I've been reading people and books
Was going to call this reading my a** off but putting stars over curse words is dumb
I just finished reading Big Friendship from my two favorite “friends” from the internet, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. Reading this book made me realize how much I miss my friends. I’m a person who prides myself on my friendships - no, I don’t have fifty girlfriends like Ramona on RHONY, but I have a good amount of friends and I miss them all. I hadn’t realized it’s been almost five months since we’ve been in the house. I’ve seen a few friends, only six in total during this time, and had Facetime sessions with many - but it’s not the same. Corona and staying at home has my social butterfly self feeling trapped in a cocoon.
*I’ll pause because yes, that was a bar*
Speaking of friends, I am excited to share this week’s friendship interview with one of my besties, Andrea. I have known Andrea for years, and I am constantly in awe of how she evolves her passion by creating different avenues. Not to mention, she’s my go-to person for advice or questions about what the kids are talking about - most recently (last week I think) two Virgils because I had no idea what this meant.
Here is one of my favorite parts of our interview, but read the full interview here:
I am a lifelong learner, and I really just love the media industry. I'm always looking for new ways to communicate creatively. For me, that looks like reading industry magazines... one of my favorites is Fast Company. I'm also connected to a lot of thought leaders in the media industry via Twitter & LinkedIn. I learn as much as possible from them and see how I can add my own twist to it.
Also, this week’s edition is mostly the things I’ve read. I’ve been listening to the same music Lianne La Havas’ new album, John Legend’s new album, “Shoulda” by Lucky Daye (Toni Braxton is my queen) and Duckwrth’s “Coming Closer.” I do want to call out though that I discovered two new podcasts thanks to friends and a meeting at work: Who? Weekly and Katie Couric and Bozoma Saint John’s podcast Back In Business.
Don’t forget that Michelle Obama’s podcast starts tomorrow on Spotify. Miss the Obama’s so much. I’m still hopeful that I will meet them one day when I’m lost walking around in DC. I just know if this happens, I’m going to be a mess - almost like the time I almost met Serena Williams. (I hate when people name drop but I was literally getting out the car right where she was standing and I froze. I also instead of saying something to her thought the proper response was to walk backward still facing her thinking to myself WTF SERENA WILLIAMS is right there).
This was a great interview with San Francisco Mayor London Breed. I always like seeing how transparent she is and how she is really trying to make a difference. Also, shameless plug, she’s from the same neighborhood my family is from, The Western Addition. I also found it interesting to see the stat about the number of blacks in San Francisco spelled out that way. I guess again being that my family is from the Fillmore/Japantown area when I would go visit or hangout it was always so diverse. That’s clearly no longer the case.
I think it’s important that we support and respect the Black people here enough to know that we have a mind of our own. Because half the polices pushed in San Francisco are “progressive policies” that don’t work for Black people. Because, if they did, why are things far worse for Black people here? In San Francisco, a city where less than 5-6% of the population is African-American and yet we are disproportionately overrepresented in everything that’s bad: high school dropouts, arrests, homelessness. You name it.
The Online Movement to #FreeBritney
Last week, I went down a spiral and watched this compilation of performances from Britney’s peak because she is an icon. Like many people on the internet, I’ve been following the Free Britney campaign and I have many questions. Is this really a thing?
The Magic of Black Girls’ Play
This article spoke to my childhood and made me smile so hard. I can’t wait to have a daughter to play some of my favorite games with her especially Slide; slide baby, one baby, two, baby I love you.
Black girls’ embodied musical play creates an autonomous and secluded zone of worthiness, even though they are the ones to pass down the earliest formations of a shared Black popular culture and imagined community in their hidden musicianship. And during a pandemic year with shelter-in-place orders and productive rebellion, spreading a little Black girl joy is needed more than ever.
Michaela Coel Looks Beyond Binaries With ‘I May Destroy You’
Like many, I have been watching I May Destroy You every week. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I hold my breath while watching, nonetheless, I’m into it. I loved this interview with Michaela and I also love the photos from the spread hence the photo at the top of this newsletter.
Where is the lie? If I needed another reason to like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Method Man said she has his vote for president whenever she runs) here’s another reason.
You can have daughters and accost women without remorse … You can … project an image to the world of being a family man and accost women without remorse and with a sense of impunity. It happens every day in this country.
Should This Meeting Be an Email? A Handy Flowchart to Help You Decide - More often than not, yes, it can be an email and not a meeting.
Selling Sunset’s Ice Queen Christine Quinn On Being the Cruella de Vil of Reality TV
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