HiStorytelling

HEAR, SEE, SPEAK

Hearing, seeing, and speaking of love, light, compassion, and all the beauty and good in life will certainly aid us in our ascension to higher vibrations and the positive transformation we seek in the world. But, this does not mean that we should shut our eyes, ears or mouths to the suffering masses of people, especially when that suffering can be increased or mitigated by our behaviors and choices.

Our silence, or refusal to acknowledge the darkness in our world will not make it go away. If we want good vibrations, we must also DO good. Open our ears and eyes to the plight of our fellow human beings and speak out about injustice, human rights violations and the decimation of our planet.

If you were a man, woman or child, hungry, abused, or living in a war-torn society, whether in Syria, South Sudan, or some town in the US, wouldn’t you want someone to pay attention? We must learn to see what’s going on in the world and STILL have hope in the beauty and goodness of life. Then, we must do our part, whatever we can to MAKE it beautiful. Don’t ignore evil, rise above it, bring light, love and hope to someone else.

The founder of the gulabis is the fearless Sampat Pal Devi, 40, who was married off at the age of 12 to an ice-cream vendor and had the first of her five children at 15. The gulabis, whose members say they are a “gang for justice,” started in 2006 as a sisterhood of sorts that looked out for victims of domestic abuse, a problem the United Nations estimates affects two in three married Indian women. Named after their hot-pink sari uniforms, the gang paid visits to abusive husbands and demanded they stop the beatings. When obstinate men refused to listen, the gulabis would return with large bamboo sticks called laathis and “persuade” them to change their ways. “When I go around with a stick, it’s to make men fear me. I don’t always use it, but it helps change the mind of men who think they are more powerful than me” says Pal. She has assumed the rank of commander in chief and has appointed district commanders across seven districts in Bundelkhand to help coordinate the gang’s efforts.

Pal’s group now has more than 20,000 members, and the number is growing.

Spotted: 20,000+ oppressed brown women kicking phenomenal ass. Fucks were not given.

(via dreamhampton1)

Snails Pace

For my family. I am so thankful today to be a daughter, a mother, and a grandmother.

Photo Source: Madagascan Woman - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Madagascan_Woman.jpg

To Adorn

Recently, I worked on a project called “The Will to Adorn: Philadelphia Stories of Beauty and Adornment” at the Philadelphia Folklore Project (PFP). It featured a screening of the award-winning documentary “Hair Stories,” (1998) by West Philadelphia filmmaker,master braider and hair sculptor, Yvette Smalls, storytelling by members of Keepers of the Culture (KOTC), Philadelphia’s Afrocentric storytelling group, and story-sharing from attendees. ”The Will to Adorn” occurred in conjunction with an effort by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, a national multi-year initiative exploring how African American identities are communicated through cultural aesthetics, arts of the body, dress, and adornment.

The program at PFP looked in-depth at how people use adornment, hair, dress, style, etc. as means of self expression and community affirmation. Narrator, C Frink-Reed, KOTC’s historian and folklorist, gave an eloquent and moving tribute to master braider, Yvette Smalls.  After the screening of “Hair Stories,” storyteller TAHIRA took us down memory lane, recalling the days when we sat between our Grandmothers’ knees to get our scalps ‘scratched and greased.’ Momma Sandi told the beautiful story “Royalty,” portraying Jezebel, not as a loose woman, but as one adorned with regality.

Thirsty Roots offers this abbreviated version of the black hair history timeline from the book, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America by Ayana Byrd and Lori Tharps.

Black Hair History/Discovering our Roots…

More…  Hair History

http://thirstyroots.com/black-hair-history

http://thirstyroots.com/black-hair-history/african-american-hairstyle-history

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Indigo Chile

For my story, I chose to examine adornment as a form of resistance. During my research, I viewed a talk by Virginia Tech History Professor Beverly Bunch-Lyons discussing the methods and strategies black women used to resist slavery. She explains… To continue reading, visit: TO ADORN