Nice Entertaining Magazine Winter 2014 Issue

#SOCIALJUSTICEMATTERS | EXCLUSIVE AUNTIE FEE

Nice Entertaining WINTER 2014 | NiceEntertaining.com

Faith Evans

ON LOVE AFTER LOSS & 20 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY

Contents Winter 2014

FEATURES Faith Evans

on her new album “Incomparable,� motherhood and 20 years in the music business. PG 24

Political Influencer

One of the new leaders in civil rights, Asha Ransby-Sporn, discusses what freedom looks like to her. PG 30

Auntie Fee

gives us life as she breaks down who she really is and where she is going! PG 34 2 Nice Entertaining Magazine | NiceEntertaining.com

Departments PG

34

PG

Taste

Eat and be merry with our Fat Tuesday menu. PG 8 Focus on and explore beer during your ‘Big Game’ watch party on February 1. PG 10

Themed

8

The first of our wedding series, bride Brittany Woods gives her instructions for making her engagement party’s Christmas tree ornament favors. PG 38

Conversation Piece

Play

What’s new from HP, Wii U, track your fitness for the new year, and find out how the high-class fly! PG 40

Our 2014 holiday tunes PG 14 The hits of 2014. PG 15 New releases this winter. PG 16 Apple Pay or nay? Eric gives his tidbits. PG 17

The Experience #NYE - Bring in 2015 like the Big Apple does! PG 20 Kali Williams - an intimacy pro - shares what you can do to make this Valentine’s Day like no other. PG 22 PG

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Nice

You’re Invited!

Entertaining TEAM Editorial Director Carmen Smith

Marketing Director Jayne Walton

Subscribe to the NEWSLETTER for exclusive recipes, music and interviews.4

Copyeditor

Aaron Haltom

Contributing Writers

Briana Barner, Mia Coward, Beer'd, Jen Ford and Eric Pinkett

Contributing Photographer

Winter Holiday Calendar

Anna Alonso and Page May

Consulting

Tamara Jeffries and Sheri Clawson, 3CCreativ

About and Terms

Nice Entertaining Magazine is the complete home entertaining guide. Our content is centered around the elements of entertaining – food, entertainment, decor and hosting – and as well as inspiration from pop culture celebrities, political influencers and professional event planners.

Contact via email: carmens@niceentertaining.com Website: niceentertaining.com ©Nice Media 2014 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

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DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve 25 Christmas Day 31 New Year’s Eve JANUARY 1 New Year’s Day 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day FEBRUARY 1 The Big Game 14 Valentine’s Day 16 President’s Day 17 Fat Tuesday 18 Ash Wednesday 19 Chinese New Year

Editor’s Letter Last year, I read a post from one of my favorite bloggers - Necole Bitchie - whose first story of 2014 was about living instead of just existing. Necole went from being unemployed, sleeping on couches and losing her parents to being one of the top players in digital media. Her resilience and perseverance (and my partner’s insistence) is the reason why I am publishing this magazine, instead of letting it sit in my grad school’s Google doc files.

As much as I think I should be disappointed in the late release of this issue, I’m not because it’s better late than never. This time of year is ‘resolution season’ and so many people are pursuing their passions.

Since I have been working on this magazine for a year, I’d rather give myself a pat on the back than to punish myself by feeling guilty. This issue reflects this attitude with feature stories from individuals who can attest to working towards your purpose.

“I’d rather give myself a pat on the back than to punish myself by feeling guilty.”

Auntie Fee shares her unfortunate past and how she has become our newest sensation, reaping interests from celebrities, entertainment executives to regular folk, just by letting her son capture her cooking. Faith Evans has faced many obstacles in her life and her humility, calm nature and diligence has given her 20 years in business. The killings of unarmed men and boys has dominated media coverage for the past two years. Young civil rights activist such as Asha Ransby-Sporn, are working towards resolving the issues that lead to these tragic situations.

This publication’s purpose is to give you a reason to build your personal life in the midst of work and other priorities, while also getting you to explore cultural opportunities. We’ve included ideas for each holiday this winter, from a Christmas engagement, New Year’s Eve party, beer for the ‘Big Game,’ Valentine’s Day kink and a Mardi Gras feast. At least once this year, do something in celebration - where it’s on the day you planned or later!

See you in the spring!

Let me know your thoughts carmens@niceentertaining.com Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 5

Taste Eat and Drink

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Page 9

Page 11 Page 8

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Taste

Eat Well This

Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras celebrations are traditionally known for people wearing masks and costumes of purple, green and yellow. This year, host a Fat Tuesday dinner with jambalaya as the main dish, pancakes for Shrove Tuesday and of course a New Orleans Hurricane drink to wash it all down with. Get the recipes online. jambalaya

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PANCAKES GALORE!

Did you know Shrove Tuesday is known as Pancake Day? It is on the first day of lent. We recommend stacking up your pancakes with bananas and nuts!

NEW ORLEANS HURRICANE It isn’t Mardi Gras without drinks. Use this signature New Orleans drink as an aperitif or during the meal. Get the recipe.4

JAMBALAYA Bring out your chicken, Andouille sausage, shrimp and peppers to create this mixeddished feast. Get the recipe.4 new orleans hurricane

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 9

Taste

EAT & DRINK

Beer for the

'Big Game'

Get more football

HOSTING IDEAS4

Beer expert, known as the alias Beer’d, breaks down the top beverages of the season and recommends a few for you to taste on February 1.

BRAND Dos XX TYPE Amber Ale HOW IT TASTES There’s a slight hint of caramel & hops which both give it some additional flavor & bite compared to the classic version WHY YOU SHOULD TASTE IT It’s a Mexican beer, so wash down the nachos with it.

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BRAND Sagres

BRAND Pabst Blue Ribbon

TYPE Portuguese Pale Lager

TYPE Lager

HOW IT TASTES Like a budweiser but with more flavor.

HOW IT TASTES 1 part budweiser, 1 part water

WHY YOU SHOULD TASTE IT It’s a great beer for beginners (beerginners?) that doesn’t have any intense flavors and pairs well with all food.

WHY YOU SHOULD TASTE IT Because you can’t stand the taste of beer but you want to fit in with the crowd.

BRAND Red Hare

BRAND Allagash

TYPE Oatmeal Stout

TYPE Belgian White Ale

HOW IT TASTES Really smooth with no after taste, unlike most micro brews. It is a stout, so it is heavy.

HOW IT TASTES Lite and crisp with slight orange flavor.

WHY YOU SHOULD TASTE IT If you can’t eat any of the food at the party, this will fill you up.

WHY YOU SHOULD TASTE IT Goes well with anything. I prefer pizza.

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 11

Play

Music, Entertainment and Tech

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Page 15 Page 16

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Play

MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Jingle Bells:

Holiday Music

By Mia Coward

ANTHONY HAMILTON “Home for the Holidays” October 21 Anthony’s first Christmas album includes six original tracks and 14 songs total. He included Grammy award-winner Chaka Khan and Grammy-nominated Gavin DeGraw. With his signature voice and presence, his album is an instant classic that provides soulful renditions of household Christmas songs.

MOTOWN RECORDS “Motown Christmas” November 24 A combination of various artists from Motown and Capitol Records joined forces to create a gospel and R&B sound dedicated to Christmas. The album includes Smokey Robinson, Tye Tribbett, Vashawn Mitchell, Ne-Yo, India Arie and more. The songs covered include “Little Drummer Boy”, “Joy

to the World”, “This Christmas” and “Silent Night.”

EARTH, WIND AND FIRE, “Holiday” - October 21 The exemplary R&B, funk and soul group has ventured off to make a Christmas album including everything from “Winter Wonderland” to “Jingle Bell Rock.”

The group also created Christmas renditions to their wellknown EWF classics “Happy Seasons” ( inspired by “Happy Feelin” from the 1975 album) and “December” (inspired by “September” from the 1978 album). Including 13 tracks, this album is the bands second legacy project.

Listen to the Playlist4

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#THROWBACK Holiday Music Classics MARIAH CAREY “Merry Christmas” - 1994 The self and fanproclaimed “Queen of Christmas” is celebrating her 20th anniversary of her first Christmas album.

The 10-track album gives favorites “All I Want for Christmas is You” and “O Holy Night.”

THE TEMPTATIONS “The Best of The Temptations Christmas” - 2001 You can’t hardly make it through the holiday season without hearing the sounds of The Temptations.

The legendary group’s “The Best of The Temptations Christmas” is a classic that everyone should have. Our favorites are “Rudolph the RedNose Reindeer,” “This Christmas” and “Give Love on Christmas Day.”

Songs of

2 0 1 4

Rather than rate the hits of 2014, we compiled more than 5 hours worth of music on our Spotify channel. Get a peek at what you can look forward to on the playlist below - and see our top four for the sake of doing so!

1

2

“LOYAL”

“MOVE THAT DOPE”

3

4

Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga

“2 ON”

Tinashe featuring Schoolboy Q

Future featuring Pusha T, Pharrell Williams and Casino

“HAPPY”

Pharrell Williams

Listen to the Songs of 2014 Spotify playlist4 Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 15

Play

MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & TECHNOLOGY

ON DECK: NEW MUSIC

Create your winter playlists with new music from Jazmine Sullivan, Kat Dahlia and Lupe Fiasco. By Mia Coward JAZMINE SULLIVAN “Reality Show” - January 13

and bring an old school love back to hip-hop.

After leaving the music scene in 2011, Jazmine is back with a bang.

Her single “Dumb” featuring rapper Meek Mill gives a pop yet soulful sound. Her two singles, “Forever Don’t Last” is her signature, essential deep blues sound, while “Mascara” has a more upbeat and passionate feeling.

NE-YO “Non-Fiction” - February 10

KAT DAHLIA “My Garden” - January 13 Kat caught our eye with her unique yet aggressive flow in the single “Gangsta”. Dahlia’s deep voice and accent is said to separate her from other female rappers. Her three other singles “Crazy”, “Mirror” and “Money Party” each contain different sounds including Cuban dance beats, a pop love emotion and a feisty cultural flow.

Soon we plan to get the 21 tracked album that was originally slated to come out in the Fall. Until the release, we will continue to play “She Knows” and “Money Can’t Buy” while we anticipate songs like “One More” featuring rapper T.I. RAHEEM DEVAUGHN “Love, Sex and Passion” February 10

LUPE FIASCO “Tetsuo & Youth” - January 20

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the self-proclaimed ‘Love King’ is releasing his fifth album. With the leading single being “Queen” a women’s complementary song, the rest of the album is expected to express the dynamics of a relationship with Raheem soulful vocals. He plans to start performing with Ledisi and Leela James on his “The Intimate Truth Tour” soon.

“Deliver” is the first release from the forthcoming album. Lupe also has released single “Crack” featuring singer Chris Brown. He has also set up a preview tour for the album before its release date. The album is said to have a social justice theme

View More Releases4

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What album are you looking forward to?

Tweet us @NiceEntMag

Apple Pay: Trust Factor

The latest new technology comes from one of our favorite suppliers, but is it OK to use? Our resident tech guru, Eric Pinkett, explains.

F

or starters, the idea of Apple Pay is cool to say the least.

Being able to purchase items from your favorite retail stores without having to reach for your wallet/purse would be a neat convenience - but the key term here is convenience.

I am an Apple consumer through and through, but I must admit that I personally do not use Apple Pay, and I doubt that I ever will.

I have run into numerous articles discussing consumers’ skepticism with Apple Pay and how secure it claims to be, and the concerns are in my opinion worth noting. A quick look at some Pros & Cons surrounding the technology will show why the scales are tilted toward uncertainty.

PROS: - Apple Pay will give consumers the ability to consolidate their physical debit/credit cards down into one uniformed device that is readily available (IPhone 6/ 6 Plus).

- The software doesn’t keep you card number information on the device.

CONS: - Not all debit/credit cards work just yet, and in addition not every retailer is going to have the NFC

(near-field communication, a form of short-range wireless communication) device needed for these transactions installed in their brick and mortar stores as of now.

- The security of Apple Pay has not been proven thus far, and given Apple’s recent celebrity iCloud leak, security concerning any Applerelated software should be at the forefront of all consumers’ minds.

I do not see myself using Apple Pay or any other middleman-based payment system in the near future.

The level of convenience that I would gain by enabling Apply Pay or anything similar would not be worth the security risk I could be voluntarily opening myself up to.

Phones get lost and/ or stolen all the time, and there are no guarantees that Apple Pay or any similar technologies are bulletproof.

Google Wallet (another NFC-based technology) has been compromised before. The general consumer would feel more comfortable with the technology if the security were proven in some capacity.

“...there are no guarantees that Apple Pay or any similar technologies are bulletproof.”

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 17

The Experience Products recommendations.

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The Experience

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

#NYE

New York City gets all the attention on the year’s first holiday. Bring the Big Apple into your home this season with product recommendations and ideas below. By Jen Ford

Photo from sophisticatedgourmet.com

FOOD Checkout Never Settling’s blog for Times Square ball drop cake pops.

If you want to cut out the work, grab some cupcakes from your favorite bakery and add these on top of them!

Go to our site for recipes for NYC pizza, hotdogs and pretzels.

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DECOR Get more skyline wallpapers like this one from Design Your Wall. Guide guests through food and drink options with a New York City tablecloth and let them cheers to the new year with Subway-themed party cups and plates. Go to the site4

GAME TIME An activity is a great ice breaker and time occupier.

Have guests fill out these resolution cards from Real Simple and at the end of the night, have each person guess who wrote what! Click here to download4 Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 21

V The Experience

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

DAY A Pro Shares Her KINKY Valentine’s Day Tips

Could you explain what kink is and why partners should understand the term.

The modern definition of ‘Kink’ covers a broad range of creative sexuality including; bondage, dominance/submission, sensation play & roleplay. But you don’t have to get caught up in “what” kink is, you can focus instead on the creative side of things. Using toys and tools & embracing a bit of theatricality can add an exciting new element to your sexy play time. Whether you’re in a long term relationship and need to try something new, or you’re in a budding relationship looking to have some fun, kink can inspire a deep connection and lots of orgasms!

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If you were planning Valentine’s Day for your partner, what would the day be like?

I love to spend time outdoors (as long as it’s warm!) so a hike in the Redwoods wrapped up in a cozy sweater would make for a great VDay afternoon. Then dinner somewhere with a view (I’m a sucker for a good sunset or city skyline) while talking about what makes us each tick.

Are there any products you suggest for a kink experience (pleasure and dress/lingerie)?

My favorite sex toys to recommend are anything from Crystal Delights or NJOY (made of glass and stainless steel respectively) because they’re incredibly high quality and both companies are ethical, independent small businesses.

For purchasing a wide range of other kind of kinky toys, check out Stockroom.com, they have paddles, floggers, crops and lots of bondage options. Great selection at reasonable prices!

Are products necessary to spice up your kink experience? Are there alternatives?

Products are definitely not necessary! You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a kinky good time in the bedroom. There’s lots of DIY options too (but stay away from the 50 Shades of Grey suggestion of zip ties!) such as using neckties as wrist restraints. Kink is more about what’s happening in the mind, emphasizing consensual control and a sense of play.

HEAD TO TOE TOOLS

from Stockroom.com

Sturdy and stunning, these leather ankle cuffs are guaranteed to make you stand out.4

These new floggers can be used solo, or dual-wielded for extra dramatic effect.4

The Shibari Suspension Ring is specially made for Japanese rope bondage4

In relationships, and even on Valentine’s Day you would want the entire day to feel special. How can one approach intimacy before they even begin having sex?

Start your day off with a moment of connection to set a romantic tone for the rest of the day. If you live together, before you get up and start hustling about what needs to get done spend a few minutes in bed sharing what you love about each other. Think of romance as a verb, something you have to put into action. By vocalizing what you cherish about your partner (which can also be done over the phone if you don’t wake up together!) you keep the focus on your feelings for one another rather than cliche tropes of intimacy.

How can you keep the feelings of Valentine’s Day throughout the year?

Valentines Day is the only “formal” day of the year for romance, but that shouldn’t limit you! Every day has the possibility for intimacy and connection. It can be as small as a text letting your partner know you’re thinking of them to taking a few minutes when you greet each other for a proper kiss.

KALI WILLIAMS, Founder of Kink Academy and PassionateU

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 23

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F A I T H

Evans on Music, Motherhood and 20 Years in the Business

By Carmen Smith Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 25

F

Faith Evans comes from the 90s golden era of R&B and hip-hop music. With many of the artists from that time no longer in session - Faith is much like a relic in a musical time capsule that we still get to have today. She had major influence then, and now she manages to stay relevant and true to R&B music in an ever-changing business and arguable unauthentic sound landscape.

Now, eight albums in, Faith’s newest release “Incomparable” wasn’t even her idea for an album title. It was one of her Faithfuls - a term she uses to describe her fans - who encouraged the naming.

“It just stuck with me, the way he said it. He made me feel like I was really the sugar-honey iced tea,” she says and laughs. “It’s not so much me patting myself on the back. It wasn’t at all from a vain place, but I think everybody has their thing that makes them unique anyway. I mean it certainly is only one Faith Evans so, if it was to be looked at in that sense it’s certainly just not me being vain or the be-all end-all of R&B music.”

That exact humility, is what Faith credits to her 20 years in the business. Her composed nature suggests her confidence in her work and that she is unaffected by the obstacles which have and may come her way.

She has done the same with her three sons. CJ (Christopher Jordan Wallace), 18, recently finished his third film. Joshua Russaw, 16, is a junior in high school and Ryder Russaw is 7, both hope to enter entertainment as well. Faith is supportive of her sons’ interests.

“My most recent conversation with all of them about being in the industry is for them to understand that it’s a little different now in terms of the money. Deals aren’t like what they are today,” she says. “It may seem as easy to be heard, but it’s not as easy to make money.”

She is also mindful of the current climate of violence towards Black men and boys, even with her late husband and CJ’s father, Christopher Wallace, famously known as rapper The Notorious B.I.G., dying by the gun.

“I just try and make sure they understand that regardless of what you do, who you are, where you live, what school you go to, who your parents are, it doesn’t make you exempt from still being a Black man, or Black person for that matter, in this world. And just the fact that there are good and bad people, and that a lot of times, people abuse their authority police included,” she says of their conversations.

Faith keeps her business in order, and her home. Chyna Griffin, her oldest and only daughter is a singer-songwriter, producer and engineer, who has lent her talents to her mother. She says the two have a strong relationship - both professional and personal.

“But that is just something we’ve seen in so many other situations throughout our life, with the B.I.G. case, which wasn’t a direct reflection of those things, but at the same time we did have lawsuits that involved the cops,” she says of her B.I.G., whose 1997 killing is still unsolved. “So there have been times before when I’ve had to explain that dynamic to them.”

“It’s real easy because Chyna is very self-contained, like myself, and if I have something that I’m kind of stuck writing, I’ll just give it to her and she’ll give it back to me and it’s already demoed and everything,” Faith says she and Chyna’s working relationship. “That’s really what happened with this project. She was like ‘I think I have an idea’ and she went to our little home studio in our backyard and laid down a demo for me.”

She is also conscious of herself. She wakes at 3:50 every morning to start her workout, which consists of climbing about 200 stairs near her Los Angeles’ home. After she gets Ryder off to school, she holds her meetings and phone calls, ending them in enough time to be home for her son at 3:30 p.m. Faith typically does shows on the weekends, that is of course unless “the checks are saying otherwise,” she says with a laugh. Her bedtime is between 8 p.m.

At 21 years-old, Chyna, is the same age Faith was when she got her first record deal with Bad Boy Records. Even with the highs and lows of that time, Faith says she doesn’t have to speak to Chyna on womanhood and work, because she believes she has lived as an example.

In the midst of her schedule, she did find time to find love, although she says she and that person are just friends now.

Maybe the flame will rekindle for Valentine’s Day, but even if not, an ideal date would be dinner.

“As far as being a young women, that’s a life lesson, whether you are in the industry or not,” she says. “And that’s something that I’ve tried to be on top of a long time ago, way before now.”

“I like nice restaurants, so I would say somewhere like Mr. Chow, and maybe a nice show or something. Depending on who that person is what type of situation we are in, how close we are, we might can get us a nice suite at a nice hotel and do some things,” she says in sexy laugh.

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Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 27

“Incomparable” is the story of love after divorce. The first song “Prelude/Thank You Goodnight” is her commending her lover on a good time, but finding a way to end the night without being rude - so she’ll just say ‘thank you and goodnight.’

Faith says certain scenarios would come up in discussions at her studio sessions. Those stories, she says, ended up being songs on the album.

“Just be good to me, and I’ll be good to you.”

“When we started recording I decided to do the sequence of the album by way of the stories, making it the story of our relationship so to speak,” Faith says.

The album has a good balance of the situations one might experience getting back to love after the ending of a marriage.

Her single, “I Deserve It” is a memo to interested men that she is only entertaining those who treat her like a lady, singing “just be good to me and I’ll be good to you.” For those who need encouragement to let loose and enjoy a party, she teamed up with rapper, Problem for “Good Time.” One of her most vulnerable tracks is “Fragile” where she is offering her heart to love again, but needs to know “Is it love or lust, wanna know if I can I trust you with my heart?”

Married twice and now divorced, she has never had a wedding. If love and marriage comes to her again though, she plans to have a huge wedding. And while she can’t really envision what the day will be like without knowing who the groom is, she does imagine singing to him. That him, she says, would be someone with a sense of humor and with a relationship and fear of God. “It’s just a feeling, when those things are a part of someone’s personality, usually I can kind of tell. If I get a good vibe from them and I have a little bit

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of an attraction then maybe we can go out,” she says of an ideal guy to date.

For now, her focus is on her business. With the success of R&B Divas, which she is still an executive producer of, she is working on two new shows. One is a joint venture with Queen Latifah and Nikki Gilbert.

The other is a scripted series about a YouTube sensation, which is getting some interest. The most publicly anticipated project is a duet album with B.I.G. titled “The King and I.” “I’ve wanted to do it for a long time. I think with it being the 20th anniversary of Bad Boy and “Ready to Die” (B.I.G.’s last recorded album) and even though we hear B.I.G.’s music all the time, I think it was probably a good few months where I heard it so much and I went and met with the people that own the masters and they were very interested so we’re making it happen now,” Faith says of the project.

She has already recorded two songs, but she isn’t moving too fast because she wants to document the making of the album.

The ending to her album really paints the picture of her life today and in retrospect. In “Thank Yous,” Faith goes through a list of people who have contributed to her career and personal life - including God, her Faithfuls, her children and parents, and a list of industry people including her longtime manager Cheryl Briggs. It’s obvious that her circle is invested in her success and she in theirs, making her faithfully incomparable.

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 29

#DECRIMINALIZEBLACKS #HANDSUPDONTSHOOT

#TRAYVONMARTIN #MICHAELBROWN

#BLACKLIVESMATTER #ERICGARNER #TAMIRRICE #SELMA2FERGUSON #EVERY28HOURS

Photo by Anna Alonso

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#SocialJusticeMatters: A Conversation with Asha Rosa

A

sha Rosa Ransby-Sporn does not lead the typical college student’s life. In between attending classes at Columbia University and cooking for her friends, Asha is also active in social justice fights surrounding police brutality and the mass incarceration of African-Americans.

She is a founding member of the Black Youth Project 100, an organization that came about after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of killing 17-yearold unarmed Trayvon Martin, and a member of the Students Against Mass Incarceration. Asha tells Briana Barner why she fights against anti-policing and anti-prison measures, and of course, how she spends her downtime.

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 31

W

hat inspired you to become active in the social justice movement?

I think being “active” isn’t necessarily something special. It’s just looking at the world around you and seeing that you have a political place in that world and deciding you should engage. That’s my approach. I was raised in a family involved in movement work and that’s how I was first exposed to organizing.

thoughts on it for other social justice activists?

Honestly, I can’t say I have too much of a self-care regiment.

Definitely, writing poetry helps me with stress. I like to think about “community care” instead of self-care. How can we work together to be taking care of one another better?

How can we create activist spaces that people don’t need to retreat from to receive the care and support they need?

What do you wish that more people knew about the work that you and your colleagues are doing?

I wish people who are removed from the everyday experience of Blackness, of criminalization, and of racist and discriminatory policing understood that we are not organizing simply around abstract political issues, that people’s lives are at stake. That a Black person is killed by a police force in this country every 28 hours. I also think it’s important for people to understand that arguing around the innocence or guilt of a victim of police violence is counterproductive. Someone in power created the laws that determine what is a crime and what is not, and the police determine who gets caught and becomes a criminal and who does not. Even if somebody did something wrong, they don’t ever deserve to be met with racism, violence, or death at the hands of the state.

“Things might not change overnight, but they definitely won’t change if we do nothing. And things have got to change.”

What does freedom mean to you?

What does it look like?

Freedom is a continuous struggle and not an ending place.

Freedom is free education, housing, and healthcare for all people. It’s the ability for communities to determine our own destiny. It’s living in a world that is structured in a way that facilitates growth and change. We are not free in the United States because the United States was founded on the idea that we could write down that people are free and it would be true. We need a doctrine of change, of reevaluation—a society that does not posit itself as perfect.

Eric Garner’s last words were, “I can’t breathe.” How do statements like that, and their literal and figurative meanings, drive your work and passion?

We can use people’s words and experiences to frame our understandings of the world just as much as (if not more than) we can use statistics. My political analysis of the structures that do violence on Black people and Black communities can always be brought back to the lived experiences of that violence. The reason Eric Garner’s “I can’t breathe” statement has circulated so much is that his individual experience of being brutally strangled to death is a metaphor for the broader ways that the police as an institution systematically suffocate Black communities.

Describe a typical Asha day.

Wake up. Spend way more time than I plan to answering emails before I start the day. Cook breakfast for me and my roommate. Try to start my readings for school, but get distracted by Twitter. (Twitter is my most timely and accurate source of news.) Pick up my copy of To Die For the People, which is a collection of Huey Newton speeches and articles I’m now reading as I get on the train to head to a meeting for Black Youth Project 100. Run from that meeting back to campus to meet with Students Against Mass Incarceration, another group I’m a part of. Walk home.

Spend awhile on sitting with friends my stoop talking about relationships and politics. Realize it’s way later than I thought.

Go inside and go between working on editing a poem and finishing an assignment for school. Finally (maybe), sleep.

How do you unwind and relax?

I listen to Erykah Badu and cook for the people that I love.

What are the three essential items that you cannot live without?

Shea butter. Coffee. My notebook.

What does your home/living space look like, and what do you think it says about you?

I live in a small space but have a lot of places to sit. I like having people around me.

What is your response to statements that question the lasting impact of your activism?

Things might not change overnight, but they definitely won’t change if we do nothing. And things have got to change.

What does self-care look like for you? What are your

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Asha delivering her statement to the US reps at the UNCAT conference on behalf of We Charge Genocide with fellow delegates Ric Wilson and Malcolm London.

The entire We Charge Genocide delegation in Geneva, Switzerland outside of the UN. Photo by Page May

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Auntie Fee and her son Tavis.

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Everybody Loves

Auntie Fee

Our current social media aunt shares her story of how she earned fame and her true purpose. By Carmen Smith.

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ore than 480,000 people like her on Facebook, and her most popular YouTube video--“Auntie Fee’s Sweet Treats for the Kids” has gotten more than 2.7 million views. Auntie Fee - derived from her real name, Felicia O’Dell - is social media’s current sensation.

Thanks to Auntie Fee, we’ve seen how to fry crescent rolls filled with butter, sugar, cinnamon and raisins for a sweet treat for children, how to feed a seven people with $3.35, fry broccoli that tastes like chicken - and have learned how to make everything taste better with a shot of lemon juice.

Auntie Fee’s concept is reminiscent of your aunt who cooks an excellent meal, cutting costs and making you laugh (non-offensive profanity included) while doing so.

She is more than just the relative that cooks. Auntie Fee is a community leader, whose doors are always open to someone who is hungry or in any need of services she feels she can render. The same day of this interview, she was assisting people at the local social services department in South Central, California.

She learned to cook from her parents, and because she is the mother of three boys who do not like fast food, she says she always cooked at home.

Her youngest son, Tavis Hunter, convinced her to let him record her cooking, and from there she was introduced to the digital world.

“I started recording (the videos) and I thought they were funny so I uploaded them on social media,” he says of the first videos he posted online. “I knew it was a possibility that it could blow up, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen - I was keeping it between my friends.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Perhaps, Auntie Fee is so giving because of her background. She once used drugs, which caused a series of misfortunes to enter her life. She spent 10 years in prison for taking the wrap for a crime she says she didn’t commit.

“I could have walked if I just would have told who really did it, but I didn’t because I wanted to get away. So when I didn’t give up the people, then they gave the wrap to me, which gave me a 20-year sentence,” she says. “I did 10 years of that 20 years. Not one visit, not Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 35

one telephone call, nothing.”

She has been drug-free since her 1992 release from an Arkansas prison, and she credits her 10 years in prison as a big reason for her sobriety.

While she frequently has guests in her home, she does wish for a fuller home during the holidays. Years ago, she hosted a “To-Right-Your-Wrongs” breakfast at her home, where members of her family fellowship and talk out their issues over grits, sausage and more of Auntie Fee’s creations.

“When two people had gotten into it maybe a year ago, when they showed up (at the breakfast) they came together.” Auntie Fee says. “Nobody had to say I’m sorry, none of that was required. And if the person showed up who you were mad with, they already knew what it was.”

The free community breakfasts she holds are another testament to her civic pride. She sells cups of Koolaid so that she can host community breakfasts for free, and people also give donations to assist her with the costs.

These type of events have set the stage for her current relationships. Her brother, James O’Dell, accompanies her on all of her business trips, while her niece Aisha O’Dell handles all her business inquiries.

“First of all, that’s been my dog for the longest,” Auntie Fee says of Aisha. “She would always want to come to LA and bring every motherfucker to my house. I don’t think she cared that much about me, she just wanted to show off.”

With people like Aisha making Auntie Fee’s house an often-visited hotspot, she further developed her personality for hosting and entertaining - which we all get to see now through YouTube videos.

“You have to look at it like this - this is her. She has been giving us what she calls ‘dinner and a movie’ for years, so it’s nothing new to us,” says Aisha of her aunt’s success. “The response has been amazing.

Even just your everyday, average people, to people who have businesses, to people who have blogs, to celebrities. Everybody can seem to relate. Almost 90 percent of the people who comment say “Oh my God,

she reminds me of my mother, she reminds me of my aunt, she reminds me of my grandmother. Everybody has an Auntie Fee in their family.”

Auntie Fee has already appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Steve Harvey show more than once.

She has also done promotional videos for movies such as Dumb and Dumber 2 and Top Five, showing actress Sherri Shepherd how to cook. Many television executives have taken a liking to Auntie Fee and have had business meetings with her, but we will have to wait until the right opportunity is presented to her.

She isn’t just entertainment, she has a business sense, which will go in hand with her street smarts in securing a deal. To clear up the TMZ story that suggested she is only interested in offers from Oprah, Tyler Perry and Steve Harvey, she only was seeking advice from them because of their experience in the industry and their humanitarian efforts, she was and is not interested in a handout.

“I think low-key they thought I was illiterate or whatever. I mean, the whole country, by just listening to me, but when I use these words, I’m relaxed,” she says of her speech and the people who judge her based on it. “I just want to be relaxed in anything I do.

It’s either take me as I am or don’t take me at all.”

She is, however open to a non-typical tv show “something sweet for the kids.”

“I want to do something with children,” Auntie Fee says she would have a setup similar to when teachers sit in the middle of an oval-shaped table with children sitting around her. While she makes them treats, they could ask her questions and hear her funny responses.

“You get to ask questions, but trust me, the answers that they are looking for, they not gonna get them answers from me,” Auntie Fee says of the show. “It’s sort of like when they ask you where babies come from - when you got to plant that seed and the tree got to grow and then the apple falls out of the tree and then when the apple falls out of the tree, here comes the baby and then you got to get some good gravy and onions and stuff like that to make everything work out fine. And they’ll be looking at you like “What?”

Since she already has an open-door policy to her

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Meet Auntie Fee’s Team Her brother, James O’Dell, takes her to her meetings.

4 Her niece, Aisha O’Dell, handles are her inquires.

“I just want to be relaxed in anything I do. It’s either take me as I am or don’t take me at all.” - Auntie Fee home, it is only natural that she would open a restaurant. She would model the restaurant after one she visited a few months ago, where the cook came out and sat with her guests.

piece and takes orders through email and through her site - IAmAuntieFee.com. When asked about using a distributor, she has done her math and says for now she would rather make more profit off the bags herself.

“It was just so damn down-to-earth. That was a restaurant where I really felt like I was at home,” Auntie Fee says of the experience. “If I could have something like that, with people - you do not come in here with that high-class shit. That’s what I really want. I would come out and sit with you. If I didn’t think you had enough on your plate I’d tell someone “Put a little more on her plate!”

Even with her goals, she says her social reach through videos is enough for her. Her fan mail ranges from people who are suicidal and watch her videos to bring themselves up, to women who want to learn how to cook for their man.

One business she already has is her signature dry seasoning. She sells her dry seasoning bags at $12 a

“Right now, my main priority are the people on Facebook. My page is like a family. Everyone is addressed as cousin or sister or anything like that,” she says. “I am 57 years old, so I know what it is. My life is already straight. Any of this, I can take it or leave it.”

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 37

Themed

HOLIDAY IN PHOTOS

A CHRISTMAS

Engagement Brittany Woods is a recent bride who used her creative talents to make her special day truly spectacular. She did this by holding an event for each season leading up to the big bay, each with ingenious DIY elements. In each issue, we will follow her celebrations, up until her big day, providing her helpful tips to make your wedding events just as spectacular. As told by Jayne Walton

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he couple had their engagement party a few weeks before Christmas and made save-the-date tree ornaments.

“On one of our trips to Hobby Lobby, my mom and I went searching for Christmas decorations,” she says. “We happened to come across plain glass ornaments for half price, and she had the brilliant idea to get them and somehow give them as favors for our engagement party.”

“We spent a bit of time coming up with ideas for them, debating between puffy paint, glitter glue, etc.” she says of making a decision, but when one of Brittany’s co-workers sent her an image on Pinterest, they were both sold.

“It took just a few trials and errors to figure out the right materials, but ultimately we found a good combination.”

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Brittany made their save-the-date Christmas tree ornaments. Get the instructions here4

The couple had bride and groom cups at the party.

A table was set for guests to make their own drinks in koozies.

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STARTERS Conversation Piece CONVERSATION & EVERYDAY SOLVERS

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his season see what the new Wii U console has to bring, track your fitness with a new Jawbone device and find out the amenties on a high-end flight. By Jayne Walton HAVE YOU TRIED WII U?

TIME OCCUPIER Let your first guests watch each other play while the party starts!

The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support high-definition graphics. Its primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features an embedded touch screen. People are even choosing the Wii U over the voice commands and HD graphics of top competitors like the XBox One. Wii was one of the leaders in user-interface technology, but that has dwindled over the years as new technology has presented itself. But as many say, “Don’t call it a comeback!” I guess we will see just what the critics really have to say about the Wii U.

Make great invites for your next gathering!

3D PRINTING IS A HOUSEHOLD COMMODITY

3D Printers are making strides in the medical field and higher education, but what about everyday use? You can go into your local Office Depot and can get anything from a plastic toy train to paper weight, but HP wants to bring 3D printing to your home.

Their new product, The HP Sprout, promises to do just that. The Sprout will retail at about $1899.

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Get credit for those party errands you run!

NEW FITNESS TRACKERS

Jawbone, a leader in hands-free devices, announced a less expensive tracker for exercise newbies! The Up3 is a high-end tracker with more bells and whistles. This tracker can cost up to $179.99, but does everything the expensive fitness trackers do. It’s nice to know you can go out and buy a much cheaper fitness buddy. The device also comes with a separate wristband to wear during sleep, according to Forbes.com

WANT TO REALLY FLY FIRST CLASS?

Lufthansa, the largest airline in Europe, offers new first class tickets topping the list of luxury flight options. For upwards of $30,000, you can fly first-class from New York to Hong Kong. The airline has on-ground personal assistants, sets that dual as bed, in-flight air humidifiers, made-to-order amenity kits that can be used in their first-class bathrooms, Markus Del Monego-selected wine list and other high-end culinary offerings. Their five-star Skytrax rating, a site that reviews and rates airlines and airports, give it credibility.

Winter 2014| Nice Entertaining Magazine 41

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