Dark&Lovely - Ultimate Black Love

Art...👑📸😍🥹🥰💛🍯☀️✨🔥🔥🔥🔥

✊🏾Black men deserve respect.

✊🏿Black men deserve to feel safe.

✊🏽Black men deserve to grow.

✊🏾Black men deserve to thrive.

✊🏿Black men deserve to love.

✊🏽Black men deserve to be themselves.

“The greatest enemy of Black people is ignorance of self.”

A semi-mindless doodle. A friend mentioned stargazing recently, and it reminded me of how enchanted by stars and constellations I was as a child 🌟🌙

“My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.” -Malcolm X

“The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t.” -Mark Twain

“Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day.” -Voltaire

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”  -Frederick Douglass

“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” – Carl Sagan

“Reading changes your life. Reading unlocks worlds unknown or forgotten, taking travelers around the world and through time. Reading helps you escape the confines of school and pursue your own education.” – Donalyn Miller

“A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.” – Lisa Kleypas

“To know a man’s library is, in some measure, to know a man’s mind.” – Geraldine Brooks

“Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.” – Toni Morrison

Abolitionist David Ruggles opened the first African American bookstore in America in New York, 1834.

Ruggles might have been the most hated activist of his day. One slave catcher screamed that he would give "a thousand dollars if I had …Ruggles in my hands as he is the leader." And Ruggles was just that—a leader against slavery. He came to New York around 1827 from Connecticut, where he was born free. When he arrived he was 17 years old—and fearless, determined, and educated. The year 1827 was a time of parades celebrating the end of slavery in New York. More and more runaways were arriving from the South every day. But right behind them were the slave catchers. Called "blackbirders," they roamed the streets looking to reclaim some of the runaways and even to kidnap free blacks. No black person was safe. Ruggles saw how dangerous the city was and decided to do something about it. In 1835, he and several other young black activists founded the New York Committee of Vigilance. Ruggles and the rest of the Committee protected runaways and confronted the slave catchers. He made the city government grant jury trials to slaves who were recaptured, and he obtained lawyers for them. He personally helped as many as 600 fugitives, including the now-famous Frederick Douglass. He also ran an antislavery bookstore, the first of its kind, until it was destroyed by a mob. In addition, he wrote hundreds of articles. He bought a printing press and published his own pamphlets and a magazine called Mirror of Liberty. It was the first periodical published by a black American. But after 20 years of activism, Ruggles was nearly blind and seriously ill. Many, including Frederick Douglass, came to his aid. Ruggles died in Massachusetts in 1849.

Legendary...

Beautiful fanart by @shuta.bug Here’s another @sinnersmovie appreciation post because I’m not tired of talking about how much the movie means to me. Really happy with all its recent wins and this my own little way of appreciating the crew for creating such a timeless movie.

Jayme Lawson, co-star of Sinners alongside Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, spoke @hollywoodreporter at the NAACP Image Awards following the racist slur incident that occurred during the BAFTAs ceremony.

Lawson addressed the situation with clarity and composure.

In her words:

“That man’s disability got exploited that night.”

“That’s not inclusivity. That’s exploitation.”

“You censored one Black man and failed to protect two others.”

Jayme Lawson criticised the handling of the moment by both BAFTAs and the BBC broadcast, arguing that proper care and protection were not exercised for the Black actors involved.