Mahogany Monday is a weekly meme hosted by The Mahogany Way.

Mahogany Monday is a weekly meme hosted by The Mahogany Way.

Mahogany Monday is a weekly meme hosted at The Mahogany Way.

I thought I'd show off some more of the kid's photography. I'm really trying to nurture his budding talent...

Oh yeah, please don't steal my eight year old's pics. Thanks, MOM!

I was trollin' for handmade on etsy and this is what I added to the wish list..

Minxshop's Crown of Love VI - Black feathered headpiece...it's just fierce.

DownRight Country's Summer Breeze... there's something whimsical yet dark about this painting that i adore.

Shagbag's dragonfly jade cuff...just lovely.

Fresh Vintage Love's vintage orange weekender and The Habits of Rabbits's vintage avocado weekender... so these are my latest obsession. and i love how some etsy artisans are upcycling these vintage carry on bags by stenciling cool designs onto them.

I'm a pretty active member of a local natural hair group in town and whenever new people join, I seem to be the one they talk with most. Why? Because I'm the one preaching the gospel of "keep it simple". I think my fifteen years at this really lends itself to that notion. I've avoided getting caught up in all the hot products of the moment because I managed for so many years without them. And, since I'm always being asked: "What do you use?" and get looks of disbelief when I say: "only shampoo, conditioner, and shea or mango butter," I think I'm getting something right.

I've explained to others time and again that all of those other products on the market for natural hair are about manipulating the curl pattern. Now, I know that we like to have more length or bigger hair and this can be achieved without slathering purple minty products laden with mineral oil in our hair. I have a good friend who loves to remind everyone that mineral oil is a by-product of crude oil. Yes, the same oil used to produce gasoline for your car. It just sits on the surface doing nothing for your hair in actuality. Two strand twist outs or braid outs can help you "stretch" your hair. 

We have got to stop overwhelming ourselves and others with these arsenals of products. So many of us will find it's just not necessary to use all of that stuff. The only thing I might add to my products (occasionally) are essential oils. They're great for making the hair fragrant and addressing any hair and scalp issues such as dandruff or hair loss. 

Let's remember to pamper ourselves internally as much as we do externally. Nutrient rich food, water, and rest are essential to healthy hair just like the rest of the body. So spend your extra money at the farmers market or a yoga class (yes, I'm biased to those two). As for our hair externally, we should aim for clean and moisturized. Simple. 

Saturday, July 9, 2011, was the first of presumably regular annual gatherings to discuss the state of the Black arts community in Memphis. Hosted by Ekundayo Bandele (founder and artistic directer of Hattiloo Theater), the day long event was free and open to the public. First, I have to note how well organized it was. Bandele was well prepared with alternate speakers for those suddenly unable to participate and everything moved along without incident. 

The crux of the conversation is that there is no Black arts community present in Memphis. There are a number of organizations including theater repertories like Bluff City Tri-Art, dance companies like Bridging Souls Productions, and so on that are a disjointed presence in the city. I will be the first to admit that several of the organizations I was not familiar with and I'm a native of the city. Yet, that was part of my reason for attending. I want to be a better patron of the arts and this was a great way for to learn more about what's out there and how to be involved.

Now I'll share some take aways from the symposium...

• Bennie West, founding executive director of Memphis Black Arts Alliance, advocates an African American museum and cultural center and I strongly cosign this. It seemed the entire audience concurred considering there is a huge black population in this city...we are this city.
• Dr. Keith D. Lee noted two important things: (1) Those receiving funding for music arts and theater arts are not "talking to each other." Again pointing to the lack of community among the various black art forms. (2) Literary arts are pretty much ignored. So, this means our poets, spoken word artists, writers and such are marginalized when it comes to funding.
• Lawrence Blackwell, Asst. Professor of theater at University of Memphis and self-described "DuBoisian follower", believes that Black theater "must be political".
• During the last few hours, the question of whether or not artists need to know how to be both an artist and business person became an ongoing debate. 
• I even picked up a bit of history from Chicano artist, Richard Lou. He shared how his father and other Chinese immigrants found themselves part of the Delta community. Labor brokers brought them to Mississippi and Louisiana to work the cotton and rice fields, respectively, in an attempt to drive down wages. 

This, again, was a promising gathering of lively artists and patrons. There definitely needs to be more bridging of the disciplines. As was brought up several times, the various black arts organizations might even find more power collectively when it comes to securing funding. In the meantime, I'll keep doing what I do which is patronizing and sharing all the glorious creativity radiating from Memphis' Black artists.

If you're in the Memphis metro area, be sure to check out these organizations:

The Memphis Black Arts Alliance
Collage Dance Collective

Cultural Arts For Everyone
Watoto De Afrika
Hattiloo Theatre
Bridging Souls Productions
Bluff City Tri-Art Theatre

Mahogany Monday is a weekly meme hosted at The Mahogany Way.

This is how the kid gets down at dinner time.

My mom and I attended the Sisterhood Showcase this past weekend. As far as I know, neither of us had ever been and it's been an annual Memphis event for 16 years. We didn't sit in on any workshops or demonstrations. We didn't watch the fashion show other than a brief glances. We didn't even stay for Johnny Gill. I know, what the heck did we do? We indulged this commodities fest and perused the numerous aisles filled with vendors. There were colleges hoping to get some new college loan dollars, hydrotherapy massagers, a plethora of costume jewelry, and a host of other wares being peddled. In the midst of this "showcase", there was one special vendor I nearly missed.

At first, I totally dissed Kimmie when she asked if we'd like to talk to her about LcB Nail Lacquer. Well, I just told her "no thanks". My mom, however, stopped and I'm glad she did. LcB Nail Lacquer, according to Kimmie, came from a negative place of a family member being called cruel names as a child. The negativity has been reappropriated into 12 beautiful shades of nail polish sans DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde. Kimmie demonstrated on her hands and ours any and every color we wanted to see. They're all so pretty and compliment both my chocolate brown and my mom's honey vanilla skin tones. We were both so delighted with our final choices and to have patronized a business owned and operated by Black women. LcB Nail Lacquer was our final stop and what a lovely note to end our afternoon of shopping on. 

Last night, I finally got a chance to polish my tootsies in my new favorite color: U Blue U Black, an tranquil, ocean-y blue  . And look forward to trying out my other shade choice of Lil Sista, a cool, vibrant tangerine. Do check out their website and order a bottle...or two.