#Cultural Empowerment

[somethingnubian]

Embracing Transformation with Jennifer Lopez's "This is Me...Now": A Journey of Healing and Growth

By: La Trecia Doyle-Thaxton Introduction: Before diving into this reflective exploration, I highly recommend watching Jennifer Lopez’s latest creative masterpiece, “This is Me…Now”. This album is not just a collection of songs; it’s a narrative of personal growth, healing from past traumas, and embracing one’s true self. It’s a fusion of the visual storytelling seen in Beyoncé’s work, the…

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: How To Decenter Men In Your Life

Consider the values, goals, and desired lifestyle that feel most authentic to you if social scripts/stigmas didn't apply to you

Take time to become radically honest with your desires as an individual – outside of the perception of men, your family, boss, teachers, peers, etc.

Cultivate a sense of personhood and identity established in your interests, hobbies, skillsets, learning capabilities, creativity, and desire for growth in all aspects of life

Act in your own best interests. Speak up for your needs, and advocate for yourself. Be more "selfish." Don't apologize for what you want and go after it. Act in your own best interests

Become confident in negotiating, assertive communication, and standing on your own two feet. Establish relationships in all aspects that are based on mutual benefit and equitable exchange

Unlearn your self-sacrificing & people-pleasing. Stop shrinking yourself or suppressing your needs to make others feel better or more comfortable

Validate yourself: your needs, desires, goals, dreams, preferences, and opinions. You need to choose yourself every day. Your appeal to others means nothing if you don't like the person you are or are becoming to satisfy the needs or desires of others

Consider the ways you're consciously and subconsciously confining your self-expression and belief system to fit the mold/appease the patriarchy. Actively work to deconstruct this mentality and way of being

Be honest with yourself about how men enrich your life. Not the other way around. Do they fulfill you romantically, sexually, both, or neither? There's no right or wrong answer, except the one that requires you to put on a performance rather than live in alignment with your true self

More resources including book recommendations/creators to follow HERE.

[alwaysbewoke]

[aahanna]

Indrani Rahman - India's first Miss Universe representative and a celebrated classical dancer."

Indrani Rahman was all of 22 when she represented India at the first ever Miss Universe Pageant way back in 1952.

Indrani Rahman was the first Indian to participate in the Miss Universe pageant in 1952, representing India after winning the Miss India title the same year . She was born in Chennai (then Madras) on September 19, 1930, .She was a trained classical dancer in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi, and popularized these dance forms in the West . She received the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

[nickysfacts]

Happy Juneteenth!🤎

In celebration here are a collection of history facts on African American Women and their part in American history that sadly tends to be overlooked!

🤎💜🤎

[tmarshconnors]

50 African proverbs.

"A bird that flies off the earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground."

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

"The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks."

"When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers."

"The wise create bridges, the foolish build barriers."

"He who learns, teaches."

"Unity is strength, division is weakness."

"Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped."

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."

"A tree is known by its fruits."

"The one who loves an unsightly person is the one who makes him beautiful."

"The strength of a crocodile is in the water."

"The old woman looks after the child to grow its teeth and the young one in turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth."

"A wise person will always find a way."

"Where you will sit when you are old shows where you stood in youth."

"Do not be a spectator before life; participate!"

"The rain beats the leopard’s skin, but it does not wash out the spots."

"No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow."

"Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it."

"When the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby."

"The goat says, 'Where there is blood, there is plenty of food.'"

"By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed."

"He who is destined for power does not have to fight for it."

"The chameleon changes color to match the earth; the earth doesn’t change colors to match the chameleon."

"The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water."

"If you close your eyes to facts, you will learn through accidents."

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."

"A wise person learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends."

"You cannot climb to the mountain top without crushing some weeds with your feet."

"A roaring lion kills no game."

"Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand."

"Where there is love, there is no darkness."

"The strength of a nation lies in its homes."

"The best way to eat an elephant in your path is to cut him up into little pieces."

"He who refuses to obey cannot command."

"It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man."

"Patience is the mother of a beautiful child."

"A good deed is something one returns."

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends."

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion."

"No matter how tall a tree grows, the leaves always fall to the ground."

"When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly."

"A leopard cannot change its spots."

"A village without elders is like a well without water."

"The sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them."

"The eye never forgets what the heart has seen."

"A dog with a bone in its mouth cannot bite."

"The axe forgets, but the tree remembers."

[asianamseeds]

Hello!

My name is Miah and I’m a PhD student at UMass Boston. 

I’m working with Dr Tahirah Abdullah (Psychology) and Dr Karen Suyemoto (Psychology and Asian American Studies) conducting a much needed study examining the impacts of racialization and the act of resisting racism on mental health for people of color. I have created an online survey and would greatly appreciate if you would kindly share the flyer and take our survey!

—To participate in this study, (1) you must be 18 or over, (2) understand written English, and (3) identify as a person of color or racial minority. As a “thank you,” participants may choose to be entered into a drawing for a $50 Visa gift card (odds are 1 in 25 participants) OR donate to a non-profit focused on fighting racism.

Link to access the study: https://tinyurl.com/REAR24MS

Password to complete the survey: REAR2024

Very grateful for your consideration on this! 

Any questions can be sent to AART@umb.edu

[jeremiasdorap]

As a BLACK PERSON from Brazil, I am extremely shocked by the absurd level of ignorance that part of the black population in the United States has about the issue of blackness in other territories of the American continent. As Asad Haider said, these are the Mistaken Identity.

To explain once and for all: "Afro-Latino" is not an ethnicity dissociated from black ethnicity. Both in the USA and in other Latin American countries there are black people who have lived there for generations, precisely because they were brought by slave ships from Africa. Black Latinos ARE BLACK PEOPLE! To deny this historical fact is not only to close oneself off from a world of territorial ignorance, but also to embark on the same identity nationalism that marginalizes the black population in the USA.

[shapesofculture]

Aslema!

Happy Tunisian Women’s Day!

Safwan M. Masri, a Jordanian professor, described Tunisia as ‘an Arab anomaly’ due to its progressive social and cultural changes, particularly in gender equality reforms.

Today, 13 August 2024, marks the 68th anniversary of implementing The Code of Personal Status, granting a significant improvement in women rights. 

Sixty-eight years after, the name of the very first Prime Minister and President of Republic of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, is still prominent in discussions about the history of the country.

[femmefatalevibe]

Essential Feminist Texts Booklist

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

A Vindication of The Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft

Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by Bell Hooks

Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics by Bell Hooks

The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution by  Shulamith Firestone 

Sexual Politics by Kate Millett

Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner 

Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape by Jessica Valenti

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez 

Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit

The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women by Alicia Malone

Girlhood by Melissa Febos

The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel

Is This Normal?: Judgment-Free Straight Talk about Your Body by  Dr. Jolene Brighten

Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D

The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism by Dr. Jennifer Gunter

The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women by Anushay Hossain 

Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn 

The Turnaway Study: The Cost of Denying Women Access to Abortion by Diana Greene Foster, Ph.D

Regretting Motherhood: A Study by Orna Donath

[alwaysbewoke]

When I was in college, I let German tourists take pictures with me in my graduation gown. Even at the time I thought it was weird. But since my college years, I haven’t allowed strangers to take pics of me “just because” here or abroad. “Curiosity” means very little to me. People on the clock app were saying in China they actually have been known to post pics of Black people on WeChat to make fun of them. So, maybe not the best idea to let strangers take pics of/with you. Anyway, I wish you all safe, joyous, and comfortable travels. You deserve to see the world in peace just like anyone else.

x

[aahanna]

Celebrating the Divine Power

Navratri is not just about dancing and festivities; it's a profound reminder of the importance of women and a call for respect. It urges us to recognize the strength within us and stand up for our rights, dreams, and desires.

[nickysfacts]

Hoop earrings are a staple of Latina and Black womanhood, as well as a stylish piece of jewelry for all of the other sisters!💜

[dbguidebook]

'UPGRADE' By Darling Bonnie. (( As Seen On Instagram)) #Societythings

[89hitokiri]

"Our power lies in the unseen, our legacy in the untold."

-黒影 (Kurokage) creed

[djsouchou]

最高👍