revived tampa’s most influential black-owned magazine
SOCIAL JUSTICE issue
ISSUE 08
FALL 2018 $4.99
Table of Contents What's new in our Fall issue...
6 Walk the Line By Adrien Julious #TAKEASTAND
15
Fall Recipes #FOODSFORFALL
18
Top Fall 2018 Fashion Trends By Andra Richardson #FASHIONTRENDS
20
Sis, Get Your Things By Christy Marie #INSECURE
22
Blogging with Passion By Keshia McEntire #BLOGGER
10
Trust Black Women Feature Story By Sheree L. Greer #BETHECHANGE
“What I really feel is necessary is that the black people in this country will have to upset this apple cart. We can no longer ignore the fact that America is not the... land of the free and the home of the brave.”
― Fannie Lou Hamer
Note from Editor SKY U. WHITE · EDITOR-IN-CHIEF As far back as history can record, women have always been at the forefront of change and/or civil disruption. In Africa, history describes the far-reaching power of the African Queen, who along with her well trained militant male soldiers, were trained to protect her riches and land by any means necessary. Although history books taught in our children’s school, and even on some college campuses, erases the sacrifices of black women during the Civil Rights Movement, we will always honor those who stood on the frontlines of the fight against oppression, criminal justice (or lack of), and systemic racism. Even during this time, black women were still expected to remain quiet and “keep their place”. However, as our black men were being lynched from trees and mutilated at the hands of law enforcement, it was the black woman that kept the seams of the now broken black family together. The strength of the black woman and her contribution to the movement has been minimized and under-appreciated. Even today, as we embark on a new generation, the black community is still under attack. When a black body is riddled with bullets from a rogue police officer, or a teen shot dead after being racially profiled, it is the black women who leads the fight for justice. It is the black woman who takes the mental, physical and spiritual beating for her continuous work to ensure her family and community is not ravaged by the powers of oppression. Oftentimes, sacrificing her own mental health for others. This issue gives honor and many thanks to the local black female activists who continue to make sacrifices for the betterment of the black community and with a common agenda: Black Liberation. All Power to the People!! #SocialJustice
Adrien Julious
W
hen I worked in Nursing Management, I was encouraged to avoid talking politics or sharing my experiences as an activist. As part of Corporate America, I found that political talk, like salaries, is on the list
of things never to be spoken about. But I did. I talked politics. I shared my views. As a nurse and administrator, I worked in a predominately white location with predominately white coworkers who didn’t shy away from openly discussing their beliefs that Black Lives Matter was racist or Kaepernick was un-American for kneeling, and I didn’t mind correcting them in the many ways that they were wrong. In raising my voice, I refused to shy away from the frank discussions that ground my activism. However, my frank activist discussions slowed down dramatically when I left nursing to play a more pivotal role in my family’s business. As an entrepreneur, I felt my upfront talk with coworkers and fellow entrepreneurs dry up. As a black woman entrepreneur in a white male dominated industry, I operate from a place of disadvantage. Add to that the fact that I’m a married lesbian blogger who opines about the disenfranchisement of black people and women, and the worry that the wrong person in my business community or customer base would find out about my activism taunts me with career death. I needed a way to stay true to the causes I care about and still provide for my family. So, I started to move in silence, raise my voice in other ways. I support the causes that are important to me with financial contributions and spreading awareness, and I tell myself that financial support is important and necessary. Mostly, I’m ok with my new brand of activism, but I question whether I’m doing what I want or what is required by the circles that I move in, all to maintain a successful business, provide for my family, and avoid being black-balled because I’m too pro-black. I question whether or not I’m a sellout, and I walk a fine line between being terrified that I’m going to alienate my community for not being more active or alienate my business community because they aren’t down for many of the causes and injustices I write about in my blog. Caught in the middle, I do what I can, when I can, and where I can, hoping my contributions, like Black Lives, matter. Adrien Julious is a writer, entrepreneur, wife, and mother living in Tampa. Read her book reviews and social commentary at authenticallyadrien.com.
/9
trust black women with Sister Connie Burton, Jae Passmore, Devan Cheaves, and Sadie Dean
10 /
Interview by Sheree L. Greer
Activist Sister Connie Burton, born and raised in Tampa, Florida, is “always grinding, on the ground with the people.” Growing up in East Tampa, Sister Connie calls public housing her first teacher, giving her an education in community, family, and strong-minded women who made a way out of no way. She said living in the projects also amplified the contradictions between what America promised and what it actually delivered. As an adult, her activist work deepened when she became a member of the Uhuru Movement, a definitive understanding that “self-determination is the key to survival” taking shape as the cornerstone of her grassroots work. At 62, she continues to work directly with organizations fighting for the restoration of civil rights for the formerly incarcerated in addition to lending her energies, experience, and voice to any grassroots, progressive organization dedicated to giving “all power to the people.” On the biggest challenge our community faces today: Mass incarceration, economic oppression, namely “insufficient control of economic power,” and inequities in housing and education On what it means to be an activist: “Putting yourself in what might become a very uncomfortable position against power brokers.” Sister Connie said she struggled initially, thinking that one had to have a certain level of education or so-called political training to be activist, to the work, but has come to understand that if she can walk into “any situation with full courage and win something for the group,” she has all the experience and training and credentials she needs. On her most rewarding experience as an activist: As she gets older, Sister Connie is most moved by the feeling that young people “recognize the value” in not only her work, but THE work. She said, “this ain’t no one woman show or one man show, we need all hands on deck,” and knowing that others feel the same way and acknowledge her community-based efforts as just that: for community, is what keeps her going.
When asked who she’d invite to her activist dinner party, Sister Connie named Marcus Garvey, Fannie Lou Hamer, and her great grandson, to whom she is passing her baton in the hopes that he’ll continue her work and continue our fight against oppression. As for the menu? “We eating all the slave food,” she said with a laugh, “all the soul food.” “We gone eat as much as we want” she continued, “tomorrow is a work day.” If she could send a text to the nation, she would write “Deal with reparations for African people, grapple with the false sense of [white] superiority, then we can move forward ot solve some of this other stuff.” / 11
reformer Jae Passmore got an early start in activism, marching with the NAACP at just seven years old. Originally from D.C., she moved to Tampa as a child and grew up in the Tampa Heights area. In the summer of 2016, Jae got involved with Black Lives Matter Tampa and currently works with Tampa Bay DSA and Sex Worker Solidarity Network (SWSN). She co-founded the Hillsborough Community Protection Coalition (CPC), co-founded Bay Area Harm Reduction, and founded the Political Education Network (PEN). Organizational work notwithstanding, Jae’s articulation of the oppression our community faces and the nuances of the work necessary for liberation blends the personal and political in the most necessary of ways. On the biggest challenge facing our community: Climate justice. “When we speak about climate justice, it’s not about icebergs we’ll never see, melting somewhere,” Jae says. “It’s about how poor black communities flood when it rains” and the “air quality in black neighborhoods, [the] lack of sidewalks and infrastructure to accommodate natural disasters.” Jae also connects climate change to affordable housing, offering that ”affordable housing is necessary, but if we aren’t building houses that people can afford with climate change in mind, all it takes is one bad storm” to upset the community and set everyone back. On the most challenging aspect of activism work: Jae identifies “well-meaning white people” as one of the most difficult aspects of community work. Like many of us, Jae noticed how the 2016 election incited white people to confront injustice and attacks to civil and human rights. The well-intended energy is nice to see, “but being late to the party and wanting to lead the show is a very common thing,” Jae said. It also “replicates the oppression that people doing this work long before they arrived have been fighting against.” For example, Jae hosted a vigil for Heather Hyer that was also a protest against white supremacy. Jae noted that “hundreds of people came out” but that “white women booed” at the declaration that “police have been terrorizing communities of color and they are a part of institutionalized racism, an arm of white supremacy.” Though this moment highlighted the challenge of working with so-called allies, Jae said the vigil was also a memorable moment for other reasons. “A lot of people reached out to me following that rally,” Jae said, “[there were] tons of death threats, but a lot of people who wanted to get involved in a real way for the first time.” On what is or who is activist: “Activism is fighting for a cause one believes in. An activist is someone who is fighting against something unjust in hopes of correcting it.”
Audre Lorde, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth are Jae’s guests of honor for her hero dinner party, and her text to the nation would read: “Racism wasn’t invented by one person, during one election cycle, and it won’t be ended by one. If the organizations you support aren’t led by black women… you need to find another way to support. There’s too many black women doing this work for free, making real change for people to be donating time and resources to organizations who just don’t get it.”
organizer Devan Cheaves is the regional organizer for the ACLU of Florida, member of the Dream Defenders, and a yoga instructor. Born and raised in Manatee County, she calls Palmetto, Florida, her hometown. She’s been involved in giving back since middle school, contributing her efforts to community cleanups, tutoring and mentoring programs, and other civic engagement work. Elders in her life stressed a work ethic centered on service and community, but Devan said, “it wasn’t until after college that I took community organizing more seriously as a means of building power and visioning liberation.” On the biggest challenge facing our community: Mass incarceration and criminalization, particularly “generations scarred by mandatory minimums, money bail and disenfranchisement on multiple levels.” Devan noted, though, that “it’s hard to pinpoint just one issue, when intersectionality shows us how they are all intertwined at the root that is dominant culture—white supremacist, cishetero patriarchy.” On what activism means: “To me, activism is being moved to bring about change— politically, socially, systemically,” Devan said. “An activist is someone who is willing to respond to the call to action, radically visioning a better future and speaking truth to power through organizing and demonstrating.” On the most rewarding aspect of her activist work: Devan is encouraged by building community through what she calls, “relational organizing,” which she detailed as coming “together to organize around something we individually and collectively care about, learning from each other along the way.” It’s her favorite feeling in organizing, “being a facilitator in building power for our collective liberation and winning on the things we care about.” On her most memorable experience as an activist: Devan recalled the #KidsNotCriminals campaign in Tampa as source of inspiration and encouragement when times get tough. “The campaign was in response to the SROinvolved assault and arrest of Chamberlain High School student Brittney Overstreet, who was actively being funneled into the School-To-Prison-Pipeline.” Community mobilization not only got Brittney’s charges dropped, but also made an impact on the Hillsborough County Schools Board’s taskforce to revise the student code of conduct and then state attorney Mark Ober’s office.”
For her fantasy activist dinner party, Devan would call her grandmother Maggie Bea (ancestor), Ericka Huggins (BPP), and Solange, her patron saint, to the table, and if she could send a text message to the world, it would say: “Always do your best— no more, no less. Do unto others as you would have them you. And most importantly: Be kind to yourself.” / 13
advocate Sadie Dean, born and raised in Clearwater, Florida, grew up as the only little black girl in her neighborhood. In her parents’ home, she was taught that Black is beautiful, but in second grade, Sadie realized she was being treated differently while at the same time noticing that on shows like Law and Order, the criminals were always black, and the innocent victims were always white. She questioned these depictions and felt compelled to first investigate then to act. Sadie “always loved” who she was and had “total confidence” that she could make a difference in an obviously unjust world. A defining moment for Sadie was the loss of her mother and the imprisonment of her father in a case that should have provided him the protection of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. She realized there was a “structure of protection” and that “not everyone has those privileges,” not everyone has protection. Her current work: Sadie works to aid families affected by incarceration, to increase police accountability, and criminal justice reform. She is also the Hillsborough County field organizer for Color of Change. On the most pressing challenges facing our community: Infrastructural disenfranchisement, the historical and current disenfranchisement of Black voters, and mass incarceration. On Voting: Sadie offered an interesting analysis of black voter apathy, saying there is a “subconscious connection” between political participation and violence, between political participation and consistent oppression, a connection that undergirds the attitude that voting “doesn’t matter anyway.” On what and who is an activist: “Any action you take to fight for the freedoms that mean the most to you,” Sadie said, making clear that she didn’t want to “minimize any type of activism.” She went on to say that “all actions are valid when centered on reform.” On most rewarding experience as an activist: While it’s difficult to see the work in terms of rewards when there is always so much work to do, Sadie did recognize that “seeing our community banded for a cause” is a sight to behold. “When I see tears of joy and happiness,” Sadie feels like we’re making a mark and that “larger wins are possible” which gives her hope.
Sadie’s dream dinner party features vegan soul food and counts her mother, who was the first black pediatrician on staff at Baycare in Clearwater, Dr. Angela Davis, and Ida B. Wells as guests of honor. If she could text the nation all at once, she’d send a message to “Love hard and fight for what you believe in.” She pledges to continue “fighting for the freedom of all oppressed people,” but also intentionally centers Black women in her work of healing the world through spirituality and movement work. 14 /
see
cooking what’s
this fall!
check out these Fall Recipes
Sourdough Starter 4 ounces (3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
Donuts
4 ounces (1/2 cup) water Weigh the flour and water and then combine them in a container. Stir vigorously until combined into a smooth batter which will look like a sticky, thick dough. Scrape down the sides and loosely cover the container with aplastic wrap or with a clean kitchen towel secured with a rubber band Place the container somewhere with a consistent room temperature of 70°F to 75°F (the top of the refrigerator is good) and let it sit for 24 hours. Repeat this step for 5 days Wet Ingredients Doughnut Recipe: Yields 6 - 9
Mix the egg replacement as instructed, then set aside 3 teaspoons of
1/2 cup sourdough starter
replacement powder plus 1/4 cup water
2 energy egg replacements
Measure out the almond milk, then place it in a glass and add vanilla
1/3 cup almond milk
extract
1/2 cup sugar
Measure the sourdough starter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for kneading/rolling
Dry Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Measure out then place into a large bowl. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda,
1 teaspoon baking powder
baking powder, salt, and cardamom, then whisk them together.
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them with a wooden
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
spoon, spatula or your hands to form dough. Please note, it will be sticky.
Oil for frying: fill pan or large sauce pan half
On a floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth and slightly tacky.
way, before frying heat oil to 370 – 375 oF.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about
Vanilla bean sugar for coating: 1 1/2 cups
1/2 inch thick. Use a doughnut cutter of any fashion (a wide mouth jar lid
sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder-
works perfectly). To create the center hole, just punch through the center
or sub cinnamon.
with your thumb. For doughnut holes, cut small squares with a pastry cutter or knife. Frying
Recipe By:
When the oil is hot enough, add your doughnuts to the pan. Try to get
Dawn Konofaos of Alevri + Blooms
as close to the pan as possible and slowly add your doughnuts to avoid
Website: www.alevrimarket.com
splashing any hot oil. The doughnuts may sink to the bottom of the pan
Email: hello@alevrimarket.com
and then rise. Fry the doughnuts for a few minutes on each side until
IG: @alevrilife
golden brown. Place the doughnuts on a rack to drain. While hot, coat with a powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. Enjoy while warm! Side Note: I like to fill the doughnut holes with homemade jams or preserves. Either way, they are good!
Soup
Homemade Lentil
Stormy days call for comfort food. Homemade lentil soup to the rescue! Ingredients: 2 ½ cups of lentils 1 can of chickpeas (drained) 1 large potato (diced) ½ diced onion 2 tablespoons of minced garlic 1 tablespoon of olive oil 64oz of water Seasonings: Turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, dried onions, pink Himalayan sea salt, & Italian seasoning Cooking Instructions: In a large pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, chick peas and potatoes. Cooked covered over medium heat for 7-10 minutes. Add lentils, water and desired amount of seasoning. Bring to a boil. Cover and continue to cook ingredients over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook ingredients for 40-45 minutes. Taste and season to your desired flavor. #lentilsoup #comfortfood #plantbased Recipe by: Kiva Williams Tampa Bay blogger at www.pursuinghappiness4ever.com Follow me on Facebook for healthy recipes https://m.facebook.com/fitbodykiva/ Follow me on Instagram @pursuit_of_true_happiness
Top Fall 2018
Fashion Trends ANDRA RICHARDSON
Raise your hand if your favorite season is fall. Mine sure is! The temperatures are perfect, and the changing leaves are everything along with one more thing—the fashion. Personally, I live for the heavier fabrics and the endless layering. But the real question here is what will you be living for this autumn? I’ve scanned the runways for top trends to help you curate your closet this season.
18 /
SHARP SHOULDERS, SHARP STYLE
FOREVER PLAID
THE GREAT OVERCOAT
This trend is all about the 80s, baby. From
Plaid is truly a classic that will never go
This trend is arguably the coziest, and
dresses to sexy pantsuits, you can’t go
out of style, but like any other trend, it
it’s even better in fur. It’s the overcoat
wrong with a strong shoulder. Flattering
has its ups and downs. This fall, it’s up
on steroids. That’s right, the bigger, the
silhouettes and fresh colors like blush pink
and colorful with strong lines. When
better. Of course, you may not want to go
bring yesteryear’s fashion into 2018 like it
dressing in plaid, consider mixing colors
as big as what’s seen on the runways, but
never left. So, feel confident wearing your
and materials. Like leopard, this is another
you can take it to the streets by wearing
shoulder pads in the coming months and
pattern you can wear from head-to-toe. If
an overcoat with oversized sleeves or an
complement them with that ever-so-80s
you’re rocking a dress, make it interesting
exaggerated length.
cinched waist.
with an asymmetrical silhouette.
LEAP INTO LEOPARD
SLOUCHY BOOTS FOR THE WIN
BLACK-BACKED FLORALS
Animal print is a must-have every autumn,
Slouchy boots are another 80s oldie but
Florals are always a top trend for spring,
but leopard is the king of the fashion
goodie that are putting structured boots
but this year they’re on my radar for fall.
jungle this time around. It has been seen
out of style this season. In October, I
What’s keeping them on the hot list? The
in every piece of apparel on the fall 2018
found the most fashionable pair of gray,
black background, taking the look from
catwalks—dresses, handbags, shoes, tops,
slouchy, block-heel boots at Charlotte
light and airy to dark and intriguing. Look
you name it. If you’re feeling bold, pair
Russe. Remember that you can always
1 of the Michael Kors Collection from the
leopard with a neon color (particularly
replicate the runway in a way that fits your
fall 2018 ready-to-wear catwalks shows us
lime green) or wear the print from head-
budget. I paired them with a red and white
how to pull off florals with a couple of the
to-toe. If you want to take an understated
“California” t-shirt tucked into a black
season’s other trends (plaid, leopard, and
approach, simply rock the print in one
skort (yes, a skort) with a silver buckle on
the great overcoat).
piece of your outfit. Either way, leopard is
the front. I finished off my look with a red
bound to give you a classy look.
crossbody bag with a chain link strap.
Other notable trends for fall 2018 are magenta, over-layering, scarves, emerald green, the little party dress, deep red, oversized bags, and Pantone’s Nebulas Blue. / 19
HBO
Sis, Get Your Things Christy Marie
The latest season of Insecure was full of
much of her time trying to figure out why she’s
nuances, but the reoccurring theme is simple:
been ghosted. Stressed out and upset is an
Grow the Hell Up. Yet, throughout this third
understatement. Nathan goes MIA for a month.
season, the growing pains sometimes leave a
I would have blocked him no question. Let’s be
bad taste in our mouth.
clear: NO ONE deserves to be ghosted. Ever. It’s
Our sis Molly needs to reflect on issues
just wrong.
plaguing her professional and personal life.
Nathan finally returns to “explain” that
Molly is a successful lawyer, but she’s not a team
sometimes he gets “sad,” which calls to mind
player. As captain of “Team Me,” her obsession
underlying mental health issues, a topic that goes
with outshining everyone makes people dislike
under-explored in our community. However,
her quickly. Her poor judgment in relationships
I wasn’t ready to just swallow that and neither
is sad, as she encounters decent guys only to
does Issa. Underwhelmed by his response (me
cancel them left and right. Watching her navigate
too, sis), Issa says she needs to think and leaves
relationships is like driving pass a car wreck,
it at that. It was very considerate or her to even
cringe-worthy, but you slow down and look
see him, Black women stay doing emotional
anyway.
weightlifting. But, it’s here that the theme shifts
In this season, Issa is forced to stand on her
to one even more important than “growing up.”
own two feet and finds it difficult. Couch surfing,
When faced with inconsistency, people or things
driving Lyft, facing her terrible credit and a
putting you through emotional rollercoasters,
stagnant job she hates, her life is an endless list
those people or things don’t need to be a factor
of disappointment and disillusionment. Not to
in your life. Period. To end to season, Issa goes
point fingers, because maybe no one is really at
to her new apartment and continues unpacking.
fault. Most of us transitioning into our 30’s have
The look of relief on her face after unpacking is a
been there or are still trying to figure things out.
sign of a new chapter, a new theme: I Choose Me.
When Issa, who eventually gets things going on an upswing, meets and vibes with love interest
Christy Marie is a photographer and
Nathan, he ghosts her. Disappears. The man is
artist living in Tampa. See her work at
GONE. No communication AT ALL. Issa spends
christymariephoto.com
/ 21
Blogging with
passion KESHIA MCENTIRE, @KESHIAMC12
Tampa-based blogger Ayana Lage talks online authenticity, social justice
T
he internet is abuzz with talk regarding
creative outlet for herself. She was working from
times I’ve been mean to people and realize that
the ways Instagram filters, photoshopped
home as a writer and she wanted to create a blog
it’s often when i’m hurting the most, so I try to
bodies and highlight reels of 2,000 of our
that would allow her to write for fun.
have compassion for people who are hateful.”
“friends” lives can negatively impact our mental
“I’ve always been a very open person, and that
While compassion is key, she will not be
health. Some of this talk has come from the most
translates to the Internet,” said Lage. “I don’t ever
bullied into silence. Lage says she doesn’t feel a
unlikely of places — social media influencers
want to seem perfect, because then I become
responsibility to speak about injustice because
themselves.
unrelatable. At the same time, my husband and
she is an influencer, but rather because she is a
Tampa based lifestyle and fashion blogger
family are private people and I honor that by
human being.
Ayana Lage, 25, has been vocal about the
being careful about what I share and running
“Life is more than pretty pictures, and I would
importance of keeping it real on social media.
blog ideas by them. I view vulnerability as a
feel disingenuous not sharing my heart about
While she’s not against promoting her favorite
healthy outlet, and I think my readers are able to
things I’m passionate about,” said Lage.
fashion brands and blogging about visits to
relate and feel like they aren’t alone.”
She says her faith is what inspires her to speak her mind and connect with her community.
restaurants, she balances beautiful photos of her
Her content has evolved over time. At first,
Lilly Pulitzer duds with content about the messy
her blog was centered on fashion and retail
“The Bible is clear about our responsibility
parts of life. Lage shares stories about being
finds, but she soon felt the urge to write about
for the poor, for foreigners and for people who
hospitalized due to her mental illness, her past
relationships,
aren’t like us,” said Lage. “My goal is to follow the
struggles in her relationship with the man who
mix of honesty and humor gained her a loyal
is now her husband and her personal battles
following online, but her outspoken personality
with body image and self-love. Her vulnerability
occasionally made her a target for internet trolls.
has helped her gain nearly 8000 followers on
On Twitter, Lage is not shy about sharing
“Figure out what sets you apart from the
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter combined. She
her thoughts regarding our nation’s current
competition, and hone in on that!” said Lage.
has been able to monetize her blog and social
administration and encouraging her followers to
“Also, keep in mind that it takes a while for a blog
media outlets, reportedly bringing in close to
vote. Lage says she has gotten nasty comments
to become profitable and it sometimes requires
$500 a month from her unique content.
online after writing about social issues.
an upfront investment. Start it because you want
mental
health
and
life.
Her
Lage launched her website, ayanalage.com, on
“Honestly, it still bothers me, but the good
a whim. In the beginning, her blog was simply a
outweighs the bad,” said Lage. “I think about the
Jesus way instead of the American dream.” Lage has advice for others who dream of cashing in on their skills as a wordsmith.
to, not because you need a moneymaker.”
