Millions March NYC

About a week and a half ago, I had the opportunity to film some of the protests taking place in New York City following the deaths of unarmed men Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of law enforcement. It was a powerful experience and one that will stay with me for a long time.

Thousands of people of various races and nationalities came out to protest the deaths of not just Mike Brown and Eric Garner, but the litany of people of color whom throughout the years have been killed by police. I was honestly surprised by the number of white people I saw out at Washington Square Park for this march as it shows that it's not just black folks who are fed up with this mess. I'll be including more videos of interviews and other happenings at the protest in the coming days.

Ms. Badu's Social Experiment

Erykah Badu is a well known musical artist who has toured around the world and recently went to New York to see how much money she would earn signing on the street. It did not go well.


 

Learning With Others: The Importance of Blogging While Brown

A few weeks ago I was in Harlem attending the Blogging While Brown conference for the first time and learned quite a bit. The most striking being that so many people are no longer waiting on "traditional media" to tell their stories, but instead, are using new platforms to tell their own.

Telling stories and differing perspectives have been going on for as long as humans have been able to communicate. With the ever evolving landscape of technology, blogs have been at the forefront for enabling communities (particularly those of color) that have either been ignored or forgotten about by mainstream society, to make sure their voices/brands are noticed. It is because of this, that I felt compelled to attend Blogging While Brown.

It truly was a great experience. I was fortunate enough to meet a number of bloggers who are writing about everything from hair care, to health and fitness, to career services, and media. It certainly was inspiring to see so many other bloggers of color who were making their stories and voices known throughout this space we here call the internet.

Fostering relationships in any profession is key, especially among bloggers. I myself made a few connections with people and the conference overall made me think about just what I want for FilmSwag and ways to continue to grow. I certainly would recommend the conference for bloggers of color and hope to attend next year as well. For more info, you can check out the website here.

So A Panhandler Walks Onto The Subway...

If you live or work in New York City, you know the deal. Without fail, as soon as you walk through the subway doors to take your seat, you'll inevitably hear a plea from somebody who needs your money. Just in my own experiences, I've seen people get rather creative in asking for your cash. Occasionally a group of kids will dance, some will sing, and there will always be somebody who needs money for their basketball team. Well, here we have a guy who looks as if he may be asking for money initially, but instead it's the passengers who are caught off guard.

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Trayvon Martin & The Black Boogeyman

"It's not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." 

-  Audrey Lorde

Last Wednesday I attended the march for Trayvon Martin at Union Square in New York City. I was commuting from Brooklyn and didn't make it till well after it had already began. Even still, there were a few hundred people in the park with signs, letters, and faces of concern at what happened nearly a month ago. The case of Trayvon Martin is troubling at best, and as a black man, downright frighting at its worst.