Two more birds as thanks for Waymaker donators! Left, a swooping male American Redstart in his bold black and orange, for @ziggetyzigzag on bsky/twitter; right, an alert little Black-capped Chickadee in cool winter lighting for Meredith S Walker.
Thanks again to all who are participating in Waymaker and doing our part to help unaccompanied immigrant children!
When I really think about it, I’m so tired of it. When people think about African Americans— even when African Americans think about ourselves, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Slavery. Discrimination. Pain. Endurance. Why do WE have the be the face of pain? Our people’s culture is NOT pain. Our culture is NOT slavery. Our culture is NOT just rebellion. Our culture is NOT facing racism. We are so much more than that. When you learn about African Americans it’s never about our music, our inventions, our food, our style, our way of life. It’s always about being at the end of the stick. We were never taught the BEAUTY of African Americans. Only the worse. I know because of what we experienced, IS a big part of our culture, but come on. Social injustice isn’t the only thing we consist of. Like I said, I know it’s important to be taught. Im just tired of always the “inferiority” being taught about us and not anything else’s beyond that.
I also feel like that’s part of a reason why people are so comfortable with just constantly taking from us. Taking from our culture. Because point one, they’re ignorant. And point two all there really is to “African Americans” if slavery and discrimination.
Who are we? Who are African Americans outside of just being the face of social injustice. The short end of the stick. I know some people may make a face while reading this, but it’s just how I feel. I am proud of my people and proud of what we fought for. How we did it. And how far we have come. It’s understanding of, if you’re African American, who are you to yourself? Who are your people to you? And if you’re not African American it’s an understanding of who are we to you? And on neither side, should it just be the face of injustice.
- I dare to mention that I’m a little bit afraid how people may feel about this. But I only hope to find people who agree, and perhaps even put a thought or two in the heads of the ones that don’t.
We challenge our contestants to see if they can match their answers with our panelists of content creators & influencers in this Black Heritage Month special. If you watched Match Game, this tribute will scratch your nostalgia itch!
Created by BK and Ky, featuring Fiona Nova, Blizzb3ar, Michael Jones, Trevor Collins, Griff, and Eric Baudour!
You can watch it on the RT site or RT YT, now out for everyone everywhere!
WATCH HERE: https://bit.ly/3Y0xKhM
Happy Halloweeeeen Hoodoos!!
On this final day of Hoodoo Heritage Month, we celebrate the Black Man at the Crossroads Day. 💀🖤
The Crossroads is integral to the religious fabric of Kongo Cosmology. At the crux of ancient ancestral wisdom (the Kalunga line) and the realm of the living (the Mukala line), is our place of significant power, transformation, & Spirit.
Here, we meet The Black Man (not to be confused with The Devil); a Kongo-Bantu ancestral spirit who is a gatekeeper of closed/open roads & conductor of the spiritual energies at the Crossroads, which catalyze shifts, changes, + movement from the spirit world into the physical world.
When we go to The Crossroads to sing, dance, pray, invoke, petition our spirits or to conjure, forage, consecrate workings, deliver/dispose offerings… we come to The Black Man, among many other spirits.
Today we celebrate him, acknowledge his presence, and give specific offerings as tokens of gratitude and thanks.
As with any ancestral or Hoodoo Spirit, cultivating a healthy relationship & honoring the principles of energy exchange is paramount. Come correct or not at all. And respect his gangsta.
The function of Hoodoo is not to be some “spiritual stepping stone” on your way to another ATR/DTR that you *think* is somehow “more legitimate”. Hoodoo in and of itself IS a full, complete, and sovereign religious practice, and while there are many Hoodoos like myself that are also initiated into other ATRs (cuz fuck what your heard, there are INDEED Hoodoo initiations), there are just as many Hoodoos that solely practice Hoodoo. And they are making just as much shit shake in these spiritual streets. Trust and believe me, we are putting RESPEK on Hoodoo, period 🤌🏿 And in case this needs to be restated: IF YOU ARE NOT BLACK, YOU CANNOT PRACTICE HOODOO 🗣
With that said…
Happy Hoodoo Heritage Month to all my:
Hood Hoodoos, Black Feminist Hoodoos, Womanist Hoodoos, Hiphop Hoodoos, AAV Hoodoos, Blues Hoodoos, Communalist Hoodoos, Abolitionist Hoodoos, ATR Hoodoos, BQT Hoodoos, Soul Hoodoos, Gullah Hoodoos, Maroon Hoodoos, Black Radical Traditionalist Hoodoos, and all Hoodoos doing The Work 🖤✨🧿
(born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut.
She became the first African-American woman to travel into space
When she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
Jemison joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1987 and was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, during which the Endeavour orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12–20, 1992.
She was chosen out of roughly 2,000 applicants for 15 slots in NASA Astronaut Group 12, the first selected after Challenger.
The Associated Press covered her as the "first black woman astronaut" in 1987.
In 1993, Jemison appeared as Lieutenant Palmer in "Second Chances", an episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, becoming the first real astronaut to appear on Star Trek.
Jemison served on the board of directors of the World Sickle Cell Foundation from 1990 to 1992.
Jemison continues to advocate strongly in favor of science education and getting minority students interested in science.