Butterfly Magazine - Issue 12

t Africa’s Firs e S m a rt P h o n nda Made in Rwa

Vol. 1 Issue 12 10th JUly 2020

carmelle gentle Breastfeeding Influencer In collaboration with

Credit Chantelle Riggs FacebookPosts – Black American Art

Behind the Lens

Elegance,

Power and Poise

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Black Queens

Black Faces Transform your viewing...

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Message from the Youth

WE HAVE TO BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO BE

OUSMAN TOURAY

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Press play

e logo with the boy and the man much smaller.

Do YOU want

a voice? donate

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Lead story: Carmelle Gentle

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Bakita: KK

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Rhea’s Watch

Contents

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Cleanliness

Cover - Carmelle Gentle

THE BUTTERFLY MAAG TEAM Editor-in-Chief Beverley Cooper-Chambers EDITORIAL TEAM Karen Ferrari Simone Scott-Sawyer Editorial Researcher Tasina J. Lewis Sharrae Newell-Barn MARKETING DIRECTOR Marvin Osemwegie SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYST Michael Brown

ADVISORY BOARD Financial Strategic Advisor Nastassia Hedge-Whyte, MAAT, ACCA,ICAJ

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2

Behind the Lens

4

Message from the Youth

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All About Haiti

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What’s on the Screen?

19 Health

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Freedom is Mine with Fayida

iChurch Apostle McFarlane

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Just Ask Ariel

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Laughter, Good For The Soul

Library

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The Disruptor

Editorial Contributors David Clarke (London) Rhea Delaney (London) Joshua Grant aka Sports Arrow (London) Natalee Grant (Jamaica) Fayida Jailler (UK) Bakita Kasadha (UK & Uganda) Chi-Chi Osemwegie (London) Donna Williams (USA) Manasses Williams (USA) Design Editor Rusdi Saleh Graphics Butterfly logo by Wayne Powell (Jamaica) Submit a story: communications@butterflymaag.com Advertising enquiries: ads@butterflymaag.com Ad copy should be submitted Friday for the following week’s publication.

Butterfly Magazine published weekly on Fridays.

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Sports Arrow

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Marketing Strategic Advisor Jeremie Alamazani, Principal at Wealth Partners Ltd.

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Last Word

Suits on Knees

Butterfly magazine is published weekly by BUTTERFLY MAGAZINE LIMITED, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE, UK. Tel: (44) (0) 203 984 9419 Butterfly ™ 2015 is the registered trademark of THE LION AND THE LAMB MEDIA HOUSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission from the publishers BUTTERFLY MAGAZINE LIMITED. Address all correspondence to: communications@butterflymaag.com No copyright infringement is intended

The Blessing

Haiti What are the Major Natural Resources of Haiti?

The Blessing - Haiti

Toussaint L’Ouverture: the Black Napoleon who Freed Haiti’s Slaves

Labadee is a private peninsula on the northern part of Haiti.

260 acres owned by a cruise line a world away from the reality of poverty Transform your viewing...

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THE LIBRARY

Life without Black People

A

very humorous and revealing story is told about a group of white people who were fed up with African Americans, so they joined together and wished themselves away. They passed through a deep dark tunnel and emerged in sort of a twilight zone where there is an America without black people. At first these white people breathed a sigh of relief. ‘At last’, they said, ‘no more crime, drugs, violence and welfare.’ All of the blacks have gone! Then suddenly, reality set in.

The ‘NEW AMERICA’ is not America at all - only a barren land.

1. There are very few crops that have flourished because the nation was built on a slave-supported system.

2. There are no cities with tall skyscrapers because Alexander Miles, a black man, invented the elevator, and without it, one finds great difficulty reaching higher floors.

3. There are few if any cars because Richard Spikes, a black man, invented the automatic gearshift, Joseph Gambol, also black, invented the Super Charge System for Internal Combustion Engines, and Garrett A. Morgan, a black man, invented the traffic signals.

4. Furthermore, one could not use the rapid transit system because its procurer was the electric trolley, which was invented by another black man, Albert R. Robinson.

Alexander Miles 5. Even if there were streets on which cars and a rapid transit system could operate, they were cluttered with paper because an African American, Charles Brooks, invented the street sweeper..

6. There were few if any newspapers, magazines and books because John Love invented the pencil sharpener, William Purveys invented the fountain pen, and Lee Barrage invented the Type Writing Machine and W. A. Love invented the Advanced Printing Press. They were all, you guessed it, Black.

7. Even if Americans could write their letters, articles and books, they would not have been transported

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by mail because William Barry invented the Postmarking and Canceling Machine, William Purveys invented the Hand Stamp and Philip Downing invented the Letter Drop.

8. The lawns were brown and wilted because Joseph Smith invented the Lawn Sprinkler and John Burr the Lawn Mower.

9. When they entered their homes, they found them to be poorly ventilated and poorly heated. You see, Frederick Jones invented the Air Conditioner and Alice Parker the Heating Furnace. Their homes were also dim. But of course, Lewis Lattimer later invented the Electric Lamp, Michael Harvey invented the lantern, and Granville T. Woods invented the Automatic Cut off Switch. Their homes were also filthy because Thomas W. Steward invented the Mop and Lloyd P. Ray the Dust Pan. 10. Their children met them at the door - barefooted, shabby, motley and unkempt. But what could one expect? Jan E. Matzelinger invented the Shoe Lasting Machine, Walter Sammons invented the Comb, Sarah Boone invented the Ironing Board, and George T. Samon invented the Clothes Dryer.

11. Finally, they were resigned to at least have dinner amidst all of this turmoil. But here again, the food had spoiled because another Black Man, John Standard invented the refrigerator...

Now, isn’t that something? What would this country be like without the contributions of Blacks, as African-Americans?

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘by the time we leave for work, millions of Americans have depended on the inventions from the Richard Spikes minds of Blacks.’

Breastfeeding Master’s Babies:

The Wet Nurse Slave

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What’s on the Screen?

The Screeners’

TV Choice

Illustration by Wayne Powell (Jamaica)

WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY

Welcome to our Virtual Library !

Feel free to browse around and choose any book to read, all you have to do is click on the book cover to get the link.

Enjoy!

Credit: Flick Vault

Man

Credit: Quadflix

Credit: RakGhana

Black Joy

Spell Jesus

Lumumba Transform your viewing...

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Credit: Trevor Noah

woman

Credit: Universal Pictures UK

Credit: Stanley DeSantis Movie

Being Black in America – Trevor Noah – (African American)

Respect 12

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Something New Netflix

small child

Credit: August House/Story Cove

Japanese Children Cleaning

Credit: Ubongo Kids English

Anansi and the Pot of Beans

Ikorodu Bois

The Best of Uncle T! Transform your viewing...

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OLDER CHILD

Nigerian kids ‘Ikorodu Bois’ get Hollywood invite after recreating movie trailer

Stand Up! 14

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Credit: New Line Cinema

young adult

Credit:Netflix

Love and Basketball

Fatal Affair Transform your viewing...

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Credit: Mina TV Africa

gen z

Credit: Ted/Kimberle Crenshaw

Is Africa a Country or a Continent – Dr Craze in NYC

The Unseen Police Violence Against Black Women 16

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Credit: France/YouTube

grandPA

Steve Harvey v African Accents – Family Feud Africa

How Roots Captivated an Entire Nation Transform your viewing...

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Boomerang

Toto Borgella 18

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Credit: Paramount

grandma

Health

The government is recommending priority vaccination for “those more at risk” of the coronavirus. I wonder who they mean?

Hey let’s play a game of TRUE or FALSE

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Black people in America were thrown into burning hot pits by white physicians seeking a cure for sunstroke

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TRUE or

FALSE?

In an attempt to develop a cure for typhoid and pneumonia, white doctors had injured or sick African Americans submerged in boiling water to see the effects of extreme temperatures on the diseases TRUE or

FALSE?

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In 1945, after a bone crushing accident, Ebb Cade a black truck driver was secretly injected with plutonium to see the effects of a nuclear bomb on the body TRUE or

FALSE?

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1951-1953, the CIA and the US military released close to half a million mosquitoes infected with yellow fever and dengue fever into several black neighborhoods in Florida. The military wanted to find out whether the mosquitoes could prove to be an effective weapon of war that could be used to infect, incapacitate, and kill America’s enemies. 12 people died, mostly children TRUE or

FALSE?

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Inmates at a prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were used as guinea pigs to test toothpaste, skin cream, hair dye, and soap for several pharmaceutical companies. They were also used to test radioactive, toxic, and mind-altering drugs for the US military

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TRUE or

FALSE?

Betwern 1932 to 1972 with the help of Black healthcare workers and physicians , white researchers were able to convince 600 African-American men in Tuskegee, Alabama, to participate in a study of the effects of syphilis on the human body. They were allowed to suffer through the disease without treatment and subsequently and unknowingly infecting their wives and unborn children. Approximately 140 died as a result TRUE or

FALSE?

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In the 1990s, medical researchers gave a banned diet drug, fenfluramine, to dozens of Black and Hispanic boys, aged 6 to 10, to see, whether or not the drug could help predict if the boys were likely to become criminals as adults. The boy’s families were given $125 for their children’s participation in the study TRUE or

FALSE?

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In 2014, Kenya’s Catholic Doctors Association accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of chemically sterilising millions of Kenyan women with a tetanus vaccine TRUE or

FALSE?

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In 2017, a study (by Morgensen et.al.) showed that the WHO’s popular DTP vaccine was killing more Africans than the disease it pretended it prevents TRUE or

FALSE?

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And lastly, just last year... a report by The Guardian found that the recent Polio outbreaks in Africa were caused by a mutation of strain in the oral vaccine widely used across Africa. A vaccine that the Billl Gates Foundation helped to make.

TRUE or

FALSE?

Answers below.....

Every case is

TRUE and documented.

The use of black bodies for medical experiments is no secret. Black people have been used as guinea pigs for medical experimentation by various world governments for centuries.

Keep this in mind when they start blaming the “second wave” of the virus on black people If we are the face of any disease it’s because we are also the test subjects.

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Freedom is Mine

Colombia C

BY FAYIDA JAILLER

olombia has the third biggest African diaspora population in the world after the United States and Brazil. Estimates at the size of the population vary, but according to the United Nations, 26% of the Colombian population is Afro-descendant, which brings the number to almost 13 million.

There is a black presence in every major city in Colombia, but the biggest Afro-descendent populations live in the coastal regions. Departments with a big Afro population include Magdalena, Bolivar, Sucre, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.

The department with the biggest black population is Chocó, of which the capital is Quibdó.

Two Afro-Colombian groups have their own language and a distinct culture. Those are the Palenqueros and the Raizales. Apart from the Raizales and the Palenqueros, the vast majority of Afro-Colombians speak Spanish and are of the Catholic faith.

The Spanish first began trafficking enslaved Africans to Colombia in the 16th century, to work on the sugar plantations and in the gold and emerald mines. They were brought in to replace the indigenous enslaved workforce that had been decimated under Spanish rule.

Because the enslaved Africans all came from different countries and spoke different languages, they communicated with each other via drums. They used this clever system to warn runaway slaves of approaching Spanish forces. Enslaved African women used canerows to braid maps and escape

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routes into their hair, undetected by their European masters. They also hid nuggets of gold and emeralds under their headwraps, and smuggled seeds inside their braids which they used to plant crops when they escaped and formed free settlements. Although enslaved Africans and Afro-Colombians fought in the war for Independence in 1810, it was not until 40 years later that slavery was abolished in Colombia, on the 21st May 1851. Since 2001 this date has been annually celebrated as Afro-Colombian day.

Colombia is world-famous for its music, and Afro-Colombians have played a huge part in that.

Some of Colombia’s greatest salsa performers were of Afro-descent, including Wilson Manyoma and Joe Arroyo. In the coastal cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla you will hear African Soukous-infused Champeta music.

Everyone loves a party, and Colombia hosts some amazing Afro-focused festivals ever year.

The most famous are Petronio Alvarez in Cali, San Pacho in Quibdó and the Drum Festival in Palenque.

There is also Negrofest held in Medellin every year, and not to mention nationwide celebrations for AfroColombian day on May 21st! Mardis Gras Carnival in Barranquilla is the second biggest in Latin America after Brazil, and while it’s not a specifically black festival, there is a huge AfroColombian influence.

Robots in Hospitals fight COVID 19 in Rwanda Welcome to the Disruptor

To be a disruptor in business is to create a product, service, or way of doing things which displaces the existing market leaders and eventually replaces them at the helm of the sector. [`the disruptor]

Less Talk More Action

The World’s First African Smartphone Transform your viewing...

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Working with the African Diaspora

Black Pound

African Youth’s Message For The Diaspora

Haiti – Time for a change 22

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Sorry Is Not Enough It’s the same distance

Not Black Owned

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lead story

I am Carmelle Gentle, I am an independent midwife and tongue-tie practitioner.

I have a Diploma in Higher Education in Midwifery and a Masters in Public Health.

I am based in London and I’m raising my two beautiful daughters aged 11 and 8.

M

y desire to become a midwife began at the tender age of 15, where I was honoured to witness the birth of my nephew. As I observed him being born I was fascinated with what the woman’s body could do, in creating and birthing this newborn. The midwife present at the time showed me the placenta and all its parts and explained what it was and what it did, something I hadn’t learnt at school or at home; and at that moment I saw myself in her shoes. From that point onwards, I made it my mission to learn more and I knew I would be a midwife.

Midwife means ‘with woman’, I holistically support women and their families throughout their pregnancy, birth and beyond. I am passionate about supporting women to fully know and understand their choices in pregnancy and to be an active participant in their pregnancy and birth. It can often be assumed that when one is pregnant you automatically have to attend and give birth in a hospital. The medicalisation of birth began around the ’60s where more and more woman were being cared for in a hospital setting under obstetric and medical management, despite having a low-risk pregnancy. To this day women and birth activists are campaigning for better births, better choices in maternity, the right to be heard and listened to and for better outcomes, by challenging the status quo and medicalisation of birth, which is a life-changing and pivotal event for so many women. Yet what can be an empowering moment for some women can be equally traumatic for others. I support women to overcome their beliefs, fears and challenges around birth and motherhood and support them in understanding their choices and rights around childbirth.

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My NHS career ended in 2015, I was off work for a week and had this heavy feeling upon me as I was preparing to go back.

Without prior thought or consideration, I called my manager and informed her I would not be returning. I didn’t quite have a plan in mind, but to get by I knew I could work with various agencies in the interim period until I figured things out. Fast forward 6 years I now have a successful private midwifery practice as an independent midwife.

I primarily support women in the postnatal period whilst they transition into motherhood and specialise in lactation, helping women to establish breastfeeding.

I help to bridge the support gap and knowledge base for women and provide individualised care according to their needs.

Having worked at various NHS hospitals in London since 2006, I realised that for every few positive birth outcomes I facilitated there were many more that were traumatic for women. I found myself constantly trying to protect women and their birthing space from unnecessary medical intervention, in some cases, literally guarding the door as there was no apparent need for a doctor to review the client, whilst kindly informing them I will call if and when there is a need.

It was exhausting, to say the least, and provoked much undue anxiety and stress in these situations, but necessary in order to truly advocate for women during such a vulnerable time in their lives.

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The UK has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding, women want to breastfeed, with approx 95% initiating breastfeeding at birth, yet the rate falls to about 34% at 6 months, with about 1% of babies breastfeeding by 1 year. Various factors can impact how breastfeeding pans out, but with the strategies and support, it can be very successful. The fact that many more women want to breastfeed, raises so many questions as to why many women are able to sustain the continuation of breastfeeding.

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Knowledge and education is key to understanding breastfeeding, not only for the mother but for the caregiver also, many women report not feeling supported enough to succeed in breastfeeding once their baby was born, and having been quickly offered formula, where challenges occurred. There can be an overwhelming amount of pressure and guilt felt from the mother when their desire to breastfeed has been disrupted or stopped prematurely, which can last for many years and negatively impact mental health. So much more needs to be done to fully support women achieve their breastfeeding goals.

Women can actively prepare more during their pregnancy for breastfeeding, one of the most common things I hear from women is they “didn’t know how hard it would actually be”, breastfeeding is considered to be one of the most natural things to be able to do, a bit like breathing, it just happens right? Well, it is a biological norm, but for many women, it does not always come naturally. It is a learnt skill and both mother and baby are learning this together for the first time. It takes time to learn and understand one another and over time it can become second nature. However, the statistics in the UK show that for a lot of women this doesn’t come easily.

How can women prepare for breastfeeding more?

Pregnancy and childbirth can be compared to marriage; you spend all of your time preparing for your big day, the wedding day comes and it goes, a huge life event and then you have the marriage to adjust.

The same can be said for birth, throughout pregnancy and birth you are preparing for the day of your birth, where to birth, what type of birth, what pain relief etc, birth happens and then you have your baby. This transition to parenthood can be overwhelming and many mothers I speak to feel out of their depths and 26

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unprepared, particularly around breastfeeding, with many women wishing they knew and learnt more about breastfeeding whilst they were pregnant.

Women can prepare for breastfeeding, through reading and watching online resources, books about breastfeeding, understanding the challenges that they could encounter through breastfeeding so they can access support at the earliest opportunity, speaking to close friends and family about how they can best support them to breastfeed and having early conversations about the support from their partner during breastfeeding and as with birth discussing your choices for breastfeeding with your caregiver. You don’t know what you don’t know, so having a ‘tool kit’ of resources and key people who can support you as well as a positive mindset and vision, during this time will have a more positive impact on the outcome.

Childbirth and breastfeeding in the BAME community In the Uk Black and Ethnic Minorities are disproportionately disadvantaged within maternity, in the recent MBRRACE study 2018, it found that Black women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth and Asian women 2 times more like to die compared to their white counterparts.

This is a sad reality and so much more needs to be done to change this narrative for women of colour. Women of colour need to be listened to and their concerns about what is happening to them be taken seriously and acted upon promptly. The 5 times more campaign is actively seeking to support this change and encouraging women of colour to speak up, do their research, seek a second opinion and seek advocacy and support. Women are being encouraged to trust in their own instincts and if something doesn’t feel right, not to be or feel silenced, but to seek medical professional advice and support as and when they need to. You can join and support the campaign here:

Equally, when it comes to breastfeeding black women, are less likely to breastfeed when compared to white women: Within my own private practice, I have been consciously aware that I see a disproportionate amount of white middle-class families. I question is it because white families can afford to pay me? Are they more aware of where to seek help? Have they done more research on breastfeeding? I don’t know the answer but have veered to more the possible financial implications as a barrier for accessing support.

Women of colour that I do see are a very small percentage of my client group, approx 1-2 in 100 families in London. They want to breastfeed and they have or find the means to pay.

In 2019 I took part in the black breastfeeding week event, via a video interview and this opened my eyes to why we have this week to promote and educate breastfeeding in the black community. It is commonplace and culturally accepted among the

black community to offer an alternative to breastmilk based on social pressures and cultural influences and lack of accessing further support.

You can see my interview with Doula Ruth Dennison here which was shown at the event: My own experiences of breastfeeding were positive in that I successfully breastfed both my children, however the social pressures I felt from close family and friends telling me my daughter is too old to breastfeed, or their father despising the fact that I breastfed and threw my expressed milk out to give formula instead!

Which still hurts me 11 years later. Giving my milk to my daughter was in some way isolating him. Culturally and unconsciously the breasts are sexualised and their purpose of feeding not recognised. A family friend told me off for breastfeeding in her home in front of a guest and “to never do that again,” her daughter had formula and she turned out just fine! These situations challenged me, and my breastfeeding experience halted sooner than me and my daughter was ready for, which left me feeling immensely guilty for my choices in stopping too soon.

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With my second daughter, I was determined to breastfeed her for longer and hid my extended breastfeeding so I could feed her in peace, she weaned from breastfeeding aged 4 and in order to minimise and ignore the judgements and opinions of others, I felt the need to keep our long term feeding secret.

I realised and learnt from black breastfeeding week last year, the history ingrained within us within the black community that from the times of slavery our ancestors had to starve their own children to feed the slave masters child. Our milk was not enough for our own children, further embedding the fear and beliefs of not having enough or formula being superior. When reflecting back at my children’s father although it hurt, I can forgive not only his ignorance but also his subconscious trauma. As we have learnt from the MBRRACE study BAME women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth, and hope that with the learning from knowing this, we can begin to see the systemic racist issues within the healthcare and maternity services, and make positive changes to change the narrative and enable equal opportunities and outcomes.

Going forward I am collaborating with Doula Ruth Dennison in moving forward with Breaking Breastfeeding Barriers and Uplifting Education and will research other causes to support. We aim to support and advocate for women of colour and enable easier access to support education and training. We are currently setting up as a community interest company and currently fundraising to further support our mission.

I invite you to take a look at our page to learn more about our mission for supporting breastfeeding in the black community and for all women of colour. You can become a member if you choose, donate to our cause, direct women of colour to us for further support and rally with us to uplift and empower the community.

You are invited to save the date and welcome to attend our event next month: Black Breastfeeding Week international live event, is on 29th August 2020

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Bakita: KK

Photo: contributed. Bakita Kasadha

Podcast feature on Nostalgia (Nostalgia: for those who love music & the stories behind them. Listen to Bakita talk about the songs she loves and the moments behind them)

SPEAK YOUR

TRUTH Meet Bakita: KK

Overcoming self-stigma to achieve your potential

[

Bakita Kasadha is a writer, researcher, health activist and poet better known as BAKITA:KK.

[

“No one can tell our stories like we can� underpins her why.

Click for video

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RHEA’S WATCH

Highlights achievements of the youth today, showcases people who seek Highlights achievements of the youth today, showcases people who seek to​ create a brighter to create brighter future forgems thefrom youth andwho reveals future for theayouth ​and reveals hidden the past helped tohidden make thegems world afrom better place. the past who helped to make the world a better place.

R

Alex got a place in the UK's Premier Athletics Club Birchfield Harriers at age 15. Alex got into all the Youth Development teams in 2019 and she was called to compete in middle league competitions which are for seniors. In 2018 and 2019 Alex represented South Birmingham schools twice in athletics.

She went on to represent West Midlands schools at Mason Trophy Inter Counties Schools Championships in 2019 in the 300m Hurdles. She has competed in ​England Athletics' national championships twice. Alex now studies French, Russian andI LatinRUN at A Levels. unWithPurpose (RWP) in may 2019 Nii and WITH PURPOSE

(my business partner) we came across an eye opening statistic which said in 2017 there were 5,821 suicides registered in the UK that are male. This is a percentage that has been steady since the mid 1990s here in the UK. Another thing is we realised that a large majority of men in the society including ourselves find it very difficult to express how we feel because of social stigmas. So we decided that we would do something to address these different challenges. We combined our passion of running and community to create RWP which is a charity and a safe space for men of all backgrounds and abilities to run and socialise. In june 2019 we held our first run which was at Alexander palace in London AKA Ally Pally where up to 30 guys turned up to start this journey together as one. Since that day we’d been having runs and socials on a fortnightly basis.

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We are a community helping men overcome mental health issues through running and socialising and ultimately our mission is to create a safe space for men, allowing them to become the very best version of themselves. In other ways we like to express the message is we see ourselves as a safe space for men where they can all come together and be themselves, be valued and be respected. No matter what their background is and no matter what their abilities are so we love to grab ourselves as a safe space. We are not professional councillors but we are professional listeners. So we promise to provide exactly that.

A safe space where you will be listened to and where you will be valued. Therefore, this is really a community where anyone and any man out there can come and take off whatever masks that society has put on them and be able to be themselves.

As a young black man in this society have you ever felt supported with your mental health?

Good question. Personally I have never done any research to see what organisations are out there in the first place, to support me and my mental health.

However, throughout my life there’s always been a community or a bunch of friends or family members that I can always reach out to if I was going through a difficult time mentally. One community that’s always their for me is my church community. Whereby I’m able to connect with different types of people with pastors and with elders who can support me when I’m going through a difficult time. However recently though I have come across some organisations such as SHOUT that have been a huge help!

“We live in a world where, because of social stigmas, many guys wear a mask, especially around guys that they don’t know.”

This organisation has impacted my life in two main ways. One way is that it’s allowed me to see that men truly can come together and be themselves.

We live in a world where, because of social stigmas, many guys wear a mask, especially around guys that they don’t know. But through RWP I’ve been able to see that they can actually be a community where guys can come together and not have a mask at all.

Where they can come together, be themselves and pursue a mission together. That’s the first thing.

One great example through every single run that we hold is that it’s always amazing to see that we get guys from North London as well as guys from South London and this is incredible to see because, I’m not sure if you know but North and South London guys historically used to be rivals. They never used to get along.

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Name: Joel Nicknames: JT Born: Birmingham, UK mber.

Fav place: LA in Dece !

LA th wi e lov in l fel I Lamar, k ric nd Fav music artist: Ke emy Jer , sic Mu y Maverick Cit Riddle, John Legend e Fav colour: Navy Blu uble do th wi ke ca se Likes: Chee e nik , os whipped cream, nand al en ars jordans, rs Dislikes: Rats, spide

But seeing these guys come together, run together, have conversations, no mask and be themselves has really opened my eyes to the power of community. It’s shown me that I can really have an impact. The reason why I say this is because, as a christian, I’ve always believed that it’s important for me to add value in other people’s lives. Historically I used to think that I could only do this in the church.

But through RWP my eyes have been opened in that I can add values through outside the walls of the church and in different peoples lives. That’s something that I always aimed to do. Looking at how my faith can influence my actions outside the walls of the church. How I can help others. How I can make someone maybe see something differently that would encourage them. How I can motivate their very best version. How I can be a listening ear when someones going through a difficult situation. How I can inspire someone to set awesome goals. Also, how I can simply be a friend. All these things are what RWP has taught me.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY

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CLEANLINESS

LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN

IN THE UK

A Disgrace —

When will we learn

?

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Japan - The Cleanest Country In The World

CLEANLINESS A Lesson From The Japanese

Around Toyko

A Clean and Tidy Life

How infection starts Transform your viewing...

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faith on tv

Apostle McFarlane

What is an Apostle?

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Credit: Marvin Osemwegie

performed my first wedding and funeral under his guidance and enjoyed his fatherly support throughout all the twists and turns that would follow my ministry. His daughter Angela taught me to play the keyboard and his son Clinton taught me to play the bass.

He housed us when we were homeless without charge and celebrated our successes without a demand for credits. During his struggle with ill health, we became even closer as this was the only way I knew to say thanks to the man without whom I don’t know where I would be. Well, Apostle, you’re in glory now and I can see you smiling – walking with the angels and singing glory Halleluiah! I guess you’re wondering why we’re all crying. Well, it’s because we miss you already and clinging on to these pictures and memories like it was gold. Daddy Mac, you deserve the rest. You fought well; you kept the faith; you finished your course.

Bishop Nicholson of Acts Christian Church wrote: Mayo Angelou said: “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time”. Under Apostle Harold McFarlane I experienced and saw a person of great strength and wisdom. I give God thanks for his pioneering trailblazing spirit. The pattern set shows God’s hand was at work in his ministry and life. Apostle Harold McFarlane thank you for all the work you had done in bringing the body of Christ together. We now celebrate your life and will continue to pray for the work left behind.

Apostle McFarlane’s vision was to bring people to Jesus Christ, develop them to be Christlike and equip them for their ministry in the church their life’s mission in the world in order to magnify God’s name.

Credit: ChaseGodTV

postle Harold Carl McFarlane was the Senior Pastor and Founder of Built on the Rock International Ministries (BOTR), in London, England until he sadly transitioned recently. Apostle McFarlane was a former bodybuilder, who trained five times a week under the tutelage of three-time Mr Universe champion Rick Wayne.

Apostle McFarlane also competed and took the Mr Universe second place title.

Apostle McFarlane eventually put away the iron for the Bible and began pastoring Built on The Rock church in 1977. As well as other qualifications, Apostle McFarlane held a Bachelor Degree and a Doctorate qualification in Sacred Theology and established churches in Bulgaria, Russia, Rick Wayne – The Cyprus, St. Lucia, Jamaica, forgotten bodybuilder Barbados, Pakistan, India, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, The Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Burundi and The Philippines.

Those persons mentored and fathered by Apostle McFarlane confirm his unwavering passion to serve the community and the BOTR Church. Under his leadership it provides adult learning courses, Counselling services, a Prison Ministry for ex-Offenders. Apostle McFarlane also served as a Community Advocate for the Metropolitan Police.

Bishop Malcolm of iCan Community church wrote: Today I pay tribute to my Father in the faith.

Reverend Dr H.C McFarlane, affectionately known to us as Bishop Mac. There are no words to describe the vacuum that his transition has created for those who knew and loved him. I received the gift of the Holy Spirit in his home at 15 years old. Studied under his tutelage at Bible School, received commission and assistance from him to start a church at age 21,

Credit: Nick’s Strength and Power

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From Iron To The Bible

New York Blessings

Louis Farrakhan – July 4th Message Transform your viewing...

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Just Ask Ariel

The Time I Accidentally Dated

A Trump Supporter

S

ometimes I think that dating in the 21st century is one big cosmic joke, and on Saturday, the joke was on me. My dating life is starting to imitate my art.

I’m currently writing my first feature film, which is a romantic comedy. One of the love interests of my main character happens to be a black Republican, and on Saturday, I found myself spending time with a Black Trump supporter! I’ve accepted that I have no one but myself to blame for this experience. I ignored all of the warning signs. Not so much that he was a Trump supporter, because I didn’t find that out until Saturday, but I ignored the signs that we weren’t very compatible in general.

For the sake of this post, we’ll call him John, and Trump of course is simply, 45. Allow me to start by saying that I’m a huge advocate of online dating sites and that I’ve even met some really great guys on them. I think they are an awesome way to expand your dating pool.

I met John on Ok Cupid and the interesting thing about this site, is that it offers a plethora of questions for you to answer to help determine how compatible you are with a potential match.

Our compatibility factor was less than 50%. Sign number one. We’d answered completely different questions on our profiles, so I chalked it to us not wanting to answer hundreds of questions and just answered the ones we thought were important at

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the time. I found him attractive and he could string together enough sentences to carry on a decent online conversation, which lead to us exchanging phone numbers after a few days of online chatting.

To my delight, our phone conversations were even better than the online ones! I kid you not, we spent over an hour during one particular call discussing movies and where to find the best hamburgers around town. To me, that was pretty exciting, because if you know anything about me, I love good food and movies. Plus, he’s a gainfully employed, heterosexual male, based in Atlanta, looking to get married.

We agreed to meet on Saturday after I got my oil changed since he would be on my side of town, attending church. I brushed off the fact that John’s a Seventh Day Adventist, because hey, aren’t they Christians too? Plus, he seemed okay with the fact that I now prefer to attend nondenominational churches, even though I was raised Baptist. But apparently John was not okay with that, because at one point during our date, he asked me if I was an atheist.

So perhaps our different styles of worship should have been warning sign number two. But again I ask, aren’t they Christians, too?

We discussed a lot in our two and a half hours together, and as I look back, I’m not even sure how we got on

the topic of 45. Perhaps it was when he asked me if I was one of those “Black Lives Matter” people. To which I laughed and said, “Yes, I am very pro black, and I even attended a historically black university.” John then replied that he believes that all lives matter and tried to bring up the topic of black on black crime, which I immediately shut down. To me, the two aren’t related, but that’s a post for another time. Or perhaps it was when told me that he thought that President Obama, despite being a Christian, sold his soul when he decided to make gay marriage legal, and that 45 really is going to make “America Great Again.”

I probed further into his rationale, hoping he’d say something that made sense to me about why he believes that 45th is really for the people. He wants to build a wall to keep out illegal immigrants, and he says that he wants to bring jobs back to the American people, but 45’s winery in VA turns around and applies for work visas seeking foreign workers.

He wants to “heal” our communities, because “the blacks” all live in impoverished areas, riddled with crime. And of course the way to repair police and community relationships after countless killings of unarmed black men, is to bring back stop and frisk.

Unfortunately, his retort was simple and idiotic. John defended his stance by saying that his brother once played golf with 45th and that he isn’t really racist, but that’s he’s a very down to earth guy. (Insert blank stare here) Plus, how could 45 be racist when he has a powerful black women standing by his side? I then asked John if he’d ever heard of house slaves, because to me, that’s basically what Omarosa is. I also asked him if he thought he was sexist, which he replied that he used to be, but had seen the error of his ways. He claimed to now truly value women, and understands that its his job to protect them since they are the weaker sex. Yep, he referred to women as the weaker sex. I promise I can’t make this stuff up even if I tried.

I know you’re wondering how I could possibly have sat through this encounter. Truth be told, for me, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. I’ve been on bad dates before. Once a guy complained from the moment we sat down about the drinks and the food, until the moment we left. He texted me the next day,

but I didn’t respond. Another time, my date make a big deal about me ordering a $5 dessert, accusing me of taking advantage of him. But for some reason, Saturday didn’t feel like those dates to me. Maybe because I thought if I turned into an angry black woman, I’d only add to his delusional state, because its only natural to become defensive when you feel like you’re under attack. I did however explain to him in a very calm tone why what he was saying didn’t make any sense. Despite our extremely different views, we never really got upset with one another. He even said that he liked my passion and respected my opinions. I don’t believe John is a bad person and we even hugged it out after he walked me to my car. However, I do believe he doesn’t really know who he is, and lack of selfknowledge is never a good thing, and ignorance is dangerous.

I told him that I felt a shift coming and that more people would start to wake up. I told him that I hoped his path lead him to the light and truth and wished me the same. Needless to say, there won’t be a second date and I’m glad to say that it was not all in vain. I was inspired to do some much needed writing, as well as commit to staying on top of 45’s policies so that I could be better prepared for more run ins with people like John.

I think it’s great to keep an open mind when dating and choosing a potential mate. Choosing a life partner is nothing to take lightly and one should always know what their deal breakers are. For me, I can say with the utmost confidence, that my future husband, whether he be a Republican or a Democrat, will not be a supporter of 45. I can accept that we won’t agree on everything, but we will agree on basic things, like 45th is pure evil. Because there is a big difference between being a Republican and being a supporter of a sexist, ignorant, psychopath.

Ariel Driskell is a writer and filmmaker based in Atlanta, GA. As a master storyteller (think Yoda meets Issa Rae), she believes in using words to heal people, as well as sharing her perspectives on life and love with hope, and a dash of humor.

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Relax

LAUGHTER GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Josh aka Sports Arrow taking a break from writing

White Jesus

Grandma’s had enough 38

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New Lockdown Rules

Where Is Your Brain Located

Don’t blow your horn at old people, they have been around a long time.

Credit: Todrickhall

I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I am 83 years old and I was in the McDonald’s drivethrough this morning and the young lady behind me leaned on her horn and started mouthing something because I was taking too long to place my order. So when I got to the first window I paid for her order along with my own. The cashier must have told her what I’d done, because as we moved up she leaned out her window and waved to me and mouthed “Thank you.”, obviously embarrassed that I had repaid her rudeness with kindness. When I got to the second window I showed them both receipts and took her food too. Now she has to go back to the end of the queue and start all over again.

Don’t blow your horn at old people, they have been around a long time

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Sports Arrow

Cricket takes Credit: Guardian

a knee

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Michael Holding and Ebony Rainford-Brent speak passionately about ending institutionalised racism Credit: Sky Sports

GB Sprinter Denounces Police For ‘Racial Profiling’ Michael Holding White Privilege, Brainwashing and History History is written by the conqueror – not by those who are conquered …by those who do harm not those who are harmed…

Bianca Williams, 200m Commonwealth games bronze medalist and her Portuguese partner Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese 400m record holder accused the Metropolitan Police of racial profiling. They were stopped, handcuffed, and searched because the police said that a car with ‘blacked-out windows’, made off at speed, whilst driving on the wrong side of the road. The incident was filmed generating a mixed reaction on social media. Linford Christie, former Great Britain 100m record holder showed his disgust on Twitter.

The police have since apologised was the police wrong or right with their actions?Until next time, watch this space...

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Last Word

SADIO MANE

- What Really Matters Sadio Mane, The Liverpool Star from Senegal (earning approximately 10.2 million dollars annually),has given the world a lesson in modesty after some fans spotted him carrying a cracked Iphone.His response is legendary: “Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and two jet planes? What would that do for the world? I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build

schools and give poor people food or clothing.

I have built schools [and] a stadium; we provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy.

I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me,” Mane said.

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