AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 12
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APHROCHIC<br />
a curated lifestyle magazine<br />
ISSUE NO. <strong>12</strong> \ SUMMER 2023<br />
COLOR, CULTURE & CONSCIENCE \ FAMERJAWN PHILLY \ SUNDAY BEST<br />
APHROCHIC.COM
Summer is in the air. Around our home in the Hudson Valley, the birds are chirping, our<br />
garden is in bloom and we are ready to get out and explore. Inspired by the change in<br />
seasons, this issue is full of exciting things to see and experience. First, we are happy to<br />
celebrate the re-launch of our podcast! <strong>No</strong>w The <strong>AphroChic</strong> Podcast, every month we’ll be<br />
sitting down with creatives, innovators and tastemakers from across the African Diaspora,<br />
discussing Black culture, art, food, fashion, music, wellness, society and home, exploring<br />
new paradigms that can help us all design a better world.<br />
With a better world in mind, we are thrilled to have Christa Barfield on the cover of <strong>Issue</strong> <strong>No</strong>. <strong>12</strong>. The woman behind<br />
FarmerJawn is reclaiming the legacy of the Black farm in America and regenerative agricultural practices. With a newly<br />
acquired <strong>12</strong>3 acres of land, we highlight what’s next for the FarmerJawn brand, including a new farm market, expanded educational<br />
offerings and community-based events.<br />
In Wellness we invite you to explore a new practice this summer — Tai Chi. The ancient art form has been proven to reduce<br />
blood pressure, protect the body from heart disease, and can even lower blood sugar. As a community searching for self-care as<br />
we grapple with the constant onslaughts of racism, Tai Chi can be one tool to help keep our minds and bodies strong. In Food,<br />
Chef Adrienne Cheatham shares a recipe from her new book, Sunday Best. the Top Chef finalist engages our palates with the<br />
dinners she cooked as a child, and feasts she’s served at her monthly dinner parties in Harlem. And in Entertaining, we take you<br />
inside New York’s hottest supper club — To Be Hosted. Find out how you can attend one of their beautifully curated suppers,<br />
where ice breakers include questions like, What are you passionate about? as you and other guests dine over a multi-course meal<br />
by one of the world’s top Black chefs.<br />
For shopping this season you’re sure to be inspired by our Mood section that’s full of deliciously hot pink pieces from some<br />
of our favorite artists and designers. The color crush continues with Nigerian-American designer, Autumn Adeigbo’s SS23 collection,<br />
that’s full of bright, eye-catching hues. Then we’re off to the Canary Islands for a look at the new collection of limited<br />
edition prints by photographer Fares Micue. Created on her home island and during her travels to South Korea, the artist shares<br />
the inspiration behind her evocative new pieces made exclusively for the <strong>AphroChic</strong> Art Shop. And in Sounds, Hip Hop grows up<br />
again as artist Ace Clark skillfully takes us through the ups and downs of real relationships in his latest release It Ain’t All Love.<br />
The summer season is about exploration, but also taking time out to rest, relax and edify. And you’ll find plenty of illuminating<br />
ideas in the Reference section’s article on who possesses the African Diaspora, if possession need be the goal, and<br />
what a collaborative African Diaspora could look like. In our Read section, you’ll find a curated collection of books from across<br />
the Diaspora that you’ll want to add to your summer reading list. And our Hot Topic examines how we address suffering in our<br />
society, where we tend to place blame, and the possibilities that await when we choose to see the situation another way.<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> <strong>12</strong> has you covered with art, fashion, literature and so much more as you get ready to sit back and enjoy the summer.<br />
Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason<br />
Founders, <strong>AphroChic</strong><br />
Instagram: @aphrochic<br />
editors’ letter
Subscribe and listen to The <strong>AphroChic</strong> Podcast,<br />
available on all podcasting platforms.
SUMMER 2023<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
Read This 10<br />
Watch List <strong>12</strong><br />
Coming Up 14<br />
The Black Family Home 16<br />
Mood 28<br />
FEATURES<br />
Fashion // Color, Culture & Conscience 32<br />
Interior Design // Quiet Respite in Brooklyn 42<br />
Culture // FarmerJawn Philly 54<br />
Food // Sunday Best 64<br />
Entertaining // To Be Hosted 66<br />
City Stories // Mexico City Travel Story 76<br />
Wellness // Mind & Body 90<br />
Reference // The African Continent & The African Diaspora 96<br />
Sounds // It Ain't All Love 104<br />
PINPOINT<br />
Artists & Artisans 110<br />
Hot Topic 116<br />
Who Are You? <strong>12</strong>2
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Cover Photo: Christa Barfield<br />
Photographer: Johnie Gall<br />
Back Cover Photo: Enough protest sign by Liam<br />
Edwards<br />
Publishers/Editors: Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason<br />
Creative Director: Cheminne Taylor-Smith<br />
Editorial/Product Contact:<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong><br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong>.com<br />
magazine@aphrochic.com<br />
Sales Contact:<br />
Ruby Brown<br />
ruby@aphrochic.com<br />
Contributors:<br />
Chinasa Cooper<br />
Krystle DeSantos<br />
issue twelve 9
READ THIS<br />
Storytelling is at the heart of the <strong>AphroChic</strong> brand, and of course it's the central reason that we present our favorite<br />
books to you in each issue. This issue's selections are nonfiction books that still offer that idea of telling stories —<br />
of representation, of history, and of the African Diaspora. The Art of Ruth E. Carter showcases the stunning film<br />
costumes designed by Carter, the first Black woman to win two Academy Awards in any category. The book offers<br />
her sketches, photos from iconic movie sets, and Carter's stories of inspiration, passion for history, and her journey<br />
into Afrofuturism. A group of chefs and food enthusiasts from the Bronx make up the Ghetto Gastro collective. In<br />
Black Power Kitchen, they present recipes mixed with storytelling to craft conversations about race, history, food<br />
inequality, and how eating well can be a pathway to personal freedom and self-empowerment. Peter Brathwaite, a<br />
renowned opera baritone, found himself with time on his hands during the pandemic and began to research Black<br />
portraits through history. Rediscovering Black Portraiture showcases Brathwaite's reimagining of each portrait with<br />
a dual modern version, highlighting and retelling the stories of the original subjects who had been lost to time.<br />
Black Power Kitchen<br />
by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao,<br />
and Lester Walker<br />
Publisher: Artisan. $23<br />
Rediscovering Black Portraiture<br />
by Peter Brathwaite<br />
Publisher: Getty. $40<br />
The Art of Ruth E. Carter<br />
by Ruth E. Carter<br />
Publisher: Chronicle. $36<br />
10 aphrochic
Celebrate Black homeownership and the<br />
amazing diversity of the Black experience<br />
with <strong>AphroChic</strong>’s newest book<br />
In this powerful, visually stunning book, Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason explore<br />
the Black family home and its role as haven, heirloom, and cornerstone of Black<br />
culture and life. Through striking interiors, stories of family and community,<br />
and histories of the obstacles Black homeowners have faced for generations,<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong> honors the journey, recognizes the struggle, and embraces the joy.<br />
AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD
WATCH LIST<br />
The groundbreaking Getty Images Photo Archives Grants for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and<br />
Universities), awarded for the first time in 2022, are beginning to see results. In partnership with the Getty<br />
Family and Stand Together, the grants committed $500,000 towards the digitization of HBCU photographic<br />
archives in order to honor the legacy and history of HBCUs and their contributions to American history. Four<br />
universities received the first grants: Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC; <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina Central University<br />
in Durham, NC; Jackson State University in Jackson, MS; and Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View,<br />
TX. Each school has been working to digitize its archival photos, with 200,000 expected to be completed this<br />
month. Getty Images has been working side‐by‐side with the HBCU grant recipients during the digitization<br />
process to capture incredible photos like the ones below. HBCUs retain all copyright to the images, and<br />
original photos are returned to the HBCUs after scanning, along with the newly digitized photos. Getty<br />
Images is representing the digitized photos, providing a revenue source for the HBCU grant recipients. The<br />
revenue distribution has seen 50% go to the grant recipients, 30% to a scholarship fund for the HBCUs, and the<br />
remaining 20% reinvested to fund the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs each year. To learn more,<br />
or to view the HBCU digitized photos, go to gettyimages.com/corporate-responsibility/hbcu-partnership.<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Carolina Central University's Class of 1923-24<br />
<strong>12</strong> aphrochic
COMING UP<br />
Events, exhibits, and happenings that celebrate and explore the African Diaspora.<br />
American Black Film Festival<br />
June 14-18 | Miami<br />
June 19-25 | Virtual segment<br />
The American Black Film Festival is an annual<br />
event dedicated to empowering Black talent<br />
and showcasing film and television content by<br />
and about people of the African Diaspora. The<br />
live festival opens with a Hollywood release<br />
followed by studio premieres, independent<br />
films, master classes, panels, talent showcases,<br />
and networking and hospitality events.<br />
The virtual segment follows the live festival,<br />
featuring screenings and panels, and reaching<br />
an audience spanning across <strong>12</strong>3 countries.<br />
For more information, go to abff.com.<br />
Essence Festival of Culture<br />
June 29-July 3 | New Orleans<br />
This year's Essence Festival will celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop<br />
with in-person and virtual experiences showcasing how hip-hop<br />
has impacted every aspect of culture – from fashion, food,<br />
men’s experiences, beauty, live performances nightly and more.<br />
Iconic performers include Ms. Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Tobe<br />
Nwigwe, Doug E. Fresh, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve, Megan Thee Stallion,<br />
and more. The four-day event also includes the Food and Wine<br />
Festival, programs promoting health and wellness, discussions<br />
about love and relationships, the Essence Film Festival, Beauty-<br />
Con, and even an Essence Spades Tournament. Learn more at<br />
essence.com/essencefestival2023.<br />
Harlem Festival of Culture<br />
July 28-30 | Harlem, NY<br />
Inspired by Questlove's award-winning documentary<br />
Summer of Soul, the Harlem Festival of Culture will take<br />
place this summer at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem.<br />
Reimagining the historic festival of 1969, HFC will deliver<br />
experiential entertainment and economic development<br />
programming, as well as live music and entertainment.<br />
There will be indoor and outdoor concerts, influencer dinners,<br />
moderated discussions, and film screenings hosted<br />
at live music and dining venues throughout Harlem and<br />
neighboring communities. For more information, go to<br />
harlemfestivalofculture.com.<br />
14 aphrochic
BALTIMORE<br />
S P E A K S<br />
B L A C K<br />
C O M M U N I T I E S<br />
C O V I D - 1 9<br />
A N D T H E<br />
C O S T O F<br />
N O T D O I N G<br />
E N O U G H<br />
W R I T T E N A N D D I R E C T E D B Y<br />
B R Y A N M A S O N A N D J E A N I N E H A Y S<br />
V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E A T B A L T I M O R E S P E A K S . C O M
THE BLACK FAMILY HOME<br />
The Blue Room: Designing a Space for Reading,<br />
Reflecting and Being in the AphroFarmhouse<br />
Every room in a home should be designed with life in mind. <strong>No</strong>t just the nuts and bolts, but the<br />
feel. For us, the point of designing a home is to feel at home in every room, at any time. And while some<br />
rooms will always be more functional than comfortable, every home should make space for finding<br />
the peace you need, doing the things you love, and ultimately, just being.<br />
To give us that feel at the AphroFarmhouse, every room is also a story-telling space. They<br />
have been designed as an expression of our story together, a gathering of a lifetime of moments —<br />
places we’ve lived, traveled to, passed by — any place where we’ve just been together. The Blue Room,<br />
our home library, is a collection of 27 years of moments. It’s also a reflection of one of Bryan’s most<br />
enduring loves — books. More than anything else, the Blue Room is a space for literature, classics,<br />
tomes that edify, and the conversations that follow.<br />
The goal for the Blue Room was to create a space that we could lounge in all day long, surrounded<br />
by our favorite books. We’ve been building our collection for almost as long as we’ve been together.<br />
Left over from classes, scrounged from flea markets and gathered from every book store we can find.<br />
And while more than one of our favorites has been worn out, loaned out, or simply lost along the way,<br />
we were delighted to find that the collection we have now — comprised mainly of books by authors of<br />
the African Diaspora — is enough to fill a room. Even better, it now has room to grow.<br />
The Blue Room is where we go to study the philosophies of Martin Luther King, Jr., admire the<br />
prose of W.E.B. DuBois’s Souls of Black Folk, dig into the rhythmic poetry of Nikki Giovani, marvel at<br />
the insight and honesty of James Baldwin, or spend a day wrestling with the first printing of Richard<br />
Wright’s Black Power, the oldest book in our collection. It’s where we go to understand what’s been<br />
done and figure out what to do next.<br />
We always knew we wanted a library, if we could find the space. The first room we saw in the<br />
AphroFarmhouse was perfect, but getting it to be what we imagined was going to be a journey. The<br />
layout of the room then left something to be desired. At that moment, the space was a largely empty<br />
The Black Family Home is an<br />
ongoing series focusing on the<br />
history and future of what home<br />
means for Black families.<br />
This series inspired the new book<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong>: Celebrating the Legacy<br />
of the Black Family Home.<br />
Words by Jeanine Hays<br />
Photos by Patrick Cline and Bryan Mason<br />
Inchyra Blue paint by Farrow & Ball<br />
$<strong>12</strong>0, selection of art books from<br />
Rizzoli and Taschen.<br />
16 aphrochic
THE BLACK FAMILY HOME<br />
sitting room. A desk faced the wall while<br />
sparsely placed chairs were oriented<br />
vaguely towards a wall-mounted television.<br />
An awkwardly large electric fireplace<br />
dominated the wall and the room. At the<br />
same time, undersized furniture made<br />
the room feel small and cramped. But all<br />
of that just meant that transforming it was<br />
going to be fun.<br />
We began by putting together a<br />
moodboard, reflecting on some of our<br />
favorite libraries for inspiration. As much<br />
as we love our country home, we’re city<br />
folks at heart, so we try to bring the vibe of<br />
the city with us — starting with Brooklyn.<br />
The library room at Dumbo House, the<br />
same room where we launched <strong>AphroChic</strong><br />
magazine, was an obvious choice. A perfect<br />
gentlemen’s room, with moody blue walls,<br />
deep club chairs, and large tables to work<br />
from, it was one of our favorite places to<br />
work when we were at the House — which<br />
was almost daily — and our favorite place<br />
to relax when the day was done. Memories<br />
of that vibe set the tone for what we wanted<br />
in this space.<br />
The Ett Home Hotel by Studioilse in<br />
Stockholm, Sweden, was another source<br />
of inspiration. More of a bucket-list destination<br />
than a favorite hangout, the library<br />
features a large, modern shelving unit<br />
mounted to a wall. More than a spacesaver,<br />
the unit is a place for play, housing<br />
books, art, and sculpture alike. It was an<br />
attractive idea as we pondered the living<br />
space for our art collection, as well. The<br />
work of blending books and art — our respective<br />
passions — came to highlight the<br />
theme that defines the room: the balance<br />
of masculine and feminine sustained<br />
through the room’s many elements.<br />
A final touch of inspiration came<br />
from the <strong>No</strong>Mad hotel’s Library Bar. <strong>No</strong>w<br />
closed, the former Manhattan chill spot<br />
was decidedly moody, surrounding guests<br />
with walls lined with hundreds of classic<br />
books. It was that sense of intimacy and<br />
warmth that makes you feel like can sink<br />
into a room, and we wanted it.<br />
Inspiration acquired, we redefined<br />
the space with a new floor plan, dividing<br />
the open plan room into two distinct<br />
areas. One area would became a lounge.<br />
Expected to house most of the books, it<br />
would pair shelving with generous seating,<br />
the perfect area for stretching out, reading<br />
by the window, or just reaching up from<br />
the sofa to grab a book off the shelf.<br />
Every good library has a reference<br />
section for big projects, the kind that<br />
spread books and papers everywhere<br />
while the laptop shifts from one end of the<br />
table to the other. To make that happen, we<br />
brought in a large dining table that also fit<br />
8-10 people. In addition to providing more<br />
than ample workspace, when not being<br />
used as an office space, this size of the<br />
table allows the room to double as a dining<br />
room for holidays and family gatherings.<br />
To make the two spaces feel even more<br />
cohesive, we decided to cover the entire<br />
room in Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue.<br />
Chosen to complement and contrast<br />
the pink undertones of our living room, the<br />
pink and blue mix between rooms is a larger<br />
example of the equal blend of masculine<br />
and feminine elements that is woven into<br />
the design of the home as a whole. Painted<br />
on the walls, ceiling and trim, the color<br />
is reminiscent of the wall color at Dumbo<br />
House, itself inspired by the Manhattan<br />
Bridge. Blue can be a challenging color to<br />
design with. Too much can feel too cool and<br />
icy, and layering with it can have bad results<br />
if the shades feel unrelated. To avoid these<br />
pitfalls, we spent time with the Farrow<br />
& Ball team finding just the right shade.<br />
Inchyra was perfect. Deep and soulful,<br />
packed with pigment, it works in all types<br />
of light, which is important when a room<br />
tends be dark. It has notes of brown which<br />
help to create a cozy feel in the evenings.<br />
Color was the key to tying the space<br />
together. But to make the room a library,<br />
what we really needed was shelving large<br />
enough to ground the space and showcase<br />
the books and art. Once the shade was<br />
decided, we worked with our friends at<br />
Resource Furniture to design the custom<br />
shelving. We worked closely with Resource’s<br />
Manhattan showroom, designing<br />
an open-shelf library system, similar<br />
to the Ett Home Hotel. Every detail was<br />
custom. The shelves were designed to have<br />
height and depth to them for housing large<br />
art books, and artworks, vertically. The<br />
dark, melamine Oak Moro that we chose<br />
for the unit went perfectly with the deep<br />
Inchyra Blue covering the walls. Ensuring<br />
that the library vibe extended from one<br />
end of the room to the other, shelves were<br />
placed in each area. As a finishing touch,<br />
Resource offered one last idea: matte<br />
lacquer panels in blue, made in Italy to<br />
match our wall color perfectly, making<br />
the shelving feel even more like part of<br />
the room. It was an amazing idea, and we<br />
decided to add a media unit under the television<br />
in the shade, to hold remotes, wires<br />
and any other tech.<br />
With the layout decided, our attention<br />
turned to the many furnishings and accessories<br />
that would bring the space to<br />
18 aphrochic
efore<br />
issue twelve 19
THE BLACK FAMILY HOME<br />
before<br />
Custom shelving unit by<br />
Resource Furniture, contact<br />
for price.<br />
20 aphrochic
Custom drapery by The Shade Store<br />
in Luxe Linen in Midnight Blue, Woven<br />
Shades in Oak, contact for prices.<br />
issue twelve 21
THE BLACK FAMILY HOME<br />
before<br />
Alana Upholstered Swivel<br />
Barrel Chair by Bernhardt<br />
Furniture, $1625,<br />
customized in <strong>AphroChic</strong><br />
Batik Fabric Linen Blend,<br />
$110; Delaney Rectangular<br />
Marble Coffee Table<br />
from Pottery Barn, $599;<br />
Malkia Chess Set by<br />
Keseki World, $190.87;<br />
Callie Table Lamp by<br />
Mitzi, $194.<br />
22 aphrochic
issue twelve 23
Highland Park Dining Table by Bernhardt,<br />
$3063; Celine Bench from West<br />
Elm, $699; Whit Floor Lamp by Mitzi,<br />
$474; Cambria Rattan Pendant from<br />
Pottery Barn, $649; Miro rug by Revival<br />
Rugs, $994; Samurai Princess by Tim<br />
Okamura; The Honesty of Bronze by<br />
Fares Micue; Pourquoi Naître Esclave?<br />
candle from Trudon, $246; custom<br />
frames by Framebridge.<br />
24 aphrochic
issue twelve 25
THE BLACK FAMILY HOME<br />
life. Working with Bernhardt, we found a pair of blue<br />
settees that went well with the blue wall shade and<br />
upholstered two of their barrel chairs with our own<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong> blue Batik linen fabric. Oriented to give<br />
everyone a clear view of the television — still on the<br />
wall — the space now seats 6-8 people comfortably.<br />
Midnight blue custom drapery in The Shade<br />
Store’s Luxe Linen fabric further complemented<br />
the wall color. And to lift the room up, we found<br />
a one-of-a-kind vintage Moroccan rug in shades<br />
of purple with flecks of blue that reflected the wall<br />
color. Another colorful Moroccan rug defines the<br />
reference/dining room area, fitting beneath the<br />
large table. To bring a little coziness to the reference<br />
area, we created a seating nook by a corner window<br />
with an inviting boucle bench. Once it was all in<br />
place, it was time to bring in the books, the art, and<br />
all of the finishing touches.<br />
Books are art, and sometimes the covers reflect<br />
that. So we arranged the books with some of our<br />
favorite covers facing out to showcase them as works<br />
of art. Sharing the shelf spaces are pieces from some<br />
of our favorite artists including Damien Davis and<br />
John Goodman, along with sculptures from Ghana<br />
and Gabon. On the walls hang two of our most loved<br />
works: an original by Spanish photographer, Fares<br />
Micue (who now has an exclusive collection with<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong>) and Samurai Princess, a gorgeous work<br />
by our friend Tim Okamura. Both odes to Black<br />
women, evincing beauty, femininity, and power,<br />
they balance the masculinity of the room with the<br />
presence of female guardians.<br />
Lighting provided the final jewelry for the<br />
space. <strong>No</strong> library is complete without a variety of<br />
lighting sources setting the mood. From a modern<br />
black and brass chandelier, to an oversized rattan<br />
pendant over the reference table, we had fun<br />
exploring a number of different lighting choices<br />
for the space. Each with its own unique, sculptural<br />
element, the lighting became the perfect finishing<br />
touch for our library.<br />
The Blue Room is everything that Bryan<br />
dreamed of and more. From end to end, a room<br />
dedicated to our Diaspora, with written works<br />
ranging from timeless classics to just-printed<br />
graphic novels. Full of comforts, it’s a space where<br />
we can spend the day exploring, talking and relaxing<br />
all at once. A perfect place to just be. AC<br />
Whit Chandelier by Mitzi, $1070; Irmentraud rug<br />
from Revival Rugs, $1094; Alexandra Round Marble<br />
End Table from Pottery Barn, $599; Punu masks from<br />
Gabon available at Global Attic.<br />
26 aphrochic
issue twelve 27
MOOD<br />
HOT PINK SUMMER<br />
This summer the mood is all about embracing bold, loud,<br />
colorful pieces that invite you to be you. Hot pink is popping<br />
up everywhere this season. The bright fuchsia shade is<br />
making an appearance in collectible pop art, luxury fashion<br />
pieces and fresh new furnishings for the great outdoors.<br />
From London to Harlem to backyard barbecues in Newark,<br />
these pieces show that it’s definitely going to be a hot pink<br />
summer.<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong> Silhouette<br />
Pillow $149<br />
perigold.com<br />
Hebru Brantley Flynamic<br />
Duo - Batboy & Sparrow Set<br />
of 2 Sculptures $1,800<br />
stockx.com<br />
Medium Telfar Duffle<br />
in Azalea $350<br />
telfar.net<br />
Hazel and Shirley:<br />
The Yard #3<br />
$500<br />
nextofkimbeauty.com<br />
28 aphrochic
If You Can Dream Anything<br />
Is Possible <strong>No</strong>tebook by<br />
Yinka Ilori $39<br />
shop.yinkailori.com<br />
The Barkley L. Hendricks<br />
Collection, Victory at 23<br />
Enamel Earrings $78<br />
store.studiomuseum.org<br />
Maude Metallic<br />
Fuchsia Deco Silk<br />
Jacquard Coat<br />
$425<br />
lisou.co.uk<br />
Kente Skateboard Deck<br />
$70<br />
propergnar.com<br />
Flo Jo Wooden Kokeshi<br />
Doll by Sketch.inc for<br />
lucie kaas $74<br />
vertigohome.us<br />
Good Luck Charm<br />
by Derrick Adams<br />
artsy.com<br />
Contact for price<br />
issue twelve 29
FEATURES<br />
Color, Culture & Conscience | Quiet Respite in Brooklyn | FarmerJawn<br />
Philly | Sunday Best | To Be Hosted | Mexico Ciy Travel Story | Mind &<br />
Body | The African Continent & The African Diaspora | It Ain’t All Love
Fashion<br />
Color, Culture<br />
& Conscience<br />
Autumn Adeigbo’s SS 23 Collection Is a Fashion<br />
Story of Faith, Integrity, and Perseverance<br />
From construction to fashion, Autumn<br />
Adeigbo's creative journey in design and<br />
entrepreneurship has been an atypical<br />
one. Her story, shaped by faith, integrity,<br />
trust, and perseverance is resulting in<br />
looks that are turning heads in a fashion<br />
industry where Black designers are often<br />
marginalized.” Her story is shaped by<br />
faith, integrity, trust, and perseverance.<br />
Words by Krystle DeSantos<br />
Images furnished by Autumn Adeigbo<br />
Designer Autumn Adeigbo in her New York studio<br />
32 aphrochic
Fashion<br />
34 aphrochic
issue twelve 35
Fashion<br />
36 aphrochic
issue twelve 37
Fashion<br />
Autumn originally began sewing at the tender age of 19.<br />
With her mother guiding and cultivating her skills, by 2009<br />
was designing dresses, which eventually led to the launch<br />
of her eponymous brand. It would take her almost a decade<br />
to present her first official collection in 2019 and, similar to<br />
stories of many creative entrepreneurs and designers from<br />
the Diaspora, her path to success has been an uphill battle,<br />
particularly related to securing capital required to start the<br />
brand.<br />
According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company,<br />
only 3% of Black women entrepreneurs in the fashion<br />
industry have access to capital. That is significantly lower<br />
than the percentage of white women entrepreneurs (<strong>12</strong>%)<br />
and Hispanic women entrepreneurs (8%). This challenge,<br />
though great, did not deter Autumn and, while it took her<br />
a much longer time to accomplish her dreams, she persevered;<br />
learning how to write an effective business plan,<br />
creating a solid pitch deck and building a strong network<br />
of people who believed in what she was creating and were<br />
willing to fund her business.<br />
What creates intrigue with Adeigbo's work is the synergistic<br />
combination of classic styles, retro silhouettes,<br />
and modern aesthetics executed in a way that is bold and<br />
embodies her Nigerian roots while embracing numerous<br />
global cultures as well. Autumn is dedicated to positively<br />
impacting the lives of women across cultures and utilizes<br />
production facilities in the U.S that provide artisans with<br />
worthwhile employment and fair wages. Her collections are<br />
eco-friendly and utilize sustainable practices by producing<br />
made-to-order pieces, minimizing fabric waste, excessive<br />
manufacturing, and surplus stock.<br />
In the Spring/Summer 2023 Ready-To-Wear Collection,<br />
Autumn's colorful, print-filled, and fashion-forward<br />
designs illuminate; creating a type of nostalgia for the '50s,<br />
'60s and '70s fashion eras while staying refreshingly current,<br />
on trend, and suitable for individuals of all ethnicities<br />
shapes, and sizes. The styles are for those who appreciate<br />
inclusivity of community while expressing uniqueness and<br />
their desire to stand out from a crowd.<br />
Autumn's story serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration<br />
for so many whose journeys aren't linear and far from<br />
typical. One of her favorite quotes reads,"The bird sitting on<br />
the tree is never afraid of the branch breaking. Her trust is<br />
not in the branch, but in her wings." AC<br />
Shop the collection at AutumnAdeigbo.com.<br />
38 aphrochic
issue twelve 39
Fashion<br />
40 aphrochic
issue twelve 41
Interior Design<br />
Quiet Respite<br />
in Brooklyn<br />
Step Inside the Home of Somewhere Good's<br />
CEO, Naj Austin<br />
Naj Austin loves building community. The founder of Ethel’s Club<br />
and CEO of Somewhere Good, Naj has been working to build offline<br />
and online spaces around community and creative engagement<br />
for the past three years. Her newest venture is a social media app<br />
without likes or follows, that’s been designed to be a safe space<br />
for Black and queer communities. Located in the buzzing Brooklyn<br />
neighborhood of Crown Heights, not far from Somewhere Good’s<br />
headquarters in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Naj is also creating a good<br />
space to call home. “It's definitely an oasis from the bustling<br />
Brooklyn streets,” she says.<br />
Words by Bryan Mason and Jeanine Hays<br />
Photographs by Melanie Reiders and Sean Pressley<br />
42 aphrochic
Interior Design<br />
46 aphrochic
Interior Design<br />
It’s imperative for the woman whose startup<br />
is taking flight to have a restful retreat to call<br />
home. Backed by angel investors such as actress,<br />
Gabrielle Union, Somewhere Good curates online<br />
conversations with thousands of new users<br />
around a range of topics from "How do you sit<br />
with your challenging/difficult emotions?" to "Tell<br />
us about your favorite podcast." Users reply to<br />
these queries — and each other — with recorded<br />
audio responses. An intentional social media app<br />
designed with personal connection, creativity,<br />
and inclusivity in mind, it’s no surprise that Naj<br />
brings that same sense of intentionality to the<br />
decor of her home.<br />
“I had to design around all of the beautiful red<br />
wood in the apartment, which felt daunting at first,”<br />
says Naj. “I learned to lean in and embrace its texture<br />
and warmth.” The 1,000-square-foot one-bedroom<br />
apartment that she’s been living in for a little over<br />
two years marries historic bones with Naj’s modern<br />
aesthetic. It’s the historic touches in the space that<br />
stand out most to her. “You see it in the pocket<br />
doors, the shutters, the stained glass windows, and<br />
the original hardwood floors.”<br />
As a contrast to the home’s pre-war architecture,<br />
which includes some stunning builtins,<br />
Naj has brought in modern furnishings and<br />
a growing collection of art and artisan pieces<br />
by coveted Black designers, curated with help<br />
from friends. “Shannon Maldonado from YOWIE<br />
sourced a lot of the items in my apartment,” she<br />
says. She also sourced items from artists and<br />
curators, including Saeed Akil Ferguson, Kiyanna<br />
Stewart, and Jannah Handy of BLK MKT Vintage<br />
as well as Jared Blake and Ed Be of Lichen. The<br />
pieces, including vases, bowls, and hand-carved<br />
objet d’art, are displayed among her collection of<br />
books.<br />
“My home is a reminder of all the places I’ve<br />
lived, loved, and visited. [It’s] eclectic and cozy.” In<br />
the kitchen is another showcase of Naj’s effortless<br />
mix of modern and historic pieces. A cozy corner<br />
has been carved out for a work-from-home office,<br />
featuring a sleek black desk met with a natural<br />
wishbone chair for another bit of contrast.<br />
Beyond the work space, Naj has embraced the<br />
kitchen’s warm wood tones and added to them.<br />
A woodgrain island feels just right among the<br />
oak cabinetry and original wood moulding. And a<br />
dash of greenery is the final touch, enlivening the<br />
space. “I have a lot of plants everywhere, which<br />
adds a breath of fresh air.”<br />
With large bay windows that are original to<br />
the Brooklyn brownstone, light fills her bedroom<br />
perfectly, filtering onto the bed and providing<br />
plenty of sunlight for the collection of plants there<br />
as well. Cream walls and a white upholstered bed<br />
complete the restful environment. “The bedroom<br />
is designed for rest and ease. It’s a cozy respite<br />
with gorgeous light in the morning that gently<br />
wakes me up,” says Naj.<br />
When not at home, Naj is building positive<br />
community spaces. Somewhere Good now even<br />
hosts offline gatherings in their Brooklyn office.<br />
A space where anything from a bell hooks book<br />
club meeting, to a music-filled trap yoga class, or<br />
a neighborhood hang can take place. At the end of<br />
every full day her quiet Crown Heights apartment<br />
awaits her. “Warm and familial…when people<br />
walk in they let out a sigh of relief.” AC<br />
48 aphrochic
issue twelve 53
FarmerJawn P
hilly
Culture<br />
Christa Barfield Is Here to Remind Us<br />
that Agriculture Is Part of the Culture<br />
Just a few years ago, Christa Barfield was working as a<br />
healthcare administrator in Philadelphia. “It was 10 years<br />
into my career when I realized my work-life balance was<br />
unhealthy,” she says. “I resigned from my job just weeks<br />
before I turned 30. It was important for me to take back<br />
my life, health, and happiness not only for myself but for<br />
my family as well.” Following a solo trip to Martinique in<br />
January 2018, Christa returned home inspired and with<br />
an urge to connect with the land and plant life. Christa’s<br />
new perspective quickly connected her to the social<br />
issues that surround Black and Brown communities<br />
around the perceptions, prices, and quality of the food<br />
available to them.<br />
Words by Jeanine Hays<br />
Images provided by FarmerJawn Philly<br />
56 aphrochic
Culture<br />
With a career change already taking shape in<br />
front of her, Christa took on the challenge of urban<br />
farming and horticulture, producing organic and<br />
natural fruits and vegetables under the brand name,<br />
FarmerJawn. The term jawn is a shoutout to her<br />
birthplace, Philadelphia, where Christa has lived all<br />
her life. One of the English language’s few all-purpose<br />
nouns, Philadelphians are famous for using the<br />
word in place of just about any thing, person, place,<br />
or event. For Christa, the name is at once an ode to<br />
where she’s from and an affirmation of her chosen<br />
profession. It’s also just what she is — that "jawn" that<br />
farms. As her motto succinctly states, “Agriculture is<br />
the culture.”<br />
Christa’s work could not be more important<br />
or timely, particularly in the community where she<br />
operates. Out of the 10 U.S. cities with the largest<br />
populations, Philadelphia has the highest prevalence<br />
of diabetes with more than 15% of those over<br />
18 diagnosed as diabetic. The rate represents a 50%<br />
increase since 2004, ranking diabetes with other<br />
co-morbidities, such as heart disease, among the<br />
leading causes of death in the city. In particular,<br />
Black Philadelphians are 60% more likely to die from<br />
the disease, a rate one-and-half times higher than<br />
the national average. Increasing the availability of<br />
affordable and healthy food is one of the main strategies<br />
that the city is using to combat the health crisis,<br />
and organizations like FarmerJawn, with a focus on<br />
community health, nutrition, and education, are a<br />
major help to that initiative.<br />
In service to her cause, Christa leads an<br />
expansive brand with a retail and garden learning<br />
center in <strong>No</strong>rthwest Philadelphia, a Community<br />
Supported Agriculture (CSA) business, and five acres<br />
of farmland in Elkins Park. The jawn with the green<br />
thumb took another major step at the start of 2023,<br />
acquiring <strong>12</strong>3 acres of land in West Chester. Farmer-<br />
Jawn will farm the land and use it to stock the farm<br />
market already located on the premises that will<br />
eventually include a CSA, organic prepared foods,<br />
and other locally grown and sourced products.<br />
The remaining acreage will become a food and<br />
farming incubator, engaging a host of cooperative<br />
farms operated by a cohort of Black farmers who<br />
will be chosen and trained through FarmerJawn’s<br />
non-profit arm. For members of the inaugural<br />
cohort, FarmerJawn will offer educational development<br />
opportunities and a pathway to entrepreneurship.<br />
Christa is quick to state that the work she does<br />
is about more than the rows of tomatoes, turnips,<br />
and arugula growing on her farm. She sees farming<br />
as an important building block for Black and Brown<br />
communities and recognizes that she is upholding a<br />
proud yet unremembered legacy of Black farmers.<br />
Included in that legacy is the invention of the nation’s<br />
first CSA model by Booker T. Whatley in the 1960s. An<br />
agricultural professor at Tuskeegee University in<br />
Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement, Whatley,<br />
a horticulturist, advocated for regenerative agriculture<br />
and worked with Black farmers to develop<br />
“pick-your-own farms” and “clientele membership<br />
clubs,” where customers paid in advance for<br />
the season of produce, guaranteeing business for<br />
the farm. The idea was a direct response to Black<br />
farmers being routinely denied loans from the<br />
federal government and forced off of their lands<br />
through discriminatory practices by the USDA. Yet<br />
despite the efforts of Whatley and others, from 1910<br />
to 1997, Black farmers in America lost 90% of their<br />
land to those same practices. Today, while American<br />
farms grossed over $601 billion in 2022 alone, just<br />
1.4% of America’s farms are Black-owned."<br />
“The whole CSA movement grows out of this<br />
recognition that there’s not going to be support<br />
from above from the government,” explained writer,<br />
Clyde Ford, to Smithsonian <strong>Magazine</strong>, “you have to<br />
find the support within the community,” The author<br />
of Of Blood and Sweat: Black Lives and the Making of<br />
White Power and Wealth, Ford continued, “Buy local<br />
wasn’t just to support your community; buy local<br />
was survival for Black folks. It was the only way, in<br />
many instances, that they were able to survive.”<br />
With FarmerJawn, Christa continues the legacy<br />
of regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to<br />
growing that focuses on the integration of farming<br />
systems, the local ecology as a whole, and the community-focused<br />
economics of Whatley’s CSA model.<br />
At FarmerJawn, CSA members can get a $400 membership<br />
for the season and receive 14 weeks of fruits,<br />
organic vegetables, herbs, tea, and honey.<br />
58 aphrochic
Culture<br />
With community at the center of the work<br />
being done at FarmerJawn, Christa is embracing<br />
this next phase of the brand and inviting community<br />
members to be part of it. To celebrate the brand’s<br />
new acreage, FarmerJawn launched with a<br />
community event on Earth Day in West Chester. Activities<br />
included hot air balloon rides, custom t-shirt<br />
printmaking, storytelling, group planting, a land<br />
blessing, and an opportunity to learn the history<br />
of the Lenape land that the farm sits upon. Seeing<br />
the beauty of the connection between the land and<br />
the people who care for it, and showing it clearly to<br />
the community that it supports, Christa is one of a<br />
growing number of Black farmers working to reinvigorate<br />
the spirit of Black farming culture, reclaiming<br />
the work our people have done for centuries,<br />
while laying a foundation for generations to come.<br />
Learn more about FarmerJawn's initiatives at Farmer-<br />
JawnPhilly.com.<br />
More African American Farmers to Follow<br />
Instagram is our favorite source for<br />
finding and following Black farmers. Here are<br />
just a few of our favorites.<br />
@farmerkenofficial Ken Sparks, aka<br />
Farmer Ken, is an organic farmer, gardening<br />
consultant, and educator. We love seeing the<br />
fruit, herbs, vegetables, and flowers that he<br />
grows on his farm. You can catch him on the<br />
weekends at the Prosperity Market, a Black<br />
farmers market in Los Angeles.<br />
@greenheffafarm A certified B corporation<br />
located in <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina, Green<br />
Heffa Farms is led by Clarence “Cee” Stanley.<br />
Farmer Cee’s organic farm produces loose<br />
leaf herbal teas and single source herbs.<br />
Featuring packaging with rich, vibrant<br />
patterns, an homage to Gee’s Bend Quilts,<br />
Green Heffa Farms offers a range of classic<br />
blends, including RICH AUNTEA for beautifying,<br />
a SANITEA blend for calming, and the<br />
BLACKITEA blend for energizing.<br />
@smithpoultry Kyle Smith owns a<br />
farm in Williamstown, NJ, where he raises<br />
chickens, hogs, and turkey. Smith Poultry<br />
supplies high-quality meats and vegetables<br />
from their farm to the South Jersey and Philadelphia<br />
community. Continuing the legacy<br />
of whole-hog cooking, Kyle can also be found<br />
manning a pit and smoking a whole pig on<br />
the barbecue around town. On his website<br />
you can order eggs from the farm, his house<br />
scrapple, and put a deposit down for a whole<br />
hog barbecue.<br />
Resources for African American Farmers<br />
The <strong>No</strong>rtheast Farmers of Color Network<br />
(NEFOC Network) is an informal alliance of<br />
Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian farmers<br />
making their lives on land in the country’s<br />
<strong>No</strong>rtheast region. The organization focuses<br />
on breaking the isolation of farmers of color<br />
in the <strong>No</strong>rtheast by building relationships,<br />
sharing skills and resources, building collaborative<br />
projects and initiatives, and coordinating<br />
policy demands, including reparations<br />
for Black-Indigenous-POC farmers and land<br />
stewards.<br />
Black Farmers’ Network (BFN) is a site for<br />
rural, African American farmers. The network<br />
also documents the agribusiness successes of<br />
farmers who have had to confront a discriminatory<br />
history for centuries in America’s Black<br />
Belt Region. BFN provides marketing and<br />
branding strategies to help these rural enterprises<br />
grow and sustain.<br />
The National Black Farmers Association<br />
is a non-profit organization representing<br />
African American farmers and their<br />
families in the United States. The association<br />
serves tens of thousands of members<br />
nationwide. AC<br />
62 aphrochic
issue twelve 63
Food<br />
Sunday Best<br />
The Dish That Started It All<br />
This is a version of the very first dish I learned<br />
how to cook on my own, when I was about<br />
<strong>12</strong> years old. When my mom left for work<br />
one morning, she realized she’d forgotten to<br />
marinate the chicken she’d pulled from the<br />
freezer to defrost the night before. Since she<br />
was going to be working especially late that<br />
evening, she called me before I left for school,<br />
full of instructions. She had me sprinkle salt<br />
on that chicken, pour a beer in a big plastic<br />
bag, stick the chicken in the bag along with<br />
some bay leaves and celery, and stand the bag<br />
in a bowl in the fridge to keep it upright.<br />
When I got home from school, I was so proud<br />
GET THE BOOK<br />
Reprinted from Sunday Best. Copyright © 2022<br />
Adrienne Cheatham with Sarah Zorn. Published by<br />
Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.<br />
of myself. I said, “I marinated this chicken,<br />
and now I’m going to cook it!” I had my dad<br />
turn on the oven for me, and I roasted that<br />
chicken, so it was ready by the time my mom<br />
returned from work. Of course, I’ve played<br />
with the rubs and marinades since then, but<br />
this is definitely the dish that started it all.<br />
Words by Adrienne Cheatham<br />
Photographs copyright © 2022 Kelly Marshall<br />
64 aphrochic
Stout-and-Soy-Roasted Chicken<br />
(serves 3 or 4)<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken<br />
1 cup soy sauce or tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)<br />
1 <strong>12</strong>-ounce bottle stout beer (such as Guinness or Old Rasputin)<br />
1 tablespoon fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce<br />
½ teaspoon ground white pepper (black works, too)<br />
6 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
2 large white onions, sliced into rounds<br />
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
1. Using kitchen shears or a sturdy knife, cut out the backbone of the chicken and set it aside. Cut the chicken in half<br />
lengthwise, between the breasts.<br />
2. Combine the soy sauce, beer, fish sauce, pepper, and ½ cup of water in a large bowl. Add the garlic, half of the onions,<br />
the backbone, and the chicken halves, skinside down. Marinate for 2 hours or up to 8 hours, stirring occasionally.<br />
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F and position a rack in the upper third of the oven.<br />
4. Arrange the unmarinated sliced onions on a baking sheet. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, pat them<br />
dry, and place them skin-side up in the center of the sheet, on top of the onions. Rub the butter over the chicken skin,<br />
getting it into all those hard-to-reach places!<br />
5. Add ⅓ cup of water to the baking sheet and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then baste the chicken with<br />
its juices and continue cooking until the skin is deep brown and crispy, 10 to 20 minutes more.<br />
6. I suggest eating the super-crispy skin and tender morsels from the backbone immediately (I firmly believe in<br />
rewarding yourself for your hard work), then plating and serving the rest!<br />
EASY UPGRADE<br />
To make this a one-pan meal, toss sliced mushrooms, halved brussels sprouts, split carrots, or other smallish<br />
vegetables in a little oil and salt and add them to the sheet to roast along with the chicken.<br />
issue twelve 65
Entertaining<br />
To Be<br />
Hosted<br />
The New York Supper Club That Offers<br />
More Than Just a Seat at the Table<br />
“Our dinner parties are about ownership, belonging,<br />
leisure, and community,” says Amber Mayfield,<br />
founder of To Be Hosted, an innovative supper club<br />
that hosts dinners focused on highlighting Black<br />
food culture and building community. “We gather<br />
at one table, share a family-style meal, and have<br />
meaningful conversation.”<br />
Words by Jeanine Hays<br />
Images Courtesy of To Be Hosted<br />
66 aphrochic
issue twelve 67
Entertaining<br />
Amber is a master curator. The Forbes<br />
Under 30 alum who came from the world of television,<br />
started the supper club as a side hustle.<br />
The first events were held wherever space<br />
could be found — the basement of a brownstone<br />
in Harlem, a coffee shop, or a co-working<br />
space after hours. Six years later, the brand has<br />
grown considerably, holding pop-ups across<br />
the country and producing events for Netflix,<br />
Pinterest, and YouTube.<br />
For each dinner, Amber features delicious<br />
food from a rotating line-up of Black chefs.<br />
Dinners in New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles<br />
have featured cuisine from across the African<br />
Diaspora, including African American and<br />
Caribbean food cultures. Each evening’s events<br />
are guided by a perfect menu with several<br />
courses, beginning with starters and ending<br />
with a stunning dessert. But it’s not just about<br />
the food. “With each gathering, we aim to<br />
build community, spark meaningful dialogue,<br />
and inspire our guests far beyond our dinner<br />
tables,” says Amber.<br />
To attend a To Be Hosted supper club<br />
dinner, interested diners are asked to complete<br />
a profile on the website. The questions are interesting,<br />
inviting, and introspective: What do you do<br />
for love? What are you passionate about? What type<br />
of media do you enjoy? What art do you regularly<br />
enjoy? And they don’t stop at the initial survey. As<br />
a dinner guest, menu cards embossed with the<br />
To Be Hosted logo include a series of questions<br />
to help guide discussion around the evening’s<br />
theme.<br />
At a recent dinner around the theme<br />
of A Return, guests were asked: Where are<br />
you from? And how often do you return to your<br />
childhood home? How do you re-connect with<br />
your inner child? What do you do to re-center?<br />
Far from the typical ice breakers at a dinner<br />
party, the thoughtful questions, paired with<br />
equally thoughtful design, invite guests to<br />
enjoy dinner as an experience, where they can<br />
feel cared for, enriched through meaningful<br />
dialogue, and free to be themselves, even<br />
amongst strangers.<br />
Through food that celebrates the diversity<br />
of Black culture and a gathering curated with<br />
intention, Amber has taken entertaining to an<br />
artistic level, making the dinner table a place<br />
to nourish the body and feed the soul. At a To<br />
Be Hosted dinner, guests are made to feel the<br />
truth of the brand’s mission: You deserve to<br />
be here. You deserve to be seen and heard. You<br />
deserve to be nourished. You deserve to take the<br />
night off. You deserve to be handled with great<br />
care. You deserve the nice things, the good wine,<br />
the good time (and the long time). You deserve the<br />
seat and the table. You deserve To Be Hosted.<br />
Visit tobehosted.com to sign up for their<br />
next dinner that will take place in New York City<br />
on Sept. 19, featuring a Trinidadian feast by Chef<br />
Leigh-Ann Martin. AC<br />
70 aphrochic
Travel
Entertaining<br />
74 aphrochic
issue twelve 75
City Stories<br />
Mexico City<br />
Travel Story<br />
One of the main reasons I traveled to Mexico City instead of Mexico’s beach<br />
regions was to have the chance to visit Casa Azul also known as Museo Frida<br />
Kahlo. The city was originally founded by the Aztecs in 1325 on a series of<br />
islands in Lake Texcoco and was later conquered by the Spanish in 1521 and<br />
renamed Ciudad de México. Today, Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and<br />
one of the largest cities in the world. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city<br />
with a diverse population and a rich cultural heritage that I would experience<br />
during my visit.<br />
Words and Photos By Krystle DeSantos<br />
Krystle DeSantos with<br />
her friend Naomi<br />
Abrams in Mexico City<br />
76 aphrochic
City Stories<br />
78 aphrochic
Where to Stay<br />
Airbnb - Juárez<br />
Airbnb in Mexico City is quite popular and this loft, located in<br />
the Juarez neighborhood was selected based on location, aesthetics,<br />
reviews and pricing. Everything was as pictured/described and<br />
the owners were nice enough to let me check in early. The location<br />
was central and I loved the thoughtful decor, bright pink terrace with<br />
neon signs and carefully curated guide of things to do nearby and<br />
around Mexico City.<br />
What to See<br />
Museo Frida Kahlo - Casa Azul/Museo Frida Kahlo was by far<br />
my favorite experience and the main reason I chose to visit that part<br />
of Mexico over one of the beach regions. Located in Coyoacán (one<br />
of the oldest and most gorgeous neighborhoods in Mexico City) the<br />
house of Frida Kahlo turned museum is immaculate and filled with so<br />
much beauty & history.<br />
Xochimilco - My second favorite activity while in Mexico City<br />
was the boat ride through the canals of Xochimilco. I booked it via<br />
Airbnb Experiences and this one operated by the friendly crew of We<br />
Are All Trajineros was so much fun! I enjoyed authentic homemade<br />
Mexican food, mezcal and tequila tastings, danced to tunes, and<br />
listened to historical stories about the area. I even sang along to a live<br />
Mariachi band; an add-on for a few extra pesos.<br />
La Cuidadela - Whenever I travel, I usually visit the local<br />
markets to source unique handmade accessories, clothing, artwork<br />
or home decor items. It’s a great way to support local artisans while<br />
obtaining something to remember your trip for years to come. Pesos<br />
are only accepted at the market and only a few vendors take cards so<br />
be sure to walk with enough cash and buy all the things!<br />
Teotihuacán Pyramids - Visiting the Pyramids was an unforgettable<br />
activity that was booked through Airbnb Experiences. I was<br />
picked up by a driver early in the morning, along with other guests,<br />
and we ventured to the the site for a guided tour, history lesson, and<br />
climb of the pyramids.<br />
Vintage/Thrift Shopping - While wandering around the Roma<br />
neighborhood I checked out Vintage Hoe and The Ere Vintage Co.<br />
Both shops had a small mix of vintage, secondhand and curated<br />
items. I came away with some goodies.<br />
Museo Frida Kahlo<br />
issue twelve 79
City Stories<br />
Where to Eat<br />
Mexico City offers a number of diverse food<br />
options. Here are a few of my favorite spots that I enjoyed<br />
during my visit:<br />
Maximo Bistrot - I highly recommend this spot.<br />
This sustainable restaurant brings fresh produce from<br />
the fields and the sea directly to your table, reviving<br />
ancestral cooking traditions. Everything made by hand,<br />
guests are invited to enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine.<br />
Niddo - Try the cafe’s assortment of hot beverages,<br />
including coffee, green tea and hot chocolate, with a slice<br />
from their assortment of handmade cakes topped with<br />
fresh fruit and rose petals.<br />
Licoreria Limantour - Enjoy beautifully crafted<br />
cocktails in Mexico City in a restaurant that welcomes<br />
exploring and restless minds and classic palates.<br />
Nivería Roxy - An ice cream parlor and soda<br />
fountain founded in 1946 by husband-and-wife duo Don<br />
Carlos and Doña María. Try the delicious passion fruit<br />
and chocolate!<br />
Contramar - Serving fresh food daily, enjoy their<br />
homemade bread and tortillas.<br />
80 aphrochic
City Stories
84 aphrochic
issue twelve 85
City Stories<br />
Teotihuacan<br />
86 aphrochic
issue twelve 87
City Stories<br />
A Few Quick Tips Before You Go<br />
1. Check the weather for the period you’ll be in the country. You might<br />
assume the weather is always hot in Mexico City but the average temperature<br />
changes depending on the season in which you’re traveling<br />
so it’s best to check before your trip. If you visit during their winter<br />
season you’ll need to pack a light coat or jacket and will most likely<br />
use it during early mornings and evenings since it heats up around<br />
midday.<br />
2. Some restaurants offer menus in English, you just have to ask “en<br />
Ingles, por favor”<br />
3. Uber is readily available. Getting around Mexico City is easy and<br />
fairly inexpensive for visitors with the average cost being approximately<br />
$2.00 USD per ride. The most expensive ride taken for an hour<br />
drive to a tourist site cost around $17.00 USD<br />
4. Pay by credit card or with local currency. The local currency is the<br />
peso and you can exchange your money for a good rate at the airport<br />
or locally approved Cambio. Many restaurants also take cards and the<br />
exchange rate was better when I used mine for payments. I kept my<br />
pesos for things like the markets and local activities.<br />
88 aphrochic
THE AMUR<br />
SCONCE<br />
W A Y F A I R . C O M
90 aphrochic
Wellness<br />
Mind & Body<br />
What Tai Chi Can Do for<br />
the Black Community<br />
It’s no secret that in America the likelihood of a long and healthy<br />
life depends largely on the color of your skin. Searching the<br />
internet for terms like, “racial health disparity,” or “health<br />
desert,” will quickly produce a long list of articles, fact sheets,<br />
papers, declarations and mission statements cataloging the<br />
illnesses that plague our community and the reasons and<br />
rationales behind them. Some of these end by laying out<br />
optimistic steps towards health equity, while others offer<br />
the written equivalent of a helpless shrug. However long or<br />
short or hopeful or ambivalent these writings may be, they<br />
collectively point to a simple conclusion: that American<br />
racism kills Black people in a variety of ways, but none so<br />
comprehensive as the wide variety of health issues that it<br />
produces in us.<br />
Words by Bryan Mason<br />
Images by Jeanine Hays<br />
issue twelve 91
Wellness<br />
92 aphrochic
The Office of Minority Health, a branch<br />
of the Department of Health and Human<br />
Services, offered a brief survey of the damage<br />
in 2021, acknowledging higher death rates for<br />
African Americans from, “COVID-19, heart<br />
disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and<br />
pneumonia, diabetes and HIV/AIDS,” when<br />
compared to white Americans. Meanwhile,<br />
that same year the Centers for Disease Control<br />
(CDC) was waking up to the fact that, “centuries<br />
of racism in this country has had a profound and<br />
negative impact on communities of color.”<br />
Hidden within these statements are the<br />
connections between social realities and health<br />
outcomes. Though heart disease continues to<br />
be a leading killer of all Americans, the fact that<br />
Black Americans are 30% - 50% more likely to die<br />
from a cardiac event than white Americans is attributable,<br />
in part, to the fact that more than 16.8<br />
million Black Americans live in so-called, “cardiology<br />
deserts,” — counties with limited or no<br />
access to cardiology specialists — part of a wider<br />
epidemic of “health deserts,” which often lack<br />
so much as a local pharmacy. Similarly, asthma,<br />
which is also disproportionately high among<br />
Black Americans is linked to issues of environmental<br />
justice, food justice and more. And a<br />
whole library of issues directly stem from or<br />
are adversely impacted by the levels of chronic<br />
stress under which communities of color are<br />
habitually forced to operate.<br />
While in the long run there is significant<br />
work to be done in holding American medical,<br />
governmental and economic institutions to<br />
account for the shocking disparities in physical<br />
and mental health outcomes for Black people in<br />
America, there are also things that we can do to<br />
improve the situation for ourselves in the short<br />
term. Though it may seem cliché, the oft-cited<br />
binary of health-and-exercise is a powerful<br />
force for increasing, preserving or recovering<br />
health. At the same time, new perspectives<br />
on the importance of mental health, rest and<br />
self-care for Black people are urging radical<br />
commitment to our own wellbeing through<br />
therapy, meditation, yoga and other practices<br />
that have long been a part of our community<br />
(Rosa Parks was a yogi).<br />
One practice which seems to be climbing<br />
the charts as a must-have for better health is<br />
Tai Chi. Studies have shown that for all of the<br />
illnesses affecting Americans nationwide —<br />
heart disease and high blood pressure, diabetes<br />
and asthma, stroke, and stress — consistent<br />
Tai Chi practice can have a range of beneficial<br />
effects, improving motor function, reducing inflammation<br />
and more. For Black people, who<br />
suffer higher rates of incidence and mortality<br />
than other groups for these conditions, Tai Chi<br />
can be an essential part of a wellness routine.<br />
But like any practice, the first step to benefitting<br />
from Tai Chi is knowing what it is, what it does,<br />
and where to find it.<br />
What is Tai Chi?<br />
In 1644 AD, the Ming Dynasty ended in<br />
China, replaced by the Qing. In the process,<br />
Ming general Chen Wangting quickly went from<br />
being a celebrated officer to a wanted fugitive.<br />
While little is known of the general’s life — there<br />
are many exciting legends and few verified<br />
facts — it is known that he eventually retired to<br />
his family’s land, Chenjiagou, literally, “Chen<br />
Family Village,” located in Wen County, which<br />
was also home to the famed Shaolin Temple.<br />
There he combined his years of military experience<br />
with his studies in Taoist (or Daoist) theory<br />
to create what is now known as T’ai Chi Ch’uan<br />
(or Taijiquan), the “Supreme Ultimate Fist.”<br />
Originally a battlefield martial art and<br />
protected secret of the Chen family, in the<br />
last three and a half centuries it has become<br />
more associated with elderly people and<br />
parks than warriors and combat. Nevertheless,<br />
the site where Wangting first introduced<br />
his art still stands and is a popular pilgrimage<br />
and study destination for students of the Chen<br />
family’s version of the art. And while there are<br />
theories suggesting longer histories or different<br />
founders for the system, the fact remains that of<br />
the 5 major styles of Tai Chi — Chen, Yang, Hao,<br />
Wu and Sun — all trace their origins to the art of<br />
Chen Wangting.<br />
The physical practice of Tai Chi is<br />
generally characterized by slow movements<br />
organized into forms of different lengths and<br />
points of emphasis. A focus on breathing and<br />
weight distribution along with coordinated<br />
folding and unfolding of the joints further typify<br />
the practice, while other aspects, such as high<br />
or low stances, the prevalence of fast and hard<br />
movements within the softness or the study of<br />
classical Chinese weapons, can vary from style<br />
to style or school to school.<br />
In its youth, Tai Chi was the secret of one<br />
family. As it spread it became a tool of imperial<br />
guards and noted scholars before spreading to<br />
the wider population. As the focus on combat<br />
faded, practitioners found the practice of the art<br />
to be as effective in improving their own health<br />
as the application of it had once been for diminishing<br />
the health of others. Today, medical researchers<br />
are finding evidence that practicing<br />
Tai Chi can be a powerful aid in dealing with<br />
or preventing a number of illnesses, including<br />
those which most impact Black communities in<br />
America.<br />
Tai Chi Is Good For Your Heart<br />
According to a 2022 article by the American<br />
Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease<br />
(CVD) takes the lives of 650,000 Americans every<br />
year. Within that number, Black Americans<br />
are more than twice as likely to die from CVD,<br />
which, caused by blood clots or the hardening<br />
of the arteries, can take the form of coronary<br />
heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, aortic<br />
disease or stroke. High rates of hypertension<br />
among African Americans are a key CVD risk<br />
factor. The AHA cites Tai Chi as a “promising<br />
exercise option for patients with coronary heart<br />
disease,” showing that even 6 months of consistent<br />
practice at a low level of intensity can<br />
improve a patient’s weight, physical activity and<br />
quality of life.<br />
issue twelve 93
Wellness<br />
Tai Chi has been shown to reduce<br />
systolic and diastolic blood pressure and has<br />
been found by researchers to be an effective<br />
means of preventing CVD. And the benefits of<br />
a regular Tai Chi practice may not only be preventative.<br />
Among adults with chronic heart<br />
failure, consistent practice of the art, even at<br />
low intensity, has been shown to be beneficial<br />
by improving movement, breath capacity, and<br />
state of mind in patients.<br />
Similarly, while there is insufficient<br />
research to confirm that Tai Chi can be effective<br />
in preventing a stroke, it has been shown to be<br />
effective for facilitating recovery and improving<br />
outcomes following one. Weakness or paralysis<br />
are frequent aftereffects of a stroke, which can<br />
decrease activity and physical conditioning<br />
while increasing the risk of a fall. Focusing on<br />
gentle movements originating from the center<br />
of gravity and achieved through coordinated<br />
actions of the limbs, Tai Chi has been found to<br />
have, “an overall beneficial effect on ADL [Activities<br />
of Daily Life], balance, limb motor function,<br />
and walking ability among stroke survivors…and<br />
may also improve sleep quality, mood, mental<br />
health, and other motor function,” according to<br />
a 2018 article appearing in Frontiers in Physiology.<br />
The AHA concurs, finding that even seated Tai<br />
Chi routines can promote better outcomes for<br />
stroke survivors. The potential benefits of Tai Chi<br />
in these areas alone are enough to suggest taking<br />
up the practice, but the promise of this classical<br />
art extends beyond lowering blood pressure — it<br />
can affect blood sugar as well.<br />
Tai Chi and Diabetes<br />
In 2018, the CDC listed diabetes as the<br />
number 6 killer of Black men, and the number<br />
4 killer of Black women. With <strong>12</strong>.1% of our population<br />
among the 37.3 million Americans with<br />
diabetes — and more among the 96 million who<br />
are pre-diabetic — what some of our older loved<br />
ones refer to affectionately as, “the sugars,” is a<br />
problem that too many African Americans have.<br />
Born of the body’s decrease in production<br />
or reaction to insulin and the resulting<br />
buildup of sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia),<br />
diabetes can lead to heart disease, vision loss<br />
and kidney disease as well as immunocompromise,<br />
amputation and more. The best option for<br />
Type 2 diabetes is to avoid it through diet and<br />
exercise. When that isn’t possible, though diet<br />
and exercise are still important components of<br />
controlling diabetes, Tai Chi can also help.<br />
In a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness<br />
of Tai Chi as both a potential preventative<br />
and a control measure for adults with<br />
elevated glucose levels, a 2010 article published<br />
in the British Journal of Sports Medicine followed<br />
11 participants over a 36-hour Tai Chi course.<br />
Classes were spread across a period of <strong>12</strong> weeks<br />
while researchers monitored seven indicators<br />
of metabolic syndrome — a suite of conditions<br />
such as high glucose or cholesterol and excess<br />
body fat around the midriff that can increase the<br />
likelihood of diabetes, heart disease or stroke.<br />
The study found that regular Tai Chi practice<br />
affected four indicators, reducing waist circumference,<br />
blood pressure, glucose levels and<br />
chronic stress.<br />
A more recent 2018 study found that Tai<br />
Chi was effective at lowering average blood<br />
sugar levels (HbA1c), performing slightly better<br />
than aerobic exercise. Tai Chi has been shown<br />
even to improve immune function in diabetics.<br />
Another article in the British Journal of Sports<br />
Medicine found that <strong>12</strong> weeks of Tai Chi practice<br />
produced significant improvements in cell activities<br />
related to immune defense.<br />
Tai Chi and Stress Management<br />
Perhaps the best way that Tai Chi can help<br />
us individually on a day-to-day basis is as an<br />
ally against stress. The American Psychological<br />
Association (APA) notes that stress can have an<br />
effect on a variety of bodily systems including<br />
the “musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular,<br />
endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and<br />
reproductive.” Pointing out as well the connection<br />
between race, health disparities and stress,<br />
the organization pays specific attention to what<br />
it terms “perceived discrimination.”<br />
While the root of our community’s<br />
chronics stress is clearly not our perception of<br />
being discriminated against, but the actions of<br />
those who discriminate against us, Tai Chi can<br />
help us better manage that stress while keeping<br />
it from hurting us further. A 2019 review of 15<br />
separate studies on Tai Chi found that practice<br />
“appears to be associated with improvements<br />
in psychological well-being including reduced<br />
stress, anxiety, depression and mood disturbance,<br />
and increased self-esteem.” And proving<br />
that the art’s benefits aren’t reserved solely for<br />
the elderly, a review of 10 separate databases<br />
published in 2021 suggested that Tai Chi was<br />
effective for creating similar benefits in adolescents<br />
as well as reducing cortisol levels.<br />
Tai Chi and the Black Community<br />
Tai Chi is not a cure-all for every health<br />
condition, and it won’t undo the impact of<br />
centuries of systematic racism on our community’s<br />
health, but it can be a beneficial part of our<br />
wellness practices. Like yoga, Tai Chi has been<br />
in our community for a long time. The art has<br />
been passed on through a number of high level<br />
practitioners, many of them among the O.G.’s<br />
of Black kung-fu teachers, including Roberto<br />
Sharpe, Oso Tayari Casel, the late and lamented<br />
Nganga Tolo Naa, and the venerable Dennis<br />
Brown to name just a few.<br />
While we continue to live through illnesses<br />
and fight injustices, Tai Chi can help us to live<br />
a little longer and fight a little better, giving us<br />
a single practice to fit into our busy lives that<br />
can strengthen our muscles, improve our lung<br />
function, lower blood pressure and the sugars,<br />
all while easing our minds. AC<br />
94 aphrochic
Tai Chi Tips to Get Started<br />
One of the most important steps to getting the most out of your<br />
Tai Chi is finding the right place to learn. Here’s a couple of things to<br />
consider while you search:<br />
Style: The benefits of Tai Chi are the same regardless of style.<br />
But there are a lot of different versions out there, with some designed<br />
for competition rather than health. The main styles of Tai Chi are the<br />
Chen, Yang, Hao, Wu and Sun. The Chen Man-ch'ing variant of the<br />
Yang style is also highly regarded. Each has their own characteristics.<br />
Chen is the oldest, with deep stances and explosive movements. Yang<br />
is the most popular and easiest to find, and so on. More important<br />
than the specific style for health is the depth of what’s being taught.<br />
Curriculum: There’s more to Tai Chi than just the form. A full<br />
Tai Chi practice might also include stance training, breathwork,<br />
qigong and forms with weapons. These aren’t completely mandatory<br />
though, and so long as your instructor focuses on the elements of<br />
breathing, alignment and qigong in the form, you’ll get everything<br />
you need.<br />
Certification: Certification is helpful, but not completely<br />
necessary. Traditionally, Chinese martial arts are less bureaucratic<br />
than some others, so there are plenty of qualified instructors without<br />
an organizational backing or certifications on the wall. But there are<br />
several good organizations to check out, like Yang Jwing Ming’s YMAA<br />
or the International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation. Organizations<br />
like these have pages listing certified instructors to help you<br />
find a school in your area.<br />
Environment: Just like Tai Chi doesn’t require belts or certificates<br />
to be good, it doesn’t even require a school. Some of the best<br />
Tai Chi classes are in parks and on playgrounds. What a teacher has<br />
to offer might be more important than where s/he offers it. But a roof<br />
might be nice when it rains.<br />
issue twelve 95
The African Continent<br />
and the<br />
African Diaspora
Yemanjá celebration<br />
in Bahia, Brazil,<br />
by Tiago Celestino
Reference<br />
A Question of Ownership<br />
Africa and its diaspora is an old phrase and often used. One of<br />
the many places it appears is in the work of Joseph Harris, as he<br />
writes to explain a model of the inner workings of the African<br />
Diaspora that he describes as “triadic.” In it, Africa exists, among<br />
other things, as the central hub and main focus of the Diaspora,<br />
connecting its disparate and otherwise disconnected cultures.<br />
For generations, the African continent played a central symbolic<br />
role in the minds of Pan-Africanist thinkers, a role it maintains<br />
in Harris’ triad. In both cases, Africa is posited as not only the<br />
point of origin for African Diaspora cultures, but the main point<br />
of connection as well. Imagined structurally, this image of the<br />
Diaspora resembles a large wheel, with Africa at its center and the<br />
cultures of the Diaspora emanating out from it as if on spokes.<br />
Words by Bryan Mason<br />
Drummers in Nairobi,<br />
Kenya, by Wanyoike<br />
Mbugua<br />
issue twelve 99
Reference<br />
While Harris does not specifically<br />
propose a “wheel model,” to describe the connection<br />
between Diaspora cultures and the<br />
African continent itself, it is presented here as<br />
an accurate depiction of the relationship as it<br />
is commonly imagined in many constructions<br />
of the Diaspora, including Harris’. And though<br />
this model is easily intuited and not without its<br />
degree of accuracy, the proprietary sentiment<br />
it conveys through such constructions as Africa<br />
and its diaspora, are at the root of several<br />
perspectives that construe the cultures and<br />
peoples of the African Diaspora, not only as descendants<br />
of the African continent but as derivatives<br />
and ultimately possessions.<br />
These suppositions, if not by themselves<br />
openly problematic, at the very least raise<br />
several important questions. Of the various<br />
issues to consider in the proposition of "Africa<br />
and its diaspora," three present themselves<br />
as the most pressing: possession, construction<br />
and position. The first of these, possession,<br />
asks simply, to whom does the African<br />
Diaspora belong?<br />
The African Diaspora or Africa’s Diaspora?<br />
<strong>No</strong> one contends the description, The<br />
African Diaspora and no one should, because<br />
that is what we are. However, there is a subtle<br />
paternalism to the phrase Africa and its<br />
diaspora, born, like the idea of the underlying<br />
African self, of the belief that Africa somehow<br />
holds within it an original culture, of which all<br />
cultures of the external Diaspora are simple<br />
derivatives.<br />
By this logic we may, like all derivatives,<br />
be judged and arranged in order of quality by<br />
the extent to which we display an appropriate<br />
resemblance to our source material — and<br />
we have been, often by ourselves. Arguments<br />
about which cultures are more or less<br />
African have been all too common throughout<br />
the years, fueling, among other things, the<br />
important work of scholars such as Melville<br />
Herskovits, Zora Neale Hurston, and W.E.B.<br />
DuBois, among many others who investigated<br />
connections between various New World<br />
Diaspora and West African cultures in the early<br />
20th century.<br />
Beyond this important work, however,<br />
the paternalistic streak to traditional definitions<br />
of Diaspora has played out in a variety of<br />
ways, most notably economically. For instance,<br />
the definition offered by the African Union describing<br />
the Diaspora as we of African origin<br />
who, regardless of citizenship or nationality,<br />
live outside the continent, goes on to stipulate<br />
our willingness to, “contribute to the development<br />
of the continent and the building of the<br />
African Union,” as part of what qualifies us as<br />
part of the Diaspora. Similarly, in 2010, when<br />
Margaret Kilo, then head of Fragile States<br />
Unit of the African Development Bank was interviewed<br />
about the outcomes of a seminar<br />
entitled, Mobilizing the African Diaspora for<br />
Capacity Building and Development: Focus on<br />
Fragile States, she defined the Diaspora as, “a<br />
human and investment capital pool that can<br />
strongly contribute to the continent’s development.”<br />
Other organizations, such as the African<br />
Diaspora Group, a non-profit focused on<br />
strengthening financial ties between the<br />
Diaspora and the Continent, roots the impetus<br />
for a financial relationship in the cultural need<br />
of those born away from the continent. Like<br />
Harris, this group views the African Diaspora<br />
as stateless, and without a common country of<br />
origin, language, religion, or culture. “Mother<br />
Africa,” The African Diaspora Group thereby<br />
offers, “will help to restore what was lost, [vital<br />
roots, history, and culture,] and the children of<br />
the diaspora will reciprocate by providing the<br />
knowledge and resources that were gained while<br />
away.” Another section of the website suggests<br />
that, “[it] is time for Africans in the diaspora to<br />
break free from their manufactured identities,<br />
and return to knowledge of self as an African.”<br />
As these groups all seek to enact or at least<br />
envision a particular future for the Diaspora, it<br />
is worth interrogating the ways in which they<br />
are constructing the idea, and how they mean<br />
to employ it.<br />
Like a Motherless Child<br />
In each of the examples presented<br />
above, a Triadic Model, similar if not identical<br />
to Harris’ is being employed to envision the<br />
Diaspora as a 3-part relationship between the<br />
Continent, the (descendants of the) dispersed<br />
and their countries of residence — with references<br />
to both family and hierarchy as part of<br />
the structure. The kind of parent-child relationship<br />
these constructions envision between<br />
Africa and the Diaspora makes a certain<br />
amount of intuitive sense. However, “parent-child”<br />
is a hierarchy, and any hierarchical<br />
model of Diaspora must entail a concerning<br />
sense of ethnocentrism while presenting a host<br />
of other problems.<br />
There is a lurking sense of eurocentrism<br />
both in the way the The African Diaspora Group<br />
offers to “restore what was lost,” for people of<br />
the Diaspora — sometimes called “diasporans”<br />
or “diasporeans,” — and its presentment of<br />
“Mother Africa” as a monolithic whole. The first<br />
upholds the European myth of Africa as ahistorical,<br />
suggesting that African culture as it<br />
exists today represents an original from which<br />
Diaspora cultures are derived and to which<br />
they can return. Yet many hundreds of years<br />
have passed between the first dispersions and<br />
where we all are today. “History,” as Stuart<br />
Hall noted, “has intervened,” changing us from<br />
what we were then to what we are now. While<br />
there are many things that contemporary<br />
Africa can offer the Diaspora and vice versa,<br />
going back in time is not among them.<br />
Further, Africa as we know is not a single<br />
entity. It has many nations, languages and ethnicities,<br />
and whether genetically or culturally,<br />
many of us, as diasporeans, are made up of<br />
quite a few of them. Therefore when presented<br />
with the African Diaspora Group’s offer to shed<br />
our, “manufactured identities,” (all identities<br />
are manufactured) “and return to knowledge<br />
of self as an African,” it would be fair of us to<br />
ask, “what type of African should we return to<br />
being? From what nations? Speaking which<br />
languages?” We can further question whether<br />
simply moving to Africa is enough to remake<br />
us as Africans. Do we lose the distinction<br />
of being born in another place and formed<br />
in another culture as soon as we become<br />
residents of an African state? And even if so, is<br />
that something we want? Does the Diaspora,<br />
African Americans, Caribbeans, et al. value its<br />
100 aphrochic
Fulani woman in<br />
Zaria, Nigeria, by<br />
Muhammad-taha<br />
Ibrahim<br />
Playing capoeira in the<br />
streets of Pelourinho,<br />
Salvador, Brazil, by Nigel<br />
SB Photography<br />
issue twelve 101
Reference<br />
cultures — the art, music, fashion, literature, rituals, traditions,<br />
holidays and more — that our ancestors labored for centuries to<br />
build in hostile lands and which we now carry forward? Or are<br />
they as worthless as they’re made to sound — cheap knock-offs<br />
cobbled together just to be cast aside for the genuine article?<br />
if that heritage is truly something that we must purchase or<br />
earn through service, or if our heritage is ours simply because it<br />
is ours? Because if the latter, then no entity, not even Africa, has<br />
the power to grant or deny it to us — and certainly not to hold it<br />
out to us in trade.<br />
Cash-for-Heritage<br />
Perhaps it is because Harris’ Triadic Model so resembles<br />
the specifically commercial “Triangular Trade” that Eric<br />
Williams introduced in his 1944 classic Capitalism and Slavery<br />
that the models presented here all envision the relationship<br />
between Africa and Diaspora in such solidly economic (as<br />
opposed to cultural or even political) terms — or perhaps it’s<br />
just a coincidence. In Williams’ construction, enslaved Africans<br />
were forced to work in New World agriculture to produce raw<br />
materials. Those materials were then shipped to Europe to<br />
become finished goods that were then sold back to European<br />
colonies. Money from the sale of goods was then used to<br />
purchase and enslave more Africans, and so on.<br />
With so much of the history of the Diaspora bound to the<br />
cruel exploitation of Black bodies as both labor and commodities,<br />
it is understandably alarming to those descended from<br />
Africans enslaved for centuries to know that they are regarded<br />
on the one hand by the African Development Bank as “human<br />
and investment capital,” while the African Union regards<br />
Diaspora status as being contingent on our willingness and<br />
ability to contribute to the development of the continent and<br />
the African Union.<br />
While Kilo posits the relationship unilaterally, with the<br />
Diaspora strictly representing a resource for the Continent,<br />
both the African Union and the African Diaspora Group present<br />
it as an exchange — cash-for-heritage — in which contributions<br />
to the Continent are repaid, either with membership in<br />
the Diaspora, and by extension, Africa, or with the recovery of<br />
culture. Both are tantamount to being granted access to one’s<br />
heritage and culture. As before, it’s a position that invites<br />
questions — ones, this time, that we must all, continental or diasporean,<br />
ask ourselves.<br />
Reflecting on Kilo’s statement, we must ask ourselves<br />
if, after all this time, labor and commodities are still all that<br />
the millions of descendants of the trans-Atlantic slave trade<br />
represent to what is being held out as our ostensible homeland?<br />
Or should any version of the relationship between the Diaspora<br />
and the continent take into account the immeasurable amount<br />
of cultural inspiration and intellectual support that has gone<br />
both ways? And should the Diaspora be willing to enter into this<br />
relationship when it is strictly tributary?<br />
Responding to those who would barter with the Diaspora<br />
for its African heritage, diasporeans must likewise ask ourselves<br />
Questions and <strong>No</strong>n-Questions<br />
<strong>No</strong>ne of this is to say that a strong relationship between<br />
the many countries of the African continent and the rest of the<br />
African Diaspora does not, or should not exist, or that that relationship<br />
cannot or should not include financial support to the<br />
continent from without. Moreover, the purpose of these queries<br />
is not to suggest any sense of exploitative intent, ill will or bad<br />
faith on the part of Africa or any governments, financial institutions<br />
or individuals therein. The work of organizations like<br />
the African Diaspora Group and the African Development Bank<br />
is both laudable and vital. These are worthy goals, as suitable<br />
a basis for international cooperation today as they were in the<br />
days of Henry Sylvester Williams and W.E.B. DuBois.<br />
What is in question however is how we choose to see these relationships,<br />
the basis from which we construct them, and whether<br />
they promote unity and shared benefit or offer yet another form of<br />
division and exploitation. Do the constructs of the Diaspora-Continental<br />
relationship presented in these examples truly value the<br />
people, culture, history, contributions and full potential of the<br />
African Diaspora, or are they simply perpetuating old cycles of exploitation?<br />
Are we going to choose to see the cultures and people<br />
of the Diaspora merely as children, derivatives and property of the<br />
African continent, or do we recognize all African and Africa-descended<br />
cultures as equals? And which version is most likely to<br />
benefit all groups moving forward?<br />
Africa (by Itself) Is <strong>No</strong>t the Answer<br />
The danger of answering these questions incorrectly, or<br />
of these constructions as they currently stand, is that they risk<br />
putting us on sides — Africa and the Diaspora — which can<br />
easily become Africa versus the Diaspora. It’s a situation that<br />
doesn’t benefit any of us and yet it’s one that we already find<br />
ourselves in too often, just as we find one part of the Diaspora<br />
versus another, and almost always around some false notion of<br />
hierarchy, authenticity or ownership.<br />
Whether fully internalized or spurred on by outside<br />
interests, it’s never anything more than an unwillingness to<br />
value one another. As we continue to explore our relationships<br />
and what they mean, and Diaspora continues to evolve, we must<br />
learn to move beyond the notions of hierarchy, ownership and<br />
commodification that are even now threatening to tear us apart.<br />
So does the Diaspora “belong” to the Continent? Yes it does. But<br />
the Continent must also belong to the Diaspora. AC<br />
Guitar player in Puerto Rico by Christian Crocker<br />
issue twelve 103
SOUNDS<br />
It Ain’t All Love: Ace Clark’s Tertiary Release Is<br />
a Vision of Hip Hop All Grown Up<br />
Once upon a time, Hip-Hop was a many layered thing. It had its<br />
gangstas and its Ruff Ryders, conscious Afrikans and poets, choppers<br />
and crooners, its Bad Boys and its empowered women. From sampled<br />
R&B beats to jazz quartets, the wide world and deep history of Black<br />
music could be heard behind nearly every verse. There seemed to be<br />
room for every style and every story, and love stories were no exception.<br />
But eras pass, and for a time it seemed like R&B powered reflections on<br />
the soft sides and hard truths of relationships were part of the genre’s<br />
past. Then came Ace Clark.<br />
It Ain’t All Love, Clark’s 2022 release is an 8-track<br />
exploration of the ups and downs of real relationships.<br />
Missing the prideful facades and misogynist undertones<br />
that are typically cited as characteristic of Hip-Hop and<br />
Black men alike, Clark spends each track examining experiences<br />
as if they were diamonds, holding each side<br />
up to the light, hoping to see it a little more clearly. The<br />
perspective isn’t perfect, and that, in part, is the point.<br />
Mistakes, miscommunications, hurt feelings and bittersweet<br />
memories all make appearances, with the artist’s<br />
narrative voice landing on both the right and wrong side<br />
of issues as the album moves from track to track.<br />
Words by Bryan Mason<br />
Images furnished by Ace Clark<br />
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SOUNDS<br />
The album’s opener, Hold You Down, is soberly romantic, depicting love<br />
with a happy ending while detailing the path it took to get there — from a hug<br />
he hopes will never end to recognizing the danger pride can pose to love.<br />
“Sometimes I’m the problem, sometimes I’m the solution,” he admits in a<br />
later track, Sometimes, which offers a male perspective on the things that can<br />
change in a relationship from day to day — suggesting that understanding is<br />
best when it goes both ways. “Sometimes I want a lazy day…” he muses, “Wanna<br />
be courted, afforded grace when I make mistakes…” From a different perspective,<br />
in Cold Blooded, he laments, “I’ll be more careful the next time, before I<br />
chase someone that ain’t mine.” Wherever he lands in a given song, it’s hard to<br />
fault the honesty of his narrative.<br />
Adding to the appeal of the storytelling is the music that supports and<br />
uplifts the lyrics. Elements of soul, jazz, and R&B blend and mix to create a vibe<br />
that matches the subject matter perfectly. These aren’t club joints, this is music<br />
to vibe out to, let go, and enjoy the sounds that can happen when Hip-Hop<br />
speaks to the rest of Black music.<br />
A concept album at heart, It Ain’t All Love is far from a throwback. Rather,<br />
looking forward, it paints a picture composed almost entirely of things we don’t<br />
often see: Black men in relationships with human feelings as well as sexual<br />
agendas; the coexistence of the acknowledgment that relationships aren’t<br />
always easy with the belief that love and happiness are more than fantasies; and<br />
the conviction that hip-hop can still speak affirmingly to the real, lived experiences<br />
of our people, without caricature or IG filters, to make the simple yet<br />
radical statement that Black life is life. In a world where we’re constantly told<br />
that love isn’t possible, doesn’t work or can’t exist between Black couples, it’s a<br />
moment of much-needed representation.<br />
Listen to Ace Clark’s new album It Ain’t All Love. AC<br />
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issue twelve 107
PINPOINT<br />
Artists & Artisans | Hot Topic | Who Are You
ARTISTS & ARTISANS<br />
An Interview with Fares Micue: The Canary Islands Artist<br />
Debuts An Exclusive New Collection with <strong>AphroChic</strong><br />
We recently launched a series of exclusive works by Spanish fine art photographer,<br />
Fares Micue. We have long admired her surreal photographs and over the<br />
past few years have become collectors of her work, spoken with her about her<br />
inspirations and her process, and worked collaboratively with her to bring forth<br />
an absolutely stunning collection of images. Created in the Canary Islands and<br />
featuring images from her latest trip to Korea, we speak with Fares about the<br />
new pieces and the inspiration behind each of them.<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong>: Take us through the new<br />
pieces, how they were made, and what did<br />
they each mean to you? Let’s start with<br />
Playing Among The Stars.<br />
Fares Micue: With Playing Among The<br />
Stars, that tree, there’s a lot of them in<br />
Korea. I saw that the leaves look like stars.<br />
When I was sitting by those trees, I felt like<br />
I was dreaming. Like I am under the sky.<br />
Like I'm getting into the stars. I felt that I<br />
could take that tree and create what is in<br />
my mind and how I felt when I was under<br />
it. It felt like the leaves were a constellation<br />
full of stars, and I'm just among them. So I<br />
really wanted to create that.<br />
AC: It sounds like you had a plan to create<br />
something you knew you wanted to do for<br />
a long time? How about The Crown II?<br />
FM: In all my pictures with the<br />
flowers on my head I like to play with an<br />
afro. I put the flowers in the shape [of]<br />
afro hair. Sometimes the afro hair, we call<br />
it our crown. [I] wanted to translate that<br />
message into my image by doing it with<br />
flowers. I always do [this], but this time<br />
I wanted to make it clear — this is the<br />
shape of our hair that grows as a crown<br />
and we are proud of it.<br />
AC: One of the things that stands out to<br />
us is your your pose. In The Crown II you're<br />
slightly tilted forward from your pelvis and<br />
you have your hands over your stomach.<br />
Is there any special significance or idea<br />
behind that?<br />
FM: I want to portray that I am<br />
empowered, feeling confident in<br />
myself. I don't need to hide anything, I<br />
don't need to prove anything, I'm just<br />
standing here, so you can see what<br />
I am. So it's just a confident pose. I<br />
wanted to convey power, pride. When<br />
you are proud, you have to be standing<br />
with your head up and feeling proud of<br />
yourself.<br />
Interview by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason<br />
Photos furnished by Fares Micue<br />
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ARTISTS & ARTISANS<br />
AC: We love your power stance. We feel<br />
the pride that comes through in the image<br />
itself. Like with all your imagery, [we] love<br />
the connection to nature that is there,<br />
putting the person back in touch with<br />
nature. It’s really cool to see that shine<br />
through as well. Talk to us about Dancing In<br />
The Clouds.<br />
FM: Dancing In The Clouds was the<br />
first one that I did when I arrived in Korea,<br />
actually the day [after] I arrived. I arrived<br />
in spring and wanted to catch those<br />
flowers because they were in a palace<br />
and I know that people go and they touch<br />
them and they may fall off. So I ran there<br />
to make it. When I see flowers and plants,<br />
I get a feeling. Even now even when I go to<br />
shoot and see plants I want to stop and do<br />
something with them. So when I saw that<br />
[tree] I was like, you know, when you feel<br />
light, like you can fly? That's how the blue<br />
color came in. The flowers are white but a<br />
little bit yellowish and I wanted to make it<br />
like you're in a fluffy cloud. That you are<br />
inside it and you can dream and you can<br />
be whoever you want to be. My face doesn't<br />
show, but I'm actually laughing and I'm<br />
very happy, I'm in the clouds, I'm over the<br />
moon I'm so happy. Like you are dancing,<br />
and they just catch you there in the middle<br />
of your dance just for yourself, without<br />
thinking about anybody else. That's what<br />
I want people to feel — like they want to<br />
dance all the time [when] they come home<br />
and see that picture on the wall.<br />
AC: We love the expression of freedom<br />
that's there in your work. Like you said -<br />
just dancing and being who you are. I think<br />
that was one of the things that we were<br />
drawn to in your work. The last piece in the<br />
collection is Divine Femininity. What was<br />
the inspiration behind that piece?<br />
FM: I wanted it to be an image that<br />
exudes feminine power. I think as women,<br />
we have some kind of sixth sense, we have<br />
this kind of mysterious power inside us<br />
and I wanted to convey that in one image.<br />
I wanted to be very feminine, powerful<br />
and empowered. I really like my images<br />
to be feminine. I knew that I wanted it<br />
to be in blue. I wanted to [show] a subtle<br />
power, elegant and intoxicating. And I<br />
really liked the moon. I think the moon is<br />
very mysterious. I always think about the<br />
moon like a feminine star, changing the<br />
water and controlling the sea.<br />
AC: One last question. Of the four pieces<br />
that you've created for the <strong>AphroChic</strong> Art<br />
Shop, is there a favorite?<br />
FM: I think all of them. I love to play<br />
among the stars, I dance among the clouds,<br />
I wear my crown with pride, I enjoy my<br />
divine femininity. All of them are part of<br />
me. I put a piece of me in each. And I want<br />
to invite people, if they are not playing<br />
among the stars, or they are not dancing<br />
in the clouds, to start doing it now. And if<br />
they don't feel proud of who they are, to<br />
be proud. And if you are a woman and you<br />
don't feel powerful enough, know you are<br />
divine, and connect with that part of your<br />
femininity in order to be able to use it. I<br />
invite [people] to explore those parts of<br />
themselves.<br />
See Fares Micue’s exclusive collection<br />
for the <strong>AphroChic</strong> Art Shop at aphrochic.<br />
com. And listen to the full interview on The<br />
<strong>AphroChic</strong> Podcast.<br />
1<strong>12</strong> aphrochic
The Crown II<br />
issue twelve 113
ARTISTS & ARTISANS<br />
Dancing in the Clouds<br />
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Playing Among the Stars<br />
issue twelve 115
HOT TOPIC<br />
Deliver Us From Evil: Theodicy and the<br />
Question of Responsibility in Why We Suffer<br />
Just , recently, we added another name, Jordan Neely, to the list of spirits invoked<br />
every time we hear, issue or echo the command to “Say their names.” We say this<br />
because we need to remember. We say it because we know how much the world<br />
wants to forget. And we say it, every time, with the hope that the list will grow no<br />
longer, coupled with the agonizing knowledge that it probably already has. Neely<br />
was brutally choked to death by former marine Daniel J. Penny, while another<br />
subway rider assisted in pinning him down, and another filmed his death. As of<br />
this writing Penny was only charged with murder due to significant public outcry.<br />
Words by Bryan Mason<br />
Black Lives Matter protest<br />
in Los Angeles by Mike Von<br />
Black Lives Matter flag in<br />
Charlotte, NC, by Clay Banks<br />
116 aphrochic
HOT TOPIC<br />
In May of this year, the World Health Organization<br />
(WHO) declared an end to the global<br />
health emergency surrounding COVID-19. The<br />
organization reports that so far the virus has<br />
killed nearly 7 million people, while affecting<br />
the health of 729 million more. In announcing<br />
the emergency’s conclusion, Tedros<br />
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director<br />
general stated that in the previous week alone,<br />
“COVID-19 claimed a life every 3 minutes —<br />
and that’s just the deaths we know about.”<br />
Admitting that the end of the global emergency<br />
did not end the virus’ threat, Ghebreyesus<br />
added that, “The worst thing any country could<br />
do…is to let down its guard, to dismantle the<br />
systems it has built, or to send the message to<br />
its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry<br />
about.” However, with the federal government<br />
already ceasing safeguards for vaccination and<br />
masking across the board, and city and state<br />
officials moving even faster, his warning seems<br />
to be falling on deaf ears.<br />
In March, Silicon Valley Bank became<br />
the second largest bank failure in US history,<br />
followed swiftly by Signature Bank with First<br />
Republic Bank closing in May. Concurrently, a<br />
series of crypto-crashes have erased billions<br />
in wealth with several high-profile proponents<br />
facing charges. All of which have accelerated<br />
fears of an encroaching recession that<br />
has been predicted for years. In the wake of<br />
this fiscal uncertainty — and even before it —<br />
companies in tech and other industries have<br />
begun massive layoffs, leaving hundreds of<br />
thousands without jobs this year alone and<br />
putting an untold number of families, homes,<br />
and futures at risk.<br />
Unchecked illnesses, civil unrest,<br />
financial upheaval, and violence all amount to<br />
the same thing: suffering. When so many bad<br />
things happen at once, it’s natural for us to<br />
wonder why. And when we can find no single<br />
answer to address every ill, there are a number<br />
of different ways we choose to cope. Often we<br />
compartmentalize, and insist on looking at<br />
them all as isolated events — as if no one on<br />
the train with Jordan Neely could possibly<br />
have been affected by COVID deaths, layoffs,<br />
financial fears, or the rising tide of hate that<br />
has been at the root of so much violence over<br />
the past few years. Other times, we shrug and<br />
and say that it’s just the way the world is, the<br />
way it’s always been, and that there’s nothing<br />
that can be done about it. And sometimes, we<br />
lay the blame on some unseen or abstract force<br />
like market forces, grand conspiracies or, if<br />
we’re really desperate — God. And while this<br />
last answer may not be everyone’s first choice,<br />
when examined it may yield some useful<br />
answers about the validity of these tactics and<br />
reveal some new options.<br />
The God Problem<br />
The question of why bad things happen<br />
is called “The Problem of Evil” in Christian<br />
theology and western philosophy. Trying to<br />
reconcile the Problem of Evil with a belief in<br />
God as envisioned by Judaism, Christianity,<br />
and Islam is called “theodicy,” or “Justifying<br />
God.” It has a long and winding history full of<br />
positions, treatises, and schools of thought, but<br />
the basic argument goes like this:<br />
God is all-powerful (omnipotent); God<br />
is all-knowing (omniscient); God is all-good<br />
(omnibenevolent). Yet evil exists in the world.<br />
Therefore, God is either all-good and unable<br />
to stop evil and therefore not all-powerful,<br />
or all-powerful and unwilling to stop evil<br />
and therefore not all-good. Or God is simply<br />
unaware of all evil and therefore not all-knowing.<br />
Since evil verifiably exists, God either<br />
cannot exist, or cannot exist in the way these<br />
religions suggest.<br />
Going further, theodicy divides “evil”<br />
into Natural Evil and Moral Evil. Natural<br />
evils cause suffering or harm within nature.<br />
These include natural disasters, diseases, or<br />
instances of natural violence, like a lion killing<br />
a gazelle. Natural evils are further characterized<br />
by a lack of intent. Hurricanes don’t target<br />
cities, they simply occur, and cities happen to<br />
be in their path. Similarly, a lion isn’t angry<br />
when attacking a gazelle, it’s just hungry.<br />
Moral evil, conversely, requires agency<br />
and intention and is therefore unique to human<br />
beings. Unlike tornadoes, people have agency<br />
to decide where we go, what we do, and most<br />
importantly why we do it. And unlike diseases,<br />
people often intentionally inflict harm.<br />
For many, theodicy’s basic argument<br />
is enough to invalidate all belief in God.<br />
Scholars on both sides have debated the point<br />
for centuries with no end in sight. Yet even<br />
within the basic argument there are a number<br />
of problems that cause us to question the<br />
concept as a whole.<br />
The Problem of Presumption<br />
The underlying presumption to all theodicean<br />
arguments is that if God is perfect<br />
then God would necessarily want to create<br />
a “perfect” world. But what’s imperfect about<br />
it? Nature exists in a precise balance (when we<br />
aren’t interfering with it). And in that balance,<br />
volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, even black<br />
holes and supernovas all have their place; as<br />
do food chains. That most living things on this<br />
planet survive by eating other living things<br />
isn’t evil, it simply is. A gazelle hunted by<br />
lions certainly suffers, but then so do starving<br />
lions. The relationship between them is not<br />
imperfect but balanced. The argument comes<br />
from presuming that God shares or, worse,<br />
is bound to our perspective, which brings up<br />
another problem.<br />
The Problem of Androcentrism<br />
The concept of natural evil is androcentric<br />
because the natural world is only imperfect<br />
by our standards. The cycle of creation, destruction<br />
and rebirth is fundamental to<br />
just about everything that exists, from people<br />
to planets to stars. That we don’t care for<br />
every aspect of that cycle is irrelevant. Natural<br />
disasters are only disasters to us. To the planet<br />
they're just things that happen. Suggesting<br />
that the normal processes of the planet are<br />
evil simply because they are indifferent to our<br />
118 aphrochic
Climate change protest by Francesca Di Pasqua<br />
I Want to Live Sign at Black Lives Matter Protest in Paris by Thomas de Luze<br />
Protest in Nigeria to end SARS killing by Tobi Oshinnaike<br />
Man raising his fist during Black Lives Matter protest in Paris by Thomas de Luze<br />
issue twelve 119
HOT TOPIC<br />
suffering assumes that the ultimate purpose of<br />
nature is to provide for the good and comfort<br />
of humanity. While the planet can provide<br />
for our good, any number of natural events —<br />
including COVID-19 — clearly demonstrate<br />
that it is under no constraint to do so. Therefore<br />
theodicy’s view of nature is somewhat reductionist<br />
— another problem.<br />
The Problem of Reductivism<br />
Theodicy argues that God cannot exist<br />
as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent<br />
due to the existence of evil. But the God of<br />
Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammed (chronologically<br />
speaking) is far more complex than that,<br />
as is the question itself. Ultimately, theodicy is<br />
less about the presence of evil and more a consideration<br />
of the nature of God. Specifically,<br />
it’s a question of how God’s goodness interacts<br />
with God’s power.<br />
The problem with the idea that an omnibenevolent,<br />
omnipotent, omniscient God<br />
would, perforce, create a world without<br />
suffering, is that an all-powerful being<br />
doesn’t do anything “perforce.” <strong>No</strong>w anyone<br />
who’s spent time in a Black church knows<br />
that “God is good all the time.” But God isn’t<br />
constrained to goodness, because that constraint<br />
would limit God’s power. Goodness,<br />
for God, is a choice. God is perfectly good<br />
because God is making that choice continually,<br />
again and again without fail. When we say that<br />
humanity is made in God’s image (Gen 1:26), it<br />
is not a matter of faces, fingers, and toes (and<br />
certainly not genitalia); rather, we exist in the<br />
image of God through our ability to — among<br />
other things — choose. The challenge posed<br />
by Christianity, for instance, is to choose as<br />
God chooses; to choose goodness and choose<br />
it perpetually (Matt. 5:48). Free will — agency<br />
and intention — makes us responsible for our<br />
decisions and the goodness or evil of the consequences<br />
that follow. And for theodicy, that is<br />
the central problem.<br />
The Problem of Abdication<br />
In reality, there is no such thing as natural<br />
evil. We may not like tornadoes, earthquakes, or<br />
pandemic viruses, but the fact that we or other<br />
animals can suffer due to them does not make<br />
them evil. Equally, animals cannot be blamed<br />
for eating other animals if the morally preferable<br />
alternative would be for them to starve.<br />
Conflating human suffering due to<br />
natural phenomena with human suffering<br />
inflicted by other humans under the general<br />
category of ‘evil,’ obscures a single, crucial fact:<br />
that the vast majority of the time, when people<br />
suffer, we suffer at the hands of other people. By<br />
laying that at the feet of God or any other conveniently<br />
intangible scapegoat, we abdicate responsibility<br />
for our own actions, a rhetorical<br />
move that is not only deeply immoral and<br />
logically flawed — it just doesn’t help.<br />
Theodicy Take 2<br />
So let’s try this again from the top: God is<br />
omnipotent. God is omniscient. God is omnibenevolent.<br />
Being all of these things, God gave<br />
people the ability to choose, and we choose, in<br />
some instances, to put the greed of a few over<br />
the suffering of millions; to hold the good of the<br />
economy, an imaginary construct created by<br />
people, more sacred than the lives of the people<br />
whose labor and consumption make it run. And<br />
sometimes we choose to do something even<br />
worse — and something unthinkable happens.<br />
Why Bad Things Happen<br />
Jordan Neely didn’t die because God lacks<br />
power, knowledge or goodness. He also didn’t die<br />
because of mental illness, aggressive behavior, or<br />
because he had it coming. He died because Daniel<br />
J. Penny wrapped his arms around his neck<br />
and squeezed while some assisted and others<br />
watched for more than 15 minutes.<br />
Similarly, after 3 years of COVID-19, the<br />
development of vaccines and treatment drugs<br />
and the proven effectiveness of masking and<br />
social distance, the astonishing rate at which this<br />
virus continues to spread, mutate, and kill is not<br />
nature’s evil, it’s ours. Crowing to CBS News about<br />
the end of the federal state of emergency, White<br />
House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said<br />
that nearly every COVID-19 death is now preventable,<br />
stating that it’s clear, “from a very large-scale<br />
kind of cohort data … that if you're up to date on<br />
your vaccines and you get treated, death numbers<br />
are exceedingly low.” However, he said this while<br />
promoting the removal of vaccine requirements<br />
for federal employees and international travelers<br />
while city and state rollbacks end requirements<br />
just about everywhere else. Who then is responsible<br />
for the surge to come? And what natural<br />
disaster is to blame for so many nations lacking<br />
access to vaccines for COVID-19 as well as flu,<br />
pneumonia, and a host of other illnesses?<br />
It’s terrible when banking crises and<br />
economic downturns lead to slashed wages, lost<br />
jobs and closed businesses. Though the global<br />
economy is a beast of our own making, not every<br />
large scale financial hiccup can be predicted<br />
— like the advent of a global pandemic. But<br />
the way we treat those who are hit hardest by<br />
those events and the way we structure society<br />
to position certain communities at the front of<br />
every disaster are entirely up to us.<br />
When government funds go to large<br />
companies while families struggle and landlords<br />
fill courts with petitions for evictions, is it so hard<br />
to imagine that the the lack of compassion that<br />
we show to each other might result in some of us<br />
losing our homes, going hungry, losing hope and<br />
becoming depressed? We might find ourselves<br />
on a subway train, angry and ranting to a group of<br />
people with their own problems, their own fears,<br />
and their own reasons to be mad. And when that<br />
happens, who is responsible for what happens<br />
next? When we can admit that we are the only<br />
answer to that question, and act accordingly, we<br />
will have taken a big step towards keeping the<br />
list of names that Jordan Neely just joined from<br />
getting any longer. AC<br />
Stop Asian Hate protest by Jason Leung<br />
<strong>12</strong>0 aphrochic
WHO ARE YOU<br />
Name: Heavenly Gaines<br />
Based In: Brooklyn, NY<br />
Occupation: Self-employed undergraduate admissions advisor<br />
Currently: Excitedly curating specialized home goods including my own<br />
creations to sell online, at festivals, and retail shops.<br />
Black Culture Is: The vanguard. It's my lifeblood and inspiration. Through<br />
literature, music, food, art, and style, Black culture implicitly captures<br />
the imagination, determining what is cool, what's to be monetized, and<br />
what's to be imitated.<br />
Photo by Chinasa Cooper<br />
<strong>12</strong>2 aphrochic
THE KEISHA<br />
BUST<br />
PERIGOLD.COM