#kendrick was sentenced to death

[avianreptiles]

I'm thinking about that cunt again

[gadawg-404]

On May 7, 2019, a disturbed student hiding guns walked into the STEM High School in Highlands Ranch, a suburb of Denver, Colorado. His intention was to kill as many students as he could.

He pulled out a gun and yelled, “Nobody move!”

Rather than being a helpless, frightened victim, 18 year old senior Kendrick Castillo, who was close by, attacked the gunman. Castillo was shot in the chest and died, but his actions inspired several other students to do the same and gave them the time needed to close in. The gunman was disarmed and held until police arrived to arrest him. The gunman is now serving life without parole in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Kendrick was just three days away from graduating.

At the same time, that gunman’s partner entered the middle school across the street with the intention of doing the same thing. She (born female but claiming to be transitioning to male) was tackled and disarmed by a security guard and held for police. She is also now serving a life sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections, but because she was 16 years old at the time, she is eligible for parole after 40 years.

Kendrick Castillo was the only death, though eight other students were wounded.

I intentionally did not use the names of the shooters. They do not deserve that recognition. This is a picture of Kendrick Castillo, a face that not enough people have seen and whose story not enough people have heard of.

[genderick-lamar]

(abt WTD) he deserves every insult and word thrown at him because he's been way over his head, thinking ppl are just gonna let it slip when he calls a black man a snake and how he doesnt 'sound' like he says the n word like .. fuck off!!! also, family matters does NOT warrant 2 hours lmao, not even k dots disses do because what he does is just extends his sentences with reaches for no reason to just get watch time.. i have been PRAYING on his downfall ever since he donated to AK while ak was crashing out AND WISHING DEATH on compton restaurant owners because they explained how he was taking them out of context when he posted on insta saying they lost money bc of kdot WHEN KDOT DONATED LIKE 200K dollars after the pop out ....

i love how kendrick moves, he lets them talk and talk and talk and we watch as they dig their own grave, its sooo pathetic

i might be frequent and annoying in ur inbox abt these bc i have no one else to talk to abt this and kendrick in general lol

PLEASE BE ON MY INBOX ABOUT THIS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I FUCKING HATE THAT MAN LMAOOOO 😭😭😭 I knew something was wrong in the 6:16 video bc there were a couple of things that made me go HUH. But then he started talking on twitter about the family matters video months ago and i just muted him bc he got on my nerves. And then he shows his ass counting immediately after like 😭😭😭 And I know exactly the stream donation u are talking about bc I saved it bc i was SHOCKED, it was such a disgusting conversation overall but like who's surprised coming from those two.

I think the thing that got me looking at him like 👀 the most was finding out he's in a group chat with adam 22 like come on man 😭 He's just sooooo weird i don't know how ppl take him seriously

[amber-lucca44]

Most Played Songs 2022 💖💖💖

A Candlelit Dinner With Inamorta (Asking Alexandria)

Ungrateful (Escape The Fate)

In Between (Beartooth)

Reach (Eyes Set To Kill)

Tragic Magic (Falling In Reverse)

Young Blood Spills Tonight (Eyes Set To Kill)

World Of Sacrifice (Black Veil Brides)

Drinking From The Fountain (Saosin)

I'm Content With Losing (Underoath)

New Jersey Makes, The World Takes (Senses Fail)

Red Is The New Black (Funeral For A Friend)

Tally It Up, Settle The Score (Sleeping With Sirens)

Beaten In Lips (Beartooth)

Hell Or High Water (Before Their Eyes)

You Eclipsed By Me (Atreyu)

Captain Blood (Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!)

Juneau (Funeral For A Friend)

Throw The First Stone (Black Veil Brides)

Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings (Funeral For A Friend)

Welcome To The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)

It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now (Four Year Strong)

The Death Of Me (Asking Alexandria)

If You Run (You Me At Six)

A Lesson Never Learned (Asking Alexandria)

New Demons (I See Stars)

My Sharona (The Number Twelve Looks Like You)

Wormholes (Volumes)

Ambrosia (Alesana)

Bulimic (The Used)

State Of Love And Trust (Pearl Jam)

Mr. Highway's Thinking About The End (A Day To Remember)

Promise Promise (You Me At Six)

Rookie Of The Year (Funeral For A Friend)

Kingslayer (Bring Me The Horizon ft. BABYMETAL)

Wasteland (Against The Current)

The Bomb Dot Com V2.0 (Sleeping With Sirens)

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

Puppets (The First Snow) (Motionless In White)

YKTV (Nas ft. A Boogie Wit A Hoodie & YG)

When I Get Home, You're So Dead (Mayday Parade)

Tell Slater Not To Wash His Dick (Bring Me The Horizon)

Daddy's Falling Angel (In This Moment)

Not A Single Word About This (Alesana)

I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me (Fall Out Boy)

Perfect Weapon (Black Veil Brides)

The Royal Crown Vs. Blue Duchess (From Autumn To Ashes)

Bottomfeeder (Blessthefall)

Embryonic Anomaly (Rings Of Saturn)

Big Machine (The Goo Goo Dolls)

Down, Set, Go (Underoath)

Never Lose Sight Of The Goals (For Today)

In Friends We Trust (Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!)

Happy (Pink Fly)

Damage (Fit For Rivals)

If These Bullets Could Talk (The Number Twelve Looks Like You)

Darling (Eyes Set To Kill)

Seven Years (Saosin)

Timberwolves At New Jersey (Taking Back Sunday)

Angela Baker And My Obsession With Fire (Senses Fail)

Still Fly (The Devil Wears Prada)

Affirmation Of Ascension (Volumes)

The Carpal Tunnel Of Love (Fall Out Boy)

Cubicles (My Chemical Romance)

Better Than Revenge (Taylor Swift)

Featuring Some Of Your Favorite Words (From First To Last

Not The American Average (Asking Alexandria)

Stick Stickly (Attack Attack!)

Drowning Lessons (My Chemical Romance)

Jet Black New Year (Thursday ft. Gerard Way)

HUMBLE. (Kendrick Lamar)

This Calling (All That Remains)

Knives And Pens (Black Veil Brides)

Rosemary Had An Accident (The Devil Wears Prada)

Shatter Me (Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale)

Born To Lead (Falling In Reverse)

Where Do You Draw The Line? (From Autumn To Ashes)

Calm Before The Storm (Fall Out Boy)

Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us (My Chemical Romance)

Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die (Four Year Strong)

Congratulations, I Hate You (Alesana)

Beautiful Remains (Black Veil Brides)

Beautiful In Blue (Alesana)

And The Sentence Trails On... (The Devil Wears Prada)

Emergency (Paramore)

Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today (Fall Out Boy)

American Love (Haste The Day)

Champion (Falling In Reverse)

The Story Of Us (Taylor Swift)

Hatebreeders (Hatebreed)

Girl In A Coma (Fit For Rivals)

Liar In The Glass (Eyes Set To Kill)

Alright (Kendrick Lamar)

Can't Be Saved (Senses Fail)

Those In Glass Houses (Of Mice & Men)

And I Told Them I Invented Times New Roman (Dance Gavin Dance)

Faithless (Black Veil Brides)

Monument (A Day To Remember)

Guillotine IV (The Final Chapter) (Falling In Reverse)

I Have A Problem (Beartooth)

Sweetness (Jimmy Eat World)

[coffee---bean]

big summarising of my thoughts and development, the past week... (pt. 1)

ok!

sitting with connor in backspace talking about our ideas.

i wrote down some ideas, whatever first came into my mind - sex, the desert, circles...

i tried connecting a bunch of different ideas -- "prairie madness", the idea of going crazy cos you live in a really flat nothing-ness area -- solitary confinement -- the forces holding atoms and our bodies together -- electrical wires holding society together -- the internet as a desert -- and "prairie madness" in that desert, feeling meaningless or alone in this vastness...

i thought about the origins of the word "isrealite" - someone who wrestles with God. in the context of the bible, that's kind of supposed to mean, someone who fumbles their relationship with God, not understanding that God already knows everything about them. someone who fights unneccessarily, basically.

i thought about the idea of a wrestling ring in the desert, kind of like the frank ocean lyric from the song solo, from blonde:

There's a bull and a matador dueling in the sky

like, these great fighters, mythical figures representing something incredible, fighting for the content of our souls, maybe. i think this scene from stanley kubrick's spartacus movie was rattling around my head:

as well as the interesting modern example of the same idea - WWE, wrestling. people taking on personas to fight one another in a kind of comic book narrative, feeling like the perverse supercharged aesthetic opposite to the spareness i associate with the desert or religion.

the kind of raw energy of two people wrestling eachother just feels very tense and exciting. it's inspired by my experiences wrestling my friends, too!

i think i imagined the ring as a set of poles and chain-link fence because of some vague idea of what an independent wrestling match might look like, inspired by the first x-men movie, i think?

and, also watching UFC fights with my friend dan, at work. the brutality of it, and the ring, also.

i wanted the vibe to be sweat, blood, tears...

connor drew this little drawing -- the wrestling match in your mind. the constant fighting with yourself, yknow! i love this drawing because the shape of the cage feels like a little bird-cage. and i think it helps communicate the psychological symbolism that "wrestling with God" really means in your mind - God being some kind of inner peace, and wrestling with that is hard...

i started planning the idea of building the wrestling ring and having a live fight in front of a screen being projected on.

just more planning, like making the ring lifted off the ground, so the pit could be filled with sand. i began thinking about prison, wrestling and the idea of prayer. i was thinking about being trapped in a wrestling match like a prison sentence.

i made a work called boat simulator two last semester in a VR class, which was a kind of adaptation of the stranger by albert camus. in that work, i imagined life as a prison sentence, trapped in our perspective and bodies, and death being the release. that's a dark idea, especially since in real life prison is such a horrible experience, but i don't necessarily think life is bad just because we don't get to choose every aspect of our lives.

i was thinking about the difference between wrestling and prayer as a response to prison. the wrestling is like the constant fighting and freaking out, and the prayer is more like the moment of giving up and asking for something.

i started collecting quotes and ideas about prayer and prison. here's my thought process in the form of quotes. first i started with three songs with prayer in the title:

prayer by kendrick lamar -- this song wasn't really worthwhile. i haven't heard it, but reading the lyrics, the point felt both very stupid and also not really relevant to my work

ultralight prayer by kanye west / kirk franklin -- this is a little extra song created from the song ultralight beam from the life of pablo, using the ending vocals by kirk franklin. the feeling of this song really spoke to me. i identified the soft synths, the gently distorted drum sample -- a very sparse mix focusing on a 4-chord progression -- and this lyric:

This prayer is for everyone that feels they're not good enough This prayer's for everybody that feel that they're too messed up For everyone that feels they've said "I'm sorry" too many times You can never go too far when you can't come back home again

this will come up later, but the idea of prayer not for yourself, but for other people, is something that kind of changed my approach to this piece.

prayer by brockhampton (kevin abstract, mainly) -- this song is one of my favourite song-types: the quiet, short song where someone sings out to the void... hoping, crying, uncertain... the song structured like an unfinished thought, flickering in wind...

I love these niggas so much I love these niggas so much I love these niggas so much God, please, don't make me grow up God, please, don't make me grow up God, please, don't make me grow up God, please, don't make me grow up God, please, don't make me grow up God, please, don't make me grow up

the simplicity of the lyrics, the desperation, the churchy synths -- and the way it connects these lyrics and these feelings to the idea of prayer really opened up my mind about this idea. it made me think about my own prayers.

the only time i've ever really prayed is right before a test, when i was freaking out in bed the night before, feeling like i was going to die. i really think that's the worst i've ever felt, in my life. i remember crying about how scared i was before the HSC.

this song feels like an important part of the piece!

----------

other brockhampton influences on this work

this performance of the light pt. 2, live at the chapel

this is one of the most amazingly vulnerable songs i've ever heard -- i cry everytime i hear it. both of the artists talk about some really powerful emotional experiences in their life. joba talks about his father's suicide, and kevin abstract talks about carrying a lot of childhood trauma with him.

What type of man can find the right time to fly in? Especially when my cousin dyin'

what kind of man am i, if i can't find the right time to be there for the people around me? if i can't connect with the people around me?

To see the world move without you feel like a daydream

the feeling of not being able to take part in the world. watching everyone else have fun. being dissociated, unable to act, to fix things.

The light is worth the wait I promise, wait Why did you do it? The light is worth the wait I promise, wait Screaming, "Please, don't do it"

please don't die, too late. it's so heartbreaking. this song is performed live in a place called the chapel, which is a quite bare looking wooden church-performance space.

that reminds me of the beautiful simple wooden church from there will be blood, directed by paul thomas anderson, although jack fisk was the production designer, i believe...

also!

the song 2pac

another short song, another very simple synth loop and drum loop. the emotion really comes from those synths, but moreso from the performer, who is once again performing a kind of prayer or sermon. it's a very traditionally gangsta verse, but there's so much heartbreak hidden right underneath the surface.

Fuck the damn detectives, momma called the Reverend I know she praying for me, but I'm in the shadows Hella drugs and ammo, kicking doors, my MO

there's something resigned about this. like this is all he feels he deserves, all he is worth. this reminds me of an experience i had while i was on ketamine, watching the iron giant.

upon rewatching, this scene isn't really as profound as i thought it was when i was on drugs. but there was something about the iron giant seeing a thing that looks exactly like him, and being told "he's not the hero, he's the villain", and at the time i felt this huge weight of a child being told they are a villain over and over, beginning to believe it.

i feel that same pain in this song! i listen to it over and over, slowed down and with reverb.

i was also just thinking about how i tend to be attracted to short, solemn, prayer-like songs. here's a few more examples, which leads us to our next quote!

something about him by brockhampton

her majesty by the beatles

get lost by kanye west

and..........

[aaryanmwablogs]

Creative Block: The Silent Killer of Dreams (and Music Careers)

Ah, creative block - the ultimate party crasher. One day you're on top of the world, churning out hits like a musical genius, and the next, you're stuck in a rut, wondering if you'll ever write another decent lyric again. Don't worry, friend, you're not alone. Even the greats - from Lennon to Lady Gaga - have faced the dreaded creative block. But here's the thing: it's not a death sentence. In fact, it's an opportunity to reignite your passion and come back stronger than ever.

We've all been there - staring blankly at a page or screen, trying to force out a melody that just won't come. It's like trying to squeeze water from a stone. But the truth is, creative block often stems from our own self-doubt and fear of failure. We put so much pressure on ourselves to create something perfect that we end up creating nothing at all. 

So, how do you overcome this pesky creative block? Well, here are a few tricks to get you started: - Take a break (no, really, take a break). Sometimes stepping away from your instrument or software can help you clear your mind and come back with fresh ears.

- Collaborate with others (sometimes a fresh perspective is all you need). Working with fellow musicians or producers can help you see things from a new angle and reignite your passion.

- Try something new (yes, even if it's just a new instrument or software). Visit some notable shops like VIP PRO AUDIO in Brooklyn. Shaking up your routine can help stimulate your creativity and get those juices flowing again.

- Draw from life experiences (heartbreak, love, and coffee can be great muses). Write about what you know and feel, and the music will follow.

And remember, inspiration is like a muscle - it needs to be exercised regularly. So, keep creating, even when it feels like nothing's working. Keep pushing, and eventually, that creative dam will burst open, and the music will flow like never before.

Don't believe us? Just ask the likes of Taylor Swift, who wrote her hit album "Folklore" during a pandemic-induced creative block. Or Kendrick Lamar, who credits his collaborators for helping him overcome his own self-doubt and create some of his most iconic work.

So, don't give up on your dreams, folks! Creative block may be a silent killer, but with a little persistence and creativity, you can overcome it and keep making music that moves the world.

[isaiahwarren]

OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF DESPAIR, A STONE OF HOPE.

Name: Isaiah Warren

Nickname: Zey

Gender & Pronouns: Cis male & he/him

Age: 34

Occupation: owner of Paradise Point Resort & Spa

Origins: Briar Ridge, South Carolina

Neighborhood: Briar Ridge Hills

Relationship status: Single

SUMMARY: Born and raised in Briar Ridge, Isaiah Warren was thrust into the fight for equality at a young age. First through an introduction from his father and then through his own experiences growing up in the south. He wants badly to just live a quiet life on his own, maybe have a family some day, but can't let go of the things that happened to him and continue to happen to others around the country. Like some members of his own family tree Isaiah can't help but dip his toes into the waters of politics and civil rights. After graduating with a business degree from Harvard and family money in his pockets he bought the Paradise Point Resort & Spa and makes a point of giving underprivileged teens and young adults opportunities.

Welcome to Briar Ridge … [ ISAIAH WARREN ]! Who is known as [ ZEY ] and was recently seen leaving their home in [ BRIAR RIDGE HILLS ]. he is currently [ 34 ] years old. he resembles [ KENDRICK SAMPSON ] and is the [ OWNER ] at [ PARADISE POINT RESORT & SPA ]. They’re best known for [ paying it forward by giving troubled youth opportunities ] and also, [ being active in political movements that would create social change ]. What is really important to know about them is [ the reluctant warrior, instances in his life have pushed him to take more proactive stances when he'd rather live a quieter life ]. 

tw: racism & racial hate crime

In the year of 1999, the then nine year old sat next to his father in a courtroom down in Texas to witness the trials and convictions of capital hate crimes that three white supremacist men committed against a black man. His father wanted him to see it. A part of him cheered internally when two of the three men were sentenced to death and the third sentenced to a life behind bars; the other part of Isaiah Warren believed it was only the beginning.

 Sitting in the courtroom in 1999 during that trial was something that felt extremely personal to Isaiah. As a young black man that grew up in the deep south he was no stranger to racism and the violence that it breeds. Sitting there, sometimes fuming and sometimes emotional, as he listened to testimonies of what had happened on that night of June seventh in 1998, it tore him up with the memories of the stories his own family members had shared of the past that seemed to be colliding with the then present day hate crime that was so brutal it had clearly shaken the prosecutor. Who had later said it was the worst he had seen in his twenty year career.

Isaiah had been jumped a few times in his life by white boys his own age or sometimes a little older. He spent a youth heckled by others because of the color of his skin, and was pushed around and put down more times than he could have ever kept track of. The harassment only lessened when his talent in sports drove the teams he was on to winning records and championship games. 

The only thing worse than being black and not white was that neither side fully accepted him as either. To his black community that he grew up in and identified with, Isaiah often wasn't black enough. His skin was too light. His green eyes were wrong. They were reflective of his white mother, who always meant the world to him, but he was also too dark to really be apart of her world too.

It still wasn’t enough to stop the night of terror that ended up leaving him with a beaten cousin dying in his arms and he, himself, needing to spend several days in the hospital to recover from his own injuries. His cousin had gone out on a date with a girl he had thought to be single, and a date between two sixteen year olds, something harmless and fun, resulted in being beat to death by the girl’s ex boyfriend and his friends. Isaiah and his cousin were attacked from behind and the worst of all of it had been directed to his cousin, his own injuries were mostly heavily sustained in trying to protect his family, whom he was forced to watch meet his end simply because of the color of his skin.

The trauma of that night was something the then fifteen year old took years to move past, though it became a strong driving force in his life. Not only did he testify against the attackers, he had to sit in the courtroom and listen to the defense attorneys tear the case apart to nothing. He sat there crying over the injustice served the day the attackers and murderers were let off with misdemeanors and from then on decided to be the change and fight against what had happened that day in court.

Ever since he was old enough to understand his surroundings as a child, Isaiah was aware of the differences of his skin color versus that of others. As a black person there was never any escape to it. As a boy in grade school he learned of his father and his connection to the great Dr Martin Luther King Jr, when the curriculum in school focused on the civil rights movement. He went home and shared the things he learned in class with his father, and his old man pulled out an old box of photos to show himself as a boy close to Colin’s age standing with Dr King and holding his hand. Grandfather was in the background of the picture and they were in the middle of a march. It was in Isaiah's roots to fight for equality, and he still keeps that photo with him and like his father always did, he lights a candle on the anniversary of King’s death. It was those things, his own brutal experience and his family history that motivated him so strongly to ace his way through Harvard and to continue onto business.

The thing is, Isaiah knows he's fortunate and spends each day grateful for the fights and sacrifices his father, and family before him had made. His great grandfather was involved in politics and business which set the family up for generations to come due to real estate savvy. That fortune gave Isaiah opportunities many young people of color never get, so with his degree from Harvard he bought the resort in Briar Ridge and made it his mission to offer and awarded as many opportunities as he can.

With the social climate around the country at a tipping point, he reluctantly re-entered the fray. The memories of his rough past come to surface and he knows there's no way he couldn't be apart of the fight for equality.

Isaiah strongly believes that every single human being deserves, in the least, the basic human and civil rights and ever since he was fifteen years old it has been his fight in the world. As one day he would like children of his own, or dreams of it and hasn’t been able to bring a child into the world with the state it’s in.

[patterns-acnh]

PLACES TO DONATE AND SIGN TO SUPPORT BLM

(Do not donate money to change.org, none of their funds go to their petitions or organizations)

I Run With Maud - a fundraiser for the family of Maud to support them financially and seek justice. Ahmaud Arbery is black man who was chased and gunned down by two white men. (donation)

Minnesota freedom fund - raise money to bail out minnesota protesters (donation)

Official George Floyd donation fund (donation

The heart of a chef - Help pay for a black chef’s medical expenses

Justice for Sheku Bayoh - A black male who was taken into police custody and never returned home (petition)

Justice for Jennifer Jeffley - A black woman who was arrested at the age of 15 for a crime she did not commit (petition)

Abolish prison labor in the US (petition)

Free Willie Simmons - A black man serving 38 years for stealing $9 (petition)

Free Siyanda Mngaza - A young black woman sentenced to 4 1/2 years for self defence (petition)

Drop all charges against trafficking survivor Chrystul Kizer - A black woman incarcerated for using self defence against a trafficker (petition)

Justice for Zinedine - A black woman who was r*ped and he walks free. (petition)

Justice for Joāo Pedro - A 14 year old black boy who was shot in his home by the Rio de Janeiro police and died. 72 bullet holes were found in his home. (petition)

Justice for Sean Reed - A young black man who’s life ended after excessive violence by the cops against him while he was unarmed. (petition)

Justice for Breonna Taylor - A black woman, an award winning EMT who was killed by police in her home after an illegal unnanounced drug raid. They went to the WRONG HOUSE. (petition)

Exonerate Eric Riddick - A black man who was sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit in 1992. There was no physical evidence. (petition)

Justice for Elijah Nichols - A black man who was attacked by a predominantly white fraternity party, stabbed his attackers in self defence, and is now incarcerated for it. (petition)

Justice for Emerald Black - A black pregnant woman who was attacked by the police for having bad registration tags. She was stomped in the stomach causing her to miscarry. (petition)

Justice for Amiya Braxton - A black child who was hit by a car. No one took her case serious and the driver was not charged. (petition)

Justice for Belly Mujinga - A black woman who was attacked while she had COVID-19 which likely lead to her death.(petition)

Justice for Tamir Rice - A 12 year old black boy who was shot and killed by officers for playing with a toy gun. The officers were not charged. (petition)

Justice for Andile Mchunu - A missing black man who was last seen beaten by a group of men. (petition)

Disbarment of George E. Barnhill - The man who decided to sit on the case of Ahmaud Arbery. (petition)

Criminal charges against Travis and Greg McMichael in the murder of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery. (petition)

Correcting a wrongful conviction against Kyjuanzi Harris - A black man who was arrested without cause. He has been in prison for 9 years now. (petition)

Justice for Darrius Stewart - A black man who was killed by a cop for a mistaken identity. (petition)

Reopen Kendrick Johnsons case - A black man who was killed by a man through a jealous fight over a girl. The autopsy revealed that his death was not accidental, the man admits to murder, yet the case is closed. (petition)

Raise the degree - remove bail for Derek Chauvin, the man who killed George Floyd (petition)

Exoneration of Albert Wilson - A black male wjo was sentenced by an all white jury 12 years for making out with a white woman in a bar. (petition)

Julius Jones - An innocent man set to be excecuted in oklahoma (petition)

Junk the anti-terrorism bill- a bill is trying to get passed calling protests, mass mobilizations, and political activities “terrorism” and trying to make them illegal (petition)

Justice for Darrius Stewart - a 19 year old who was gunned down by a white police officer (petition)

Free Wis. teen facing life in prison for killing her rapist (petition)

Justice for Alejandro Vargas Martinez - A black 15 year old who was shot 7 times while walking to school (petition)

I need to share this right now so I can eat but i will add more later! I DON’T care if its not ACNH. If this bothers you, unfollow me. I couldn’t care less. It bothers me how little I see donation and petition links on here, i have a good amount of followers on here, so see this. sign them.

Please sign them ALL. It really is NOT that hard. And share so others will do the same.

[thekingofthenameless]

Daylight’s Redemption Masterlist!

(This’ll be edited as time goes on, like most masterlists are.)

Journey by Daylight is a prequel to Emerald Embers, and details Merlin’s backstory right up to Chapter One of Emerald Embers.

Things That Apply to Both Fics:

DR!Merlin:

His rp blog @merlin-caledonensis-ambrosius

His characterization

His backstory

His sister

His trauma and how it affects him

His [redacted] #1

His [redacted] #2

How he feels about his body

What calms him down

How vigilant he is

Character bingo

Some random things about him

Ten headcanons

More headcanons

Emerald Embers:

Fic summary:

I’m so funny

Fic link:

A look into how it’s developed!

Help

Random Things:

My first comment!

A compliment from a friend

Compliments that I hoard like a dragon

Favorite scene(s)

Spelling problems

A poll about what redesign I should commission next

Worldbuilding:

1

2

Timeline

Claire and school

Dragons!!!!

Major Storyline Changes Across Canon:

Trollhunters:

Jim’s helmet

The trolls aren’t racist towards the changelings

Morgana’s death

3Below:

Wizards:

If I rewrite R*TT

Character Designs:

Jim

Toby

Barbara

Mama and Papa Casperan

Arthur and Gwen

Darci

Mary

Steve

Zadra

Eli

Krel

Fialkov

Coranda

Ganieda

Strickler

Nomura

Character Redesigns:

Aja

Zoe

The entire Nuñez family

Compilation of everyone

The Titans

Morgana, Barbara, and Ophelia’s body types

Morgana’s redesign

Character Expansion/Development /Revamps:

Galahad

Barbara

Douxie

Ophelia and Javier

Original Characters:

Hildred Cooke

Egbert Kendrick

Rachel Rogers

Lord Asheworthe

Mantis the dragon

Troll adoptables

Troll adoptables #2

Dragon adoptable

Several more adoptables

My first oc

Location Designs/Redesigns:

Writing blurbs!

🌹 wip ask game: two different scenes

Wip tag game #1

🌹 wip ask game: Blinky and Dictatious

Wip tag game #2

Wip word ask game: Candles (Merlin and young!Douxie)

🌹 wip ask game: three different scenes

🌹 wip ask game: Merlin starting to have a breakdown

wip:

Random snippet: Merlin reflecting on mortal humans’ fear of magic

Send me a sentence and I’ll write the next five ask game: Jimmy Jam angst

Send me a sentence and I’ll write the next five ask game: Jim and the clones

🌹 wip ask game: Merlin and Archie

Fanfiction work in progress guessing game: treason

Fanfic work in progress guessing game: book

Random snippet: Barbara observing Merlin

🌹 wip ask game: Merlin is ✨stressed out✨

🌹 wip ask game: Merlin with a sad, scared child.

🌹 wip ask game: Merlin is ✨stressed out✨ (Again.)

Chapter introduction!!!

Tag game: Merlin’s C-PTSD

Memes!

EE summary: meme edition

Figuring out Merlin’s backstory

Fanart!!!

✨Gorgeous Merlin sketches✨ by @rule-number-3

Merlin pondering™️ by @rule-number-3

Merlin’s character sheets by @undeadchestnut!

Journey by Daylight:

Old Ideas for Both:

DR!Merlin’s redesign

Last sentence of your wip in the tags

In the tags

Claire’s redesign

Morgana’s redesign

Charlie’s redesign

[emerald-studies]

How to be an ally

(I fixed ALL the links so fucking reblog)

1.  Check In On Your Black Friends/Acquaintances

In my opinion, I believe the best way to be an ally is to reach out to your Black friends and check in on them, consistently. If you can recognize the times we are living in are absolute hell, you should be checking in on the most effected. None of my friends have checked up on me to see how I was doing or just to talk. They didn’t even bring up the protests until I did. It feels very very lonely and scary to not be checked up on by the people who say they support and love you. So, I’m making this the first point because I don’t want anyone else to feel this way, not trying to complain.

2.  Learn More About Black History

It’s important to learn about the Black activists that our history books left out. Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. was, and is, important but we need to reflect on why he was pushed on us so much in our history classes, compared to other Black leaders. Is it because our government would rather us walk down the street holding signs than actually defending ourselves against the cop who’s beating us?

Here’s a master list of activists to start you off.

3.  Go to Rallies and Protests (If you can)

Find protests and rallies in your area by looking on Twitter and search #yourcityprotest. Or watch your local news channel to see where they are (if they’re being covered on the news). Also search on Facebook. Wear a mask.

4. Donate and Sign Petitions

If you don’t have extra money to donate, that’s fine. If you still want to be an ally then sign all the petitions you can. Take a day to research all the ones you can sign/haven’t signed and sign them!

(Also you don’t need to donate to change.org! Directly donate to non-profit organizations and victims’ families!)

George Floyd - change.org

George Floyd - amnesty.org

George Floyd - colorofchange.org

Get The Officers Charged

Charge All Four Officers

Breonna Taylor - moveon.org

Breonna Taylor - colorofchange.org

Breonna Taylor - justiceforbreonna.org

Breonna Taylor - change.org

Breonna Taylor - thepetitionsite.com

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org 2

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org 3

Justice for Oluwatoyin Salau

Pass The Georgia Hate Crime Bill

Defund MPD

Life Sentence For Police Brutality

Regis Korchinski - change.org

Tete Gulley - change.org

Tony McDade - change.org

Tony McDade - actionnetwork.org

Tony McDade - thepetitionsite.com

Joao Pedro - change.org

Julius Jones - change.org

Belly Mujinga - change.org

Willie Simmons - change.org

Hands Up Act - change.org

National Action Against Police Brutality

Kyjuanzi Harris - change.org

Alejandro Vargas Martinez - change.org

Censorship Of Police Brutality In France

Sean Reed - change.org

Sean Reed - change.org 2

Kendrick Johnson - change.org

Tamir Rice - change.org

Tamir Rice - change.org 2

Fire Racist Criminal From The NYPD

Jamee Johnson - organizefor.org

Darius Stewart - change.org

Darius Stewart - moveon.org

Abolish Prison Labor

Free Siyanda - change.org

Chrystul Kizer - change.org

Chrystul Kizer - change.org 2

Andile Mchunu (Bobo) - change.org

Eric Riddick - change.org

Amiya Braxton - change.org

Emerald Black - change.org

Elijah Nichols - change.org

Zinedine Karabo Gioia - change.org

Angel Bumpass - change.org

Sheku Bayoh - change.org

Visit these sites for more info:

http://www.pb-resources.com/

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

5. Educate yourself and others.

Articles:

- “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)

- Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists

- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)

- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine

- The Combahee River Collective Statement

- “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)

- Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD

- “Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” by Courtney Martin (June 1, 2020)

- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh

- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)

Movies/TV Shows:

When They See Us

American Son

Hello Privilege, It’s Me, Chelsea

The 13th

Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story

What Happened Miss Simone?

The Two Killings of Sam Cooke

Who Killed Malcolm X?

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce (Lighter in tone)

LA 92

Dear White People

Videos:

- Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)

- “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” | Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)

- American Oxygen - Rihanna

- Formation - Beyonce

Podcasts:

- Malcolm X Speeches

- 1619 (New York Times)

- About Race

- Code Switch (NPR)

- Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

Books:

- The Autobiography of Malcolm X

- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About RaceBook by Reni Eddo-Lodge

- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins

- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper

- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

- Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

- The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs

- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

- This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga

- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson

- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD

Follow:

- Shaun King: Instagram | Website

- Antiracism Center: Twitter

- Black Women’s Blueprint: Website

- Color Of Change: Website

- The Conscious Kid: Website | Instagram

- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Website | Twitter | Instagram

- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram |

- Ziwe | Instagram | (She has discussions about race with White people, kinda grilling them, every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Super thrilling to watch.)

Here’s Some Music Too:

Change Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Chain Gang - Nina Simone

Missisippi Goddamn - Nina Simone

Fuck Da’ Police - N.W.A.

This is America - Childish Gambino

I’m Not Racist - Joyner Lucas

Fight the Power - Public Enemy

Freedom (Live) - Beyonce

I Can’t Breathe - H.E.R.

American Oxygen - Rihanna

Brown Skin Girl - Beyonce

+

My Playlist With A Few More

Black Artists Matter Playlist

What a large list! It looks so overwhelming! Don’t worry, you don’t have to read/watch/listen to everything. It takes a lot of effort!

Jk.

[truecrimecrystals]

Cases with New Information in 2021(pt. 1)

Another installment in my end of year posts. Many cases covered on this blog had some sort of update this year. Although these cases are not yet closed, the new information brings the investigation one step closer to being solved. Here’s to hoping all of these cases are solved during 2022! Links to full write-ups on these cases are provided.

The murder of Ally Brueger.

Alexandra ‘Ally’ Brueger (31) was shot and murdered while jogging in Holly, Michigan on July 30th, 2016. Ally was jogging on one of her usual routes near her family’s home when she was shot in the back multiple times. It was originally reported that investigators believed that Ally knew her killer. Many people in her life were scrutinized, especially her ex-boyfriend Wes Sutherland. 

Five years later, in July 2021, investigators announced that they no longer believed that Ally knew the person who killed her. Ally's parents now fear that public perception that Ally knew her killer has skewed the investigation. They are hoping that this new information will allow witnesses to recall details that they might have previously discounted in the early stages of the investigation. Tips in Ally’s case can be provided by calling 1-855 MICH TIP.

The suspicious death of Kendrick Johnson.

Kendrick Johnson (17) was found deceased inside the gymnasium at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia on the morning of January 11th, 2013. His death was quickly labeled as an accident caused by "positional asphyxiation”, as his body was found face down in a rolled-up gym mat. However, Kendrick’s family believed that his death was not thoroughly investigated--and there are many details surrounding Kendrick's death that were seemingly ignored or overlooked by investigators. Over time, more evidence began to surface that made many theorize that Kendrick’s death might have actually been a murder that was covered up by police. 

In the years that followed Kendrick’s death, many private investigators have occurred--but by 2016, the case was closed and no charges were filed. In April 2020, the Lowndes County Sheriff request that the case be reopened, but his request was denied. In March 2021, the request was made again--and this time it was granted. The new investigation into Kendrick’s death is currently ongoing.

The disappearance of Samantha Clarke.

Samantha Clarke (19) vanished in Orange County, Virginia on September 14th, 2010. A man named Randy Allen Taylor has been a suspect in the case for over a decade, but he has continuously denied involvement in Samantha’s disappearance. Taylor is currently serving two life sentences of the 2013 murder of Alexis Murphy, and at this time he has not been charged with anything related to Samantha’s case.

In January 2021, Orange County officials announced that they are now investigating Samantha’s case as a homicide. Samantha remains missing, but detectives now have new evidence that leads them to believe that she was murdered. Detectives have not revealed whether or not this evidence has anything to do with Randy Allen Taylor, but he remains a suspect in the case.

[avianreptiles]

I realized i actually dont know much about kenny, so if you want you can take this as a prompt to talk about him cuz he intrigues me....

This is not a place of honor

Okay so this is the general summary of his bullshit. I have a lore doc on the way. The lore doc goes soooo much into more detail on particular events and especially more on the reasoning and psychology of the actions in the story. The whole story itself is insane and gruesome and horrible, but i singled out on Kendrick cuz he's the most interesting in my opinion and I don't like him.

If you are waiting for the lore doc, I applaud your patience. It's coming, I swear.

Tw for talks of death, brief mentions of gore, suicide, main character deaths, politics, drugs, alcoholism, whatever. There is no happy endings in the shay/avian cinematic universe yadda yadda yadda okay

OKAY so Kendrick Poste was a transgender man born in 2098 in the right-winged, one-party dominant "democracy", the United States of Albany, to his parents, Mac and Haisley Poste. Mac and Haisley were both left-leaning and tried to raise him away from being rightwinged, but Kendrick ended up growing up not caring that much for politics. Anyways important bit, THEY WERE GOOD PARENTS. Haisley was a wonderful woman. Mac cared deeply for his son. Kendrick was When Kendrick was 12, the three of them got into a car wreck by a drunk driver, with Haisley passing away rather gruesomely, with the nature of the direction that the car hit. Namely, a good chunk of Haisley's lower and mid face had been ripped off by the carnage of the passenger door. Kendrick saw this in full view. It is very important to know that Kendrick saw this.

Kendrick and Mac are neverrrrrr the same after this. Like at all. Kendrick ends up recovering enough mentally after a couple of years and graduates high school early, applying for and getting into college at 16. The first half of the year goes by without a breeze. The second half of the year rolls by, and Kendrick falls like Icarus, got a little too close to the sun, a little too confident. After he lost all the drive to finish school, he started taking up smoking and ended up becoming "friends" with the guy that deals him weed, Percival. I can write so much on how Percival sucks but instead, I'm gonna write about how Kendrick is worse. So this guy manipulated and threatened anyone and everyone to his benefit, including his ex-girlfriend and his father. He was just some egotistical, jackass kid who got caught up gang violence and drug deals who took advantage of the people around him to make a name for himself in almost every circle of the city he lived in. He was known for just about one thing, though: Percival's big scary personal guard dog. He was a violent and often times cruel kid, cementing himself as one of the morr dangerous people to butt heads with AT FUCKING 16.

Anyways I am skipping a lot of important info but the day he turned 17, he got drafted into the war that Albany was in at the time, the Massachusetts/Albany war. The draft was basically a death sentence, as kids who got shipped off to war tended to not come back at all. For what he thought was going to be his last three weeks on earth until he had to go to the selective service office, he proceeded to let himself go almost entirely. Specific events? Threatened to kill Percival a couple times, did cocaine off of a hooker's leg at a party he went to, broke someone's wrist, and drank almost every other night. Mac at that point had given up on him, but their last conversation was when he was dropping him off at the service office, where Kendrick told him to go to hell. Anyways that was fucked up. What's up next is worse

Being drafted sucked dick. He was already pretty damn fit, and the government determined he didn't really need any physical training, but he was still a rebellious, jackass kid, and that needed fixing. Recently in the war, more draftees were going awoll, so the govs solution? Deadend. Deadend was a compound/training facility that I once described as "not supposed to make you love your country, but to fear it." At Deadend, it was basically physical torture under the guise of "if you dissent from the army/go awoll, you will have wished that the enemy had flayed you alive, with the shit we're going to do to you". It was about 2 months of that. This compound is also the reason why a lot of Albany soldiers, especially in the later years of the war, were reported to have looked "empty" or "souless" in the eyes. You had to drop your morals at the door, cuz if you didn't do everything your superior told you to, you were getting shoved into the drywall.

After 2 months, he got put into a special little group called Great Lakes Special Forces. Now I'm going to summarize some of the shit that happened in GLSF in some sort of timeline, because so much happened in the period of about a year:

-Late July 2115, placed into group with four other members.

-Late August, 2115, first kill, a girl about his age

-December 2115, Kendrick (Huron 01) is ordered to kill Ontario 01, to which he complies out of fear.

-Later in December, Ontario 02 is assigned to the group, a reminder that anyone is replaceable.

-December 2115 to about July 2116, Kendrick, distraught about having to carry out Ontario 01's execution becomes more reserved and West (Superior 01), starts to place him on more solo missions. In a combination of unsupervised warfare, cruelty, bloodlust, guilt over Ontario's death, and what not, becomes the most dangerous man on the Eastern Seaboard. His existence becomes a boogeyman tale, with titles such as "Deerhead" and "the devil with white eyes" become tossed around while describing assassinations, killings, and what not that happen within his domain. West (technically his commanding officer) around this point realized that this would be her fatal flaw, letting Kendrick get too cocky.

-In late July 2116, he is sent on more cooperation missions, and actually talks to Ontario 02, the replacement for Ontario.

HEY THIS IS NOT DONE BTW. I POSTED IT TOO EARLY. IM JUST GONNA WORK ON THE LORE DOC FOR NOW

[youngboy-oldmind]

IN DEPTH REVIEW- DAMN Part III

I took a break from this series for March (Women’s History Month) and then had a surge of other projects to listen to in April. But I’m back with an in depth review DAMN, specifically two sister tracks, “PRIDE” and “HUMBLE”.

These two tracks address Kendrick wrestling pride. One side of the coin has him hating his temptation to feed into pride and embrace those emotions. The other side has him proudly bragging about himself and establishing others as below him. I mentioned in a previous review this album has a bipolar aura, and there’s no better example than these two tracks that have him accepting and rejecting this biblical sin. 

PRIDE

“PRIDE” continues the mellow sound of the previous track “LOYALTY”. We hear a vocal of Bekon stating “Love’s gonna get you killed. But pride’s gonna be the death of you and me” with “you and me” echoing into the transition to the change in instrumental. Then we hear the chorus where Kendrick and guest singer Steve Lacy state they weren’t taught to share or care, but in a perfect world they definitely would. Then we get a couple of verses where Kendrick discusses his conflict between embracing or rejecting pride. He discusses the role pride has in his music, fame, relationships, and social status.

The instrumental is one of the most dreary on the album. The moaning inflections give an angelic yet sad aura throughout the song. Like even the lighthearted, supernatural forces see this conflict as unsolvable and depressing. Kendrick’s duality is also expressed by his voice gradients of high pitched to low pitch.

You can feel Kendrick’s internal conflict regarding pride. Continuing the biblical themes of this project, especially a common visited idea of fearing futility in avoiding damnation. He mentions several times how he would have less pride in a perfect world, but since a perfect world is impossible, he’s navigating being the best person in an environment that fosters the worst. An interesting concept he explores in this track is “faking humble”. He embraces the fact he is one of the best rappers today, and arguably one of the best ever. Pretending he isn’t wouldn’t be humble, it would just be dishonest. Yet, he feels conflicting in taking pride in his status while acknowledging it is accurate and well earned. He complicates this sentiment into an unsolvable problem. That carries into the next song.

HUMBLE

“HUMBLE” completely counters the sentiments of the previous track. Kendrick unwaveringly boasts about himself. He talks about how he could murk somebody without the influence of drugs and alcohol. He is real while others fabricate. He has unparalleled connections to influential people. And ultimately has bragging rights, an ironic take on a song called “HUMBLE”. But, I’m 100% sure this was intentional.

The production on this record was mind boggling as well. We hear a very hasty “nobody pray for me” which usually indicates a more chaotic cut off this record. And the super dark piano melody intensified this track. The music video is also something to behold; I could make a whole separate post just analyzing the music video.

For a song boasting at this magnitude, one would think it would be difficult to reach any kind of lyrical complexity. But Kendrick still delivers plenty of lines that took multiple listens just to fully comprehend what he’s saying as well as the layers beneath it. My favorite of this are the first four lines in the first verse.

“Ayy, I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances

Finesse a n**** with some counterfeits, but now I'm countin’ this

Parmesan where my accountant lives, in fact I'm downin' this

Dusse with my boo bae tastes like Kool-Aid for the analysts”

I had to listen to these lines at least 5 times to figure out what all this means. But I finally was able to make sense of it all. First, the sentence structure is broken to create the rhyme and syllable scheme. So to understand better, it might be easier to read it in a sentence/paragraph structure.

“I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances, finesse a n**** with some counterfeits. 

But now I'm countin’ this parmesan where my accountant lives. 

In fact I'm downin' this Dusse with my boo bae, tastes like Kool-Aid for the analysts”

Here we get a brief narrative telling the origin story of Kendrick compared to where he is today. He went from poor food (syrup sandwiches), and earning money from counterfeiting and crime, to counting Parmesan (aka cheese aka slang for money) with his accountant. To further the point, he mentions he’s drinking Dusse with his “boo bae”. Dusse, an expensive cognac, is often referred to in hip hop to reflect wealth and high status. The last line changes from a narrative to a commentary on analysts and critics. “Dusse with my boo bae tastes like Kool Aid for the analysts”. This line suggests that analysts drink Dusse and treat it like Kool AId. Metaphorically speaking. 

Analysts will receive a very layered, complex, high quality message from Kendrick yet they summarize it as promoting violence and brutality. This idea was explored in the end of “BLOOD” with the fox news criticizing Kendrick Lamar for his lyrics on “Alright” off To Pimp A Butterfly. They generalized his sound and music as negative propaganda. It isn’t a coincidence that he used Dusse and Kool Aid as the drinks in the metaphor since both are associated with the black community. Someone who is stereotypical or racist may unjustly associate Kool Aid with people of color.

I read another analysis that stated the usage of Kool Aid refers to the well known phrase in the black community “all in the Kool Aid and don’t know the flavor”. Basically meaning forming an opinion or judgement without being aware of the full context your passing judgement upon. This analysis makes sense, especially in the context of these lines. Kendrick gives a story of where he’s coming from and analysts make judgement without knowing his past. I don’t take credit for this analysis, but I agree with it.

“HUMBLE” is a very intense track. And I only analyzed four of the many lines in this record. This entire album is layered and littered with messages. This track matches that energy. As Kendrick put it:

“There’s levels to it, you and I know. B**** be, humble”

Part IV Coming Soon

[guessimjoiningthespidermanfandom]

Blessing in Disguise

Peter Parker x bisexual!reader

Peter Parker x fem!reader

Peter Parker x black!reader

Peter Parker x villain!reader

Warnings: Hospitals, Explosions, depictions of pain, allusions to mania and depression, self harm/unhealthy coping mechanisms, mentions of death and the dead, gambling, potential underage drinking, theft, guns, gun violence, depictions of bullet wounds, and drunk people. 

Word Count: 3.4k

Songs: All the kids are depressed- Jeremy Zucker, Everywhere- Chloe x Halle, Middle Child- J. Cole, She Knows- J. Cole, Breezeblocks- alt-J, Pussycat Doll-Flo Milli, It’s Been So Long- The Living Tombstone, Take me to Church- Hozier, Good Kid- Kendrick Lamar, Death of a Bachelor- Panic! At the Disco, Them Changes- Thundercat, Detention- Melanie Martinez, Recess- Melanie Martinez, Something for your M.I.N.D- Superorganism 

A/N: I actually hate this chapter because I feel like the writing doesn’t flow. I feel like it’s to jampacked with things that don’t do anything to push the story forward. Anyway I hope you still read it anyways. 

Series Masterlist   Previous Part   Next Part

I did the hand sign stating I’d stand. I knew I won for sure this time because I had a perfect hand of 21. The two other people playing against groaned as I was declared the winner yet again. 

Swiping the chips for the 3rd time since I’d been at the casino. I decided to take my wins and make my way to the bar that our “target” was residing. 

I had a hunch on where Carmen was but had no actual idea. I’d just text her. In the meantime I had this grown ass man to make a move on. 

I was like 97% sure I had the right guy anyway. I looked much older than usual tonight due to Carmen being a makeup goddess and I gotta say flirting can get you a long way. 

“Hey,” I spoke, sitting on the bar stool next to the man.

He looked up at me mumbling a quick hey.

“You expecting someone?” 

“Nope,” He popped the ‘p’ “What about you?”

“Same as you,”

“Now I don’t believe someone as beautiful as you is here alone,” He moved his arm that much closer to mine. I pushed out a smile and giggled. 

“I could say the same about you,” We made eye contact for a second “But no seriously, I’m just here with a girlfriend. It was my birthday yesterday but she wasn’t free so we came out today,” I lied. 

“How old did you turn?”

“Twenty Two,” He nodded seemingly content with the answer. 

“So you’re not around here are you?”

“Either you’re a genius or I’m just very bad at blending in, no I’m from New York,” 

“Ah, I have some friends in New York, which part?” 

“Harlem actually but I recently moved to Queens,” I lied again. 

“Oh I don’t many from those cities,”

“If we're being honest I don’t know many people from Queens either my life’s been more hectic ever since I moved,”

“I hear you,” He informed me, leaning on the small backing the stools had. 

We talked for about 15 more minutes, him explaining the switch between New York to Nevada. Then Carmen walked up to me and feigned drunkenness signaling she was done with her job. I made my way back. To the man who’s name I still hadn’t learned. 

“As much fun as I was having talking to you, my friend is way too drunk to be out in public so we should probably head back to the hotel.” I sat back on the barstool turning my legs towards the man batting my eyes 

“Could I possibly use your phone to call an Uber mine is dead?” 

“Yeah of course you can…” His sentence fizzed off at the end in place of where my name would be.

“Ciara,” I filled in “And you are?” 

“Jim” He started handing me the phone.

I used his phone for an entirely different reason than I’d claimed. The project Carmen had been working on was melting the wires together to fix the flash drive that works inside of phones. It hadn’t worked in years.

It took about a minute to duplicate the phone's data. I stuck the flash drive in my bra before going to give the phone back. 

Just as I started moving a loud argument broke out, by the drunk accents I could tell it would soon get violent. Seeing as I had many experiences with an aggressive drunk. I wasn’t going to take my chances and began turning towards the main exit.

 I heard the first shot echo followed by another. Soon everyone was shooting. Including Carmen who I think just wanted an excuse to shoot at people passing it off as “protecting her friends”. 

She was closer to the exit than I was so she slid me the gun and I was able to ward off anyone shooting in our general direction. Not for long though. A bullet lightly grazed my dominant arm’s shoulder; it still dug in enough to do some sweet damage. 

Fuck

What’s up with me? I haven’t been on my A game lately. 

We were also out of bullets. Mostly because we weren’t actually expecting to have to fucking shoot at people. I ducked back down behind the bar trying not to get caught on the broken glassware. 

“I think it would be a good time to do that thing?” I asked. 

She rolled her eyes 

“You know I hate doing it,”

“Well I’m literally bleeding out,” I dramatized pointing to my shoulder. “So if you want to get out of here not in body bags, do the thing,” 

“Alright, just this one time,” She begrudgingly made her way out from behind the bar and away from me. 

I covered my ears and closed my eyes as the glass around me rained down and the bar shook. I could slightly hear the cries from beneath my hands. Once she moved back over to me 

“See that wasn’t so bad, birdy,” I scrambled up to my feet ignoring the pull in my shoulder. 

I made my rounds grabbing Jim’s phone, cash, wallets, watches, and anything else that looked expensive from pockets and the ground. 

I stood awkwardly staring at my feet as I slid from side to side with my butt planted on my skateboard. 

“Hi,” I heard squinting my eyes looking up revealing a equally nervous looking Peter

“Hey,” I nodded at him. 

The conversation wasn’t as awkward as I thought it’d be he’d apparently asked Liz to prom and he said yes. Which I was definitely super happy about because why wouldn’t I be? 

Anyway who cares about that anyway. Props to Peter for not bringing up the whole ghosting everyone thing for like a week thing. Because if he didn’t bring it up I was going to act like it never happened. 

We talked about everything and anything. From favorite candies or colors to our beliefs about life after death. I’d found out his favorite candy were skittles, favorite color: red and that he was Jewish but not necessarily religious and didn’t believe in heaven or hell but he believed in the eternity of a soul. 

I’d told him that my favorite candy was F/C, my favorite color being pink and that I didn’t know what I believed in. I believed in a higher power but not that they were inherently good because of all the suffering on earth. I’d told him if they weren’t good and had abandoned us while alive. Why would they care or have any plan for us into the afterlife? I think that part is up to us, and what we believe. I’m trying not to think about death.

Then like clockwork he had to leave before 9 which is funny because it’s like he wasn’t even trying to hide his secret identity. He’d told me he lost the internship and normally his excuse to leave was the internship. 

I just guess that means he no longer has Stark’s backup. He only had it for a while anyway he’d be fine without it again. Actually when I think about it,  from his behavior he’d exhibited as Spiderman in the short few months I’d had the displeasure of knowing him as ‘Thorn’ he’d be weak. He was unconfident, relied on his tools far too much. Couldn’t see himself without the suit. So maybe he was really just going home. So he’d be fine. 

I’d also be fine. No matter how much it didn’t look like it at the moment. I’d be fine. I was always fine. I was fine without my mom, without Rose, without my dad, without Olivia and any one else I’d ever been stupid enough to get attached to. I’d bounce back. I always did. 

It’d taken Carmen much convincing to not sit around and babysit me 24/7 because of my shoulder. She was sure that I’d do something dumb and it would get infected. 

 I was sitting on MJ’s bed getting ready for homecoming. My neck jerked again as Bri attempted to detangle and braid my hair. 

If I hadn’t spiraled into the Vulture, Kingpin and SHIELD, rabbit hole I probably would have taken better care of myself and my hair. 

“Stop moving,” She tsked.

“Stop trying to rip my head off my neck,” I hissed back. 

Bri did my nails back when we were still at her house waiting for MJ to pick us up. She actually did pretty good. I think she would do great at a cosmetology school. She's pretty much into everything: hair, nails, makeup the whole nine yards. She did all of that for me. 

The make up was very simple, but I was still able to get my signature winged eyeliner. Winged eyeliner is something very dear to me mostly because Rose was the first to put me on it and I wore it everyday since. It kinda felt disrespectful to stop at this point.

The only thing left was the dress MJ had gifted me. Her mom bought her a dress but she still refused to wear dresses so she returned it for this one, she opted for a very nice pantsuit she already had. Then Bri's outfit of course matched her boyfriend’s. 

I’ve never really liked school dances they’re always so overhyped, but I go to them all anyways, because then I get in on all the drama. It helped me build up my arsenal of knowledge about everyone. 

I was sitting at one of the round tables near the entrance with MJ, Bri, and Olivia. We had a bottle of “Gatorade” open and out for anybody who wanted to drink it. I was about to drink from it when I saw Liz enter alone. 

I made my way over to her.

“Where’s Peter? I thought he asked you?” 

“I don’t even know he just ditched me,” She let out a deep breath. 

“Aw I’m sorry,” I wrapped my good arm around her shoulder.

 “Well don’t think about that asshole, you’re way out of his league anyway,” I assured her to which she let out a weak laugh. 

“Come sit with me and my friends,” 

 A girl with knockers dancing all along her head came up to before speaking 

“Why are you crying?” 

I sniffed pulling my head from my arms. 

“I miss my mom,” 

“I miss my mom sometimes but I like my grandma too,”

“Where’s your mom?” I asked.

“I don’t know my grandma says she’s sick,” She shrugged. “Where’s your mom?”

“Well my grandma says she’s in a better place now but I know that just means dead,” 

“Yeah my dad is dead too so I know what you mean, I’m Rose. What’s your name?”

“Y/N,” 

“Y/N, that's a pretty name,” She smiled. “You wanna come sit with me and my friends Y/N?”

“Y/N!”

I jumped a bit at the voice before matching it to MJ

“What?” I asked in a harsher tone then necessary.  

“Jeez sorry,” She reeled back “Someone is asking for you named Carmen. They said it’s important,” She waved her phone around. 

My face dropped and I hoped no one caught it. 

I grabbed the phone exiting the auditorium.

“Okay what’s up?” 

“You know Liz’s dad whatever her name is but yeah, He’s gonna rob that plane that’s moving everything from the Avengers tower,” She rushed

“What!?”

Holy shit 

That must be where Peter’s went. So he figured it out too. Kid’s smarter than I give him credit for.

“I’ll send you the location on your phone,”

“Why didn’t you just call me from there?”

“Because you never answer it,”

“True,” 

“Y/N?” She whispered.

“Yeah?” 

“Be careful,” 

“Always,” I smiled. 

I rushed out of the building not thinking about how I could get caught. Near the buses there was the new Shocker lying unconscious. 

I took the webshooter I found next to him. Then made a run for it. Stopping to hot wire the nearest car, I sped to one of the locations that I knew Vulture’s team kept their weapons at. I was throwing everything in the same pile. Getting ready to destroy them. 

Then the door creaked open.

I felt the bed dip as my brother sat next to me. 

“Are you coming?”

I pulled the cover off my face 

“Why should I?”

“Because you’ll regret it if you don’t,” 

“No I won’t leave me alone,” I pulled the cover back over my head. 

“You gotta eat something,” 

“No I don’t leave me alone,” 

“Y/N…”

I knew what he was going to say and I didn’t wanna hear it. 

“She would want you to eat something,”

“Fuck you! How would you ever know what she would've wanted? No one here knew her and now one will ever get the chance to again so just leave me alone,” 

“Y/N-“

“Don’t Y/N me, get the fuck out of my room,” He sat there for a second, stunned “NOW!” 

As soon as the door closed and I flipped back over

I was shaken back into the present only to find that I was pinned under the man who’d entered the room before I zoned out. He reached for the nearest weapon. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. Which is rare. I have a whole weapons catalog in my brain. Unfortunately for him he couldn’t grab it without giving me leeway to get from underneath them. 

Unfortunately for me I put too much pressure on my arm in the seconds I took to grip my shoulder recuperating myself. The man had fired the weapon he had at the pile of weapons that I stumbled back towards. 

The weapons then emitted purple light before exploding leaving me caught under some wood and concrete as the ringing in my ears only got louder and louder.

The fire around me crackled loudly and I bit my lip.

The smoke was only getting more plentiful.

I started coughing which only got more and more painful.

When I came to myself, I wasn’t choking anymore and the fire around me had died down. I was able to push myself from underneath the rubble holding me down. Not without lots of pain though.

The dress I was wearing was torn completely, holes big enough to see what I was wearing underneath it already. 

So I just took it off.

It wasn’t like I was completely naked I was wearing boxers. Not like I haven’t left the house in a bra and shorts before. Also who gives a fuck I just almost died. 

It was like 35° but I wasn’t cold in the slightest. I was actually kind of hot.

If my phone was accurate the plane had already made it near the edge of Queens and Staten Island. Rushing there I was seconds late as I saw the plane crash after I saw two figures fighting along it. 

There was fire everywhere but I wasn’t thinking. I was just running because I couldn’t make out Peter’s shape and if he was dead- 

I swear to fucking God if he was dead. Not again. I couldn’t handle another death.

Peter was saying something. No, pleading as the Vulture stood tall with his wings still intact. He was talking about how it was a nice try and he doesn’t know what he’s messing with.

Peter might not but I knew what this was. I also knew I wasn’t letting him get away with it. 

The wings started producing visible waves of heat. Then it hit me, what Peter was trying to say. The wings were gonna blow.  I got a head start and lunged towards the man. The element of surprise was on my side. That was until he used the wings to lift himself off the ground. 

Now I was fine with parkour and other activities, but being lifted off the ground by someone else, someone who’d never interacted with me ever, is where I draw the line. Then Peter was shooting a web at the wings. To which Vulture dropped me to go after him.

Oh hell no.

“Give it up Peter,” He continued to get closer and closer as the webs were continuously cut through. 

You know how people say they see in red when they get angry? Well the opposite of that happens to me I just see black. Remembering very little to nothing.

Last thing I remembered was fire just fire. From my fingertips, arms, head. It destroyed the wings in seconds, before they had a chance to blow up on their own. 

Peter webbed up the man before moving out of my sight. 

How the fuck do you get fire coming from your body. 

 Literally what the actual fuck. 

I couldn’t breathe. 

That’s what it was, I was dying, I was probably in some coma and this was a weird hallucination my brain pushed out in its final moments.

Okay this is it. I was dying suffocating in some coma.

Or even worse this wasn’t a coma and I was going to die with my body lit on fire literally.

“Oh my God,” I gasped trying to get air into my lungs. 

I closed my eyes and when I opened them Peter was in front of me in a torn up ripoff suit. 

“Y/N,” He moved trying to catch my eye.

“Y/N, Y/N breathe…”

I couldn’t really process his words. My mind was clouded with fear, fear and anger. 

Before I knew it I was hitting my head so I wouldn’t hit anyone or anything else. It’d been a coping mechanism I used ever since I was 3. 

Peter reached for my arms reeling back after his hands came into contact with my boiling skin. 

“Y/N you have to calm down,” He moved in front of me.

I stopped moving my hands but it was still difficult to breathe.

The monitors beeped all around me and if I closed my eyes  and concentrated hard enough. I could convince myself they were birds. 

I could tell from the patter of the knock on the door that it was Rose. 

“Come in!” I called out.

She picked up the clipboard examining it. As she did every time she visited. Luckily for everyone there was no nurse she could bombard with questions and criticism. 

“How are you feeling?” She asked. 

“Itchy, like my guts are on fire,” 

To which she replied by singing the chorus to Girl on Fire. 

“Anyway,” she brought us back after our laughter. “I got you pizza today since I’m sure you’re tired of McDonald’s,”

“I don’t mind McDonald’s actually, anything is better than hospital food. Well actually, their chicken strips aren’t that bad,” 

She placed the box down on my lap. I lifted up the lid and was hit with the smell of the many herbs. I pat by my legs signaling she could sit down. She wiggled into the spot that the bar of the bed allowed. 

“What are we watching today?” 

“Uh…” I clicked on the TV “Vampire Diaries?,”

“That show is still going?

“Yeah, I don’t think it’ll ever end,” 

Somehow the show turned into us dancing around the cramped hospital room.

We spun like the ballerinas in the broken jewelry box I got from my mom. Arms flailing around. The air conditioner made a rattling noise and a half eaten pizza on the bed. The situation was probably extremely weird or unpleasant from any other perspective, but because it was her it was perfect. 

It was like the moment in rom coms where the camera zooms into the main characters dancing as the rest of the characters are put out of focus and they stare into each other’s eyes. I closed my eyes. 

When I opened them I saw Peter’s eyes above mine. 

His hands were immediately on my face making my look straight at him. 

“Are you okay?” He breathed out. 

I sat up feeling a pounding in my head and a pull in my lungs. I was met with the fact that I was definitely not on the ground. I was actually very far from the ground on some ride on the pier. My mouth was dry so it took me a minute to get the words out and when I did it hurt my throat.

“Yeah ’m okay jus’ tired,”

“Okay, well don’t go back to sleep because I think you have a concussion,” 

“You’re acting like I died or something, how long was I out dang,” I joked I always hated when things got too serious. 

“Uh probably...30 minutes? I don’t know I don’t have a watch,” He sniffed and that's when I realized he’d be crying. 

“Were you crying? I knew you cared about me,” I smiled “It was only a matter of time before you fell in love with me, I’m irresistible” 

He laughed weakly wiping his eyes “This isn’t funny,” 

I looked up at him and started uncontrollably giggling. Soon Peter was laughing too.

The moment was interrupted by a squad of police cars pulling up. I absolutely did not want to get down but my tired muscles betrayed me. I was extremely exhausted.  I literally could not move. I just had to go wherever Peter decided to take me. I honestly think I might have a few broken ribs. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before though. We stood off to the side watching as Vulture was stuffed into the back of one of the cars. 

“So Spiderman?” I smirked.

“Uh.. no?” He said as if he’s questioning himself. 

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone I’ve known for a while now,” I twisted my body to face him hissing as a sharp sting shot through my body “You're not very good at hiding it,”

“Hey!” He cried out “But seriously you can’t tell anyone,”

“I already said I wouldn’t, but if it makes you feel better I’ll pinky promise you, and everyone knows you can’t break a pinky promise,”

“Alright,” He sighed.

I tried to move closer again and was stopped by the pain in my sides. 

“Okay well, the offer still stands, you’re just gonna have to come over here,”

Taglist:

@tomdiddlyumptious

[iwatchedallofitfade]

Here’s the bit internationals can do:

1. Email the Minneapolis police department

Email to police@minneapolismn.gov

Script:

My name is ___ and I am a resident of ____. This email is in regards to the George Floyd case. I am calling for the prosecution of Derek Chauvin #1087 and his partner Tou Thao #7162 to the fullest extent of the law and you will not rest until that happens.

George Floyd was arrested under an implied, non-violent crime and bystanders claim that he never resisted his arrest. The approach that the officers chose to take was one that resulted in murder and must not be taken lightly.

Black Lives Matter.

Regards.

2. Sign the petition on change. org here.

3. Sign the petition to the White House here.

4. Donate to Black Lives Matter here.

5. Sign the petition demanding justice for Breonna Taylor here.

6. Donate to the Minnesota freedom fund here.

7. Sign the petition demanding mandatory life sentence for police brutality here.

8. Donate to George Floyd’s family here.

9. Here’s a link to an email template to demand justice for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who was pushed to death from her balcony by a police officer.

10. Sign this petition demanding justice for Ahmaud Arbery here.

11. Sign this petition demanding justice for Kendrick Johnson here.

12. Sign this petition demanding justice for Sean Reed here.

13. Sign this petition demanding justice for Alejandro Vargas Martinez here.

14. Sign this petition demanding justice for Kyjuanzi Harris here.

15. Sign this petition supporting the Hands Up Act here.

16. Sign this petition to pass the Georgia Hate Crime Bill here.

17. Sign this petition demanding Justice for Tony McDade here.

18. Sign this petition demanding justice for Joao Pedro here.

19. Sign this petition demanding justice for Julius Jones here.

20. Sign this petition demanding justice for Belly Mujinga here.

21. Sign this petition demanding justice for Willie Simmons here.

22. Sign this petition demanding national action against police brutality here.

23. Sign this petition demanding censorship of police brutality in France here.

24. Email the St. Paul Police Department that undercover cop, Jacob Petersen was seen smashing windows as the catalyst to many of the riots that occurred in Minneapolis. Report his actions to Policeinfo@ci.stpaul.mn.us

25. Sign this petition demanding justice for Julius Jones, who is due to be executed for a crime he did NOT commit.

There’s so much you can do, please don’t use living outside the United States as an excuse to not doing anything, because your voice matters.

I will add to this whenever I come across things that internationals can do. Please do everything you can!

[emerald-studies]

How to be an Ally

 Discussions on Race Pt. 2

June 29, 2020

Day 1 of 7

Post with fixed links here!: 

https://emerald-studies.tumblr.com/post/626271345488150528/how-to-be-an-ally

Reblog this one!

[ These are just some thoughts I have in my head about this topic, it isn’t meant to be a purely academic discussion. It’s meant to be a conversation to learn about another perspective. ]     

Also sorry this one took longer than previous posts, I had to do a lot of research.     

-

1.  Check In On Your Black Friends/Acquaintances 

 In my opinion, I believe the best way to be an ally is to reach out to your Black friends and check in on them, consistently. If you can recognize the times we are living in are absolute hell, you should be checking in on the most effected. None of my friends have checked up on me to see how I was doing or just to talk. They didn’t even bring up the protests until I did. It feels very very lonely and scary to not be checked up on by the people who say they support and love you. So, I’m making this the first point because I don’t want anyone else to feel this way, not trying to complain.

2.  Learn More About Black History

It’s important to learn about the Black activists that our history books left out. Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. was, and is, important but we need to reflect on why he was pushed on us so much in our history classes, compared to other Black leaders. Is it because our government would rather us walk down the street holding signs than actually defending ourselves against the cop who’s beating us?

Here’s a master list of activists to start you off.

3.  Go to Rallies and Protests

Find protests and rallies in your area by looking on Twitter and search #yourcityprotest. Or watch your local news channel to see where they are (if they’re being covered on the news). Also search on Facebook. Wear a mask.

4. Donate and Sign Petitions

If you don’t have extra money to donate, that’s fine. If you still want to be an ally then sign all the petitions you can. Take a day to research all the ones you can sign/haven’t signed and sign them!

(Also you don’t need to donate to change.org! Directly donate to non-profit organizations and victims’ families!)

George Floyd - change.org

George Floyd - amnesty.org

George Floyd - colorofchange.org

Get The Officers Charged

Charge All Four Officers

Breonna Taylor - moveon.org

Breonna Taylor - colorofchange.org

Breonna Taylor - justiceforbreonna.org

Breonna Taylor - change.org

Breonna Taylor - thepetitionsite.com

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org 2

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org 3

Justice for Oluwatoyin Salau

Pass The Georgia Hate Crime Bill

Defund MPD

Life Sentence For Police Brutality

Regis Korchinski - change.org

Tete Gulley - change.org

Tony McDade - change.org

Tony McDade - actionnetwork.org

Tony McDade - thepetitionsite.com

Joao Pedro - change.org

Julius Jones - change.org

Belly Mujinga - change.org

Willie Simmons - change.org

Hands Up Act - change.org

National Action Against Police Brutality

Kyjuanzi Harris - change.org

Alejandro Vargas Martinez - change.org

Censorship Of Police Brutality In France

Sean Reed - change.org

Sean Reed - change.org 2

Kendrick Johnson - change.org

Tamir Rice - change.org

Tamir Rice - change.org 2

Fire Racist Criminal From The NYPD

Jamee Johnson - organizefor.org

Darius Stewart - change.org

Darius Stewart - moveon.org

Abolish Prison Labor

Free Siyanda - change.org

Chrystul Kizer - change.org

Chrystul Kizer - change.org 2

Andile Mchunu (Bobo) - change.org

Eric Riddick - change.org

Amiya Braxton - change.org

Emerald Black - change.org

Elijah Nichols - change.org

Zinedine Karabo Gioia - change.org

Angel Bumpass - change.org

Sheku Bayoh - change.org

Angel DeCarlo - change.org

Sandra Bland - change.org

Sherrie Walker - change.org

Darrien Hunt - change.org

Cornelius Fredericks - change.org

Elijah McClain - change.org

James Scurlock - change.org

Darren Rainey- change.org

Visit these sites for more info:

http://www.pb-resources.com/

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

5. Educate yourself and others.

Articles: 

- “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)

- Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists

- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)

- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine

- The Combahee River Collective Statement

- “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)

- Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD

- “Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” by Courtney Martin (June 1, 2020)

- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh

- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)

Movies/TV Shows: 

When They See Us

American Son

Hello Privilege, It’s Me, Chelsea

The 13th

Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story 

What Happened Miss Simone?

The Two Killings of Sam Cooke

Who Killed Malcolm X?

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce (Lighter in tone)

LA 92

Dear White People

Videos:

- Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)

- “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” | Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)

- American Oxygen - Rihanna

- Formation - Beyonce 

Podcasts:

- Malcolm X Speeches

- 1619 (New York Times)

- About Race

- Code Switch (NPR)

- Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

- Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)

- Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)

- Seeing White

Books:

- The Autobiography of Malcolm X

- Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About RaceBook by Reni Eddo-Lodge

- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins

- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper

- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

- Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold

- Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

- The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs

- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

- This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga

- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson

- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD

Follow:

- Shaun King: Instagram | Twitter | Website

- Antiracism Center: Twitter

- Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Muslim Girl: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

- Ziwe | Instagram | (She has discussions about race with White people, kinda grilling them, every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Super thrilling to watch.)

Here’s Some Music Too:

Change Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Chain Gang - Nina Simone

Missisippi Goddamn - Nina Simone

Fuck Da’ Police - N.W.A.

New Slaves - Kanye

This is America - Childish Gambino

I’m Not Racist - Joyner Lucas

Fight the Power - Public Enemy

Glory - Common, John Legend

Freedom (Live) - Beyonce

I Can’t Breathe - H.E.R.

American Oxygen - Rihanna

Brown Skin Girl - Beyonce 

+

My Playlist With A Few More

Black Artists Matter Playlist

What a large list! It looks so overwhelming! Don’t worry, you don’t have to read/watch/listen to everything. It takes a lot of effort!

  Jk. 

If you don’t want to do some homework and good deeds, then you don’t want to be an ally. And that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t lie to yourself about it.

Tough shit.

-

Discussion time.

Who are your favorite Black activists that you didn’t learn about in school?

(Mine is Huey P. Newton)

Favorite song by a Black artist? 

(Mine is Freedom by Beyonce but the live version)

Let me know what you think here

-Faith