading communities represent early iterations of what would be the Civil Rights Movement.

13 Timeless Hairstyles From the ‘70s That Will Always Be In Style

The '70s was a decade of fashion and glam. It was a period when the looks of liberation of the civil rights and women's movements made their way into fashion, changing how people dressed and styled their hair. As a statement of individuality and creativity, glam fashion represented fun and freedom. Other generations, especially the '80s, continued and expanded these looks, so much so that it might be hard to remember that they started in the '70s. From shaggy lengths to big loose curls, here are some of the most iconic hairstyles of the decade.

Artist Ebony G. Patterson Will Change the Way You See Gardens Forever

"Would you cut a painting in half?"

This is how Ebony G. Patterson responds when people ask if her artwork can be displayed without her signature wallpapers. Maximalist floral patterns are often the backdrop of the Jamaica-born artist’s displays, but they aren’t there for decoration. Patterson views the garden as a multilayered metaphor for the human ecosystem in today’s postcolonial world: Vines enshrine her portraiture and sculptural depictions of Black people. “My work examines ideas around visibility and invisibility,” the artist explains.

Artis Lane: the Black artivist who captured Rosa Parks

Born in 1927 in Ontario, Canada, Lane was raised just two hours' drive away, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began cultivating a passion for painting as a teenager and, as a young woman, she soon flourished in the craft after moving to Detroit, the epicentre of Black music at the time.

As of October 2021 on Art UK, there are merely five (of the 50,000+ total artists) under the 'African-American' nationality search category. With only two of the five artists alive today, Lane's 1977 painting of Her Imperial Highness Princess Ashraf Pahlavi of Iran (1919–2016) seems oddly misplaced. Hers is a well-defined portrait of a woman, while the others depict stylised scenes of collective Black life. And where the others feel weighted by context and history, Lane's stroke patterns convey an energetic and playful demeanour to the seated figure. Pahlavi donated this piece to Wadham College, Oxford.

11 Black-Owned Health and Wellness Brands to Support

Black-owned health and wellness businesses have grown in visibility and popularity since the start of the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of those businesses started off as a solution to a problem commonly faced by underserved communities—like a beauty line that provides better sun protection for more diverse skin tones, or a resource for Black women seeking more accessible mental health care.