If you’ve ever visited France, the thought of a croissant conjures pure heavenly bliss: a crispy, buttery and oh-so-flaky delight. You also know that you’re hard-pressed to find an equivalent in New England, and the thought of a Dunkin breakfast croissant throws you into a cataclysmic state of despair. But I have good news: Brian […]
For the record, I am not a fan of Black History Month. There’s inequality in the way we talk about the contributions of black people and white people in American History, and that’s a continuing factor in the racial separation plaguing the country. Black people are intricately entwined in the creation of America. One can […]
“[I] kept on getting up. A little slower. And a lot more deadly.” -Assata Shakur The Underground Railroad is traditionally taught to be an early 19th century clandestine network of white abolitionist and free Negroes who used various modes of transport to successfully whisk away countless numbers of enslaved Africans from their unsuspecting slave masters. […]
It is hard to look at my country and hear people in my community claim that racism does not exist. We all see the same videos, hear the same victims. We see the same irrefutable evidence of systemic racism, and some are still choosing white blindness over empathy. We recently enjoyed a day of relaxation […]
Baylies Band – Freudian Ears Baylies Band is back with Freudian Ears, a new LP released late last year. A long-running local favorite, the group is a unique combination of zany spoken word, art rock, psychedelic noodling and guitar noise. The maestro is Eric Baylies on vocals and keys, a man whose flair for experimentation […]
It’s not easy being young. Millennials and their juniors face an uphill battle arguably more arduous than any generation has faced since the Second World War. An ever-competitive workforce characterized by low income, long hours and unrealistic expectations of 24/7 loyalty and availability is the norm, with unfavorable rates of interest, legacies of debt and […]
It wasn’t long ago that I found myself covered in flour, rolling dough with a glass bottle, reforming an amoeba-like shape into a circle, struggling to make it thin rather than pancake thick — but despite all evidence to the contrary, after twice flipping this “tortilla” and letting it cool just long enough to tear […]
For those planners among you, take note! This April, the 3rd annual Rhode Island Black Film Festival will take place in various spots in PVD, with a full calendar of narrative, documentary and feature films. The theme this year is Empowerment. Ann Clanton, festival founder and executive director said, “It means empowerment of women to […]
I met Rose Weaver at her home on the east side of Providence and we shared grown black women’s things — fear, insecurities, victories and joys. We laughed, scratched and spilled a little tea. What I most enjoyed about our conversation was the clear reflection of myself in her life story. I came away from […]
Phoebe Bean presented “Relics, Rebels, and Rum” at the RI Historical Society (RIHS) where she works as librarian in their Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center. Particularly striking was a small part of her talk using a few images from the collection to illustrate the routine details of the North American Triangular Trade in which RI […]