#africanamericanwomen

Unerased

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I had seen it before, it didn’t hit me until this time.

It was Victorian London with all manner of men and women. They were African, Asian, Anglo etc. They were through all facets of life, upper, middle, and lower class.

We were there. We had always been there.

We had been erased.

Through motion pictures and storytelling people of color had been erased from society as if they had not even existed.

I thought of all the Sherlock Holmes stories I had seen with not one person of color in it.

I thought of all the American History portraits I had seen without one person of color.

We had been erased.

I don’t normally watch stories that are from the horror genre or ones that tell satanic stories. Yet The Irregulars drew me in with the multiracial cast. Thaddea Graham leads the cast of Irregulars as Bea, a kick your butt trying to stay on the moral side of evil girl. The rest of the cast is fun and not all white.

It stretches the Holmes tail so our of sorts it becomes unrecognizable. Let me say this again. I don’t like horror. But I love Sherlock Holmes. (Make sure you catch the first episode of Season Three of TV Talk with the Sistas to find out how much I love this.)

Now I only watch The Irregulars in the day time, with the lights on and my bible on.

Clarke Peters has an eerie role in it, but kind of like a train wreck I can’t wait to see what he has up his white linen sleeve. I have loved Peters since his The Wire days. He always brings something to a performance.

The other thing that got me, Dr Watson is a brother. Royce Pierreson brings a nice layer to Watson that makes him more intellectual and less of a bumbling bodyguard.

NOTE: African Americans will watch other African Americans (or British Africans) in a movie, series, a play, a commercial, versuz to support our people. We are in the process of broadening the genre from just Black person in a new movie to Black person in a HORROR movie. Things you need to know before you cut the tv on in the middle of the night.

Let me just say some of the scenes in the show can get a person put out of a good Christian home. Don’t turn the sound up if Big Mama home.

Yet the thing this story does that captures my attention is that is unerases people of color. I feel if they see me, I should at least see them back.

Book of the Month

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In a world that can seem hopeless, kids need a reason to hope. In addition to teaching our children how to get into college, play sports and chase the American Dream, there is something greater to be learned. He created the universe with stars and planets, yet the desire of His heart was to reconcile with people whom He loved. In this devotional, the author shares ideas of how to help your children have a personal relationship with God. Through scripture, art and stories, she shared the opportunities she had to teach her own child to get to know God.

Available on Amazon or Books2Read.com

Even Though He Wouldn’t Shut Up

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The music was amazing and it took me back. How about y’all?

Remember the time when all of the food had been cooked, everyone was getting ready to play cards, and they put the records on the player. Everyone in the room knew all the worlds to all the songs.

This past weekend, which was also Easter weekend, the guys at Versuz served up some music and memories. More important they taught us some history we need to hear right from the horses mouth.

On Instagram it was supposed to be an epic battle between two historic R&B bands: Earth Wind & Fire v The Isley Brothers. The way it works is they have the bands side by side and they play hits from each other to see which is the greatest.

Not how it went off.

We danced and sang for almost four hours Sunday evening. Everyone sang with every song. Those old dudes got stamina, cause I was ready for bed by 10, but Ron Isley was still standing and singing with his cane in hand.

Philip Bailey, of Earth Wind & Fire was still throwing that falsetto at us.

Earth Wind and Fire was a band founded in 1969 by Maurice White. It has won Grammys, American Music Awards but more important to me, has created music that shaped my life.

The Isley Brothers started in the 1950s with brothers, O’Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald. Their first big hit was Shout! in 1959. This is a song that had shape many a party.

Epic doesn’t even describe this versuz battle. I loved the music. I loved the live social media chats. I too wanted Steve Harvey to shut up, cause I was tired of our drunk uncle.

The best part was the storytelling from the bands. It was good to hear that they were all friends, but you could see that as they sang each other songs. It was good to hear how a song was made or why. It just added another level of love for the music.

It is always good to hear our history from our people.

The Story Intrigues

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If you got Hulu this story is worth your time.

It is part of the National Geographic Series Genius. Season One was neat. Season two not so much. Season three is a Kaw Pow! Each season has a different character and focus.

In Season Three, Genius sets out to tell the story of Aretha Franklin, with all of the great music and moments from history.

Shaian Jordan plays Aretha when she is young, giving the audience a view of life on the gospel circuit. She is adorable and makes you believe she is the young Aretha Franklin. Older Franklin is portrayed by Cynthia Erivo who can take us to church, but also remind us why she was the “Queen of Soul.”

Now, I am not saying I believed every part of the story they told. I am saying it is entertaining and has great moments. Franklin is more than a woman who just wants to be a great singer. She is a woman who wants to make an impact.

It is a very intriguing story.