Cleo Sunshine

When I die

when I die I hope no one who ever hurt me cries

and if they cry I hope their eyes fall out and a million maggots that had made up their brains

crawl from the empty holes and devour the flesh

that covered the evil that passed itself off as a person

that I probably tried

to love

when I die I hope every worker in the national security council

the Interpol the fbicia foundation for the development of black woman gets

an extra bonus and maybe takes one day off

and maybe even asks why they didn’t work as hard for us

as they did

them

but it always seems to be that way

please don’t let them read “nikki-roasa” maybe just let

some black woman who called herself my friend go around

and collect

each and every book and let some black man who said it was

negative of me to want him to be a man collect every picture

and poster and let them burn - throw acid on them - shit on them as

they did me while I tried

to live

and as soon as I die I hope everyone who loved me learns

the meaning

of my death which is a simple lesson

don’t do what you do very well very well and enjoy it it

scares white folk

and makes black ones truly mad

but I do hope someone tells my son

his mother likes little old ladies with

their blue dresses and hats and gloves that sitting

by the window

to watch the dawn come up is valid that smiling at an old

man

and petting a dog don’t detract from manhood

do

somebody please

tell him I knew all along that what would be

is what will be but I wanted to be a new person

and my rebirth was stifled not by the master

but the slave

and if I ever touched a life I hope that life knows

that I know that touching was and still is and will always

be the true

revolution (9 Jan 72) - an excerpt from MY HOUSE, a collection of poems written by Nikki Giovanni published by William Morrow & Co. in 1972.

🖤⭐️👌🏿🖤⭐️👌🏿

Los Angeles June 7, 2020

Jas “Fly” Waters

Dec. 21, 1981 - June 10, 2020

Show Writer / Hip-Hop Journalist.

When I do “milestone posts” I usually do these in Black and White. But this time, I want everyone to appreciate this person in full color.

Also, my milestone posts are usually just photos, name and what they are mostly known for. But this one hits different because when she was alive, we were associates.

So this death is a little close - *sighs* too close to home for me. We were just two people talking and enjoying life when it suited us. But it wasn’t just tweet spats, it was offline stuff as well.

I helped her with a writing assignment by giving her a netbook when she was desperate for one years ago. She completed her project and we were associates ever since. She used to follow a lot of people on Twitter, but when she shaved down her list, she kept me on it.

We spoke on and off about things, mostly comical, some were news of the day. She put up with my jokes, hear me out when I have something important to say, and was overall just a pleasure to talk to in person… even if I have to LITERALLY look up. (She was a tall woman)

She hosted video chats and she was one of the few people that I actually watch an entire video chat with because she’s got the most interesting stories and always answered my questions. We had arguments just like anybody else, but it was never out of spite and when people tangle with me enough times, you get nice presents.

She was an awesome hip-hop journalist, a supportive person to everyone that stick with her, but also a beautiful writer of stories.

She’s going to be missed by me and many others. Her final tweet sadly was back in early May and like all final tweets… it’s bittersweet.

We all know the big names, and blue checked verified Black Fashion instagrammers: Kahlana Barfield Brown, Shiona Turini, Tamu McPherson,  Nikkiogun, Aurora James, and etc. These creators definitely deserves to be on your list of most influential Black influencers, but who, and where are the new faces of Black Fashion?

Most sites are currently publishing the same contrived lists, of the same “10 Black Fashion Influencers,” but let’s face it, if you are already into fashion, you probably already follow Elaine Welteroth, Jan-Michael Quammie, Gabi Fresh, Va$htie, and the rest of the crew. No one is making a list of the new girls, the new faces of fashion, which we so direly need, so I did. A new list of new Black Fashion influencers making a name for themselves with new content, new fashions, and forever classic style.

if no one has ever told you, your freedom is more important than their anger

salt by Nayyirah Waheed