When it Comes to Fashion, We Do This!
“God created Black people and Black people created style” proclaimed George C. Wolfe, a two-time Tony award-winning playwright. He’s adapted stories by Zora Neale Hurston; created the musical, Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk,” starring Savion Glover; and has served as the Chief Creative Officer for the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, GA.
Wolfe’s quote encapsulates the bold truth: African-Americans have had an undeniable impact on art, fashion, and style despite the chilling fact that only 1% of Black fashion designers’ presentations are covered by Vogue Magazine. To illustrate, we’ve put together a list of seven Black fashion designers you should know. Four are from the past and three are contemporary to show you that we’ve been doin this and are still doin the damn thing! This is just a taste though, as our impact on the fashion industry is all but short-listed.
Whether boutique, high fashion, or vintage gold, these designers have historically questioned mainstream ideals of style and set new trends that would be later mimicked (as a form of flattery, perhaps?).
Check out the list below:.
Ann Cole Lowe, the first internationally-recognized African American fashion designer and designer of Jackie Kennedy’s wedding gown. Born in Clayton, Alabama in 1898, she followed in her mother’s footsteps who made dresses for Southern society women. Together, they perfected the trapunto quilting technique on garments which created a full and elegant look adored by women across the world.
Zelda Wynn Valdes, a mid-century designer who created evening wear for Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, and Ella Fitzgerald. And, she was the manufacturer of the infamous Playboy Bunny costume. Later in her career, she designed for R&B legend Gladys Knight and became the President of the New York chapter of the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers.
Jon Weston, a mid-century experiential designer and Fashion Institute of Technology graduate that opened his own shop on New York’s infamous 7th Avenue.
Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, combines sportswear with powerful political messages to challenge the status quo. Most notably, he brought “Black Lives Matter” to New York Fashion Week by playing a video of Eric Garner before his 2016 fashion show.
Laura Smalls had the honor of having First Lady Michelle Obama wear her dress to the 2012 Democratic National Convention. She also designs for Zoe Saldana, Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, and Kerry Washington. Strongly influenced by Film Noir of the ‘30s and ‘40s, her designs can now be found in Bloomingdale’s, Henri Bendel, and elsewhere.
Duro Olowu, a lawyer-turned-designer who’s earned the New Designer of the Year Award during the British Fashion Week and has also been tapped to design for our favorite First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Want to learn more about our impact on fashion industry? Check out Complex’s list of “25 Greatest Black Fashion Designers,” to become familiar with names like Armando Cabral, Carly Cushnie, Arthur McGee, and more.
The post When it Comes to Fashion, We Do This! appeared first on PushBlack.
Afrobeats is making its mark on the world with Nigerian artists like WizKid - recipient of two BET Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and MTV Africa Music Awards - Ayo Jay, Davido, Mr. Eazi, and Tiwa Savage taking over the charts.
However, some say that Afrobeats - with an "s" - should not be confused with Afrobeat, which emerged from Nigerian icon Fela Kuti, who combined Ghanaian Highlife and Nigerian Juju music with jazz and funk rhythms.
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Where Kuti’s Afrobeat was very political, today’s Afrobeats emerged from the United Kingdom’s party scene among children of Nigerian and Ghanaian immigrants - it’s to get people dancing!
And while Nigerian artists are most popular, Ghana wants its credit, too! Highlife music originates in Ghana and is “the seed out of which Afrobeats was created,” says Fuse ODG, the Ghanaian artist who is responsible for introducing Afrobeats abroad.
“Our talent is world class,” said Fuse ODG. “As someone who has traveled the world, I know and I applaud Ghana for having the impact that we’ve had. Ghana is powerful, we are a small country but have managed to influence the world.”
Afrobeats is here to stay and we need to know its origins, what’s going on with its influencers, and its major players - get to listening!
President Donald Trump took aim at NFL players for speaking out against police brutality and racial injustice. During a rally reminiscent of those from his campaign trail, he noted that these players were disrespecting the U.S., the troops, and the American flag by choosing to kneel in protest during the national anthem.
He encouraged the NFL owners to "get that son of a b---- off the field."
In a sport where 70% of the players are Black, and 0% of the owners are Black, Trump's “field” comments are an eerie reminder of why some consider the NFL a plantation system with similarities to slavery.
We will not remain silent. Click here to join PushBlack in signing a petition against Trump and in support of Black athletes today.
Despite the staggering salaries of pro sports players, "Get that son of a b---- off the field" is a statement meant to remind people where the NFL industry's real power lies - with owners who are able to control the lives of Black men with a single word.
Colin Kaepernick is currently unsigned, which some see as the league’s attempt to beat him into submission and make an example of him, forcing other players to behave in ways that please their owners.
In true form of an egotistic shrewd capitalist, Trump has chosen to side with the owners instead of the laborers. While this may work in his real estate business, it is not an attitude the American people would prefer in their president.
Even worse, Trump misses the ultimate point Kaepernick and others are trying make - bringing attention to police violence against Black communities at a rate disproportionate to any other group of American citizens.
We will not remain silent. Click here to join PushBlack in signing a petition against Trump and in support of Black athletes today.
President Trump's recent comments contradict his appeals to Black Americans during the 2016 campaign:
“I have heard and listened to the concerns raised by African American citizens about our justice system, and I promise that under a Trump administration the law will be applied fairly, equally and without prejudice. There will be only one set of rules — not a two-tiered system of justice.”
Yeah, right.
Although 92% of Black voters saw the disconnect between these scripted words and those of his more off-the-cuff appeals to law enforcement (i.e. the time he gave law enforcement officers permission to rough up suspects taken into custody) we still expect the President of the U.S. to take into consideration the interests of all citizens.
Trump himself even recognized this requirement:
“Every African American citizen in this country is entitled to a government that puts their jobs, wages and security first. … Here is the promise that I make to you: Whether you vote for me or not, I will be your greatest champion.”
We will not remain silent. Join PushBlack in signing a petition against Trump and in support of Black athletes today.
Stephanie Washington and Paul Witherspoon are a young Connecticut Black couple that’s lucky to be alive. They were sitting in the car listening to R&B when two officers came out of nowhere, shooting up the car they were sitting in.
Paul wasn’t injured, but Stephanie was shot. Police body cams weren’t turned on until AFTER they had already begun engaging the couple, who they supposedly suspected were other perpetrators they were pursuing.
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Protests have broken out calling for the removal of these two police officers and rightfully so. We’re sick and tired of Black people being carelessly shot for just EXISTING. We always seem to fit the description of whoever needs to be killed.
Another lesson in this situation lies in the fact that the two officers, Terrance Pollock and Devin Eaton, are Black, proving that “all skinfolk ain’t kinkfolk.” This is a rude awakening that just because officers look like us, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to do the right thing.
ANYTHING can be interrupted by police brutality when you’re Black, even Black love. And when it’s all said and done we’ll continue to hear excuses, but we know these officers have got to GO.
On Tuesday evening, Ramsey County, MN released dashcam footage of the police-led shooting death of our brother Philando Castile. This heartbreaking imagery adds an exclamation point to the end of this year-long sentence. A sentence that began on July 6, 2016 as Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live-streamed the gut wrenching scene of officer Jeronimo Yanez killing Castile as she and her daughter sat defenseless and terrified in the car.
This image will haunt them forever.
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Castile followed the officer’s orders. He pulled his car over. He was respectful. He informed the officer that he had a license to carry a firearm. He reached for his driver’s license as requested by the officer. After all of this, within only 74 seconds, Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer frightened by nothing more than the sight of Black skin. Respectability did not save our brother’s life.
Yanez lied to Castile about the reason for being pulled over. He claimed it was for a broken tail light. However, the dashcam footage reveals he thought Castile and his girlfriend fit the description of robbery suspects – primarily because of Castile’s “wide-set nose.” Castile, fed a lie by the officer, had no reason to see the interaction as anything other than a routine traffic stop. No reason to assume the officer was approaching him with aggression fueled by bias.
Raise your hand if you have a “wide-set nose.” Damn near any one of us could have ended up like Castile on that evening.
Castile was not involved in any robbery. In fact, he held a critical role in his community by working daily to add value to the lives of youth as a supervisor for the St. Paul Public Schools Nutrition Services Department.
He was loved by the people he served. And, he loved the people dearly. When asked by his friend and coworker John Thompson why he worked extra shifts in the summer, Castile simply responded, “I’m working this summer because I love the kids…man, I love everybody.” Those were the last words Thompson heard from Castile.
Officer Yanez has been on paid leave for the past year. He was likely able to spend quality time with his wife from the comfort of their suburban home and be present for his infant daughter’s first milestones.
Castile, on the other hand, was robbed of the chance to help his girlfriend raise her then-4-year-old daughter and to continue enhancing the lives of the school children he served.
As the verdict came in to clear Yanez of all charges, the police department announced they were firing the officer but are now negotiating a “separation agreement” to help him transition to a new career. Yes, NEGOTIATING. Yanez can request a package he deems appropriate.
This situation we are in is like a terrible movie playing on a non-stop loop. As Black bodies continue falling in the streets at the hands of the State, the officers involved are rarely held accountable for their actions. In a sense, they are actually rewarded.
Although the jury has made their decision, the battle is not yet over. Join us in signing the Color of Change petition to demand that Yanez does not receive severance pay. Demand that police officers are not allowed to profit from the theft of Black lives and the destruction of Black families. Click here to sign the petition.
The post Dashcam Reveals Heartbreaking Truth Behind Philando Castile’s Murder appeared first on PushBlack.
Many American TV audiences got introduced to the big business of advertising through the show Mad Men and the infamous ad executive character, Don Draper. In the show, the cutthroat world of advertising was not kind to anyone who didn’t fall in line with the status quo. But in the real world, the status quo was maintained for years. That is, until Tom Burrell came to break the race ceiling in the industry.
Tom Burrell changed advertising and the way that Black people saw themselves in advertising and media. Starting as a mailroom attendant at Wade Advertising in Chicago, Burrell wanted to make ads that were for African-Americans, by African-Americans.
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The riveting story of Oscar Micheaux’s ascent in the film industry teaches us a valuable lesson about the power of building independent businesses and taking control of our own destiny.
Arguably the most prolific African-American independent filmmaker in history, Micheaux birthed an entirely new genre of films called “race films” in the early 1900s. These films starred Black actors and were intended for a Black audience.
After holding several unfulfilling jobs and being displeased with what others thought of as the good life, he decided to chronicle his life experiences into novels that would eventually become the foundation for his films.
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At the time, the film industry was far from accepting of Black films so Micheaux had to get creative about getting his stories in front of the masses. Micheaux became self-sufficient and utilized his charisma and connections from previous jobs to fund and produce his own films.
Although he had miserable experiences in his past jobs, those positions equipped him with the business acumen and contacts necessary for him to go into business for himself.
In fact, Micheaux started his own film company after refusing to sell one of his stories to a major production firm because they would not allow him to be directly involved in its adaptation.
This brave decision catalyzed all of his subsequent success and demonstrated that he knew the value of his stories and would settle for nothing less than he deserved.
Micheaux’s films tackled issues of interracial romance, colorism, and white prejudice during a time when Hollywood focused narrowly on stereotyping Blacks as unsophisticated Negroes. He moved away from these images and created complex characters that more accurately depicted the realities of Black life.
His philosophy was that the only way to bring African-Americans to greater heights was to elevate consciousness about racial iniquities.
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Micheaux’s seminal works The Homesteader (1919) and Within Our Gates (1920) bring to light the trials and tribulations of mixed-race relationships and explore the dangers associated with them. These films questioned the value systems of both Blacks and whites and disrupted traditional narratives about race-mixing.
As Black people we have a history of making a way out of no way. Micheaux had no blueprint for how to operate outside of the mainstream film industry, yet he pioneered a path and amassed immense success.
His enduring legacy as the first African-American to show a film in a white theatre marks the beginning of Black people’s visibility on the big screen and a new lens to view race relations in America.
He had no formal film school training or experience, just the tenacity and will to bring his vision to fruition. Click here to watch some of his films.
It is always incredible to share uplifting stories of African-Americans excelling in fields that historically excluded us, but the real beauty is in the spirit of resiliency and persistence that characterize these innovators. Micheaux exemplifies the timeless quality of self-sufficiency that has been a part of the advancement of Black people for centuries.
We should constantly remind ourselves of our rich cultural achievements and remember that we are a people who have and will continue to achieve no matter what obstacles we see in our way.