Currently, when we think of a black woman artist who showcases an androgynous or gender-bending look, we think of Janelle Monae. But, before Monae, other black women have challenged gender coding and in less accepting times, and possibly with less conventionally attractive features. Black women doing gender-bending often received less attention than when it is […]
Read More Rewind: Dapper Ladies*I am planning to a fundraiser in the future to raise money for trademarking my blog name and logo as well as to do merchandising. But in the meantime, please donate at the sidebar. Any amount is appreciated. Thank you! Check out Chinaka Hodge’s “Black Future Month” posts. *Raimi Gbadamosi‘s “Afrofuturism as a New Consciousness” […]
Read More Moving on the Wires: This Week’s News and PostsWe often imagine exploration into worlds beyond ours in outer space, but what about the mysterious depths of the watery underground, of utopian worlds like Drexciya or Atlantis. Below are notes from the panel featuring Jared Richardson, Alexander Weheliye and Edgar Arceneaux: Richardson– *Displacement and collective memory *Azealia Banks, queerness and fluid sexuality in blackness […]
Read More Modern Griots Recap: The Black Aquatic and AfrofuturismWatching Ed Bland‘s short film, Cry of Jazz, this morning reinforced how times have not changed much. The 1958 controversial documentary-styled film sets on a discussion after a jazz club meeting and the discussions and arguments literally feel like deja vu – white dismissals of black cultural contributions, black suffering, black knowledge and black excellence while […]
Read More Rewind: “Cry of Jazz” and Restrictions on Black Excellence*On this blog for this month will be “Black Retrofuturism Month,” so I will be posting throughout the month afrofuturistic cultural productions from the past in a series called, “Rewind.” *BUTCH DIVA, the Brooklyn-based fashion haus that I have featured before on my blog, has a new collaboration with Jamaican-bred artist Robin Clare. They teamed […]
Read More Moving on the Wires: This Week’s News and PostsOntario artist Sara Golish recently released her series, MoonDust, an ode to Afrofuturism and natural hair. She recounts her process for the project: “…However, these pieces are heavily based in Afrofuturism and various natural hair styles coloured girls rock. Inspired by music, 70s & 80s vinyl album covers, Sci-Fi, futuristic elements and retro flavours, by […]
Read More Art of This World: Sara Golish’s MoonDustAttending the Black Comic Book Festival for the first time this year introduced me to a wide scope of the comic book world from the lens of the black community and so I wanted to share some of the creators and their works that I came across while there. It was difficult walking around the […]
Read More Modern Griots Recap: Highlights from Black Comic Book FestivalSorry I did not post for most of the week; I have a slight sprained wrist, so I had to slow down a bit on writing. But anyway, here is some news articles and written pieces from the week: *Martin Luther King in Science Fiction on i09 *”Playing a Minority Forecaster in search of Afrofuturism: […]
Read More Moving on the Wires: This Week’s News and PostsThis is jazz singer, Jose James’, Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired song, “The Dreamer:” “I saw the dreamer raise his hand Into a world of possibilities” While today many will try to appropriate and sanitize his image and legacy for their own agendas (looking at you PETA), let us remember that King fought for the freedom […]
Read More MLK: Who His Dreams Were ForBelow are some news stories and opinion pieces that I collected over the week. Since Facebook is changing up its system of how posts are viewed and is fishy with what it considers as “violating community guidelines,” I will post the articles I come across during the week on Sunday along with posting them there […]
Read More Moving on the Wires: Articles and Posts from This Week
Sherese Francis 